Jarkko Sipila - Nothing but the Truth

“Okay. Set up a meeting between Kafka and me for around five and we’ll all meet at five-thirty for a full briefing.”

“Got it,” said Karila. “Sounds good.”

Takamäki slipped his phone into his coat pocket and strode back to the table. Just as he was about to ask if everything was alright, he stopped himself. Saarni was explaining the objective of mediation. “…the goal is to reach a point where everybody has something to gain. A win-win situation.”

Lehtonen eyed the psychologist. “So what would a win-situation look like for me?”

“Well, for the threats to stop,” said Saarni with

a smile.

“Okay, so my life goes back to where it was before this whole thing started. But what would the win-situation be for Korpi, then?”

“That he see the bigger picture and comprehend it. And stop the threats.”

Lehtonen was stupefied. She looked from Joutsamo to Takamäki. “You can’t be serious. Geez. How can you talk about a win-win situation when nobody’s winning anything. I’m going home.”

“Hold on, Mari,” said Takamäki. “Right now, it’s lose-lose. You’re right. But if we can use this to rally back to even-lose, where you’re back at zero and Korpi’s the loser, then isn’t it worth a try? I’m not saying it’ll work, but since we’re already here I think we should see it through, don’t you? The only other option we can offer you is the safe house.”

Lehtonen looked at Takamäki. Her blue purse rested in her lap. “Well, since we’re already here.”

Saarni had little to add. “A positive attitude is important. The goal is simply to communicate and understand,” she managed.

Mari was about to snap at her again, but Takamäki set his hand on her shoulder and she checked herself.

A prison guard opened the door and glanced inside without a word. A couple of seconds later Korpi walked in followed by another guard, Salo.

Salo escorted Korpi, who was dressed in brown prison coveralls, to the opposite side of the table. Mari Lehtonen sat between Joutsamo and Saarni. Takamäki remained standing behind them. The burly guards stood further off.

Korpi’s bald head drew even more attention to his piercing eyes, which wandered from one person to the next. He began with Lehtonen. “Three of hearts. Phh.”

He went on to Saarni. “Two of diamonds.”

Joutsamo was ten of diamonds, and Takamäki, jack of clubs.

Saarni played along. “And what would you be?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it would nice to know so we can start

the game.”

Takamäki was certain he’d drop the ace of spades, the toughest card in the deck, but he blindsided them. “A joker. I’m whatever I want. A couple days ago I was a two of hearts. Couldn’t even stand up to that three over there,” he stared at Lehtonen. “But I’m wild… Right now I could be anything.”

The guy’s not dumb, thought Takamäki.

Korpi sat calmly with his hands folded on the table. Nobody said a word for at least ten seconds until Korpi spoke up again. “So I understand that you all wanted to meet. I know Lehtonen, Joutsamo and Takamäki, but who are you?” he asked the two of diamonds.

“Maija Saarni. I’m a psychologist.”

Korpi sniffed. “A police psychologist.”

“Correct.”

“Well, just as I figured. The cops would never trust any shrink but their own. What do you want?” he said with a smug look. “I got plenty of time.”

Takamäki gazed at the gang boss in his prison duds. What a smug bastard. Korpi wasn’t stupid. He just wanted to play games and flaunt his so-called intelligence. The thought of abruptly calling off the meeting occurred to Takamäki. Saarni clearly didn’t have any experience with hardened criminals if she was playing along with Korpi’s games and letting a criminal set the tone. On the other hand, she had gotten him to talk. A few months ago, the gang boss had been impenetrable in police interrogations.

“We’d just like to talk,” said Saarni. “About our situation.”

“What situation?”

She took a firmer approach. “Don’t play dumb with me. You’re not fooling anybody. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Korpi didn’t like her tone of voice, especially coming from someone he’d ranked as a two of diamonds. Nobody of that rank got the better of him. “I do? Well, let’s see. I’m an innocent man doing life in prison. The last few days I’ve spent in the hole because apparently I pose some kind of risk. So I hope you don’t mind if I don’t know much of anything right now.”

Takamäki felt like saying that in that case all was well, but it wouldn’t be constructive. A positive attitude was important, and the only way he could think of to be positive was to keep his mouth shut.

“What we do know is that you’ve been convicted. I can’t really comment on the rest. I’m a psychologist, not a lawyer.”

Takamäki and Joutsamo looked on with their mouths agape. Whoa, what was this woman trying to pull? Was she throwing the verdict into question or baiting him? Mari Lehtonen’s face was expressionless. She just stared straight ahead at Korpi.

“Allow me to comment, then,” said Korpi. “The only thing I’m guilty of was being in the car with that idiot Nyberg when he went and shot Salmela without telling me. I had no idea what he was planning. If I had, I’d have gotten him another driver.”

“So Nyberg screwed up?” said Saarni.

“Nyberg screwed up because he is a screwup. That’s why I’m serving a sixteen-year sentence.”

This last comment earned a smile from Takamäki. Sixteen years was hardly enough for Korpi.

“What is your relationship to Nyberg?”

Korpi stiffened. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he said, his eyes narrowing to slits. “What…is this an interrogation? You pigs record everything. You probably wanna use this against me in appeals….son of a bitch!”

Takamäki’s eyes shifted to the three guards. The two armed guards were still standing off a ways, and Salo stood to the right.

“This has nothing to do with your appeal. I’m looking for the object of your hatred,” said Saarni. “What is it?”

Korpi looked at her with a baffled expression. “All of you…don’t you see? The whole fucking system. Every one of you put me in a cage for life,” he said. His finger swept from Takamäki to Joutsamo. “These dirty pigs were prejudiced from the very beginning. Everything against me they took into account, and everything in my favor was ignored. I already said it in court, but you still don’t get it. How can you think I’d be dumb enough to drive on a stupid hit job like that? Just think about it. To collect a few thousand euros, okay, I’ll drive. But a hit job? Hell no. I got enough fucking money to…”

Takamäki wanted to ask where the money was now. In court, Korpi had mentioned a 400-euro TV which had now ballooned into a three-thousand-euro debt. Yet another mark of his lies.

Saarni’s game was beginning to dawn on Takamäki. She was going through the objects of Korpi’s hatred. As much as he seemed to hate himself, he’d never admit it. So his hate always needed a surrogate, and this time it was Mari Lehtonen.

“You remember Mari Lehtonen from the trial, right?” said Saarni.

“That’s right,” said Korpi, turning toward Lehtonen. “Pretty damn good memory you’ve got for a three of hearts. Pretty convincing show you put on, too, when Martin put you on the spot.”

“Let’s try to stick to the subject,” said Saarni. “What did Mari do wrong?”

Korpi looked at Saarni, confused. “Wrong? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Now even Takamäki was dumbfounded. “Nothing?”

Korpi was outright laughing now. “Absolutely nothing. Mari Lehtonen did exactly what she was supposed to. She called the police and testified in court like a good little girl. There is nothing wrong with that.”