The Eskimo's Secret by Carolyn Keene Page A

he’ll be getting in touch with me,” Nancy said.
    When she left the phone booth, she looked around, trying hard to remember whether any of the people in the lobby had been there last night, but she couldn’t. She got a stamped envelope from the desk clerk and addressed it to Helen, but she didn’t put the notes in it. Hoping to find a copy machine, she decided to walk to the nearby shopping area.
    “We’ll just see if anyone is following me,” she murmured, stepping briskly into the damp air.
    The streets weren’t crowded at that hour, but she couldn’t spot anyone. She stopped in a small doughnut shop to wait for the stores to open, then wandered through several before buying some items for what lay ahead. Dark jeans for herself and Alana, plus lightweight, dark-colored sweaters to match.
    “Just the right dress for the invasion,” she told herself, renewing her determination.
    After making her purchases, Nancy moved on to a stationery store carrying maps and bought one that included Coachman Island. She also made photocopies of her notes and mailed the envelope. When that was done, she consulted her watch, and seeing that it was almost twelve o’clock, returned to the hotel.
    The people in the chairs and on the sofas of the lobby seemed to have changed, but again, she couldn’t be sure. Nancy sat near the phone
    booth for almost half an hour, but it didn’t ring.
    Frustrated, but not really surprised, Nancy went into the hotel dining room for a quick lunch, then decided to go to her room. There was always the chance, she reminded herself, that the kidnappers would call for a progress report, and she didn’t want them to think that she was merely stalling for time.
    When Nancy got on the elevator, she found it half filled by a laundry cart apparently abandoned by one of the maids. She peered inside, noting that it contained mostly uniforms for the hotel employees.
    Without really planning anything, she bent over the side of the cart and poked around until she located three uniforms that looked as though they would fit her, Alana, and Ben. She slipped them into the bag with her other purchases and left the elevator on her floor.
    Nancy was so busy thinking about what she’d done that she had stepped into her room before she realized she wasn’t alone. A scream welled up in her throat, but a hand covered her mouth before she could make a sound.
    “It’s Nancy,” Alana gasped.
    “I’m sorry,” Ben said, releasing her at once.
    Nancy blinked, suddenly realizing the room was so dark because the drapes had been drawn over the windows. “How did you get in here?” she asked.
    Alana looked guilty. “I got the key at the desk,” she said. “I told them my father had the key to my room.”
    “Why are you here?” Nancy put the chain on the door. “I thought we agreed you wouldn’t be safe here.”
    Alana started to speak, then burst into tears. “I’m not safe anywhere,” she wailed.
    Nancy went to the girl and threw her arms around her. “What happened?” she demanded, her gaze on Ben’s troubled face.
    “We did what you said,” Ben began, sinking down on the side of the bed. “Went down the stairs and out the back. We got about half a block, maybe a little more, when a car came along.”
    “It was those men again,” Alana choked. “Jasper Cole and Felix Borge. They saw me, Nancy, and they came after us.”
    “Oh, no,” Nancy gasped, feeling sick. “How did you get away?”
    “There was an open office building close by,” Ben answered. “We went in there and I had Alana hide in a closet while I led them away. They chased me through three different parking garages and one more building before they
    found out she wasn’t just ahead of me.” He grinned. “I kept yelling instructions to her.” “Clever,” Nancy said.
    “Once they found out it was a trick, they gave up the chase,” he continued. “They weren’t interested in me.”
    “I came back here,” Alana said. “That’s