Mrs. Piozzis curiosity was much aroused when the Magistrate announced that there was a valuable crate missing from the debris of the shipwreck. She returned to the beach where items from the ship have been washing ashore for several days.

She was disheartened to see so much of the yummy brandy gone already. Evidently, others on the island had shared her desire to enrich her own supply. Se also noted that the crate she had seen the magistrate tamper with was nowhere to be found.

Mrs. Piozzis dear husband, Gabriel, joined her in her search for the missing crate, the one belonging to a foreign dignitary. They encountered Captain John of the guardia and asked for his assistance in locating the magistrates chambers. If her many years in London taught Mrs. P. anything at all, it taught her never to trust authority and always to suspect those who cast suspicion elsewhere.

After resolving a misunderstanding, the captain having mistaken an offer of gratitude for a bribe, Captain John pointed the Piozzis to the villa itself. There, they searched the undercroft and all of the buildings public spaces. There were a lot of crates to be found there, but none were the crates they sought.

Then, the Piozzis returned to the beach, thinking possibly they had missed some clue there. They were surprised to find Captain John following on their heals and he was soon joined by a very glib Lieutenant. The pair of them appeared at first to want nothing more than to pass pleasentries with Sr. and Mrs. Piozzi. Then it became obvious they wanted to prevent any further search in that vicinity. Mr. Piozzi, charmer that he is, distracted the guard with his witty repartee. Mrs. P. took that opportunity to search the fortezza, which both gentlemen had mentioned in the course of their conversation.

In the fort, Mrs. P was not in the least surprised to find booty from the sunken ship piled up in the open. This would be the items the magistrate and his men were keeping safe until someone or other with a rightful claim might come along.

Nor was she surprised to find more of the loot hidden in more discreet places, where it might be kept from anyone who wanted to retake his possessions.

What did take Mrs. Piozzi by surprise was the arrival of Captain John, followed almost immediately by the smirking Lieutenant. These two " gentlemen" were most insistent that the lady leave the fortress immediately, claiming it was off limits to mere citizens and making it clear that they found her presence there suspicious. The Liutenant even insinuated he thought Mrs. Piozzi herself might be up to something unsavory. In turn, Mrs. P made it equally clear she found an unlocked and wide open fortress an oddity and that she did not like these two " gentlemen" one bit!

Mrs. Piozzi then returned to the beach where she exchanged pleasantries and enjoyed conversation with two ladies and Captain Lucerius Zefirelli, a true gentleman, that one. All present noted thatmembersof the guard stuck very close by wherever Mrs. P went, clearlykeeping their eyes (and ears) on her.

Of course, what they failed to notice -- in their devotion to harassing Mrs. Piozzi, they had completely forgotten about her husband. He was meticulously searching the island for lost treasure while his wife befuddled and bemuddled them.