“Because I’m tired. Tired of being afraid. Tired of waking up from nightmares. Tired of seeing their faces: Olga, Kira, Svetlana. They haunt my dreams. Every night. They look at me and ask: why were you silent? Why didn’t you stop him?” She turned to Stepan. “And because I see you. A father. You came to save your daughter. And me? I couldn’t save anyone. Maybe now…” Her voice broke. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I’m not asking for forgiveness. I know I don’t deserve it. But if my words can help put him away, maybe up there…” she looked up at the ceiling. “It will count for something.”
Saveliev put away his notebook.
“Are you willing to give an official statement?”
“Yes.”
“Do you understand that you’ll face jail time?”
“I understand. And I accept it. Prison is better than…” She didn’t finish. “Prison is better.”
Stepan approached her.
“Where does he keep his documents? The evidence? He must have something from the recordings, photographs, something that connects him to the victims.”
Zhanna thought for a moment.
“There’s a safe. In his apartment. I saw him open it once. There were folders. Lots of folders. He called it his ‘archive’.”
“Do you know the code?”
“No. But I know he changes it every month. And that the code is always related to the date of death of the last victim.”
Stepan and Saveliev exchanged a look.
“Svetlana died on March 14th?”
“Yes. A year and a half ago. The code then was 1403. But he could have changed it since.” Zhanna paused. “After meeting your daughter. He sometimes uses important dates. The day they met. The day they got engaged.”
“Or the wedding date,” Stepan finished. “Which was supposed to be in two days.”
“Yes. Possibly.”
Saveliev stood up.
“Zhanna Petrovna, I’m going to ask you not to go anywhere for now. And not to call anyone. Especially him.”
“I won’t call. I promise.”
“One more thing: are you willing to wear a wire? In case he contacts you himself.”
Zhanna nodded.
“Anything. Anything to help stop him.”
They left the apartment. On the stairs, Saveliev stopped.
“Stepa, you realize all of this is circumstantial evidence, right? Her testimony is her word against his. A lawyer will tear her apart. An ex-convict, mentally unstable, possibly jealous.”
“I understand. That’s why we need the safe.”
“Without a warrant, that’s illegal entry.”
“I know.”
“Even if we find something, the court won’t accept it.”
“Igor,” Stepan turned to his friend. “I don’t give a damn about the court. I need my daughter to stay alive. And for that, I need to know everything. Do you understand? Everything.”
Saveliev was silent for a long time.
“There is one way,” he said finally. “If he invites someone into the apartment himself. If we see something by chance.”
“How do we arrange that?”
“Your daughter. She’s the fiancée. She can go to his place. With some pretext.”
Stepan shook his head.
“No. I won’t let her go to him alone.”
“Then have her invite him somewhere. Get him out of the apartment for a few hours. And we…”
“We?” Saveliev looked at him. “I’m already in this crap up to my neck, Stepa. It’s too late to back out.”
“You’re risking your career.”
“I’m risking my conscience. If something happens to your daughter, and I could have prevented it—I’ll never forgive myself.”
Stepan shook his hand.
“Thank you.”
“You can thank me when he’s behind bars.”
They returned to Stepan’s house. Daria and Nadezhda were waiting for them in the kitchen.
“Well?” Daria jumped up. “What did she say?”
