The Eskimo's Secret Read online

  “Afterward?” Alana’s voice held a note of apprehension.

  “I have to wait until the kidnappers call,” Nancy continued. “I have to make arrangements to exchange you for my father sometime tomorrow.”

  Alana’s expression was bleak, but she nodded.

  Nancy sighed. “Alana, I’m not going to, I told you that. The thing is, I want them to think that I’m cooperating. I’m just doing it to try to buy some time.”

  “Do you have a plan?” Ben asked.

  Nancy gave him a weak grin. “Not really,” she admitted, “but I’ll be making one.”

  “So what do we do now?” Alana asked. “Do you think they’ll come to this room?”

  Nancy looked around nervously, then frowned. “Where is the tape player?” she asked.

  Alana and Ben looked around the room just as she had. “Maybe the maid put it away,” Alana suggested. “I mean, the room has been made up."

  “She didn’t move anything else,” Nancy pro-tested, opening drawers and generally searching the room. With Ben and Alana helping her, it took only a few moments to be sure that the tape player was gone.

  “I suppose it could have been stolen,” Ben murmured, but his tone told Nancy that he didn’t believe that any more than she did. “Reclaimed would be more likely,” Nancy said. “After all, it would have been evidence of my father’s abduction.”

  “What will we do?” Alana shivered.

  “I think you two should go next door,” Nancy said. “You still have the key, don’t you, Ben?” Ben nodded.

  “I don’t think they’ll check that room, even if they come here,” Nancy said, then as the two started toward the door, she called them back. “I do have something that might come in handy,” she said, opening her sack.

  “What in the world?” Alana asked as Nancy produced the wrinkled uniforms.

  “Disguises,” Nancy said. “I just happened to ride up in the elevator with the laundry. I thought these outfits might help us get out of here without being noticed.”

  “Good idea,” Ben said.

  “Now, my only worry is a car. I haven’t had a chance to get a new rental one.”

  “No problem,” Ben answered proudly. “After they gave up chasing me, I figured that was my chance to get a car, so I called a mechanic friend of mine and borrowed his pickup. It’s old, but it has a brand-new engine. I put it in one of those all-night parking garages.”

  “Ben, you’re wonderful,” Nancy said, giving him a hug.

  “Only if we aren’t caught,” Ben replied, suddenly shy. “Come on, Alana.” He took his uniform. “Let’s get out of here and give Nancy time to make a plan.”

  “Just pound on the wall if you need me,” Nancy told them.

  “You pound for us as soon as you hear from Cole and Borge,” Alana said, looking around nervously. “I really don’t think we should stay here any longer than we have to.”

  “Neither do I,” Nancy agreed.

  Ben and Alana left and Nancy opened the drapes, hoping the daylight would lift her spirits, but it had little effect. There was no sunlight, and heavy clouds seemed to promise rain before nightfall.

  Nancy got out the map of the islands and put it on the table. Rain just might be an advantage.

  It was nearly an hour before the telephone rang, startling her so much she nearly tipped her chair over as she ran to answer it. As expected, it was one of the kidnappers calling.

  “Well, Miss Drew, what do you have to say for yourself?” he asked, his tone full of anger.

  “I’ve found Alana,” Nancy answered as calmly as she could.

  “You have?” She was rewarded by the surprise in his voice.

  “You shouldn’t be so shocked,” Nancy snapped. “Your men terrified her, that’s why she called me for help.”

  “Do you have her there with you now?” She could almost hear him plotting.

  “Of course not,” Nancy replied, too quickly. “But I do know how to get in touch with her.” “Suppose you tell me.”

  “After I have my father with me,” Nancy said, her heart pounding with excitement.

  “Oh, no, you don’t,” the man grated. “You’ll get your father when we have Alana Steele in our hands.”

  “You get Alana Steele in your hands when my father is returned to me,” Nancy stated.

  There was a long silence and Nancy held her breath, knowing the whole plan depended on what was said next. She heard a sigh. “Where do you want to make the exchange?” he asked. “And when?”

  “Tomorrow morning,” Nancy said, then hesitated. “But I don’t know the area very well. What would be a good place?”

  Once again there was no sound from the other end, then the man chuckled nastily. “I’ll call you at seven tomorrow morning with the location,” he said. A click ended the conversation.

  Nancy stared at the phone for a moment, then took a deep breath. It was up to her now—to her and Ben and Alana.

  18. Rescue Attempt

  Nancy slipped into her maid’s uniform, then took a pillowcase from the bed. She put the new jeans and sweaters inside along with her purse and everything else she felt she might need. One last glance around the room told her there was nothing else essential to her plan. Taking a deep breath, she hurried to the room next door.

  “We heard the phone,” Ben said when he opened the door.

  “The kidnappers are going to call me back at seven A.M. tomorrow to set up a place to make the exchange.”

  “Seven A.M. tomorrow?” Alana murmured. “By that time I expect to have my father and the Tundra safely back,” Nancy said.

  “Just how do you plan to do that?” Ben asked, his eyes bright with curiosity.

  “Let’s get out of here first,” Nancy said. “I’ll give you the details in the pickup.”

  “So how do we get out of here?” Alana inquired. “Do you think we can just walk through the lobby in these?” She smoothed her uniform down ineffectually.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Nancy said. “And I have a better idea.”

  The two listened closely and within minutes they were all together on the elevator riding to the hotel basement. From there it proved surprisingly simple to make their way through the laundry room, up the rear stairs into the kitchen, and from there out the delivery door into the alley.

  A fine mist greeted them and by the time they’d crossed several streets, they were all dripping wet. “Just what we needed,” Alana groaned.

  “Maybe it is,” Nancy replied as Ben led them into the parking garage. “Ben, could we use your boat for our rescue mission?”

  “Of course,” he said, “but what are we going to do once we get to Coachman Island? Those men will be armed and they aren’t going to give up the Tundra without a fight.”

  “What about your friends at the Firebird Lodge, would they help us?” Nancy asked.

  “They would do anything to help get the Tundra treasures back.” Ben answered. “Most of them are from Seal Bay.”

  “So where is the pickup?” Nancy asked, looking around.

  “This way,” Ben said, forging ahead of them in the shadowy, echoing area. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Do you think we’d be safe at the Firebird Lodge for a few hours?” Nancy asked. “We need to sit down and work out the details of my plan.”

  “There is only one road into the lodge,” Ben said. “We can block it and post a guard who will give us plenty of warning if anyone comes.”

  “Then let’s go out there,” Nancy said as the three of them got into the battered red pickup.

  The now heavy rain stayed with them as Ben drove out of the city, and the roads were empty behind them every time Nancy looked over her shoulder. The Firebird Lodge was warmly lit and welcoming as they pulled up in front.

  Nancy froze as two men came out the front door, but Ben leaped from the pickup with a shout of joy to his friends. In a moment they were inside, near the fire, ready to make their plans.

  That
night the darkness was like a fog around them as the two fishing boats slipped away from their moorings and chugged out of the small cove that gave them shelter. Nancy and Alana, clad in their dark jeans and sweaters, crouched in the small cabin while Ben and his friend Jim guided Ben’s boat through the rough water.

  “This is going to work, isn’t it, Nancy?” Alana asked nervously.

  “It has to,” Nancy answered firmly. “It just has to.”

  As agreed, the two fishing boats stayed within sight of each other until they neared Coachman Island. At that time Ben cut the running lights on his Salmon Queen, the signal to the other boat that the plan was now in operation. It was a simple one.

  The Sea Tiger would approach the island openly, anchoring within the sheltering arms of the bay. It would fake engine trouble and engage in distracting activities on board to hold the attention of any watchman on the alert. Meanwhile, Ben’s boat would run without lights as close as possible to the rougher shoreline farther from the house. Once there, Nancy, Alana, and Ben would use a small boat to land.

  Nancy could only pray that the three of them would be able to do what a whole squadron of police could not—surprise the thieves and save her father and the Tundra.

  “We’re getting close,’’ Ben called down softly from the steering bridge. “Get ready, you two.” Nancy swallowed hard, then straightened her shoulders. The weather was still cooperating. Even squinting against the rain, she could scarcely tell the island from the restless water. It would be nearly impossible to spot the fishing boat from the shore, she hoped.

  “Are you sure we can’t just anchor and leave the boat?” Jim asked. “I could go with you and help out.”

  “Too dangerous,” Ben told him. “A boat at anchor is easy to spot. I want you to patrol this area, back and forth, and watch for us, Jim. We’ll be leaving the island loaded and in a hurry, so be ready to pick us up.”

  Jim nodded, sighing, obviously not pleased with his assignment.

  “If we’re not back before dawn, radio for help,” Nancy told him quietly. “And thank you, Jim. You’re very kind to help us.”

  “To bring the Tundra back, I would do anything,” Jim said.

  The ride to shore in the small open boat was a nightmare. The storm had made the water very rough and the darkness was like a heavy hand on all of them. Nancy breathed a sigh of relief as the tough little craft grounded against a small area of sand. They could step once more onto land—even though it meant wading in the cold water as they helped Ben drag the boat ashore.

  “Now what?” Alana whispered when the boat was safely hidden in some rocks.

  “Can you guide us to the house, Ben?” Nancy asked.

  He nodded and in a moment they were moving swiftly from the exposed shore into the deeper darkness of the forested island. After several false starts, Ben located a path through the trees and they followed it with ease, not stopping until they reached the edge of a clearing.

  “That’s the hosue I told you about,” Ben said.

  Nancy gulped, suddenly very unsure of success. Ben had been right to call the building a mansion. It reared three stories high, with the lighthouse tower rising another two stories to give a commanding view of the area. Only a few windows showed light, but even as they caught their breath, a door slammed at the front of the hosue and two men came out to the exposed end of the verandah.

  “I say we wait and watch from inside,” one man said.

  “And I say you go and investigate while I watch,” the second man argued.

  “The second man is Felix Borge,” Alana whispered. “I don’t know who the first one is though.”

  “Borge was the man I talked to on the telephone,” Nancy said.

  “Boss, I really think it’s just a fisherman caught out in the storm and taking shelter,” the first man said.

  “Go down to the boathouse and watch them. If they show any sign of trying to come ashore, stop them,” Borge ordered. “I’ll go in and make sure that Jasper and Drew are quiet, then I’ll get back up to the tower and keep an eye on the island from there.”

  “You can see everything that happens from up there,” the man muttered.

  “But I’m too far away to act quickly,” Borge snapped.

  “I’m going, I’m going,” the man said.

  Nancy closed her eyes, checking her developing plan, then she took a deep breath. “Ben, can you get to the boathouse and put that guard out of commission without rousing the house?” she whispered.

  Ben grinned, his white teeth showing in the darkness. “No problem,” he said.

  “Well, while you’re doing that, Alana and I will cross the open area to the house and try to get inside. We’ll have to get to the house while Borge is climbing to the tower or he’ll be able to see us.”

  “What about other guards?” Ben asked.

  “If I’ve read my father’s message correctly, there are just three men on the island, so if Borge stays in the tower, Alana and I will just have to get past Cole.”

  “I’ll come to the house as soon as I take care of the guard at the boathouse,” Ben promised. “Won’t Borge see you?” Alana asked.

  “From the tower, Borge will probably just think it’s his man returning,” Ben responded.

  Nancy nodded her agreement, then gave his hand a quick squeeze as they heard the front door slam again. “Good luck,” she whispered. Then she took Alana’s cold fingers in her own and the two of them ran lightly across the soaking grass to hide in the deep shadows of the house. They had to make their rescue attempt now!

  19. Moment of Truth

  The darkness of the shadows that surrounded the building made them feel safe, and as soon as they caught their breath, Nancy began moving along the wall, peering into the lower windows. There was little to see at first. The rooms were dark, but the faint light from the hall showed them to be empty of furniture.

  Nancy tried each window and door as they reached it, but they were all locked. “Now what?” she murmured, pausing at the corner of the verandah.

  By now, the storm had grown even worse. The wind tore at them as they climbed the steps to the porch. Nancy made her way to the front door and tried it as she had the others. To her surprise, it gave under her touch.

  Nancy hesitated, not sure what to do. They had to get inside, but not knowing what was on the other side of the door made it a terrible risk.

  Suddenly another gust of wind-driven rain came splattering around the corner of the house and caught the door, jerking it from Nancy’s grasp and slamming it against the wall with a sound like a thunderclap. For a heartbeat, Nancy stood frozen, then she grabbed Alana’s hand and dragged her through the handsome entry and into the first dark doorway she saw.

  “What was that? The voice was Borge’s as he came hurrying down the beautiful spiral staircase that rose between the hall and the entry of the house. In a moment, he had the door and was pushing it closed, shutting out the damp scents of the night.

  “What’s going on?” a second voice asked, as a man came along the hall from the rear of the house.

  “I guess the wind caught the door and blew it open,” Borge answered.

  “You’re sure that’s all it was? No one got in?” The man sounded more nervous than Borge.

  “Look, Jasper, calm down. We’ll get the Steele girl tomorrow. She’ll tell us the secret of that sculpture and we’ll be home free.”

  “I’ll believe it when it happens,” Cole said glumly.

  “You didn’t believe we’d get the sculpture that easily, did you? You keep listening to me, and we’ll make your uncle look like the chump he was. He should have left you the sculpture; we worked hard for him.”

  “He didn’t want me to have it,” Cole whined. “And neither did that woman he married.”

  “So we stole it before she could sell it to some place with better security,” Borge gloated, “and she won’t get near what it’s worth from the insurance. We’re smarter than the old man ever was and tomorr
ow we’ll prove it.”

  “If the men from the boat don’t get us,” Cole said. “Are you sure we’re safe here?”

  “I’ve been watching the boat in the harbor ever since it dropped anchor and they aren’t even trying to come ashore. You keep an eye on Drew and I’ll get up into the tower and double check the area. Bascomb is down at the boathouse watching, too.”

  “Did you lock the front door?” Cole asked. He was a much smaller man than Felix Borge and he had the look of a nervous weasel.

  “If I did, how would Bascomb get in?” Borge asked, not bothering to hide his contempt. “Do you think we have ghosts?”

  “Felix, I don’t. . .”

  “Just relax and quit worrying about every little noise.”

  The smaller man looked as though he’d like to argue, but a cold glare from Borge kept him from speaking. After a moment Cole turned and disappeared back the way he’d come. Borge grunted, checked the door again, then headed upstairs. Nancy exhaled slowly and felt Alana slump against her in echoing relief.

  “Now what do we do?” Alana whispered.

  “First we’re going to explore a little,” the girl detective replied, moving purposefully out into the shadowy entry.

  Their explorations were hasty, but thorough. The empty rooms stretched on both sides of the hall and several had connecting doors as well as their openings into entry or hall. The only rooms that appeared to be in use were the ones at the far end of the hall. The kitchen was there and they could see food on the table and dirty paper plates stacked about the cupboards. Since there was a light burning in the room, they hesitated about entering, afraid of being seen through the windows.

  Light also showed beneath the door next to the kitchen and Nancy stood there for several minutes, somehow sure her father must be beyond it. Finally, however, she moved away from the door to the dark safety of the room across the hall.

  “Well,” Alana said, “do you have a plan, Nancy?”

  Nancy nodded. “I’m going into the kitchen to get that butcher knife off the table; you can wait in here while I do that. When I’m back, I want you to go to the front of the hosue and open the door we came in so the wind will catch it again. That should bring Cole out of the room and give me a chance to free my father.”