And there was one more advantage to taking a chance and meeting with Zubov. If Zubov was forgiving, he might provide Valentina sanctuary in Russia. Zubov owned a number of dachas and safe houses, all of them luxuriously furnished and absolutely secure. Valentina had visited one with Zubov, in Crimea, overlooking the Black Sea, and it had been spectacular.
Before Valentina left Zurich, she went to the antique stores along the sloping cobblestone alleyways branching off of Oberdorfstrass and Niedorfstrasse. Bringing Yuri Zubov a beautiful, super-expensive gift might help smooth things over.
Browsing the shops, Valentina ran across a magnificent antique tea samovar, made in Russia in the 1820s. It was styled in the so called “Krater” shape, with fluted crescent handles, a hand-made bird as
