"So you think he was lying?" What for?
"I lied... but not all of it." You can't think of that much right off the bat... and there's still something he's not telling you. Did you notice how he jumped when I asked him about grandpa? He said he'd never heard of him. And he asked what we know about it, then immediately took the conversation aside... and tried to make us and without grandfather was not boring.
"Yes, I noticed. But why? What did he care about someone else's grandfather? He had enough on Rosenthal to live on blackmail for the rest of his life. Too bad he's at zero.
- Yes, bummer... That a disease! I wish I could find the Professor. He had to know what grandpa had done. Most likely, we saw grandfather's grave in Malakhovo ... Empty for some reason.
"Maybe Rosenthal was looking for his grandfather's skeleton." Just a memory. Keeps now somewhere in the country. You said he already had a body in there.…
"Well, let him look for his grandfather's skeleton. And then out of habit he dug up a dozen other graves?
"Mmm... well, that's a weak theory. What are we going to do?
- Yes if I knew... listen, at you, apparently, some cards pre-revolutionary rolled... there incidentally the Leningrad region isn't present?
"I think so." Why would you?
- Sveta told me Rosenthal bought his grandfather's country house. Is there anything marked?" We should go there.
– Let's go in now and see." But how are you going to find him?
– Yeah, well, I don't really know... the Nearest village could be called by the name of the owner – as Malakhove. It shouldn't be too far away if Rosenthal's spending the night there.
- Not necessarily... World told, he sometimes in his office is sleeping, when Affairs on the morning in city of... But would still, let try.
The phone rang as we entered the apartment. Val pressed the speakerphone button.
"Why didn't you come in?" I saw your car through the window.
Sveta, hi. You know, somehow I did not want to set you up: you never know, the authorities will not like with whom you communicate... me and so friends are afraid: they say, tell you something, and the next day it's in the newspaper or on TV... by the Way, you now hear anyone?
I do not know. Wait till I close the door. How are you? Learn something?
"Some, but not enough. They didn't understand a damn thing. There's too much going on around your boss... We still don't know what he's doing.
"Can I help you?"
Listen, does he close his office?"
"Sometimes." Why?
"Look, if you get a chance... first, does he have the phone number or the address of the Professor who wrote something about his pipe... and then, by any chance, do you know where his country house is?" You said he was some family bought the ruins near St. Petersburg.
-I don't know, but in papers there has to be something... I remember, it then long negotiations conducted concerning this site, still, it seems, to someone money gave for the reference that it has no historical value.
- Yes, please look. Will you call me back if anything happens?
– Well. You stay by the phone, I'll go upstairs and see if it's open.
We are waiting for you.
We smoked and looked at old maps. There was nothing there. Minutes through twenty-World called.
"Hello, it's me again." I'm from Rosenthal's office, it's empty yet.
"Find anything?"
– Found. The Professor's address is nowhere to be found, but Rosenthal has several pages from a magazine in his Desk, an article called "the Black edges of the nineteenth century: fraud, quackery, superstition." And the author V. M. Sharoika, doctor of historical Sciences, Professor." Is he?
"Yeah, sure. It does not say where he works for a University Department?
Light my fingers do the walking:
– No, there is nothing.
"All right. A name with initials – I think we'll find him anyway. Is there anything else?
– Eat. Here is map automobile, on it marked by – "former. Rosenthal estate." The chief's handwriting, I think.
– Perfectly. Where is it?
– Two kilometers on a highway towards Pskov. Turn towards lake Peipus.
Valery oriented himself on the Atlas.
"It's just that... Maybe that's not all."
– You know, there are some other papers I don't understand. They're yellow and battered. One had a coat of arms at the top and the words Prince Dimitri Rosenthal printed on it. Looks like a letter. Listen to this:
"My hungry relatives... Survive me-the merit is small. But the neglect of my work, the fruits of which coveted for every mortal, makes it your duty to find the key to drawing so you...".