Palm Beach, Finland by Antti Tuomainen

Author:Antti Tuomainen [Antti Tuomainen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781912374328
Publisher: Orenda Books
Published: 2018-02-25T16:00:00+00:00

Jan Nyman watched from behind the bushes as Olivia Koski left the red house a different way from how she had arrived. Nyman had positioned himself further up the hill, looking down diagonally at the house, giving him a view of the front door too, where an elderly lady in an attractive light-grey tweed suit and shiny, laced black-leather high heels was waiting for the door to open. After a small diversionary move, Nyman had decided to follow Olivia Koski. He had cycled in one direction for a short distance, checked to see whether Olivia or anyone else was behind him, then turned and headed in the direction he had come.

He had quickly caught up with her. Following her uphill had been hard going as the paths were narrow and winding and varied greatly in height. The situation had eased considerably once Olivia had entered the house and Nyman had been able to pass the building and climb further up, deep into the woods and the cover of the trees. Of course, the relief was relative. He was plagued by mosquitoes, a horsefly bit a chunk out of his neck, the branches and undergrowth scratched and tickled his legs. His bare ankles made him feel uneasy. He was convinced he could hear the surrounding Lyme disease whispering his name.

The front door opened just as Olivia Koski jumped on her bike and began freewheeling downhill. Nyman’s eyes followed Olivia long enough that he missed what happened at the front door. The door closed quickly. Nyman thought for a moment. Olivia Koski must have had a reason for coming all the way up here. Nyman didn’t know who lived in the house. There was no mention of this address in any of the reports he’d seen. And that made the location of particular interest. Nyman made a quick decision. He would catch up with Olivia again, somewhere, somehow. He had to look into this house and its occupants.

Nyman made his way from the woodland to the edge of the bushes, then, remaining in their shadows, moved down to the gateway through which he had just seen Olivia leave the property. The gate was unlocked. He silently lifted the catch and the gate opened without creaking. His first sensory observation was the simultaneous scent of a thousand flowers. It was as though he had walked into a fairy tale. The garden was dense, green, and exuded primitive life force from all directions. Nyman watched his step, afraid that he might step out of the bushes at any moment and give himself away. He caught a glimpse of the house’s red wall, changed direction and moved towards the building, crouched as low as he could. He came to a stop behind a large fern-like bush, listened to the birds, their chirping becoming all the more intense as evening drew in, and cautiously rose to his feet.

He saw two old ladies, both grey-haired and stylishly dressed. They were on the veranda, standing in the garden, sheltered from the outside world, and kissing.

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