The Affliction of Praha: A gripping murder mystery set in 1920s Czechoslovakia

Simon Gillard is an author with a passion for mystery novels and history alike. He works as a Network Engineer in the IT industry and he also spent two years in Slovakia, which inspired him to craft The Affliction of Praha and use the nation’s rich history as its setting. When not writing, Simon enjoys reading, motorbikes, skiing and music. He currently lives in London with his beautiful wife and their young daughter.
@simongillard3
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THE
AFFLICTION
OF
PRAHA
SIMON GILLARD


Copyright © 2020 Simon Gillard
Self-published by KDP
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Cover artwork by Florfi. Edited by Nic Johnson.
ISBN: 9798636567011


For my wife, who is always by my side.


Na každém šprochu pravdy trochu.
There’s a bit of truth in every gossip.
Czech proverb


1.
Tidy, small alleyways were paved with cobblestone. Grey gargantuan statues and black lampposts lined the narrow streets of Prague; dimly lit from the faint orange glows of above, the wind rustled through.
Black, brown and white horses with wooden carriages strolled herein, busy and bustling, the daily routines of the people underway. A tram commanded the centre of the city, a bell ringing as it arrived and departed at each stop, passengers stepping on and off, respectively.
The clattering of hoofs against the stone floor echoed throughout, people murmuring and bartering their goods and wares for fair bargain. Groups of men stood, smoking and reading the morning papers; ladies collectively laughing and gossiping, sharing tales of the evening before.
‘Read all about it! - Son of Baroness Teralova slain horrifically in the dark night!’’ stated the morning papers; shock and disbelief swept across the city with whispers, cries and anguish—it was a bitter sight. The people were ablaze, in uproar.
Dearly beloved, the Teralov family, was one of high political influence and much respected by the greater people, for they had brought fairness and hope to the people of Czechoslovakia in times of distress and oppression.
Their influence reached far and, as a family of means and great wealth, they were fair, giving back to the people far more than they rightly were expected to. The employment across the range of businesses and industries they controlled throughout the state of Czechoslovakia brought prosperity to many, in a time that otherwise would have been devoid of hope.
The paper had reported the death of Peter, a young man at an age of twenty-five; born in the heartlands of Perm, USSR, of Soviet descent. His father, being a rich oligarch, had met his mother, the Baroness, whilst visiting Prague itself some thirty years ago. After falling in love, the Baroness returned with the oligarch to the USSR and bore a child, raising Peter in Perm.
In later years, after his father’s early passing from illness, the Teralovs emigrated back to Prague for Peter to return there as a young child. His death rang tales of conspiracy throughout the streets—there will be blood to pay!—the people cried in horror.
The authorities of the state had done their utmost to investigate and find motive in the coming days that followed. Alas, they had fallen miserably short in their attempts to find the culprit. As for evidence, there was none—at least, not any apparently obvious to those who so far had close quarters with the corpse of the fallen aristocrat.
On hearing word of the atrocious event, the authoritarians of the USSR had dispatched their own highly regarded detective, their go-to man, to investigate the scene and come to his own experienced conclusion.
Edgar Rollenvart was an accomplished man, one of the great accolades in his homeland and who had scored one of the highest opinions in Moscow. Respected and his services frequently commanded, he was unquestionably sought after for his calibres in such matters.
After being immediately dispatched from Moscow, he arrived by train at the scene two days later. Having been well-rested and thus far spent much time considering the known facts of the case, the details were as follows:
Peter Teralov was due home on Tuesday 3rd February by 19:00. He did not make it home, and authorities were alerted of his disappearance the next morning at approximately 08:45 by none other than the distressed Baroness herself.
Fourteen hours later, after much searching by the local police without result, a body was found by the banks of the river Vltava at 23:25. It was, of course, dark and no apparent cause of death was yet known. The police were alerted by an anonymous phone call as to the body’s whereabouts and have not yet identified who made the call, or from where.
Identification took place the next morning at 05:15 by both Baroness Teralova and Peter’s best-known acquaintance—his friend, Milos. They confirmed the body is, in fact, that of Peter.
Local police began their procedures and Moscow was duly informed. Edgar was hastily dispatched under the mandate that a Soviet citizen of high importance had been murdered in the State of Czechoslovakia. The investigation was to be treated with the utmost regard; political agendas were in play.
Upon Edgar’s arrival, he inspected the body for any sign of distress, damage, or cause of death.
Strict instruction had been relayed that the body was not to be moved or