he began to stagger. Before he knew it, the two large ladies were all over him, swinging their massive handbags at his head. Outraged, Victor bellowed back at them, holding his arms above his head, but the girl kept screaming and the ladies kept thrashing and the dog kept growling, sinking its teeth into Victor's jacket. The crowd around him grew ever more angry. They're going to crush me, Victor thought. He couldn't believe it. He felt someone tearing a button off his jacket. Just as he was about to drop to his knees a Carabiniere fought his way through and pulled him up again. All around him a hundred voices shouted, simultaneously trying to explain what had caused this mayhem, and Victor realized that the girl had gone. Vanished, just like her four friends.
16 The Conte's Envelope
We showed him, all right!" Hornet said, once they were all safely back in the hideout. She had a deep scratch on her cheek and her cardigan was missing two buttons. But she was grinning from ear to ear. "And look what I got in all the commotion." Proudly, she produced Victor's wallet from underneath her jacket. She flung it over to Prosper. "Don't get angry with me. Perhaps now you can find out more about this guy."
Prosper murmured, "Thanks," and without hesitation quickly went through the wallet's various compartments. There were a few bills from some shop in San Paolo, a receipt from a supermarket, a ticket to the Doge's Palace. He threw all this carelessly to the ground. Then he held Victor's detective ID in his hands. He stared at it grimly.
Hornet looked over his shoulder. "So he really is a detective," she said.
Prosper nodded. He looked so desperate that she didn't know where to look. "Come on, just forget him!" she said quietly. She slowly stretched out her hand and stroked Prosper's face. He didn't even seem to notice. He only looked up when Scipio approached them.
"What are you looking so gloomy about?" the Thief Lord said, putting his arm around Prosper's shoulder. "We gave him the slip. Don't you want to see what's in the Conte's envelope?"
Prosper nodded and stuffed Victor's wallet into his pocket.
Scipio opened the envelope with great ceremony; he slit it open with his penknife while the others, sitting on the folding seats in front of him, watched with rapt anticipation.
"By the way, where's the pigeon, Mosca?" Scipio asked as he pulled a photograph and a folded sheet of paper from the envelope.
"Still sitting in the basket. I threw it some breadcrumbs," Mosca answered. "And now let's get on with it. What's that piece of paper?"
Scipio smiled. He dropped the empty envelope on the ground and unfolded the large sheet of paper. "The house he wants me to pay a little visit to is on the Campo Santa Margherita," he said, "and this is the floor plan. Anyone want to see it?"
"Oh, just give it to me!" Hornet said impatiently. Scipio handed her the plan. Hornet took a quick look at it and then passed it to Mosca. Scipio meanwhile studied the photograph that had also been in the envelope. He seemed confused, as if he couldn't quite work out what he was looking at.
"What is it?" The suspense made Riccio jump up out of his seat. "Go on, Scipio."
"Looks like a wing," Scipio mumbled. "What do you think it is?"
The photograph went from one child to the other and all of them looked at it in just as much bewilderment as Scipio.
"Yes, it's a wing," Prosper agreed after having studied it from all possible angles. "And it seems to be made of wood, just as the Conte said."
Scipio took the picture from his hands and stared at it.
"Five million lire for a broken wooden wing?" Mosca shook his head incredulously.
"How much?" The question came simultaneously from Hornet and Riccio.
"That's quite a lot, isn't it?" Bo asked.
Prosper nodded. "Take another look at the envelope," he said. "Maybe there's something else in there to explain all this."
Scipio nodded and picked up the envelope. He peered inside and then took out a small card,
16 The Conte's Envelope
We showed him, all right!" Hornet said, once they were all safely back in the hideout. She had a deep scratch on her cheek and her cardigan was missing two buttons. But she was grinning from ear to ear. "And look what I got in all the commotion." Proudly, she produced Victor's wallet from underneath her jacket. She flung it over to Prosper. "Don't get angry with me. Perhaps now you can find out more about this guy."
Prosper murmured, "Thanks," and without hesitation quickly went through the wallet's various compartments. There were a few bills from some shop in San Paolo, a receipt from a supermarket, a ticket to the Doge's Palace. He threw all this carelessly to the ground. Then he held Victor's detective ID in his hands. He stared at it grimly.
Hornet looked over his shoulder. "So he really is a detective," she said.
Prosper nodded. He looked so desperate that she didn't know where to look. "Come on, just forget him!" she said quietly. She slowly stretched out her hand and stroked Prosper's face. He didn't even seem to notice. He only looked up when Scipio approached them.
"What are you looking so gloomy about?" the Thief Lord said, putting his arm around Prosper's shoulder. "We gave him the slip. Don't you want to see what's in the Conte's envelope?"
Prosper nodded and stuffed Victor's wallet into his pocket.
Scipio opened the envelope with great ceremony; he slit it open with his penknife while the others, sitting on the folding seats in front of him, watched with rapt anticipation.
"By the way, where's the pigeon, Mosca?" Scipio asked as he pulled a photograph and a folded sheet of paper from the envelope.
"Still sitting in the basket. I threw it some breadcrumbs," Mosca answered. "And now let's get on with it. What's that piece of paper?"
Scipio smiled. He dropped the empty envelope on the ground and unfolded the large sheet of paper. "The house he wants me to pay a little visit to is on the Campo Santa Margherita," he said, "and this is the floor plan. Anyone want to see it?"
"Oh, just give it to me!" Hornet said impatiently. Scipio handed her the plan. Hornet took a quick look at it and then passed it to Mosca. Scipio meanwhile studied the photograph that had also been in the envelope. He seemed confused, as if he couldn't quite work out what he was looking at.
"What is it?" The suspense made Riccio jump up out of his seat. "Go on, Scipio."
"Looks like a wing," Scipio mumbled. "What do you think it is?"
The photograph went from one child to the other and all of them looked at it in just as much bewilderment as Scipio.
"Yes, it's a wing," Prosper agreed after having studied it from all possible angles. "And it seems to be made of wood, just as the Conte said."
Scipio took the picture from his hands and stared at it.
"Five million lire for a broken wooden wing?" Mosca shook his head incredulously.
"How much?" The question came simultaneously from Hornet and Riccio.
"That's quite a lot, isn't it?" Bo asked.
Prosper nodded. "Take another look at the envelope," he said. "Maybe there's something else in there to explain all this."
Scipio nodded and picked up the envelope. He peered inside and then took out a small card,
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