Cold Trail

HELSINKI HOMICIDE:

COLD TRAIL

JARKKO SIPILA

Translated by

Kristian London

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, incidents
, and situations depicted in this work are wholly the creation of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, places, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author, the translator, or the publisher.

Originally published in Finnish as
Kylmä Jälki
by Gummerus, Helsinki, Finland. 2007.

Translated by Kristian London

Published by

Ice Cold Crime LLC

5780 Providence Curve

Independence, MN 55359

Printed in the United States of America

Cover by Ella Tontti

Copyright © Ice Cold Crime and Jarkko Sipila 201
3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Control Number
:
2013905662

ISBN-13: 978-0-9824449-8-6

ISBN-10: 0-9824449-
8-2

Also by Jarkko Sipila

In English:

Helsinki Homicide: Against the Wall
(Ice Cold Crime, 2009)

Helsinki Homicide: Vengeance
(Ice Cold Crime, 2010)

Helsinki Homicide:
Nothing but the Truth
(Ice Cold Crime,

    
2011)

In Finnish:

Koukku
(Book Studio, 1996)

Kulmapubin koktaili
(Book Studio, 1998)

Kosketuslaukaus
(Book Studio, 2001)

Tappokäsky
(Book Studio, 2002)

Karu keikka
(Book Studio, 2003)

Todennäköisin syin
(Gummerus, 2004)

Likainen kaupunki
(Gummerus, 2005)

Mitään salaamatta
(Gummerus, 2006)

Kylmä jälki
(Gummerus, 2007)

Seinää vasten
(Gummerus, 2008)

Prikaatin kosto
(Gummerus, 2009)

Katumurha
(Gummerus, 2010)

Paha paha tyttö,
with Harri Nykänen (Crime Time, 2010)

Muru
(Crime Time, 2011)

Suljetuin Ovin
(Crime Time, 2012)

Valepoliisi
(Crime Time, 2013)

In German:

Die weiße Nacht des Todes
(Rohowolt Verlag, 2007)

Im Dämmer des Zweifels
(Rohowolt Verlag, 2007)

In Italian:

Morte a Helsinki
(Aliberti Editore, 2011)

HELSINKI HOMICIDE:

COLD TRAIL

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Kari Takamäki………………...
......Detective Lieutenant,

Helsinki PD Violent Crimes Unit

Suhonen…………………...Undercover Detective, VCU

Anna Joutsamo………………………
…...VCU Sergeant

Mikko Kulta………………………....
......VCU Detective

Kirsi
Kohonen ………………………......VCU Detective

Jaakko Nykänen…...…
….Head of Intelligence, National

Bureau of Investigation

Turunen………………………..Head of the SWAT team

Helmikoski ……….
.....On-duty Lieutenant, Helsinki PD

Timo
Repo ………………………....Convicted murderer

Erik
Repo……………………..…………...Timo’s father

Otto
Karppi…………….…………Erik Repo’s neighbor

Lauri Solberg.…
…………………Espoo PD investigator

Aarno Fredberg
……………Supreme Court Chief Justice

Eero Salmela………
….Suhonen’s old friend and ex-con

Tomi Manner…
………...Owner of a hit-and-run vehicle

Jorma Raitio……
…………………….....Career Criminal

Juha
Saarnikangas…………………………..….....Junkie

Sanna Römpötti……………………...
.TV crime reporter

Mary J. Juvonen
………………………..Tabloid reporter

MONDAY,

OCTOBER 8, 2007

CHAPTER 1

MONDAY, 2:45
P.M.

HIETANIEMI CREMATORIUM
, HELSINKI

The coffin was the cheapest model available. Behind it, the pastor once again shifted uneasily from foot to foot and tentatively recited, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

Aside from the
clergyman and his customer, three men in dark suits were the only other people in the large, lofty chapel. The pastor read the Twenty-third Psalm from his book:

“
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

The final
phrase prompted Timo Repo, who was sitting in the tenth row, to raise his head. Thy rod, exactly, he thought. His father, who was lying in the coffin, hadn’t been one to spare it. It felt like an eternity has passed since those days—or at least decades. Timo Repo was now fifty-two years old, and Erik Repo had lived more or less the average age for a Finnish male, seventy-six years.

Timo hadn’t seen his
father in six years and hadn’t even learned about the cancer that brought his death until after the fact, from his medical records at the hospital.

“
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Repo
wondered if this was the young pastor’s first funeral. Repo wasn’t a big man, clearly under six feet. His face was angular and his dark hair slightly disheveled, as if it had been combed with nothing but his fingers.

The
pastor urged those present to pray. “Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name...”

The
younger man with a shaved head sitting next to Repo crossed his hands. Repo knew the prison guard by last name only: Eskola.

Repo
kept his heavily veined hands apart. The funeral’s third attendee sat a couple of rows in front of them, his gray head lowered. Repo knew it was his father’s neighbor.

In a way
, Timo Repo was pleased that there weren’t more mourners. More than anything, he felt uncomfortable.
Grief was beyond his reach.

Luckily
, Mom had died back in the early ʼ90s and hadn’t had to suffer through later events. Timo did wonder why his older brother, Martti, wasn’t there. Maybe he was off in Thailand again. Rumors of these jaunts had reached Timo. But his big brother hadn’t even visited him in the joint. Not once.

The prayer
droned on, but Timo wasn’t listening. He had lost his faith in God eight years ago, after he had been sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife. Timo’s God wasn’t merciful; he was an avenger.

The
interment continued for another twenty minutes. Afterwards, the coffin slid slowly out of the chapel toward the oven, to a recording of “The Lord is My Shepherd.”

The guard was the first to stand.
Eskola was about six inches taller than Repo.

“
Well, that was that.”

“Yeah
,” Repo answered. They stepped into the aisle.

“
Ready to head back?”

“I need to hit the...
,” Repo began.

The
gray-haired man, who moved with difficulty, interrupted. Extending both hands, he squeezed first Repo’s
hand and then Eskola’s.

“Thank you
for coming. Erik deserved a bigger send-off, but what can you do.” The old man focused his gaze on Timo. “You’re the younger son.”

Timo
nodded.

“My deepest condolences
.”

“Thank you
,” Timo replied politely. The old man looked like he was on his last legs. He might well be the crematorium’s next customer. “And thanks for taking care of the arrangements... I heard you...”

“
I carried out Erik’s wishes. He knew death was approaching.”

And still didn’t bother to get in touch,
Timo thought. That ate at him, but it was typical of his father. Timo wished he could have asked him a few questions.

“
Nice service.”

“Yes,
I apologize for not introducing myself. I’m Otto Karppi, your father’s neighbor. You’ll come to the reception, won’t you?” asked the old man. “The pastor can’t make it.”

Repo
glanced at his escort, who nodded. Prison rules stated that prisoners attending an interment under escort were also allowed to attend memorial services.

“We can take the
prison car,” said the guard. “Did you drive?”

Karppi
grunted. “Doc took my license away three years ago.”

“Well
, the state will give you a ride. The weather’s so bad there’s no point walking,” Eskola said, turning to Repo. “Didn’t you need to use the bathroom?”