Rendezvous in Rome Read Free Page A

too, but then they ran off.”
    â€œI guess they got scared,” Sandro said. Frowning, he took the necklace from Bess and examined it. “The clasp is broken.”
    While Bess spoke, Nancy scanned the area. She didn’t see any group of kids, but she did spot a splash of aqua next to a trash bin several yards away. “I think I see your knapsack,” she told Bess, striding toward the trash bin.
    It was the knapsack, she saw. As Nancy knelt to collect the scattered contents, Sandro appeared beside her.
    â€œThe perfume bottle shattered, but at least everything else will smell good,” he said, handing Bess’s hotel key and some change to Nancy. “We’re in luck. Even her wallet is here.”
    â€œBut no money,” Nancy said, checking it. “At least they didn’t take her credit cards.” She rummaged inside the knapsack and was relieved to see Bess’s passport and traveler’s checks, too. “I guess they were just after cash.”
    â€œThanks, guys,” Bess said when Nancy and Sandro returned with her things. “To think I bought this knapsack because I thought it wouldbe better than carrying around a purse. I feel so silly. Set upon by a gang of little kids!”
    â€œI’m just glad you’re not hurt,” Nancy said, handing Bess her knapsack. “All your ID is still there, but there’s no money in your wallet.”
    Bess shrugged. “I wasn’t carrying much anyway. The guidebooks tell you not to.” She stared ruefully at her necklace, which Sandro was still holding. “I feel bad about the broken clasp, though. I mean, Massimo just gave it to me, and I’ve already broken it.”
    â€œI can get it fixed for you,” Sandro offered. “My mother knows a good jeweler.”
    â€œIt might be simpler to take it back to Massimo,” Claudia said. With a teasing look at Bess she added, “I bet that will . . . cheer you up—is that the expression?”
    Sandro reluctantly handed the necklace to Bess. “At least let me buy you some more perfume. I wasn’t very good at protecting you.”
    â€œNo way,” Bess declared, dabbing at her forehead with a tissue she found in her knapsack. “But I will let you talk me into having lunch at a nice air-conditioned restaurant. I think I need to catch my breath!”
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    â€œBoy, it’s getting hotter by the minute,” Bess said an hour later as she, Nancy, George, and Claudia left a small restaurant named Piccolino. Sandro had left a few minutes earlier to return to his job. Now, in the heat of the midday sun, none of the girls felt like walking or getting on a crowded bus to get back to Piazza Navona.
    Claudia paused on the sidewalk and looked expectantly at the others. “I have an idea,” she said. “Have any of you ever ridden a Vespa?”
    â€œSure,” Nancy replied. “Isn’t it like a moped?”
    Claudia nodded. “They are a way of life in Rome. Everyone I know has one. Come on, there is a place where we can rent them down the street. We can get you two for the time you are here. You can ride double on the bigger ones.”
    Under Claudia’s direction the girls chose two Vespas and doubled up for the ride. “Just keep your eyes open,” Claudia told Nancy and George as she buckled her safety helmet on. “Romans are the worst drivers in the world.”
    Claudia wasn’t kidding, Nancy realized as the fourth driver in a row cut her and George off. George’s grip tightened on Nancy as Nancy buzzed around the car in order to keep Claudia and Bess in sight. She was relieved when they reached the piazza and could park the Vespa.
    Massimo came bounding over to greet the girls as they approached his jewelry display. “Dancing tonight?” he asked, his dark eyes fixed on Bess.
    â€œNot tonight,” Bess said, looking apologetic. “Sandro