A person who loves the rain. Алексей Аркадьевич МухинЧитать онлайн книгу.
by shots from a hundred meters."
– "Nonsense!"
Closing the file, he decided to inspect the house from the outside. Grabbing a long stick, he started parting the bushes that had grown thick around the house. Apart from a few tin cans and an empty vodka bottle, he found nothing. He picked up the bottle from the ground, glanced at the year printed on the label, and recalled how, back in those days, the word "vodka" was decoded as "Here He Is, Kind Andropov." Such a nickname had been earned by the general secretary for lowering the price of the popular drink. He stuffed the bottle into the bag he had brought with him. As he was about to head back inside the house to grab his jacket and the file, his gaze fell on a chunk of plaster, nearly falling off the wall. Picking it out with his finger, he found a bullet lodged in the wall. Tapping the wall with the stick he had found earlier, he discovered several more bullets embedded within. It was clear that the shattered windows were the result of gunfire, not because someone had broken in. After all, there was nothing worth stealing inside, and if it had been vagrants or hooligans, the house would be a mess.
– "So what exactly happened here thirty years ago?"
Collecting all the bullets into his bag, he took his things and headed to the place where the bodies had been found.
Wandering around for a while, he initially found nothing. Not surprising—so many years had passed. He circled one tree, then another, but there was nothing. Then he stumbled upon an object. Alexei bent down—it was a knife, possibly a hunting knife, with a rusted blade and a handle caked in dirt. He pulled a bag from his pocket and dropped the knife inside. Soon, he found a couple of shell casings as well. That was the end of his discoveries. He walked around the area a bit more but found nothing else.
Then his phone rang.
– "Lyonya, are you coming?" Filatov asked, amid some background noise. It was clear that the initiation party for the new member of the team was in full swing.
– "Lyonya… No, I'm on my way," Alexei realized it was better to agree rather than endure a long conversation with his friend about why he should come to the party.
– "Drop everything and get over here! There's a girl here… I’d totally hit that…" Filatov said, his voice now much quieter over the phone.
– "Fine… I'll be there soon. You dog," Alexei muttered as he shoved his phone back into his pocket.
Looking around once more, and after a moment of thought, Alexei headed towards the local administration building, asking the villagers for directions along the way.
The administration building was U-shaped and two stories tall, with a recently updated facade. The prosperity of the administration was evident—Mercedes and BMWs were parked all around. Alexei quickly bounded up the stairs and opened the doors. Walking down the long hallway, he approached a door labeled "Reception."
– "Vladimir Vladimirovich is currently busy," reported the secretary, a woman in her fifties. Everything about the place screamed "village administration," from the open window to the wildflowers in a vase on the windowsill and the very modest decor of the room.
– "Following a trend or just a namesake?" he asked, seeing that the secretary was flustered.
He continued, – "Just kidding. I'm from the prosecutor's office. Let him know I'm here."
Alexei had often noticed that the word "prosecutor" had a certain magic to it. Important meetings would end abruptly, encounters with prostitutes at the workplace would be cut short, and all sorts of shady dealings would come to a halt. Soon, a young woman emerged from the office, and Alexei stepped inside.
He was greeted by a man in his fifties, of medium height, full-figured, dressed in a white shirt and tie. He extended his hand and smiled, flashing teeth as white as those in a toothpaste commercial. Though no longer young, Alexei quickly understood the recent departure of the young woman—the man was still attractive, with graying hair that only added to his charm. His firm handshake suggested he kept up with some form of exercise, and although he had a slight belly, it was clear that he remained appealing to women.
Alexei shook his hand, and the man gestured for him to sit down.
– "So, what can I do for… our prosecutor’s office?"
– My name is Alexey Sergeyevich Martynov, about those swamps of yours…
– Ah… – the man didn’t let him finish. – Oh, sorry, – he quickly corrected himself.
– No worries, go on, – Alexey nodded to him in agreement.
– I am Vladimir Vladimirovich, head of the local administration… There was an unpleasant story there… But you'd better talk to the locals. I only know bits and pieces from rumors.
– What was the forestry business about? – Alexey asked with interest.
– There was something like that, the Moscow region was expanding, and back then there was more forest here. There were foresters, they guarded the area. When capitalism kicked in and construction began, that position was gradually eliminated.
– Who worked there? I’d like to take a look at the records.
– Just a moment, – Vladimir Vladimirovich pressed a few buttons and mumbled an order to fetch the documents from the archive. While waiting for the secretary, they exchanged a few polite sentences on unrelated topics, had another cup of coffee, and then there was a knock on the door.
– Yes… Lidochka, come in.
The secretary entered and handed over the documents. Vladimir Vladimirovich took the heavy folder and flipped through a few pages. The secretary left.
– Aha, – he said, – here’s 1981, – he turned a few more pages, his expression becoming more serious, and he pressed the buttons again and shouted,
– Lida! Come in, quickly!
The secretary appeared again.
– What is this?!
She hurried over, looking at the folder in surprise.
– I don’t know… I – she began gesticulating nervously – Vladimir Vladimirovich… you know I… – she was getting more and more upset.
– What’s going on? Tell me, – said Alexey, standing up. The folder was handed to him. Everything indicated that the forester's photograph and his personal details had been removed.
– Who was the last person to access the archive? – Alexey asked.
– No one, it’s been untouched for ages, – the secretary tried to defend herself, waving her hands and wiping tears from her face with the same hands.
– Lida! – the boss slammed his palm on the table.
– I’m telling you, – the secretary yelled in frustration – no one!
– You… sit down. Calm down. No one’s blaming you. Just think, who has access to it? – Alexey reassured her and sat her down next to him, nodding to the boss as if to say, "Enough, stop."
– Well, no one, I have access, our administration is small, and there’s no point in hiring extra staff. Plus, I manage everything myself… I don’t even know, – she explained.
– Lida… has anything suspicious happened? – Alexey asked.
– Nothing, I’m telling you, no… I can’t recall anything.
– You know, I can’t think of anyone – maybe the postman, the plumber, the district police officer, those people whose presence we always trust…
For some reason, she smiled and brightened up.
– Oh, you know, yes!