astronauts.
We slowed down almost immediately at a sign telling us we were at the Alexi Hotel. Cutting left, over the sidewalk, we stopped by a garage door that instantly started to open. A group of mothers with running strollers walked around the back of the Mere before bumping back up onto the walkway.
We drove quite fast down a steep concrete ramp into a large, badly lit underground parking area. Puddles of water covered the floor where snow and ice had melted off the vehicles already here, and just about every car had skis strapped to its roof rack.
We cruised about looking for a space. Tom was sitting up now, earphones out and eyes wide. 'It's like one of them spy films, Nick, know what I mean?' His tone changed as he thought about what he'd just said. 'It's all right, isn't it? I mean, you know what's happening, don't yer?'
I nodded, not really feeling too sure.
Parking with the nose pointing out in a vacant space, Spike turned off the engine and swiveled round in his seat. 'Please, your phones, your pagers, and your e-mail devices,' he said in heavily accented English.
'You must leave them here. No worry, you get them back.' He smiled, showing a not-so-good set of teeth.
I explained that, as instructed, neither of us had brought any.
He smiled again. 'Good. Thank you, thank you.'
The trunk clicked open behind us as Spike pulled on the lever next to his seat. I got out of the car, and Tom followed just as a black 4x4 Mercedes, the old square shape, moved slowly toward us. The glare of its headlights prevented me seeing who was inside.
I looked at Spike, who didn't seem remotely concerned. The 4x4 stopped, its engine running. It had blacked- out rear windows and the only occupant I could see was the driver.
She looked very different from the last time I'd seen her. Then, she'd resembled an off-duty Italian; now she was wearing a chunky gray Norwegian-style turtleneck which came right up to her chin, decorated with weird and wonderful patterns. A Tibetan hat with earflaps covered most of the rest of her face, but I could just make out some wisps of blond hair.
As the front window slid down, I was treated to a very pleasant but businesslike smile. 'Get in the back of the vehicle quickly, please.'
She added something in Finnish to Spike, and he shook his head back to her as we climbed into the rear seats with our bags. The vehicle was cold; she must have been waiting for us without the engine running or the heater on.
'Please sit well down in your seats and keep away from the windows.'
Tom looked at me for an explanation. I shrugged. 'Later, mate.'
I turned back to face the windshield and saw Liv watching me in the rearview mirror. She smiled. 'Welcome to Finland.'
She then tilted her head to look at Tom. 'My name is Liv. I'm very pleased to meet you.'
Tom nodded, looking almost shy. She clearly had the same effect on him as she did on me. He turned to glance at his reflection in the blacked-out window, probably wishing he'd combed his hair.
We drove back out onto the road, turning left. The lights burned even brighter in the marketplace; it was getting quite dark.
'We don't have a lot of time,' Liv said. 'Events have moved on from our last conversation. You must carry out the task this Tuesday.'
Another of their minor complications. I didn't believe her; I bet that this had always been the timing Val wanted, but instead of telling me in case it put me off, she'd just bullshit ted 'I need to see the target,' I said. 'Two nights isn't a lot of time for preparation. You'll have to tell me all you know tonight, and I'll recce the place tomorrow.'
'Yes, of course. I am also concerned that Tom should have enough time to break through the firewall so he can access the system.'
Tom sat up, like a well-behaved child trying to please an adult.
'It'll be okay. Just show me what you've got.'
'I will, Tom. Very soon.'
There was a long pause as Tom sank back into the seat.
I looked at the road. 'Where are we going now?'
'It's not far, by the lakes.'
That wasn't much of a clue. The whole country was covered with the things.
The black and yellow florescent sign of a town's silhouette with a red line through it told me I was now out of Lahti. We hit a good quality single-lane road, lined at first with houses, their Christmas decorations glowing in the darkness, then giving way to trees and cuts through granite once again. Another sign told me that Mikkeli was now sixty-six miles away. We must still be heading north.
I kept my eyes on the odometer as we passed a succession of plastic mailboxes on posts, all neatly aligned by the roadside, the only sign that, somewhere deep in these forests, lay habitation.
The cloud cover and closeness of the trees made darkness fall on us completely, the reflection from the clean white snow almost doubling the effectiveness of the headlights.
The 4x4 Mere soon warmed up and Tom had his headphones on and eyes closed. I found myself trying to think of things to say to Liv, but small talk wasn't on her agenda.
There was far more checking of mirrors than was required for normal driving; she was carrying out anti surveillance That was why we'd met in the parking lot and come straight out before any connection could be made between the two vehicles. If anybody had been following us from the airport, they would naturally have assumed we were going into the hotel.
I could see her face illuminated by the dashboard as I sat up. 'Liv?
Why all the fuss about telephones and pagers? And why the dead letter box?'
'The old ways are the best.' She smiled. 'A Sicilian once told me that to be sure there's a future, you must learn the lessons of the past. For centuries his organization had used messengers who would exchange information person to person. That way there was control of anything sensitive. But then they started operating in America and they got lazy. In the late fifties they started to use the telephone, and it was their downfall. If information is important and you want to keep it safe, you must communicate in person. That way you keep control.'
I started to see signs for the E75 and Mikkeli, then the treeline disappeared and the highway came into view about 400 yards below me on the right. Lines of headlights moved in both directions, but we stayed on the old road and the trees returned to cut out the view. It would be easier to see if anyone was behind us.
Liv continued. 'As to the rest of your question, we take all necessary precautions. Not only with our information, but with our people. That's the reason why all contact from now on will be exclusively with me.'
I decided not to tell her what had happened after leaving the flat. She and Val knew far too much about me already.
Streetlights sprang up at the roadside and signs told me we were approaching a place called Heinola.
Tom sparked up, taking off his headphones. A low-toned, tinny dance beat filled the air. 'Are we there yet?'
Liv helped out. 'Another thirty minutes, Tom.'
He became a bashful schoolboy again. 'Oh? thanks.'
Liv turned the heating down a notch and pulled off her hat. Her hair bounced around her shoulders.
Tom was looking out at the town and daydreaming as he pulled a tissue from his pocket and blew his nose, then examined his effort in the streetlight, as if it held some sort of prophecy.
We finished moving around the town, another anti surveillance maneuver, and left on a much smaller road. The houses and lights quickly dwindled and trees and darkness soon took over, with just the occasional driveway leading into the woods.
Liv was still checking behind us for lights, and Tom, having found the meaning of life in his Kleenex, went back to listening to his music.
Eventually we turned onto a blacktop road, tree lined and cleared of snow, then carried on for another two to three miles, down a slight hill, until the trees gave way to a house that was suddenly illuminated by ground lights as the vehicle approached. We must have passed a sensor.
