Below the Surface by Leena Lehtolainen

Author:Leena Lehtolainen [Lehtolainen, Leena]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542048743
Amazon: 1542048745
Goodreads: 35400730
Publisher: AmazonCrossing
Published: 2003-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

13

“Oh, a ‘special assignment,’ is it?” Koivu said angrily. I’d called him into my office while I waited for Kervinen.

“Right. You’ll continue working on our profile of Annukka Hackman, contacting her family and friends and old coworkers. And you’ll assist me in interviews as necessary. We’ll start with Kervinen as soon as he arrives at the station. Your office will move to the third floor. Jyrki promised some old cleaning closet. It doesn’t have a window, but you’ll have a desk and a computer.”

Koivu shook his head. “This is a nightmare. How can I tell Anu?”

“You haven’t told her yet?”

“No. Juuso’s been up at night again, and Anu hasn’t been able to sleep for a couple of days.” Koivu looked a little ragged himself, and no wonder. I wouldn’t be able to sleep either if I had a sexual harassment accusation hanging over my head.

“Ursula threatened to go public, so it’s best to tell Anu before she reads about it in the papers. Or do you want me to tell her?”

“No, I’m man enough to do it myself,” Koivu said in exasperation, then went to move his things.

Man enough. Hopefully I’d never have to ask my own son if he was man enough for anything. The phrase was positive in the sense that a man should be upright and trustworthy, and take responsibility for his actions. But there was plenty of darker baggage tied up in it—and the norms of masculinity—too.

I could imagine how Anu would hit the roof when she heard about the accusations against her husband. I’d blow up too if Antti was mistreated that way. Gender didn’t matter—you defended the people you loved regardless.

I looked out my office window to see that the sleet had stopped and the moon shone, looking as delicate as tissue paper. It was almost full and made me long for a walk in the forest. In the city the moon had too much competition. I remembered the fields around our old house, where Antti and I had skied before the children and the beltway came. When was the last time Antti and I had done anything fun together just the two of us? I couldn’t remember.

When word came that Kervinen was waiting in Interrogation Room 4, I called Koivu and picked up the diary Lehtovuori had brought me. The death threat was repeated dozens of times, the last one only three days before Annukka Hackman’s murder. As usual, Kervinen also reported on the bodies he had examined during this time, but the lines describing his private life were more revealing.

Annukka called and it was like before. She wanted to meet on Wednesday at Tapiontori Restaurant. She must have finally realized that Atro Jääskeläinen is a loser. He couldn’t even get Sasha Smeds to work with her on her book, and that book is Annukka’s big dream. Annukka asked what I know about DNA. I know everything about DNA if Annukka is the one asking, and what I don’t know I’ll find out. I’ve been right to wait.

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