red moscow

Chapter 3147 Clues (Part 2)

“We encountered a strange thing while we were shopping on Jerribas Street.”

Upon hearing this, Sokov instinctively turned to look at Butko beside him, his brow furrowing slightly, wondering what this "Derribas Street" Sutulova was referring to was. He had never heard of this street before, and a hint of confusion flickered in his eyes.

Butko immediately noticed the change in Sokov's expression and quickly leaned forward, explaining in a low voice, "Jeribas Street is the most bustling commercial street in Odessa, lined with shops and home to numerous open-air cafes, restaurants, clothing stores, and upscale eateries. It was built in 1836 and named after Joseph Jeribas, Odessa's first mayor. It's worth mentioning that the lava stones used to pave the street all came from his hometown—Naples, Italy."

Sokov nodded slowly after listening, his expression slightly solemn. He then turned his gaze back to Sutulova and said in a steady voice, "Alright, you can continue."

“After browsing through a few clothing stores on Jeribas Street, we were about to find an open-air café to sit down and rest,” Sutulova said clearly, as if she were back in the scene that day. “Suddenly, we heard a clear sound of a camera shutter being pressed behind us.”

"Is someone taking pictures of you?" Sokov couldn't help but interject, his eyes sharpening.

“Yes, Comrade Deputy Commander.” Sutulova nodded and answered with certainty, “To be precise, she was taking pictures of our backs.”

"Taking pictures of your backs?" Sokov looked puzzled and pressed, "Who took the pictures? Why was she taking pictures of your backs?"

"She was a young woman in her early twenties, wearing a pale yellow long dress. When Sophia questioned her, she smiled and explained that she was looking for models with their backs to photograph for a clothing store's window display, and Sophia's silhouette perfectly matched her requirements. She repeatedly asked us not to mind. At the same time, she kept praising Sophia's good figure and outstanding temperament."

"What was Major Sofia's reaction after hearing her explanation?" Sokov continued, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the armrest of his wheelchair.

“Sofia seemed very happy after hearing this. After chatting with her for a few minutes, we went to an open-air café not far away,” Sutulova continued, her tone gradually lowering. “But no sooner had we finished our coffee than Sofia suddenly felt extremely unwell, then started foaming at the mouth and became disoriented. Seeing the critical situation, I quickly ran to a nearby shop to find a phone and urgently called an ambulance to take her to the hospital.”

“Comrade Deputy Commander!” Butko suddenly interrupted, turning to Sokov to add to the report: “After Sofia’s murder, I immediately sent people to seal off the café as quickly as possible and conducted a thorough interrogation of the owner and all staff, trying to obtain any useful clues. But unfortunately, neither the owner nor the employees insisted that they knew nothing about it.”

Sokov lowered his head and pondered for a moment, his fingers resting on his chin, before instructing Zhivagin, who was standing beside him, "Major, could you go out and call in the lieutenant in charge of protecting me?"

Upon hearing Sokov's order, Zhivagin did not act immediately. Instead, he subconsciously looked at Butko with a questioning look in his eyes, as if waiting for his explicit instructions.

Butko noticed Zhivagin's gaze and nodded without hesitation, saying, "Major, the deputy commander's orders have been issued. What are you waiting for? Go and invite that comrade in immediately."

After receiving clear instructions from Butko, Zhivagin turned around deftly and strode out of the office.

A moment later, Gulia followed Zhivagin into the office. She went straight to Sokov, stood ramrod straight, and asked respectfully, "Comrade General, what are your instructions?"

“Gulia, let me introduce you first.” Sokov pointed to Butko and said in a formal tone, “This is your superior, Major General Butko, the director of the Odessa Internal Affairs Department.”

“Hello, Comrade Director!” Gulia immediately turned to Butko, giving a crisp military salute with impeccable posture. Then she turned her gaze back to Sokov, quietly awaiting his next order. “Gulia, you should know something about the NKVD major Sofia, who was murdered yesterday, right?” Sokov asked, his voice steady as he looked at her.

Gulia hesitated for a moment before cautiously replying, "Yes, Comrade General, I know some of the relevant information."

"Can you tell us exactly where in Major Sophia's body the poisoned needle pierced?"

Gulia looked around, seemingly looking for a suitable reference point to more clearly illustrate the location. Soon, her gaze settled on Sutulova, and she politely asked, "Lieutenant, could you turn around and face away from the General? That way I can point out the location more accurately."

Sutulova did not turn around immediately, but subconsciously cast an inquiring glance at Butko, wanting to confirm whether she should act according to Gulia's instructions.

“Obey orders, Lieutenant,” Butko said curtly.

Only after receiving Butko's permission did Suturova turn around, her back to Sokov, who was sitting in a wheelchair.

"Lieutenant Gulia!" Sokov instructed Gulia, "Show everyone the location of the poisoned needle."

Gulia responded and then pointed to the area on her vest: "Here, Comrade General! Major Sophia's cause of death was this poisoned steel needle."

Sokov nodded, then looked at Butko: "Comrade Director, did you notice anything amiss from the location of the poison needle?"

"I think it must have been when Major Sophia was sitting and drinking coffee that a hostile agent passed by her from behind and plunged the deadly needle into her back."

But no sooner had Butko finished speaking than Sokov waved his hand, rejecting his guess: "Comrade Chief, that's impossible. You know, if the assassin didn't control the timing properly, he wouldn't only fail to harm Major Sofia, but would also harm himself."

"So you mean...?" Butko asked tentatively.

"I think the real culprit is the girl who took her picture."

Sokov's guess was immediately questioned by Zhivagin: "If that girl wanted to take a picture, she would definitely be some distance away from Major Sofia. How could she have inserted the poison needle into the major's back?"

Before Sokov could explain, Butko suddenly realized something: "Comrade Deputy Commander, you're right. The real culprit should be the girl who took the picture."

Perhaps seeing Zhivagin's stunned expression, he went out of his way to explain: "Special agents are equipped with special weapons to carry out special missions. For example, a pistol hidden in a camera, a pen that can shoot, and so on. To assassinate Major Sofia, they could simply install the poison needle launcher in the camera."

(End of this chapter)