“Bess?” Nancy said. “Does this have something to do with her passport?”
“Passport?” Dimitri raked his fingers through the dark curls over his brow and looked confused. “No, no. Please don’t tell her that the studio isn’t mine. I lied about it to impress her,” he said. “Does she ever mention me?” he asked hopefully.
Nancy didn’t know if he was serious or if he was just trying to throw her off the track. Dimitri was attentive to Bess whenever they met. Not knowing what to think, Nancy made an excuse to Dimitri and went back to her seat.
When she told everyone what she’d just learned, Mick had an inspiration. “Spiros makes miniatures, doesn’t he? I mean, didn’t you buy a tiny windmill from him?” When Bess nodded, he added, “He probably uses the equipment to help with his sculptures.”
“But you saw those machines, Mick,” Nancy said. “They were pretty sophisticated—not just arts and crafts stuff. I’m not sure I trust Dimitri, but if Spiros really owns the equipment, he could be our forger.”
“Not Spiros,” Zoe objected. “I’ve known him since I was a child. He and my father are good friends. He has been like an uncle to me.” She shook her head. “This has gone too far! First you suspect our maid, then my friend Theo, and now Spiros,” she said, her voice cracking with strain.
“I’m sorry,” Nancy said. She didn’t want to hurt Zoe’s feelings, but she had to follow the trail of clues if she wanted to get to the bottom of the passport theft.
“This is the perfect way to end the day,” Bess said later that evening. She swayed to the strains of bouzouki music that was piped into the hotel’s taverna. “What do the words mean?” she asked Zoe.
“The lyrics to most Greek songs are about love,” Zoe explained.
Bess sighed. “It figures. That’s probably why I’m crazy about Greek music.”
A ballad began, and Nancy and Mick got up to dance. He swept her across the dance floor and twirled her under a trellis covered with fragrant hibiscus. Nancy felt as if she were floating on a cloud. Then a stern-looking young man appeared at the terrace door. He stopped a waiter, who pointed toward Nancy and Mick.
“Looks like we have a visitor,” Nancy whispered into Mick’s ear.
Mick turned his head and stared at the man in the doorway. “Looks serious,” he said. He took Nancy’s hand, and they went over to the edge of the terrace, where the young man was standing.
As it turned out, the man was a diplomatic courier. “I have a package for you from Thomas McCurdy,” the courier said, handing Mick a thin manila envelope. After Mick thanked him, the courier disappeared as suddenly as he had arrived.
“What is it?” Nancy was dying of curiosity as she followed Mick back to the table.
“McCurdy is my father’s friend—the ambassador in Athens that I mentioned before. This must be some information on Bess’s stolen passport,” Mick said as he broke the wax seal on the envelope.
Everyone leaned forward as Mick pulled out a letter and began to read in silence. A moment later he stopped and shook the envelope. Three glossy photographs spilled out—headshots of two men and a woman.
The air was heavy as the group stared at the photos. “That looks like the two guys you chased on Naxos today,” Bess said, pointing to two of the pictures.
“And that’s the redheaded woman who was in the cave on Dragonisi,” Nancy said.
“What does the letter say?” Kevin wanted to know.
Mick looked soberly around the table. “That these people are terrorists,” he replied, “and we should avoid them at all costs!”
Chapter Twelve
An audible gasp rose from the table. Nancy’s heart plummeted as she realized just how deadly the situation she and Mick had stumbled into was.
“Terrorists!” George echoed, looking scared. “Nancy, you’ve been tangling with killers!”
“What else does the letter say about the terrorists?” Kevin asked.
Mick smoothed the sheet of crisp bond paper, summarizing as he read on. “They’re three fugitives from the Middle East—explosives experts who were sent to prison for planting a bomb at a train station. The men are named Mashti and Rashid, and the woman is Shara—”