Trail of Lies (3 page)

“Want to watch the news?” Craig asked. “We can see if anyone's leaked the story about the smuggling.”

Steve swiveled his head toward the backseat. “No,” he said brusquely. Then, as if realizing how harsh he sounded, he said in a softer voice, “Let's not talk about that tonight. We can't do anything about it, anyway.”

“Yeah, you're right,” Craig agreed. “We want Nancy and George to enjoy their first night in Anchorage. What do you say we give them the scenic tour?”

They drove into the city, retracing the route John had taken from the airport. When they reached the city limits, Steve began pointing out the sights. Anchorage was a bustling city, with fancy hotels, restaurants, and a sprawling downtown area crowded with modern-looking office buildings.

Soon they reached the club. Steve steered the van into a parking spot, and they trooped inside.

“This is fantastic,” Nancy said when they were seated at a round table. It was easy to see how the club had gotten its name: the ceiling was covered with flashing colored lights. A band played on the small stage, and the dance floor was crowded with teenagers moving to the pulsing beat of the music.

“The real northern lights are even better,” Steve said. He seemed to have thawed a little toward Nancy on the drive in.

“Will we be able to see them while we're here?” George asked.

Nancy thought Steve would answer, but instead he stared at the entrance, his lips curved into a frown. She looked in the direction of his gaze and saw two girls standing in the doorway.

Craig stood up, seemingly unaware of Steve's displeasure. “Come join us,” he called, gesturing to the girls and pulling two chairs over from an empty table.

When the girls reached the table, Craig made introductions. “This is Lindsay Dunning,” he said after he'd introduced Nancy and George.

Lindsay was tall and had curly, light brown hair. As she slipped off her parka, Nancy could see that she was thin, but she looked strong. For a second Nancy wondered why her name sounded familiar. Then she remembered. Lindsay was Steve's main competition in the
upcoming Solstice Derby. That must be why he had frowned when he saw her.

“And this is Amanda Spear,” Craig said. A couple of inches shorter than her friend, Amanda had huge gray eyes. Her long blond hair was tucked into a luxurious silver fox jacket.

Amanda and Lindsay said hello, and Lindsay started to take one of the empty chairs.

“Let's not sit here, Lindsay,” Amanda said in a voice that carried. “I don't like snakes.”

“There aren't any snakes in Alaska,” Craig said. His laugh sounded forced.

Amanda didn't laugh. “I was talking about the two-legged variety.” She glared at Steve.

“Oh, come on, Amanda.” Lindsay tugged at her friend's arm until she reluctantly took the remaining seat. “Let's at least have a soda.”

Amanda pulled off her gloves and unfastened her jacket. “It's nice to meet you,” she said to Nancy and George, turning so that her back was to Steve.

As though he hadn't noticed Amanda's rudeness, Steve began talking in a low voice to George.

Craig leaned across the table toward Lindsay. “How's the training coming?”

“Great!” Lindsay tossed her head, and her short curls bounced. “I hate to boast, but my team's going to win the Solstice Derby.”

Steve looked up sharply. “Oh, yeah?”

Amanda turned around. She smiled sweetly, but there was venom in her eyes. “You don't have a chance, Steve. You never did.”

Nancy saw Steve's hand clench into a fist, but he said nothing. Instead he turned to George. “Want to dance?”

“I'd love to.” George smiled, her expression relieved. She followed him onto the dance floor.

“How about you?” Craig said to Amanda. “Want to show me what a great dancer you are?”

As the two left the table, Lindsay took a long swallow of the soda the waitress had just brought her. Her eyes were troubled.

“I want to apologize for my friend,” she said to Nancy, putting her glass down. “Amanda's not usually so rude. It's just that she and Steve used to date, and she really took it badly when he broke it off. I never thought he'd be here tonight, or we wouldn't have come.”

“No need to apologize. I guess she's still pretty upset,” Nancy said sympathetically. The situation was awkward, but she was glad to know the reason for the obvious tension between Amanda and Steve.

“You seem excited about your dogs,” she said to Lindsay, changing the subject.

A grin of pure pleasure crossed Lindsay's
face. “Racing sled dogs is in my blood. We've all been bitten by the bug—Steve, Craig, and me. Only Amanda has escaped. I tell you, Nancy, once you've driven a team, you're hooked.”

Nancy smiled and pushed her reddish blond hair off her shoulders. She'd read about sled-dog races. “It sounds like a lot of fun,” she said.

“Have you seen Steve's dogs yet?” Lindsay asked.

Nancy shook her head.

“I'm sure Steve will let you drive his, but if he doesn't, I'll be glad to give you a chance on my team,” Lindsay offered.

“Hey, thanks! I may take you up on that,” Nancy replied. The song ended, and she looked up as the two couples returned to the table. George looked happy and flushed, and Steve and Craig were both smiling. Only Amanda still seemed glum.

“Want to take your chances with my two left feet?” Craig asked Nancy.

“If you'll risk mine,” she quipped, knowing her feet were in no danger of being trampled. She'd seen Craig dancing with Amanda, and he was quite good.

Steve and George stood next to the table, waiting for Nancy to get up. Steve was still holding George's hand.

“Quite the lovebirds,” Amanda said sharply.

Steve dropped George's hand as though it had burned him.

“Wow, Steve and Amanda really don't seem to get along,” Nancy ventured as she and Craig maneuvered their way onto the crowded dance floor.

“Mmm. Steve's been pretty thin-skinned lately,” Craig said in a neutral voice. Then he grabbed Nancy's hand. “But let's not talk about them right now. Let's just have fun, okay?”

Nancy smiled. “Okay.”

It was fun being on the dance floor, especially with someone who danced as well as Craig, but for Nancy there was no magic spark. Craig was nice enough, but no one could compare to Ned, her boyfriend back in River Heights.

When the dance ended, she and Craig returned to the table, and Craig ordered everyone another round of sodas. The conversation immediately turned back to sled dogs.

“Have you done your overnight training?” Lindsay asked Steve.

“Nope. Craig's had all the fun,” he said.

“Overnight training? What's that?” George asked.

Craig explained that the Solstice Derby involved an overnight stay along the trail. “A lot
of the sled-dog races are only one day long,” he told them, “but the major ones like the Iditarod involve several nights on the trail. The Solstice Derby is good practice for the big ones.”

Amanda was sitting next to Craig. Her blond hair swirled around her shoulders as she turned to him. “Are you still using the cabin?” she asked.

“Sure.” Craig nodded. “It's the perfect distance from the kennels. I take a long loop out there to make a full day of running.”

Amanda turned back to Nancy and George. “My grandfather and Craig's grandfather were trapping and trading partners when they first came to Alaska,” she said. “Times were pretty hard, and they had to share a tiny cabin in the forest north of Anchorage. Craig owns the cabin now.”

“It's so romantic up here!” Nancy exclaimed. “Trapping and trading, dogsledding—it's just like those old movies about the far north.”

“It's pretty great,” Lindsay said with a grin.

The band began a fast song, and Steve and George got up to dance again. Craig followed with Lindsay, leaving Nancy and Amanda at the table.

For a second, Amanda's eyes followed Steve and George. Nancy could see her stiffen with
anger. Then she gave Nancy a small smile. “You're lucky to be on vacation. I wish I could get time off.”

“Where do you work?” Nancy asked, hoping to get onto a neutral topic of conversation.

Amanda twisted the large gold ring she wore on her right hand. “Wilcox Shipping. I'm the bookkeeper.”

Nancy picked up her glass and sipped as she tried to hide her surprise. None of the bookkeepers she knew in River Heights could afford to wear expensive gold rings and fox jackets.

“Lindsay said you're the only one who hasn't caught sled-dog fever,” she commented.

Amanda frowned. “I can't afford dogs. They're a very expensive hobby. I don't think anyone makes money racing them. Even the winners just break even.”

“A lot of people seem to think racing is more than a hobby,” Nancy said. “Steve, for example.”

Amanda gave Nancy a sharp glance. “Oh, yeah, Mr. Wonderful.” She glanced out at the dance floor, where Steve had just drawn George into his arms. The color drained from her face. For a second Nancy thought she was going to faint.

“Are you okay?” Nancy asked, but Amanda appeared not to hear her.

“Are you okay?” Nancy asked a second time.

Amanda started, as if coming out of a trance. Then she glared at Nancy. “Steve Wilcox is going to regret this evening. I'll make sure of that.” With that, she jumped up and strode from the club.

T
HE SMELL
of bacon and eggs wafted up the stairway to the second floor of the Wilcox house the next morning. It was still dark, even though it was after eight.

“Wasn't last night fun?” George asked as she and Nancy dressed. “I really liked Northern Lights. The band was great, and the atmosphere was fantastic. And Steve's such a good dancer!” She grinned. “This is turning out to be one of the best vacations I've ever had.”

From the number of superlatives she used, it was obvious George was having a wonderful time. The reason, Nancy suspected, was Steve Wilcox.

“Steve asked me to go skating with him this
morning,” George told Nancy as they walked downstairs. “You don't mind, do you?”

“Of course not.”

When the two girls entered the dining room they found Carson Drew there alone. A breakfast buffet was set out on the sideboard, with food in warming dishes. A pitcher of juice and pots of tea and coffee were on the long table.

“Where is everybody?” Nancy asked.

“Henry's gone to the shipyard,” Carson told her. “And I imagine Steve's still asleep.”

Nancy and George piled their plates with fluffy scrambled eggs, hot biscuits, and strips of perfectly fried bacon from the sideboard.

When they were seated, Nancy turned to her father. “I'm glad Mr. Wilcox isn't here, because I wanted to talk to you about him.”

George grinned. “That's our Nan. I knew you'd jump into the case first thing this morning.”

“What about Henry?” Carson asked.

Nancy spoke slowly. “I know he's your friend, Dad, but do you think he could be involved in the smuggling?”

Carson's reply was adamant. “Absolutely not. Henry Wilcox is honest to a fault. He'd never do anything illegal.” Carson gestured with his fork. “You heard him last night. He's worried about his company's reputation. He wouldn't do anything to jeopardize that.”

“It's been years since you've seen him,” Nancy pointed out. “He might have changed.”

Carson shook his head. “Some things don't change. If Henry has a fault, it's that he's too trusting of other people. I could believe he was swindled by some fast-talking person, but I don't believe he's involved in anything illegal.”

“It's just that he had the opportunity,” Nancy said, swallowing a forkful of eggs. “That's what the police think, and I've got to examine all the possibilities.”

“I agree that Henry had opportunity,” Carson replied. “But what about motive? You need both.”

“Money,” Nancy said simply. “There's a lot of money at stake.”

“But Mr. Wilcox is a millionaire,” George protested. “You told me that.”

“His shipping company is very profitable,” Carson put in.

“Even the best of businesses can start losing money,” Nancy pointed out. “And when they do, the owners may get desperate enough to do something illegal.”

“That's all speculation, Nancy,” her father told her. “There's no proof.”

“I know.” Nancy nibbled at a biscuit.

“So what's next?” George asked.

“I'm going to the shipyard,” Nancy answered.

Her father reached into his pocket and handed her a set of car keys. “Henry left one of his cars for you to use. Just be careful.”

Nancy smiled. “You know I always am.” She rose from the table, wiping her lips with her napkin. “If you two will excuse me, I think it's time I got started.”