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race.”
    â€œDo you use whips?” Nancy asked.
    Craig gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t get me wrong. We never beat our dogs. No good musher would mistreat his animals. But we used to do what some of the great Iditarod racers do—we’d crack a whip in the air. It excites the dogs and makes them run faster.”
    Craig took a sharp curve on the road, then spoke again. “Lindsay made such a fuss that we stopped using the whips. But Amanda doesn’t miss a chance to goad Steve about anything.”
    A few minutes later, the van pulled into the Wilcox driveway. A truck Nancy hadn’t seen before was parked in front of the porch. John Tilden and a strange man stood on the porch, talking. The man handed John an envelope.
    As the van crunched over the driveway, John’s head shot up. He quickly unzipped his parka and thrust the envelope inside. The man he was speaking to jumped into the truck and drove away.
    Then, without a glance in Nancy and Craig’s direction, the butler slipped inside the house.

Chapter

Six
    I WONDER WHAT John’s hiding now,” Craig muttered angrily.
    â€œWhat do you mean, ‘now’?” Nancy asked.
    Craig flushed slightly. “Nothing. I was just shooting off my mouth.” He opened the door and climbed out of the van.
    Nancy wasn’t convinced. “Come on, Craig. You must have meant something.”
    For a moment, Craig said nothing. Then, as they walked toward the house, he asked, “Have you ever had a feeling that something’s just not right?”
    â€œSure,” Nancy said.
    â€œWell, that’s the way I feel about John. I can’t put my finger on it, but something’swrong about him. For one thing, he hasn’t been with the Wilcoxes very long, and he won’t say where he was before that.”
    Nancy was thoughtful. It wouldn’t hurt to ask Henry Wilcox a few questions about his butler.
    â€¢Â â€¢Â â€¢
    â€œDogsledding is the most exciting thing I’ve ever tried,” George announced at dinner that night.
    â€œIt’s a truly Alaskan hobby,” Henry Wilcox said, emphasizing the word hobby. Nancy saw Steve roll his eyes.
    â€œWell, all I know is, it was wonderful!” George said. Her eyes glowed with enthusiasm, and Steve grinned at her.
    â€œMaybe now you’ll agree to stay after Nancy and Mr. Drew leave,” he suggested.
    Carson looked down the table at Henry. “I wish we could spend more than a week here.”
    â€œSo do I,” Henry said, “but I have to admit that my motives are selfish. Now that I have the police breathing down my neck, I’m hoping Nancy will uncover something.” He turned to Nancy, his expression serious. “How are you doing with the investigation?”
    Nancy shook her head slowly, wishing she had better news. “Not too well, so far.” She told them about the second shipment of ivory she had discovered, leaving out the part aboutthe intruder who had turned out the lights. “I’ve got a couple of leads to check tomorrow when businesses are open again. I want to look at some of the shipping records, too,” she concluded.
    â€œI’ll have everything ready for you. I hope it helps.” Henry looked grim. “The police are giving me only two more days before they break the news to the press. I guess I’ve been lucky that they agreed to keep it quiet this long.”
    â€œYou know, they don’t have any real evidence against you,” Carson said.
    â€œThat’s what I like,” Henry said with a smile that looked forced. “A vote of confidence.”
    â€œHenry, there’s no way the charges against you will hold up,” Craig said firmly. “They’re ridiculous. I’m sure the police will catch the real culprit soon. Now, what can we do to make sure these people enjoy Alaska while they’re here?”
    â€œDo you think we’ll get to see