| Presents Mediterranean Cruise - Part 4 |
| ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME! The journey to Rome passed without incident, and soon they were booking into their hotel and checking out the sights. The band members and the Passionate Pooches came to an ancient Roman Aquaduct. It seemed that very few had studied History at school, because they appeared to be expecting to see ducks of some kind! Hmmm. Jethro and Harry had gone off on their own to explore. They came to a statue without a head, and Jethro got a bright idea of how to improve it! He also thought that the empty hand was a flagpole, and saw the opportunity to do something patriotic about it! Inspector Griffin and his companion, Major Sydney, were keeping the two humans they had suspicions about in clear view. Sweetie was up to her tricks again, and Buttercup and Shana had noticed that they were being observed by one of the boys, (who will remain nameless at this stage.) Tuckerotti was concerned that Cassie was about to be bitten by a snake, and Rudy, Scooch, Murphy, Keeleigh and Keeva were sharing secrets. (Gossip!) Put a lot of dogs together on a Cruise Ship, and everybody’s business is soon Everybody’s Business! Already, romance was well in bloom, and several couples sought out a likely place to be alone – except that they all thought of the same place at the same time! Tobey and Reilly Girl seemed to be of the opinion that if they could not see anyone, then no one could see them! Hmmm. There wasn’t a lot of foot room because the floor was strewn with the ruins of broken columns. In fact, some of our most ‘sure-footed’ friends came to grief ‘among the ruins’! However, Abby had another name for this unfortunate place! Six of the other girls had gone shopping for souvenirs of Rome. The steep prices didn’t bother our two Dizzy, rich Blondes, but Mia thought they were exorbitant. Kansas was hurrying over to join them (in her new Roman coat!) while Snickerdoodle was mesmerized by the huge variety of ‘whatnots’, and Kelsie was – yes, shopping for her MOM??? The final stop-off in Rome was the VATICAN. There was so much to see, and boys, being boys, were more interested in the Swiss Guards and their colourful uniforms. Boomer, Oscar, Clancy, Duffy and the two Finnegans were getting a close-up view of two of the guards. FBI undercover agent, Dasher, had been following Bailey the Art Dealer around, and when they came to a Street Artist’s display, Dasher found out what Bailey was up to. The truth was, they were both on a similar mission. Bailey had found so many of his imported Art works to be fakes. He had paid good money for what he had believed to be genuine masterpieces, only to discover on close examination, that they were clever forgeries. He had travelled to Italy many times to purchase famous paintings, but recently, when he had a batch delivered, they were NOT the ones he originally saw, and ordered. So he decided the only way to solve the problem was to check it out himself - and find out who was making the switches. Dasher did not break his cover and tell Bailey why he was there, or even that they shared a common interest. Not at that point anyway. He did agree, however, to help him in his quest. Two heads always being better than one! Madame Stella, being psychic and shrewd, tried to warn the two Nuns against purchasing any paintings from the artists there. Ella had told her that they were looking for a good painting to take home to their Convent; - something with a religious theme, and something of high quality. She could tell that these two rather trusting Sisters were no judge of what was genuine and of value in the Art World. She hoped they would heed her warning. To Maggie’s alarm, the handsome Saluki who had enchanted Jynx by telling her he was a rich Sheik, and tempting her with his promises of Marriage and great wealth, showed up at the Art Gallery, and Jynx was making as if she would go to him. Unfortunately her plea fell on deaf ears, and Jynx went to meet him. They went off together, and Maggie saw them disappearing into the crowd of tourists. She bit her lip, and felt an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach. She hoped Jynx would be alright. Meanwhile, some of our friends were about to get into trouble. The members of the Band and Passionate Pooches had gone with Boogie, Morgan and Buttercup to see the sights. It was such a hot day and they had been walking so far that it was suggested that they cool off in what Buttercup thought was a Public Swimming Pool! The ‘Public Swimming Pool’ was, in fact the TREVI FOUNTAIN! They had a wonderful time in there, and the many onlookers who gathered to watch, were also amused at these cute dogs, swimming happily in the Fountain. One tourist remarked that the fountain might have a new song written about it after this. No longer ‘Three Coins in the Fountain’ but ‘ELEVEN DOGS IN THE FOUNTAIN’!!! Shortly after, it appeared that everyone’s delight was about to come to an abrupt end. There were two people who were definitely NOT amused! Two hefty policemen stood aghast at the sight, and shouted at the dogs to get out of there IMMEDIATELY! One was shaking his truncheon threateningly at Buttercup, who was the nearest. They all scrambled out of the water and were soon confronted by the police, who now had another two uniformed men approaching as ‘back-up’. But not before most of our friends had made a dash for it, and escaped, with the help of the amused bystanders who didn’t want to see these cute dogs going to jail! Unfortunately, Boogie, Shadow, Buttercup and Morgan, who had been swimming at the time and were the last to get out, were unable to escape. They were put into a paddy wagon and driven off to jail! News soon reached the others, and Inspector Griffin and Major Sydney elected to speak with the authorities, and bail them out. Fortunately Griffin’s fame was wide spread and the Italian police knew of him. He successfully obtained the release of the dogs in custody and there was no further incident. Most of our friends were now heading towards the Vatican. This would be their last stop before making the journey back to Naples, where they would board the Wheaten Princess once more. One popular attraction along the way was a shop where they could purchase cards, souvenirs and, most tempting of all, GELATI . Shana was telling Kelsie how she’d bought a nice pair of shoes, and apparently Tuckerotti had been asked to sing at St. Peter’s that evening. In the Square, lots of interesting things were going on as well. Bailey Beachboy was making arrangements for the evening with Abby; - Seamus, the New York Banker, had amazingly run out of petty cash and had to borrow from Finnegan P; - Cassie was trying to find out how much money a Ship‘s Doctor made, while others were just ‘watching the girls go by’! Meanwhile, Sisters Ella and Killian were being good little Nuns and had gone into the Basilica to spend a few quiet minutes. Agent Dasher and Bailey were there ahead of them as Dasher, now aware that Bailey was also trying to uncover the art forging crime ring, had invited him to accompany him on his meeting with another agent who was working with him on this case. They learned that there was an Italian Artist who was a clever forger of Italian Masterpieces, and though they had no concrete proof at this stage, they thought they knew who it was. They were on their way out of the Basilica (where they had met up secretly with Dasher’s contact) when they saw the two Nuns and overheard them talking about a painting they had purchased from this very man! What a break! But somehow they had to get a chance to look at the painting the Nuns had purchased, in order to examine it properly. They decided they would wait until they were out of the church, and speak with the two Sisters outside. However, it didn’t work out as they planned. The Nuns emerged in the company of a Cardinal, who had offered to drive them back to where the coach was waiting to return to Naples, and the Wheaten Princess. They would have to wait now until they were back on the ship. Tough luck! ======================================================== Soon, almost everyone was aboard the coach, leaving Rome and heading back south towards Naples, and the waiting Wheaten Princess. ‘Almost’ - because one little person was missing - JYNX - Miss UK!! The other Beauty Queens were frantic with worry. Especially as Maggie had received a message from her on her cell phone, informing them all that she had decided to go with her Saluki Sheik to be married - in Tunisia! The girls were certain that their friend was making a grave mistake, but when Jynx made up her mind, there was no turning back, and she would not listen to reason. They could only hope that she would come to her senses before going through with the wedding! But they were miserable, and their hearts were heavy without their headstrong, but lovable companion. BACK ON THE WHEATEN PRINCESS There was a general sadness that the Italian part of the Cruise was ending, but there was still so much to look forward to. Greece was the next port of call! That night there was, as Inspector Griffin would say, ‘Mischief afoot’. The two humans who had been stalking Professor Boomer and Dr Kelsie decided to make their move, and they broke into their cabin when Boomer and Kelsie were at dinner. They scuffled around searching, but could not find any papers in the briefcase, or anywhere else. They made so much noise that Tess and Lexi, who were just on their way to the second sitting, heard, and looked in through the window. The two would-be robbers came charging out and kicked the two girls, threatening them to “keep their mouths shut“, or they would “regret it“!! Poor Lexi and Tess were panic stricken and unable to move as the two thugs raised their fists. The blows never found their mark because right then, Jethro and Harry, (who had been following the rich girls) came charging up and knocked the two humans to the deck and sunk their teeth into their arms. The criminals fled before they could be apprehended, but the boys were more concerned with the welfare of the two shocked girls, who sat on the floor trembling and in tears. While Jethro comforted them, Harry phoned Security, and soon the girls were being gently carried back to their cabin, and Dr. Charlie was called. After examining the girls, he prescribed some sedatives and asked the boys to remain close by for the remainder of the night. He then summoned Inspector Griffin, who arrived shortly after with Major Sydney. The girls were rested and feeling safe with brave Jethro and Harry watching over them. All four gave Griffin a good description of the attackers, and Griffin gave a knowing nod in Sydney’s direction. Those men he had been suspicious of right from the start had shown their evil hand. He promised the girls that he would ‘get the brutes’! And so the Wheaten Princess left the beautiful harbour of Naples, and set course for Greece. END OF PART FOUR |
| xxxxx |
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