Read Online Behind God's Back by Harri Nykänen - Free Book Online Page B

years from now.”
    â€œWas he in good health?”
    â€œSure. He was a little overweight and had high blood pressure, but otherwise he was healthy. What does this have to do with Dad’s murder?”
    â€œDid he have life insurance?”
    Now Roni was upset. “Yes, and Mom’s the beneficiary. You guys can’t be turning this into insurance fraud.”
    I tried to calm him down and explain that the police have to ask unpleasant questions. My reassurances didn’t have the desired effect.
    â€œCan’t we talk about these things later…?”
    â€œUnfortunately not. Did Oxbaum handle all the loan arrangements himself, or did you meet representatives of the lender?”
    â€œI didn’t meet anyone but Oxbaum.”
    â€œBut I assume you looked into the finance company, to see if it was solid?”
    â€œNo. Dad might have, through his contacts in Israel. He told me that he trusted Max… Besides, it’s your brother’s company, too,” Roni gloated, as if he had found a weapon to use against me.
    â€œDoes the name Benjamin Hararin mean anything to you?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œWhat about Amos Jakov?”
    â€œYou mean the Israeli billionaire?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œWell, that’s about the extent of my knowledge. He’s an Israeli billionaire. What does he have to do with this? It sounds like you guys are letting this case get the better of your imaginations —”
    â€œHe and Hararin own the finance company Max was representing.”
    â€œSo? They’re way off in Israel and we’re here. Are you finding some significant connections between the two?” Roni asked sharply.
    Stenman pulled up in front of the Jacobsons’ house.
    â€œYou can go. We’ll be in touch.”
    Once Roni had stepped through the gate, I asked Stenman, “What do you think?”
    â€œI didn’t like him, but that’s not what you asked.”
    â€œRoni has always thrown money around. When he was twenty,he drove a Porsche, and he also had a big boat. Sort of a minor-league jet-setter. I heard that a year or so ago he moved into a new place in Marjaniemi: 3,000 square feet, sea views.”
    â€œWhat if this is about the son’s spending, not the father’s, and Pops just ended up footing the bill? Maybe Roni had been given his final warning and he hightailed it off to Lapland. He asked the old man not to leave the house.”
    â€œHe couldn’t have stayed away forever.”
    â€œMaybe he was trying to drum up money to pay off his debts in the meantime.”
    â€œRoni said that his Dad was going to stay on as CEO until he turned sixty-four, so well over a year from now. According to Ethel, Samuel had planned on retiring earlier. Samuel had told his neighbours the end of this year. Sounds like Samuel had decided to push back his retirement. Roni probably wasn’t too thrilled about that.”
    â€œStill, it’s not likely he’d kill his Dad… What was all that about Hararin and Jakov?” Stenman asked.
    â€œDon’t worry about that yet.”
    Stenman eyed me evaluatively. Roni’s gibe about my brother hadn’t gone unnoticed. “All right, I won’t worry about that… yet. Is Roni Jacobson a family man?”
    â€œTwo children from a previous marriage, and one from the new one.”
    â€œWouldn’t it have made more sense to send muscle to threaten his family instead of his father?”
    â€œMaybe the person making the threats figured that the old man was the one with the money. He doesn’t care who pays, as long as he gets his dough.”
    â€œShould we take a closer look at the company’s finances, and the son’s, too?” Stenman asked. “Maybe it’s worth having another word with CFO Pekka Hulkko.”
    I couldn’t have agreed more.

7
    I got to my one-bedroom apartment in Punavuori around 9 p.m. and was greeted by the fug