Vices and Their Admirers

But the events spun of their own accord: the eccentric neighbor, Lizaveta, died and unexpectedly bequeathed him her apartment—with an adopted “orphan girl.” The “orphan” turns out not to be a child at all, but an adult young woman, Masha, who instantly captivated the lonely Arkhipov. Why, then, didn’t Lizaveta leave the housing to her? Was it because people from the sect “The Path to Joy” had set their sights on the apartment—beginning to persecute Masha right after the funeral? Soon, Masha is visited by her half-brother from the provinces—and then both of them vanish without a trace. Trying to figure out their disappearance, and at the same time the strange circumstances surrounding the neighbor’s death, Arkhipov goes into the “unfortunate apartment” and finds the body of a lawyer connected to the sect. How did he end up here? Who killed him? And could it be… Masha?