The Red King of Helsinki

by Helena Halme

  ‘I wondered if we could meet?’

  Leena was thinking hard. If she said no, he’d certainly suspect something was up.

  ‘Yes, why not,’ she heard herself reply.

  The man suggested the bar at the InterContinental Hotel. Leena had been there once with a friend who’d gone to teach in the USA for a year and had come back engaged to an American. The wedding reception at the hotel had been a grand affair. Leena wondered what she should wear there on a Sunday night, and decided on a pair of flared black pants and a colourful top. Shoes, as always, were a problem. Nothing less than her thick-lined winter boots would negotiate the walk to the tram stop. Usually on an evening out, she took a pair of indoor shoes to change into, but somehow that seemed wrong tonight, as if she was expecting to go dancing with the foreigner. Leena decided to take a pair of black patent shoes with her anyway, and see when she got there whether she’d have an opportunity to change into them unnoticed.

  Vadi, too, was a problem. What if he turned up while she was away? When she was ready to leave, it was already eight o’clock. He was now two hours late. Then Leena had a thought. Her not being there – if, and when, he turned up – would teach him a lesson. Why did he assume that she didn’t have better offers? That she didn’t constantly refuse other men to be with him? She was sticking her neck on the line for him, the least he could do was to keep a date they’d arranged.

  The bus dropped Leena off at Töölö Square, and she walked down the hill to the main entrance of the hotel on Mannerheimintie. It looked even grander than she remembered, but Leena took a deep breath and walked confidently in through the large revolving doors. She looked around the lobby and suddenly stopped. She only saw the man’s back, but she would have recognised him anywhere.

  Vadi stood with his arm around a woman’s waist. They were talking to a receptionist at the desk. On the floor next to him was a holdall. The receptionist laughed at something Vadi said. She caught Leena’s eye. Leena ducked sideways and hid behind a pillar. Then she saw a sign, ‘Toilets.’ She walked briskly towards a set of doors to the left of the lobby and went inside. There was no one inside. She opened a door to a cubicle and sat down on top of the toilet pan. Her hands were shaking as she took her boots off and placed the high-heeled shoes on her feet.

  Although she hadn’t seen his face, Leena was sure the man was Vadi. She recognised his long coat, his black boots and his blond hair. The way he stood, the way he waved his hand while talking to the receptionist, were the same. She even thought she had heard him laugh. The woman standing next to him had looked as if she did it all the time. They were very comfortable together.

  * * *

  When Leena saw Iain Collins, she was relieved, though a little disappointed by his appearance. He looked unshaven, and his jacket was scruffy, as were his boots. Still, he got up when he spotted Leena and offered her a drink.

  ‘Cuba Libre,’ Leena said immediately. She had decided what she was going to ask for while in the bus, and now she was glad. That way she appeared confident and would have the air of a woman of the world. She knew she’d get nervous and now after seeing Vadi with the woman her heart was racing as if she’d just run five kilometres. In the bus here, it had occurred to her that if this man was an enemy of sorts to Vladsislas, he would probably harm her too. But now, with Vladsislas here with another woman, the situation was even more terrifying. What Leena really wanted to do was go home and cry into her pillow. Everything was lost – Vadi, the Tournament, her pride. But, in the small cubicle of the ladies’ room, she decided that she would pull herself together. She would make the best of if. If Vadi had been unfaithful to her all these months, so what! Leena could get over him as she had got over other men she’d fallen for before. Not having to be involved in Vadi’s scheme would be a relief. If the foreign man started acting funny, she would simply say her farewells and leave. They were in a public place after all. What harm would come to her in front of all these people? She looked around the room. As she remembered, there was a long bar to one side, a dance floor in the middle, and tables arranged around it. Each table had a small lamp, giving a red glow to the people sitting there. But the rest of the room was so dark that Leena could barely make out the features of the people on the bar stools from where they were standing. When the barman brought Leena’s drink, Iain Collins took it and led Leena further down the dimly-lit room. The place was half full, but Leena spotted a free table in the corner and said, ‘Can we sit there?’

  ‘Of course,’ he replied.

  Leena slid awkwardly onto the sofa. The fabric of her trousers rubbed against the velvet upholstery and it took her time to settle down. All the while the Englishman stood watching her, with his hand on the chair opposite. Then he seemed to change his mind and said, ‘Do you mind if I sit next to you?’

  Leena was glad of the red glow, it hid her blush.

  ‘Of course.’

  They were both now sitting diagonally opposite each other, with their knees touching under the table.

  ‘Sorry,’ the man said, ‘but I want to see the bar. I’m looking for a friend.’

  ‘Oh,’ Leena said. Why was she here, what did he want with her? She’d have the one drink and then go home for a good night’s sleep so that she could give her full support to the girls at tomorrow’s competition. She would forget about Vadi and any chances of winning the competition. The Helsinki Lyceum girls would do their best, and she would tell them to hold their heads high and be proud of their achievements when the inevitable loss of the trophy was announced.

  ‘Well, cheers,’ the man said in English, lifting his glass and smiling at Leena.

  ‘Cheers,’ Leena said and felt a little more comfortable. She took a closer look at the man. Iain, he had called himself. He was tall, and quite slim, with square shoulders and a kind face. His wavy hair was very dark and there was a lot of it. Foreigners always had such good hair, Leena thought.

  ‘Leena, may I call you Leena? I’m Iain,’ the man said.

  ‘Yes, of course…Iain,’ Leena replied and smiled. Such politeness, so rare these days!

  ‘I know this may sound wrong, or strange, but I believe you have been cheated.’ The man’s eyes were steady on Leena, looking gravely at her. ‘Your friend at the, hmm, Embassy,’ the man leant closer to Leena and whispered the last words, ‘he’s not what you think he is.’

  ‘I know that!’ Leena said, a little too loudly.

  ‘You do?’ Iain said, surprised.

  ‘Yes, I saw him, just now, with her. I don’t know, but…’

  ‘You saw Vladsislas Kovtun here?’ The man’s eyes had widened and he was leaning even closer to Leena.

  ‘Yes, just before I came into the bar, he was in the lobby!’

  Iain scanned the bar, and leant back in the seat, taking a large gulp of his drink.

  ‘You’re sure it was him?’

  ‘Yes,’ Leena said. Of course she was sure!

  ‘We need to leave,’ Iain said.

  The Englishman got up and took hold of her arm. ‘We need to be quick.’ He pulled her towards the other end of the bar, and through a side door into the lobby. The reception was now empty. Iain smiled at the girls at the desk and said, ‘Good Evening,’ in English. He nodded towards a set of stairs at the side and led Leena to the top of them.

  ‘What about my coat and boots!’ Leena said when they were standing outside. The hotel was built into a hill, between Töölö Square and Mannerheimintie. Leena didn’t know there was another entrance on the Töölö Square side. She was shivering, looking at the cold night and the snow-covered street just beyond the doorway they were huddled in.

  ‘What?’ the man said, and looked down at Leena’s feet, ‘Where are they?’

  ‘In the cloakroom!’ Leena dug out the ticket she’d been handed by a girl.

  ‘Ah’, Iain said. He took the ticket and opened the door. They were once again inside the hotel, in a long corridor. ‘You wait here,’ he said and disappeared down the stairs.


  Leena was still cold. Her slacks were made out of very thin fabric, and the weather outside must have been nearly -15°C. Typical of a foreigner not to think about things like this, Leena thought. She looked around. There were several rooms either side of the corridor, and a lift at the end. Suddenly she heard voices. A door opened further down and two people, a man and a woman, stepped out of a room. Leena froze. It was Vadi and the woman from the lobby. He had his arm around her. The woman was now wearing a black, body-hugging dress. She looked about the same age as Leena, she guessed, but she was more slender, perhaps even taller than her. Leena was transfixed. The woman saw her and smiled and said, ‘Hello,’ in English. This caused Vladsislas to turn his head too. He saw Leena, smiled, as if he didn’t know her, and nodded. He placed his hand under the woman’s elbow and led her towards the lift. Leena wanted to run the length of the corridor and take hold of Vadi and scream at him, but she wasn’t able to move. As if in a dream, she watched the two step inside the lift. Vadi turned and held her gaze. Leena stood still, his confident look bending her to his will, as the doors closed.

  * * *

  What on earth was Kovtun playing at? Iain ran down the stairs and back into the lobby, trying to think straight. Miss Joutila had said he was here with a woman. The Colonel had specifically told Iain the transfer was going to be solely Kovtun, that he had no family. He must find out more from Miss Joutila, or Leena, see if she might have been mistaken. The Colonel could find out from the hotel if Kovtun had indeed checked into the InterContinental. Of course, he’d use a false name, but MI6 had a good man inside the hotel. Obviously unknown to the KGB! Iain smiled to himself as he made his way to the public phone booth in the lobby.

  Iain was relieved to see Leena still at the top of the stairs when he returned. She had a surprised look on her face, as if she hadn’t expected Iain to succeed in retrieving her coat and boots. He smiled at her.

  ‘Here we go, sorry about that.’ Iain must be gentle. Obviously it had distressed Miss Joutila to see Kovtun with another woman. Iain wondered if she had started to suspect Kovtun. Goodness knows what he had promised her in addition to a win at the Friendship Tournament. A promise Iain guessed Kovtun had done absolutely nothing about. Iain hoped that Leena’s involvement had been accidental. He couldn’t believe that Kovtun would have been able to make her do his dirty work for him.

  ‘Look,’ Iain said, ‘I’d like to talk to you, but not here.’

  ‘No, not here,’ the woman agreed, ‘I live fairly near. Do you want to come over to my place?’

  This took Iain by surprise. He watched as she unzipped her fur-lined boots and placed her shoes in the nylon bag. Her tone was matter-of-fact, but still…

  Miss Joutila caught Iain’s expression and said, ‘I mean to talk, and just that,’ she said firmly.

  ‘Of course, that’s very kind of you.’

  * * *

  The gym teacher’s flat was smaller than Maija’s, about the same type and size as the one Iain was renting. When she showed Iain into the living room, he noticed a low coffee table laid out for dinner: two plates, two tall wine glasses. No guesses who Miss Joutila had been expecting for dinner. She walked into the room and saw Iain looking at the table.

  ‘Yes, he was supposed to come over tonight!’ Leena gathered the crockery and glasses together and took them to the kitchen. ‘What would you like to drink? I have coffee.’ Before Iain was able to reply, Leena popped her head out of the doorway and added, ‘Or if you prefer, Koskenkorva.’

  ‘Hm, vodka I think, please.’ Iain said and sat down. He wondered how much he would be forced to tell Leena about himself to get her to talk. The less she knew the better. Things were going well so far, she didn’t seem hostile. He just had to be careful not to push too hard.

  As soon as Leena sat down opposite Iain, she started to talk. Even if he’d wanted, Iain couldn’t have stopped her.

  ‘I want what’s best for my students,’ she began. She paused for a moment, taking a sip of her drink. ‘So when I met this lovely man in Moscow and he started, well, courting me, and then said he could arrange that we would win the trophy, well, I could not say no, could I? How was I to know he was, well, that he had someone already?’ The gym teacher’s face was turned towards Iain, her eyes open wide.

  ‘No, of course you couldn’t know.’ Kovtun’s philandering is the least of his crimes, Iain thought but said nothing.

  ‘I feel so stupid. The woman seemed innocent. She looked so nice, smiled at me even when I saw them again…’

  ‘What do you mean you saw them again, where?’

  ‘They came out of one of the rooms when I was waiting at the top of the stairs.’

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ Iain said

  ‘Of course, I knew about the daughter, Vadi talked about her often. That’s why I…’ Leena put her head in her hands.

  ‘The daughter?’

  ‘Yes, Leena said, looking up at Iain, ‘he said Pia reminded him of her.’

  ‘And where is this daughter now? Moscow?’

  ‘No, she lives in Minsk. But she’s coming over for the Tournament.’

  Iain stared at Leena.

  The gym teacher got up and poured herself another large glass of vodka. She paced up and down the small flat, then sat on the chair and started sobbing.

  Iain put his arms around the woman. She was slightly built, but her body felt muscular under the flimsy fabric of her blouse. She was wearing a strong perfume. Iain waited. Gradually Leena’s sobs lessened. Iain got up and sat down opposite her. She looked at Iain with red, smudged eyes and said, ‘I’ve been a fool.’

  19

  Pia woke up in the middle of the night to a bad dream. She’d been on the ship again. This time the Gestapo man had been Heikki. She’d seen a glimpse of his face and then confronted him. She woke up before she heard Heikki’s reply. She couldn’t get to sleep again. All she could see in front of her was the image of his laughing face beneath a shiny black cap and his buttoned-up dark uniform.

  Pia crept into the kitchen to find her mother sitting and drinking tea in the dark.

  ‘I’ve decided you are not to take part in the Friendship Tournament today,’ she said.

  ‘But I want to win! You know how much this means to me. And I can’t let everyone down! Anni said…’

  ‘Anni said a lot of things.’

  ‘Have you spoken with Mr Linnonmaa?’ Pia asked.

  ‘No,’ her mother said. She looked tired. Pia wondered if she’d slept at all.

  ‘What about Iain?’ Pia said. You said you’d do nothing until you’d spoken with him.’

  Maija sighed and walked to the hall.

  ‘It’s four o’clock in the morning, you can’t call him now!’ Pia said.

  Her mother had already lifted the receiver. She’d done that at least a dozen times during the night, every ten minutes it seemed she was trying Iain’s number. By midnight she’d given up and told Pia to go to bed. They hadn’t discussed Anni’s father. Pia had a feeling her mother didn’t trust either Anni or Mr Linnonmaa.

  Pia’s mother now turned around and said, ‘Why not?’ and started to dial the number.

  Pia put her head into her hands. She was so incredibly tired. All she wanted to do was go to sleep. She felt her mother’s arms around her. ‘No answer,’ she said. She kissed Pia on the forehead and said, ‘I don’t use these very often but I think you should take one.’ She handed Pia a small white pill and got her a glass of water. ‘Sleeping pill,’ she said.

  * * *

  Pia woke to voices coming from somewhere in the flat. She felt groggy. When she was a child Pia spent all her summers at her grandmother’s place. Sometimes she’d wake up with her eyes glued together. Grandmother would fetch a bowlful of warm water and slowly remove the ‘sleep’ from her eyes, as she used to call it. The woozy feeling she now had was exactly the same but her eyes were clear when she opened them. Pia listened to the voices. It was a man and a woman arguing. She pulled on her j
eans quickly and found a jumper on the floor of her bedroom.

  The lights in the kitchen were bright. It was still dark outside. When Pia stepped into the room both Iain and Maija stopped talking. Pia looked at them. They’d been arguing. Her mother was wearing her pale blue dressing gown and her hair was a mess around her shoulders. Iain looked dishevelled too. He was unshaven, his trousers looked creased and there was no tie. He looked old.

  ‘What time is it?’ Pia said and slumped into a chair.

  ‘Half past six. You should go back to bed.’ Pia’s mother said. Giving Iain a quick glance, she came over and put her hand under Pia’s arm and started leading her out of the kitchen. As if she was a sickly child, Pia thought.

  Pia pulled her arm away and said, ‘No, I want to hear what’s going on. Did you get to talk to Miss Joutila?’ Pia was looking directly at Iain, who sat down opposite her.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘He spent the night with her,’ Maija said. She was measuring coffee into the machine, with her back to them. Iain lifted his eyes up to Pia, but said nothing.

  ‘What did she say?’ Pia said.

  ‘She’s been very badly treated.’

  ‘She has? And what about us?’ Pia’s mother turned around to face Iain.

  Iain looked from Pia to Maija.

  No one said anything for a while.

  ‘Did you tell him about Anni?’ Pia asked.

  Pia’s mother stood with her arms crossed over her chest. ‘No, why should I tell him anything after the way he has treated us.’

  Iain sighed heavily. ‘Look, I know it wasn’t right and I feel awful about the whole business. But, it’s my job, at least for now…’

  ‘What do you mean for now?’ Pia asked. She looked at her mother and saw her features soften.