the regional branch of the Housing and Utilities Ministry.
«She’s a clerk.»
«That’s not the main thing though. Ustinov called them up and found out that Ms. Drozdova did not come into work today. She hadn’t given notice and hasn’t answered her cell phone.»
«Another goner! Did the Tadpole check for tickets to St. Petersburg?»
«He did,» Elena replied seriously. «Nothing anywhere. Now it’s your turn to check.»
«What do you want us to do?»
«I want you to go to Aprelevka, Marat. Check out Drozdova’s house.»
«Are we looking for a hidden body?» the operative smirked skeptically.
«The thing of it is that hypnotized people don’t tell lies, Marat.»
Twenty minutes later, the two field operatives were flying down Kievsky Highway. Mayorov was behind the wheel. Marat Valeyev sat beside him, adroitly sending off text messages.
«Talking to Galya Nesterova,» he explained. «She’s really hung up on the whole «now or never’ thing.»
«Why? What’s so special about it?» Vanya grumbled, feigning disinterest.
«Check out what she wrote. „Never or now?“ With a question mark!»
«What’d you say to that?»
«I wrote, „Never put off until tomorrow that which you can do today.“»
«What’d she say to that?»
«She wrote, ‘+100»»
«What’s that supposed to mean?»
«It means she agrees, one hundred percent. So I switched over to numerology too: „2+2=4!“»
«I don’t get it.»
«Galya didn’t either. It’s code for a date.»
«What kind of date?» Vanya grew nervous.
«Two pairs of hands is four. Two pairs of feet is four. And two pairs of eyes consuming each other from desire is also four. And so, four pairs times four pairs, joined in intimate intercourse.»
«Eyes, hands, feet… what’s the fourth pair?»
«Ears, you perv. Ears are the most important part. If a girl’s all ears as you’re whispering your sweet nothings, you can be sure that she’ll be yours.»
«Yours?» terror washed over Vanya.
«The hell are you off to – you unformed major, you? Turn here! You’ll miss the Aprelevka exit!»
The senior lieutenant braked abruptly. Valeyev cursed, opened the atlas and found Dorozhnaya Street. He began to give his partner directions, while the melancholy Mayorov wove through the unfamiliar streets obediently and kept trying to divine whether the whole date code thing was just a joke. The captain did love his jokes, after all.
«Here we are. Twenty-four Dorozhnaya Street,» Valeyev announced cheerfully and shut the atlas.
«The gates are green, just like in Maltseva’s statement,» recalled Vanya. His police brain clicked on, drowning out the whine of jealousy permeating his solid body.
«And open,» noticed Valeyev. «Why do you think that is?»
The operatives entered the yard and found a sedan parked within.
«It’s red,» Mayorov switched to a whisper.
«Wait!» Valeyev stopped his partner in mid-stride.
The captain squatted and picked up a plastic fragment from the cobblestone.
«Look, it’s from a phone. No wonder her cell phone isn’t working.»
Valeyev noticed two small stains on the pavestone, rubbed them with his finger and carefully examined the smudge on his finger.
«Look’s like we have a situation on our hands. This is blood, Vanya. Could be from a pooch that nicked its paw or could be a…» he reached down again and picked up a couple of light hairs. «Well, well, well… Seems to me like these smell like gunpowder. Have a sniff, Vanya.»
Valeyev stood up, while Mayorov inhaled loudly with his nose.
«I can’t tell. I’m no hound.»
«You’re a sleuth, Vanya. An operative, as we like to say. What’s the operative’s motto? „To contend and to seek – to uncover and bring to justice.“ Wish the Tadpole were here with his satchel.» Marat looked around. «If we keep going at this rate, we’ll stumble across a blonde corpse any second.»
«Where?»
«Well, where would you hide a body?»
The operatives both looked at the lilac bushes in the corner of the yard. The rust-colored leaves had partially fallen, exposing an oblong object covered with a plastic tarp through the bare branches. The operatives exchanged a look and walked around the bush from both sides. The oblong object covered with plastic was shaped like a human body.
«Should we look around for witnesses?» asked Vanya.
«The hell do you want with witnesses?» Valeyev jerked the tarp off in one sharp motion, revealing a black mound of fresh earth. The captain shook off the water that had gotten on his hands. «What we need is a shovel, not witnesses.»
«Maybe we should report to Detective Petelina first. Let her…» the senior lieutenant stumbled onto the captain’s accusatory look and shut up.
«Why don’t you call Galya Nesterova too? You and I can have a pleasant smoke while they do our jobs.»
«I’m just going by the book. Clearly the corpse is here. The earth is loose. Buried yesterday.»
«You know, I think maybe you can’t see the forest for the trees. Have you ever seen black earth like this anywhere around Moscow?»
Vanya shrugged his shoulders.
«Did it rain yesterday?» Valeyev pressed on.
«Hasn’t rained a drop in three days.»
«There you have it. And yet, there was some pooled water in the tarp’s folds. And it was covered with withered leaves.»
Valeyev snapped off a branch and used it to poke the black mound. The branch entered the earth easily but stopped at something hard at ground level. The captain prodded the mound from every side and threw the branch away.
«This is just potting soil for a vegetable garden. It was put here a while ago and covered with plastic to keep the weeds out.»
«Where should we look for the body now?»
«You forgot about the house. That’s the best option for the murderer. Neighbors might be able to see into the yard. But this way, you shoot her, get her keys and drag the body into the house.»
«Maltseva couldn’t have managed that on her own.»
«Who said she acted alone? In this line of work, best always assume the worst.» Valeyev nodded in the direction of the house. «Here’s the plan. I’ll get the door, while you cover me through the window.»
The operatives stomped along the grass to the house and split up. Mayorov turned the corner. The curtains were drawn. The operative looked into the first window from his great height. The living room was empty. The next window showed the living room from a different angle. He could see the door to the entryway. For a moment, Vanya thought he caught a slight motion among the pane’s tessellated reflections, as if someone had darted past quickly and quietly.
On the other side of the house, Marat Valeyev ascended the stairs and tried the door. To his surprise, it was unlocked. And not only that but, when he pulled, the door swung toward him with such ease that it was almost like someone was pushing it from inside. This boded danger. Before the captain could pull