Between the Thames and the Tiber by Ted Riccardi

Holmes,” said I. “I am, dear fellow, a musical ignoramus. A tin ear, as they say.”
    “Then you will learn while we are here. By the by, old fellow, I am sure now that this case has nothing to do with opera, music in general, or pianos, for that matter, except incidentally. Ah, but here we are da Sanzio. Come along, we are about to meet one of the great publishers of Europe.”
    The Sanzio establishment, I noted, was located in an ornate palazzo, not far from the Piazza Venezia. Arrigo Sanzio, a tall, handsome man of about fifty, greeted us warmly in Italian, but once he realized that I knew little of his language, he spoke to me in French.
    “Forgive me, please, dottore , but we Italians know almost no English.”
    “And we English are quite stubborn about foreign languages. French is the only language we know.”
    “Except for the languages of our colonies,” said Holmes sardonically.
    “We Italians are late in building an empire, caro dottore , but someday perhaps we shall establish a new order in the Mediterranean and bring back the glory of ancient Rome. Ma , basta , you are here because of Miss Morel and her piano.”
    “Yes, indeed, but most importantly, I have some questions that you may be able to answer for us,” said Holmes.
    “ Dica , signore ,” said Sanzio.
    “Miss Morel was given a Vulsin, I think, a piano presumably made in Austria. I confess to ignorance of the Vulsin piano. Could you enlighten us as to the history of the company?”
    “The Vulsin, caro ingeniere , is, as Miss Morel has put it, a fine instrument. I would go further, however, and describe it as the best piano ever made. The company is new and makes very few, no more than twenty or thirty each year, and we must fight to get our share. The company is now owned by Colonel Santoro’s wife, the Baroness Horvath, of Budapest. She has turned the small company founded by her father into a musical giant. Our competitors sometimes offer outlandish prices. This year, I have received an order for twenty grand pianos all destined for Egypt, and I am happy to say that the director of the Vulsin factory has agreed. We have almost all of them now.”
    “Isn’t that rather odd?” asked Holmes incredulously. “Who on earth ordered twenty pianos?”
    Sanzio smiled. “The Khedive himself. Ever since the success of Verdi’s Aida , the Khedive has decided to make Cairo the foremost musical city of the world. Unfortunately, Signor Holmes, by mistake, one of the pianos was given to Miss Morel as a practise piano. I am told by my tuner that the piano has been severely damaged, perhaps by one of our rivals, or by one of hers. In any case, you need not worry, I have sent Miss Morel an excellent piano for her use. For her trouble, I have given it to her gratis, for as long as she needs it. The piano is a Blüthner, designed and played by Liszt himself.”
    “That is most kind of you. Tell me, Signore, by what route do your Vulsin pianos go to Cairo?” asked Holmes.
    “To Lecce via rail, and then to Cairo on a ship provided by the Egyptian government.”
    “And are they inspected before they leave here?” asked Holmes.
    “I oversee the final inspection. If I am absent from Rome, they are sealed by your vice consul, Herbert Spenser. He is very knowledgeable about music and represents your government in Cairo. He has been very kind in his services to us.”
    “And where is he now? I should like to meet him,” said Holmes.
    “He is in Lecce with the first part of the shipment for the Khedive. Fifteen grand pianos, all Vulsins, constructed to the highest standards and now the premier piano of Europe. When he returns I shall introduce you.”
    “Thank you Mr. Sanzio,” said Holmes. “I have one last request.”
    “ Dica ,” said Sanzio.
    “Where are the other five pianos destined for Egypt?”
    “They are here in this building, on the floor below.” Sanzio replied.
    “Would you allow me to examine them?”
    “Examine? But of course.