At the top of the hill behind the beach sat the hotel, a square wedding cake of a building, two stories high, with seaside balconies, long wooden shutters, and arched doorways. It was owned and operated by Kostas Kavalis and his daughter, Zoe.

“It was great of Zoe to invite us here,” Bess commented, lying back on her towel and closing her eyes. “She seems really nice.”

Zoe was a Greek girl whom George had met at Olympia. The two had hit it off, and Zoe had encouraged George to bring her friends to Mykonos for some “Greek hospitality” at her father’s inn. When George told Nancy and Bess about her new friend, the girls had decided to spend the last month of their European vacation on Mykonos.

“I knew you’d like her,” George said, smiling. She pointed to a speedboat that skittered over the water, pulling a water-skier behind it. “I can’t wait to get out there,” she said.

Nancy had to admit that the turquoise waters of the Aegean Sea looked inviting. “I’m sure you’ll get a chance to water-ski,” she said, pushing her reddish gold hair back with a pair of black sunglasses. “We’ve got a whole month to spend here, and I’m going to kick it off by relaxing—with a capital R!”

“I hope that means no more cases,” Bess teased. “After the two mysteries you solved in Switzerland and Italy, I think you’ve done your share of detective work in Europe.”

Nancy thought back to the two cases, which she already called Swiss Secrets and Rendezvous in Rome. “Dealing with blackmailers and jewelry thieves is enough action for one summer,” she said, burying her toes in the warm sand. “But you know I can’t resist when a mystery comes along—”