The Defenceless by Kati Hiekkapelto Page B

clamp and a rack all at once. But he would never pray again. Never.
     
    ‘The boy is called Sammy Mashid. We’ve had a warrant out for him for the last three months,’ said Sari. She, Anna and Esko had gathered in Anna’s office.
    ‘What for?’
    ‘He’s in the country illegally. His asylum application was refused in January and he immediately disappeared from the reception centre.’
    ‘He was completely out of it when we found him,’ said Esko.
    ‘No wonder. That apartment was full of Subutex, amphetamines and God knows what else,’ said Sari.
    ‘Didn’t he say he was taking heroin?’ asked Anna.
    ‘Yes. I tried to talk to him this morning, but he just kept repeating heroin, heroin .’
    ‘The hell he was on any smack. The little Paki’s trying to cheat a dose of Subutex out of us. Jesus, do these junkies think we’re stupid? They really think we came down in the last shower.’
    ‘Esko, don’t use that word,’ said Sari.
    ‘Why? Virkkunen’s not here,’ Esko quipped.
    Anna felt her old sense of loathing for Esko bubbling to the surface. After the initial teething problems, their relationship had improved, and Esko’s behaviour towards her had been bearable and at times almost paternal; he held back his racist jibes at least when she was around, but now Anna realised that teaching an old dog new tricks wasn’t all that easy.
    ‘Where’s the boy from?’ she asked.
    ‘Pakistan. He belongs to the Christian minority and has been charged with blasphemy,’ Sari explained.
    ‘My arse! Christians in Pakistan? They’re all Muslims. Liars, the lot of them,’ Esko snapped.
    ‘Esko!’ Sari raised her voice.
    ‘You saw for yourself how high the kid was when we brought him in. I don’t believe a word he says.’
    ‘Because he’s a junkie or because he’s a Muslim?’
    ‘Both.’
    ‘You really are a nasty piece of work. Virkkunen’s going to hear about this.’
    Esko let out a smug laugh and gave Sari an icy stare. Anna felt it too; she remembered only too vividly what that stare felt like.
    ‘You do that, Little Miss Perfect. Be my guest. Come on, Anna. Time for a smoke.’
    ‘No, thank you.’
    ‘Christ alive, do you have to turn into a nagging cow too?’ he boomed and left the room.
    Anna and Sari were left alone.
    ‘He’s always hung over these days. What an arsehole,’ said Sari.
    Anna could see that Sari was really upset. Her face was red and her breath short and tight.
    ‘Forget about it. You once told me that deep down Esko’s okay.’
    ‘What must I have been thinking? He’s a fucking drunk, that’s what he is. You should have seen him at that raid yesterday in Leppioja. He can’t even breathe properly. He was huffing and puffing so much I thought he was having a heart attack. Even Raivio, the field officer on the operation, noticed it. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t tell Virkkunen first.’
    ‘Is this Sammy involved with the gangs Esko’s investigating?’ Anna changed the subject. She didn’t want to discuss Esko’s problems with anyone.
    ‘We don’t know yet. But Marko Halttu, the tenant, he’s definitely involved.’
    ‘In what way?’
    ‘Esko’s informant told us that Halttu had been working for the Hell’s Angels and started lining his own pockets.’
    ‘So Halttu stole the drugs from the Angels?’
    ‘Most likely. And if that’s the case, it’s no wonder he ended up dead. He was on the Angels’ hit list.’
    Anna tutted. ‘What was the cause of death?’
    ‘We don’t know yet. There were some signs of violence and the flat was full of all kinds of narcotics. You should have seen the mess; it was awful.’
    Anna had seen it. Not in this particular apartment, but during her time on patrol she had visited so many crack dens that she knew they were all the same: filthy, stinking, desperate rooms full of pain.
    ‘We’re going to need all hands on deck,’ said Sari.
    ‘I know, and now there’s a body too. At least in that respect, the case will