The man was guiding Matti in a part of the city that he didn’t know at all. It was certainly neither touristic nor for business. He hoped that he wouldn’t be executed in the middle of nowhere. He was in a panic but he tried to keep control with his breathing. He didn’t want to show that he was scared. His stomach was painful. They entered in a kind of little garage where there were two other new and expensive cars. It was contrasting with the neighbourhood that seemed to have not changed since the Soviet time. Another man arrived and opened the door of the car. “Get out and let the key on the contact,” he said and Matti did it. “Sergei told me to come here. I didn’t know that the welcome was so warm,” he broke the ice. “Shut up and follow me.” “Don’t touch the car. I have it since two weeks,” he lied but nobody listened.
They entered in a dark room where there was only a chair in the middle. “Sit.” He did it and was waiting for the worst. He knew it. It was a trap and he would be executed. “It’s a nice day. The birds are singing,” he said with irony in English. But the last sentence was a coded message. “Fuck. He is in trouble,” Havu said in front of his computer. On the screen he could see where the car was. “Jalonen, my contact needs help. We have to contact our colleagues on the other side of the border.” “He is alone.” “They will kill him! He needs help! Don’t tell me that we can do nothing. I can still see the car on my screen,” Havu begged. He was in total panic. “Sit and calm down. I’m sure that he will find a way to escape. We have to wait now.” “I won’t let him down! I’ll help him to negotiate,” Janne said while he exited, angry, the office of his supervisor. “I’m here. Breathe deeply and calm down. Everything will be fine,” Havu told to the radio.
“Why don’t you kill me now?” Matti asked. His nose was bleeding and his stomach was painful. “Who is your boss?” the man insisted. “Sergei. It’s him who told me to come. This trip is a test. Please. I’ve to pass it,” he begged, panting. “Why do you come back after so many years?” “For business. I love money. I love challenges. And you know I’m addict to some powders. It costs a lot,” he lied, hoping that the man would believe him. “Another junky. What happened to the last one? Oh yeah I remember. He lost all his teeth.” “Please. I need my teeth to work. You like money I guess. Do you want money? I give you one hundred Euros if you let me go. Good deal, isn’t it?” Matti tried to convince the guy. “The car is ready. You can go,” a man said while he opened the door. “That’s all?” Matti asked, surprised. “Give me my money and go away before I kill you.”
When the garage opened, Matti was scared. It was sunny. He didn’t know how he would drive. “I let my glasses in the other room. I need them to drive,” he asked a bit embarrassed. “They are broken. Go away before we change our mind,” the man threatened. Matti put the back gear and went out of the garage. He couldn’t open his eyes. The sun was dazzling. “Havu, I need your help. Guide me to a safe place. I can’t see. I’ll continue the trip after the sunset.” Janne was looking at the map he had in front of him. “Don’t drive too fast and listen to the noises. If you are not sure, stop the car. It’s better than to have an accident. Go straight for three hundred meters. “I don’t know if the car is straight. Havu I will never make it.” “Yes, you will. I know that you are able. Drive slowly.” The street was not straight and there were holes. Matti was panicking each time he was hitting something. “I can’t do it. I give up.” “Matti, you can’t. You are still to close from the garage. Continue for hundred meters. Then at the crossing turn right. There is a traffic light but I can’t tell you if it’s red or green. You have to listen to the street. Breathe and stay calm,” Janne told to the radio. Matti opened his window. Someone was honking. It was maybe because he was driving too slowly. He put his indicator on the right and stopped the car. “Asshole!” a man in the other car shouted to him. “Thanks. Now let’s go. I hope that you won’t be fired if I crash the car.” “Stay focused,” Havu reminded. “The car is beeping.” “Break! It means that you have an obstacle at less than twenty centimetres of you,” Janne almost screamed. “There must be a car. Maybe the traffic light is red. I can hear an engine in low speed. Oh it starts. I can turn,” Matti told and Havu was sweating. Jalonen was walking back from the coffee machine and he couldn’t imagine how he would react if Matti damaged the car.
Finally he entered in an underground car park and waited in the shopping mall upstairs. He was still stressed and didn’t understand what happened in the garage. The guy didn’t ask many questions and it seemed that he didn’t want to kill him. Why? What did Sergei want to know? What was the aim of that trip? He was looking at his reflection in the coffee cup while a young and beautiful woman sat in front of him. “I’m not interested,” Matti said without looking at her. “What is a foreigner doing here? It’s not a touristic place,” the brunette replied. “I’m Russian.” “I know that it’s not true. You are not looking Russian and you have an accent that is not Russian.” “Okay I admit. I’m not Russian. What do you want? Money? I don’t have money,” Matti answered in Russian. “When are you going back to your country?” “I travel alone.” “Please, I need to quit this country. My sister already escaped. She is in Finland waiting for me. They killed my father and are looking for me. They want to kill me,” she explained, almost with tears in her eyes. “Who is looking for you?” he asked without been really interested in the answer. “Some people from the mafia. My family did nothing bad. We just needed money and...” “Yeah I know the story. What do you give me if I drive you to Finland?” he asked and in his earphone he heard Havu complaining. “Matti! What are you doing? Go away! It might be a trap.” But he ignored his friend. “I don’t have much money. Just one thousand roubles.” “Come to the car with me. We have a bit more than an hour before departure,” he said in English, leaving the coffee place with the girl.
“I can’t believe it,” Janne Happonen said to himself after he understood that the last sentense meant: leave me alone for a while. He took off the headset to don’t hear the sounds from the car. He didn’t get how his friend could have sex with a random girl when he was in mission under cover and with the material of the police of Helsinki! “He will drive me crazy,” he added before to get a cup of horrible coffee.
“Are you alone in the car?” Janne asked his friend. “Yes.” “Don’t lie. Are you alone?” he repeated. “Yes, Dad. I’m alone,” Matti answered, bored. “Where is the girl?” “Gone,” Matti answered. Almost an hour later he was at the border and Janne was in contact with the customs. He repeated to let that car go through. “I see the car. There are two people inside. What should I do?” the customs officer asked. “Fuck...” Havu murmured for himself. “Matti! This girl must not cross the border! Do you hear me? Do you understand? Let her go before the border. I repeat: let her go now!” But the radio was mute. Matti decided to voluntary disobey to his orders. Havu was angry and he hit the table with his fist. “A problem?” Jalonen asked. “No, it’s under control,” Janne lied.
After have passed the border Matti stopped the car in Kotka. He took the money he hid in his sock and gave almost everything to the girl. “I don’t know if there is a straight route from here to Jyväskylä. You can ask at the bus station. Maybe you have to go to Lahti and then take another bus or you take the bus to Helsinki and then the train. It’s better to ask. I’m bad in geography. Family is important and I hope that you’ll be soon together with your sister. Take care,” he said before to start the engine.
“What the Hell have you done? Do you know that I’m angry? You brought a girl illegally in Finland in a car of the government! You should be punished!” Janne Happonen said, the hands on the hips when his friend was back from the trip. “Relax. I’m alive and I didn’t break the car.” Havu was walking around the vehicle. He wanted to be sure that nothing was broken. “I still need the car. I’ve a delivery to do.” “What are you carrying in the car?” Happonen asked. “I don’t know. I just know that there is a bomb in the car and if someone opens the trunk it will explode. If you want to try, tell me and I’ll run away,” Matti explained. “When is the delivery?” “In an hour.” “Where?” Janne asked. “I’ll get soon a phone call.” “I’ve a bad feeling. It’s probably a trap. It’s too dangerous. You can give up now. You don’t need to risk your life.” “Havu, I won’t die. They don’t know that I’m working for you. They think that I’m the old Lauri. They trust me. And we are so close. You will destroy the network.” “Take a pistol with you. It’s for your protection.” “If I go to the meeting with a gun, they will kill me for sure. I know what I’m doing. Trust me.” “You have no idea of what you are doing,” Happonen said in a low voice. He appreciated that his friend wanted to help but the mission was too dangerous. They didn’t get enough information and had no time to plan anything. He walked away and used his radio to give orders to other policemen. Matti was sat alone in a meeting room, drinking a cup of horrible coffee and eating a dried doughnut.
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