Helena Halme - The Red King of Helsinki - Lies, Spies and Gymnastics

Leena ushered the girls into the changing rooms and shut the door. She was out of breath, and panting hard.

‘What’s happened, where’s Pia?’ one of the girls asked.

She glanced over her shoulder at the four girls huddled in a corner of the changing room. Leena turned around and smoothed her skirt over her boots. She said, ‘Girls, it’s time to get dressed!’ Leena tried to keep her voice steady. The girls looked up but didn’t move. ‘It’s OK, she’s just gone to see her mother.’

Leena felt a lump in her throat. She should protect these children against the monster she had befriended and…loved?

‘You must wait here!’ Leena told the girls. She grabbed her long coat.

The corridor was very dark. Only a faint light was filtering through from the arena upstairs. Leena could hear the Soviet anthem playing. She paused.

The Russians had won.

Of course, it had always been a lost cause.

Leena started running towards the end of the corridor.

As she passed the Russian girls’ changing rooms, she paused for a moment. It was quiet. They must be upstairs collecting the trophy, Leena thought. Would the Lyceum team be missed? It would cause alarm, Leena hoped.

There was the door at the end of the long corridor.

Leena pushed the door open. A cold gust of wind made her wrap her arms tight around her long coat. The sky was pitch black above Leena. The lights from the hall reflected onto the snow beyond the small car park. Leena could just about see the shapes of two bins. There was something behind them. Leena walked over and saw from between the two bins the shape of a car. Suddenly she heard the car door open and shut. Leena took a quick intake of breath. Her heart started racing as she heard heavy footsteps scraping against the compacted snow. A tall figure in a long coat came into her view from the far side of the other bin.

‘I think I’m owed an explanation!’ Leena shouted.

The figure stopped. When he turned, Leena could see he was carrying a bundle. Pia! Leena ran towards the man, but he was quick. He went back to where he’d come from and pushed the bundle inside the car. He shut the door and turned to look at Leena. She was now standing so close to Vadi she could smell the vodka on his breath. His blond hair was tussled, and he had a hurried look about his eyes.

‘What?’

‘Bastard!’

Vadi didn’t expect the blow, Leena could see that. She surprised herself with the force she was able to put into it. She’d never punched anyone in the face before. Her knuckles hurt a bit, but she didn’t care. He deserved every bit of it!

The car door opened on the other side and the woman Leena had seen at the InterContinental Hotel last night stepped out. She screamed when she saw Vadi on the ground.

Vadi had lost his balance and was holding onto his face. Leena ignored the woman’s screams and took advantage of Vadi’s momentary lack of concentration and kicked him between the legs. She aimed her heel where she knew it would hurt the most. The effort of the kick was so great she too fell to the ground. When she looked up, she saw Vadi was doubled over, on the floor next to the front wheel of the car. The woman was holding onto him. Leena stood up quickly and went to open the passenger side door.

‘Pia?’

The girl was hunched up, wrapped up in a blanket in the corner of the car. Her eyes were closed.

‘What has he done to you?’

Vadi was moaning loudly. His eyes flashed angrily at Leena. The woman was trying to help him up. Leena was thinking fast. She looked at the dark forest that surrounded them. The black tree trunks stuck out from the white snow, at least a metre high. To escape there with the girl was impossible. There was no one in the car park, and she could not carry the girl even the short distance to the other side of the sand bins and the door of the changing rooms. She decided to flee alone and try to get help. But as she turned around, Vadi had regained his composure and was upon her. He pushed his face into Leena’s and opened up his coat. Leena saw a flash of metal. She looked into Vadi’s eyes and wondered how she could have fallen for this man. His eyes were cold and his teeth looked yellow when he spoke. She felt tears well up inside her. Vadi grabbed her chin with his gloved hand and said, ‘Quiet, enough games Leena?’ His warm breath was sour. Leena forced her face away from Vadi. She could no longer stand the sight of him.

Maija couldn’t understand why the Lyceum girls didn’t return to applaud the Russians when they were presented with their medals. She surveyed the dark entrance where the competitors had emerged, searching for Pia, or Miss Joutila, or one of the smaller girls. But no one stood in the shadows. Neither the judges, nor the dignitaries in the boxed area seemed to notice the absence of the girls. Where were they? Maija looked around the hall, trying to spot Iain. She left her seat as soon as the Russian anthem finished.

Suddenly there was a throng of people, all trying to get out of the hall at the same time. Maija tried to look above the heads of the crowd, to see if she could spot either Pia or Iain. When she got to the top of the staircase leading out onto the exit, she saw the Russian in the long black coat. He had his arm around a girl.

‘Pia, Pia!’ Maija shouted. Several people turned around, but the Russian carried on walking out of the ice-hockey hall. Maija pushed past people and shouted ‘Mr Kovtun, Pia!’

At last the man turned around. Maija was now standing so close to the girl she could touch her shoulder, ‘Pia, where have you been?’ She’d recognise Pia’s white down jacket anywhere.

The girl turned around, but it wasn’t Pia. The Russian smiled at Maija and said, ‘Goodbye, Mrs Mäkelä.’ He put his arm around the girl and led her towards the glass doors. The girl said nothing, just allowed herself to be led by Kovtun. It was the same girl who had smiled so sweetly at the man before the performance. Something about the way she looked now didn’t seem right.

Kovtun and the girl disappeared somewhere into the shadows of the car park. Maija guessed they’d got onto the Russian bus. It looked menacingly dark with its black windows. A row of other Russian girls, led by their masculine trainer, walked past Maija. The trainer had a clipboard as she counted the girls out of the hall. There were at least thirty gymnasts and staff. Maija couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Russians. She had heard awful things about the Soviet Union. There were food shortages, imprisonment for the tiniest criticism of their leaders, and severe poverty. She wondered if these talented gymnasts had it any better. Did their families benefit from their successes abroad? Did they strive for perfection so they could leave the Soviet Union? Like the ballet dancer, Nureyev?

Maija watched as the Russian bus was loaded up with bags by two men in shiny black jackets. The Finnish yellow and blue bus, parked next to the Russian one, was locked up. There was no driver and no lights on.

The Russians looked ready to leave. Kovtun had reappeared and was discussing something with the trainer with the clipboard outside the open doors of the bus. Kovtun was waving his arms about, and finally they both stepped inside the bus. Kovtun came out just before the doors of the Russian bus closed and it turned away from the ice-hockey hall. Kovtun then walked into the dark car park and Maija lost sight of him. Maija felt relief when she saw the Russian was gone. She went inside the hall again. She must find Pia.

Leena woke with a start. She felt for her hands, but she wasn’t able to move them. Her ankles were also tied together. She lifted her head slowly and looked around. She was in the back seat of the car, alone. The fabric of the seat smelled stale. Leena struggled to lift her body into a sitting position. Where was Pia? She saw there was someone sitting in the driver’s seat. Or was there? It was dark, but she could make out the shape of a head with long hair. Suddenly a set of headlights of another car lit the space and Leena saw briefly the eyes of Vadi’s woman in the rear-view mirror. But the eyes had looked different from the way they had the night before. Where was Vadi? Why was this woman holding her prisoner? And where was Iain? She needed to know Pia was safe. A glimmer of hope entered her mind. Perhaps Iain had rescued Pia from the car and taken Vadi to the police. But in that case, why hadn’t he also freed her. No, it was hopeless. Leena’s head hurt and her mouth was dry.