The Winter of the Lions by Jan Costin Wagner Read Free Book Online Page B

said Joentaa. He was picturing a man leaving home. An attacker waiting for him. Just for that one man. Waiting patiently, focused.
    ‘Westerberg. I was asking if you know him,’ said Sundström.
    ‘No,’ said Joentaa.
    ‘I do, from way back. He’s a bit lethargic, but verymeticulous. When he’s talking you get the feeling he might drop off to sleep any minute.’
    ‘Hm,’ said Joentaa.
    ‘We’ll go to Helsinki. Setting out at eight. I’d like you to tell Tuomas and Petri first, ask them to carry on here in Turku, I’ll draw up a plan of action.’
    An attacker, quiet, patient and focused, Joentaa thought.
    ‘We must find out what connects Patrik Laukkanen to this Mäkelä. Apart from their appearance on the same chat show,’ said Sundström.
    Quiet, patient, focused. And driven by fury.
    ‘I want to see the transmission of the show as soon as possible,’ said Joentaa. ‘Larissa … a friend of mine, she told me about it, she saw it at the time.’
    ‘Larissa?’ asked Sundström.
    ‘We must ask the TV station for a DVD of the show,’ said Joentaa. ‘Or no, maybe Patrik recorded it. If I appeared on a chat show I’m sure I’d record it, wouldn’t you?’
    ‘Perfectly possible,’ said Sundström.
    ‘I’ll ask Leena. We have to see that transmission, it’s urgent.’
    ‘Yes …’
    ‘I’d like to have watched it before going to Helsinki. I’ll call Leena right away. Speak to you later.’
    ‘Er … Kimmo …’
    Joentaa ended the call and called the number he had stored under the name of Patrik Laukkanen. He let the phone ring until Leena Jauhiainen answered in her abstracted, quiet voice.
    ‘Sorry, Leena, I know it’s early,’ he said.
    ‘Hello, Kimmo. I wasn’t asleep,’ said Leena.
    ‘I have a question to ask you,’ began Joentaa.
    ‘Is there … it sounds like something …’ Leena didn’t finish her sentence. Presumably she had been about to say ‘something important has happened’, but what was important after Patrik’s death?
    ‘Patrik was on a TV talk show a few months ago …’
    ‘Yes,’ she said.
    ‘Do you know if he recorded the programme?’
    ‘Yes, Kimmo, I do. He called me about ten times to make quite sure I pressed the right buttons on the DVD player. It was … it was a great thing for him, it gave him a lot of pleasure, and he was really good.’
    ‘Do you have the DVD? Could you lend it to me?’
    ‘Of course.’
    ‘Wonderful. I … I’d really like to pick it up at once, if that’s okay.’
    ‘Of course. Kimmo … what’s going on? Why is that recording important?’
    ‘I don’t know yet. But the other man who was on the
Hämäläinen
show with Patrik …’
    ‘The puppet-maker? Mäkelä?’
    ‘Yes … had he and Patrik been in touch before? Were they friends?’
    ‘No. They met for the first time on the talk show. I don’t know that Patrik had anything to do with him later. Is this Mäkelä …?’
    ‘He’s dead,’ said Joentaa. ‘There’s some kind of connection with Patrik. There has to be.’
    Leena did not reply.
    ‘I’ll be with you in half an hour,’ said Joentaa.
    ‘Fine,’ said Leena.
    ‘See you,’ said Joentaa, ending the call.
    He phoned Grönholm, whose voice seemed to surface from the depths of sleep, and Heinonen, who sounded hunted.
    Then he stood outside the closed door of his bedroom for a while. Finally he pressed down the handle and opened it. Larissa lay curled up in the foetal position. She seemed to be fast asleep.
    Joentaa closed the door and stood undecidedly in theliving room with a piece of paper and a pencil. After some time he gave himself a little shake and wrote:
Dear Larissa, I have to go out. Looking forward to seeing you this evening. I could make us lasagne if you like. See you later, Kimmo
. He stared at the note for a while, then put it down on the table. The lake beyond the window was still dark, but the sky was clear, and Joentaa felt that the next wintry day would soon be dawning.

18
    SHE HAS