We shook hands and I went out to undertake my night odyssey.
4. The Night Odyssey
I sat at my desk examining Murkin's list. I made up my mind first to go to my place to think over the situation in quite surroundings. The Captain did good work having provided not only names but also addresses, telephone numbers, i.e. all information that was in police records.
The list was surprisingly short and included names of four persons.
Mr. Semen Zilberman, the manager of 'Otvet" restaurant.
Miss Maria Snegova, a singer at the same restaurant.
Mr. Oleg Ruchko, a student at the State University.
Miss Marina Sotova, a student at the State University.
"The restaurant will work all night and there will be no problem to find the manager", reflected I. "The restaurant is the last place to visit. As it's a quarter to eleven I must find the rest of the company before they go to bed. And in the first turn I must speak to Snegova who suffered most of all being taken to hospital with 'numerous injuries'. The students must be those persons who sat at the table broken by her body. It would be interesting to have a look at the body that can break a table to pieces".
I opened my laptop typed and printed standard waivers so that it was left to fill in signatures.
Then I phoned the hospital to which Snegova was taken. I was politely informed that Miss Snegova refused to stay at the hospital and went home after the examination showed she didn't have serious internal injuries.
It was good news. Now to solve the problem with Snegova was much easier. I decided to call her at once.
"Snegova speaking", answered my call a pleasant high female voice.
"This is Alexei Larin. Excuse me for the late call; we are not acquainted but…"
She interrupted me: "Yes, we are not acquainted, but I know you. You defended my friend Anna Krylova". She referred to a divorce process that I won. "She highly appreciated your work", prattled Snegova. Obviously, she was in good condition and injuries at the restaurant didn't affect her speech abilities at all. "You just worked wonders when you proved that her husband had another family and an illegitimate child. And Anna got his cottage, car, and almost all his money. After the trial she could afford a good rest at the Bahamas!
I understood she would chatter endlessly unless interrupted and I did it rather rudely: "I must apologize, Miss Snegova, don’t you mind if I explain the purpose of my call?"
"Oh, sure, I am listening to you attentively!"
"Currently I' am busy with another case and I need your assistance. Could we meet right now?"
"I am not sure it is suitable… I live alone, you see. But if it's so necessary… But anyway they say that a lawyer is like a doctor…
"I can be at your place in half an hour. Will that do?"
"Yes, I think that's OK".
I put the receiver and took a deep breath. That type of women was familiar to me. They are good-natured, light-hearted, they are fond of chattering, eating, and they make good wives, unless they are stupid, which is mostly the case. To get something from such a woman you must adopt simple tactics: listen attentively to what she is saying, display true interest, ask questions and agree with conclusions. I used such tactics from time to time though to constantly employ it was maddening and I could understand my friends who used to run from such women like the devil from holy water.
Maria Snegova was a high, stout but pretty woman. To get her signature on the waiver cost me forty minute talk. She informed me that 'Miss Snegova' was her stage pseudonym and her real name was Grechko and told in detail the story of her relations with the ex husband, an officer who deserted her moving to the other city. I nodded my head as a Chinese figurine but managed to I cut in to explain the purpose of my visit. She first got angry, described the 'loathsome' behavior of 'that whore' and even tried to demonstrate to me her bruises. I expressed my sympathy and recounted the sufferings of Olga. Her flat was robbed, the husband murdered but even when he was alive he didn't pay due attention to his wife, never listened to the poor woman, and completely concentrated on his scientific work.
"How horrible!" exclaimed the woman and put her signature without hesitation. She even offered her help.
Inspired by this success I drove to the next meeting. It was a quarter to twelve but students never go to bed so early. Normal students at least. I felt sure Oleg Ruchko was normal and was still awake, but the reality exceeded my expectations.
I stood on the stair landing pressing the button of the door bell for the tenth time to no effect. Loud music that was heard behind the door drowned the bell ring. I couldn't contain myself any longer and rashly kicked the door. The door creaked mournfully and opened: it wasn't locked. I entered the room and felt the specific smell of cigarette smoke mixed with the odor of vodka and other hard drinks.
It was a standard two room flat with a long corridor that had a door to the drawing room and joined a smaller corridor where the door of the bathroom and toilet were seen. To the right of it was a bedroom and to the left – a kitchen
Judging by the number of leather jackets on the coat rack there should be at least six persons in the flat but nobody took the trouble to come to greet me. I had to explore the territory on my own.
I opened the door of the drawing room to see a fellow and a girl whose naked bodies were in a position that Kamasutra calls a 'pressed position'.
I shut the door quietly. Even if the fellow was Oleg Ruchko I had no right to interrupt the process.
Another guy tumbled out of the bathroom. He was dressed only in panties and had a typical red face. Noticing me he mumbled: "You … late".
"I understand that it's late but I'm in urgent need of meeting Mr. Oleg Ruchko".
"Very late...freak" stubbornly continued the guy wagging his finger at me.
I realized that standard language was of no use in such environment and it was time to resort to the lexicon of the mumba-umba tribe, as I call it.
"I", shouted I sticking a finger in my breast, "Alex!" "And you?" I stuck a finger in his breast.
"Oleg", answered he.
"Ruchko?"
He nodded.
"I have something for you!" shouted I and pushed him into the bathroom.
The bath was occupied by a girl who wasn't in the least surprised on seeing us.
I turned on a cold shower and directed a spurt at Ruchko's head bending it over the bath. Ruchko puffed producing inarticulate sounds and then cried: "Enough!" When he raised his head his eyesight was clearer and the countenance more intelligent.
"I have something for you!", said I again.
He nodded, rubbed his head with a towel and went out of the bathroom heading for the bedroom. As he opened the door we saw round white buttocks of a woman who bent in a position not described in Kamasutra. The flat was humming with sexual activity
Ruchko made a helpless gesture and suggested going to the kitchen.