Three days later Janne got a phone call. Saara was looking at him. He tried to be neutral, but she understood that something was wrong. She was still fixing him, waiting for an explanation. He sat on the sofa and she did it too. “How should I say it...” he murmured, looking at the window. “Did they find her?” she asked, scared. “Yes...” he replied with the head down. He took the little girl in his arms and hugged. She understood and cried. She knew that her mother would never come back. Janne couldn’t retain his tears. Some ran silently on his cheeks. He didn’t want to show his pain. “I’m so sorry...” he whispered. The sorrow of Saara was so huge that Janne was scared that she suffocated. Her face was red and wet. He spent long minutes to comfort, but he didn’t know what to do. He wished Maria was there.
“And now? What will happen? Will I be in an orphanage?” Saara asked an hour later when her tears stopped running. “We will look for your father. If we can’t find him, I will ask if I can be your legal tutor. I don’t want you to be in an unknown family,” Havu explained when they were in the kitchen, drinking a glass of milk.
The next day Janne went to the police station while his sister was with Saara at home. He wanted to have more details on the case. He also didn’t want to call, and that Saara could hear something. She was clever and quite in advance for her age, but they were things that she couldn’t understand and could be shocking. “Tell me everything,” Janne requested while he sat in front of Salonen. He pushed the papers on his desk and opened the file like if he needed it to remember. “We found her in a clearing around forests. A berry picker saw her and called us. She was already dead when we arrived. I’m sorry.” “I want more,” Janne insisted. “She was tortured. Probably for a couple of days. Then she has been crucified.” Janne closed his eyes for three seconds. He couldn’t believe it. It was so cruel. Some humans were really not humans. “What else?” he asked. “It was written devil and witch on her stomach. It was probably done with a knife.” “Any suspects?” Happonen asked. “Yes, a group of religious fanatics. We arrested three of them. One is currently in an interview with Kaunen.” After these words, Havu got up and walked quickly in the direction of the room. He opened the door without knocking. “Mother fucker!” he screamed to the long greasy hair man. He grabbed his neck and pined the man against the wall. “Happonen, stop it!” Tapio Kaunen requested, but the former jumper didn’t listen and hit the man with his fist. He couldn’t continue because Tapio and Salonen prevented him to continue. They pushed him out of the room. “Calm down!” Salonen requested. “This guy is a monster! He killed an innocent mother!” The supervisor of all the inspectors of Helsinki went out of his office when he heard the scene. “Happonen! To my office immediately!” Jalonen said seriously.
Janne entered with the head down and closed the door. He knew that he would not spend nice minutes. He sat in the uncomfortable chair in front of his boss. Jalonen opened his drawer and took a cigar he lighted. Janne crossed his arms. “I know that you are right. But you can’t behave that way. You have to be professional here,” the supervisor said calmly. “I’m sorry. I blew a fuse.” Janne was expecting for a bad comment but not that his boss proposed a glass of whisky that he accepted. “I know that it’s hard for you. But it’s hard for all of us. You should just take it easy. These guys will pay. But don’t have revenge. This would be stupid. I can give you more free days. I’m worried for you. I don’t want to lose one of my best elements,” Jalonen said, his cigar in his hand. “I’m thinking of quitting my job. I’m not able to control my impulsive behaviour. Maybe I should start a new career,” Havu confessed. “You need a long break. Take two weeks. And please, don’t come here to aggress the suspects,” Jalonen told. Havu stayed quiet, finished slowly his glass and left. He crossed the road and sat on the bench of the little park where he was used to go during his lunch break. Suddenly he cried. For Nina but also for him. He was lost, sad and didn’t know what to do of his life. How was it possible at the age of forty six?
Two days later in the morning Janne, Sanna and Saara when to the health centre and Havu explained that he needed a DNA test to know who the father of Saara was. The little girl was scared. The doctor, who was a woman, was very calm and nice. She explained that she didn’t have to worry. It would hurt a little bit, but it would be fast. Havu was holding her right hand, and he told to grip as strongly as she could and to look always at him. “And it’s already done. You are a courageous girl,” the doctor said with a wide smile. Janne kissed her hand. “Now let’s go to the café and have nice bakeries,” Sanna said with a motherly smile.
Janne went outside of the room with the doctor. He asked about the procedure, and how long it would take to have the results. “We will have to compare with the whole database. It will take a lot of time,” she said. “Maybe I can help you. Can you take my blood? I might be the father.” “Sure,” she said and invited him to go to another room. “Can you also check if I’m alright?” he asked while she was taking his blood. “Sure. You will have the results quicker than what I told you. Maybe in few weeks.” “Do you have in your database DNA of all Finns?” he asked. “From all the people that had a blood test in the last ten years,” she told. “May I ask you to compare my sample first and then with Harri Olli and Matti Hautamäki with Saara,” he requested, and she wrote the names. “I’ll contact you when I’ve the results,” she promised, and he left the room.
“Matti, Nina is dead. Now I will be your tutor,” Janne announced straight when he opened the door. “Is it a joke?” “No, it’s true. But don’t jump of joy yet. You won’t leave this island,” Havu replied. Matti was pale, touched the sofa like if he couldn’t see it and sat. He was under shock. Nina was maybe his owner, but she was his friend. She did so much for him. “Leave me alone,” he said with a lump in the throat and Janne went outside. He sat on the bench and looked at the lake that was dark. The sun set half an hour ago, and the horizon was dark orange and purple. The sky was dark blue and black, full of stars. It was a bit chilled but not cold. A fish went to the surface and broke the quietness of the lake. He decided that it was time to go back to the house to have a cup of coffee.
“You should kill me. I’m useless for you,” Matti said. His nose and his eyes were reddish. “I won’t. I don’t kill my friends,” he answered while he turned on the coffee machine. “What will happen for me?” he asked. “Well... I don’t know yet. First you will stay here until you accept the death. I don’t take the risk to bring you now to town. I know that you will do something bad.” “I promise to be a good guy,” Matti said while he sniffed. “I know you too well. You will wait that I tell you more about the case and when you will know who killed her; you will have revenge. What will you write on the wall? Your name or Nina’s’?” Havu asked while he brought a cup to his friend who was still sat on the sofa.
More than three weeks later Janne was sat on a chair and was looking at Saara playing with her doll. She was in the garden with Ana. “You look serious. Is everything okay?” Sanna said when she sat next to her brother with a glass of apple juice. “Nina was a real genius,” he said, looking at the girls. “What do you mean? Do you have the results of the DNA test?” his sister asked. “She created Saara to be perfect. It’s probably why she is so clever. She has the genes of Nina: clever, quick learning abilities, curious about strange phenomenon... She is also interested to what nobody else is interested in. Why are the ants living in a hierarchical system? She is able to do additions, multiplications and divisions. Not many kids of five years old can do it. But she is also impulsive and doesn’t like to don’t find the solution. She is able to throw her books on the floor. This is Harri. When she wants something like a candy, and I say no, she is able to make me change opinion just by looking at me. It’s a kind of seduction game. And I don’t know why, I can’t refuse. When she is doing something bad, I can’t get mad. She is also a convincing liar when she aims to get something. She is also sociable and talkative. This is Matti. She is in good physical shape. She thinks in a methodical way. How to solve this problem when I know this and that? She is an excellent listener. When I was down she sat next to me and asked what was wrong. She listened, analyzed and then proposed a solution. This is me,” he told. “But what do you mean?” Sanna insisted. “That she has one mother and three fathers.” “What? But how is that possible? How can you be her father?” she asked, totally lost. “Nina collected our DNA I don’t know how and she created Saara in a test-tube,” he answered, and she was stunned. “Nina was insane and Machiavellian, Harri was crazy and gay, Matti was a liar and a drug addict, and you are stubborn and was almost an alcoholic. She is not perfect. You must have an eye on her,” Sanna advised after have listed their defaults and her brother accepted the truth. “Does she know it?” “No, I just said that I was her father. I don’t want that she believes that she is a monster,” Havu replied.
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