(#60) The Greek Symbol Mystery (6 page)

Next morning, the girls awakened early and directly after breakfast went to the jewelry shop in monastiraki.

Nancy’s first question to the shopkeeper was, “Do you recall the name of the man who bought the gold mask?”

The woman glanced in bewilderment from Nancy to the other girls. “Gold mask? What gold mask?” she repeated.

“The one you had in your window,” Nancy said.

“I don’t know what you are taking about. ”

“Surely you remember all of us,” the girl went on.

The shopkeeper remained silent. It was only when Bess decided to purchase a gold filigree bracelet that she smiled a little.

“A very pretty choice. Excuse me while I wrap it.
^»

“Weird,” George commented as the woman slipped behind the curtain, but hearing a low murmur of voices, she said no more.

Nancy tiptoed near the curtain. She caught a few Greek words,
símera, ti óra, stís októ, apópse,
and finally the name of the girls’ hotel!

“Something’s about to happen at the Hotel Skyros!” Nancy gasped.

7

Burglar Attempt

Before Nancy could tell her friends what she had overheard, the curtain was flung back. The shopkeeper appeared, holding Bess’s purchase.

“Is there anything else you would like?” she asked the girls.

“No, thank you,” George replied, signalling her cousin to leave.

Outside, Nancy opened her Greek-English dictionary, then said, “Something related to the three of us is going to happen at our hotel tonight about eight o’clock!”

“What!” Bess exclaimed.

“But where?” George asked. “We can’t cover the entire hotel. There are fourteen floors—”

“And a lobby,” Bess interrupted, adding, “Are you positive the shopkeeper was talking about us?”

“No, I’m not,” Nancy said, “but my hunch is yes. Anyway, we should stick around to see what happens. ”

That evening, the girls strolled through the hotel at the appointed hour. As a precaution, Nancy asked the hotel desk and telephone operator not to reveal the girls’ room to anyone. Bess offered to post herself near the busy side entrance.

“Where are you two going to be?” she asked.

Before either could answer, a call came over the loudspeaker for Nancy Drew to answer the phone. “George, will you check that out for me?”

“Sure. Where are you going? ”

“Upstairs to our room.”

“Alone?” Bess asked fearfully.

“I’ll be okay. You stake out the side entrance and don’t worry. I have a feeling that phone call is meant to keep us away from our room. ”

The girl detective took the elevator to the ninth floor. Instinct told her to step out cautiously. As she approached her door, a man suddenly appeared from the stairway exit. In his hand was a key which he inserted in the lock of her room!

“Stop!” she shouted, racing toward him.

He whirled quickly and hurled something in her direction, then dashed to the stairway.

“Stop! Stop!” Nancy cried again, dodging the object. She ran after the intruder, tracking him to the floor below. He dashed into an elevator with a couple who were just entering. The door closed just before Nancy got there.

He’s probably going to the lobby! Nancy thought.

Instantly, the girl detective flew back to the stairs, bolting down each flight with amazing speed. Upon reaching the ground floor, she gazed about breathlessly, hoping the man would still be in the lobby. There was no sign either of him or of the couple who had ridden with him.

Nancy hurried to the desk.
“Parakaló,
excuse me,” she said. “I’m looking for someone.” She described the suspect and the couple and added, “Are they staying in this hotel?”

“I don’t recognize the man but the couple sound familiar. They are staying here. Their name is Zimmer. I believe they are members of a charter tour from Massachusetts. ”

Just then, George spotted Nancy and ran toward her. “That phone call was from a newspaper reporter.” she said. “He wants to write an article about you.”

“About me?” Nancy said. “Why?”

“It seems he heard you were in Athens to solve a mystery and wishes to know what it’s about.”

“You didn’t tell him, did you?”

“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t tell anyone. I said, ‘What kind of a detective would I be if I told you over the phone?’ ”

“And what did he say?”

“He didn’t want all the details—just enough to make an interesting story. ‘Even so,’ I said, ‘I really can’t help you.’ ” She paused. “I believe he thought I was you until I slipped and told him I wasn’t Nancy Drew.”

“Then what happened?”

“He was furious and hung up.”

“Did you find out his name?” Nancy inquired.

“Yes, it’s Irwin.”

“And which paper does he work for?”

“He’s a free-lance writer. At least, that’s what he said. He claims he’s developing a column that focuses on Americans living or visiting in Greece. ”

“I think,” Nancy told George, “that Irwin, if that’s his real name, was only trying to keep me from going to our room, while his buddy went in.” She told about her ride to the ninth floor and what had happened. “The man looked like the one who took the apples—”

“Where did he get the key?” George asked. “Do you think he works at this hotel?”

“Possibly. Or maybe he stole a master key and had a duplicate made before anyone discovered the original was missing.”

“Terrific,” George said, shaking her head in concern. “If you’re right, then he could return at any time. ”

“We don’t have much of value for him to steal,” Nancy said. “What really bothers me is that he can harm us. Apparently, the apples were meant for us after all. ”

George nodded worriedly. “We’d better change rooms before—”

Just then Bess ran up to them. “Wait until you hear this!” she panted.

“What?” Nancy asked.

“A man ran out of the elevator and almost bumped into me. I heard him say ‘Drew.’ ”

“Why didn’t you follow him?” George pressed her cousin.

“I tried to, but he got away from me. He jumped into a car and they took off.”

“They?” George asked.

“There was another man behind the wheel. ”

“Did you notice a couple with them?” Nancy continued.

“Come to think of it, there were two people in the elevator, but they didn’t go with him. They looked as mystified as I was when he cut out in front of them. I’m positive the rude one was the man we saw with Isakos!”

Suddenly, Nancy recalled the object he had hurled at her in the hallway near the girls’ room.

“Let’s go upstairs,” she said. “On the way I’ll tell you what happened to me.”

When Bess heard about the intruder, she turned pale. “We’ll have to move out of here!” she insisted. “What if the guy slips us another poisonous snake?”

“If you would feel safer in another room,” Nancy said, “we can arrange it. I’m staying where we are.

“But why expose yourself to danger?”

“What’s to prevent him and his pals from finding us in another room? If we leave the hotel, we might lose track of our enemies. I don’t want to do that. I want to catch them!”

“Nancy’s right,” George agreed. “We’re a team, and facing the danger is winning half the battle!”

The girls stopped near room 968.

“There it is!” Nancy cried, seeing something that lay on the hallway carpet. She hurried forward and picked it up. “It’s a metal stamp,” she said.

On the bottom was the strange serpentine symbol that appeared on the gold mask!

8

Valuable Outburst

Were the intruder and Isakos working together as art thieves? Nancy wondered. If so, had one of them planted the mask in her shopping bag, hoping the police would arrest her if she tried to return it?

“This is absolutely incredible,” George said, staring at the stamp.

“It must be used to identify all the stuff stolen from the museum,” Bess suggested.

But why was the stranger carrying the stamp with him? Why, too, had he thrown it away so carelessly? Was it done in a fit of frustration?

No immediate answers came to the three detectives as they went into their room.

“Maybe we ought to investigate St. Mark’s monastery,” George said, “It wouldn’t surprise me if Isakos and his friend try to steal some of the icons. ”

“And stamp them with this,” George added.

“Uh-huh. I have a feeling we’re in for another long night,” Bess moaned. “Didn’t Isakos say something about two or three in the morning?”

“Why don’t we take a nap for a few hours?” Nancy suggested. She removed Mr. Mousiadis’s car keys from her purse and put them next to her digital alarm clock. “Seeing these when I wake up will spur me out of bed. She laughed.

None of the girls slept soundly. When they awoke, it was one o’clock.

“All set?” Nancy asked cheerily.

Bess lifted her head from the pillow, then mumbled something and turned over.

“Come on, sleepyhead!” her cousin prodded her.

“Go away,” Bess murmured, but forced herself to get up.

Once she dampened her face, Bess was as eager as the others to begin their journey into the hills. But the monotonous drone of the car engine soon made her sleepy again.

“How much farther do we have to go?” Bess asked when they reached the edge of the city.

“Only a few more miles,” Nancy replied, stifling a yawn.

Soon she turned the car onto a narrow roadway that twisted between darkened houses and rows of cypress trees that grew more dense as the iron gate of the monastery came into view. A lone candle was burning dimly in a window.

“How do we get in?” Bess whispered. “The gate looks locked.”

Nancy pulled the car to a halt and shut off the headlights. “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” she declared.

Careful not to make any noise, the three sleuths crept out into the moonlight and moved toward the gate.

“We’re in luck,” Nancy whispered excitedly. “The bolt’s broken.”

“Maybe someone forced it!” Bess declared.

“Or maybe it’s just rusty,” her cousin said, helping Nancy swing back the heavy gate.

Quietly they stole across the paved courtyard, glancing at the candlelit window, and hid near a tree. Suddenly a loud wail drew monks from their cells.

“What’s going on?” Bess whispered to the others.

She stuck her head out from behind the tree trunk to watch the men scurrying through the chapel doors at the far end of the courtyard.

“Do you want them to see us?” George asked, yanking her cousin back next to her.

“They won’t. It’s pitch-black,” Bess retorted.

“Sh!” Nancy signalled them to stop talking.

She noticed a glow of light dance on and off across the pavement. Perhaps one of the monks had remained in his cell, turned on a lamp for a moment, then shut it off. But to her surprise the light flickered several times. Was it a signal?

The cousins had also noticed it, but kept quiet as a man in a long black robe darted in front of their hiding place. The wailing sound had stopped and the other priests quickly returned to the courtyard, immediately dispersing to their rooms.

“Let’s go to the gardens,” Nancy said in a low voice.

Bess grasped her friend’s arm. “What if they all come out again?” she asked nervously.

“What if, what if,” George grumbled. “What if the sky falls down, Chicken Little?

With a deep frown, Bess stepped away from the old gnarled tree.

“Stand where you are!” a deep voice ordered.

“Oh!” Bess gasped, freezing in fear.

Nancy whirled and found herself facing the grizzly detective who had tried to arrest her at the museum ! “Have you been following us?” she asked.

On the way to the monastery, Nancy had noticed a pair of headlights bearing down on her car, but it had whipped past when she parked.

“I—how you say—have had my eye on you all. ”

“But I didn’t tell anyone where we were going,” the girl sleuth said.

“Doesn’t matter. Your hotel has been very helpful to the police.”

“You mean that someone at the Skyros has been reporting our comings and goings to you?” George inquired in disbelief.

The detective ignored the question. “You have no right to be here,” he charged. “This is private property. ”

“We’re investigating something,” George explained indignantly.

Afraid that Bess, out of fright, might reveal too much, Nancy said quickly, “We have reason to believe that someone is planning to steal things from this monastery. He may be doing it this very minute!”

“Ridiculous!” the detective sneered.

“If you don’t believe us,” George spoke up impulsively, “we’ll show you!”

“We will?” Bess asked in surprise.

In the back of George’s mind and Nancy’s was the thought that the man in the black robe might have been Isakos or his partner! Nancy glanced at her watch. It was almost 2:30 A.M.

“He went down there,” Nancy said, pointing to a stone passageway across the courtyard.

She led the way to a small room. The wooden door was open a crack and George pushed against it gently. Nancy noticed the walls were devoid of any decoration. There was only a simple altar where a monk knelt in prayer. He jerked up suddenly when the door hinge squeaked, but he did not turn around.