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Sisterly Protection






 

At the sight of the familiar black cat in the window, Nancy gasped, holding her breath for a second and wondering if its master was there too. She signaled the gondolier to stop at a small landing-stage up ahead where she stepped off and hurried down the short alleyway next to the building.

Suddenly, from an iron balcony neatly lined with small pots of red geraniums, the young detective heard a distinct meow as two of the pots suddenly fell against the grating and the feline flew to the ground in a single leap, landing on all fours. Nancy froze, glancing upward just in time to see the window click shut.

Someone is up there, she decided and quickly sidestepped the animal.

As she suspected, there was no name on the front door but to her surprise it was open. She entered cautiously, not seeing the figure above her who spoke shortly.

“Who are you? ” the woman asked.

Nancy felt a disquieting tremor pass through her body as she gazed at the crippled form above her.

“I am a guest at the Gritti Palace Hotel, ” she replied, not wishing to reveal her name, “and I am looking for a Mr. Erminio Scarpa. I thought he lived here.”

“Come up, please, ” the woman replied. She dragged her legs away from the door, relying on two canes for support.

“I hope I’m not disturbing you, ” Nancy commented, climbing the wooden stairs.

“Not at all, ” her listener said and indicated a comfortable chair in the living room, which the girl took. “It is my pleasure.”

Nancy noticed the simple yet tasteful furnishings in the apartment, along with a small collection of photographs on a corner table. One in particular drew her attention, but she waited for the woman to speak before inquiring about it.

The woman politely introduced herself as Lucia, and then came abruptly to the point.

“Why are you looking for my brother? ” she asked and laid her canes down by her chair, causing Nancy to reconsider her approach.

Did she dare reveal all her suspicions to the man’s sister? It stood to reason she would be protective of him, and would she not learn more from Nancy than the young detective wanted her to know? Nevertheless, Nancy proceeded with her questioning.

“I am a detective—”

“You? ” the woman said in surprise. “But you are so young.”

Nancy smiled. “I’m just an amateur detective, ” she explained, adding that she had been asked to investigate a matter that had recently occurred at the Gritti Palace Hotel.

“How recently? ” her listener inquired. “Within the past few days.”

“Well, I doubt that Erminio could be of much help to you. He’s on vacation, you know.” “Have you not seen him then? ”

“No—not since last week.”

“And you have been in this apartment all this time? ” Nancy replied.

The woman seemed hesitant to answer. “No,

but what does that have to do with my brother? ” she asked.

Although Nancy had carefully avoided making accusations against the man, it was evident that Lucia was uneasy, as if she also had some hidden anxiety about him.

“I thought I saw him last evening, ” Nancy said finally.

“Impossible, ” the woman snapped back. “Besides, what do you want with him? ”

“I’m afraid I will have to talk to him directly.” As she talked, her eyes darted to a photograph on the table. In it were four people, including Lucia and Erminio. The third person was a pretty, dark-haired woman who bore a slight resemblance to them and next to her was a handsome young man. It was his face that had caught Nancy’s attention.

“Is this a family picture by any chance? ” the girl inquired, rising from her seat to look at it more closely.

“Yes and no, ” Lucia said. “That is my younger sister. She is presently in Switzerland, visiting friends.”

“And the young man—is he a younger brother? ” Nancy continued.

In the short silence that ensued, she found herself staring at the features of the young man in the photo. Although the gap in their ages was considerable, the comely expression was the same. Yes, indeed, he looked very much like the duchessa herself!

“No, ” Lucia said faintly, “he was a friend of my sister’s.” She did not volunteer any other information about him. “I am sorry my brother is not here to talk to you, but I will tell him you came.”

“When do you expect to see him again? ” Nancy asked.

“Oh, not for some time yet.”

Not surprised by the answer, the young detective thanked the woman for her help and left. In a strange way, her visit had proved successful. She secreted her discoveries in the back of her mind, hopeful she would soon figure out the Scarpa connection with the Dandolo family.

Noting the time as she walked toward the piazza, Nancy quickened her steps. It was well past one o’clock, and she knew that her friends would probably be worried. As she turned the corner, she heard footfalls running in her direction from behind, then an arm grabbed hers.

“Ned! Where’d you come from? ” Nancy said in amazement.

“Some detective you are, ” he teased. “Didn’t even know I followed you from the pensione, did you? ”

“Nope.”

“Well, I thought you might have needed some unexpected assistance.”

“That’s really nice of you, ” the young detective said, admitting some slight trepidation about meeting Scarpa face to face. “As it turned out, though, I met his sister instead.”

“Hm-mm, ” Ned replied. “You’ll have to tell us all about it on the way to Murano.”

“We have a boat, then? ” Nancy asked.

“As you requested, signorina, ” the boy said, taking her hand and running across the square.

Having told the others of his plan to track after Nancy, Ned had asked Burt and Dave to arrange for the outing and shifted the meeting place from the clock tower to the nearby dock.

“How does it feel to have your very own shadow? ” George quipped as Nancy and Ned stepped aboard the launch.

“It feels great.” Nancy smiled. She waited until they were underway, however, before she told about her encounter with Lucia Scarpa.

“Do you suppose the guy in that photograph is Filippo Dandolo? ” Bess asked eagerly. “I mean, he could be another relative of the duchessa’s.”

“That’s true, ” Nancy said, “but I have a strong hunch it is Filippo. Now I’m more curious than ever about all of this business. We just have to find his aunt.”

By the time the group finished talking, they were halfway to Murano, having cut through the lagoon past several smaller islands toward a gate of open waters.

“Isn’t it wonderful? ” Bess crooned, as the boat picked up speed, sending a fine, briny spray over her.

Dave coughed lightly. “If you don’t mind taking a shower in the middle of the ocean! ” he exclaimed.

“Oh, you. You’re so unromantic, ” the girl said.

The island loomed closer now, and the driver throttled the engine, letting the boat chug into shore the last few yards.

“It’s not exactly a tropical paradise, ” Ned whispered to Nancy, who had made a similar observation.

Even so, the immediate view was of the factory, Artistico Vetro, and that satisfied her more than enough. She ran down the paved walkway to an entrance that led into a room filled with several kilns and supply shelves. She approached a man in gloves and work apron who was firing something in one of the ovens.

“I’m looking for Signore Dandolo, ” Nancy said.

The man shrugged. “Not here.”

“Where is he? ”

“Do not know.”

“What about the duchessa? ” the young detective persisted. “Has she been here? ”

“No. She never come.”

As he answered, he punctuated the remark by twirling his stick of white-hot glass for the last time. Nancy, at the same time, was alerted to someone moving about in an enclosed room several yards away. The door was closed, but the small window facing the ovens revealed a woman with gray hair.

But she slipped out of sight so quickly the girl could not see her features. Still, Nancy was almost positive it was Maria Dandolo!

 


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