Read Online Trail of Lies by Carolyn Keene - Free Book Online Page A

out the ivory bear. “I just bought this, and I wondered if you could check it for me. I want to be sure it’s genuine walrus ivory.”
    Mr. Feder fitted his jeweler’s glass to his eye and looked carefully at the small figurine. He turned it over, gazed at the Alaskan map and frowned. Then he laid the ivory on the counter and looked at Nancy.
    â€œI don’t understand it,” he said. “The seal should be used only on Alaskan products, but this is clearly an import.”
    â€œHow can you tell?” Nancy asked.
    Mr. Feder picked up the bear again. “Do you see these wavy, pinkish lines in the ivory? That tells us it’s from an elephant, not a walrus. We don’t use anything but walrus ivory in Alaska. In fact, it’s illegal to import the other kind. Young lady, this bear is contraband!”
    Nancy thanked Mr. Feder, then hurried back across the street to the Totem Pole. The woman who had sold her the ivory bear had gone to lunch, so Nancy talked to the manager.
    â€œI just bought this for a friend,” she explained, holding out the bear. “I wanted to ask something about how it was made. Did you buy it directly from the artist?”
    The woman shook her head. “We used to, but now our business has grown, so we have a supplier. A middleman, you might say. So far, he’s been able to get us everything we want.”
    â€œCan you tell me the name of your supplier?”
    â€œSure.” The manager flipped open a file of business cards and pulled one out. Nancy noted the name and address, then thanked the woman for her help.
    As she walked back into the frigid Alaskan air, Nancy was thoughtful. The manager of the Totem Pole hadn’t seemed to know her supplier was providing illegal ivory. The Totem Pole was probably an innocent victim of the smugglers.
    Nancy found another pay phone and dialed the number of the Wilcox Shipping offices. She asked for Amanda.
    â€œAmanda is out for the afternoon,” the receptionist said blandly. Nancy raised her eyebrows. It seemed Amanda was lying low.
    Nancy flipped open the telephone book and found Amanda’s home phone number. She dialed and let it ring, but there was no answer.
    It was time to meet her father at the policestation. Since the address she had been given was only a few blocks from the Totem Pole, Nancy walked there. She found her father and Henry Wilcox waiting in a small conference room.
    â€œDetective Chandler is taking a phone call. He’ll be here in a minute. What have you found out?” Henry asked eagerly.
    â€œI think the ivory is being loaded onto your ships in Seattle,” Nancy told him, explaining that both the beans and the cookies had been loaded there. “The only other cargo that came from Seattle was a bunch of paperback books. I’d like to check them before they’re unloaded.”
    Henry shook his head. “You’re too late. The police let us unload the ship this morning.”
    Undaunted, Nancy pulled her pad from her shoulder bag. “I’ve got the names of the stores where the cartons are going. Maybe we can check there. And I’ve also found out that some of the ivory carvings sold in the Totem Pole are illegal.”
    â€œGreat,” Carson said. “We can tell Chandler about it when he returns.”
    â€œYour father said you wanted to ask me some questions,” Henry told Nancy. “You know I’ll do whatever I can to help.” He heaved a gloomy sigh.
    Nancy’s blue eyes were bright with compassion.“I know you will. First of all, I wondered whether you had told any of your employees about the smuggling charges.” She didn’t think he had, but she knew she should confirm this before she tracked Amanda down for questioning.
    â€œAs we agreed, I didn’t mention it to anyone,” Henry said, frowning.
    As she had thought. “I also wondered about John Tilden’s background,” Nancy said