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

‘Maija, it’s OK.’

Maija nodded. ‘I don’t think the Russians will report any of this.’

‘Why?’ Iain tried to keep his eyes on the road while watching Maija’s face through the rear-view mirror. She looked pale and spoke quickly.

‘They were very embarrassed. The two men said no one was to know and the trainer agreed. They just wanted to cross the border as soon possible. I guess she’ll pay for it when they reach Moscow. Poor woman.’

Iain sighed and turned to Heikki, ‘And you, how come you’re here?’ The boy looked at Iain. ‘Though I’m glad you are. Goodness knows how long I would have been lying there, unconscious…’

Heikki’s face was earnest when he spoke. ‘I was in the audience. When I saw Kovtun leave and then couldn’t see you anymore, I came to investigate. I was worried when I didn’t see the Lyceum team turn up at the prize giving.’

‘Good lad,’ Iain said, and tapped Heikki’s shoulder.

Just before they reached Töölö, Iain heard Pia stir. Maija spoke to her in hushed tones. Iain overheard Pia tell her mother about being tied up, and the smell of the cloth that Kovtun had put against her mouth. Chloroform? That would wear off in time, but still the girl should be looked at by a doctor tomorrow morning. You never know with the Russians, they could be using something new. Iain looked at the clock on the dashboard. They only had an hour before Newcastle was due to sail back to the UK.

Pia felt incredibly cold. Iain had insisted she wear his new winter coat, but underneath she had only her jogging suit over the gym costume. Heikki too had offered her his leather jacket, but Pia had turned him down. She was ignoring him. In the car Heikki had asked how she was feeling. Pia wanted to say ‘What’s it to you,’ but hadn’t had the energy. She’d just closed her eyes.

Iain pulled the car up to the jetty. There were a number of cars parked up by the ship. ‘Can you walk?’ he said. Pia nodded.

Iain hurried Maija, Heikki and Pia along the dark jetty towards the ship. The upper deck lights of the frigate were shining brightly against the Helsinki night.

As they climbed the narrow gangway up to the flight deck, Pia wondered what she must look like with the large coat on. She put her hands inside the pockets and felt something heavy and cold against her fingers. She pulled her hand away quickly and looked at Iain. He was speaking to a man who touched his cap in a rigid salute when they stepped onboard the ship. There was a breeze coming from the sea.

‘Welcome onboard, Sir’ the officer said. He led them through a doorway and they were inside the ship.

The Colonel didn’t look pleased to see them. Iain stammered when he introduced Maija to the Colonel. The Colonel ignored Pia and Heikki when he offered his hand to Pia’s mother and said, in English ‘How do you do, so glad to meet you.’ He wasn’t glad at all, Pia was sure of it. But he asked them all to sit down in the small cabin. Iain, Heikki and Pia had to perch on a bunk, while the Colonel and Maija had seats opposite.

‘Sir,’ Iain began, ‘Kovtun tried to kidnap Pia today.’

‘What?’ The Colonel said.

Iain told him everything, how the Russian had drugged Pia, and then wrapped her in a blanket and smuggled her into the Russian coach. ‘If we hadn’t got to her she’d be on her way to Moscow by now, Sir,’ Iain said.

It felt to Pia as if they were talking about somebody else completely. She put her hands around the gun inside the pocket of Iain’s coat. She watched Iain and the Colonel intently as they argued about the Russian while ignoring the others. Heikki adjusted himself on the narrow bunk, but his face was fixed on Iain and the Colonel. Slowly Pia lifted the gun out and placed it inside the waistband of her trousers.

‘I believe he was planning to swap the two girls, so that he can take his daughter to the West. The Russians wouldn’t have noticed the swap until they were safely over the border. And, I believe, by then they would have been too embarrassed to admit to the error.’

The Colonel sat with his hands over his belly. He didn’t seem at all surprised. ‘I think it’s best we show the ladies, and this young man, into the wardroom, or perhaps the captain’s sea cabin if it’s free,’ he said.

Pia looked at Iain. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said.

Iain looked at her with a puzzled face, ‘It’s alright, Pia.’

The officer, who’d shown them in, appeared in the doorway again and led them out of the Colonel’s cabin.

‘But Sir, surely you must see that he is a psychopath!’ Iain stood before the older man. He knew he had raised his voice and tried to calm down. He could see from the Colonel’s expression that his mind was set. Iain sat down and started to explain, again, ‘Sir.’

The Colonel put his hand up to silence him.

‘Collins, calm down. He’s already here, with his daughter.’

Iain shook his head

A tall man in a civilian dress came to the door. He ducked his bald head as he stepped over the bulkhead. Seeing Iain, he raised an eyebrow. ‘Sir’ he said to the Colonel.

The Colonel rose from his seat. ‘You stay here, Collins. Do not move, do you hear?’

Iain didn’t reply. He watched as the Colonel got his cap and followed the man out of the cabin. It’s going to be a crowded passage home, he thought. There must be more than one MI6 officer onboard for the debriefing. Then there’s Kovtun’s daughter and the woman from the InterContinental. Who was she? Iain remembered seeing her in the driver’s seat in Kovtun’s car. He’d forgotten to tell the Colonel about her.

Iain picked up his coat, which Pia had discarded on the bed, and checked for the gun. It wasn’t in his pocket. He checked all the pockets of the coat. Iain looked underneath the bunk, the small desk and the two chairs. He opened a couple of drawers. Perhaps the Colonel had taken it while he saw the women and Heikki out of the cabin. But one drawer was full of the Colonel’s personal stuff, and the other one was locked. Iain cursed under his breath.

The Colonel would be back soon and then he would not be able to do anything. It would be over. Kovtun’s defection would be hailed as a great coup against the Soviets by MI6. At least they now had the crypto key. But Iain would get the sack. Back to Whitehall, if he was lucky. He had to get away.

Iain looked along the gangway. An older couple were being shown off the ship by a proud-looking sailor. They were on their way up the ladder. When their feet disappeared from view, Iain headed in the opposite direction, below.

The quarterdeck was deserted. Iain listened to the distant voices of the ship’s company getting ready to sail. He estimated he had around fifteen minutes before he needed to find Maija and Pia, and Heikki, if they were all still onboard. He assumed they’d been taken off the ship, and he hoped the Colonel had ordered them a taxi.

Iain walked on the slippery surface of the quarterdeck in the semi-darkness. It was bitterly cold down here, too, even though it was sheltered by the flight deck above. A chill, icy breeze was blowing from the sea, which was frozen solid, nearly touching the ship’s sides. Iain wondered how long it would take for the ship to be engulfed by the relentless ice and snow.

Iain saw that the low guardrail at the edge of the deck was also frozen. And there was a section missing. They must have had a ship alongside, and forgotten to replace the rail. Someone would be told off for it, he thought. He went to stand by the missing section of the rail, and regarded the icy water below. Once again, he realised how much he missed being at sea, being part of the camaraderie, having a defined set of duties, being confident in his position.