Бесплатный фрагмент - Gruman

CHAPTER 1

The morning was very good. There was no wind. There was no heat. Throwing once again the fishing rod Gruman looked at the clock. It is nine and only three fish. That is in three hours. What is missing from this fish? The weather is good. The worm is fat. I do not understand these anglers. Well, the summer. You can sit, think, and relax in nature. Listen to birds singing. What is the pleasure of winter fishing? It is cold, the wind is blowing, and you are going to catch a little fish in half a day. I wonder what the anglers who spend hours watching the calm float think about. At least I have a hobby. I write stories. In addition, the anglers probably think I am doing something stupid. Where’s the line that you are doing important things or not?

For example, I worked in the police investigation department for 20 years. I thought I was doing something important and necessary. Solving crimes, caught murderers, thieves, maniacs. So what? At the trial, they paid off or someone bought them. In addition, someone had a powerful «roof.» The court transfers the offender from the category of the accused to the category of victim. I see he is already out there a month later. Well, they can really give you a suspended sentence. Why did I climb under the bullets, risk my life? At first. I thought I was doing a very important job. I purge society of bad people.

With these thoughts, Gruman walked down the street to his house.

— Hi angler, how is the catch? — Wajda, a neighbor in the country, asked.

— That is rifle. I will give it to the cats, they will be happy. You know I am not an angler. Sometimes it is just fun to sit with a fishing rod.

— I have an unusual offer for you — Wajda said. I would like to discuss it. If you are not busy, come in and talk. Gruman took the fishing rods into the house and went to the neighbor, taking with him a jar of good coffee.

Wajda worked as a security chief for a major television company. He was a peculiar man. Well, yes, he is used to being bossy. Did not tolerate disobedience. All this affected his character. Therefore, Gruman, though he was his neighbor, did not make close contact. He was more comfortable communicating with another neighbor, former psychologist Remezov. He lives with his wife Clara and a year as a retired. Worked in a serious hospital, but now he just works part-time. From old memory, people refer to him privately. He was a calm, sociable man. Gruman often came to him, just to chat. We discussed my book, and Remezov gave advice as a psychologist.

— Why are you writing your stories? — Remezov once asked. You are not a writer, a former detective. Now detectives write such venerable writers.

— Well, you know- Gruman said. I am working as a private investigator right now. Writing stories helps me keep my tone.

Gruman and Wajda settled down in the alcove and slowly drank fragrant coffee.

— Would you like to make some money? — Wajda asked.

— Depending on what to do- Gruman said. Extra money will never hurt. Moreover, you know that I am divorced. I live alone, and the maintenance of the house requires financial costs.

— I will tell you the whole point of the matter, and if you are interested, we will discuss the details — Wajda said. You know I work in security. It is my job to pay attention to any little things. Even the reception of new employees, we check together with the human resources department. Our functions include not only the protection of the company, high-level security support, but also the supervision of employees. Their behavior, their relationships. We pay special attention to the behavior of employees in the family, in everyday life. Well, if a person has a problem in family life, he can behave unpredictably. You know these cases well from your practice. Well, that is it. We have the head of Bolen’s computer department. This department not only oversees the maintenance of computer equipment, but also monitors the protection of information. One of the units is engaged in the maintenance of television equipment. Moreover, everything to do with it. He is 37 years old. He was not married, probably, a convinced bachelor. As far as we know, he does not communicate with the female sex. There were no complaints about the work. There is nothing to complain about. However, lately I have noticed an oddity in his behavior. I do not know how to explain it. His behavior has changed dramatically. He walks some half-sleep, communicates with colleagues dryly. At work it does not seem to be reflected, but it seems that the thoughts of it elsewhere. I am not going to describe all the oddities. It is very important for me that an adequate person works in this place. I shared my suspicions with the management and I was allowed to use all the tools and resources to find out.

— And why would it not fire? — Gruman asked.

— For what? — Wajda said. There are no claims. Moreover, my suspicions may be in vain. The new employee should be checked for a long time, to introduce into the course of business. That is when I thought about you. I think I am going to offer a freelancer’s bid for the duration of the investigation. I will give you the authority, our support. What do you say?

— You can certainly do it. What if everything is normal and I do not find anything unusual. — Gruman asked. It turns out that I got the money for nothing.

Do not worry about it. Not such a big cost for our company. Calm is more expensive. The image of the company is even bigger.

— Well, well — Gruman said. I will try to help you. Although I do not know, suspicions may be in vain. I will try to do my best.

Gruman has been with the company for three days as a security officer. He goes to the departments, looks at the employees. However, naturally constantly monitors Bolen.

— I need to — Gruman Said, -I need you to install video surveillance in Bolen’s department. You need to put not one camera, but several. Cameras must be hidden. No one should know from the staff that they are there. Besides you, your people should not know either. I am the only one who should have access to these cameras. I am in the room with your co-workers right now. I do not want to say that I do not trust them, but for complete peace of mind I need a separate room. Let it be small, but separate. The information from the cameras should come there.

— OK, we will do it, -Wajda said.

CHAPTER 2

After a couple of days, Gruman was already sitting in a small utility room. On several monitors he could see all the information from Bolen’s department. Gruman could even listen to all the conversations. In his previous work, he took the rule, to write in the diary especially interesting information or just his observations. Time passes, and some observations are simply forgotten. I have to go back to my notes. It happened that the recorded trifle after a while is important.

From time to time Gruman walked through the departments, but most often looked into the department of Bolen. Trying not to give out a special interest, he rarely asked employees about their work, problems. Perhaps someone will get into a conversation and say something interesting. Gruman looked through surveillance footage from Bolen’s department every day. Listening to the conversations of the employees, he wonder if the employees noticed a change in Bolen’s behavior.

Gruman tried to analyze each movement of Bolen intonation in conversation. If only he could compare Bolen’s behavior before and after. Now we have to rely only on the words of Wajda.

Once after the next duty Gruman was going to go to the cottage on his old Peugeot, when Mark, an employee of Bolen’s department, approached him.

— Which way are you going, if not a secret? — He asked.

— In the direction of the village of Ozernaya, it is about twenty kilometers from here — said Gruman.

— Very good — Mark said. Could not have a lift to Sosnovka, it is on the way.

— Why not — Gruman replied. Have a seat.

It is hard to drive around the city in the evening, It is a traffic jam. Gruman thought that it was wrong to keep quiet all the way.

— Have you been working for the company for a long time? — Gruman asked to start the conversation somehow.

— Three years — Mark said. Before that, I worked at the institute. Then the salary is higher, so moved on. The work is more diverse and interesting.

— It is interesting, but it is very responsible — Gruman said. The authorities must be strictly watching you.

— I do not know how to say it — Mark continued. Previously, our boss Bolen was more precise, but recently somehow, everything has changed. He walks some sullen, little communicates with the staff. If before I delved into every little thing, now he has completely moved away from it.

— Have such changes taken place for a long time? — Gruman asked.

— It has been three months- Mark said. At first, I thought maybe the family was in a problem. However, someone told me he was not married and never was. I think maybe he met some woman, and she turned him down. I do not think so either. I do not know. What also surprised me, about once a week makes his employees leave the premises under the pretext of airing it. However, he closes the door and stays inside. I know it is a good thing, but it has not happened before.

— But in life, things happen. Maybe he has a mental trauma, maybe his parents are sick — Gruman continued.

— Everything may be, but I do not know. I am not going to delve into anyone’s problems. Work is work. I am not interested in anything else. The team is very good and that is the main thing.

— Here is your Sosnovka — Gruman said pointing to the pointer. Where can I drop you off?

— There will be a fire station on the right, and that is where I will go out.

CHAPTER 3

Gruman put his Peugeot in the garage and went into the house. Yes, living alone is certainly not much fun. However, it has been very difficult to get along with my wife lately. We are going to have to make a family life somehow. Gruman remembered Nina from Bolen’s department. Well, a nice and very nice woman. Her husband died about five years ago, as Mark told me. We are going to have to try to get close to her.

With these thoughts, Gruman made himself dinner and turned on the TV. Rarely in recent times has he been interested in world events. The world has not changed. Somewhere revolutions, floods, earthquakes. After scrolling through the program and not finding anything interesting, he turned it off.

— I will have to call Remezov, consult — Gruman thought.

— Come in — Remezov said. What is your problem?

— Yes, I wanted to consult. Maybe you can do something. As a psychologist, you know people better.

Gruman told Remezov everything he had learned about Bolen.

— What can I say? — Remezov replied after thinking. There are two or three options to consider. Of course, there is little information. All you saw was the outside. I can only assume. Well, you check them out. You will end up with one thing.

First. There may have been some kind of fracture in his life. Like you said, he is not married and he was not married. Years go by. He is not blind. He sees everyone’s family. Parents raise their children, worry about their future. In the department, there is naturally frequent talk about the family. Someone boasted that his child had graduated well from the first class; someone will say that his daughter fell out of the first tooth. Well, someone will discuss his trip to the sea with his family. Imagine. He is a middle-aged man. Begins to analyze its past years, there is a reassessment of values. Why he lives, for whom. Someone builds a house with the hope that then there will live his children, grandchildren. Whom is he going to build it for? For yourself? Maybe he is trying to meet some woman, and she turned him down. He realized that no one needed him in this life. Although I can say that, there are convinced bachelors. They consider the family a burden. There are always problems in the family. He is alone. He has no problems, and he is happy with it. Well, and his attitude to family life, you will try to find out from his employees.

You can consider a worse option. Let us say, until recently, he did not attach importance that many people around believers. He was far from it. Then someone introduced him to the church, performing the rites. He may have started reading the relevant books. In this regard, he may have changed his outlook on life. Why does he live? What does he live for? However, you have to find out from his employees.

Well, the third option is more complicated. I am not talking about a sect where people are zombified. However, it is possible he has come under someone’s influence. I have had quite a few such cases in practice. I can read you, for example, such information. Remezov took out some book, leafed through it, found the right place and began to read: