Nothing but the Truth (34 page)

Korpi’s eyes flared. “You wanna die?”

“Go ahead,” she said with a wooden expression. “I’m already dead. Just do it!”

“Fuck you!”

Takamäki looked on helplessly as Korpi’s trigger finger began to close. The lieutenant had managed to inch a little closer—maybe he could make a lunge for the gun. But that wouldn’t work, the distance was too great. Korpi squeezed his finger and Takamäki’s mind pictured the hammer as it flew home, but a shot from the left rang out at the same time. Takamäki’s ears went deaf from the blast. Risto Korpi sank to the floor with Mari in his arms.

One shot or two? Takamäki wasn’t sure. He looked to the left and saw that Salo had fired. Joutsamo scrambled to the other side of the table and pulled the bloodied Mari away from Korpi’s body. Takamäki looked at the inmate. The bullet had shattered his skull. He was dead.

“Is she okay?” asked Takamäki. Joutsamo was holding Lehtonen in her arms some fifteen feet away.

“She’s alright. She’s not hit.”

The second armed guard reclaimed his Glock from Salo’s trembling hand. Takamäki couldn’t understand why Mari wasn’t dead. He felt certain he had seen Korpi pull the trigger before Salo.

He found the revolver on the floor and picked it up. The hammer was closed, so Korpi had definitely pulled the trigger. He snapped open the cylinder. Empty: the weapon hadn’t been loaded.

Takamäki realized that Mari was watching him. Their eyes met for what seemed like a minute. Had she planned this all in advance? he wondered. Her eyes offered no clues, but that gaze was intense.

“It’s all over,” he said calmly. “Put your safeties back on. Nobody talks to anybody till the interrogations are done.”

CHAPTER 29

MONDAY, 6:00 P.M.

PASILA POLICE HEADQUARTERS

The lobby of the police station was nearly full. What used to be the press briefing room had been remodeled into a monitoring room for traffic enforcement cameras, so press conferences had to be held in the lobby now. A couple of tables had been set up in front of a glass wall near the elevators, and about twenty chairs had been assembled for the reporters.

Half a dozen TV cameras and upwards of a dozen newspaper photographers were lined up in the front row. The first few reporters to arrive on time had had the good sense to take the outermost seats in the front row, the only ones with sightlines not obstructed by the photographers’ backs. Other reporters stood to the sides.

Sanna Römpötti was standing about thirty feet from the tables when Deputy Chief Skoog arrived. The cameraman gave the signal and the live broadcast cut from the news desk to the police station.

“I’m here at Pasila Police Headquarters where a press conference on today’s dramatic turn of events is about to begin. Let’s listen in,” said Römpötti, and the picture cut to a second camera trained on Skoog.

Deputy Chief Skoog sat behind a table bristling with microphones and recorders. Alongside him sat the equally grave-looking state prosecutor, Roosa Kemppinen. Skoog began, “Hello. I’m Mika Skoog, Deputy Chief of the Helsinki Police Department, and here with me I have State Prosecutor Roosa Kemppinen. To begin with, I’ll read a statement that will be available in printed form after the conference.”

Skoog cleared his throat and began reading, “In recent days, the Helsinki Violent Crimes Unit has been investigating a series of threats toward a witness who testified in a recent murder trial. Among the threats was a car bomb that was found in front of the witness’s home. After a relentless search, police were able to locate the bombing suspect, but this afternoon the investigation ended in an unfortunate incident on Juna Street, in which the suspect fired shots at police officers. The shots missed, but officers at the scene were forced to return fire and the suspect was killed. The same individual is also suspected of a homicide in Vuosaari earlier in the day.”

Skoog looked up. “We ask that anyone with information on this incident contact the Helsinki VCU,” and he listed a phone number.

The reporters were silent.

Skoog returned to his paper. “In a related incident at the Helsinki Prison today, a corrections officer shot and killed an inmate who was threatening the life of another individual. This same inmate was suspected of being behind the threats against the aforementioned witness.”

He went on, “Because police officers were involved in the shooting on Juna Street, State Prosecutor Roosa Kemppinen will be leading that investigation. Both the shooting in Vuosaari and at the prison will be investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation, as it would not be prudent for the Helsinki VCU to investigate the matter themselves. At this time, State Prosecutor Kemppinen will make a statement.”

“Yes. I don’t have anything to add at the moment,” said Kemppinen dryly, “Except that the state prosecutor’s office will conduct a thorough investigation.”

She turned back to Skoog.

“I think we can open it up for a few questions at this time. Go ahead.”

“Was Risto Korpi the inmate who was killed?” asked one of the newspaper reporters.

“Yes, he was.”

“Can you tell us what happened?”

Skoog paused for a while. “That’s still under investigation. Unfortunately the lead investigator is still at the scene and was unable to attend this press conference. At this point I don’t have any more information.”

Römpötti blurted out her question without being called upon, since that would never happen after last night’s news story, “This whole case seems to revolve around threats against a witness who testified in court. Now both suspects behind the threats have died at the hands of the authorities. Was this an intentional message to criminal organizations that they shouldn’t tamper with witnesses?”

Skoog stared coldly at Römpötti, but then looked directly at one of the TV cameras. “Of course not. We don’t work that way here in Finland.”

But something in his expression or perhaps the tone of his voice left a shadow of doubt in viewers’ minds, just as Skoog had intended.

“What about Mari Lehtonen?” asked Römpötti.

“She’s fine,” he said, and followed up quickly with, “Thank you. The next press conference is tomorrow morning at ten. Hopefully we’ll be able to tell you more then.”

Römpötti took up her position in front of the camera and reiterated the day’s events and what little they had learned from the press conference.

* * *

The live broadcast at the police station came to a close and Mari Lehtonen turned off her television. Laura was sitting on the sofa reading a book.

“So what now?” asked Laura.

Mari shrugged. “I guess our lives will return to normal. There’s nothing to worry about anymore. That’s what the police said. I might get a fine for an unlicensed firearm and for threatening with a deadly weapon, but Joutsamo said the prosecutor might not even press charges given the circumstances.”

Next to the television was a handsomely decorated Christmas tree, a traditional gift from the officers at a military base near the safe house.

“So when do we get to go back home?”

“I don’t know, but after all these shootings I think it’s best if we stay here for a while.”

“So they can solve the cases?”

“Shouldn’t be much to it, but they’ll find the rest of Korpi’s gang and locate his money. There shouldn’t be much else after that. Joutsamo said they were checking into a warehouse of Korpi’s somewhere around Hämeenlinna.”

Laura looked at her mother, who was smiling faintly.

“How long?”

“I don’t know. A week or two, that’s what Joutsamo said. We’ll be just fine,” said Mari.

A grave expression came over Laura’s face.

“What is it?” said Mari.

“Well…about what happened at the prison…”

“Yes?”

Mari had decided to tell her about the incident immediately, so she wouldn’t be left wondering. Laura had gotten the same story as the NBI investigators who had questioned Mari as a suspect immediately following the incident. She had become overwhelmed with rage, she had told them, and that was why she had pulled the gun. Mari had learned during the trial that witnesses and plaintiffs had to tell the truth, but suspects did not. As a mother, she also had the right to bend the truth with her child.

“When you pointed the gun at him, did you know it wasn’t loaded?”

Mari smiled. “Listen to me, Laura. Do you remember when we were at McDonald’s and your father brought you that MP3 player? Well, he brought that gun at the same time. I thought it might come in handy if we ever got into trouble. But your dad said if I ever point it at someone, I better be ready to pull the trigger. That’s why I never loaded it. I could never kill anybody.”

And she spoke the truth. Somebody had to kill Korpi for her, and in such a way that they wouldn’t be convicted. But that was something she would never reveal to anybody.

Laura nodded.

A cheerful voice rang out from the kitchen. “Come in here, you two!” Agatha called. “I need some help with these tarts!”

Mari looked at Laura.

“I suppose we should go,” said Laura, and she set her book down on the sofa.

* * *

Salmela was sitting at the corner table at the Corner Pub. The Christmas tree languishing near the door seemed to cough on the cigarette smoke. Suhonen was weaving through the crowd with two steaming mugs of glögi, a suitable treat for a snowy yuletide evening. He reached the table, took a seat and slid one of the mugs over to Salmela.

“Thanks,” he said.

The men sat and sipped the hot, spiced wine. Apparently the bartender hadn’t spared any vodka. Or maybe some rookie had messed up the recipe. Both men coughed at the same time.

“Well, poetic justice, they might call it,” said Salmela.

Suhonen shrugged.

“Aren’t you gonna tell me what happened? Word on the street is that Korpi and Ahola were executed for bucking the system.”

Suhonen couldn’t help but smile. “Some reporter asked the chief the same thing on TV. His answer was no.”

“Bullshit. I saw his expression. Said execution all over it.”

“I actually wasn’t there, but my boss Takamäki was. When I left the station tonight he was still there writing up reports. I got a look at the draft and I gotta say, everything went according to the finest letter of the law.” Suhonen smiled broadly and stroked his beard. “Those sections on self defense are pretty broad.”

Salmela sipped his glögi. “I don’t suppose you guys would mind a little rumor circulating that you’re taking extreme measures to protect witnesses?”

“Should we?”

”No, the balance of terror needs to be maintained, just like in Soviet times.”

“Well, go ahead and spread it then.”

Salmela nodded. “Alright… I hear Korpi’s outfit is teetering on the brink. And that psycho Nyberg doesn’t have what it takes to run it either, especially not from the slammer. People fear him, but they don’t respect him. But what about Guerrilla Siikala. What’s gonna happen to him?”

“Tough to say yet, but we’ll throw the book at him. Gotta maintain that balance of terror. I bet he’ll get accessory to attempted murder for the car bomb, and maybe something else for the drugs. All this publicity has made the case a top priority, so we’ll be going full tilt to the end. Martin will get to see the inside of a prison too, that’s for sure.”

“He was involved, huh?”

“Korpi’s lawyer.”

“Right, I know,” said Salmela. “I hear some of Korpi’s guys have already split away to some gang from Vantaa. They’ll probably take the rest with them, too.”

“Yeah.”

Usually, Suhonen would be interested in hearing about new players in the game, but today he’d talked enough about work, and so he let it be. The vacuum

would fill quickly—when one gang was busted up, another would soon take its place.

The men sat quietly for a minute, sipping their drinks.

“Listen,” said Salmela. “I got this diamond ring that’d be a perfect Christmas present for that lady of yours, Raija. Five hundred and it’s yours. She’d love it!”

Suhonen laughed.

“I’m serious. Tell you what. I’ll throw in a Christmas tree and a ham on the house.”

Also from Ice Cold Crime LLC

Helsinki Homicide: Against the Wall

Jarkko Sipila (2009, 291 pages)

Winner of 2009 Best Finnish Crime Novel

An abandoned house in Northern Helsinki, a dead body in the garage. Detective Lieutenant Kari Takamäki’s homicide team gets a case that looks like a professional hit but they are perplexed by the crime scene. Takamäki’s trusted man Suhonen goes undercover as Suikkanen, a gangster full of action. In pursuit of the murderer, he must operate within the grey area of the law. But, will the end justify the means?