Mrs. Yekaterina
Moscow, Russia

As expected, the hospital reeked of solid chemicals, but there was nothing Mrs. Yekaterina wouldn't endure for her darling daughter, Irina. Irina was still unconscious, although her injuries and wounds had healed up. The doctor said that her optical nerve had been slightly tampered with. Hence, there was a possibility that Irina would become blind once she gained consciousness.

Mrs. Yekaterina was devastated to learn the news. She couldn't imagine how she would face her daughter when she woke up. Although Mr. Kojo was deceased and his skeletal remains were now preserved as a specimen for laboratory practice, Mrs. Yekaterina was still seething with rage. She wished she'd killed the demon with her two hands. How dare he touch her daughter!

Mrs. Yekaterina was still staring pitifully at her sleeping daughter on the bed when her phone chimed. Slightly started, she combed for the phone in her pocket. It was her husband who was calling. With a sad smile on her face, she answered the call.

"Khoney, Vhet's ze matter? I'm steell at ze khospital—"

"Have you seen ze news?!" her husband, who wasn't feeling quite romantic, cut her off abruptly.

"Vhet ahbout ze news?" she asked as her heart picked up a fast pace. She grabbed the remote control from the table and turned on the television.

The once blank screen came alive and was tuned to the news channel. Mrs. Yekaterina instantly read the headline of the news that was written in Russian:

A janitor from First Moscow State Medical University is said to have been wrongfully murdered by a duo.

Then, someone's voice came on as Mrs. Yekaterina increased the volume of the television. The face of the person who spoke was blurred for the sake of newscasting ethics and for the speaker's wishes to remain anonymous. But it was evident that the testifier was female, and Mrs. Yekaterina was beyond shocked to learn that the person had witnessed the murder of Mr. Kojo.

"Kojo vas my best fryend's boyfriend," she said. "end I've known heem for e long time. He khes been dating Zinaida for many years end he's ahlways trited her right. On ze day of ze murder, Me end Zinaida stopped by ze school to peeck Kojo up. Hees gerlfryend plenned e surprise for heem. So I decided to get down from ze cer instead to look for Kojo in ze school while Zinaida waited in ze car. End zat vas vhen I saw two people – a girl with a tick scar on her lips and a tall derk guy inside an office, putting Kojo's corpse in e trunk. I was so shocked. I ran away. I couldn't believe Kojo was ded, and he'd died for no rison!"

"Cen you see vhat you've caused?!" Mrs. Yekaterina's husband yelled after giving his wife time to listen to the news.

"Er you telling me zat you don't believe zat eet's Mr. Kojo zat reped our daughter? He's ze one! Irina told me before she became unconscious! I saw eet myself!"

"I believe he's ze repist, but I warned you not to tek ze law into your hands. I told you to report ze case to ze police, but you didn't listen to me! Now, vhat's going to khappen to zat boy and girl that you assigned to kill Mr. Kojo?"

Mrs. Yekaterina said nothing for a moment, genuinely pondering on what to do. She had to protect Sean and Ebun at all costs. As she ruminated, she glanced back at the television screen again. Her eyes caught something — the name of the police station: Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, Department of the City of Moscow Nekrasovka District.

Wow! What a small world we live in!

With a slight smile spreading up her face, she suddenly felt in control of the situation. The Russian police were useless and were always subservient to the whims and caprices of the wealthier people in the society. It was vain to expect justice from the police. Nevertheless, there was someone she knew who worked at that particular police station, and he was going to be seeing an August visitor today!

"Khoney, I'll tek to you leter!" Mrs. Yekaterina said, suddenly feeling enthusiastic. 

"Vhat are you going to—"

The rest of her sweetheart's words got lost and unheard because she'd hung up on him. Packing all necessary items into her handbag, Mrs. Yekaterina picked her car keys, kissed a sleeping Irina on the forehead, and covered her up with the blanket.

Before she left for the police station, she decided to call Sean on the phone. She was on her way to protect Sean and Ebun, but they had to help themselves as well. There was only so much she could do. If the police found them in a compromising or suspicious situation, they might get arrested regardless of her efforts to save them.

"E young women reported you guys to ze poleece. She said she witnessed ze murder of Mr. Kojo end vas disheartened to see her fryend's boyfryend being keelled in cold blood... Ze poleece are efter you guys right now! Zey are ahlready on tyeir vay to Omsk to ahrrest you guys!" Mrs. Yekaterina said, trying her best to sound as panicky as possible.

***

The Police Station at Moscow Nevrasovka District looked surprisingly smaller to Mrs. Yekaterina. Or maybe she was the one who'd grown. Years ago, this police station in all of its gigantic magnificence always seemed like a den where justice was attained at all costs. But she became wiser and realized that the police station was only an erect building but was nowhere close to a place where justice was served.

From then on, the station shrank into nothing but a filthy pit of corruption. Mrs. Yekaterina could see two black vans outside with five gallant policemen standing ramrod straight by the vans, holding their knapsacks, ready to leave for Omsk to arrest Ebun and Sean. Mrs. Yekaterina was glad that she came on time. If she'd been a few minutes late, Ebun and Sean would have been doomed.

Her eyes searched through the faces of the policemen. None of them had the look of the officer she was looking for. The policemen themselves seemed to be waiting for the same person that she'd come to see before they could leave for Omsk. And that person was the commissioner of police.

After a few minutes, a sturdy white man stepped out through the door. Mrs. Yekaterina stiffened, surprisingly feeling nervous.  The man she was waiting for was finally here.

"Ahlright, officers! Eet's time for us to move!" The officer commanded.

"Hello there, Officer Ivanov!" Mrs. Yekaterina stepped out of her car and walked towards him, deigning it the right time to make her presence known to her long-time friend. Over her dead body, would the police officers go to Omsk before she got to execute her plan.

This old ally of hers seemed to be extremely shocked to see Mrs. Yekaterina because he'd choked on his saliva and let out a harsh, raspy cough. In the process, his face cap fell off, revealing shiny baldness with patches of blond hair by the sides.

"Vhat breengs you khere on e dey like this, Mrs. Yekaterina?"

"E Dey like this?" Mrs. Yekaterina blinked with mock innocence. "Is tyere supposed to be an ahppropriete dey for me to show up at ze 'den of justice?" She ensured that a good measure of sarcasm was evident in her question.

"Vell... I suppose not," the officer cleared his throat.

"Perfect!" She smiled. "Let's talk. In Privete."

"Sey vhatever it is you want to say right khere. I khave somevhere important to go as you cen see."

"Don't ahrrest them," Mrs. Yekaterina cut to the chase. "Eet's ahbout ze place you are going to."

Officer Ivanov looked around briefly to see if any of his subordinates had heard what she'd just said. Then suddenly, he grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her into the police station, not letting go of her arm until he took her into his office and slammed the door shut.

"You don't just valk into ze poleece stetion end try to obstruct justice!" the officer growled.

"Justice? Zat besterd vas ze one vho reped my daughter! My daughter is ze victim in zeez situation! End I hed to ensure zat justice vas served by ahssigning those two to murder Mr. Kojo!"

"How can you sey zeez vith confidence? Vhy didn't you report zeez case to ze poleece?" his piercing gaze drilled holes of rage into Mrs. Yekaterina's soul.

"Vhat vould ze poleece kheve done? Tell me, Officer Ivanov! Ze poleece is useless! Have you forgotten ze year vhen Moscow Medical Uneeverseety vas supposed to be closed down because of ze bizarre amount of repe cases? Ve reporter ich end every case to ze poleece end tried to get justice for those poor victims.

Have you forgotten ze case of Mr. Titov? Ze lecturer vho loved to repe 17-year-old geerls in our uneeverseety? Vhen ve reported ze metter to zeez poleece stetion, none of you did anything! Now, zat darned psychopath, Mr. Titov is somevhere on earth living hees best life, but no justice or compensation vhatsoever has been given to ze geerls he assaulted.

You vere steell a junior police officer then. But I told you to beg your boss on our school's behalf to ahdiminster justice end do ze right thing, but you gave me a very disappointing ahnswer. You told me zat Mr. Titov is a rich man and ze rich rule ze vorld. Do you also remember what you said in ze case of Mr. Novikov, In ze metter of Jane Sidorov, Mr. Solovyov, and even Mrs. Pavlova? Do you—"

"Okay, Zat's enough, Mrs. Yekaterina," Officer Ivanov said with grave discomfort as he unbuttoned the first two buttons of his khaki shirt. "Do you have concrete evidence to prove zat Mr. Kojo eez ze repist of your daughter? Miss. Itoro ze testifier has dropped a hefty price of money vith us to ensure zat ve ahrrest ze two people vho kelled Mr. Kojo."

"No, I don't have concrete evidence, but I can drop a bigger ahmount of money to protect zeez two people."

"Eet's not rilly about ze money, Mrs. Yekaterina. Leck of concrete evidence is ahlready enough to put you at a loss."

"End vhat evidence does Miss. Itoro have? Is eet ze baseless stetment zat 'Mr. Kojo eez a sweet guy?' How does zat erase ze fect zat he's a sex offender?"

"Tyere is something called cherecter evidence, Mrs. Yekaterina."

"No. You just don't vant to help me. End I vonder vhy. I don't know vhy you've become such a money-loving mongrel," Mrs. Yekaterina said bitterly.

"Eet's a little vonder vhy you never tried to get justice for your little sister vhen she vas reped zat year in school. You vere ahlready training at ze poleece ahcedemy zat year end tyere vas something you could have done to avenge your sister's repe, but you cowered ahway end let your sister suffer. As for me, I couldn't let ze repist of my daughter go scot-free vhether tyere vas concrete evidence or not."

Mrs. Yekaterina's real plan had been to blackmail Officer Ivanov emotionally. She didn't need to threaten him or make empty promises to expose his corrupt behavioral patterns. All she had to do was open up a fresh wound that hadn't healed — to get into his mind and remind him of his past.

Officer Ivanov used to be her friend in college, so she knew a great deal about his past, weakness, and regrets. She knew where exactly to poke. Mrs. Yekaterina was aware that Ivanov always regretted not avenging his sister's rape. Still, she also knew that he was a coward, and his cowardice had constantly prevented him from taking action to remedy his inactions.

At first, Mrs. Yekaterina was disappointed in him. Still, she thought he would become a better and braver person once he became a police officer. She thought he would have learned from his mistake and fought with all his might to dispense adequate justice for sex crimes, but he hadn't changed. And now, Mrs. Yekaterina was thankful for that. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been able to blackmail or, instead, police-mail him.

Officer Ivanov removed two more buttons from his shirt. He was sweating profusely now and scratching the back of his neck in angst. Guilt had gripped him like a vice.

"O-okay vhat do you vant?"

"Now ve're telking!" Mrs. Yekaterina smirked then she narrowed her eyes. "I vant you to go to Omsk as ze vitness vants. But you must not arrest Ebun end Sean — Even if you see them holding vipons or you see a corpse next to them. Just pretend zat you're going to arrest them end make ze vitness believe zat ze poleece force is on her side. But you must turn a blind eye when you see Ebun end Sean.

Zat ze list thing you can do for me and ze reputation of First Moscow State Medical Uneeverseety. Ze police force has been min to us for so long. Our school ahlmost became extinct tenks to zeez repe cases zat got no justice vhatsoever."

"Vhere cen ve find Ebun and Sean in Omsk?"

"They are at a bawdy house zat's ahcross a river," Mrs. Yekaterina divulged, feeling uneasy that she'd just shared their location with this darn police officer. He could do something surprising and not according to the plan. "Don't do anything funny." She warned.

Officer Ivanov nodded.

"Oh, and also, you must protect Sean and Ebun. If ze vitness enquires for updates on ze case, tell her zat Sean and Ebun veren't ze people vho keelled Mr. Kojo. Tell her that she saw ze wrong people. Fabricate any evidence. Tamper vith ze proofs. Just do ahnything to ensure zat tyeir names never come up on ze news again!"

After a successful earful session starring a certain villainous police officer and a satisfied lecturer, Mrs. Yekaterina walked out of the office and back to the space where she'd parked her car. Before she turned on the ignition, her eyes caught an object hinged between the left seat of her car.

She picked it up, studied it, and then smiled.

It was the leftover of Mr. Kojo's skeleton that she'd forgotten to put in the laboratory.

I shall not let anyone mess vith me or the Uneeverseety anymore!

***

I hope you somehow were able to figure out the words that were said in this chapter even as they were mostly written in the Russian accent. Sorry not sorry for the overload of Russian accent in this chapter. That's just what happens when two Russians meet each other in a fictional chapter like this. Still, I hope you enjoyed this update.

Yours Truly,

The Dream Elixir.