Original subtitles

That's alright, dad, don't sweat it.

So the fish aren't biting. But look at the beauty! We can just swim and talk...

The people at hydrometeorological center messed it up.

Those people can't be trusted. Neither can the telly, for that matter...

Like yesterday, mother is watching TV...

A show about, how do you call these - militiamen – you know, that series.

So this guy's apartment is the size of my manufactory. Would take more than a week to walk around it!

No way, huh?

OK, stop.

Come on, come on, come on.

It's biting.

Come on, come on, give me the landing net!

Look!

Come on, come on.

Come on, pull, pull!

Come on, come on, damn it. Come on, pull already.

Academia

Galina Sumina

Maxim Bityukov

Yelizaveta Lotova, Alexander Konstantinov, Vladimir Yumatov

Alexander Yatsko, Igor Yurtaev, Eric Yaralov

Director of Photography - Dmitriy Konchev. Production designer - David Dadunashvili.

Music by Igor Krestovskiy

Written by Arkadiy Vysotskiy, Vasiliy Abdrashitov.

Directed by Vyacheslav Lavrov, Alexander Sozonov.

Creative producer - Valeriy Kochkin. Executive producer - Oksana Furtseva.

Co-producers - Nelli Yaralova, Roman Atanesyan.

Produced by Alexey Moiseev, Oleg Piganov, Yulia Razumovskaya

Academia

Well, what do you say?

A man's right foot. About forty years old.

175 centimeters tall.

So no distinguishing characteristics.

Maybe there's something original?

Like excessive leanness, or the contrary?

Not really. Well, his weight is quite low. But within the norm.

Around sixty-five kilos. As for distinguishing characteristics...

He broke his big toe about ten years ago. His ankle was injured repeatedly...

Also a severe tibia injury.

But it healed long ago.

Did he work in a hazardous industry or was he tortured?

What caused the damage?

A blunt object. Like a football.

Dr.Lemke...

Okay. I'll make the final conclusion after Ed does the tests.

That's it.

Hey. Are you Zorina?

I am. Who are you?

I apologize. I was sitting in the hallway for an hour, then I saw it was open.

It's cozy here!

Do you barge into every "cozy" office?

Nastya, please, I apologized...

Anastasia Vladimirovna.

My bad.

DIA investigator, Major Chugunkov.

I'm working the dissection case.

I'm listening.

Maybe we should be less formal...

I just came to make acquaintance.

To exchange information, so to speak.

I think it's too early to make guesses.

First we should try to find the rest of the body.

Then identify the deceased.

And only then talk about motives.

You try, you attempt... That's how you work, right?

Excuse me. I have something here.

So do I. Hi.

Hello.

This is Major Chugunkov, investigator.

From Zarechensk DIA.

Nice to meet you.

He is working on this case.

Great sense of humor too.

Nastya, please. You've got something here...

You try, you attempt. And I just have a murder with dissection.

I see.

Ed did a few tests here. Take a look. I'll make comments later.

Uh-huh. Thank you, Kirill.

Goodbye.

Take care.

Yours?

I mean, is he your staff member?

He is.

Well.

Well, well, well.

And the head of your department is Colonel Savin, right?

That's right.

I think it's a direct number.

Anastasia Vladimirovna...

Huh?

Who are you calling?

I'm going to call your boss.

But why? Don't.

So maybe he got something wrong?

This is the investigative committee, not a comedy show.

Alright, stop. Stop. Comedy show... That's it!

No jokes. I got it.

The foot lay in the water about... six months.

I found a piece of a catfish tooth.

Perhaps the catfish destroyed all soft tissues.

Also, on the hackle bone I found a snail, which died during hibernation.

To find out the exact time the foot got into the water, I turned to my colleague Alexander.

Here's what he found.

In October last year, there was an unauthorized discharge of chemical waste in the area.

If the foot had gotten there earlier, there would be some fluorine in the bone.

But Shurik didn't find any.

Therefore, the foot got into the water after the current washed away all chemical residues.

So, about a month later.

And in the middle of December the water in the river was already frozen.

So, half a year in total.

I think it's amazing!

Very good job, Ed.

Thanks.

Though in addition to the specific time of death

I would also like to know the spot where the body was dropped.

So that our dear Major Chugunkov knew where to dive.

We have another idea. Oksa is working on it.

I modeled the configuration of the bottom.

The current there is wild.

But apparently the body parts were dropped not far from the spot where the foot was found.

Why not far? If the current is wild?

Because there's a dam three kilometers farther up the river.

There are filters that get cleaned occasionally.

Well, that's something. Though it won't make Major very happy.

The body parts could've been carried a hundred kilometers down the river, no less.

But at least we know the exact crime scene now.

Though with a three-kilometer radius.

I wouldn't be too optimistic.

A sane person wouldn't drop a

dismembered corpse at the same spot where they committed the crime.

A sane person wouldn't cut fellow human beings into pieces.

Why not? I do! On a daily basis.

What makes you think you're a sane person?

Well, well. I agree with you, Dr.Lemke.

A sane person wouldn't take a

dismembered body worlds away.

Most likely, the killer is someone local.

The bank of the river is densely built up. This is the district center.

Hundreds of houses, thousands of people.

The victim is not necessarily someone local.

We should study the local search base thoroughly.

Yes. I'd like to narrow the circle somehow too.

Already done.

I've narrowed it down to one. Is it enough?

Toporkov Yevgeniy Petrovich.

Halfback of Istra mini-football club "Knight" from 1994 to 2000.

On the wanted list since November.

- Missing? - No.

Hiding from justice. I checked another database. Medical one.

Tibia fracture, ten years ago. Now attention, please.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's see what happened to our man.

- Wow... - Is that him?

Yes. That's him.

This is Zarechensk DIA local database.

Arrest, disorderly conduct, drinking in public places.

Anyway, 97 percent match.

Anyway, I think your - what's his name - Chugunkov will be elated.

It's his DIA.

First of all, he's not mine.

Second, this is obviously a shot in the dark.

Print out his address for me anyway. Just in case.

Hello. Anna Ivanovna?

That's me. What happened?

Major Chugunkov. Zarechye DIA. This is counselor Zorina from the investigative committee.

It's about your husband. Do you know where he is?

- Husband? - Husband.

No, I don't. He... He's been missing since last year.

Hold on, did you find Zhenya?

You hold on. I'm the one asking questions and getting the answers here.

- Get it now? - No.

Wait, you're the police. Do you have my husband?

In a way, you could say that. To some extent.

Tell me, is that your son?

What?

Anna Ivanovna. Sit down, please.

The thing is, we found human remains in the river nearby.

And...

We assume that...

So? Still don't know where your husband is?

I don't.

How did he disappear?

He just... Left.

What do you mean - just left? Just got up and left?

Left you and your kid? When did he leave exactly?

Well, about half a year ago.

In November.

I remember, it was Saint Matrona's Day.

I remember thinking, maybe he'll come back?

But he was gone for a week, then two...

Interesting.

You belive in God? That's good.

So why didn't you declare him missing? Huh?

Time goes by, and you don't give a damn?

I knew he was wanted.

Two weeks after he disappeared, the local inspector came by.

He said they declared search for him. Hold on, maybe it wasn't Zhenya?

Maybe it's someone else?

He was going to do this job.

Where was he going?

To Italy. To pick oranges.

Wow.

Why was he going so far away? Couldn't find anything closer?

Interesting. OK.

Let's not panic. Maybe it really wasn't him.

So tell me, where did he go in the end?

Oh God, maybe to the North Pole, I don't care!

Anna Ivanovna, I take it that recently you and

Yevgeniy didn't get along very well?

Not really... You see, it's just...

Zhenya couldn't find himself for a very long time after he retired from sports...

He couldn't, but we will.

So you didn't even look for him.

What do we have here? A good man is going somewhere to pick oranges and poof! Gone.

And no one cares? Time goes by, but the clock is stuck.

But this isn't the first time. He already left like this before.

To produce oil in Siberia. He also didn't call, didn't write, we didn't hear from him.

He only appeared on Kolya's Birthday.

This is sacred to him.

Is your son neurotic?

He's an autist. It's not a disease.

What is it then? A shoe size?

I apologize for my colleague. It was a poor choice of words.

Alright. Forget it. Tell me, did Yevgeniy Petrovich have enemies?

What enemies? He's the life and soul of the party, he played the accordion.

He must've had some kind of debt.

He came home once, took what was left of our money, all earrings, rings and silverware.

He was going to sell that, aparently.

I apologize for asking this, but... Did Yevgeniy drink heavily?

What do you mean - did he drink?

Why are you saying it like he's gone?

I know he's alive! I would've sensed it!

You found some corpse and now you're saying God knows what!

Do you see this folder?

The folder is a psychological trick! Works with everyone.

You have to make your adversary anxious.

Is Anna an adversary to you?

Well, of course, a single mother with a sick child can't be a criminal. Is that right?

Did the little icons in the corner overwhelm you?

Oh, so you're a humanist, Nastasya.

You should be working in social security, not in the investigative committee.

And you would like to just shoot people randomly?

I see no reason to detain Toporkova.

I work in the police. And you know, I rarely meet saints or righteous people.

That's why I don't like to play nice. It backfires.

Look! There are lawbreakers over there. Wanna go shoot them?

What's up, gang? Ruining your livers?

Those are our livers. We have the right.

What the hell do you care?

Don't "hell" me.

Do you know this Toporkov guy from apartment 47?

He drowned while fishing.

Wow!

Interesting thought. How do you know that?

Yash, what are you babbling about?

Zhenyok never even held a fishing rod!

He eloped with his mistress.

What mistress? He's lying!

You need to have a way with chicks. And he punched people on the least occasion!

Chicks respect power!

Did you hear that he was going somewhere to do some job?

I'd rather believe that he was going fishing.

I see. I see.

Ed.

I got Toporkov's hair from the collar of his jacket.

You need to make a DNA sample and compare it with the foot.

Ed, do you hear me?

OK, OK, sure. Will do. Give me a couple of hours.

Fine. Any news? What's with Lemke?

He went home.

What do you mean - home? The work day isn't over yet.

His wife is away on a business trip. He needs to give his kid lunch.

He said he'd come back later.

I see. But why didn't he tell me anything?

Well, don't ask me.

Hi, mum. We're doing great.

Well... we didn't have lunch yet.

We're making flippers, following a recipe. From the Internet.

Everything's fine.

When are you coming back?

Ah. Alright. Bye.

She said hi.

Ah, I'm done.

One more time.

No. That's enough, we're going to the dumpling cafe.

Yay!

Unfortunately, the genetic material taken from the victim's bone degraded a lot.

With 99.9 percent probability I can say that the hair taken from the

jacket and the found limb belong to the same person.

And...

Sorry, am I interrupting?

Of course not, come in. What do you have here?

Alright, about the finances.

Just before hitting the bottom, Toporkov

tried to get a loan in three different banks.

He was rejected, obviously.

Because he is unemployed and he has no permanent income.

And what did he need a loan for?

I have no idea. But it was quite an amount. Two million.

Maybe he wanted his life back?

To feel meaningful again.

He wasn't a drunk his whole life.

He even earned enough money to buy a brand new BMW 5.

Chugunkov found it out from his drinking companions.

That is, of course, if they aren't lying.

He had a car?

He did, I found it without Chugunkov's help in the traffic police database.

He sold it to one Sigorkin Yuriy five years ago.

An accountant from a bus park.

- Now that's who we should talk to. - Thats's right.

At least this source is a little more reliable than the drunk lot your Major is questioning.

He's not my Major.

He is! He's yours, Anastasia Vladimirovna, warts and all.

Just whistle - and he'll run up to you and wag his tail!

Well, since you are so shrewd, doc, you go to this Sigorkin.

Also drop by Toporkova's. Create their psychological portraits.

Easy.

He didn't really haggle. Zhenya didn't drink that much back then.

But he already gave up football.

Besides, he needed money. With his wife nagging him and all...

When was the last time you saw him?

Maybe a year ago.

He came all dressed up... Put on some jacket.

Got a job. General manager, he said.

Something to do with spare parts. Proud as a peacock.

Do you remember the company?

Please, what company! That was all bull...

Who would hire a drunk like him as a general manager? You have to be an idiot.

You said he often used his fists. With the child as well?

Well, only when he was drunk.

It happened, of course, both with Anya and the boy.

Yeah. It happens. Well, thanks.

Take care.

Topor-moron, Topor-moron, Topor-moron...

Yes!

Hold on. Give it here.

You know you can't bully the weak.

- You don't? - No.

Then remember: it's not nice to bully the weak!

You won't do such disgusting things anymore, will you?

Now scram.

Here.

What's your name? I'm uncle Arkadiy.

Yes. I'm listening.

Nastya. This is Kirill.

I just wanted to know how the case is going.

Go to work more often and find out yourself.

Well, I'm sorry. It was crazy. It was too late to go.

That's fine.

Anyway, I received the Toporkov case record.

Turns out, he worked as a general manager in Cardan company for a week.

This is a company that sells spare car parts.

Let me guess.

So all spare parts disappeared, and Toporkov was responsible.

You must have second sight.

And you know what, Yevgeniy wanted to get a loan for a reason.

We must go to his creditor tomorrow and check everything.

- Goodbye. - See you tomorrow.

Uh-huh, uh-huh... Now I'll show you at the cut. It would be more demonstrative.

Here, look, the cut of the experimental bone I just sawed.

Here. See?

What am I looking at?

Just look here. Similar, right?

That's right, similar.

Are you saying that the body was dismembered with a circular saw?

- Exactly. - Hmm.

The cut is even.

Look, the same as... the same as here.

Yeah. Interesting.

I have news for you too, by the way.

Chugunkov went to interrogate Anna and he wanted me to go with him.

But I sent Arkadiy, because I wouldn't be able to tolerate

another portion of sheriff's jokes.

Besides, Rock wanted to talk to the boy.

Well, autists don't really talk, in the conventional sense.

But maybe Arkadiy will succeed. Although I doubt it.

Ah. Which was to be proved.

Yes?

Just please, don't start talking about broken noses...

Cut fingers, etcetera.

You already confessed that you and your husband had a fight that night.

- Tell me, is it his blood? - It is.

But I'm not guilty. It was an accident.

The degree of guilt is determined by the court.

And our job is to clarify the circumstances of the crime.

Motives and methods. Anna Ivanovna, start talking.

Believe me, an honest confession mitigates guilt.

That night Zhenya came home drunk again.

I didn't even hear him enter.

I only realized it later, when Kolya started crying.

When I entered the bedroom, he was holding sleepy Kolya by his ear.

Anyway, one thing led to another...

Before he came, I had been peeling potatoes in the kitchen, knife in my hand.

Kolya... May I see the cube?

Thank you.

Look at that, Doctor, he likes you!

What happened next?

Zhenya threw me over.

I started defending myself, the knife was still in my hand.

Apparently, he wanted to knock it out with his foot.

He was barefoot. Anyway, the knife went right into his foot.

There was a lot of blood.

He screamed and punched me in my face with his fist.

I passed out. When I came to my senses, he was gone.

And where was Kolya?

He was hiding in the kitchen.

Well, well, well... Hang on. Something doesn't add up here.

You cannot say A without saying B.

Who helped you dismember the body? Your son?

I'm telling you, no one! I did it by myself!

Everything happened just like I'm telling you!

Calm down, Anna Ivanovna, it's your right to deny it!

And it's my right, even my duty, to isolate you from society.

You're under arrest.

We'll have to continue our conversation elsewhere.

No, wait, what will happen to my child?

This is what will happen to your child: during the investigation

he can stay with relatives or friends.

And if you are convicted, then foster care.

That is, if he's not involved, of course.

Of course not. I'm telling you, he isn't...

- Let's go. - Wait, I'm telling you, no.

- That's me! Just me. - Let's go.

I'll sign it all. He was in the kitchen.

- Anya. - Under the table, he's always hiding there...

When he's scared. He can't live in a foster home.

- Anya. - He wouldn't hurt a fly.

Anyechka, calm down.

I'm not gonna run.

Anya, I know.

You're only making it worse.

Listen to me. Do you hear me?

Yes? You'll go with Major now.

He'll deal with everything.

He must detain you. Is that right, Major?

It's his job. Go with Major.

Kolya, give me your hand.

You'll see, everything will be fine, Anyechka. I assure you.

Let's go.

How did Major know about the fight?

He didn't. Just added it all up.

Neighbors saw everything and told everyone...

That Yevgeniy drinks like a fish and beats his wife and son on the slightest occasion.

He's not a fool.

He's much worse. He's an animal.

Anna is simply defending her son. It's as clear as day.

And he just needs to close the case.

I'm sure Anna is telling the truth.

But in this particular situation, she is intimidated

by Major and she would sign anything.

So our only option is to find the real killer as soon as possible.

How is it going with the creditors?

Not very well, they're in Lithuania.

They delivered the spare parts under a letter of guarantee.

Without prepayment. They didn't receive the payment on time.

Filed a claim against the Cardan company.

What about other employees? Toporkov couldn't have been the only one?

Ghost employees, all of them. Unfortunately, this is a very common scheme.

Only Yevgeniy knew the real owners, and he can't exactly bear witness anymore.

Nothing on the spare parts either.

Nothing at all. No serial numbers, screws or other fittings.

Not even VINs.

And where was this firm located? Office, warehouse?

Everything is rented. The owners have no connection with the tenants.

And all the papers were signed by Toporkov.

So all we're left with is one foot. And an unhappy widow giving testimony.

Not much. Fine. I'll try to get something out of the foot.

You like it? Take it.

Can I see your cube again?

How do you assemble them, these colors? I don't understand.

I never learned how to do that. Never completed it, not once.

Kolya...

Kolya, who gave you this cube?

Your mum?

Then who? Maybe your neighbor... uncle Yura?

No, I doubt it's Sigorkin...

Kolya, I just guessed who gave you the cube.

Your dad gave it to you.

Am I right?

Oksanochka, hi. This is Rotkin.

Oksanochka, do you have something to write with?

Write down these little figures: 71303499.

This is the item number of a children's toy, Rubik's Cube.

Ever heard of it?

Do me a favor, use this item number to

find out when this thing was made.

Pizza is a wonderful thing. I'd be happy to join you.

Your son wouldn't mind if a woman he doesn't know joins you?

Why would he?

I just wanted to continue our discussion, try different theories.

You see, my wife is away on a business trip, I have to

spend more time on household chores.

And Anna is still in detention.

I know. I can't stop thinking about it as well.

OK. Let's continue.

Anyway, I'm almost sure that our dismemberer, the one who

dismembered Toporkov's body, was a professional, a physician.

You see, where he cut, the spot he chose.

The one who cut him did it right at the distal end.

What difference does it make where to cut?

Well, above the knee is the easiest.

Less soft tissue.

Muscles have practically become tendons.

And most importantly, the cut itself.

They did it steadily, skillfully, without changing the position of their hands.

They maintained the angle of the cutting blade.

Kirill, a little longer, and you and your son will have to have dinner by yourselves.

Nastya, I realize that I'm grasping at a straw here.

But we don't have any other ideas.

Fine. Let's say he's a doctor.

But doctors are a dime a dozen.

Are we supposed to grab every doctor and interrogate them?

Kirill, let's postpone it until tomorrow.

We need to sleep on it. Get in.

For example, there's easily recognizable Clostridium perfingens.

The so-called anaerobic rod.

So where does it leave us? Where does it leave us?

It helps us realize that our poor football player died.

Uh-huh. So what are you trying to find, anyway?

Give us a normal explanation.

It's just that these clostridiums... There are so many of them.

But there's no hay bacillus at all. Usually it's the other way around.

Though these are just scraps.

Everything disintegrated long time ago, there's nothing...

At least you have something.

I only have microscopic quantities of trimeperidin.

Hold on, it's promedol!

Yes, yes, promedol!

Where did he get that much money? It's worth a ton of money!

He robbed a pharmacy stall.

Barbarian. They don't sell it in pharmacies.

Only by prescription, only in hospitals and only in surgery...

The biter bit.

Hello! Doc! I found it. Yep.

Made in China, Guangzhou toy factory, in December last year.

If that means anything to you.

Well done. Precious girl. Of course it doesn't mean anything yet. But it will soon.

Okay.

In your face, losers!

Also our uncle Fedor here is good at mathematics.

I've never been good with figures.

Can I ask?

Yes. Sure.

Do you have military shoulder straps?

I do. Yes. Blue shoulder straps, two green stripes and one big, big star.

So you're a Major?

Yes. It's equivalent.

But if I were in the Navy, I would be a Lieutenant Commander.

Yo-ho-ho!

Who wants to try real pirate rum?

Dad! Look how cool! A pirate!

I'm an old sea dog, captain John Silver.

What's your name, kid?

Fedya.

- Fyodor Kirillych. - Fyodor Kirillych.

For the young sailor Fyodor Kirillych... a cocktail for real pirates, "Little Sarka".

Here, try our pirate cocktail...

Nastya!

I think I know why Chugunkov can't find the rest of the body.

Why?

- Do you like it? - Uh-huh.

Have some more.

Yo-ho-ho!

Morning. What are you doing?

What are we doing? We're discussing theories...

Ah, right... We have a new science-fiction theory now.

Thanks to your endeavors, Dr.Lemke!

Turns out, Toporkov wasn't dismembered, his foot was amputated.

Is there anything other than Kirill's eureka that confirms this?

There are traces of the substance in the bone tissue which is part of the drug promedol.

Very small dosages. And promedol is a powerful anesthetic.

It is used for acute pain.

As far as I know, they give people general anesthesia when they cut off their feet.

What do anesthetics have to do with it anyway?

They didn't cut off his foot right away.

They took him somewhere, prepared for the operation, that's when they must've injected him with promedol.

I have no direct confirmation.

But I was looking for a foreign genetic material in the bone and I found

a lot of Clostridium perfingens.

Well, it's always present during decomposition.

But such an obvious prevalence of this culture may indicate gas gangrene.

And it's treated with amputation.

Guys, do you know what they call it?

Reaching.

Fine.

If doctors cut off Toporkov's feet, then, forgive my

curiosity, where's the rest of Toporkov?

In this case, he had to have come back home to his wife and son long time ago.

He's wanted for his debt to Lithuanians. He can't go home.

It's easier for him to go to the police and surrender.

Hello, Arkadiy. We're having an imagination party here.

Care to join?

Gladly.

And now, friends, a sensation, if you like.

Toporkov is alive.

Sometimes he even manages to give his son gifts, like this cube.

You cracked the autistic boy?

Well, I didn't really crack him. There was some kind of contact.

Non-verbal contact.

Body language, gestures, eyes.

Autistic people rarely make eye contact with other people.

But they can see everything, they understand everything. He's a smart boy.

Wise even, in a way.

Arkadiy, come on.

He might have simply found this toy.

Or some random compassionate guy could've given it to him.

I don't believe in all this. It's all your fantasies.

In science, they call it a hypothesis.

And it's easy to check. Gas gangrene is not a cold.

It's mandatory to keep records of procedures like limb amputation.

We just need to make a request to the regional health department.

So we're looking for an unknown one-legged homeless man

who had a surgery over a year ago?

Sounds about right. And we will find him for sure.

You're shining like a morning star.

I am. I like it when hypotheses get proved.

It's such a wonderful sensation, like a strong fresh wind blowing at your back.

So strong that it almost lifts you above the ground. Aren't you pleased?

I thought we would spend half a day on this.

But we hit the mark after the third call.

I'm excited too. Though I doubt that's him.

The patient didn't have any ID on him. He didn't give his name.

Anyway, it may not be him.

No, Nastya. That's him!

I even know what caused the gangrene.

There's a dent on the internal bone of the metatarsus.

We thought it was postmortem damage.

But after Anna's testimony I'm sure it's the consequence of hitting the knife.

Yes, I remember him. He was brought in critical condition.

To be honest with you, I had no hope... It must've hurt like hell.

But he took it stoically. He didn't shout, didn't resist.

He just frowned. Before and after the surgery.

Did he say anything?

No, almost nothing. Only his son's name. Kolya, I think.

Where did he go? I doubt he could move by himself.

More or less, on crutches.

It's not an almshouse. We have standards of patient care.

Get your clothes and get lost.

One last question, colleague. Who is responsible for the disposal of biomaterials?

You're not the first to ask. A third party, not the clinic.

They load it into containers and then dispose of it wherever.

The city ladfill or the sewers. There were precedents.

We'll take your case into account. Because we filed a lawsuit.

The more cases we have, the more likely it is that we'll win.

Now, I have a surgery in half an hour, so if you'll excuse me...

Thank you so much, doctor! You've been of great help to us.

Not at all.

Well... Just found him and already lost him.

Yep. And this time for good, apparently.

Great!

What is this? There isn't enough space in the lab anymore?

Not really. We know the case is closed.

Your sheriff called. Shouted, yelled.

How many times do I have to tell you, Kirill, he's not my sheriff!

Fine. He's our sheriff.

Anyway, he called, cursed like a sailor.

But this is not the main news. The date of the surgery cancels all previous charges.

Excludes domestic homicide. So Anya Toporkova will be released.

But that's not the most important thing.

Then what is?

Rock came up with a way to catch the football player.

Well, it wasn't me. It was all of us.

Several heads are better than one.

Anyway, we know that Toporkov sees Kolya sometimes.

But he does it discreetly. He secretly watches from his hiding place.

Chooses the moment when there's no one who knows him. And we'll use it to our advantage.

So what are you suggesting? Watching the boy 24/7?

No 24/7. We'll take him tomorrow at a certain time.

At about half past two.

OK. This is not a prank.

Kolya comes back from school at two twenty. At this time his mother is at work.

She is a day-care nurse at a public nursery. Kolya usually comes home alone.

The most convenient time for Zhenya Toporkov to see his son.

But why tomorrow?

Because tomorrow is his Birthday. He turns thirteen.

If Toporkov showed up with a gift on the New Year,

he certainly won't miss his son's Birthday.

The most important thing is to choose the right observation point.

Fine. Let's try that.

You know, I think Yevgeniy comes here much more often than we think.

I think he doesn't always approach Kolya. Mostly just watches him.

And he has no idea that the boy always knows he's there.

Because Kolya, like all autists, acutely perceives things

that other people like us don't even notice.

I talked with the boy, he promised to give me a sign when he sees his father.

This is all so weird. Toporkov is a loving father.

He was pulling his son's ears, beating the hell out of his mother.

And then such feelings! Go figure!..

He's an alcoholic. It explains a lot.

And then, you know, after his misfortune, the world he knew collapsed.

And what did he see in the future? Nothing but pain, suffering and misery.

And he behaved as you or I would have.

He began to cling to the bright past.

And what was the brightest in his past?

His brief family happiness. That's all.

Oh. Oh.

This is bad. She will recognize me.

I underestimated their relationship. She must've left work early.

Block the northern arch. You go there, I go there.

Freeze!

Freeze!

Junior justice counselor Zorina Anastasia Vladimirovna.

Alright, champion. Now you've done it.

You were good. I didn't even see it coming.

Everything happened esactly like you said.

I tied Anka's scarf around my foot.

I put on a boot and staggered away before she came to her senses.

I didn't even have time to say goodbye to Kolya. He was scared...

Well, then everything gets really boring.

I hitchhiked out of town.

Sold Anka's trinkets at a market and went on a drinking binge.

Spent a week like that.

Didn't go to the doctor, I thought it would heal somehow.

I always healed like a dog.

What were you going to do?

Nothing.

Then the foot went septic, started to ache...

If it hadn't been for that wanted list, I would've gone north. To Tyumen.

Then there were these random guys I was drinking with.

They called the ambulance. You know what happened after that.

Miss, will they put me in jail right away, or they'll let me talk to my family first?

I won't run far now.

Well, you said it yourself.

You have a debt for embezzlement. A considerable sum.

And you've already admitted that you're guilty of beating your loved ones.

But that's not what I'm worried about right now.

I'm worried about two things.

First, how did you even get into all this?

I mean this whole spare parts deal.

And second: what were you doing this whole time?

Actually, this is one thing, not two.

Same guys helped me with both.

My former fans. We met by chance, while drinking, at the end of last summer.

Well, one thing led to another, we all had a drink, and then they said: wanna make a lot of money?

Well, who doesn't?

Hold on. Are they the real owners of the Cardan company?

That's right. But every one of them did time.

Which isn't good for commercial activity.

That's why they needed someone with a clean record.

And they picked you up after the hospital.

Well, yeah. Helped me get a job. I need to have a job.

I couldn't have known the conditions.

What kind of job? Some kind of association?

Association... I beg alms at the railway crossing.

Those bloodsuckers that are in charge of the disabled take more than half.

Do you know these people's coordinates...

Those who made you general manager?

Tolik and Vovan. They never showed me their passports.

I didn't ask them to.

You know how they say, never look a gift horse in the mouth.

These people are frauds.

If we catch them, your lithuanian debt will be forgiven.

Don't you understand?

I've thought about that.

But you won't prove anything. Besides, it will be difficult to catch them.

They are seasoned guys. They will smell you a mile away.

For every tricky device we have our own.

I'm talking about you, sir Major!

Atta girl!

I'm curious, this Nastya Vladimirovna, does she ever go out on dates?

Or she'll get married in jeans too?

Well, ask her out first, and we'll see.

Come on, we won't see anything.

Like you don't know, the only guy Zorina cares about is your corpse doctor.

Alright, I'll go keep the ball rolling.

Yevgeniy, I'm really glad you're willing to cooperate with us.

Now tell me the address of this new workplace of yours, so to speak.

These scumbags will remain silent. Even Major won't get anything out of them.

Unless we find a link between the Cardan company and the handicapped business.

Why do you think they are connected?

Yevgeniy said they had found him.

Like, they were worried, started to ask around, ask his drinking buddies.

They told them the ambulence took Zhenya. But all of this makes no sense.

Why would they start to worry? They abandoned him and forgot about him.

Someone reminded them about him. The question is - who?

Well, who could it be? First of all, someone who knows him well.

Second, someone who knows about the amputation.

Maybe the wife is hiding something?

No, I doubt it. She obviously didn't know anything about the surgery.

Otherwise why would she try to take the blame?

Now there's another interesting thing.

Do you remember that scam with lithuanian iron?

I checked these two, Tolyan and Vovan, flipped through their biographies.

I don't believe they could pull it off.

They barely have one gyrus, but look at the results of their activities.

Letters of guarantee, lease agreements, opening accounts for legal entities.

This is not their level of chemistry.

I assure you, fellow academicians, there's someone smart and clever behind the curtain.

Pulling the strings.

Or someone who knows the Toporkov family really well.

That's entirely possible.

That's right. Guys, it's really close.

How did we not guess sooner?

I give you three guesses. Who knows stuff about cars, who's good at

accounting and who listens to the Toporkovs' brawls through the wall?

Sigorkin!

Bingo.

Let's go, champions.

Your sheriff is okay, when he knows his place.

Our sheriff, do you agree?

We do, we do.

Our sheriff, he's a feast for the eye when he picks up a trail.

Well, this trail was served to him on a platter.

What would he have done if Sigorkin, Tolya and Vova hadn't done time

together, what if they had met somewhere by chance while drinking beer?

Try to prove they're connected.

It's our job to prove things.

OK, let's go?

Let's go.

Just a sec. Kolya, here, it's yours.

Thanks. Can I shake your hand?

Thanks.

- Cheers. - Thanks you guys.

Take care and hang in there. Good luck, bye.