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Previously on GOGOL
It's Mr. Guro's trunk.
It all fits.
Four feast days, four murders.
There were 13 girls in my vision.
4 are already dead.
9 more may die.
And the last victim will be
Lisa Danishevskaya.
Leave Nikolai, he's mine.
She is the drowned girl. She appears before me as a ghost.
"The mystery of birth".
"A dark one?"
The answer is in your past - your childhood.
O Lord, have mercy on your servant, Vasily Gogol.
Let just one child of mine survive on this earth.
It only depends on how far you are willing to go.
I would do anything.
For God's sake, have mercy!
No, no!
GOGOL
CHAPTER 4 DEAD SOULS
Devised by ALEXANDER TSEKALO
This night, throughout Dikanka and its surroundings,
all female individuals under the age of thirty
will fall under the enactment
of a special provision.
Meaning what?
After dark, keep all the girls in sight.
Better yet, don't let them out at all
until the morning, when the cock crows.
So I can't even visit my kid's godmother?
Listen to us! It's for your own good until we find the murderer.
Stop yaking!
Worse than a Russian drunk! You've messed up!
Mr. Gogol, you can't handle the crowd.
Hey, you! Quiet, everyone!
Do not let your girls out of sight! Understood?
That's all. Now go home.
ALEXANDER PETROV
EVGENY STYCHKIN
I haven't had breakfast yet, and we have another body.
Nice start.
There.
Well, the victim is a man.
Thus, he has nothing to do with the horseman.
Just an accident. The guy's been bitten to death by wolves.
Well, never in my lifetime have I seen such wolves
which can cut a man to ribbons.
We can make an encyclopedia of what you've never seen.
Then bears if not wolves.
We didn't shoot them all last year,
I hear they're still stealing jam from cellars.
It wasn't bears.
I've seen people ripped by bears.
It was werewolves.
Cross my heart, Mr. Binkh!
What werewolves?! Has he been identified?
No, sir. BASED ON THE WORKS OF NIKOLAI GOGOL
He has no face.
Oksana?
I've been waiting.
You slept like the dead for 2 hours.
Well, you're certainly awake now.
Look away, I'm getting dressed.
It's nothing I haven't seen!
What happened in the forest?
I saw a dead man...
And fainted.
I had a vision of the horseman.
I think the dead man can put us on his scent.
And I think you can learn to control your gift.
You see visions when you're scared to death, right?
So what?
First, hug me tight, and then I'll tell you a secret.
Extreme mental stress!
Of course! Shock!
That is, if I can cause shock to myself, then I'll be able to induce
the visions too.
-Right? -Sir?
Who are you talking to?
Thinking out loud.
What's it to you?
Do you want to have lunch?
-Enjoy. -Thanks.
Everybody's up in arms about some "werewolves."
Mr. Binkh called the local commander to prevent any rumors from spreading.
And the commander swore at him!
And he's right to do so. Never trust Germans.
Why Germans?
Because!
These infidels should go home.
I'd flog them all!
You'd better not trust them either, sir.
Yakim.
Was the dead man taken to a doctor for an autopsy?
He was, but what good will that do?
His friend's arrived.
He's just like him.
Damned Germans.
They won't get to the dead man.
They've been drinking since this morning.
My dear August, I'm so glad to see you!
Same here, mein lieber Leopold!
-Cheers! -Cheers!
I'm so glad you came.
There's nobody to talk to here.
Mr. Gogol!
Let me introduce my old friend.
August Hofmann, a traveler from Germany at your service.
And this is Mr. Gogol, an investigator from St. Petersburg.
Join us.
Mr. Bomgart, I really need your report on the body.
August and I haven't seen each other in ages.
Could it wait until tomorrow?
Unfortunately, no. The matter is urgent.
I think it's connected to the horseman.
May I attend?
You took me to the anatomy theater in St. Petersburg, remember?
It was so interesting, you know?
Well, let's get started.
What do we have here?
Avulsive wounds...
3-5 inches each.
What a beauty!
It's really something.
Gentlemen,
it has nothing to do with wolves as this person wasn't used for food.
So, it was a murder.
However, knowing the local folklore, I could think it was werewolves.
But I don't believe in this nonsense.
Doctor, is it possible to identify him somehow?
Yes, by the clothes.
Judging by these clothes, he's a peasant.
Look at this curious detail.
The nail on his left thumb is broken.
So, my theory was right.
Great! Great, mein Freund!
But where does that get us?
There are a lot of peasants here.
If only we could identify his occupation.
And I think you can learn to control your gift.
-A bootmaker... -What?
He was a bootmaker.
This Gogol has a rich imagination.
He could write books.
We need to find out if a bootmaker is missing in Dikanka and its surroundings.
May I inquire if your suggestion is based on your "visions"?
Yes, it does.
Well, that's what I thought.
Mr. Binkh, listen.
I had a vision of the horseman at the crime scene,
and now I had a vision during the autopsy
which made it clear to me that the man was a bootmaker.
We must identify him. Mr. Binkh...
I'm not going to act on the basis of your nonsense.
Mr. Gogol, listen to what you're saying!
As for the horseman, I hope he won't kill anyone else
because the girls will stay home, that's it.
Don't let me keep you.
Lisa!
Mr. Gogol!
I need to talk to you.
I hear there's a new rule in Dikanka.
Girls can't go out at night, right?
For how long?
Yes, until we catch the horseman.
Mr. Gogol.
I've been thinking
about what happened between us near the church.
Well...
I was thinking about it too...
I think it was a mistake.
You know, I was just about to say that.
Really?
Yes.
It's good that you understand me.
Mr. Gogol, we can't...
I deeply respect my husband, and I...
Right.
Yes, perhaps.
I have a suggestion.
Why don't we
just be good friends?
I'd love to.
Friends?
Friends.
Mr. Binkh, a girl wants to see you. She says her father's missing.
Let her in.
This way.
Come in. What's your name?
Varvara
Telyatnikova from Manilovka,
the peasants of landlord Manilov.
Well? Who's gone missing?
My dad.
Maxim Telyatnikov.
He's a bootmaker.
A bootmaker...
Find the doctor and inform Gogol.
Yes, sir!
Sorry, August, we couldn't speak normally.
No problem, Arbeit is sacred.
Show her the body.
Is this your father?
Oh, God!
Yes.
It's his jacket.
And he injured his finger last week.
Who the hell could've done that to him?
There, there.
Easy...
Come on, you need fresh air.
Mein Gott! Poor kid.
-And he is? -He's my friend.
August Hofmann, a traveler from Germany, at your service.
German travelers are just all we need here!
Calm down, please, and tell me when your father went missing.
He wasn't the only one who went missing.
Darya, my younger sister.
She served in our landlord Manilov's house.
Master said she'd run away.
When did your sister go missing?
On Honey Feast Day.
That was a month and a half ago.
That's strange. When a peasant runs away, the landlord files a missing person report.
But we've got no such reports from Mr. Manilov so far.
Dad also was suspicious when he heard that Master
wasn't looking for Darya and went to argue with him yesterday.
To never come back again.
I told him not to go to that scum!
Why are you cursing your master?
He loves girls too much.
And other strange things.
Like what?
One time, I saw him returning to his backyard wearing a mask.
What mask?
It was a beast.
Looked like a badger.
Goethe himself would envy such a story!
Bomgart, can your "traveler" go somewhere else?
Entschuldigung, Entschuldigung.
-Uh, Telyatnikov the bootmaker? -Yes.
Well, I can't put a face to the name.
And what about his daughter Darya? Do you remember her?
She served in your house.
No, I don't.
Listen, old sport, I have so many serfs, around 300 souls.
We apologize for taking your time, Mr. Manilov, but
it isn't the first and, I'm afraid, the last case.
We have to follow up.
-Of course. -Why don't we check the register book?
-The register book? -Yes.
-Just a moment, please! -Thanks.
Mr. Binkh, a serf girl showed me a secret closet, which I opened and found...
a mask and some obscene pictures.
And some peculiar stuff I've never seen before.
-Bring it here. -Yes, sir.
-Here you are. -Thank you.
Here it is.
Telyatnikov, Maxim and his daughter Darya Telyatnikova.
Well? Yes, right...
Why did you put a cross near her name?
That's how I mark the dead.
The dead souls.
If there's a cross, then may the deceased Darya rest in peace.
And we were told she'd run away.
Oh, how stupid I am! Indeed, very stupid.
Of course, she ran away a month ago, what a rascal!
Why haven't you filed a missing person report?
And why put a cross near her name?
Here it is.
Are you searching my house behind my back?
Don't you dare! This is private!
-I'll file a complaint! -No, you won't.
You don't want the whole governorate to know about your disgrace, do you?
"Dear Sir, the Dead Souls Society invites you to the next meeting."
What's this society about?
This is the Black Stone mansion.
Everything happens there.
It's like a private club for "special entertainment."
So, what is so "special" about your entertainment?
Well... We organize orgies there.
We can do everything we want with the girls.
All the members regularly contribute either money or serf girls.
They're locked up and let out just for the orgies.
And those who are donated to the society
are then marked as the dead souls, right?
Right you are.
Who are the members?
I have no idea, everybody wears masks.
But based on the conversations, it's obvious that they are very powerful.
The president knows all the names and sends out the invitations.
He wears the mask of a bull.
So, you contributed your serf Darya to the society, and everything
would've been fine if it hadn't been for her father, the bootmaker.
Yes, can you imagine? Telyatnikov showed up, threatened to go to the police.
When he left, I sent a message to the president at Black Stone.
I swear I had no idea it would come to this.
When is the next meeting of the Dead Souls?
Tonight after midnight.
-It's a perfect opportunity! -No, no, and no!
We'll arrest all of them at once!
And I suspect that one of the members is the horseman.
-Mr. Gogol is right. -Hold on!
What if Manilov told us tall tales while they're nothing more than fancy balls
attended by important people?
And we're just going to barge in with guns?
Imagine the scandal!
-Well, Mr. Binkh also has a point. -Hold on!
So, you're afraid of powerful people.
I thought your honor comes first.
Who are you to lecture me on honor, young man?
I'll have you know that Mr. Binkh suffered for his honor in St. Petersburg!
Enough! I didn't ask you to protect me.
So, there's no point in visiting Black Stone.
And I prohibit you to go, Mr. Investigator, understood?
Dismissed!
Even Schiller himself couldn't write better.
Would you take this idiot away?!
Well, I'd better go.
August, he didn't mean to offend you...
Good riddance.
Are you going to that mansion?
The horseman might be there.
Don't go there! You saw it yourself that you'd die!
I know. It doesn't matter.
I beg you to stop!
-You? -Gogol's in danger, he won't listen to me.
Talk him out of it. He'll listen to you.
What the hell?
Why did we stop?
No! Please! Stop!
Don't do it! Stop!
Please!
Mr. Gogol! This is the head of police, Mr. Shpekin.
I leeched him last year.
Now I know why Binkh didn't come along.
What are you doing?
How can I attend a noble meeting in such a shabby look?
And this is just my size.
Well...
Alevtina, is Mr. Gogol home?
No, he left about an hour ago.
Mr. Gogol, is this really a good idea?
You Germans are such cowards.
God save you from a war against us.
Our guys will easily clean your clock.
Don't make hasty statements. Our ancestors were great warriors.
We'll beat such "warriors" with a bare ass in winter.
Yakim!
I hope that our great nations will never be at war with each other.
Mr. Gogol, we're approaching the mansion.
Gentlemen, let's put on the masks.
So, Yakim, are you a goat or a pig?
Yakim, why the pig?
You Germans will never understand it.
In Russia, it's better to be a pig than a goat.
I forbade that psycho to poke there!
Don't call him that! He needs your help!
No, lady, may he stew in his own juice.
You're not acting like an officer, but a sneaky clerk, a jug snout!
I heard your story.
They were unfair and mean to you in St. Petersburg.
Is that why you're playing safe? Will you always be twice shy?
Go home, lady. I won't take any more of your time.
-Mr. Binkh, I beg you! Please! -Lisa, please, stand up!
Help him! He'll die there!
If someone takes you, try to find your sister, we'll help you.
Is it your contribution?
Allow me.
We shouldn't.
It's good you've brought me along.
It actually looks nice.
That's not why we're here. Keep your ears open.
-Sorry. -Gentlemen!
The ancient truths say that life is short and
we must hasten to satisfy all our appetites.
We're the chosen ones and we have the privilege to do that.
Let's give rein to our wild instincts and lusty passions!
Enjoy yourselves, gentlemen! Enjoy!
So, you'd like to make a purchase?
Yes, I'd like to buy 7 girls. 7 dead souls, today.
And you? Are you bored?
Let's get back to this when all the guests have left.
I'll be waiting.
Sorry.
I found those "werewolves."
It's a rare dog breed, the Central Asian Shepherd.
They're huge!
They're kept in the cellar along with the girls.
One of the guests wants to buy 7 girls from the president.
Could he be the horseman?
Yes, given that we've announced what's happening,
and the horseman can hardly get to the girls in the village,
nobody will search for these "dead souls."
Dasha!
Varya!
I've come for you! We need to leave the room unnoticed.
-They'll help us escape! -But why escape?
Why? You're locked up here!
No, of course not.
I like it here. They keep me fed and clothed.
The only thing is you can be caged up for misbehaving, but I'm a good girl.
I please the gentlemen, and they give me presents for it.
You don't have to work, unlike in the village.
Father wanted you back so much.
They killed him because of you.
Killed him?
-Come with me. -No way!
-Come! -No! Dasha!
Dasha!
What's this?
Would you mind giving that back?
Please, let me go!
For goodness sake! I beg you!
Come on, give it up, girl.
Leave my sister alone!
So, the list.
-This one? -Yes.
You? But...
What about your accent?
I speak Russian better than many people
because I sincerely love Russia.
This is a country of infinite opportunities,
of course, for those who can seize them.
But you must understand that you'll have to answer for your crimes.
Don't be ridiculous. I'll disappear tonight.
The list you're holding has the names of all the club members.
Some of them are very important people who prefer to avoid any publicity.
They'll be on the hook till the end of their lives.
Give me the list.
Now!
Well.
As Goethe put it,
"die and become different."
Mr. Gogol, it's August!
We must hurry!
We must find Varvara and her sister.
Stop them!
Grab the raven and the bear! They're spies!
Hands off from my master!
Don't worry, gentlemen, these frauds won't spoil our party.
Take them to the yard!
On with the party.
So, meine Freunde, the party's over for you.
It's time to meet my doggies.
You know, after a taste of that bootmaker,
they've become rather accustomed to eating human flesh.
You first, Mr. Investigator, run!
That's it, gentlemen, the circus is over.
Release my men.
You're a real dead shot.
I served in the Caucasus, you can't shoot any other way there.
Oh, Mr. Traveler, what good wind brings you here?
It's my mansion and I demand that you leave it immediately!
You're scaring my guests.
So, it's you who organized this hellhole?
Why didn't you stay in Europe? I won't let you do it here.
Aren't you scared, Mr. Binkh?
You have no idea what important people are among the members.
All they have to do is blink, and you'll serve as a patrolman
at some market square till the end of your life.
Think twice, Mr. Binkh.
So, thought it over?
Yes, I did.
Binkh!
Give way!
Gentlemen!
Everybody, please, stay where you are until we sort it out.
Damn, they're running away.
First, we must find Hofmann! I know where his study is.
Quick! Run!
I need 7 girls. 7 girls will come with me.
Anybody here?
We're here! Help!
Where are you going, sir?
August!
You won't shoot at your old friend.
I have no more old friends, just new ones.
I arrived about a year ago and organized this society.
Donations brought me considerable income.
Finally, I relaxed and made two fatal mistakes.
Which ones?
First, the bootmaker.
We...
We didn't bother to get rid of the body.
I hoped you'd blame it on wild animals, but you dug deeper.
I had to visit Bomgart, the old sot, to keep up with the investigation.
He's a disgrace to the German nation.
And the second mistake?
As for the second, I was sure nobody would dare break
Mr. Binkh's prohibition and poke their nose into my mansion.
But I was wrong about you.
Decipher the list. Reveal the names!
My good sir, I can be careless sometimes,
but I'm not an idiot.
If I reveal their names, I won't live for a day.
Who's the man that wanted to buy 7 girls from you?
I won't reveal his name.
But I can give you a hint. He's a local.
Follow me, Your Highness.
Mr. Binkh, His Highness wants...
Your Excellency!
You've messed up! All the governorate will get wind of this scandal!
Your Excellency, it was my duty to stop the lawlessness.
Stop lawlessness?! I'll send you to Sakhalin for an unsanctioned action!
-Your Excellency... -And who's this?
Mr. Gogol, an investigator from St. Petersburg.
-From St. Petersburg? -Yes.
I see.
May I inquire how you got the abrasion on your forehead?
I fell off that damned horse.
And where? Was it in the forest?
Stop yacking! Where's the president of the society?
He's in front of you. And we have the cyphered list of the members.
Give it to me!
Well, our... uh... cryptographers will decipher it later.
And this scum will come with me!
-On what account? -That's above your pay grade,
young man.
Let's go! Now!
Sir!
Goodnight.
Very good night.
Pencil pusher.
I ended up here due to such scum.
What happened in St. Petersburg?
I was young.
And in love.
I was engaged to a charming girl from a wonderful family.
I had a good military career ahead of me.
One day,
a false denunciation was filed against my friend,
accusing him of wasteful spending.
The investigation found out nothing.
But one obstinate truth-seeker
couldn’t just stop at this and was spreading insulting rumors.
My friend challenged him to a duel.
I was chosen as his substitute.
A few days before the duel, my friend injured his hand.
He asked me to stand in for him, and I agreed, of course.
As you saw today, I've always been a good shot.
I shot my opponent before he could blink.
But
it was generous of you to stand up for your friend as a man of honor.
-I acted like a fool. -Why?
My friend was guilty of wasteful spending, and he was caught red-handed.
He got off.
He turned out only to have pretended to be injured
because he realized I was a better shot.
Thus, he used me to kill an innocent man.
For the duel,
I was dismissed and sent to fight in the war in the Caucasus
and then here.
What about your fiancée?
The engagement was broken off.
Well, I can't blame her.
It's one thing to marry a brilliant officer and
it's quite another to follow me to the middle of nowhere
as the wife of the village commissioner.
Since then, I've preferred not to trust people.
My maxim is to mind my own business and keep a low profile.
Today you broke it.
I decided that if you died, I'd have even more troubles.
I only thought about myself, choosing the lesser of two evils.
Actually, you should thank Mrs. Danishevskaya.
She was the one who raised the alert to save you.
Lisa?
Mrs. Danishevskaya.
Sorry, it is no concern of mine, but you'd better leave the lady in peace.
Have mercy upon her and her husband.
We'll solve the case sooner or later anyway.
You'll go to St. Petersburg, and what do you think she'll do?
Lisa?
Why are you here?
Alexey left and said he'd be back in the morning.
I couldn't stay home without news about you.
Binkh told me everything.
But
how did you know that I was going to Black Stone?
That ghost.
If it hadn't been for her... I dread to think...
Oksana?
But I prohibited her to come to you.
No, she was right to break your prohibition.
Most importantly, you're alive.
Well, I must go now.
Mr. Gogol.
I know it's wrong, but I'm still saying it.
I love you.
I love you too.
That's it, get out.
We're already here?
You'll ride on alone. It'll be easier to clean up the mess.
That's it. Go on, go on.
He's waiting.
And where's our ride?
GOGOL - Extracted by - -- ||خــالــد © فــراح|| --