Red Moscow

Led by the secretary, Sokov and Victoria came to the information room on the first floor.

After opening the door, the secretary walked directly to a desk and said to the middle-aged man wearing glasses sitting at the table: "Weijia, the two of them want to inquire about the history of our newspaper in the 1950s and 1960s. ’s employee information, this matter was personally approved by the editor-in-chief.”

When I heard what the secretary said, I realized that the two strangers in front of me were here to check the information of old employees. The middle-aged man named Weijia didn't want to talk to him at first, but when he heard that the editor-in-chief personally explained it, he could only smile bitterly. He nodded and said helplessly: "Okay, I will help them find information."

After the secretary left, Vijia looked at Sokov and Victoria and asked Victoria calmly: "Police officer, our newspaper has been established for nearly a hundred years and has employed more than 100,000 or 200,000 employees. What can you do?" Tell me as accurately as possible, who is the person you are looking for?”

Victoria did not answer the other party's question, but said to Sokov: "Misha, it's up to you to speak."

“The name of the person I’m looking for is Kopalova,” Sokov quickly told Vega: “She worked in a newspaper office in the 1940s and was a photojournalist. She once went to Stalingrad during the Great Patriotic War. The war Later, as a member of the special correspondent team, she went to Vienna, Austria, to serve as a correspondent..."

After listening to Sokov's story, Vega was silent for a moment and said thoughtfully: "Sir, I have some impression of the person you are talking about. She returned to China in the early 1950s due to health reasons. Moscow, continued to work as a photojournalist; retired in the late 1970s and has been living in Moscow.”

When he learned that Kopalova had been living in Moscow after returning from Vienna, Sokov couldn't help feeling ecstatic, and then he tried his best to say in a calm tone: "Then do you know her home address?"

Victoria obviously guessed what Sokov was thinking, and after reaching out to give him a hand, she said to Vedya: "Vedya, I want to know if this Kopalova is still alive?"

"It's hard to say." Weijia said with some embarrassment: "I remember she was born in the 1920s. Even if she were alive, she would probably be almost a hundred years old."

"Can you tell us her address?" Victoria continued: "I want to visit her and learn something from her."

"Please wait a moment while I search for information in the database."

When Sokov saw the computer on the table, he knew very well that the information of some old employees had not been entered into the computer. If he wanted to query, he could only rely on the old files left back then.

Weijia went to the reference room and came back about seven or eight minutes later, holding an earth-yellow kraft paper portfolio in her hand.

After placing the file bag on the table, Weijia picked up a knife and cut the rope tied to it, and took out the information from inside.

After browsing for a while, he raised his head and said to Victoria: "Officer, according to the information we have here, Kopalova's address is No. 115 Korolev Street. But after so many years, I don't know if she still lives there. There."

"As long as we know where she originally lived," Victoria said, "Even if she moves, I can still find out her new residence."

After the two came out of the newspaper office, although it was already past seven o'clock in the evening, it was still bright.

"Misha," Victoria looked up at the sky and asked Sokov tentatively: "Do you want to go there now or another day?"

"If you have nothing to do, can you accompany me now?" Sokov said sincerely: "Now I finally know the whereabouts of this old man. If I can't see her as soon as possible, I'm afraid I won't be able to see her as soon as possible." ”

"Then let's go there now." Victoria made a gesture of driving: "You know how to get to Korolev Street, right?"

"I have a navigation here that can guide me there."

After driving on the street for more than half an hour, Sokov finally came to Korolev Street. No. 115 here is a three-story old-fashioned building. Judging from the appearance and structure, there are no less than 300 households inside.

"Misha, where should we start looking?"

Sokov pointed to the nearest unit door and said, "Let's start with this unit first."

Although there is a closed door at the door of each unit, you need an opening code or a special access card to enter. But Victoria had a universal universal access card on her body. She walked to the door, swiped it lightly, and the door opened in response.

The two of them entered the door. There was a small duty room on the first floor near the door, with a fat aunt sitting in it.

When she saw Victoria walking in, she hurriedly ran out of the duty room and asked respectfully: "Officer, are you here to handle a case?"

Victoria shook her head: "No, there is no case."

"What's that for?"

"Find someone."

Hearing Victoria say she was looking for someone, the fat aunt suddenly became interested: "Officer, whoever you are looking for, just tell me, I basically know all the residents living in this building."

"Let's find an old lady named Kopalova." Victoria looked at the fat aunt and asked: "She may be in her nineties this year. According to the information, she lives here. Do you know her?"

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, the fat aunt shook her head and said, "I have never heard of anyone named Kopalova. Are you mistaken?"

"It shouldn't be wrong." Victoria thought that the information she knew was all from more than 70 years ago, and it was entirely possible that she had found the wrong place, so she said in an uncertain tone: "According to the information we have, she lives in this building. If you don't know her, maybe she has moved away long ago."

"Officer, don't worry, I'll call and ask." The fat aunt took out her mobile phone, dialed a number, and said to the phone: "I want to ask you something, did an old lady named Kopalova live in this building before? If she is still alive, she should be over 90 years old now?"

The person who answered the phone was silent for a long time, and slowly said: "Yes, this There was indeed an old lady named Kopalova who lived here before, but she moved away in 199. "

"Do you know where she is now?" The fat aunt glanced at Victoria in front of her and continued, "The police are looking for her."

The other party said an address, and the fat aunt wrote it down with a pen, saying repeatedly, "Okay, I remember it. Thank you, thank you!"

After the call, the fat aunt handed the address written on the paper to Kopalova: "Officer, this is Kopalova's later address. You can go there and try your luck to see if you can find her in person."

Victoria took the note, looked at the address on it clearly, and widened her eyes in surprise.

Seeing this, Sokov asked with concern: "Vika, what's wrong?"

"Look at this address." Victoria handed the note to Sokov: "It's near our house, just a few houses away."

Knowing that Kopalova's current address was just a few houses away from his own residence, his heartbeat accelerated. He said nervously: "Vika, let's go there now and try our luck to see if we can find her in person."

So, Sokov drove to the address on the note at the fastest speed.

This time, after the two entered the unit, they saw that there was no duty room on the first floor. Sokov couldn't help but ask anxiously: "Vika, there is no duty room in this building. Who should we ask for information?"

"Don't worry." Victoria comforted Sokov: "I can knock on two doors at random and ask them about the situation. Don't worry, they will cooperate with me when they see the uniform I'm wearing."

Sovkov did not object to Victoria's statement, but urged her to act quickly: "Vika, let's act quickly."

After knocking on the door of the house on the first floor, an old man with a hunched back opened the door.

After looking at the two people in front of him, he looked at Victoria and asked, "Officer, what can I do for you?"

"Hello, old man." Victoria asked politely, "I want to ask, is there an old lady named Kopalova in this building?"

"Kopalova?!" The old man raised his eyebrows when he heard the name, and asked tentatively, "What do you want to do with her?"

"We are going to make a documentary about the Great Patriotic War." Victoria did not tell the old man the truth, but made up a very reasonable reason: "As a photographer for Izvestia, Kopalova has participated in many important battles. We hope to get more information from her."

"Oh, that's how it is." After listening to Victoria's explanation, the old man put down his vigilance and even took the initiative to say, "I know the Kopalova you are talking about. His son Semyon and I are good friends."

Sokov looked at the old man carefully and felt that he should be in his sixties or seventies. It was reasonable to be friends with Kopalova's son.

"Oh, you and her son Semyon are good friends?" Victoria asked with some surprise: "Can you tell us where her son is now?"

"Of course." The old man sighed and said: "He is lying in a cemetery about ten kilometers away from here. If you want to mourn him, you can go and see him."

"How did he die?" Sokov thought of Kopalova's son Semyon, who might be his own child, and asked anxiously: "Is it sick or for other reasons?"

"Two years ago, he took his son's car to attend a friend's wedding in the suburbs. On the way back, he collided with a large truck and lost his life on the spot." The old man said with a solemn expression: "His son and he died in the car accident."

The muscles on Sokov's face twitched violently. If Semyon was his son, then Semyon's son was his grandson. Who knew that they both died in a car accident, which made him feel heartbroken.

"That's a pity." Victoria shook her head and continued to ask, "Who else is in Kopalova's home?"

"There are Semyon's grandson and granddaughter." The old man said, "But the grandson doesn't live here, only his granddaughter stays here to take care of her great-grandmother."

Sokof couldn't help but look at Victoria, thinking it was such a coincidence that Lida, who Victoria took care of, was her great-grandmother, and the person who is taking care of Kopalova now is also her great-granddaughter.

"Can you tell us her house number?" Victoria asked.

"On the second floor, after going upstairs, the first house on the right side of the stairs is Kopalova's home."

The two came to the second floor and followed the old man's instructions to the first house on the right side of the stairs. Sokov went up and rang the doorbell with some urgency.

After the doorbell rang a few times, Sokov heard footsteps coming towards the door. The next moment, a young woman's voice came from inside: "Who are you? What are you doing here?"

It was Victoria's turn to take action. She took two steps forward, raised her ID, and said to the smoke: "I am Officer Victoria. I have something to ask Kopalova."

The person inside the door may have seen Victoria's police ID and opened the door very readily.

Sokov saw clearly that it was a young girl with golden hair, and his heart beat faster. He asked himself secretly: "Could this be my great-granddaughter?"

When Sokov saw Victoria come in, he wanted to follow her in. The young girl stopped Sokov and turned to Victoria: "Officer, is this person with you?"

"Yes," Victoria nodded, and then said: "He has something important to ask Kopalova."

After entering the house, Sokov saw clearly that a white-haired old lady was sitting on the sofa, with a small blanket covering her legs, watching TV.

Seeing several people entering the living room, she said indifferently: "Regina, who are they, are they your friends?"

"No, great-grandmother." The girl called Regina hurriedly walked a few steps to Kopalova and said to her: "They are here to see you."

"Looking for me?" The old lady looked up at Victoria and Sokov, and said with a puzzled look: "I don't know you, what do you want to see me for?"

"Hello, Kopalova!" Victoria nodded to the old lady and continued: "My name is Victoria, my great-grandmother is Lida, I have dealt with you during the Great Patriotic War, I wonder if you still remember?"

Hearing Victoria say this, the old lady fell into deep thought, as if she was looking for memories of Lida from the depths of her memory. After an unknown amount of time, she slowly said, "There are many people named Lida among the people I know. I wonder which Lida your great-grandmother is and what she used to do?"

"She was an anti-aircraft artillery commander." Victoria said this, looking at Sokov again, and continued, "She said that the first time she met you was in the city during the Battle of Stalingrad. She was a subordinate of Sokov, the commander of the 41st Guards Division."

Hearing Victoria mention Sokov's name, the old lady's originally turbid eyes suddenly became clear: "So it was that Lida, I have an impression. I met her once when I returned to Moscow from Europe in the 1950s. How is she now?"

"She is almost a hundred years old now, and has Alzheimer's disease. She is sometimes lucid and sometimes confused." Victoria sighed and said, "I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left."

"Is it related to her that you came here to find me today?" asked the old lady.