Unexpected Arrival

The two remaining couples had telephoned and decided to meet at the entrance to a park not far from dockside after Nancy and Ned were safely on their way to Murano. Bess and George, however, had lingered in their hotel room until after nine o’clock, thinking that Mr. Drew might call, and that would be their opportunity to ask his advice as well.

“Burt and Dave will be wondering where we are, ” George finally said. “We’d better go.”

“I guess so, ” Bess said uneasily, following her to the elevator.

When they reached the lobby, though, they saw a porter carrying in a suitcase from the

hotel float. Directly behind him was Nancy’s father!

“Mr. Drew! ” Bess and George cried out.

“Why, hello, girls! ” he replied, looking beyond them for a sign of his daughter.

“Nancy isn’t here, ” George whispered out of earshot of anyone else.

The secrecy in her voice carved a frown on the attorney’s face, and he registered as quickly as he could, following the porter to his room. Then he hurried back to the lobby where the cousins waited for him.

“Now will you please tell me what happened? ” he asked.

George explained that they were already late for their date with Burt and Dave and suggested they head for the park.

“You know, it’s funny how I had to shift my plans around, ” Mr. Drew told the girls on the way, “only to discover Nancy is missing.”

“Oh, she’s not missing, ” Bess reassured him.

“Well, I’m glad to hear that, at least, ” the man said, walking briskly toward the square.

“We didn’t know you were coming to Venice today, ” she continued.

“I didn’t either, ” Mr. Drew replied. “My flight was changed because of a last-minute call from my client, and I had to make a stopover in London on the way. As it is, I don’t have to go to Rome until the day after tomorrow, so I thought I’d surprise Nancy by coming here first.”

“Believe me, we couldn’t be happier, ” George said.

She smiled affectionately at the man as she and Bess caught sight of the Emerson boys standing near the park wall. Upon seeing the girls and Mr. Drew, they darted forward.

“Mr. Drew! ” Dave shouted loudly, causing Bess to raise a finger to her lips. George motioned everyone toward some benches away from strolling passers-by.

“Nancy told us you were going to Rome, Mr. Drew, ” Burt said, ferreting out the same explanation the lawyer had given the cousins.

“What’s happened to Nancy? I assume Ned’s with her, ” the man said.

“You’re right, ” Bess replied and revealed his daughter’s plan, which, in view of her past ploys to uncover secret information, did not seem too extraordinary.

“Sounds pretty clever to me, ” Mr. Drew remarked, “but I can’t say I’m happy that she and Ned went to Murano alone.”

“That’s what worries us, ” George admitted. “As a matter of fact, Bess and I were wondering if we shouldn’t take a boat out there ourselves.”

As she said this, Nancy and Ned were watching the night lamps around the factory penetrate the mist that had crawled over the island.

“It’s not exactly the warmest night of the year either, ” Nancy said, pulling her shawl closer, as their boat driver put on one final burst of speed. “Ned, please ask him to shut off his lights.”

“Will do, ” the boy replied, and within seconds the driver cut his engine, letting the boat idle forward in the darkness.

Upon reaching the landing stage, Ned paid him the round-trip fare and asked him to wait. Then, he strode with Nancy to the factory.

To their delight, no one was on guard to scrutinize them at close range and perhaps send them back to Venice. On the other hand, there was an iron grating across the factory door that bore a large padlock.

“Well, we knew it wouldn’t be easy to get inside, ” Nancy murmured, moving along the building to a closed window.

Despite the chill in the air, the girl dismantled her shawl, throwing it over Ned’s shoulder while he lifted her up to push the frame.

“It’s locked, ” Nancy said when it refused to budge. “Now what? ” she sighed, sliding down again.

“This way, ” Ned directed. He had observed a second door hidden in the shadows of a vine trellis. They walked toward it, discovering it was open! “Come on, ” the boy whispered and started to go in.

But Nancy quickly pulled him back, cautioning him to wait while she pressed her ear to the door. Hearing nothing, though, she pushed it back gently and took one step, then another until she was satisfied no one was behind it.

Suddenly, a light flickered in the adjoining building that housed the showroom, and Ned jumped, startling his companion.

“That must be your appointment, ” he said.

“I know, ” Nancy replied.

But she was determined to investigate the factory before making an appearance. She hurried on tiptoe toward the storage room, trying the door without success and digging into her purse for a hairpin.

“How about this? ” Ned asked, producing his small penknife and pushing one of its multiple blades into the hole.

He turned it back and forth gently. For a moment he thought he heard a click, but realized it was only his imagination.

“Let me try it, Ned, ” Nancy said, slipping the hairpin in next, then dropping it in favor of a small, stiff postcard she found in her purse. She worked it against the bolt until it snapped! “Follow me, ” she whispered, pulling out a pocketsized flashlight.

The storeroom, which at first glance seemed to be no more than a small appendage to the factory, proved to be deceivingly large with metal supply shelves against the back wall and sacks of potash and lime under them. But contrary to what she had thought earlier, there was no other door besides the one they had just opened.

“I don’t see the duchessa anywhere, do you? ” Ned said, smiling into the shadows at Nancy.

“She’s supposed to be waiting for me in the showroom. Remember? ” Nancy chuckled. She felt her way past a long worktable, saying nothing more until her heel caught the edge of a floorboard.

“Find something? ” Ned asked.

“Could be. I’m not sure.”

The young detective flashed her light along the wood, stopping on three small hinges and a thick metal bar that stretched across the opposite edge.

“It’s a trapdoor! Let’s try to open it, ” the girl urged, while Ned dropped her shawl on the table.

He fell to his knees, pressing his full weight against the bar, rolling it back inch by inch until the flashlight revealed a tiny finger hole. But the boy had no sooner started to lift the secret door when they heard a strange rustling sound outside and Nancy switched off her light.

At this moment, Mr. Drew and Nancy’s friends were still talking and had decided, for the time being, not to hire a boat for Murano.

“Did Nancy say how long they expected to be gone? ” her father inquired.

“No” George said, “but based on our trip there today, I’d say no more than two or three hours. She asked us not to call the police till morning, though, if we didn’t hear from them.” “That’s too long to suit me, ” Mr. Drew said. “But let’s wait a bit longer before we plunge ahead. So long as Ned is with Nancy and they have a boat and a driver at their disposal, I’m sure Ned will head her back if the going gets too rough.”

Despite all of his assurances, his listeners doubted that Ned could succeed in changing Nancy’s mind once she was on the track of something important.

“Sir, ” Dave said, changing the subject, “you started to tell us about your client. Did you say he’s in the glass business? ”

“That’s right, ” the man replied, sitting back on the bench and gazing at the lagoon. “But it seems he’s gotten mixed up with some unscrupulous people over here who have accused him of stealing their designs. It’s absolutely ridiculous—”

“Why do you say that? ” Bess asked. “Because I know my client. He’s impulsive and enthusiastic, but he’s not a thief.” Mr. Drew

paused before he continued his story. “On Giorgio’s last trip to Rome, the Italians gave him some dishware to show his sales people in the States. He asked me what I thought of his going into partnership with the Italian factory, and I said I wasn’t in favor of it, mostly because of his own particular business problems.

“Unfortunately, Giorgio had already made his decision. He had started negotiations anyway, and they fell through. That didn’t surprise me completely—”

“But I still don’t understand why the factory people say he’s a thief, ” Burt interrupted.

“Well, because in the midst of their talks, the designs started turning up on dishes sold in the States, ” the lawyer replied grimly.

“Maybe someone who works for him made a dishonest deal for himself, ” Dave suggested.

“Quite possible, ” Mr. Drew said, “but I have a hunch that the Italian factory had a hand in it.” “Why would the factory try to frame Giorgio, though? ” George asked.

“To take over his business ultimately. They’re threatening to sue him for a lot of money—money he doesn’t have. It’s all tied up in his company.” “How terrible, ” the cousins murmured almost in unison.

“What are you going to do, Mr. Drew? ” Bess added.

“I’m not sure exactly. I’d like to meet Mr. Alberini. He’s one of the owners of the Italian firm. If he’s not available, I’ll try to see Mr. Scarpa.”

“Did you say Scarpa? ” Bess blurted out. “Is his first name Erminio? ”