This short story is the first in a series compiled from the notes of our compatriot, who is now living in foreign countries. His materials combine stories about criminal investigations with reflections on Russian history, which are not indisputable and far from the mainstream of modern patriotism. However, for readers who are not committed to the idea of unanimity, they may be interesting for many facts and non-trivial logical constructions. Fans of purely detective stories are unlikely to like the texts. In the process of preparing them for publication, some additions were made, which were fully approved by the original author, Dmitry Shadrin.