CHAPTER 10

The Fabergé Museum’s top attraction?

Nine priceless Easter eggs.

“Only fifty imperial eggs were ever made,” reported Larissa Bukova. “And they were crafted right here in Saint Petersburg by the jeweler to the czars, Carl Fabergé!”

“Was he, like, the jeweler to the stars in Hollywood too?” said Tommy, trying to be charming.

“No,” said Larissa. “He was Russian. All of those fifty bejeweled eggs were given as Easter gifts by the last two czars to their wives and mothers.”

Larissa and Storm led us to a display case filled with the sparkling, fantastical eggs.

“How much are these baubles worth?” asked Beck.

“In 2004,” said Larissa, “Viktor Vekselberg, one of Russia’s wealthiest business tycoons, purchased these nine eggs for one hundred million dollars.”

“Whoa,” said Tommy, adding an impressed whistle. “That’s like eleven million dollars an egg.”

“And,” I added, “he didn’t even bring home a whole dozen.”

Tommy and I fist-bumped on that.

When we did, a very stern-looking little lady marched over to have a word with us. So far in Russia, all the museum guards had been older women. They didn’t wear uniforms. They didn’t need to. They looked scary enough without them.