Water-Stained Investigation Notes

Water-Stained Investigation Notes

... Victims M. Z. Plekhanov, loan shark. Died a violent death with multiple stab wounds. V. T. Yakub, head of the Black Spruce Trading Company. Died in a freak accident — buried by an avalanche. Suspects I. K. Dmitriy, former rail worker. Lost everything due to Plekhanov's exploitation. O. V. Kozlov, second in command at the trading company. Has had recent disagreements with Yakub. The two suspects with the most compelling motives both had airtight alibis, stymying the investigation. However, precisely because their alibis are so perfect, it raises suspicion that something else is going on. Two apparently unrelated cases, but with motives linked to the suspect in the other case. This can't be a coincidence. Dmitriy and Kozlov come from vastly different backgrounds. Their lives and social circles have no overlap. There was no clear thread to connect them. However, upon investigating Dmitriy's associates, I discovered that when he was working as a locomotive engineer, Kozlov also served as an ordinary crew member on the same line. Clearly, Kozlov was not proud of his job, and he concealed this part of his past when he joined the Black Spruce Trading Company. The two were reunited by chance during a train breakdown and, due to one's past grievances and the other's desire for power, agreed to work together. Dmitriy used his inside knowledge to manufacture a "natural" avalanche — staging it as a tragic accident — while Kozlov used his own tried and tested methods to lure Plekhanov to an abandoned warehouse and kill him. Fools always believe they can cheat fate. There's no such thing as the perfect crime — there are only imperfections that are yet to be uncovered. ...