in the front door of the house. The dining room was empty, and there was no sign of Carson, Henry, Craig, or Steve.
âI wonder where the guys are,â George said.
Just then, loud voices carried through the door of the den.
âCalm down, Steve!â Craigâs voice said.
Steveâs voice was anything but calm. âI donât care what you say,â he shouted. âI donât want Nancy Drew here. Sheâll mess up everything!â
Chapter
Seven
T HE DOOR of the den flew open, and Steve stormed into the hallway. At the sight of the girls, his face flushed red with embarrassment.
âI think you owe Nancyââ George started to say.
Nancy quickly shushed her. If Steve made an apology, she wanted it to be because he decided to, not because George shamed him into it.
âGood night, George,â Steve said stiffly. He headed for the stairs without even acknowledging Nancyâs presence.
âSteve!â George started to follow him, but the look he gave her stopped her in her tracks.
âYou could call that bad chemistry,â Nancysaid with an attempt at humor after Steve had disappeared.
âMore like bad manners,â George countered glumly. âI just donât understand him.â
Craig came to the door of the den.
âCan I talk to you, Nancy?â he asked quietly.
George flashed Nancy a smile. âIâm off to bed,â she murmured, then started up the stairs.
âWhat is it, Craig?â Nancy asked, walking into the den. Craig motioned her to a chair, but she remained standing.
âIâI just want to apologize for Steve,â he said. âHis manners have been atrocious. But believe me, thatâs not the real Steve.â
Nancy bit her tongue. It was the only Steve sheâd seen.
âHeâs not himself,â Craig continued. âHeâs awfully upset about the smuggling and what the charges could mean to his father. I guess the strain has made him snap at everyone around him.â
Privately, Nancy didnât think Steve had shown all that much concern about his fatherâs troubles, but she wasnât going to argue with Craig. âItâs a tough situation,â she said neutrally. âLook, Craig, donât worry about me. If Steve has something against me, thatâs his problem. Thereâs nothing any of us can doabout it.â Stifling a yawn with her hand, she added, âNow, Iâve got to get to bed before I fall asleep on my feet.â
That wasnât strictly true. Nancy needed to be alone so she could think about what sheâd just heard. What had Steve meant by saying she would âmess up everythingâ?
What did Steve have to fear from Nancy? His outburst made no sense whatsoeverâunless he was the smuggler. Then he would have reason to fear Nancy, because she might uncover his scheme.
It was a great theory, except for one thing: from what she had seen in the past day, Steve Wilcox had everything money could buy. He apparently had no motive to smuggle!
â¢Â â¢Â â¢
As she drove to the Wilcox Shipping offices the next morning, Nancy couldnât help feeling happy. No matter how little progress she had made on the case, it was a beautiful day. Once again, the dark sky was clear, with a reddish tint in the east that meant the sun was going to rise soon. Before she reached downtown Anchorage, the fiery red ball had climbed over the Chugach Mountains.
She gazed in wonder at one peak, soaring above the others. At first sheâd thought it was a cloud, hovering on top of the mountains. Then she realized the huge mass of white was asnow-covered mountainâMount McKinley. No wonder the Inuits called it the Great One! It was so tall it dwarfed the rest of the range. Nancy wondered whether George could see McKinley from wherever she and Steve were training the dogs. She hoped so.
The shipping offices were located on Anchorageâs main street,
Major Dick Winters, Colonel Cole C. Kingseed