The Romanov Conspiracy Read Online Free PDF Page A

I shall manage until my health defeats me. Sugar? Milk? Or cream, as you Americans say?”
    “No cream, one sugar. When are you going to unravel this puzzle for me, Mr. Yakov?”
    He added sugar to both our glasses and included a few more spoonfuls for himself. Yakov handed over my glass. As I took my seat he slid into the armchair opposite, groaning as he sat. “First, I should tell you more about my background, Dr. Pavlov. My father was Commissar Leonid Yakov, recorded in the history books as a high official in the Bolshevik secret police, the Cheka. Perhaps you’ve heard of him?”
    I went to sip the hot tea but instead lifted my eyes in surprise. “Yes, I have. He had quite a brutal reputation, if I remember correctly.”
    “For a time my father was among the most feared men in Russia. And with just cause. He did many terrible things.” Yakov sipped from his glass and added, “In fact, the grave you just saw, of Uri Andrev.”
    “What about it?”
    “He and my father had a very close personal bond.”
    “What kind of bond?”
    “One that went far deeper than either of them could have imagined. A dark family secret that they unknowingly shared.”
    “Family secret? I don’t follow.”
    “Andrev’s father and Leonid Yakov’s mother … they once had a relationship. They came from very different classes, you see, but they found great comfort in each other. In fact, they had a child together, named Stanislas, a brother to my father and Uri Andrev, though it remained a secret.”
    “I’m sorry, you’ve lost me. Can you explain?”
    “All in good time, doctor. You say you found the body?”
    “Yes. Along with the locket you mentioned in one of your letters. It was clutched in the woman’s hand.”
    Yakov shook his head and his pale lips trembled slightly. “I’m both relieved and amazed by your discovery, doctor.”
    I put down my cup. “I can’t wait to hear how you knew about the woman. I brought the locket.”
    His eyes rose. “Did the authorities allow that?”
    “Actually, I didn’t tell them.”
    “Dr. Pavlov, surely you know that theft of any artifact in Russia—”
    “Is a serious offense, yes, but trust me, I intend to take it back. First I thought you’d want to see it for yourself. I’ve also brought head-and-shoulder photographs we took of the body, right where we found it.”
    Yakov said anxiously, “May I see them?”
    I handed across a padded manila envelope filled with photographs.
    Yakov’s yellowed hands trembled as he slid out the color forensic snapshots and carefully spread them on the table. He slipped on a pair of thick reading glasses and picked up the snapshots delicately, one by one, as if they were precious.
    He registered the images of the woman’s body, shot from different angles. When he finally looked up, his eyes were moist. “May I see the locket?”
    I offered it across. “It has the raised Romanov Imperial eagles on the front, as you suggested. There’s an inscription on the back but it’s corroded and I haven’t been able to decipher it. But seeing as you knew about the locket I’m hoping that maybe you can help me there. Do you know what else it says?”
    Yakov took the locket almost reverently, as if it were a sacred thing. He studied the corroded metal, turning it over in his palms, the fragile chain cascading down, and this time Yakov’s eyes really did fill with emotion.
    “Are you okay?” I asked.
    “Yes, Dr. Pavlov.” His voice sounded hoarse.
    “Our discovery at Ekaterinburg obviously means something to you.”
    “I think you could say that.”
    “Tell me, how did you know about the locket?” I probed.
    “The same way I knew about the woman’s body. My father told me.”
    A thought hit me like a hammer blow and my pulse quickened. “Did your father have anything to do with the Romanovs’ execution?”
    I remembered seeing Leonid Yakov’s name mentioned in the history books, but never in that regard.
    To my surprise, his son