"Why do you like doing this?" the girl asked as they put the tools away and cleaned up the mess they had made.
"This is very simple. The work I do as a policeman is very complicated," he said.
"Why?"
"Because I must deal with people, and people are seldom simply good or bad. It is rare for a policeman to be able to fix a problem. One problem creates another one. It doesn't end, and when it does, the end is not simple and the system is not working any better. Does this make sense?"
"A little," she said. "It's like what happened to my grandmother."
"Yes," said Rostnikov. "When I fix plumbing, I search for the problem, find it, repair it, and receive the gratitude of those who live with the system. Like this leak."
...permafrosted to a depth of 4,760 feet. (pg. 110) -- I didn't know permafrost went down that deep. Wow!
...whether she was twitting him. (pg. 178) -- To taunt, ridicule, or tease, especially for embarrassing mistakes or faults.