Read Online The Strange Message in the Parchment by Carolyn G. Keene - Free Book Online Page B

artist was a charming person, but by his own admission, a bit forgetful. “I should have remembered to put on the brake,” he said.
    Nancy merely smiled and made no comment. She led her visitor into the living room and they sat down.
    “I tried to reach you on the phone this morning, but was told you had already left your house,” she said. “I have a horrible confession to make to you.”
    “Confession?” Mr. Caspari repeated. “You do not seem like the kind of girl who would have to make confessions.”
    Nancy made no response to this. “I’ll get right to the point,” she said. “The parchment that I asked you to come and look at was stolen last night!”
    “Stolen?” he repeated. “From this house?”
    “From right above that fireplace mantel,” Nancy explained.
    She told him the whole story, then said that she had attempted to draw something that looked like the original. “I’ll show it to you. Perhaps you can give us a clue to the painter of the original.”
    She excused herself and went upstairs to get the drawing. After she came down and handed it to the artist, he studied the front of the paper for a long time. He even turned it upside down, but quickly put it back into position.
    Finally he looked up and said to Nancy, “Did you draw this from memory?” When she said yes, he went on, “It is an excellent drawing, especially the picture of the angels with the baby.”
    Nancy thanked him and said, “Maybe that’s because I think it may be the most significant picture in the group. I’ll show you why I think so.” She turned the paper over and pointed out that the printed A on it was directly behind the pic ture of the angels. “This is just the way it was on the original.”
    The artist rubbed his chin. “And none of the other pictures had initials in back of them?”
    “No.”
    Mr. Caspari told Nancy, “I think you are very observing, as an artist should be. Now please tell me what your theory is.”
    “My guess is that the A stands for Anthony. We met a boy who is an artist. He is the nephew of the man who sold the parchment to Mr. Flockhart,” she explained. “It may be a long and wild guess, but I am wondering if by any chance that boy could be this baby. His nickname is Tony.”
    The artist wanted to know if Nancy had ever questioned the former owner about the picture. She nodded. “I tried to, but didn’t get very far. He is very secretive and uncooperative. By the way, do you know him—Salvatore Rocco?”
    “No. I never heard of him. Tell me more about the boy.”
    Nancy explained the situation, and ended by saying that Mr. Rocco had said he knew nothing about the origin of the parchment. He had purchased it at an auction.
    “It is an interesting story,” Mr. Caspari remarked. “There’s a chance, of course, that his story isn’t true.”
    Just then he spotted the initials DB in the corner with the word Milano under them.
    “Have you any ideas about what these initials stand for?” he asked Nancy.
    “No, I haven’t.”
    Mr. Caspari said that on this point he might be able to help her out. I brought with me a directory of European artists.” He took it from a pocket and began turning the pages. ”I’ll look under the section for Italy and see if we can find a DB in Milano.”
    Nancy sat watching quietly as the man flipped page after page.
    Finally he said, “No one with those initials is listed in Milano, but I see three in Rome. Their addresses are here. Do you want them?”
    “Yes. I would like to have them, but does it say anything about the people?”
    The artist told her that two of them were men and one a woman. Nancy was thoughtful for several seconds, then remarked, “Another one of my hunches—I have a feeling, because of the style of the painting of the angels and the baby, that the artist may be a woman.”
    “That’s a good deduction,” her caller said.
    “Mr. Caspari,” Nancy continued, “do you think that this Miss or Mrs. DB could have