# Vladimir Vasilievich, the Holmes method and a sailor in a train. The story

Владимир Владимирович Залесский

Vladimir Vasilievich, the Holmes method and a sailor in a train. The story.


Sergey Sergeevich continued to read the biography of Arthur Conan Doyle, written by Maxim Chertanov.


'In "Memories and Adventures", Doyle wrote: 'In each person lies the potential of different possibilities. Among these various variants of my inner 'I' there is also a clever, sharp-eyed detective, however, in order to find him in real life, I have to drop all other thoughts and concerns: a special mood embraces me only when there is nobody in the room. Then I achieve results, and several times I was able to solve the problems, which puzzled the police, using the Holmes method. ' [the reverse translation from Russian to English]


Sergey Sergeevich decided to write a story about Vladimir Vasilievich and the sailor. [Vladimir Vasilievich - are the first and the second names; Vasilievich - is not the surname]


The text of the story was such.


'Vladimir Vasilievich and a sailor in a train.


Vladimir Vasilievich belonged to that generation, which completed its higher - engineering - education after the Great Patriotic War.


By age he was not drafted into the army. But in the period of the first occupation of Rostov, he managed to take part with his mother in the defense of Rostov-on-Don (November 1941). This was their personal initiative, personal motivation, without any government intervention, except for the relationship and interaction with the group of rank-and-file (officer cadets) and sergeants who had lost touch with the centralized command. The group placed for defence near the house where Vladimir Vasilievich lived, - the soldiers tried to resist the advancing Hitlerite forces as well as they could. The help was informational, sanitary-medical, intendancy, and maybe of a psychological character (if the young woman and her teenage son did not run away, then the fighters may have felt more stronger, more fearlessly). The initiative participants took arms in hands - for a storage; they did not pull the trigger. Since some participation in the defense of Rostov was a matter of personal initiative of a young woman, the wife of the commander (officer) of the Red Army, and her teenage son, this fact seemed to be transparent, almost invisible. (Something like the Grand Duchy of Lithuania in the "History" by Karamzin).'


Sergey Sergeevich paused for a moment and thought. Include another episode in the story or not? Does this episode have a direct bearing on the plot of the story or doesn't it?


On a separate sheet, Sergey Sergeevich wrote:


'To the place of defense, where the soldiers were located (at that time it was the outskirts of the city), two fascist tanks moved. Located on one of the upper floors of the house, Vladimir Vasilievich and his mother helped the soldiers navigate the situation; perhaps they warned the fighters about the movement of the tanks when they were still far away.


Vladimir Vasilievich remembered this episode of defense more or less clearly.


The soldiers placed behind a some semblance of a barricade.


After the soldiers orientated themselves in the situation, and realized that the tanks were going directly towards them, the moment of making a decision was.


At last, one of the fighters said: 'I'll try!'


Taking grenades, he crawled towards the tanks. He succeeded in blowing up one of the tanks with a grenade. The tank caught fire. The second tank turned back.


The tank burned. After a some time, two tankers got out of it, jumped out.


From the side of the defenders the machine-gun fire was opened. Both tankers were shot, killed.


Vladimir Vasilievich distinctly remembered the thought that appeared at that moment: 'How difficult it is to raise a human! And how easy it is to kill a human!''.


In the main plot of the story this episode did not fit very good. Sergey Sergeevich laid the sheet of paper nearby on the table and continued the main narration.


'In the institute, along with Vladimir Vasilievich, the official participants of the Great Patriotic War were - as a students. They were officially drafted into the army, traveled a significant path in their units and were awarded.


Vladimir Vasilievich studied very well - he was among the best students. Perhaps he was the best student on the course.


Therefore, when after graduating from the institute it was necessary to choose a place of work, he had the right to be the first to choose. At that time, there was a system of state distribution of students (graduates). The state determined where it needed specialists and presented a list of jobs for graduates. A distribution work for several years was mandatory.


Among the jobs that could be selected were: Moscow (Council of Ministers), the capitals of the Baltic republics (some republican ministries), and some other interesting jobs and positions.


But conscience did not allow Vladimir Vasilievich to be ahead of the war veterans, awarded with medals or orders.


In the list of distribution jobs, there was a place to work in Central Asia, at one of the major mining enterprises.


At this time, the father of Vladimir Vasilievich (the father was the invalid of the Great Patriotic War) was increasingly ill. So the attention of the family was primarily focused on this disease, but not on the future work of Vladimir Vasilievich.


But friends came to aid for him.


So there were circumstances that these friends surrounded Vladimir Vasilievich from a young age and walked, surrounding him, along a life's path.


All of them enjoyed his respect, since they were older than him, took part in the war in the ranks of the army, had a life experience.


There were some elements in their biographies that wasn't receive a much attention.


One, for example, was captured, but got out off situation - despite all the repressions and an evil attitude towards those who were captured - without any special consequences for himself.


Another had the father - the accountant, convicted of embezzlement. The family did not want to accept this man after being released from places of detention.


Friends studied much worse than Vladimir Vasilievich, and they took an active part in his fate, encouraging him to the prospect of working in Central Asia (as a graduate in distribution).


One of the dominant themes voiced by friends was (anticipating events) admiration for his hunting exploits. He will certainly show himself in Central Asia as a great tiger hunter. His name will thunder, sound throughout the USSR, especially he will become widely known in his small homeland ...


Friends managed to choose the right balance between the jokiness of their statements and the regularity in voicing them. One way or another, if not a positive attitude, but a neutral mood to the work in Central Asia was formed. Why not work? There are such concepts - a patriotism, a love for the motherland. Able, knowledgeable people are needed everywhere.


Vladimir Vasilievich left his elderly parents and went to Central Asia.


On the train, he was faced with the theft. Someone stole things from somebody (not from him). During a period of general scarcity, universal post-war poverty, the theft created a great problems for the victim.


Vladimir Vasilievich took the lead in this matter. He showed the ability to intuitively investigate the crime. He figured out, found out the person who carried out the theft, managed to strictly talk with this man, got his confession about the fulfillment of the theft and achieved the returning of the stolen things.


It turned out that the thief is a sailor, returning after a long-term floating, who, by coincidence, was in a hopeless situation.


After a long conversation with the sailor, Vladimir Vasilievich rendered some help to him and provided the sailor with a sum of money (from his own funds), which enabled the sailor to return home without unnecessary events.


And Vladimir Vasilievich himself continued on his way to Central Asia.


The enterprise, the organization really was serious - it was huge.


After visiting two or three capitals of the Central Asian republics, Vladimir Vasilievich moved farther and farther.


As a result, he found himself in the desert mountains of Kazakhstan, among the steppe spaces, at a distance of hundreds, thousands of kilometers from any settlements.


These were mines (shafts, rudniks). All buildings were covered with (poisonous) dust.


The main contingent of the mines (rudniks) were prisoners - the persons convicted of serious violent crimes.


A group of such persons was to be led by a former student of the institute, a recent graduate, who, importantly, should not forget about maintaining of the complex cyclopian technical devices around the clock.


Some of the subordinates met the former student with interest. For example, he, the beginning manager, was offered a discussion on the topic: 'If students at institutes have a breaks, then why not to have a rest those who work in the mine?' Next, the novice leader faced the practical task of encouraging a group of people (about 10 people, some of whom were armed with primitive knives) to fulfill their labor duties .


A few years later, after many events (in particular, administration did not want to let him go from the mine), Vladimir Vasilievich returned home, more or less lively and healthy, to his elderly parents, having gained significant life experience.


His friends met him ... They also gradually acquired higher education. However, they did not aspire to the glory of the tiger hunters and to the fulfillment of the patriotic duty in Central Asia.


Vladimir Vasilievich didn't have a chance to hunt tigers ... '


Sergey Sergeevich read the story. Yes, there are different natural inclinations in different people.


'There was a long series of detective stories, quite suitable for Dr. Watson's pen. For example, the case of a man who took all his money from the bank, attended a theatrical performance, returned to the hotel, left his decent costumes there and disappeared without a trace. No one saw him leaving the hotel, and a tenant from the next room claimed that he had heard his footsteps outside the wall all night. The police made a helpless gesture. Relatives appealed to Conan Doyle. He solved a Holmes-style mystery - without leaving his office ... "


Sergey Sergeevich read with interest about Conan Doyle, about Great Britain, about the deductive method ...


April 4, 2020 19:24, April 8, 2020 22:01.


Translation from Russian into English: April 5, 2020 09:00, April 8, 2020 22:21.

Владимир Владимирович Залесский 'Владимир Васильевич, метод Холмса и моряк в поезде. Рассказ'.