“So we’ll basically turn these people into aquarium fish,” Römpötti said.
“We need to think about how we want to use our money. Parking enforcement is being privatized at a rapid rate. Why couldn’t traffic enforcement also be privatized? Do we need to train police officers for two years so they learn how to read vehicle speeds from a radar? I don’t think so. A private company would do it more efficiently, saving the police resources for more serious problems.”
To Joutsamo, Fredberg’s proposals seemed dangerous. As a judge, the guy obviously had experience in criminal cases, so what he was saying couldn’t be considered complete hogwash. But privatizing traffic enforcement? Joutsamo’s thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her desk phone ringing. The judge and the reporter kept talking as Joutsamo answered.
“Helsinki Police Department, Anna Joutsamo.”
“Hi, this is Mauri Tiainen, attorney at law.”
“Hello,” Joutsamo said. She couldn’t immediately place the name, but it did ring a bell. Before the attorney could continue, Joutsamo remembered. Tiainen had been Repo’s district court representation.
“Yes, I don’t think we’ve met, but I represented Repo, this escaped convict, in district court.”
“I know,” Joutsamo rapidly responded. The guy sounded like he was about fifty, even if the agitation in his voice made it difficult to judge.
“So why wasn’t I informed?” the attorney demanded.
Joutsamo was stunned. “About what?”
“The escape, of course.”
“Umm…and why would we have informed you about that?”
“Because that was what was agreed with the Riihimäki Police. Wasn’t it in your records?”
“You’re speaking with the Helsinki Police Department. We don’t know anything about any such arrangement.”
“Goddammit!” Tiainen snapped. “That’s just wonderful!”
Joutsamo lightened her voice a touch. “It’s unfortunate that the arrangement wasn’t communicated to us, but why should the police have informed you about this incident?”
“Because he vowed to kill me.”
“Timo Repo?”
“Of course. After the murder conviction in district court, he was really upset and said he’d kill me the first chance he got. From my perspective, that chance is now.”
“Hasn’t it been eight years since then?”
“That guy’s so nuts he definitely won’t forget. In the early years of his incarceration, he sent me repeated letters about his threat. I took them to the Riihimäki Police, but they just said they couldn’t do anything about it, because Repo was already doing life. A life sentence isn’t going to get any longer because of a few death threats.”
“Why would he want to kill his own lawyer?”
“Well,” Tiainen squirmed. “His wife’s homicide was a completely unambiguous case, but Repo didn’t remember anything about it because he was so drunk. I suggested to him that he confess, and we’d try to get it lowered to manslaughter. In that case, Repo might have gotten a six-year sentence, maybe. But the district court viewed it as murder and slapped Repo with life. That sent him over the edge.”
“Okay,” Joutsamo replied.
“Then the Court of Appeals upheld the murder conviction, so in that sense no injustice took place at district court.”
“But he was upset with you for advising him…”
Tiainen interrupted. “Upset is putting it mildly, but you’ve got the picture.”
“So he didn’t want to confess?”
“Hard to say. Repo was pretty messed up back then. He didn’t know what to do, and I thought it was the smartest decision in that situation. There was no reason to contest the case. He would have been convicted regardless.”
“So it was a clear case?”
“Absolutely clear-cut,” Tiainen said. “I’ve handled about thirty homicides over my career and in this instance there was no uncertainty about the perpetrator. The only open issue was that Repo didn’t remember anything about the act.”
“Why did Repo kill his wife?”
“Agh, I don’t remember. Or as far as I remember there was no reason. Maybe they had an argument,” the lawyer guessed. “Which is exactly why I’m going to take a weeklong vacation somewhere! Preferably abroad.”
“Do you have any idea where he might be?” Joutsamo asked quickly.
“Haven’t the foggiest.”
“You don’t know or remember who he was hanging out with back then?”
“Not a clue. He was being held as a suspect at the Riihimäki jail, and that’s where we met. We didn’t discuss friends, and hopefully we don’t have anymutual ones.”
“Well, just so you know, according to our information, Repo settled down after a couple of years, and neither the guards nor the other prisoners had heard about any vendettas.”
“Well, why did he escape then?” Tiainen asked.
“We don’t know.”
“Exactly. That’s not going to get me to cancel my vacation plans,” the lawyer huffed.
Joutsamo asked Tiainen to be in touch if Repo tried to contact him, and he promised he would. The call ended right as Kohonen walked into the room.
“I think I’m going to head out. These thirteen-hour days are killing me.”
“Go ahead. I was also thinking I’d leave pretty soon, as soon as I get a chance to talk to the lieutenant on duty about Repo.”
Kohonen put on her blue parka. “Did you notice the report in the system? A car was stolen in Töölö in a pretty unusual way.”
“Nope. How?”
“Someone broke into a locker at the swimming pool and took the keys from the coat pocket. The car disappeared from in front of the pool, but the wallet was left untouched in the locker.”
“My first instinct is insurance fraud. The owner’s behind on the payments and had to get rid of his wheels.”
“I don’t know, but it’s a new approach, anyway.”
Joutsamo thought for a moment. Of course the MO would fit Repo. He was not an expert at stealing cars, so it would be easier to take the key than to look for a car without an ignition block and try to hotwire it. “When did this happen?”
“I don’t remember exactly, this afternoon or evening.”
Joutsamo nodded. Probably wasn’t Repo, but if it was, he already had an hours-long head start. Plus, the car’s license plate and description had already been sent out to all units, so Joutsamo didn’t need to take any action. Of course tomorrow she could ask the responding patrol if they had gone to the swimming pool and retrieved a surveillance camera image of the thief.
“Hey,” Joutsamo said to Kohonen. “You wanna go grab a drink at the Hotel Pasila bar?”
“I thought you were never going to ask. As long as we don’t talk shop or get pony-faced.”
Joutsamo’s curiosity was piqued. “Pony-faced?”
“Well, right after I had turned eighteen, I was at the disco with a bunch of my friends from the stables. We had been there drinking all night, and then I noticed this really familiar-looking person standing in front of me. I tried to walk around her, and bam! — I slammed into the mirror face first and shattered it to bits,” Kohonen grinned.
“Okay,” Joutsamo laughed. “No getting pony-faced. I want to get your views on this old murder conviction of Repo’s.”
CHAPTER 11
WEDNESDAY, 12:45 A.M.
TUOMARILA, ESPOO
Takamäki drove his Toyota station wagon into the small, empty, tree-ringed parking lot in the Helsinki suburb of Espoo. There were no houses nearby, but several dumpsters of various colors stood in the clearing. Not everyone had bothered to throw their trash inside; some lay on the ground, too.
The thermometer read 35° F, and the sleet had eased off. Takamäki turned off the engine. He hadn’t been able to sleep; the Sello surveillance camera images had been eating at him. He had to see if he could find the car based on the address.
Takamäki turned on the Toyota’s dome light and examined the images of Jonas’s accident in the weak glow. He made a note of the point of contact between the gray car and the bicycle, in front of the front left tire.