out the ivory bear. âI just bought this, and I wondered if you could check it for me. I want to be sure itâs genuine walrus ivory.â
Mr. Feder fitted his jewelerâs 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.
âI donât understand it,â he said. âThe seal should be used only on Alaskan products, but this is clearly an import.â
âHow can you tell?â Nancy asked.
Mr. Feder picked up the bear again. âDo you see these wavy, pinkish lines in the ivory? That tells us itâs from an elephant, not a walrus. We donât use anything but walrus ivory in Alaska. In fact, itâs illegal to import the other kind. Young lady, this bear is contraband!â
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.
âI just bought this for a friend,â she explained, holding out the bear. âI wanted to ask something about how it was made. Did you buy it directly from the artist?â
The woman shook her head. âWe used to, but now our business has grown, so we have a supplier. A middleman, you might say. So far, heâs been able to get us everything we want.â
âCan you tell me the name of your supplier?â
âSure.â 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 hadnât 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.
âAmanda is out for the afternoon,â the receptionist said blandly. Nancy raised her eyebrows. It seemed Amanda was lying low.
Nancy flipped open the telephone book and found Amandaâs 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.
âDetective Chandler is taking a phone call. Heâll be here in a minute. What have you found out?â Henry asked eagerly.
âI think the ivory is being loaded onto your ships in Seattle,â Nancy told him, explaining that both the beans and the cookies had been loaded there. âThe only other cargo that came from Seattle was a bunch of paperback books. Iâd like to check them before theyâre unloaded.â
Henry shook his head. âYouâre too late. The police let us unload the ship this morning.â
Undaunted, Nancy pulled her pad from her shoulder bag. âIâve got the names of the stores where the cartons are going. Maybe we can check there. And Iâve also found out that some of the ivory carvings sold in the Totem Pole are illegal.â
âGreat,â Carson said. âWe can tell Chandler about it when he returns.â
âYour father said you wanted to ask me some questions,â Henry told Nancy. âYou know Iâll do whatever I can to help.â He heaved a gloomy sigh.
Nancyâs blue eyes were bright with compassion.âI know you will. First of all, I wondered whether you had told any of your employees about the smuggling charges.â She didnât think he had, but she knew she should confirm this before she tracked Amanda down for questioning.
âAs we agreed, I didnât mention it to anyone,â Henry said, frowning.
As she had thought. âI also wondered about John Tildenâs background,â Nancy said
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