Snowfall in Venice

The Don's Solution

The Don warmly greeted us at the door, extending an invitation to join him in the office for a nightcap. Carlos was already seated, a warm glass of brandy in his hand. When he raised the glass to his lips, Gayle and I exchanged glances. The harsh crimson stains contrasting against the starched white of Carlos shirt cuffs gave mute evidence of the evening's activities.

With the drink served, The Don started. "This evening, Carlos and I had a discussion with Angelo Cavallo about the missing valuables. Before you ask, he is still alive, or at least he was when he arrived at the hospital."

Carlos interjected. "Signore Cavallo may have some difficulty writing checks in the future, though."

Don Benedetti nodded. "Do you remember the story of the cleaning lady in Cortina, the cousin of Alba, our housemaid? She perfected the art of tiny thefts, taking only small amounts of money from guests at any one time. No one ever reported her because most people never really know the exact amount of money on their person. And, even if they do, there is a degree of uncertainty that prevents them from reporting the problem."

The Don stopped for a moment, placing an elaborately cut key on the desk in front of him. "It appears that Angelo Cavallo has been running his own version of 'tiny thefts' for many years."

He pointed to the key before continuing. "Cavallo spent a small fortune having this key made. It is a master key that will open every private deposit box at his branch. Periodically, he goes through several boxes at a time looking for cash. When he finds a box containing euros, he removes a few, leaving the bulk intact. He also watches for situations where a safety deposit box holder dies without relatives. In those cases, he removes the entire contents."

Angelina was spellbound. "But what does he do with all the things he steals, Papa?"

Her father snorted. "It seems Cavallo, too, believes that the best place to hide a stolen chicken is in a chicken coop. Evidently, three extra-large safety boxes are the sole property of signore Cavallo. We will all be going there tomorrow morning to see for ourselves."

Don Benedetti rose and said goodnight, but, as he was leaving, he left the group with a final thought. "It matters little to me if Angelo Cavallo is a petty thief, taking advantage of his position as manager of the Banco San Paolo. Where he made his fatal mistake was not informing me immediately when he became aware that the lawyer, Amodeo, was renting a box to store the goods stolen from the villa. No one, and, I repeat, no one is permitted to steal from Don Benedetti."

The next morning, we sat together, enjoying a morning coffee at an outdoor café in the Piazza San Marco across from the Banco San Paolo. We were waiting for The Don and the others to arrive. Gayle looked pensive.

"I wonder if this will be our last trip to the Banco San Paolo, Mark."

I was casually tossing crumbs from my bread roll to the flocks of hungry pigeons. "It will have to be honey because I booked our flights back to New York. We leave tomorrow afternoon regardless of what happens here today. Okay, we should go now, I see The Don's limo coming."

Gino Durante, the assistant manager, greeted us at the door. "I apologize again on behalf of the Banco San Paolo, Don Benedetti, but our manager, signore Cavallo, still hasn't returned. We have no idea where he is at this time."

"Don't worry about Cavallo. Is Roberto Farina, my evaluator, here?" The assistant manager nodded and escorted our group into the safety deposit box vault for the third time. Farina was sitting on a hard-backed chair, awaiting their arrival.

The Don glared at Gino Durante. "I have been informed that Cavallo has personal possession of three private boxes. Where are they?"

"With all due respect, Don Benedetti, I couldn't under any circumstances assist you with opening the boxes of signore Cavallo without his presence."

"We don't need your damned assistance. Anyway, Signore Angelo Cavallo has permitted us to open his boxes. In fact, he gave me his hand on it."

Carlos smirked at this last comment. The assistant manager nodded and pointed at three boxes before hurrying back to the safety of his office.

The large boxes belonging to Cavallo were all located at floor level, marked #100, #200, and #300. Because The Don was having difficulty bending over, Angelina took the master key and inserted it in box #100. Gayle and I, along with Carlos, were holding our breath in anticipation.

Carlos lifted the interior container with some difficulty and placed it on the examining table. Angelina lifted the lid, and we all gazed down in amazement at the gleaming treasure that had ultimately cost the hermit, Antonio Fontana, his life.

Boxes #200 and #300 gave up the accumulated wealth stolen by Angelo Cavallo in small amounts from the other boxes over a long period of years. There were uncounted stacks of euro notes, US dollars, British pounds, gold coins, and even a thick sheaf of unmarked bearer bonds in large denominations.

Gayle was astounded by the collection of wealth. "What the heck is a bearer bond, Mark?"

"Actually, they are quite rare now. Normally a bond is made payable to a specific person or institution, but a 'bearer' bond can be cashed by anyone who presents it for payment—no questions asked."

The Don issued instructions. "Signore Farina, you will stay here with Carlos and prepare a complete inventory of the contents of these three boxes. I will expect your final evaluation report to be at my office by 9:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. Carlos, you will relock the boxes when you leave and bring the master key to me at the villa."

We left the vault, but Don Benedetti stopped briefly at the office of the assistant manager, Gino Durante. The assistant jumped to his feet. Don Benedetti pointed at him and said, "Cavallo will not be returning to the Banco San Paolo. You, Gino Durante, are now promoted to the manager of this branch. Do not give me cause to regret my decision."

In the water taxi, my curiosity finally compelled me to ask. "Don Benedetti, I realize that Angelo Cavallo won't be returning to his job, but how could you promote Gino Durante on the spot?"

The Don smiled. "It's simple, Mark. I'm the major shareholder in the Banco San Paolo."