078 The Phantom Of Venice Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: Carolyn Keene
suit, with a sky-blue ascot at his throat and a carnation in his lapel, he looked every inch the aristocrat.
“Enchanted to meet you, my dear!” he said, pressing Nancy’s fingers. “Your distinguished parent hastold me much about you, but even before now I had heard your name on one of my trips to America. It is my sincere hope that you may be able to help solve this unhappy kidnaping, which your father has no doubt told you about.”
“I’ll certainly do what I can,” said Nancy, “though I’m sure your Italian police are already checking out every possible lead.”
“ Si , the carabinieri are quite skilled in dealing with such crimes. Unfortunately, kidnaping for ransom has become more and more frequent in Italy in recent years. But perhaps your own talent as a detective will suggest some new approach.”
When they were all seated, Nancy said, “Tell me, please, about the person who was kidnaped.”
“His name is Pietro Rinaldi. He is a master glassblower—the single most valuable employee of my glass factory on Murano.”
“Forgive my ignorance, Marchese, but why is he so valuable?”
“Because he knows all the trade secrets that make our Venetian glass the finest in the world. In every factory on the island of Murano, there are expert craftsmen like Pietro, men whose skills have been passed down from father to son for generations. That is how Pietro became a master glassblower, by learning the craft from his father. My family, the Falcones, have owned our glassworks for over two hundredyears, and all that time Pietro’s family, the Rinaldis, has worked for us.”
“In effect,” interjected Carson Drew, “Pietro Rinaldi is one of the glassworks’ main assets.”
“So without him,” said Nancy, “the company would be crippled, unless and until an equally skilled replacement could be found or trained?”
“Exactly. And in some ways, I gather, he could never be replaced, is that not so, Francesco?”
“Si, that is correct. Every Venetian glass factory, you see, has its own special secrets, and in the case of the Falcone glassworks, those secrets are stored mostly in the head of Pietro Rinaldi.”
“Does he have any sons of his own?”
“Not yet. Pietro is still a young man, not much over thirty. As a boy, he ran away to sea and sailed all over the world. He even spent some time in your own country, living with his relatives in New Jersey. At first he planned to become a citizen and enlisted in the United States Marines. But later, when his father became seriously ill, Pietro had a change of heart. He returned home to Venice and applied himself seriously to learning all the secrets of glassmaking.”
“How and when was he kidnaped?”
“Just three days ago, last Friday, to be precise. The police believe he was captured during the night in his house, probably at gunpoint. Next morning, I received an anonymous phone call from one of the gangthat snatched him. The caller told me Pietro was in their power and demanded one hundred thousand dollars in American currency for his safe release.”
“Do you intend to pay the ransom?”
“Alas, that is difficult!” The Marchese del Falcone sighed and spread his hands unhappily. “The gang has given me ten days to pay the money, but I doubt if I can raise that much cash on such short notice. Times have been hard these past few years, and my family’s fortunes have suffered. That is why I was planning to sell the glassworks to your father’s client.”
Nancy knew that her father represented an American firm called the Crystalia Glass Company and had come to Italy on the firm’s behalf to negotiate the purchase of the Falcone glassworks. But Pietro’s kidnaping had stalled the deal, since Crystalia believed the loss of the master glassblower could seriously hamper production at the Italian factory.
Carson Drew now explained that the Marchese had asked Crystalia Glass to advance him the hundred thousand dollars needed for the ransom,
“Enchanted to meet you, my dear!” he said, pressing Nancy’s fingers. “Your distinguished parent hastold me much about you, but even before now I had heard your name on one of my trips to America. It is my sincere hope that you may be able to help solve this unhappy kidnaping, which your father has no doubt told you about.”
“I’ll certainly do what I can,” said Nancy, “though I’m sure your Italian police are already checking out every possible lead.”
“ Si , the carabinieri are quite skilled in dealing with such crimes. Unfortunately, kidnaping for ransom has become more and more frequent in Italy in recent years. But perhaps your own talent as a detective will suggest some new approach.”
When they were all seated, Nancy said, “Tell me, please, about the person who was kidnaped.”
“His name is Pietro Rinaldi. He is a master glassblower—the single most valuable employee of my glass factory on Murano.”
“Forgive my ignorance, Marchese, but why is he so valuable?”
“Because he knows all the trade secrets that make our Venetian glass the finest in the world. In every factory on the island of Murano, there are expert craftsmen like Pietro, men whose skills have been passed down from father to son for generations. That is how Pietro became a master glassblower, by learning the craft from his father. My family, the Falcones, have owned our glassworks for over two hundredyears, and all that time Pietro’s family, the Rinaldis, has worked for us.”
“In effect,” interjected Carson Drew, “Pietro Rinaldi is one of the glassworks’ main assets.”
“So without him,” said Nancy, “the company would be crippled, unless and until an equally skilled replacement could be found or trained?”
“Exactly. And in some ways, I gather, he could never be replaced, is that not so, Francesco?”
“Si, that is correct. Every Venetian glass factory, you see, has its own special secrets, and in the case of the Falcone glassworks, those secrets are stored mostly in the head of Pietro Rinaldi.”
“Does he have any sons of his own?”
“Not yet. Pietro is still a young man, not much over thirty. As a boy, he ran away to sea and sailed all over the world. He even spent some time in your own country, living with his relatives in New Jersey. At first he planned to become a citizen and enlisted in the United States Marines. But later, when his father became seriously ill, Pietro had a change of heart. He returned home to Venice and applied himself seriously to learning all the secrets of glassmaking.”
“How and when was he kidnaped?”
“Just three days ago, last Friday, to be precise. The police believe he was captured during the night in his house, probably at gunpoint. Next morning, I received an anonymous phone call from one of the gangthat snatched him. The caller told me Pietro was in their power and demanded one hundred thousand dollars in American currency for his safe release.”
“Do you intend to pay the ransom?”
“Alas, that is difficult!” The Marchese del Falcone sighed and spread his hands unhappily. “The gang has given me ten days to pay the money, but I doubt if I can raise that much cash on such short notice. Times have been hard these past few years, and my family’s fortunes have suffered. That is why I was planning to sell the glassworks to your father’s client.”
Nancy knew that her father represented an American firm called the Crystalia Glass Company and had come to Italy on the firm’s behalf to negotiate the purchase of the Falcone glassworks. But Pietro’s kidnaping had stalled the deal, since Crystalia believed the loss of the master glassblower could seriously hamper production at the Italian factory.
Carson Drew now explained that the Marchese had asked Crystalia Glass to advance him the hundred thousand dollars needed for the ransom,