The Eskimo's Secret Read Online Free PDF Page A

vanished.
    “What is it?” the receptionist asked.
    Nancy handed her the note, then ran to the front door to peer out into the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of the boy. He was nowhere to be seen. She returned to the receptionist’s desk with a frown.
    “Would you like me to call the authorities?” the woman asked as Nancy reclaimed the note.
    Nancy considered, then shook her head. “I’m sure it’s just a prank,” she said.
    The receptionist’s expression told her the woman didn’t believe it.
    “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention this to anyone,” Nancy continued. “Mr. Steele has asked me to stay at his home to wait for Alana, so I’ll be perfectly safe. However, I would like Tod Harper’s home address and phone number, as well as the names of the two employees that left the gallery earlier this year.”
    The receptionist dug out the information while Nancy studied the note and the envelope more thoroughly. It was obvious the messenger had not been working for a regular delivery firm. Since Tod Harper was the only person besides Mr. Steele to know why she was in Victoria, it seemed likely he had sent the warning. What bothered her was why?
    Nancy took the information and left the gallery, seeking a public telephone for her calls. The first was to Seattle, for she was anxious to know how her father had fared with Miss Haggler and to tell him what had been happening here.
    “Mr. Drew has not returned to the hotel, Miss Drew,” the desk clerk reported. “There are several messages for him.”
    “Are there any for me?” Nancy asked.
    “I’m afraid not,” was the answer. “Did you wish to leave a message?”
    “Just a note telling my father that I can be reached at the Steele home,” Nancy said after a moment of thought. She wasn’t sure her father would approve of her staying on in Victoria to search for Alana; but she didn’t want to return to Seattle to discuss it. Time might be very important if Alana was in danger.
    She tried the other numbers she’d gotten from the receptionist, without much luck. No one answered any of them. Feeling frustrated, she drove to the Steele mansion again, this time to be welcomed warmly by Mrs. Dentley.
    Once she was settled in the guest room, Nancy asked the maid to show her to Alana’s room, which was just down the hall. Though she felt like an intruder, it was the only place she could think of to look for clues to her friend’s disappearance. She began searching the rather untidy area.
    Books and papers were everywhere, making clear just how deeply interested Alana was in Eskimo art and in ivory carving. Nancy checked them carefully, seeking references to the Tundra, hoping for information on the owner and the history of the piece; but she found nothing. Frustrated, she sat down at Alana’s desk.
    “Where have you gone, Alana?” she asked the pretty, feminine room. “Why didn’t you leave me one clue?”
    She tried to pick up the corner of the blotter that protected the fine wood of the desk and gasped as a small ivory polar bear tumbled off the desk and bounced under the four-poster bed. Nancy dropped to her knees and felt under the heavy rose satin of the bedspread. Her fingers found nothing.
    “Now where did you go?” she murmured, lifting the thick fabric so a little light could spill under the bed. For a moment, she saw nothing, then a vague shadow caught her eye and she lay down on the thick carpet to peer under the bed at a better angle.
    It wasn’t hard to spot the bear, but when she reached for it, she felt the tickling of something hanging down from the bedsprings. Investigating, she found a trailing piece of tape leading up to what looked like a small cardboard box lid.
    “What in the world?” she asked, prying the lid loose from the rest of the tape that secured it to the bedsprings. A small notebook dropped from the box lid into her hand.
    Reaching for the bear, Nancy brought both articles to the desk. She put the bear back