In that instant Nancy felt the entire world screech to a halt. All she could do was stare at Mick in shock.
“Bride?” she finally managed to say. Bride, as in wedding, as in married to Mick forever . . . for better or worse? Nancy’s heart raced with the most magical, terrifying feeling she had ever experienced.
“Don’t look so shocked,” Mick said, running a finger along her chin. “Two people who love each other should be together. Usually it makes them happy,” he teased.
Nancy struggled to put her feelings into words. “It isn’t that,” she said. “I love being with you, Mick. It’s just that I wasn’t thinking about getting married.” Suddenly an image shot into her head. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine leaving her hometown . . . saying goodbye to her dad and to Hannah Gruen, their housekeeper, who had helped take care of her when she was growing up.
“Well, will you think about it?” he asked.
“Of course,” Nancy promised. Framed by moonlight, Mick’s face looked so handsome. Leaning toward her, he covered her mouth in a kiss that Nancy was sure would melt her heart forever.
“Married!” Bess shrieked when Nancy returned to the room and filled her friends in on Mick’s proposal.
“What did you say?” George asked.
Nancy sank down onto her bed. “I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I told him I’d think about it,” she said. “I have to admit, I’m crazy about the guy, but—”
“You’re thinking about Ned, right?” asked Bess.
“Yes,” Nancy admitted. “There’s also River Heights, my detective work, Dad—and you guys. How can I leave all that behind?”
Bess went over to Nancy’s bed and gave her a hug. “If you decide to marry Mick and go to live in Australia, we’ll come visit you, that’s all. Nothing should come between two people who are in love!”
“The wise one has spoken,” George said. Giving Nancy a sympathetic smile, she said, “It’s a question that only you can answer. I mean, I really care about Kevin, but I’m not sure that I’d be crazy about the idea of following him around the world.” She shrugged. “It’s a tough call.”
That was for sure, Nancy thought. She resolved not to make any decision right away. But that night Nancy fell asleep dreaming of the rambling sheep ranches and vast beaches of Australia.
“I looked for Theo this morning, at the harbor,” Zoe told Nancy the next morning as they took a hydrofoil to Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades islands. They had been late boarding the craft, so Mick, Bess, and George had found scattered seats among the other thirty or so passengers.
Nancy pulled her orange hat lower on her head to ward off the sun. It was just before ten, but even in her shorts and tank top, she could feel the heat. “Any luck?” she asked Zoe.
“The Sea Star was already gone. Some of the fishermen say they’ve seen Theo anchored near Dragonisi. They thought he was fishing, but he’s been coming in without a catch for the past week.”
What does he do on Dragonisi if he’s not fishing? Nancy wondered. She didn’t have time to pursue the subject. Just then the engines slowed, and the hydrofoil docked in the bustling capital of Naxos.
From the terminal, the island looked like a mixture of whitewashed villages and lush green valleys. As soon as they were on land, Zoe suggested mopeds to make it easier to get around.
“Definitely,” said Bess. “We rented them when we were in Rome, and they were great.”
Ten minutes later they had rented three large mopeds from a shop across from the ferry terminal. Zoe and Bess teamed up on one bike, Nancy and Mick shared another, and Kevin and George took the third.
Clustered together outside the moped shop, studying a map of the island, the group decided to make the Temple of Apollo their first stop.
Zoe and Bess led the way to the north side of the port, turning left from the ferry terminal. In single file the mopeds buzzed along a causeway that connected the main island to a tiny islet. As they rounded a curve, a gigantic stone post-and-lintel came into view.
“That must be the temple,” Nancy said. A moment later Mick pulled into a parking lot teeming with vendors and tourists.
“This is the Temple of Apollo,” Zoe said as they all clambered off the bikes. “That doorway is called the Portora, which means ‘Great Door.’ ”
Staring up at the huge marble monument, Bess said, “That makes sense.”
Even the swarm of tourists couldn’t diminish the enormous power of the ancient structure. As the group strolled around, Nancy saw a familiar-looking man cross the marble floor of the temple.
“I can’t believe it,” she told Mick in an undertone. “Dimitri is here.”
Mick followed her gaze to the photographer, who had stopped to take a candid shot of a tiny girl.
“I wonder what he’s doing here?” Nancy asked thoughtfully. After the previous day’s discoveries, she had begun to think of Dimitri as the forger and Theo as the messenger. Could Dimitri’s presence here have anything to do with the passports? “Let’s split up, so we’re less conspicuous,” she suggested to the others.
“Good idea,” George said. She pointed to a vendor’s cart near the temple steps. “We’ll meet you back at that ice cream stand in an hour.”
Nancy was so busy watching Dimitri that she barely looked at the tan-colored marble ruins. He worked his charms on tourist after tourist, but she didn’t see any kind of exchange or unusual encounter.
After the hour had elapsed, Nancy rejoined her friends by the temple steps. Bess and Zoe wanted to move on, but Nancy hesitated.’She didn’t want to leave Dimitri.
“George and I will keep an eye on him,” Kevin volunteered. “You guys go ahead.”
Nancy started to object, but Bess interrupted. “Great! We’ll see you later.” Nancy looked at Bess quizzically but said nothing.
“No problem,” George said.
They arranged to meet for a late lunch in a popular taverna in the village. Then Bess, Zoe, Nancy, and Mick headed back toward their mopeds.
“Didn’t you get it?” Bess said to Nancy. “They want to be alone,” she went on dreamily, “to squeeze every bit of romance out of their last days together.”
Nancy laughed. “I should have guessed you’d pick up on that.”
“Too bad Kevin has to fly off to Madrid on Sunday,” Zoe said.
As Nancy climbed on the moped and wrapped her arms around Mick’s waist, she wondered again what the future held for Mick and her. Did they belong together—forever?
The rest of the morning passed quickly as they rode along the twisting roads of Naxos, passing sparkling white churches and crumbled ruins at every turn. They even saw a goat farmer who was moving his herd, the metallic clang of the goats’ bells filling the air.
Just outside town they pulled off the road at a scenic overlook. Bess and Zoe sat down on a bench as Nancy walked to the edge of the cliff. Pushing back the brim of her orange cap, Nancy took in the view of silvery green olive trees stretching in rows along the hills next to the clustered white buildings of the village.
“Isn’t it beautiful?” Mick asked, coming up next to her.
“It really is,” Nancy said, and leaned contentedly against him.
The moment was broken soon after by the buzz of a moped. Turning, Nancy saw a silver moped with two people on it round the curve of the road.
The sun glinted off the chrome of the bike, blinding Nancy for a moment. She blinked, then gasped as she saw the face of the driver. An angry red scar ran from his chin to his ear.
It’s the man from Dragonisi! Nancy thought, recoiling. There was no telling what he would do if he recognized them!
Chapter Eleven
“It’s them!” Nancy exclaimed.