Nancy’s first glimpse of Dragonisi was of a wild, isolated mass of rock and sand. Nikos circled the island so that she and Mick could get their bearings. One end of the oblong island seemed to be the hot spot for snorkeling. Haifa dozen boats were anchored offshore, and Nancy saw three different groups of swimmers who seemed to be taking instruction.
“Hey, check that out!” Mick said, pointing to one of the boats bobbing in the water near the beach. “Isn’t that the Sea Star?”
Squinting over the sparkling reflection of sunlight on the water, Nancy was able to make out the distinctive star on the boat’s yellow hull. “That’s it,” she said, scanning the beach. “And there’s Theo.”
No sooner had Nancy spotted him than she saw Theo bounding over to a petite girl with short red hair.
“That’s strange,” Mick said as their boat coursed ahead. “When I asked him to bring us to Dragonisi he turned me down—and yet, there he is.”
Nancy was wondering the same thing as she tied her reddish blond hair into a ponytail and tucked it under her orange baseball cap. “Maybe another group hired him to bring them here,” she said.
After circling Dragonisi, Nancy and Mick asked Nikos to drop them off in a secluded area. They chose a rocky beach on the opposite side of the islet from the groups of divers and made arrangements with Nikos to pick them up at the same spot at four o’clock.
Knowing that they would have to wade ashore, Nancy had worn a swimsuit under her clothes. Now she stuffed her shorts, T-shirt, and sneakers into her tote bag. Holding the tote bag over her head, she lowered herself into the water and waded to the beach. Mick followed, balancing his clothes and the picnic basket. Standing on the uneven stretch of sand broken by craggy rock formations, they waved to Nikos as he sped off.
“I don’t know about you,” Mick said after they found a cozy spot in the shade of a twisted olive tree, “but after that boat ride, I’m starved.”
Nancy glanced at the dark cave openings in the rocky hills. “I guess the caves can wait until after lunch,” she said.
She opened the picnic basket, and they split up the generous portions of fruit and spread the cheese on the crusty bread. While they ate, they discussed the fading trail of the missing passports.
“I think you’re right to keep an eye on Dimitri,” Mick said. “He’s suspicious, all right.”
Nancy sighed. “And he’s our only lead, unfortunately. I wish I had more to go on.”
“This morning I contacted some friends of my father’s at the Australian Embassy in Athens,” Mick told her, licking his fingers after eating a stuffed grape leaf. “They’ll let me know if they hear of similar thefts—or if they come across any information on Bess’s passport.”
Half an hour later Nancy was sure she couldn’t eat another thing.
“Some more grapes?” Mick offered.
“No, thanks.” She was already on her feet and slipping her clothes on over her swimsuit, which had dried in the sun. “I’m dying to explore some of those caves that Theo told us about. This should help light the way,” she said, pulling her penlight out of her tote bag.
“That tiny thing?” Mick teased. He reached into the picnic basket and pulled out a high-powered flashlight. “Zoe left this for us,” he said, pushing his cap back on his head. “When it comes to caves, you don’t want to be left in the dark.”
The first cave they explored had an arched opening with a vaulted rock ceiling high overhead. “It’s like a Gothic cathedral,” Nancy said. A moment later, she laughed as her voice bounced back in an eerie echo.
Inside, they climbed between two huge boulders and found themselves on a narrow path leading into the darkness. “We’d better keep close to each other,” Mick said, turning back to take Nancy’s hand before he continued. Nancy stepped carefully, watching the beam of Mick’s flashlight bounce along the walls ahead.
She nearly ran smack into Mick when he stopped abruptly. “Whoa!” he said, grabbing Nancy by the waist and taking a step back.