redness of her lips.
“ Signorina, you like the shoes?” the vendor asked.
Trish blinked and turned to the man. “What?”
“You like the shoes?” The beady-eyed man asked again. “I make you good deal.”
Theo shot the man a black look but he simply smiled and looked at Trish with a hopeful expression.
“I’m not sure,” Trish said. “I think I’ll look a little more before I decide.” She placed the shoes back on the cart and grabbed Theo’s hand. “Let’s explore.”
They’d barely gone five feet when Trish abruptly stopped. “Ariana.”
The librarian whirled, her eyes wide. “Trish. What are you doing here?”
“Shopping.” Trish laughed. “Just like the majority of the passengers who came onshore.”
“Of course,” Ariana said, but Theo noticed the woman’s smile looked strained, and she turned her back on the vendor she’d been speaking with only moments before.
Trish, however, seemed oblivious to Ariana’s discomfort. She glanced over the librarian’s shoulder and her eyes widened at the statuary on display. “Wow. He’s got some nice stuff.”
“It’s okay,” Ariana said. “Nothing spectacular.”
“It’s amazing how real these reproductions can look. If I”
“We don’t have much time left,” Ariana said. “I’m surprised you don’t have a shopping bag already filled with treasures.”
“You’re right,” Trish agreed. “We should get going. So much to see and do and so little time.”
Something that looked a lot like relief filled the woman’s eyes. While Theo had the feeling Ariana was happy to see them go, he knew she couldn’t be as happy as he was…to be alone with Trish once again.
“N OTHING SPECTACULAR ?” The antiquities vendor raised a brow.
“They were from the ship,” Ariana said in a clipped tone. “I wanted them gone. If I’d raved about your inventory she’d still be here.”
“Not if the man had his way. There was more on his mind than shopping.” The vendor chuckled and made some lurid gestures with his fingers.
It was all Ariana could do not to snap at him. Time was racing by and the man was behaving like a blasted adolescent.
“I didn’t come halfway across the world to talk about them,” she said, forcing a conciliatory tone. “What I need to know is, can you get the piece or not?”
“I’m sorry, signorina, ” the man said, not appearing at all sorry. “Even if I could locate that piece for you, you would not be able to take such an item from the country.”
Another closed door. But she wasn’t about to let him pat her on the head and send her on her way. There was too much at stake. In order to prove her father wasn’t guilty of antiquities theft and restore his good name, Ariana had to investigate all leads.
Leads like dealers who’d been listed as contacts in her father’s notebook. From them she hoped to find out who her father had dealt with at various archaeological sites.
“Look.” Ariana planted both hands on the table and leaned forward. “Does the name Derek Bennett mean anything to you?”
He rubbed his chin, his gaze thoughtful. But the momentary flicker in his eyes told Ariana she’d hit pay dirt.
She held her breath.
“There’s a dig in Paestum, not far from here,” he said finally. “When you get to the site, ask for Nico. Tell him I sent you. He’ll get you what you want.”
Ariana’s head was spinning. After all her searching, she was finally getting somewhere. She cleared her throat. “Does this Nico have a last name?”
The man was silent a moment. “Nico is enough.”
Ariana pulled a tiny notebook and pen from her pocket and wrote the name down, though there was no way she would forget it. “And you said the dig is in Paestum?”
The man nodded.
Ariana glanced at her watch. It was already three. She had to be back on board by five. That still gave her a good two hours. “Is it close?”
“Not too far,” the man said. “About a
“ Signorina, you like the shoes?” the vendor asked.
Trish blinked and turned to the man. “What?”
“You like the shoes?” The beady-eyed man asked again. “I make you good deal.”
Theo shot the man a black look but he simply smiled and looked at Trish with a hopeful expression.
“I’m not sure,” Trish said. “I think I’ll look a little more before I decide.” She placed the shoes back on the cart and grabbed Theo’s hand. “Let’s explore.”
They’d barely gone five feet when Trish abruptly stopped. “Ariana.”
The librarian whirled, her eyes wide. “Trish. What are you doing here?”
“Shopping.” Trish laughed. “Just like the majority of the passengers who came onshore.”
“Of course,” Ariana said, but Theo noticed the woman’s smile looked strained, and she turned her back on the vendor she’d been speaking with only moments before.
Trish, however, seemed oblivious to Ariana’s discomfort. She glanced over the librarian’s shoulder and her eyes widened at the statuary on display. “Wow. He’s got some nice stuff.”
“It’s okay,” Ariana said. “Nothing spectacular.”
“It’s amazing how real these reproductions can look. If I”
“We don’t have much time left,” Ariana said. “I’m surprised you don’t have a shopping bag already filled with treasures.”
“You’re right,” Trish agreed. “We should get going. So much to see and do and so little time.”
Something that looked a lot like relief filled the woman’s eyes. While Theo had the feeling Ariana was happy to see them go, he knew she couldn’t be as happy as he was…to be alone with Trish once again.
“N OTHING SPECTACULAR ?” The antiquities vendor raised a brow.
“They were from the ship,” Ariana said in a clipped tone. “I wanted them gone. If I’d raved about your inventory she’d still be here.”
“Not if the man had his way. There was more on his mind than shopping.” The vendor chuckled and made some lurid gestures with his fingers.
It was all Ariana could do not to snap at him. Time was racing by and the man was behaving like a blasted adolescent.
“I didn’t come halfway across the world to talk about them,” she said, forcing a conciliatory tone. “What I need to know is, can you get the piece or not?”
“I’m sorry, signorina, ” the man said, not appearing at all sorry. “Even if I could locate that piece for you, you would not be able to take such an item from the country.”
Another closed door. But she wasn’t about to let him pat her on the head and send her on her way. There was too much at stake. In order to prove her father wasn’t guilty of antiquities theft and restore his good name, Ariana had to investigate all leads.
Leads like dealers who’d been listed as contacts in her father’s notebook. From them she hoped to find out who her father had dealt with at various archaeological sites.
“Look.” Ariana planted both hands on the table and leaned forward. “Does the name Derek Bennett mean anything to you?”
He rubbed his chin, his gaze thoughtful. But the momentary flicker in his eyes told Ariana she’d hit pay dirt.
She held her breath.
“There’s a dig in Paestum, not far from here,” he said finally. “When you get to the site, ask for Nico. Tell him I sent you. He’ll get you what you want.”
Ariana’s head was spinning. After all her searching, she was finally getting somewhere. She cleared her throat. “Does this Nico have a last name?”
The man was silent a moment. “Nico is enough.”
Ariana pulled a tiny notebook and pen from her pocket and wrote the name down, though there was no way she would forget it. “And you said the dig is in Paestum?”
The man nodded.
Ariana glanced at her watch. It was already three. She had to be back on board by five. That still gave her a good two hours. “Is it close?”
“Not too far,” the man said. “About a
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