Against the Wall

HELSINKI HOMICIDE:

AGAINST THE WALL

Translated by

Peter Ylitalo Leppa

Ice Cold Crime LLC

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, incidents, and situations depicted in this work are wholly the creation of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author, the translator, or the publisher.

Originally published in Finnish as

Seinää Vasten
by Gummerus, Helsinki, Finland. 2008.

Translated by Peter Ylitalo Leppa

Published by

Ice Cold Crime LLC

5780 Providence Curve

Independence, MN 55359

Printed in the United States of America. 2
^nd
Ed.

Cover by Ella Tontti

Copyright © Ice Cold Crime LLC, Jarkko Sipila 2009, 2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

Ice Cold Crime LLC gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of:

Library of Congress Control Number: 2009929421

ISBN-13: 978-0-9824449-0-0

ISBN-10: 0-9824449-0-7

By
Jarkko Sipila

In English:

Helsinki Homicide: Against the Wall
(Ice Cold

Crime, 2009)

Helsinki Homicide: Vengeance
(Ice Cold

Crime, 2010)

Helsinki Homicide: Nothing but the Truth
(Ice Cold

Crime, 2011)

In Finnish:

Koukku
(Book Studio, 1996)

Kulmapubin koktaili
(Book Studio, 1998)

Kosketuslaukaus
(Book Studio, 2001)

Tappokäsky
(Book Studio, 2002)

Karu keikka
(Book Studio, 2003)

Todennäköisin syin
(Gummerus, 2004)

Likainen kaupunki
(Gummerus, 2005)

Mitään salaamatta
(Gummerus, 2006)

Kylmä jälki
(Gummerus, 2007)

Seinää vasten
(Gummerus, 2008)

Prikaatin kosto
(Gummerus, 2009)

Katumurha
(Gummerus, 2010)

Paha paha tyttö,
with Harri Nykänen (Crime Time, 2010)

Muru
(Crime Time, 2011)

In German:

Die weiße Nacht des Todes
(Rohowolt Verlag, 2007)

Im Dämmer des Zweifels
(Rohowolt Verlag, 2007)

In Italian:

Morte a Helsinki
(Aliberti Editore, 2011)

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Kari Takamäki
….……….
Detective Lieutenant, Helsinki

Police Violent Crimes Unit

Suhonen / Suikkanen
….………….
Undercover Detective

Anna Joutsamo
….……….……........….…VCU Sergeant

Mikko Kulta
….……….……….………...VCU
Detective

Kirsi Kohonen
….……….……….………VCU
Detective

Kannas
….……….……….…………...
Chief of Forensics

Tapani Larsson
….……….……….……..
#2 in the Skulls

Tapio Korpela
….……….………...M
ember of the Skulls

Markus “Bogeyman” Markkanen….
….……….…..T
hug

Kalevi Lindström
….……….……….……...B
usinessman

Juha Saarnikangas
….……….……….……….…...J
unkie

Jerry Eriksson
….……….……….……….……..C
on man

Ilari Lydman
….…………..S
mall time criminal, bouncer

Eero Salmela
….……..
Suhonen’s friend, now doing time

Jorma Raitio
….…………...
Salmela’s former accomplice

Jouko Nyholm
….……….……………
Customs Inspector

Leif Snellman
….…………..
Assistant Director, Customs

PROLOGUE

EARLY AUGUST, 2008

Suhonen settled into a white leather sofa and stretched his back. He surveyed the apartment, a four-room flat in Ruoholahti on the west side of Helsinki. The door to the balcony was open and a warm evening breeze swept through the room.

“Wanna beer?” asked the blonde, and without waiting for an answer, she set it on the end table. Her tanned breasts strained at the opening of her white V-neck top. Obviously not real, but so what.

“Suikkanen,” she cooed, sliding onto the couch next to him. “I like guys from Lahti. I’ve always had lots of fun at Särkänniemi.” Suhonen grinned. Särkänniemi, a popular amusment park, was actually in Tampere, about eighty miles from Lahti.

She walked her fingers across the undercover officer’s chest. The blonde’s name was Sara Lehto. Suhonen knew that she had appeared in several low-budget domestic porn films, and the creamy white, simplified interior of the apartment reminded him of a porn set.

But Suhonen wasn’t interested in Lehto—he was after her boyfriend, Tapani Larsson. He was the number two man in the Skulls, a Finnish biker gang.

The gang was suspected of an arson. A week ago, a small pub at the old Kannelmäki shopping center had burned down, and the owner had made the mistake of
pointing his finger at the Skulls. The owner had told the police that he had refused to pay for protection. Later he changed his story and claimed to have absentmindedly emptied an ashtray into a
wastebasket.

Suhonen didn’t know Larsson’s whereabouts, but had been told that Lehto and Larsson lived together. The tip had brought him here to Ruoholahti. After four hours of staking out the subway station, Sara had finally breezed through the sliding doors.

Suhonen had followed the blonde to an outdoor patio bar, where she stopped for a Strongbow cider. A few minutes later, she wandered from the bar to Suhonen’s table.

Suhonen had introduced himself as “Suikkanen” from Lahti. The undercover officer for the Helsinki Violent Crimes Unit had used this alias many times. After another cider, Sara Lehto had checked to make sure her boyfriend wouldn’t be home for another couple of hours, and invited Suhonen back to her place.

Now she gave his pipes a squeeze, sliding her hand into the sleeve of his T-shirt. Suhonen took a cold swig. He was satisfied to have obtained Larsson’s home address. The ex-con’s rap sheet was long and violent. Now he could be found if needed, and it would be easy to get Larsson’s cell number from Sara’s phone.

Sara smiled, closed her eyes, and kissed Suhonen on the neck. His arm rested on her shoulder.

Larsson was not your average criminal. Unlike many, he hadn’t grown up in reform schools, but had graduated high school with top honors. Though he came from a good family, he had been attracted to the Skulls while in college. The man was ruthless, and rose quickly within their ranks.

Suhonen took another sip. From the hall, he heard an unexpected noise. Before he could turn his head, he heard a man’s voice.

“Who the hell is this drinking my beer?”

Suhonen cursed to himself. He turned to see Tapani Larsson standing in the hallway. The thug leveled a Czech CZ pistol at Suhonen’s head. How come he hadn’t heard the door open?

Sara Lehto got up quickly, went to Larsson, and wrapped her arms around him. His muscles rippled beneath a black T-shirt. His arms were covered in tattoos, and ink flames climbed his neck. His head was shaved and the four studs in his left ear were connected by a thin, jeweled chain.

Suhonen noticed that his face seemed thinner than it did in the mug shots. Hollow cheeks only made his eyes more piercing.

“He followed me,” she accused. “He’s probably a Pistolero.”

Try Los Sheriffos, Suhonen thought. How do I get outta this? Pulling out his badge wasn’t his first choice; were Larsson to find out his profession, it would only hurt his odds of survival.

“Talk!” he barked. “Who are you?”

“Suikkanen.”

“Suikkanen who?”

“Suikkanen. No first name.” Suhonen said. He held onto his beer, just in case he needed something to throw. His gun was in the pocket of his leather jacket, draped over the back of the couch a couple of yards away.

“Pat him down,” Larsson commanded. “And you, Suikkanen, put the beer on the table and get up.”

Suhonen stood up and let the blonde check him. Her rose-scented perfume filled his nostrils. He had left his wallet in the glove box of his car, which was parked near the subway station. His badge was in the small inside pocket of his jacket. She wouldn’t find it, but that wouldn’t buy him much time.