“Such as?”
“For instance, to use the previous example, NATO. It makes little practical sense for Finland to join it, yet we’re making it happen.” He laughed. “I mean, can you really picture NATO defending little Finland if Russia sends tank divisions rolling across our border? We have no oil. There’s nothing to be gained by NATO in coming to Finland’s defense. However, joining NATO means the creation of positions of power with great prestige. It means contracts for weapons systems with companies that people on this boat own stock in. Energy to power the systems. It means more wealth for the wealthy.”
“At the expense of the Finnish taxpayer.”
“Inspector, this is the way the world has always been. I can’t apologize for that.”
“And another question. What happened to my predecessor?”
“Your predecessor?”
“Yes. I did have one, didn’t I?”
He pauses, rubs his chin, deciding whether to tell me the truth. “He and his team are all dead. Their approach was low-tech compared to yours. They went to St. Petersburg to assassinate a human trafficking ring. They failed. They were military, by the way, not cops.”
I give him back the envelope. “Yes, I can start your skank rag and up the tithe. In return, from time to time, I’d like information, and military-grade equipment.”
“Information such as?”
“Wait a second.”
I don’t know where Milo is and if he should be seen doing whatever he’s doing. I call him and put it on speakerphone. “Tell the interior minister what it was you wanted to monitor cell phones.”
“A GSM A5.1 Real Time Cell Phone Interceptor. It’s undetectable. Handles up to four base stations, up to quad band, and up to twenty phones,” Milo says.
The minister says, “I’ll get you two of them.”
I ring off.
“You know the whereabouts of all the Real Finns leaders at all times?” I ask.
“Well, my people do.”
“This race war must be stopped, and I intend to solve the murder of Lisbet S?derlund. Tomorrow, I want to interrogate Roope Malinen.”
“I don’t want him hurt.”
“That’s up to him,” I say, “and it’s part of the deal. Most leaders of racist organizations are criminals and to a certain degree hucksters, using hate in order to unify supporters and profit from it in one way or another, not because of true ideology. I think that’s his profile, and I suspect he knows something about the murders. I’m going to get it out of him.”
A cold wind gusts and rocks us. “All right. He’s yours if you don’t kill him. May I speak to your wife?”
“It depends on why.”
“It’s about Hotel K?mp.”
I nod. She’s downstairs in a circle of gossiping hens, drunk and talking overtop one another. I call her aside. The three of us go to an empty cabin. She’s weaving, and it’s not just the rocking of the yacht. She giggles. “The prime minister is an excellent host. My glass always seemed to be full. I think I drank more than I thought I did.”
The minister says to her, “I want to bug your hotel. When foreign dignitaries come—say, Vladimir Putin—their private conversations could be used as an edge in negotiations. It’s for the good of your adopted nation.”
Solemn, Kate nods agreement. “That,” she says, “is an excellent idea, and I would be proud to serve the nation. I’m on maternity leave, though, and not in charge. You need to ask Aino, whom you met last night.”
“I’m sure encouragement from you would go a long way,” he says. “Or if Aino doesn’t agree, we can simply wait until your maternity leave is over.”