KAI-PETTERI HÄMÄLÄINEN WAS looking at the previous evening’s ratings, handed to him by Tuula. His eyes rested on the figures, and he tried to remember the guests, to give faces to those numbers.
His head was empty. He had blacked out. Surely he could remember the people he had talked to yesterday evening? There was a knock at the door. It was Tuula, to say that the girl had arrived. He looked at her enquiringly.
‘The girl. The girlfriend of that gunman who ran amok.’
He nodded.
‘Do you want to speak to her. Or …?’
‘Of course,’ he said.
He stayed sitting there motionless, while Tuula lingered in the doorway.
‘In a moment. I’ll be with you in a moment,’ he said. He kept thinking of his guests. The day before yesterday’s guests. Of course. The Tango King. The Tango King had collided with an elk on a country road and died. He had talked to his widow the day before yesterday. Hence the figures. A great many viewers switching on. Even more than usual. The Tango King’s widow. And today he was going to talk to another widow, if that was the way to describe the girl. That was an editorial mistake. He couldn’t be seen talking to widows two evenings running.
Tuula came back and said it was already on the news. He didn’t understand her.
‘Mäkelä. And the other man. The news desk wants to know if they can show a clip from your programme. Of course I said yes.’
Hämäläinen nodded.
‘Fantastic!’ said Tuula.
‘Yes,’ said Hämäläinen.
Tuula was turning to go, but he held her back.
‘Listen …’
She waited in the doorway.
‘What do you think happened … to Mäkelä and the forensic pathologist?’
Tuula seemed to be waiting for him to be more specific with his question.
‘Does it … does it have anything to do with us?’ he said.
‘Us? How do you mean?’
‘I don’t know … well, they were both on the programme with me. I talked to them, and now …’
‘Lords of life and death,’ said Tuula.
‘What?’
‘I remember the wording … that was the trailer we made for the programme they appeared on. Lords of life and death.’
Hämäläinen said nothing.
‘Are you going to come and talk to the girl? She needs a bit of soothing and encouragement,’ said Tuula.
‘In a minute,’ said Hämäläinen.
‘The recording starts in twenty minutes,’ said Tuula.