Rendezvous in Rome Read Free

water sheeting over the sides.
    â€œThere he is,” Claudia said, pointing.
    Nancy saw a young man bounding up the steps, two at a time. He was good-looking, with light brown hair, a chiseled face, and chocolate eyes. When he reached them, he swept Claudia into his arms and gave her a big kiss.
    â€œI can see you’ve already been shopping,” Sandro said after Claudia introduced him to Nancy,Bess, and George. His English was very good, Nancy noticed. “Beautiful/’ Sandro said as his eyes came to rest on Bess’s necklace. He fingered it appreciatively. “Did you get this at Preziosi?”
    â€œNo, Massimo Bianco made it,” Bess told him.
    Sandro whistled. “Massimo is getting better. He should raise his prices!”
    As the five of them talked Nancy learned that Sandro was on his lunch hour from his job for a computer company. “It’s good to be outside after being inside all morning,” he told the girls.
    â€œIt is so beautiful today. We can eat on the steps,” Claudia suggested. “Who will come with me to buy some panini?”
    â€œPanini?” Bess asked, rummaging in her knapsack for her phrase book. “Is that food?”
    â€œSandwiches,” Claudia explained. “And we will need some àcqua minerale to drink.”
    â€œMineral water, right?” George guessed. “I’ll go with you, Claudia.”
    â€œWell, I’m going to practice my Italian in the piazza,” Bess decided. “I saw some earrings down there that I want to get a closer look at. I’ll meet you back here, okay?”
    Sandro turned to Claudia and briefly spoke to her in Italian. She nodded and said, “Buon idèa. Sandro will go with you to help, Bess.”
    As Sandro and Bess headed down the steps Nancy turned to Claudia. “I guess I’ll go with you and George. Now, where can we get those panini?”
    â€œI know a great tavola calda three blocks away,” Claudia told her, starting off down the street at thetop of the Spanish Steps. “They have pizza as well.”
    â€œUgh, who could stand anything hot?” George asked, wrinkling her nose. “It’s ninety degrees!”
    Nancy stopped in her tracks as a loud scream pierced the air. A moment later loud Italian voices and the clatter of running feet echoed off the stone buildings.
    â€œIt is coming from the piazza,” Claudia said with concern. She, Nancy, and George began to jog back to the steps.
    Just as the girls reached the top of the steps, another high-pitched wail rose above the noise. A familiar voice cried, “There they go! Stop them! They have my knapsack!”
    â€œQuick!” George shouted, taking off down the stairs. “It’s Bess!”

Chapter

Two
    N ANCY RACED AFTER G EORGE , with Claudia close behind. At first Nancy couldn’t see Bess through the thick knot of people gathered at the foot of the Spanish Steps. As they pushed their way through, she finally spotted Bess sitting on the ground near the fountain. Sandro was kneeling beside her.
    â€œBess, are you okay?” George asked breathlessly, hurrying over. “Are you hurt?”
    There was a shocked expression on Bess’s face as she looked up at her friends. “No, I’m fine,” she assured everyone, although her voice was a little shaky. Nancy and George quickly helped her to her feet. Seeing that Bess was all right, the crowd of people began to thin out.
    â€œThose awful kids are pickpockets and thieves. They swarm around tourists all the time,” Sandro said angrily.
    â€œAt least your necklace is safe,” Claudia commented, seeing the gold beads Bess was clasping tightly in her hand.
    Bess blinked as if she had just realized it was there. “Wow, that was intense,” she said. “All of a sudden these kids were all around me. They grabbed my knapsack, and the next thing I knew someone pulled at my necklace. They almost got it,