Trail of Lies by Carolyn Keene Read Free Book Online Page B

Fourth Avenue. Nancy had no trouble finding the building. She parked and went in, taking the stairs to the second-floor offices.
    â€œIs Mr. Wilcox here?” Nancy asked the receptionist. She gazed around curiously. Like Henry Wilcox’s house, the Wilcox Shipping offices were attractively decorated and exuded an air of prosperity.
    â€œI’m sorry, but he was called away.” The woman gave Nancy an appraising look. “Are you Nancy Drew?”
    At Nancy’s nod, the receptionist told her, “Mr. Wilcox said Amanda Spear could help you. Third cubicle on the right.”
    Nancy felt a momentary frustration. She’d wanted to talk to Henry about John’s previous employer. Now she’d have to wait.
    â€œGood morning,” she said as she poked her head into Amanda’s cubicle.
    Amanda was seated at a large desk staring intently at a computer screen. She started at Nancy’s voice, then smiled nervously. “Hi.”
    Nancy took one of the visitors’ chairs. “I was hoping to talk to you at the track yesterday,” she said.
    â€œToo bad you didn’t stay. Lindsay trounced Steve.” There was no hiding the satisfaction in Amanda’s voice.
    Nancy looked around the cubicle. Other than a nice desk clock, there were no personal possessions, none of the usual pictures and knickknacks that told a lot about the person who worked in an office. The only thing that appeared to belong to Amanda was the fox jacket she’d worn the other night. It was hanging from a hook in one corner.
    â€œDid Mr. Wilcox tell you I was coming?” Nancy asked.
    Amanda unclasped her hands and began to twist the huge gold ring on her right hand. “Yes. He says you’re a detective,” she said. Her voice quavered ever so slightly. “You’re the first one I’ve met.”
    Nancy smiled. “I hope you’re not disappointed—I’m not wearing a trench coat or carrying a magnifying glass or anything.” She wanted to put Amanda at ease. The young woman was obviously nervous about this visit. Why was that?
    â€œSo what are you investigating?” Amanda twisted her ring again and glanced at the clock.
    Nancy and Henry had agreed last night that it was best not to tell the company’s employeesabout the smuggling. “Oh, I’m just helping Mr. Wilcox out with a little problem,” Nancy said vaguely. “I’d like to take a look at the shipping records and the company financial statements.”
    Was it Nancy’s imagination, or did Amanda grow a shade paler at her request?
    â€œOh—sure. Let me set you up,” Amanda said quickly. She led the way to an empty cubicle. “You can work in here—no one will bother you. I’ll get the books.”
    A few minutes later she returned with three large binders, which she deposited in front of Nancy. Thanking her, Nancy pulled out a calculator and a pad of paper and got to work.
    As she looked through the company’s financial information, Nancy began to wish she knew more about accounting. Everything looked in order to her, but she was having a hard time following all the columns of debits and credits. She flipped to the payroll but soon gave up—that was even more confusing.
    One thing seemed certain from these accounts, however: Wilcox Shipping was indeed a very prosperous company. The numbers at the bottom of each column showed clear profits. Nancy was glad. The case against her father’s friend was looking weaker, since he had no obvious motive to smuggle.
    Nancy pulled out the shipping records to look at the cargo list for the Musk Ox’ s lasttrip. She studied the sheets for the shipments of beans and cookies. They showed the same information she’d seen stenciled on the outside of the cartons. The packers for each were different. So were the companies who were supposed to receive the food.
    The Musk Ox had stopped in four ports to pick up cargo, she