"Wait," the principal suddenly grabbed Anna's arm. "Yesterday… yesterday Igor brought a box of chocolates to the teachers' lounge. Said it was his birthday. And this morning he didn't come to work. For the first time in three years."

"Where does he live?"

"In the teachers' dormitory. But he's not there either. And his phone isn't answering."

"Anna Vitalyevna!" a young officer ran up to them. "Look what we found in his locker in the changing room."

He handed Anna a plastic bag. Inside were three red porcelain elephants—exactly like the green ones on the shelf.

"And that's not all," the officer placed a school register on the table. "Look at these markings."

Anna opened the register. Next to some names were colored dots: blue, green, red.

"Red dots—next to the names of three girls from Sophia's parallel class," explained the officer.

"Check on these girls. Immediately," Anna ordered, feeling everything inside her tighten with anxiety.

"Also, we found documents in his home," the officer continued. "In the name of… Igor Vasilyev."

"Vasilyev?" Anna frowned. "The same one? From Tver?"

"Yes. Among the documents—letters of recommendation from the music school in Tver, dated twenty years earlier."

Anna picked up one of the green elephants from the shelf, carefully examining the porcelain figurine. What did these colors mean? Why had Sokolov so meticulously marked children in his lists?

"Dorokhov," she carefully put the elephant back in place. "I need all information about Sokolov's connections. Phone calls, correspondence, meetings. Especially with Viktor Rogov. And check everyone who signed his recommendations."

"Already working on it."

Another officer appeared in the doorway.

"Anna Vitalyevna, they called from the detention center. Viktor Rogov is demanding to see you. Says he's ready to testify."

"About what?"

"About Sophia. And about where to find her."

Anna gathered the documents into a folder.

"Dorokhov, check all psychological centers and clinics in the city. Especially those that work with children."

"Why psychological centers specifically?"

"Intuition," Anna headed for the exit. "And one more thing—find out if Sophia or Elena Andreevna underwent any psychological therapy in recent years."

In the car, Anna reviewed photographs of Sokolov's office. Cabinet, desk, shelf with elephants… In one of the photographs on the wall, she noticed a small framed picture: Sokolov with a group of children. And next to him—a middle-aged man in a formal suit. Something in his face seemed familiar to Anna, but she couldn't place where she had seen him.

Anna sent the photo to Dorokhov with a note: "Find out who this person is next to Sokolov." Then she started the car and drove to the detention center.

The story was becoming increasingly complex. The trail led into the past, to Tver, to that same case from twenty years ago. But now Anna felt that something greater was involved than simply repeating an old scenario. Something systematic, calculated, almost… professional.

And in Sokolov's office, seven green porcelain elephants on the shelf continued to keep their secrets. Secrets whose unraveling could cost the lives of not only Sophia Velichko, but also other children whose names were marked with colored dots in the register.

Chapter 7: In Darkness

The first thing Sophia felt upon regaining consciousness was the cold. A piercing, damp cold that numbed her fingers and caught her breath. She tried to move, but her body refused to obey, as if it were someone else's. Her thoughts were tangled and blurred, like drawings on a fogged-up window.