Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 87781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 439(@200wpm)___ 351(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
She laughs. “After we get clothes and a phone. But let’s do it in the next town, just in case the owner of the car has the police looking for it here. That way, when we get to Helsinki, we’ll at least look presentable.”
We get back into Volvo and drive off.
Chapter 10
Hanna
The Outlaws
We’re on the outskirts of a town called Lahti. While Death is glued to his window, staring at the sights of the flinty ski hills and buildings and traffic, I’m trying to figure out our next move. Being in Tuonela may have hardened me in some ways—nearly being killed by your evil twin and fighting skeletons will do that to you—but I haven’t turned into a master criminal. I know hijacking a car is wrong, and I feel more terrible with each mile I’m burning up in this Volvo.
But I also know that our situation is unique, and that’s putting it mildly. I think if we can look presentable enough, we can take a bus or train into Helsinki without much fuss. Getting a hotel room without any ID might be a different problem, but I’m hoping that whatever magic Death used on the pawn shop man might come in handy again.
“So, where again do you think your father is?” Death asks. “In Helsinki?”
“I’m not sure,” I say, chewing on my lip as I take an exit off the highway and into the town. “I don’t know where he ended up when he left Tuonela. And with his memory erased, I’m not sure if he’d go back north to the resort he was working at in Ivalo—”
“The resort he was found dead in…”
“Yes, that. Might be another complication, with Eero and Noora still being alive,” I say with a heavy sigh.
There’s something else. The other day, I used the portal glass—the crystal sphere Bell gave me—and in it, I saw my father. But it was green in the background, not white with snow, which makes me wonder what year it is exactly. Either way, I have no idea of his whereabouts.
“Or he could be in Helsinki,” I go on. “At the very least, I know people in the city. I have an uncle, Osmo, my father’s stepbrother, who I think is still there. I would assume he’d know. Hopefully, he’s in town and can meet us.”
I should have found it odd at the time that Osmo wasn’t at my father’s funeral, but of course now, I know the whole funeral had been faked.
Once we’re in Lahti proper, I find a large thrift store that would be best for one-stop shopping and a place to buy cell phones across the street. I promise Death that we’ll get a coffee in Helsinki, and he pouts like a petulant child who isn’t getting his way.
I have to admit, as fucking weird as it is to be back in my own world, I’m adapting to it quicker than I thought. Meanwhile, Death is completely out of his league here, a fish out of water for the first time, and while I’m sure his machoism is finding it emasculating to not be in charge, I’m loving it. It’s nice for once to not be in the dark about things. It’s also nice to be the one showing him things about my world, instead of the other way around.
I park the car in the parking lot at the back of the store and make Death turn off the engine, this time with his magic.
“This is where we’ll leave Volvo,” I tell him. “I’ll write a note, telling people the car belongs to a man to the east of here who might be looking for it.”
“You can’t send a messenger pigeon or raven back to him to let him know?”
I can’t help but smile at his sincerity. “No. Hopefully, someone will report it to the police, and eventually the guy’s report will match up and the two will be reunited.”
“I am sure Volvo will be happy to be back with his master,” he says.
He starts chanting some words and lays his hands along the dash before the car abruptly turns off. He looks impressed with himself. I just hope that whatever magic he may end up using in the future doesn’t attract any unwanted attention. I know we already turn heads with the fact that he’s an impossibly large man with silver lines for tattoos, walking around Finland in the winter without a jacket. The crocodile devil mask doesn’t help either.
Somehow, I manage to convince him to carry the mask instead of wearing it. Then, I open the glove box and pull out the man’s insurance papers. I tear out a blank one, find a red Sharpie in the side console, then write out the note to put on the dash. Then, I take the Sharpie and write down the man’s address on the back of the receipt from the pawn shop.