Read Online Rendezvous in Rome by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online

yours? She’d probably ask for the other necklace back.”
    Bess looked down at the necklace in the case longingly. “I guess you’re right,” she said reluctantly.
    â€œAnyway,” Nancy said, “check out the 6ther two necklaces and see if they look real to you.”
    They examined each one carefully. One of the necklaces had four blue stones in it and was similar to the stolen necklace. But all three had the same clasps Massimo used, and all the beads showed traces of seams. They were definitely fakes.
    The girls also searched the storeroom thoroughly but found no jewelry of any kind.
    At last Nancy thanked Paola for her time and patience. “We didn’t see any real jewelry,” she said. “I’m sorry we bothered you.”
    â€œWell, now that you’re satisfied I’m honest, you can investigate in more likely places,” Paola said as she escorted Nancy and Bess to the door. “Please tell Signora Fiorello I am sorry about what happened. And that I cooperated, of course.”
    Claudia stepped out the door with Bess and Nancy. “I’ll be right back,” she told Paola.
    â€œWhew!” Bess said once they were outside on via Condotti. “She must be loads of fun to work with.”
    â€œShe is usually very pleasant,” Claudia said vaguely. “I think she was offended.”
    â€œHow do you know her?” Nancy asked.
    She looked distractedly around, as if she was preoccupied. “Er, I know her through Signora Fiorello, actually,” she finally said. “She got me the job when I told her I needed summer work.”
    Claudia didn’t seem to be paying much attention, Nancy thought. Was it because her boss was a suspect? Or because of her fight with Sandro the night before? Or was there something else Nancy was missing?
    â€œListen, we wanted to stop by and see Massimo at his place,” she told Claudia. “We were hoping he could show us his jewelry-making equipment.” She decided it would be more prudent not to mention their real reason for going there. “Could you give us directions to his apartment?”
    Claudia gave them his address in Trastevere. “Itis not far from the club where we were last night.” Then she said, “I have to go back to work. Have fun.”
    Nancy and Bess rode their Vespas across the Tiber River— Tevere in Italian—to Trastevere. Buildings were crammed together along the narrow roads. Even the largest streets barely had enough room for two cars to pass.
    Massimo lived in a small, gray stone apartment building. His name was listed outside the front door, next to the buzzer for apartment 2A. He didn’t answer when Nancy buzzed.
    â€œGood, he’s not here,” she said. She reached into her bag for her lock-picking tools, then went to work.
    â€œI’ll let you know if anyone’s coming,” Bess offered, glancing up and down the empty street.
    Nancy had the lock open a moment later, and the girls went up the narrow stairs to the third floor. They had learned that in Italy the ground floor wasn’t numbered. It took only another minute or so before Nancy had the door to his apartment open, too.
    Massimo’s apartment had two tiny rooms and a bathroom. Clothes, papers, and art supplies were flung casually on every surface. Nancy and Bess each took a room and went to work.
    â€œHe’d try to get rid of the stolen jewelry as quickly as possible,” Nancy said, thinking aloud. “Look for something he could use to break into the houses, or maybe a stash of money.”
    The girls searched for over an hour. They stumbledon a few pieces of jewelry lodged behind the bed and in the backs of drawers. Every piece proved to be a fake.
    â€œI don’t know, Nan,” Bess said, brushing a strand of blond hair from her forehead. “All we’ve proven so far is that Massimo is a tremendous slob.”
    Nancy glanced over his modest