I tried not to think about the invitation for the rest of the day and just ignored all the little voices and my imagination that was trying hard to build up some kind of story. Man, I have read too many mystery stories lately and I watch just too many thrillers, and these television series with crimes and serial killers. Still I have to say that there was something creepy about this man and you know what I mean. Sometimes you meet or see somebody that gives you a funny feeling even though this person has nothing to do with you, never told you anything or did anything. There is something in their aura, just like that!
And this man had something that was giving me the creeps and the blood ring he was wearing was just one more thing about him, not the main but the one that caught my eye. In the meantime and for the first time for days I thought about Leena, my friend Leena with the cat. I hadn’t seen her around and that made me worry a bit. She had said that she might have to go to the hospital for a few days but still her absence made me worry. I suppose people in a wheelchair attract strange feelings even to a foreign neighbour. Please don’t misunderstand me, when I say feelings I mainly mean sympathy and not pity. Lean from the first minute despite her sentimental explosion and occasional self pity or better sarcasm she had nothing to feel pity for, the woman was definitely strong and with definite strong will and I wouldn’t like to be in her way if she’s after something.
I sent her a text message and strange how it works when you send a message to somebody you worry for, you just stand there watching the telephone waiting for an instant answer. Most often the answer doesn’t come straight away but you continue staring the phone somehow blaming it for no getting what you want or expect. Of course Leena didn’t answer and if I remember well she usually answers my messages a couple of hours after anyway. So I just continued drinking my cappuccino watching the people around hoping that she might be somewhere around.
Well talking about mystery stories I found my self in the bookshop and in front the new Patricia Cornwell novel which of course I had to buy! I’m not sure if I like Cornwell’s books anymore, and especially the series of books with the same heroin, a short of mystery police stories solved by this forensics doctor. It was fine when I read the first few books and I suppose it was the right period as well. But that’s a weird thing with me, when there is a series of books with the same hero I have to have all the series I like them or not and this mainly happens with detective stories. And to the ones who wander yes I had to have all Detective Morse books and yes I have all Alex Cross books.
Strangely enough all of them deal with serial killers who never die but they are coming back again and again involving the book heroes to new adventures all the time. I think that this what makes them borrowing, one of the first things you learn in these books is that the good guys always win still the bad guys manage to escape and return stronger every single time; makes you wander who really wins in the end. And by the way, Juha definitely didn’t look like any of those psychopaths. And here I was again with my mind back to Leena’s boyfriend. And no answer yet from the other Leena and I hadn’t called Marc to join me for our usual cappuccino so I decided to have one alone.
When I’m alone I always stop for coffee in a small corner coffee shop which makes nice espresso and serves really good and always fresh croissant. The other best thing about it is that being in the corner you can watch everybody walking by. So here I was sitting in a table with my espresso and my croissant plus my new Cornwell book. A few meters away there is a computer games shop and just in front of it there was a crime unveiling and you didn’t need to be a detective to see it. Oddly sometimes I had the sense that very few people could see it. Well either that or most of the people preferred to ignore it.
As I mentioned before I’m a big city boy who means except other things that I have seen small crimes, petty robber, pocket theft, drugs dealing and all the similar sports. Drugs are the worst thing. Drugs made me somehow hate Athens, Paris or London. See people losing every bit of their humanity and dignity for a dose, the worst picture any big city can give you and Helsinki could not be an exception. The amazing thing is that just like every other big city the people who deal with drugs are known and are always the same but is like there is something around them that protects them from all kind of law enforcement. Is like they never see them even though sometimes they walk past them. And it is the same in this mall. These people are always the same, I have the feeling that every body knows them, they look stoned from miles away and the way others go to them, and the way they quietly talk and exchange something with quick moves that something no legal goes on. Still they are always there and nobody seems to do anything.
And they were there again, four five of them, obviously two watching around in a case trouble was coming; at least the two I could spot and the other do were doing business. Something happened at one point and there was some excitement in the group but soon things became normal and business as usual. Moments like that I feel really sorry for this country. I mean I came here escaping from all that but the whole thing caught with me. Is just that until Finland will get caught for good to the virus it will take time but what really makes me sad is that Finns didn’t learn anything and they are doing all the mistakes the same exactly way our countries did back in seventies.
Read all the Helsinginkatu 10 chapters in order, HERE!
Thanos' Pulp Fiction 