The Eskimo's Secret (13 page)

Her father nodded. “You’ve worked it all out brilliantly, Nancy. You solved both cases and saved the Tundra.”

Many hours later the authorities echoed those words to Nancy after everyone had explained their stories a million times. Alana and her uncle Clement were questioned and cleared, as was Tod, since they’d all been forced to cooperate with the thieves by the threats against Alana.

Jasper Cole, Felix Borge, and their guard were brought in from Coachman Island. The other two they’d hired were rounded up and admitted having kidnapped Carson Drew. They also admitted to their part in the plot of terror against Haggler International Imports.

Jeff Carrington came forward to help ease the situation. As an art theft expert who’d worked often with Nancy and her father, his testimony was helpful, along with Helen Haggler’s.

Finally, as the afternoon sun broke through the rain clouds, Nancy, Alana, and Ben were allowed to go to the Steele Gallery to see the Tundra. It was a magnificent sight, freed from the protective trunk, each individual carving open to their eyes.

Ben walked around and around it, bending to study first one carving, then another. Stepping back to take in the entire effect, then moving close again to look at something else. Nancy and Alana stayed back, not wanting to interrupt his concentration. Finally, however, he turned and shook his head.

“Nothing,” he announced sadly. “I mean, it’s beautiful and I feel a great sense of family pride just knowing that my grandfather created it, but I can’t find any message.”

“Don’t you recognize the scene?” Alana asked.

He shook his head. “It’s the tundra, Alana. It could be in any section of that frozen land. Unless there’s one special rock formation or something.” He moved back to study the driftwood and the dried plants and bits of rock that had been placed in the gnarled wood.

“Didn’t you say that your grandfather left you a message?” Nancy asked.

Ben nodded. “He told the elders of the village to give it to me.”

“What was it?”

“ ‘Look with the eyes of the past to find the darkest dawn,’ ” Ben intoned.

Nancy waited a moment, then realized he wasn’t going to say more. “That’s it?” she asked.

His sigh echoed her feeling of disappointment.

“That’s not much to work with,” Alana observed. “What do you think it means, Nancy?” “There weren’t any other instructions, Ben? He didn’t tell his people anything else?” “Grandfather called in the village elders after the doctor told him he’d never rise from his bed. He said he was sorry he’d deprived the village for so long, but now he was too old and sick to go after the treasures he’d hidden.”

“That must mean it would be a long journey from Seal Bay,” Alana murmured.

“Maybe,” Ben said. “Anyway, the elders told him they would go and get the treasures, but he said they couldn’t, that he couldn’t even show them where they were hidden without the Tundra. He was very sorry.”

“How awful,” Nancy said.

“They begged him to tell them what to do,

and he finally said they must find me and give me those words. With them and the Tundra, I would find the treasures for them and for myself.”

“And those were the exact words.” It wasn’t really a question that Nancy asked.

“The elders wrote them down as he spoke them,” Ben confirmed.

“Then the secret must be hidden here,” Nancy said, moving to the beautiful carving. “But where to look?”

“With the eyes of the past,” Alana teased wryly. “At least according to Ben’s grandfather.”

“The past,” Nancy mused. “Something you must have seen then, right? Did you ever go out into the tundra with your grandfather, Ben? Was there a special place?”

“Several,” Ben answered. “I spent a lot of time with my grandfather until I had to leave the village to go to high school. My father was always busy working, but my grandfather wanted me to grow up as a proper Eskimo boy, so he taught me to fish and to hunt in the old ways.”

“Then this could be a creation of some special place,” Nancy murmured, feeling a stirring of excitement. “But what is the darkest dawn?”

“That was always my father’s favorite comment,” Ben said with a smile. “Whenever anything bad happened, he’d say that marked his darkest dawn.”

“Did any of those darkest dawns happen while the three of you were on the tundra?” Nancy asked.

Ben considered, then shook his head. “I can’t remember any. I mean, my father used to tell about one time when he was a young boy. He and Grandfather were trailing a herd of caribou near Owl Rock. They were getting meat and hides for the next winter. My father had fallen the day before and injured his ankle, so he couldn’t hunt. Grandfather left my father at their camp asleep that morning.”

He paused and Nancy held her breath waiting for him to go on.

“Father said it was his darkest dawn because when he finally awoke, he looked up and he couldn’t even see the sky because there was a huge grizzly bear coming at him.” Ben stopped, frowning.

“What happened?” Nancy asked, caught up in the story.

“Grandfather came and killed the grizzly. I slept under the warm robe they made form it for years. We used to go to that area every year to watch the caribou even after we no longer wanted to hunt them.”

“Ben, that’s on the Tundra,” Alana gasped. “What is?” Nancy asked.

“The bear and the boy.” Alana moved closer to the complex sculpture. “I’m sure I noticed it when I was cataloging the individual carvings. I thought it was sort of scary, the little boy crouched down holding his ankle while the bear stood over him ready to attack.” She pointed to the small tableau that was set slightly off to the side of the caribou herd, almost lost in the profusion of dried plants and rocks.

Nancy stared at the tiny figures, then let her gaze wander just a little way beyond them to where another figure crouched, a man’s figure holding a tiny owl in his hands. “Is this your grandfather, Ben?” she asked.

When there was no answer, she looked up from the artwork and saw that Ben’s eyes were on the carvings and a brilliant smile was spreading across his features. “That’s it!” he shouted. “Nancy! Alana! That’s the answer! I know where the treasure is.”

“Then go,” Nancy said. “Don’t tell anyone. Just go and get the treasures and bring them back safely before someone else guesses what you are doing.”

“Nancy, do you mean other people besides Cole and Borge might be interested in the treasures?” Alana replied.

“A lot of people will realize the legend is true once the details of this case get into the papers and on the news,” Nancy reminded her. “It was a lure strong enough to keep Franklin Cole captivated for years and to drive Jasper and Felix to evil deeds. There are bound to be other people just as greedy.”

“Thank you,” Ben said, his eyes giving the simple words a much deeper meaning. “You’ll be the first outsiders to see them.” Then he was gone.

“What are we going to tell the police?” Alana asked after a few minutes. “They’re going to want to question all of us again, you know.” “The truth,” Nancy said. “That he looked at the Tundra and was so inspired he just ran out of the room without telling us where he was going.”

Alana laughed. “I just hope they believe us.” “Jeff Carrington will,” Nancy assured her.

It wasn’t quite as easy as Nancy had hoped, but with the support of her father, Jeff Carrington, Clement Steele and even the renowned Helen Haggler, the authorities were finally convinced they should wait for the young Eskimo to return. Still, as the days passed and the various aspects of the case against Cole, Borge, and their associates were settled, Nancy worried a little about Ben, alone somewhere on the tundra.

Then on Friday afternoon, Alana called and invited Nancy, her father, and Helen Haggler to dinner at the Steele mansion. “But first come to the gallery,” she told Nancy. “The exhibit is finally ready and I want you three to be the first to see it.”

As they walked up the steps of the Steele Gallery, Nancy felt a sudden premonition of joy. When the doors were opened for them, she read the truth in Alana’s dancing grey eyes. “He’s come back, hasn’t he?” Nancy asked.

Alana said nothing, leading them into the main room, which was in darkness. As they stood in the doorway, she touched a switch and suddenly hundreds of carvings were lit to glowing ivory life. Every creature of the north was there, every spirit close to the Eskimo heart. The Eskimo people were there in loving detail, a whole record of a village and its inhabitants bloomed from every shelf and pedestal.

“Meet my people, Nancy,” Ben said.

“Your grandfather hid all this away?” Nancy gasped.

“He hid the treasures of the village, then added to them through the years. That’s why he never showed anything. I think he was punishing himself, too, yet he couldn’t stop creating his carvings. So he just took his treasures to be with those of his friends and ancestors.”

“It’s the most magnificent collection I’ve ever seen,” Helen breathed. “I’m so glad you found them and are returning them to your people, Ben. The world will be richer for this inheritance.”

“So will Ben’s people,” Alana said. “The fees from the shows will start to rebuild all that Franklin Cole destroyed.”

“Thank Nancy, too,” Ben said, “and Alana. They helped me discover the Eskimo’s secret.” Hearing Ben’s words made Nancy wonder if her next mystery would lead to such an exotic discovery. She would find out very soon.

“You are all honored guests at dinner tonight,” Clement Steele announced, interrupting Nancy’s thoughts. “The dinner is a celebration and a thank you from me and from the art world for this richness.”

“We have a lot to be grateful for,” Mr. Drew chimed in. He put his arm around his daughter’s shoulders and smiled at her. “This is a happy occasion for more than one reason.” “You’re so right, Dad,” Nancy said, beaming back at him. “We recovered our own family treasure!”