“That’s not what I meant. But maybe we could meet here…or someplace else, say, a few times a year?”
“I’d like that,” said Laura.
Mari nodded. “I’d be okay with it.”
“Or what if dad came to see my play?”
“If he wants to,” said Mari.
“I don’t see why not, but…” he gathered his thoughts for a moment. “…about the current situation.”
“Right,” said Mari. She looked at Laura, “I’ve told her everything.”
“Okay, then I’ll just be blunt. There’s a lotta rumors going around about you. Hard saying what’s true and what’s not, but there could be some truth to them.”
“We know, but who?” asked Mari.
“Korpi, of course.”
“Why?”
“That I don’t know. Probably fu… Umm… Annoyed about his sentencing,” he said, smiling sheepishly at his daughter.
Mari thought for a moment. “What do you think we should do?”
“I dunno. You can’t show fear, but Korpi has some crazy guys in his corner. I really don’t know.”
Laura cut in. “Are you a criminal?”
Anton chuckled. “Uhh, how to put it… I never been much for the straight and narrow, but I’m not a bad man. At least not that bad,” he said, trying to keep a gentle face.
“Listen,” said Mari. “We should go. Did you
bring it?”
Teittinen took a bag out from beneath the table. “I got some Christmas presents for the two of you. This bigger one is for your mom and this other is for you. I didn’t have time to wrap them. This all came up kinda sudden.”
He handed the smaller package to the girl. “Here. Merry Christmas. It’s one of these MP3 players with a bunch of music already on there.”
Laura smiled in surprise. “Thank you!”
Mari didn’t want to ruin the moment by asking how and where he had managed to purchase a player with preloaded songs.
“And Mari…maybe we should duck into the restroom to open this one.”
Mari nodded and stood up. “Watch our stuff,” she said to Laura.
The restrooms were on the second floor, small but private. Mari chose the women’s room. Anton followed and locked the door behind him. The room felt a bit cramped for Mari’s tastes-she didn’t care to be so close to her ex-husband.
“I haven’t changed my mind about your testifying against Korpi. But let’s not talk about that right now. You’re both in trouble, so I’ll help you because of
the girl.”
He opened the box to reveal a small revolver with a roundish profile. The handle was made of dark
wood, and mated with chrome-plated steel. The barrel seemed remarkably short.
“It’s the best I could get on short notice. A short-barrel Smith amp; Wesson.44. It’ll fit in your purse and it’s fucking easy to use.”
He cocked it, pulled the trigger, and the hammer snapped shut. “The bullets are in here.” He held up a small Zip-loc bag with six rounds in it, then took out a small rag and set about wiping his fingerprints off the weapon. “This is what the gun dealers always do.”
“Where’s it from?”
He shrugged. “Off the shelf of some gun shop in Turku for all I know.”
“You stole it?”
“No, but you’re not supposed to ask. It’s hot, at any rate, so don’t show it to your cop buddies.”
“Okay,” said Mari. Teittinen handed her the weapon. It felt quite solid, though it didn’t weigh much more than two pounds. At least it brought a semblance of security. Now the target could shoot back if circumstances called for it.
“It’ll stop the crackheads, too. Got a good kick, but as you can see by how short the barrel is, you’re not gonna hit anything past fifteen feet.”
Lehtonen studied her ex. “Have you ever shot at anyone?”
“Nah. Guns are more about the fear factor. But remember, you point this at somebody, you better be ready to pull the trigger. And if someone’s threatening Laura, you aim for the head. They’ll be picking brains off the pavement for a good while.”
“How much do I owe you?” asked Mari as she packed the revolver back into the box, and the box into the plastic bag.
Teittinen smiled. “I already told you it’s a Christmas present.”
Mari slipped the bag and the bullets into her blue handbag.
CHAPTER 24
SATURDAY, 3:40 P.M.
HELSINKI CITY THEATER
Joutsamo and Takamäki were standing in the atrium of the Helsinki City Theater. Takamäki took in the ambience of the forty-year-old building. Back in the sixties, it had been considered modern, but now it seemed cold and clinical. The detectives had chosen a spot next to the coat check where they could see the guests filing in through the main entrance. With their coats off, they did their best to act like theater-goers waiting for friends to arrive.
The two had arrived at a quarter after three. By now, there was little to chat about. They’d already gone through the details of the case, and chitchat wouldn’t move it along. Circumstances remained grim from their standpoint. If the Lehtonens didn’t turn up at the theater, the police were just as lost as they were that morning. Kulta had spotted Mari and Laura on tape at the Helsinki Central Train Station, but the footage ended at the doors leading to the Railway Square.
Takamäki glanced at his watch. “If they don’t come for this showing, the next is at seven.”
“Yeah,” said Joutsamo as she scanned the new arrivals. She noticed a familiar TV reporter: Sanna Römpötti. Shit, she thought. The reporter came in
with a short-haired boy of about ten and recognized the detectives immediately.
“Just what we needed,” muttered Takamäki through a smile.
Römpötti slipped out of her coat and came over to greet them. “A little culture to go with your crime, huh? What’s up?”
Her question was intentionally open, as Römpötti was surprised to see the two of them at the theater together.
Takamäki smiled. “The VCU theater club donated some tickets. Apparently hard to come by.”
“Yeah,” answered Römpötti, and she gestured toward her young companion. “This is my godson, Tommi. Tommi, say hi to these nice police officers.”
The boy smiled shyly and said hi.
“Hi,” said Takamäki and Joutsamo.
The reporter’s back was toward the door, but the detectives still had a view of the entrance. “I got my tickets way back in August. You know who’s singing the lead in this show?” said Römpötti.
Neither detective even had a notion of what the choices might be. “I don’t, actually. The programs are up there,” said Joutsamo. “We’re just waiting for a couple of our colleagues and Takamäki’s wife.”
“It’d be nice to meet her sometime,” said Römpötti.
Joutsamo spotted Mari and Laura outside the glass entrance doors. They had to get rid of Römpötti fast. The reporter would quickly notice their interest in Mari. Römpötti had been at the trial, after all, and would surely recognize her.
“Are your seats on the main floor or the balcony?” asked Joutsamo.
“Main floor. Row seven on the right.”
“Hm. We’re in the balcony. That must be the difference between detectives and reporters,” said Joutsamo with a smile.
Little Tommi tugged on Römpötti’s sleeve. “That Sprite, remember?”
Römpötti grinned. “Well, we’d better go. See you.”
“Sure,” said Takamäki. He too had noticed the Lehtonens at the entrance. The sight of them was a huge relief, but Römpötti was still only a few feet off, so their original plan of immediately intercepting them wasn’t going to work. Römpötti would presumably take a final backward glance on the stairs en route to the lounge.
Mari and Laura came into the atrium and began shedding their coats. Mari was lugging a large shoulder bag, so apparently they hadn’t stopped at home after leaving the safe house. The detectives turned their backs as the Lehtonens filed into the coat check line. Römpötti was already on the stairs with the boy when she turned back and waved. Joutsamo gave a nod, which earned a questioning look from Takamäki. “Römpötti’s on the stairs,” she explained.