Anything he found would be inadmissible as evidence, he had pointed out, but Rinne didn’t seem to care. Whatever. Do as he was asked, enjoy the overtime pay he had been promised and use it to buy Adalina a better birthday present than he could otherwise afford. That alone made the excursion worthwhile. He would always take every opportunity to make his wife happy. She’d spent two years at university in Helsinki and had reluctantly returned to Kaarme out of love for Lehtonen. She spent her days chafing at the bonds of small town life, and only Lehtonen’s constant attention kept her content, if not fully satisfied with the life they’d made together. But she would bring some form of modernity to the town one way or another. Kaarme was her project now.
He smiled as he silently secured his rubber dinghy at the dive platform, and then mentally shook himself, focusing on the job in hand once more. He slid the glass door open and stood listening for several moments. Silence pressed on his ears. He heard the gentle slap of the lake against the hull and nothing else. He jumped as some night bird hooted, then only the water once more.
He moved on soundless feet through the dive room and climbed the steps up to the bridge. The first thing he saw was a table littered with eight by ten printouts. He used a penlight to quickly scan the images and his eyes widened at the shots of fins and teeth. What in God’s name were these supposed to be? Glancing around furtively to make sure no one was about, he pulled out his phone and took a couple of photos of the pictures, wincing at the bright bursts of flash. When he was finished, he looked out the bridge windows and grinned. It wasn’t as if there was anyone about to see him. As long as the ‘documentary makers’ stayed asleep he would be fine.
He moved around, taking photographs of several other printouts and pictures, quickly putting together in his mind exactly what these people were doing. They were monster hunters, clearly. More fools desperately seeking something that at best should be left well alone. They seemed to have found a strange geological feature and that interested Lehtonen greatly. After all, who wasn’t intrigued by the local legends, even if it was best to ignore them? But regardless, these people were lying about why they were here and they were almost certain to cause trouble. Rinne would want them gone and Lehtonen had found enough here to give the Superintendent cause to question them, but not really anything on which to base an actual search. He needed something more concrete, some angle Rinne could play. The man was thorough and obsessive.
A glance out on deck showed the boat to be heavily equipped with lots of new gear, including complicated looking nets and hydraulic arms, and a big harpoon gun. The surveillance equipment on the bridge and the gear he’d seen in the dive room were proof this operation was massively financed. It was a far cry from the simple expedition they’d claimed.
Lehtonen shook his head. Americans. He moved back through the Merenneito, quietly checking storage cupboards and any other space that wasn’t behind a closed door, but he found nothing more of interest. He didn’t dare risk disturbing someone in their bed, and the longer he stayed, the more he pushed his luck. He passed into the galley and had a quick poke around. A large, well-stocked freezer stood beside the cooker. He opened a couple of drawers and saw expensive seafood and fancy frozen desserts. These people were eating well. He spotted a small package of frozen éclairs — Adalina’s favorite treat, and tucked them inside his jacket. The crew wasn’t likely to miss them among this veritable cornucopia, and if someone noted their absence, they’d simply assume one of the others had beaten them to the prize. His head swimming with happy thoughts of smiles, kisses, and perhaps a little more his wife would bestow upon him in thanks, he made to shut the door when something caught his eye.
An oddly shaped object sat on its own in the bottom drawer, wrapped in plastic. He shifted aside the covering and gasped, barely stifling a cry. Eyes narrowed, he moved more sheeting aside and confirmed what he had at first thought must be a hallucination. A foot! These people were holding human remains. Now, this was something that would be of interest to Rinne, and rightfully so.
For a moment, he considered taking the foot with him, but thought the better of it. Rinne would want it left in situ for the time being. The Superintendent was a vain man, and he would want to make the discovery himself. And they could hardly deny it if the evidence was right here on board. Most likely Rinne would bring a team aboard first thing in the morning. He loved an audience for the occasions upon which he actually did something of value.
Shaking his head, Lehtonen snapped a few photographs and closed up the freezer, then headed directly for his dinghy. He definitely had all he needed now. The photos would provide ample evidence to merit a search of the boat and Rinne would be eager to act now he had solid intel showing there was something to be found.
Within moments he was gently rowing away from the Merenneito, congratulating himself on his ninja-like incursion. It made him happy to be a success at anything, especially as Adalina would directly benefit. He would have to get his kids something too, as their happiness was another of his primary driving forces in life. Plus, every time he did something particularly brave or daring, he delighted in sharing the story with his idiot brother. Jannik always enjoyed mocking Lehtonen for ‘taking the easy path in life’. Why the man thought being a policeman was easy, he would never know. Maybe it was a small town thing, now Jannik was a big shot in Helsinki. Well, screw him.
As he propelled the craft through the still waters, fueled by angry thoughts of his brother, a flashing light caught Lehtonen’s eye. He paused his rowing, drifting on the silent lake as he looked toward shore. Another flash, like an electric torch being flicked on and off in rapid succession. Morse code? No, that couldn’t be it. Unless someone was trying to signal the boat, but why wouldn’t they use a modern means of communication?
A low whistle drifted across the water, and then the light flashed again. He needed to check it out. It was suspicious, if inexplicable, behavior, and Rinne would expect him to leave no stone unturned. Lehtonen pulled on his oars, guiding the small boat toward the strange flickering. In less than a minute he had gained land and pulled the boat up onto the mud.
“Hello?” he called out. “Who’s there?”
The flashing light had stopped and the shore was still and silent. Lehtonen took a step forward, peering into the shadows between the trees. “Hello?” he said again. “Police. What’s your business here?”
He pulled his penlight out and directed its thin, sharp beam into the stygian gloom. Tree trunks danced with shadows as he panned it slowly back and forth. A twig snapped. Lehtonen swung his light quickly in the direction of the sound. “Police! Show yourself!”
No sound. No light. Lehtonen turned in a full, slow circle. He slipped his hand to his side and drew his Walther P99Q as nerves rippled up his chest. His heart began to hammer a little too hard for his liking.
“Show yourself!” he said again, louder this time.
As he came back around to face the trees, his light fell on a figure directly in front of him, robed and hooded. Lehtonen cried out in surprise and began to raise his weapon, but the cowled man struck him across the wrist of his gun hand and punched him hard in the chest. As Lehtonen staggered backward, he raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.