Part 13: On the Trail

Update 5 – On the Trail






We've got the clipboard. Now, time to talk to the apartment 7 girl. We knock on her door.



Politics.

Crime.
I see! Well, come in!



Klara, this man is asking questions about crime.
I love jewel thieves. Creeping over roofs in moonlight...
No. It's for an opinion poll.

Inspect the young woman
A strong, intelligent-looking girl.

Inspect Klara
A dreamer.




Your apartment is...modern.
Thank you.
It is, isn't it.
Now, let's get started with this opinion poll. What are your jobs?
I'm a librarian.
I'm a secretary.

Ask about...local crime
Crime's everywhere. It's inevitable given the current socioeconomic situation. You'll need something to write with!

Damn it, I forgot a pen. I sure am terrible at poll-taking. Are they really buying this act? That short-haired girl seems pretty intelligent. She can probably see right through me.
What about you, Klara? What do you think about local crime?
Dreadful, isn't it?
Good answer.
Are you or have you ever been a criminal?
Who hasn't?
Well, I once called comrade Burlatski, he was a geography teacher, a smelly old goat because he kept leaning over me in class and drooling.
Do you know any hardened criminals?
Depends what you mean by hardened! I don't think so.
Do mafia-type people frequent this building?
If they want to.
I suppose in the club over the bar.
Damn it. I'm out of ideas for questions.

Ask for... a cigarette
That's a nasty habit. So inconsiderate.




Ask for...a glass of vodka
I'm sorry. We don't have any.

Ask for...a glass of tea
Of course.


Ask for...their names
My name is Kl...
That's a strange question for an opinion poll!
All right. She's got me.
I'm not really doing an opinion poll.



Quite... interesting dialogue options we have here.

I'm on the trail of some murderers.



Maybe you can help me find them.
Why the pretense about opinion polls?
I couldn't say anything in the hallway.
That makes sense.
I need your help.
Well, if we can help, we will. What do you want to know?



Ask about...strange goings on in the building.
Nothing strange. Yasakev in apartment 2 is unusual.
Well, the club has lots of strange people. And there's comrade Yasakev in apartment 2. He's funny.

Ask about...the bar
We never go there. It's just a snake bar.
It's so yukky! I went there once. It's all drunk men!

Ask about...the Enthusiastic Progress Club
We avoid it. A seedy place, full of drunks and pimps!
They leave by the corridor here every night, knocking on our door and laughing.

Ask about... the meatshop
Well, it's not privately run, so there's never any meat.
Comrade Sytenko never has meat. Except for friends, I think.

Ask for...their names
My name is Klara Ponomareva. And yours?

Kliment Kruglov.
Hello!
My name is Zhanna Chizkhova. Why do you ask?

I'd like to go out with you sometime.
That might be interesting.
So does she want to or not?

Ask about...the neighbors in general
Nothing special about them. Belussov in apartment 5 is a pig. Who else? There's that nice old Yevdokia Chevchenkova in apartment 8. She's deaf but she's sweet. She loves cats. The others... normal.
Most are old and sad, except for the Ulyanovs in apartment 1. Poor old Sytenko in apartment 6 lost his wife about 6 months ago. Heart attack. Who else...? Roman Nakhimov in apartment 3 is a very fine person. Very nice.

Ask about...the Ulyanovs
Well, they keep to themselves, mostly. A charming old couple.
They seem very gentle. They're retired now. I don't know what they used to do.

Ask about...the Ryumins
Very odd character, Ryumin. Seems to be looking over his shoulder all the time.
Gosh! He's a yukky character. Always watching everything.

Ask about...the Belussovs
Well, he's just an oaf, you know. Disgusting.
Belussov's a drunken swine! A dolt and a loudmouth.

Ask about...Yasakev
Yasakev's a lunatic, but harmless. He believes in the devil!
He mutters. I think he's an accountant or something. Gives me the shivers.

Ask about...the Nakhimovs
Roman Yurevich is a very fine man. His wife's not good enough for him.
He's so handsome! His wife doesn't understand him at all!
When I visited him, he seemed like a jerk. On the other hand, I was bothering him with strange questions at dinnertime.

Ask about...the Sytenkos
I don't know how he lives! Lost his wife and never has any meat in his shop.
He's been so sad since his wife died. He runs the meatshop by the bar.

Ask about... comrade Chevchenkova
She lives by herself. Sometimes her son visits. I've never seen him. Nice old lady. She goes out almost every night to feed stray cats! Must cost a fortune.
That old lady? She's just old, you know. Shaky and everything.

These girls seem trustworthy enough.
I'm looking for a man.
A particular man a type?
Well! You've come to the wrong apartment!
I mean in the building.
We know everybody, I think. You give me the first letter and I'll guess the name!
H.
Let me see... No, there's no H in the building.
I only know a nickname, Hollywood. Do you know anyone by that name?
No. Nobody. It's not even a real name, anyway.
An adventurous name! I wish I knew someone like that.
Can you think of anyone with a similar name, or a job in films?
I've no idea.
Well, he's a criminal type.
Yes, I see. You should sneak into the club! They're all criminals there.



I'm investigating a criminal organization based in this building.



No. A friend of mine was killed by someone here.



I'm almost sure some militia people are involved.
Well, I'm not surprised by what you say. You think there are criminals here?! The club, probably. It's over the bar. Now that I think of it, you ought to question Pavel Belussov in apartment 5. He spent a year in Lefortovo prison. For theft. He came here, drunk and sobbing, one night and told us. Could be your man.
I felt sorry for him. But then he laughed and boasted about how he'd fooled them or something. He's horrible!
When he got out of Lefortovo, his brother-in-law or someone he knows, who's a factory manager, gave him a job and Belussov got a new Moscow resident's permit.
And he tried to rape Zhanna! Pig!



Well, they were certainly a big help. I got a lot of information about all the people in the building, and I got a major suspect: Pavel Belussov.