The Eskimo's Secret (12 page)

“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!

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 tomorrow 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.”

“But. . .” Alana gasped, fear in her voice.

“Cole knows who you are, doesn’t he?” Nancy interrupted.

“Of course, we met several times before the robbery.”

“Well, as long as he thinks you can solve the secret of the Tundra, he’s not going to hurt you. But he doesn’t even need to see you. You can open the door, then get away through the connecting doors before he comes out. Just keep him busy as long as you can.”

“What about Borge?”

“He shouldn’t be able to hear anything from the tower,” Nancy said, hoping she was right. “But if he does, he’ll probably just think it’s the guard coming back.”

Alana seemed ready to debate, but Nancy just gave her a quick, confident grin, then crouched down and half-crawled across the lighted

kitchen to get the knife from the table. Alana eyed it warily when she returned to the room.

“I’ll need this to cut Dad free if he’s tied,” Nancy explained. “We have to move fast.”

Alana nodded and tried a rather weak smile of her own before she left Nancy’s side and started for the front of the mansion once again. Nancy moved back from the doorway of the room and waited, wishing there was furniture to hide behind.

The wait seemed endless and she was beginning to think something had gone wrong, when the whole structure moaned under the attack of the wind and the door crashed open. For a moment there was an eerie silence, then another crash as the wind continued its assault on the door. Nancy braced herself.

The door across the hall opened and Cole came out, complaining angrily. She held her breath as he looked around, then started up the hall. Nancy waited until Cole passed the base of the staircase, then she ran on her toes across the hall and into the well-lighted room.

“Dad!” she gasped as she spotted the bound figure on the straight chair near the fireplace. His eyes lit with delight, but she stopped him from speaking with a finger to her lips, then cut him free.

“Are you alone, Nancy?” he whispered.

Nancy shook her head. “Alana lured him out of here and our friend Ben is on the beach taking care of the guard. Borge is in the tower.” Her father nodded, then moved to stand by the door. He signaled to Nancy to stand behind him out of sight. In a moment they heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Have to lock up,” Cole muttered to himself. “Can’t have the door banging open all the time. Someone might be out there ready to come in.” The figure had entered the room first and the hard karate blow to the back of his head ended his words in a muffle.

“I’ll tie him up,” Mr. Drew said.

Within minutes Cole was bound and gagged and resting in the chair that Carson Drew had so recently occupied. Once that was done, Nancy went into the hall and called Alana out of hiding, then hurried to unlock the front door. Ben came in almost immediately.

“Are you all right?” he asked, frowning. “I saw the door open and there was a mean-looking man silhouetted against the light.”

“We’re okay,” Nancy said, motioning him to follow her. “Did you get rid of the guard?” “He’s tied up and resting peacefully in the bottom of their boat,” Ben answered with a pleased grin.

“Come and meet my dad,” Nancy said.

Ben’s relieved chuckle seemed to fill the entire hall. “What about Borge and Cole?” he asked.

“Cole’s also tied up at the moment,” Nancy told him with a grin, “but Borge is still in the tower.”

“We’ll have to do something about him before we can leave,” Ben warned. “He’s sure to see us and try to stop us.”

“Don’t worry,” Carson Drew said, emerging from the room. “I have no intention of leaving that man running around loose.”

Nancy finished the introductions, trying to explain a little about Ben’s connection to the Tundra. But before she could say more than a few words, they all heard the sound of descending footsteps.

“Go to the front door, Alana,” Nancy whispered urgently, then ran to hide in the shadows under the open-sided spiral staircase, now shaking with Borge’s weight.

Nancy looked across the entry to where Alana stood, looking terrified, just inside the door. Borge came around another curve of the staircase, this one just above Nancy, then stopped as he caught sight of Alana. She looked like a mouse trapped in the hypnotic stare of a hungry cat.

“Alana Steele!” Borge’s tone was full of wonder. “Where in the world . . .” He started down the last few steps, his eyes on Alana. Nancy thrust her hands through the wide bars of the banister and caught his ankle. He fell heavily, and Ben and her father leaped out to tie him down.

“Where’s the Tundra?” Ben asked as soon as Borge was tied up beside his partner.

“Over there,” Carson Drew said, indicating a handsome trunk. “That’s the protective carrying case Franklin Cole had designed for it.”

“Is there anything else we should take care of, Dad?” Nancy asked.

“I think we should get out of here,” Mr. Drew said. “These three are not alone in this venture. They have at least two more men out there and when they radio the island and don’t get any answer, they’ll be coming to their rescue.” He looked at Ben. “We do have a way off this island, don’t we?” he asked.

“My fishing boat is waiting,” Ben replied, “and we can use the radio on it to call in the authorities to pick up the thieves.”

“You’ve done well, Nancy,” Carson Drew said, hugging his daughter, “you and your good friends.”

“You gave us the coded clues to follow,”

Nancy replied, happy tears filling her eyes.

“Nancy, come and see,” Alana called from across the room. “They didn’t hurt it at all.” Nancy and her father joined Ben and Alana as they bent over the open trunk, and she caught her breath in delight at the great beauty of the piece of sculpture that rested in its protective nest of padded cloth and carefully fitted restraints. “It’s even more beautiful than I imagined,” she murmured.

“It is a masterpiece,” Ben agreed, slowly lifting his gaze from the perfect creation. “It’s like a piece of history to me, to my people.”

“It’s magnificent,” Mr. Drew agreed, “but it won’t be safe if we don’t get it off this island.” “Right,” Ben agreed, closing the trunk. “I just hope your daughter does as well at deciphering the secrets hidden in this work of art as she did at finding the clues in your message. What do you think, Nancy?”

“I’ll do my best,” Nancy promised. “I just hope it will be enough.”

The next few hours passed as though driven by a kind of whirlwind. As soon as they were on Ben’s boat, Nancy and her father had some time to talk. “What exactly happened, Dad?” Nancy asked.

“Well, we were right about Investors, Inc. being a front and you were on the correct trail with C-B, Inc. That was Cole-Borge’s corporation and they were the masterminds behind the attempt to discredit and buy out Helen.”

Nancy nodded, not surprised. “But how did they happen to kidnap you?” she asked.

“According to what I overheard, Borge called one of Helen’s board members and pretended to have information to tell about the fraud. The man told him to contact me and mentioned I was to be at the Haggler estate that morning.

Borge called in two of his cronies to kidnap me.”

“You’re certainly going to have a lot to tell the authorities when we reach shore,” Nancy commented.

“I can give them all the details about what happened to Helen and Haggler Imports,” her father agreed. “Cole and Borge talked quite openly in front of me—that’s why I was sure they had no intention of turning me loose.” “Why did they want Haggler Imports?” Nancy asked. “Was it so they could sell the Tundra treasures there?”