KIMMO JOENTAA DROVE back to Turku about midday to help Grönholm. Sundström stayed in Helsinki to appear at the press conference with Westerberg and a representative of the state prosecutor’s office. Heinonen had reported himself off sick for another day.
When he reached the outskirts of Turku, Joentaa bypassed the city centre and made for the Klosterberg. He knew the Children’s Home. Sanna had pointed its lemon-yellow building out to him, years ago, when they had been going for a winter walk on a sunny day like this.
He had only a vague recollection of the conversation, but Sanna had wondered whether it was sensible to have children of your own when there were so many growing up with no parents. He had only nodded, and tried to look interested, because at the time he had not felt any connection with the subject, whether the children in question were his or someone else’s.
He walked uphill and saw the children racing past him on their toboggans. When he entered the brightly lit front hall, a young woman asked him his business. He showed his ID and asked to see whoever ran the Home.
‘Pellervo Halonen,’ said the woman. ‘Come with me and we’ll see if he’s here.’
They found Pellervo Halonen in a large room where children were playing and looking at books. The young woman fetched him out of a conversation, and Halonen quickly came towards him. His handshake was firm, and the expression on his face reminded Joentaa of the eternal confidence of the face of Niemi, head of the scene-of-crime team.
‘Good afternoon,’ said Pellervo Halonen, leading him into the corridor out of earshot of the children. They faced each other, and the confidence drained away from Pellervo Halonen’s face as he said, ‘I know why you’re here. Salme Salonen.’
Joentaa nodded.
‘I wish it hadn’t happened,’ said Halonen.
Joentaa nodded again.
They said nothing for a while.
‘She talks about a little girl living here,’ said Joentaa at last. ‘A child who lost her parents in … in the accident at the skating rink. Rauna.’
‘Yes,’ said Halonen.
‘Mrs Salonen said she wanted to adopt Rauna.’
‘Yes, she did,’ said Halonen. ‘But permission wasn’t forthcoming. Mrs Salonen was considered too … too unstable. She hasn’t worked since the accident. I had a feeling that Mrs Salonen mattered a lot to Rauna, that’s why I was always glad when she came to see her. They went through the whole thing together – the accident, I mean.’
‘I know,’ said Joentaa. ‘Mrs Salonen … described it.’
Halonen nodded.
‘Has Rauna heard anything about what’s happened?’
‘No,’ said Halonen. ‘And she won’t in the immediate future. Of course she will ask where Mrs Salonen is. She came to visit Rauna here at least once a week.’
Joentaa nodded. ‘I hope you’ll be able to help Rauna and … and find the right way to explain to her.’
‘So do I,’ said Halonen.
‘I don’t want to speak to her now – there wouldn’t be much point in that,’ said Joentaa. ‘I simply wanted to form a picture in my mind.’
Halonen nodded, and seemed relieved. ‘I’m glad you see it like that. Incidentally, she has a visitor at this moment. Over there, doing a jigsaw puzzle, that’s Rauna.’
Joentaa followed his eyes, and saw the little girl, kneeling on a chair, elbows on the table as she contemplated the pieces of the jigsaw. There was an elderly man sitting beside her, and now and then Rauna laughed when he said something. Joentaa could hear their voices, muted by distance.
‘A neighbour of Salme Salonen’s,’ said Halonen. ‘Aapeli Raantamo. I had a long talk to him, and thought it all through, but he insisted that he wanted to see Rauna. And she was pleased. They went on an outing together a few days ago, he and Rauna and … and Mrs Salonen.’
Joentaa nodded, and looked at the girl and the old man. He seemed to be extremely sad and extremely happy at the same time.
‘Done it!’ cried Rauna, and Aapeli clapped his hands. Then she said something that Aapeli didn’t appear to understand, and Rauna’s explanation came over loud and clear. ‘The lions, of course, silly! The other lions. And I’ll steer the ship, not that man with the long beard.’
Aapeli laughed, and Rauna held an invisible but impressively large ship’s wheel in her hands as she spoke.