red moscow

Chapter 3144 Assassination Attempt (Part 2)

The next morning, sunlight streamed into the living room through the half-drawn curtains. Sokov was comfortably reclining in an armchair, leisurely sipping freshly brewed hot coffee while flipping through a book on military theory. The room was filled with the aroma of coffee and the distinctive scent of old book pages, peaceful and tranquil. Suddenly, the telephone on the table rang sharply, shattering the silence.

Before Sokov could even reach out, Gulia strode out from around the corner of the corridor like a gust of wind, went straight to the table, and deftly grabbed the receiver. In a clear and steady voice, she said, "This is General Sokov's residence. Who is this?" A tense but respectful report came from the other end of the line. Gulia listened intently for a few moments, then covered the receiver with her hand, turned to face Sokov, and whispered, "Comrade General, the sentry at the main gate called to say that some people from the Ministry of Internal Affairs want to visit you. Should you let them in?"

Sokov's eyebrows twitched slightly upon hearing this. Although the Ministry of Internal Affairs was a formidable entity, and many felt a chill run down their spines at the mere mention of its name, since the sentry had specifically stated that they were there to pay a visit, and their tone was neither urgent nor forceful, they were probably not there to arrest him. He pondered for a moment, then nodded and calmly replied, "Please let them in."

Gulia understood, released her hand from the receiver, and said to the person on the other end of the line in her usual businesslike tone, "Comrade Deputy Commander, please invite them in." She put down the receiver, walked lightly to Sokov, and asked softly with a hint of curiosity and wariness in her eyes, "Comrade General, what do you think is the reason for the sudden visit from the Ministry of Internal Affairs?"

Sokov smiled slightly, a hint of understanding in his expression. He put down his book, took a sip of his coffee, and said unhurriedly, "What else could it be? It must be related to the assassination attempt on the street yesterday. I guess Marshal Zhukov has already reached an agreement with the head of the NKVD; they came specifically to ask me to assist in the investigation."

Gulia's eyes lit up, and her tone was filled with anticipation: "Comrade General, if it really is a request for your help, could you take me with you? I'm also very interested in finding out the truth behind this assassination attempt."

Sokov looked up at Gulia and readily agreed, "No problem. You're the officer sent by my superiors to protect me, so naturally you'll go wherever I go."

Not long after, a black Volga sedan slowly drove up and came to a steady stop outside the iron gate of the villa's courtyard.

As soon as the car came to a stop, the passenger door opened. An officer in an NKVD uniform stepped out briskly—his shoulder insignia bore the rank of captain. He adjusted his belt and peaked cap, walked steadily to the closed iron gate, nodded to the guards standing watch inside, and then said politely, “Sir, please announce my arrival: I am Captain Chekalov from the NKVD, here specifically to see General Sokov.”

The guards inside had been personally instructed by Lieutenant Gulia to prepare for the arrival of comrades from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. One guard stepped forward and, without hesitation, opened the iron gate with a click, politely replying, "Captain, the Deputy Commander is waiting inside. Please come in."

Led by a guard, Captain Chekalov walked through the neat courtyard and into the villa's living room.

Hearing footsteps, Sokov looked up at the doorway, his gaze landing directly on the NKVD officer. He asked in a calm tone, "You must be the NKVD officer who has come to visit me."

“Yes, Comrade General!” Captain Chekalov stood at attention, saluted, and continued, “I am Captain Chekalov of the Special Operations Department of the NKVD.” He then explained the reason for his visit: “This morning, Marshal Zhukov personally called our superiors, mentioning that if you could participate in the current investigation of the assassination, you could likely provide us with key insights and accelerate the investigation. Therefore, Comrade General, you specifically sent me to pick you up.”

Without further ado, Sokov asked, "When do we set off?"

“Whenever it’s convenient for you, that’s fine.” “In that case, let’s not delay, let’s set off immediately.” Sokov turned to the female officer who had been standing quietly to the side: “Gulia, push me out.”

“Yes, Comrade General.” Lieutenant Gulia responded immediately, deftly pushing her wheelchair toward the door. Captain Chekalov followed closely behind.

Sokov turned his head to look at Chekalov, who was walking beside the wheelchair, and politely explained, "Captain Chekalov, this is Lieutenant Gulia, an officer from the Ministry of Internal Affairs who was specifically assigned by our superiors to protect my safety. It shouldn't be a problem for her to come with us to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, right?"

“No problem,” Chekalov replied without hesitation. “Since she is the comrade in charge of your safety, it is perfectly reasonable for her to go with you.”

On the way to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Sokov was eager to gather more clues. He called out to Chekalov, who was sitting in the passenger seat, his voice tinged with urgency: "Comrade Captain!"

Upon hearing Sokov call his name, Chekalov immediately turned halfway around, his right hand instinctively gripping the back of the chair. Looking at Sokov respectfully, he asked, "Comrade General, is there anything I can help you with?" His eyes revealed focus, as if he were ready to receive orders at any moment.

“Comrade Captain,” Sokov asked tentatively, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his knee, “I wonder if Lieutenant Sutulova’s statement mentioned anything unusual that happened while they were shopping? Like encountering strangers or any unusual noises.”

"What happened while you were out shopping?" Chekalov asked Sokov with a puzzled look, his eyebrows slightly raised. "Why would you ask that? Do you think the assassination attempt happened on the street? But, Comrade General, there are people coming and going on the street. If there really was an attack, there should be witnesses, right?"

“Isn’t that so?” Sokov countered, raising his voice slightly with the confidence of his reasoning. “For the murderer, only the street is the best place to strike. Crowds and chaos make it easy to hide and escape. I suspect the murderer may have used the crowd as cover.”

But Chekalov shook his head at Sokov's statement, his expression turning serious: "Comrade General, I don't think it's very realistic. According to the testimonies I've seen, Lieutenant Sutulova described in detail their shopping trip, without any physical contact with anyone, not even the slightest bump. The murderer couldn't have done it on the street, otherwise there would have been some traces left behind."

"So where do you think the killer would make their move, Captain?" Gulia interjected, leaning forward from the back seat, her gaze shifting between the two men, clearly interested in the discussion. Her voice held a mixture of curiosity and worry, as if implying that a crucial detail of the case might be overlooked.

Chekalov shrugged, spread his hands, and replied with a helpless expression, "I don't know either. I'm not a professional criminal investigator." As he said this, he quickly glanced at Sokov, secretly worrying whether the general in front of him could really help the Ministry of Internal Affairs solve the case.

(End of this chapter)