Chapter 63
Swann turned the rental-car heater up a few degrees.
He’d been wrong about Elea. She hadn’t left abruptly because she’d had a death-wish.
She was chasing their suspect, going it alone.
And now he was following her trail. He’d forgotten how crisp the air was here and how dark the landscape was in the absence of streetlights.
Sometimes the night could be even more beautiful than the day.
Swann wasn’t prone to romanticising things, but Finland had captured his heart.
Tonight the darkness was animated as stars twinkled, the moon reflecting off the snow in a bluish hue.
Forest pine trees loomed large, their heavy crystalline branches reminding Swann of the Bradford collectable ornaments that his mother loved to buy.
But the landscape all seemed so similar, and his journey to the cabin had felt like a never-ending trail.
At one point Swann was convinced that he’d been driving in circles.
Heikkinen had given him detailed directions, but everywhere looked the same.
But now Heikkinen was standing before him, looking every inch the Finnish detective, with his solid build and stubbled beard.
His once-blonde hair was cropped silver, cut in a young style that he managed to get away with.
His POLIISI reflective jacket acted as a barrier against all weathers, along with his gloves and boots.
His insulated tactical pants came with large cargo-pockets.
Police-issue, designed to prevent hypothermia.
Swann had left so quickly that he hadn’t dressed for the Finnish weather.
His English winter coat was beginning to feel paper-thin.
Heikkinen delivered a strong handshake, his expression grim as he looked Swann up and down.
“Come. There’s a spare jacket in my truck. ”
Swann dutifully followed. Heikkinen’s first call had come as Swann disembarked from the plane.
The news that Elea had shot their suspect had come from left field.
The man was believed to be Anu Korhonen, otherwise known as their first “Ice Angel.” The fact that Anu had been involved was a complete mind-fuck, but the description and the timings added up.
Anu had returned to Finland just before Swann and his team started hunting him down.
“She’s in there,” Heikkinen jabbed a thumb back at the cabin as Swann pulled the spare jacket on. “She’s shaken, but physically unhurt.”
“And Anu?” Swann walked shoulder-to-shoulder with his former boss as he approached the cabin.
Heikkinen shook his head.
“Shit!” Swann muttered.
“Self-defence,” Heikkinen replied. “Elea had no choice.”
“And you can make that stick?”
Heikkinen sighed, each footstep pressing into the snow. “She’s in a whole world of trouble, but nothing that will incarcerate her.”
That had always been the bar for Elea. To stay out of jail.
“Try not to touch anything . . . And keep her inside. At least until we know what’s going on.”
Heikkinen told him about the mound of earth with the small wooden cross.
Swann’s heart sank at the news. But at least now they would be able to bring Liisa home.
He glanced up at the rickety wooden cabin as Heikkinen left him to return to the crime scene.
It was large, but far from homely, with rotting, creaking timbers and a roof thick with snow.
Jesus, he thought, taking in his surroundings as he pushed open the screen door.
Rusted hinges, splintered floorboards—everything moved and groaned.
Swann’s muscles contracted and tensed as a damp, smoky smell enveloped him.
He found Elea in the living room, after he’d pulled on a forensic suit over his clothes.
A pitiful sight, she warmed her hands before a two-bar electric fire that Swann recognised as Heikkinen’s own.
He kept it in his truck, there for officers in need. Tonight was such a night.
The officer with Elea stood up at their arrival and, reading the room, left them alone.
Elea looked at Swann, her crumpled expression reflecting her pain.
She was swamped in her bunny suit, the zip pulled down slightly to reveal a police-issue grey tracksuit beneath.
No doubt a trade-off for what she’d been wearing before.
There was dried blood under her fingernails.
Specks in her blonde hair, from when she’d dragged it off her face.
The cabin was dim and cold. The furniture was falling apart.
The fireplace was blackened, thick with damp soot.
“Hei,” Swann said, lightly touching her back.
“Hei.”
“You OK?” He took the spot next to Elea on the sofa, which groaned beneath his weight.
Was there a part of this cabin that didn’t have a life of its own?
Soon they’d be asked to vacate it and wait in a heated vehicle or portable tent.
In weather like this, heated temporary accommodation would need to be set up.
But in the meantime, as temperatures nosedived, compromises had to be made.
“Sorry, stupid question.” Swann said flatly, as Elea failed to respond.
“I didn’t mean to kill him.” Elea sniffed.
“I aimed for the bastard’s shoulder, but he moved and .
. .” She looked at Swann, her words laced with sincerity.
“He was my last link to Liisa. There’s so much I need to know.
” She swallowed. “And Maria . . . oh God.” She wiped her tears, unable to continue.
She went to stand, but Swann gently pulled her back down into her seat.
“I should be out there.”
“Heikkinen will get us as soon as there’s news,” Swann told her.
Elea eased back into her seat, nodding. “He will. Yes.” But her voice was strangely detached, as if her mind couldn’t take any more grief tonight. Her body trembled beside him.
“You’re freezing.” Swann unzipped his forensic suit and took off his jacket.
He draped it over her shoulders. She didn’t move.
She hadn’t noticed that it was there. He sensed her emotions: a mixture of shock and trepidation.
She was preparing herself for what was to come.
Building high walls. He might never be able to reach her again. He hated to witness her pain.
“Bit of a shithole, eh?” Elea said, dovetailing her fingers together.
Swann followed her gaze. “It’s not going to win any Tripadvisor awards.”
“There are law books on the bookshelf. Horse manuals, too.”
Swann nodded, aware of Liisa’s love of horses and youthful aspirations to become a judge when she “grew up.” But those days were gone.
“Are you sure you’re OK? We can wait at your house, get food, thaw out. You don’t need to be here if you’re not up to it.”
Elea looked at him as if he’d asked her to run naked in the snow. “Do you know me at all?”
Swann shrugged. “It seems not. I thought you’d left England to top yourself.”
Elea snorted in response.
Time passed. They waited in silence. They were kept updated on proceedings.
Anu’s remains had been removed from the scene, and now they were searching for the body buried beneath the snow.
The mound of earth was a grave. Elea and Swann sat in silence.
There was nothing more for either of them to say.
The creak of a door hinge broke through their vigil.
It was Heikkinen. Elea stood. Swann’s coat fell to the ground.
She didn’t notice as she followed Heikkinen outside.
Swann picked it up and pulled it on, pausing only to turn off the heater before he left.
He knew without asking. A body had been found.