The Fire Witness

190

Joona is staring out the window and doesn’t hear the announcement that the plane has started its descent into Helsinki International Airport.

Twelve years ago, he’d cut off the finger of the Devil himself, and his punishment had been loneliness. It was a high price, yet he felt that it was still too mild. The Devil was waiting to take more from him. The Devil was waiting for him to imagine that everything was forgotten or forgiven.

Joona bends over in his seat and waits, trying to slow his breathing. The man sitting next to him looks at him nervously.

It’s not the migraine, it’s that other thing, the immense darkness behind everything.

He had stopped the serial killer Jurek Walter. That can’t be written off or forgotten.

He had no choice, but the price was too high, much too high. It hadn’t been worth it.

His skin is covered with goose bumps. He pulls at his hair with one hand. He presses his feet against the floor with all his strength.

He is going to see Summa and Lumi. He is going to do the most unforgivable thing. Only as long as Jurek Walter believes they are dead are they safe.

Perhaps he’s already leading the serial killer to his family.

Joona has left his cell phone in Stockholm. He’s using a forged passport and is paying for everything in cash. When he gets out of the taxi, he walks two blocks to the door of the apartment.

He waits for a moment and then goes to a café down the street. He pays ten euros to borrow a phone and calls Saga Bauer.

“I need help,” he says in a voice thick with emotion.

“Don’t you know everyone is looking for you? Things have gone completely haywire here.”

“I need help with one thing.”

“Yes,” she says without hesitation.

“When you’ve given me the information I need, erase the search history,” Joona says.

“All right.”

Joona swallows hard and looks at the slip of paper Rosa Bergman gave him. Then he asks Saga to search the Finnish health records for a woman named Laura Sandin who lives at Liisankatu 16 in Helsinki.

“Let me call you back in a minute,” she says.

“No, I’ll hang on while you search,” he says.

Those minutes are the longest of his entire life. He stares at the glittering dust on the countertop. He looks at the espresso machine and the marks on the floor where chairs have been pushed in.

“Joona?” Saga says at last.

“I’m here,” Joona whispers.

“Laura Sandin was diagnosed with liver cancer two years ago.”

“Go on,” Joona says.

“Well, she had surgery last year, a partial hepatectomy. And she… well…” Saga Bauer is whispering something to herself.

“What is it?” Joona asks.

Saga clears her throat and says, “She just had surgery again last week.”

“Is she still alive?”

“Apparently so. She’s still in the hospital.”