“Wow,” Bess said, stabbing a chunk of juicy eggplant. “Do you think he’s the forger?”
“It’s possible,” George said. “Niki had access to the room with the safe, and Nancy saw her give something to Dimitri this morning. Maybe she agreed to steal the passports and sell them to him.”
Nancy had been thinking the same thing. “I still don’t have any proof, though. I really want to check out Dimitri’s studio. He was reluctant when I said I wanted to see it . . .”
“So maybe the stolen passports are there,” Mick finished for her.
“Would the forger have to be on this island?” George asked. “I mean, maybe the thief took the passports to Athens to have them altered.”
“Maybe,” Nancy agreed. “But we saw the beefed-up security on Delos today. If security is that tight all over, there’s a good chance that the thief—and the passports—are still on Mykonos.”
After lunch Bess decided to go to Chora to purchase the windmill from Spiros’s shop. Zoe and George had already decided to stay behind and squeeze in a swim before the engagement party that night, but Mick and Nancy opted to go along with Bess.
When they got to the town, the labyrinthine streets were empty except for a few dogs napping in shaded doorways.
“That’s right!” Nancy said, slapping her forehead. “Zoe told us yesterday that it’s just like in Italy. The businesses close up for siesta from two to five.”
“Maybe the shop with my windmill is open, though,” Bess said hopefully. But when they reached Spiros’s shop, the door was locked and the lights were off.
Mick peered through the glass door into the darkness. “What’s next?” he asked.
Nancy was beginning to think the trip would be a waste of time. But as her gaze landed on the building’s second story, she murmured, “I’d still like to check out Dimitri’s studio.”
Looking up and down the deserted street, Mick said, “Maybe he hasn’t returned from Delos yet.” He climbed the narrow white staircase that led to the studio door, then knocked. “And if no one’s home, what’s the harm in having a quick look?”
When no one answered, Mick looked through the window next to the door. “I don’t see anyone,” he said. He reached through the open window, stretched, and turned the bolt on the door. “So much for security,” he said, and grinned.
He pushed the door open and leaned inside. “The coast is clear, but he could turn up while we’re snooping around.”
Nancy turned to Bess. “Why don’t you stay out here and keep a lookout?”
“Okay.” Bess sat in a shady spot at the bottom of the stairs while Nancy joined Mick at the door. “But try to make it quick. I’m roasting.”
Inside the studio the first thing Nancy noticed was the wide array of equipment. In the shadowed light she could see a large copy machine, a paper cutter, a light box, an overhead projector, and other equipment. Fake background drops were stacked in one corner.
Although Nancy wasn’t an expert, she could see that Dimitri hadn’t exaggerated about his studio. “Pretty impressive,” she murmured.
From the way Mick whistled through his teeth, she could tell that he agreed. “This color copier is really something,” he said, leaning over the huge machine. “This baby can do anything. It can make copies bigger, smaller, darker, lighter—hardly the type of thing you’d expect to find in a vacation resort. I’ll bet—”
Mick was interrupted by Bess’s loud voice. “Dimitri! Oh, good. I’ve been waiting for you!”
“Quick!” Mick whispered. “He’s coming.”
Nancy’s eyes darted to the back of the studio, looking for a way out. She saw only a solid, windowless wall. “Mick, there’s no back door!” she whispered.
Just then she heard footsteps on the stairs.
Nancy’s heart raced as she and Mick dropped to the floor behind the huge copy machine.
They were trapped—and there was no way out!
Chapter Five
Nancy hunched behind the machine, holding her breath. She could barely make out Bess’s voice over the pounding in her own ears.
“It’s really important,” Bess said persuasively. “It’s such a beautiful day—you know, what we call in America a Kodak moment. I just have to capture it on film. Can you take my picture standing next to the fishing boats in the harbor?”