Greek Odyssey Part 4

"Well, then, we'll just have to find another boat, since Dragonisi is not to be missed," Mick said. "I'll ask Zoe if she has any suggestions."

"Did I hear my name?" Zoe asked, stopping by their table. She was wearing a strapless dress in a deep shade of scarlet.

Mick explained about their plans for the following day. "And Theo cannot take you?" Zoe asked, narrowing her dark eyes. When he said nothing, Zoe quickly a.s.sured Mick that she would make the arrangements for the boat. "We'll pack a lunch for you and Nancy to take along."

"That would be great," Nancy said. Excusing herself, she rose from the table and stepped aside with Zoe. She summarized what had happened that afternoon, then asked, "Do you remember seeing Niki in the office yesterday, when the pa.s.sports were stolen?"

"Niki?" Zoe thought for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't remember, but it's not something I would notice. My father and I trust our staff." She seemed offended that Nancy suspected a staff member.

"Zoe, time is important," Nancy said, trying to make her understand. "We might be able to recover Bess's pa.s.sport before it falls into the wrong hands. If Niki's involved, it's important that I talk to her as soon as possible."

Zoe hesitated. "You can't talk to her now," she told Nancy. "Today is Niki's day off. She took the ferry to Tinos, to visit her aunt."

Stifling a sigh of disappointment, Nancy asked, "When will she be back?"

"Tomorrow morning. You can speak with her then," Zoe relented. "I'll arrange it." Then she reached out and squeezed Nancy's hand. "For now, please just try to enjoy the party. All this talk of crime is not good on such a lovely night."

With that, Zoe turned back to the crowd at the table and announced, "Please help yourself to the food. The goat has been roasting for hours, and it's been cooked to perfection."

Bess grinned. "I thought I smelled something delic-" She paused, her blue eyes concerned. "Did you say goat goat?"

"Not your everyday River Heights fare," George said, heading over to the buffet table. "But it does smell great."

As Nancy and the others stood in line for food, the smoke of the charbroiled meat made Nancy's mouth water. In addition to the grilled goat meat, there was chicken stewed in tomato sauce, potatoes, rice, and the cla.s.sic Greek salad of tomatoes, cuc.u.mbers, black olives, onions, and feta cheese. Before long the teenagers were back at their table, their plates heaped with food.

"You know, Theo," George said, dipping a hunk of crusty bread into the olive oil from her salad, "we're relying on you to teach us some authentic Greek dances."

Bess looked over at the dance floor, where a few guests were already moving in time to the soft music. The trio of musicians was made up of a violinist, a clarinetist, and a man who played an instrument that resembled bagpipes. "I'd love to learn, but the steps look awfully complicated."

"It's not so difficult. A good dancer listens to the heart," Theo said, his eyes twinkling. "I am sure you can handle that, Bess."

"I'll give it my best shot," Bess said.

As soon as everyone finished eating, Zoe brought the group over to introduce them to her cousin Helena, and Helena's fiance, Petros. While Bess and George were talking with the bride-to-be, Nancy stole away for a word with Zoe's father. She asked if he had heard from the police about Bess's pa.s.sport, but he didn't have any news.

Finally Nancy joined her friends on the dance floor. For the moment she was at a dead end. She decided that she might as well take Zoe's advice and have a good time.

Zoe was walking the group through the steps of the Stae Tria Stae Tria, one of the most popular Greek dances. With their hands on one another's shoulders, all the dancers formed a wide circle. The band was playing a slow song, so it was easier to follow along at first.

"You're doing well," Zoe said as George kicked at the air.

"One, two, three, kick, kick," Bess counted aloud, laughing when she missed a step.

Nancy counted along, trying to get the hang of the dance. She couldn't help laughing, too. The lively beat of the music filled the air until almost all the guests joined the circle. Theo added some dramatic effects, leaping through the air and slapping his feet on the floor.

Gradually Nancy fell into the rhythm of the dance. The complicated steps seemed more and more natural as Mick cheered her on. To her amazement, one man danced among the crowd with a bottle balanced on his head. Two other men danced around with dinner plates, which they smashed against a wall with bravado. The song ended, and applause and cheers erupted from the crowd.

"The plate-breaking is a Greek custom called spasimo spasimo," Zoe explained. "We try to keep it at a minimum, or else we'll run out of dishes!"

"I'll bet," Nancy said, laughing.

The dancers were applauding the band when Nancy noticed a sudden movement in the shadows beyond the trellis at the edge of the lawn. She squinted into the darkness, and suddenly she saw a figure.

"Is something wrong?" Mick asked, noticing the expression on her face.

But before Nancy could answer, the stranger stepped out of the shadows. He was tall, with wavy brown hair and a muscular physique. Moving onto the candlelit dance floor, he tapped George on the shoulder.

George spun around, and her mouth fell open.

"Kevin!"

Chapter Six.

NANCY COULD HARDLY believe it. It was Kevin Davis, George's boyfriend!

Without a second thought George flung herself into Kevin's arms. He held her close for a tender kiss, then whirled her around. "I'm glad you remember me," he teased.

"What are you doing here?" George asked breathlessly. "I thought you were on a.s.signment."

"I am. I have to meet up with my TV crew on Sunday in Madrid. Until then, I'm all yours-aside from a quick interview I need to do in Athens."

"Terrific!" George stood aside as the others rushed over to say h.e.l.lo to Kevin. No sooner had he been introduced to Mick, Theo, and Zoe than the band launched into a slow, romantic ballad. Within seconds Nancy found herself swept into Mick's strong arms.

"This is called the ballo ballo," she heard Theo say to Bess. "It's a couple's dance, played in honor of the engaged pair."

Bess sighed. "How romantic!"

Turning her head, Nancy saw a starry look in George's eyes as she moved into Kevin's arms. Behind them, Helena and Petros swirled in the center of the dance floor.

When Mick led Nancy over to the edge of the dance floor, she could hear the sea in the distance, lapping against the sh.o.r.e. "It's such a beautiful night," she said, tilting her head back so that she could see the stars glittering in the ink black sky. "I hate for it to end."

"Who says it has to?" Mick pulled her closer, and Nancy smiled, forgetting about Bess's stolen pa.s.sport. All she could think about was Mick and the delicious feeling of dancing in his arms.

"I know it was my idea to come into town before the flight to Athens," Bess told Nancy the next morning, "but after all that dancing last night, I should have stayed in bed."

Nancy's only response was a yawn. It was almost nine o'clock, but the engagement party had ended very late, and she was a little, tired. She and Bess had already rushed through a breakfast of milk and cheese pies in a bakeshop, called a zacharoplasteion zacharoplasteion. Now bleary-eyed, they were walking along the main street of Chora, dodging tourists and donkeys laden with baskets.

George had met Kevin for a morning jog on the beach, and Mick was probably still asleep. Lucky guy, Nancy thought. Since Bess and George were taking a noon flight to Athens, Bess had persuaded Nancy to join her for an early trip into town.

"After all this, I hope my mother likes the statue," Bess said. "Oh-there's the store."

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the stationery store was open. It didn't take her long to pay for the windmill, which Spiros, the owner, had set aside for her after Zoe called him. The silver-haired man chewed on his unlit pipe as he wrapped the windmill in tissue and placed it in a box. He had just offered to gift wrap the box when the phone rang in the back room.

"Please," he said. "Excuse, one moment."

While he was gone, Nancy browsed around the shop. She looked up as the shop door opened and Dimitri stepped in. "It's your friend, the paparazzo," Nancy said under her breath to Bess.

Dimitri lowered a camera case to the floor, then walked behind the counter. "Ah, it is my favorite American girl," he said, winking at Bess. "I will have those photos for you this afternoon. Where is my friend, Spiros?"

"He's in the back," Bess said. "He was just about to wrap that for me"-she leaned over the counter to point to a box-"when the phone rang."

"Ah, then let me take care of it. Spiros and I help each other all the time. We are very good friends." After placing the box on the counter, Dimitri began to search the shelves. "Wrapping paper," he mumbled, pulling out boxes of sealed stationery, cardboard, and notepads-everything but but wrapping paper. wrapping paper.

Nancy was beginning to think Bess would miss her flight to Athens when Dimitri held up a sheet of pale blue paper. "Ah, here we go," he said. "Beautiful paper. But then, my friend Spiros truly appreciates fine craftsmanship."

With a few quick folds Dimitri wrapped the box.

"Thanks-evcharisto," Bess said, dropping the package into her tote bag.

"You're welcome," Dimitri said. Just then Spiros returned, and the two men spoke briskly in Greek. Nancy sensed that Dimitri was a little nervous around the older man, though she couldn't imagine why. As Spiros sat down on a stool, Dimitri quickly darted out from behind the counter and picked up his camera case.

"How about a photo of Nancy Drew, the American detective?" he suggested.

Nancy's mouth dropped open in surprise. How did Dimitri know she was a detective? "No, thanks," she told him. "Besides, I'm on vacation."

"But you are famous," Dimitri insisted. "My friend Officer Rossolatos sings your praises."

So that's how he knows, Nancy thought. Did that also mean Dimitri knew about the pa.s.sport thefts?

"I don't know about that...." she hedged, looking him in the eye. Was he testing her? She wasn't sure if his naive enthusiasm was real or just a cover-up for a cunning master of forgery. As she and Bess said goodbye and left the store, Nancy resolved to find out.

The two girls were nearly a block away when Bess said, "Dimitri seems to be 'good friends' with everyone on Mykonos."

"It is is a small island," Nancy said. "Still, I wish he hadn't heard that I'm a detective. It's going to make it harder to pin him down if he's the pa.s.sport forger." a small island," Nancy said. "Still, I wish he hadn't heard that I'm a detective. It's going to make it harder to pin him down if he's the pa.s.sport forger."

When Nancy and Bess arrived at the hotel, they found George, Kevin, and Mick lounging in the garden terrace overlooking the sea. George's short brown curls were still damp from her shower, and she was wearing a denim skirt and red, short-sleeved top.

"Ready for our trip?" George asked Bess.

Bess nodded, pulling the wrapped windmill from her tote bag. "Yup. I just want to put this up in our room."

"Have a seat, Nancy," Mick said. He patted an empty chair. "We'll get you some lemonade."

"No, thanks," Nancy told him. "I'm going up to the room with Bess to change. And I'm going to need some sunscreen and a hat if we're going to spend the afternoon on Dragonisi. We'll meet you back here in fifteen minutes, okay?"

When Nancy reached the top of the white staircase leading to their room, she found that the door was ajar-again! "That's strange," she said, turning back to Bess. Cautiously she pushed on the door and peered inside.

The sight before her made Nancy do a double-take. From the back the young girl in their room resembled Bess. She had on Bess's red straw hat and a matching red bolero jacket. But looking closely, Nancy recognized the skirt and ap.r.o.n of the hotel's housekeeping staff.

It was Niki Christofouros-dressed in Bess's clothes!

Chapter Seven.

"NIKI," Nancy said, stepping into the room. "What are you doing?"

The dark-haired maid spun around and gasped. "I-" she stuttered, fingering the hem of the red jacket. "Um, Zoe told me you wanted to see me."

"Hey, that's my outfit," Bess observed, more confused than angry.

"I was just-putting it away," Niki said, quickly peeling off the jacket.

This time Bess didn't let Niki off the hook. "Wait a minute," she said, standing with her hands on her hips. "I know you went through my stuff before, and that same day my pa.s.sport was stolen."

Looking squarely at the maid, Nancy added, "Did you take those pa.s.sports from the safe?"

"No!" Niki insisted, her brown eyes wide. She shook her head vehemently. "I swear it. I admit I have been looking at your things. But I never stole anything."

"I saw you on the beach yesterday morning-with Dimitri," Nancy said.

Confusion darkened Niki's eyes. "Dimitri?"

Nancy nodded. "I saw you hand him an envelope. Did you give him the pa.s.sports?"

"No!" Niki insisted. "I gave him back the photographs that he took of me because they were awful! I wanted some photographs of myself to send to-" She paused, searching for the right words. "Agencies in the United States, for being a model. My sister tells me I could be famous. But Dimitri made me look... plain, like an ordinary person."

"You wanted pictures for a portfolio?" Bess asked, catching on.

Niki nodded. "I need a port-a portfolio to be a model in America. That is why I was studying those." She pointed to the dresser, where some of Bess's fashion magazines were open. "But I did not take anything."

Nancy looked down at the glossy photos of smiling models. "I don't understand," she said. "Fashion magazines are available here. I've seen them in shops."

"But they are European European magazines," Niki explained. "I am interested in what is going on in magazines," Niki explained. "I am interested in what is going on in America America. My sister lives there, and I am going to join her as soon as I have saved enough money."

Bess and Nancy exchanged a look. Nancy could tell that Bess believed Niki's story. She had to admit, the young girl was convincing.

"If it'll help your career, why don't you take these," Bess said, gathering the magazines and handing them to Niki. "I'm sure you'll find some new styles that will look great on you."

"Evcharisto," Niki said, hugging the magazines to her chest. She started toward the door, then turned back when she realized she was still wearing Bess's hat. "I almost forgot," she murmured, smiling. "You have such beautiful clothes." Quickly she put down the hat, picked up her bucket of cleaning supplies, then ducked out the door. Niki said, hugging the magazines to her chest. She started toward the door, then turned back when she realized she was still wearing Bess's hat. "I almost forgot," she murmured, smiling. "You have such beautiful clothes." Quickly she put down the hat, picked up her bucket of cleaning supplies, then ducked out the door.

"A fashion ally!" Bess said, clapping her hands together.

Nancy didn't say anything right away. After tossing her penlight, sunscreen, and an orange hat into a canvas bag, she looked at Bess and said, "I still want to check out the stuff about her sister."

"Oh, come on, Nancy," Bess protested, taking the wrapped package out of her tote bag and placing it on the dresser. "What do your instincts tell you?"