'The details of the exchange are totally your concern. Valentin wants to give you control of the arrangements, as a gesture of good faith and to give you confidence that nothing uncomfortable will occur during the transaction. To help ensure this, you will still be in contact exclusively with me.' She gave me the full benefit of those wonderful eyes. 'Do not worry, Nick, this business is not being conducted in a way that jeopardizes any of us.'
I tried not to laugh. Maybe she hadn't noticed how people like Val conducted business. If he didn't have control of an apartment building he'd blow it up, no matter who was still inside. I wasn't quite ready to assume he was my new best friend. In the meantime, I would pick the time and place, and they would come to me. It made sense.
I nodded. 'What if I don't make the dead letter box?'
'If you don't, Tom will. That is why he needs to be with us tomorrow.
If there's no message for me by Wednesday evening, I'll know that something is seriously wrong and the deal is off. Sometimes you win, other times?' She shrugged.
There was silence for a moment or two. 'How did you come to meet Valentin?'
'Like you, he asked me to work for him.' She smiled, crossing her legs. 'And no, Nick, I'm not his mistress.'
She'd read my mind again. Three hundred years ago she would have been burned at the stake.
'The only thing he wants from me is my doctorate in Russian political science. You see, Nick, this is where the money is for now. And the fact is, I enjoy that money. I work hard and I'm well rewarded.'
She sat back, and when she spoke again her voice was low. 'My parents were Swedish. They are both dead now. I was born here, in Finland. I am a Finn. There, that is all you need to know about me. But what about you, Nick? Why did you become a kidnapper? Did you not work for the British government?'
I coughed, trying unsuccessfully to hide my embarrassment. It made sense that she would know: If she knew about the connection between Tom and me, then there was a whole lot more she probably knew, too. So much for being a deniable operator. I suddenly wasn't enjoying this as much as I thought I was going to. 'Money,' I said. 'Just like you.
Maybe we're the same.'
She gave me her most inscrutable Mr. Spock look. 'Of course. That is why you are here.' Her face broke into a smile. 'Are you married?'
'Divorced.'
'What happened, Nick? Did she not like to live with lies and half-truths?'
'I think she just didn't like living with me.' I paused. 'I used to be in the military and-'
'Yes, Valentin knows about your military past, Nick. That is one of the reasons you are here.'
What else did he know? I didn't like the postman knowing what I looked like, let alone the head of a major organized crime group. It made me feel very uncomfortable.
I said, 'What about you? Are you married?'
'I'm not so sure it would be a good idea. And being a mother? It does not interest me. Do you have children?'
'No.' I made light of it. 'I can just about manage to look after myself. It would be such a responsibility. What would I do if they became ill?'
She gave me a level look. 'I think we have both done the right thing, Nick, don't you?'
I tried to read her expression and failed again. I didn't reply for a while, and when I did I answered one question with another. 'Are you staying with us all the time, Liv?'
'I'll come and go. But essentially I'm here to make sure things run smoothly.' She adjusted herself on the sofa. I got another glimpse of thigh as she tapped the book by her side. 'There is a story in here about Vainamoinen, the creator of the Universe. One day he has an encounter with Joukahainen, a much younger god. The two meet riding on a narrow path and neither wants to give way. Joukahainen challenges Vainamoinen, with all the eagerness of youth and limitless self-confidence. The battle is waged by chanting magical songs, and ends with Joukahainen finding himself in a bog. You see, Nick, he simply didn't know who he was dealing with.'
I took the point. Knowing who you're dealing with had always been a big thing with me. And right now the message seemed to be, they did and I didn't.
'What time are we leaving in the morning?'
'Eight. Will you tell Tom?' She yawned. 'Time for bed, I think.
Good night, Nick.'
I watched her walk toward the door. 'Night, Liv.'
She disappeared into the other half of the house. I couldn't help a smile of regret when I realized that her leaning across me to flick a wall switch was the closest we were ever likely to get. Will of the gods and all that.
17
Monday, December 13,1999 We headed south along the highway toward Helsinki, all dressed exactly the same as yesterday. Tom had headed straight for the back seat and crashed out, which left me with the option of joining him or sitting next to Liv in the front. I knew what I wanted to do, but I felt I should give her some space.
It was nearly 8:45, and after thirty minutes of staring at headlights it had begun to get light. It was going to be a sunny day; there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the unfolding view of pine trees and glittering snow was straight out of a ski brochure.
I looked across at Tom, headphones on and eyes closed. The scenery was lost on him. He was fast asleep, his head bouncing gently in time with the 4x4's movement. He'd been up late at his screen.
I'd got him to bring all his documents, even on this shopping trip. I told him it was just in case we needed to leave in a hurry-'Be prepared, Tom, know what I mean?'
He hadn't been too keen on coming, because after working much of the night, he was close to breaking the firewall. But I agreed with Liv; he needed to be aware of the game plan. We were both acting for our own selfish reasons. If there was a problem on target and Tom was the only one to get away, she had to know there was still a chance she could get the data to Val. And I wanted him along because, if I broke a leg, or wasn't able to make the DLB to collect, my money for any other reason, I wanted Tom to be able to do it for me.
Another forty minutes and we hit Helsinki city limits. Liv gave me a guided tour as we came in, pointing out some landmarks and proudly telling about how her tiny nation had routed the Red Army in the 1940 winter war. All the while, Tom's head bounced about beside me.
It was quite strange seeing the place during the day. I'd never come in until last light during the recces for Val's lift; there was no reason to expose myself and the team to CCTV and the security setup for the EU conference. No matter what the environment, it's always better to recce in the dark, and in this place there was plenty of it.
The city looked older than I'd been expecting; the airport and Intercontinental were both modern buildings, and Tom's ranting about how cutting edge the place was had led me to expect a city full of buildings out of Blade Runner.
As we weaved toward the center, the heavy morning traffic jockeyed with the streetcar to gain ground, but was generally well behaved.
'I think it's time for Tom to pay attention now, Nick.'
I gave him a shake.
'What? What?' His eyes opened and he stretched as if he was coming out of hibernation.
I pointed at my mouth, indicating to him that he'd do well to wipe the dribble from his chin.
'Cheers, mate.' He looked outside at the traffic. 'This Helsinki, then? Looks just like the virtual tour.'
Liv smiled. 'I think you will find the real thing a bit chillier.'
We turned a corner, passing a large illuminated sign telling us that this department store was called Stockmann. She pointed at the large window displays as we drove past. 'We'll meet in the coffee shop on the sixth floor. The station is just a couple of minutes' walk away.'
We drove on a couple of blocks before stopping. As I got out, I felt the bitter cold for the first time that day. With the garage being a sealed, heated part of the house, the open air hadn't had a chance to get at us. She looked
