“Stay away! You’re all wet,” Zoe said, dodging him. She didn’t seem very glad to see him, Nancy noticed. With a tight smile Zoe introduced Nancy, Mick, Bess, and George.
Theo’s brown eyes twinkled as he smiled at Nancy and her friends. “Theologos Pattakos, water taxi, tour boat, and fishing boat, at your service. But everyone calls me Theo.”
Nancy smiled. “Sounds as if you’ve got quite a business going, Theo.”
He nodded toward his boat. “The Sea Star is my first love.” He casually slipped an arm around Zoe’s shoulders, adding, “Zoe is my second.”
“Not anymore,” Zoe said, pushing him away. Nancy noticed the brittle tension in Zoe’s voice as she went on to explain, “Theo and I used to date, but now we’re just friends.”
There was a story here, Nancy thought, but she didn’t want to pry.
“Do you think you can find the time to take George water-skiing?” Zoe asked Theo. “I’ll bet she’s an excellent water-skier.”
George’s eyes lit up with excitement. “I’d love to!”
Theo waved toward the boat and smiled. “Let’s go!”
Nancy thought he seemed relieved to get away from the tense situation with Zoe. A moment later George and Theo were speeding out to sea aboard the Sea Star.
“And now it’s time for me to take a dip before I go back to work,” Zoe said, starting for the water.
Bess decided to join Zoe, but Nancy and Mick stretched out on the beach and continued to read Nancy’s guidebook.
Mick pointed to a small islet just east of Mykonos on the map. “Dragonisi is so close. We’ve got to see it,” he said. “It says here that it’s uninhabited and riddled with caves.”
“Might be fun to explore,” Nancy agreed. “Then there’s Naxos, Delos, Tinos . . .” She shook her head as she leafed through the pages. “It’s a good thing we’ve got a month to explore!”
They were checking the boat schedule to Delos, the holy island of the ancient Greeks, when laughter distracted Nancy. She looked up to see Bess and Zoe posing for a roving photographer.
“Wait!” Zoe laughed, rubbing water out of her eyes.
After arranging her slick, wet hair on one shoulder, Bess moved closer to Zoe and flashed the dark-haired photographer a grin. “Okay, shoot,” Bess told him.
As soon as the photographer handed the instant photo to Bess, she ran over to Nancy and Mick. “You guys have to get your picture taken, too,” Bess insisted, waving the developing photo at them. “My treat.” She knelt down on her beach towel and reached into her tote bag for money.
“Such a beautiful couple,” the photographer said, focusing his camera on Nancy and Mick.
Mick slipped his arm around Nancy and mugged for the camera. “Say feta,” he teased, using the Greek word for goat cheese.
Once the photographer had snapped their picture, Bess paid and thanked him, carefully saying, “Evcharistó.”
“Parakaló . . . you’re welcome,” answered the photographer. Nancy guessed that he was in his early twenties. The warm breeze ruffled his curly black hair and crisp white shirt. There was an appreciative look on his angular face as he gazed at Bess. He definitely seemed interested in her.
“Looks like romance is in the air,” Nancy whispered to Mick.
“That’s no surprise,” he answered with a knowing grin. “Bess has managed to charm half of Europe.”
“It’s a pleasure to photograph such beautiful people, even if it is my job,” the photographer told Bess, lingering by Nancy’s towel. “I’m Dimitri Zorzis, the best photographer on Mykonos. I have a studio in Chora, where I do much better work than this.” He gestured at the photos, which were now becoming clear.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Bess said, studying the picture of Zoe and her. “This is pretty good.”
“Because of the subjects, of course,” Dimitri insisted, flashing Bess a winning smile. “You are models?”
“No,” Bess answered, blushing with pleasure. “Nancy, Mick, and I are just tourists. And Zoe lives here. Her father owns the Hotel Athena.”
Dimitri nodded at Zoe, then gave Bess a friendly wink. “Well, I hope you will let me know if you want to capture more of your vacation on film,” he said. After slinging his camera over his shoulder, he continued on to the next group of sunbathers.
Bess couldn’t take her eyes off Dimitri as he walked along the beach. “Greek guys are so gorgeous,” she insisted. “I could stay on this island forever.”
Nancy raised an eyebrow at Bess. “From the way Dimitri smiled at you, I don’t think he’d mind at all.”
“Well, you’ll have a chance to meet many Greek people tomorrow night at dinner,” Zoe said. “It will be a very special occasion—a celebration of my cousin’s engagement. You are all invited to join the festivities.”
“Terrific!” Bess exclaimed.
Zoe pulled on her sundress, then picked up the plastic thermos and put the glasses in the straw bag. “I have to get back to the inn. If I can get enough done this afternoon, I’ll be free to spend all of tomorrow with you.”
Nodding at the guidebook propped open between Nancy and Mick, Zoe asked, “Have you decided what you want to see first?”
“How about Delos?” Nancy said, turning to a page she had marked in the book. “It says here that there’s a boat leaving for the island at ten-fifteen each morning.”
“Sounds good to me,” Bess put in.
Zoe smiled her approval. “You’ll like Delos. It is full of statues, mosaics, and marble ruins.” She waved at George, who was zipping across the water not far from shore, then picked up the tote bag and started up the hill. “See you at dinner—around nine-thirty,” she called. Then she disappeared up the footpath.
“Nine-thirty!” Bess groaned. “By that time I may faint from hunger.”
“George warned us that people eat pretty late here,” Nancy said. “But I’m sure we’ll find some way to pass the time.”
The afternoon sun was just beginning to wane when George finally swam in from water-skiing. Mick wanted to linger on the beach, but the girls decided to head back to the inn to shower and then explore the town of Chora before dinner.
Nancy, Bess, and George were sharing a large, airy suite on the second floor of the hotel. When they checked in, Nancy had been charmed by the balcony view of the sea, the floor-to-ceiling windows with wooden shutters, and the beds covered in crisp white coverlets.
“First one in gets the shower!” Bess called as she turned toward the staircase that led to their room.
“You’re on,” George agreed, sprinting after her cousin.
All three girls raced up the stairs, but George pushed ahead, reaching the door to their room first. To her surprise it was open.
She stopped short, and Nancy nearly plowed into her. She looked over George’s shoulder into the sunny lounge area of their room. “Whoa!” Nancy said under her breath.
A tumbled mess of clothes covered the sofa and wicker chairs. Bess’s nightcase was upside down on the floor. Nancy stepped forward and squatted just inches away from a tan puddle near the case. “What’s this?”
“My makeup!” Bess gasped, joining Nancy.
A bottle of beige foundation lotion lay splattered on the wooden floor. Beside it sat tangled strings of beads and rhinestones.
“Someone’s been in our room,” George observed, frowning.
“And they’ve been going through my luggage,” Bess said.
Nancy froze as she heard the sound of running water coming from their bathroom. “Wait a minute,” she whispered, motioning for her friends to remain still. Her eyes flew to the bathroom door, which was open a crack.
“We’re not alone,” Nancy whispered. “Someone’s in the bathroom!”
Chapter Two