called you.”
“Do you need help raising the ransom?” Miss Haggler asked. “I can send someone up with cash, if that’s the problem.”
“They don’t want money,” Nancy said. “They want someone else in exchange.”
“Me?” Miss Haggler didn’t sound particularly surprised.
“No, it’s the girl I came up here to help,” Nancy replied. “I’m calling to ask for more time. I have new information, including a good idea where Dad is being held; but I can’t free him before tonight. If you call in the police, we may not have a chance.”
“Are you still trying to tell me this abduction has nothing to do with the attempt to take over my company?” Miss Haggler snapped.
“No. When I told you that last night, I didn’t know there was a connection, but now I’m sure there is. That’s why I’m so positive that Dad is in terrible danger. They can’t let him go, Miss Haggler. He knows far too much.”
“Then why not call in the police or the Canadian authorities? If you don’t think you can ransom him, why wait?”
“If I’m right, we just might be able to trick the men who are holding him.”
“You think you can handle it better than the police?” She sounded skeptical.
“Much better,” Nancy said. “The men holding Dad want my friend so badly, they’ll do almost anything to get her.”
“How long do you want me to wait?”
“Until you hear from me?” Nancy suggested. “Forty-eight hours. If I don’t hear from you
before this time day after tomorrow, I’ll call the police. Who do I send them after?”
“I’d rather not make any accusations,” Nancy began.
“That’s the price of time,” Miss Haggler said. “If you disappear, too, I want to make sure we know where to start looking.”
Nancy swallowed hard. “Do the names Jasper Cole and Felix Borge mean anything to you?” she asked.
“Those two-bit hustlers are behind this? They wouldn’t know what to do with Haggler Inter-national Imports if they had it.”
“If you had a large collection of native art that wasn’t yours but wasn’t exactly stolen, could you sell it through your shops?” Nancy asked.
“Not honestly, but it would be possible, I suppose,” Helen Haggler admitted. “Why? Do they have something like that?”
“They’re working on getting it,” Nancy said. “You aren’t making a lot of sense,” Miss Haggler complained. “But I suppose I’ll have to trust you, won’t I?”
“I hope Dad will be able to explain the whole thing to you by this time tomorrow,” Nancy said fervently.
“And if he isn’t able to, where do I send the authorities?” she asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Nancy said, “but I’ll put my notes in an envelope and mail them to you today. That way if things go wrong, you’ll know as much as I do.”
“Notes?”
Nancy explained about the tape and its coded message. “If you don’t hear from me in forty- eight hours, maybe the police can use it,” she said.
“You just be very careful,” Miss Haggler warned. “The men trying to take over my company are completely ruthless. I doubt they’ll stop at anything to get what they want.”
“They’ve already proved that,” Nancy said, chilled by her words. “But I won’t stop at anything either—not until I get my father back!”
17. Plotting an Escape
Nancy made several more calls from the pay phone. Contacting Mr. Steele for a report on the progress of the robbery investigation was the first. It made her feel guilty to listen to the worry in his voice when he asked her about Alana, but she couldn’t risk telling him anything.
Next, she called the hotel in Seattle to check for messages, then she tried the Firebird Lodge and was pleased when there was an answer. “Is Ben Qinggoq there?” she asked politely.
“I’m sorry, miss, he isn’t,” the woman answered. “But I do expect I’ll be seeing him in the next day or so. Would you like to leave a message?”
“No, thank you, I’m sure
“Do you need help raising the ransom?” Miss Haggler asked. “I can send someone up with cash, if that’s the problem.”
“They don’t want money,” Nancy said. “They want someone else in exchange.”
“Me?” Miss Haggler didn’t sound particularly surprised.
“No, it’s the girl I came up here to help,” Nancy replied. “I’m calling to ask for more time. I have new information, including a good idea where Dad is being held; but I can’t free him before tonight. If you call in the police, we may not have a chance.”
“Are you still trying to tell me this abduction has nothing to do with the attempt to take over my company?” Miss Haggler snapped.
“No. When I told you that last night, I didn’t know there was a connection, but now I’m sure there is. That’s why I’m so positive that Dad is in terrible danger. They can’t let him go, Miss Haggler. He knows far too much.”
“Then why not call in the police or the Canadian authorities? If you don’t think you can ransom him, why wait?”
“If I’m right, we just might be able to trick the men who are holding him.”
“You think you can handle it better than the police?” She sounded skeptical.
“Much better,” Nancy said. “The men holding Dad want my friend so badly, they’ll do almost anything to get her.”
“How long do you want me to wait?”
“Until you hear from me?” Nancy suggested. “Forty-eight hours. If I don’t hear from you
before this time day after tomorrow, I’ll call the police. Who do I send them after?”
“I’d rather not make any accusations,” Nancy began.
“That’s the price of time,” Miss Haggler said. “If you disappear, too, I want to make sure we know where to start looking.”
Nancy swallowed hard. “Do the names Jasper Cole and Felix Borge mean anything to you?” she asked.
“Those two-bit hustlers are behind this? They wouldn’t know what to do with Haggler Inter-national Imports if they had it.”
“If you had a large collection of native art that wasn’t yours but wasn’t exactly stolen, could you sell it through your shops?” Nancy asked.
“Not honestly, but it would be possible, I suppose,” Helen Haggler admitted. “Why? Do they have something like that?”
“They’re working on getting it,” Nancy said. “You aren’t making a lot of sense,” Miss Haggler complained. “But I suppose I’ll have to trust you, won’t I?”
“I hope Dad will be able to explain the whole thing to you by this time tomorrow,” Nancy said fervently.
“And if he isn’t able to, where do I send the authorities?” she asked.
“I can’t tell you,” Nancy said, “but I’ll put my notes in an envelope and mail them to you today. That way if things go wrong, you’ll know as much as I do.”
“Notes?”
Nancy explained about the tape and its coded message. “If you don’t hear from me in forty- eight hours, maybe the police can use it,” she said.
“You just be very careful,” Miss Haggler warned. “The men trying to take over my company are completely ruthless. I doubt they’ll stop at anything to get what they want.”
“They’ve already proved that,” Nancy said, chilled by her words. “But I won’t stop at anything either—not until I get my father back!”
17. Plotting an Escape
Nancy made several more calls from the pay phone. Contacting Mr. Steele for a report on the progress of the robbery investigation was the first. It made her feel guilty to listen to the worry in his voice when he asked her about Alana, but she couldn’t risk telling him anything.
Next, she called the hotel in Seattle to check for messages, then she tried the Firebird Lodge and was pleased when there was an answer. “Is Ben Qinggoq there?” she asked politely.
“I’m sorry, miss, he isn’t,” the woman answered. “But I do expect I’ll be seeing him in the next day or so. Would you like to leave a message?”
“No, thank you, I’m sure
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