The platters were being passed around the table when Bess inquired, “How was Dragonisi?”
“Poor Nancy and Mick had a terrible time!” Zoe said, stabbing a grape leaf with her fork.
“What happened, Nan?” George asked, a concerned look in her brown eyes.
Nancy and Mick took turns telling the others about their day. First, Nancy recounted the story of their close call in the cave and of finding the explosives and passport photos. “Hardly standard camping gear,” she remarked dryly.
“It’s an odd coincidence,” Kevin said. “But how could they be connected to the passports that were stolen from the hotel?”
Nancy let out her breath in a long sigh. “I’m not sure,” she admitted, “but these people are definitely trouble. Maybe they need passports to get out of Greece. They might have found out about Dimitri’s studio and asked him to insert their photographs on the stolen passports.”
“But three passports were stolen,” Zoe pointed out, “and there were only two people in the cave.”
Mick snapped his fingers. “But there were three knapsacks! One guy could’ve been out running an errand or swimming or something.”
“That’s possible,” Nancy agreed. “Someone went through the hotel safe and carefully selected the ID of two American men and one American female—that could match the group hiding in the cave. And Officer Rossolatos told us that American passports are highly valued in the underworld.”
“Wait a minute,” Bess said, swallowing hard. “Are you saying that the woman from the cave is going to escape the police by using my passport?”
“Possibly,” Nancy said. “But she and the others need to have the photo page altered first. That’s why. I think there has to be a talented forger at work somewhere on these islands.”
As Nancy described their trip to the police station, she remembered the word that the Greek police had kept using. “Diafevgo,” she said, turning to Zoe. “I hope I’m saying it right. Can you tell me what it means?”
“It’s the Greek word for ‘flee’ or ‘escape,’ ” Zoe said thoughtfully. “Maybe they were relieved that you and Mick escaped from those people.”
Still not satisfied, Nancy said, “That might be it—but it seemed like something was going on. I wonder if the police have had dealings with those people with the explosives before.”
“Too bad Zoe wasn’t at the police station to translate,” Mick remarked.
“Or in the cave,” Nancy added. “The man in the cave kept saying something . . . shara. What does that mean?” she asked Zoe.
Zoe shook her head. “It’s not a Greek word.”
The table was silent for a moment as everyone considered Nancy and Mick’s close call. Then George said, “Nan, don’t tell me you’re going back to Dragonisi to look for that couple.”
Nancy shook her head. “No way—not with those explosives lying around. I thought it would be wiser to wait for the police to check out that cave. Unfortunately, they didn’t find anything.”
“Nothing?” Bess asked incredulously.
“Hardly a trace,” Zoe put in. “I called the police just before we left the hotel. They found the cave Nancy and Mick described, but the only thing left behind was the remnants of their campfire. They must have moved—and fast.”
“Not a good sign,” Nancy said, wincing. “They’re on the run. I think we’ve stumbled into some serious trouble here.”
“What are you going to do, Nan?” Bess asked.
“Keep an eye on Dimitri. If he’s the forger, he might lead us to the others involved. There’s one other person who concerns me, too.” Nancy told them her suspicions about Theo.
Kevin scooped up the last bit of souvlákia on his plate, then looked at Nancy. “Let me get this straight. You think Zoe’s friend Theo is helping those people with the explosives?”
“I don’t know,” Nancy said, “but so far, a lot of evidence points to it. Besides the cushions, I think I saw him talking with the red-haired woman who chased us from the cave. I want to check out his boat as soon as I can.”
Zoe was dubious. “I’ve known Theo for many years. We tease him about how he’ll do anything for money, but that’s a joke. He would never help criminals.”