Free Trail of Lies by Carolyn Keene Page B

from.”
    â€œThe shot?” Nancy repeated. “Lindsay thought someone cracked a whip.”
    â€œIt sounded like a shot to me,” John said.
    â€œWhat are you doing here, John?” Nancy asked. “I didn’t know you were interested in dogsledding.”
    â€œI like Steve,” he said with a touch of defiance. “I wanted to see him win.”
    Despite his answer, something was making John nervous. Nancy decided to try direct confrontation. “What are you hiding?” she demanded.
    John stared at her, and she could see him wavering. Then his eyes dropped to the ground. “Nothing,” he insisted in a low voice.
    â€œI don’t believe you,” Nancy said bluntly. “You’ve been acting like a man with a secret. First you acted really strangely in the phone closet, even though no one could hear a word you were saying. Then you tried to hide the letter someone delivered to you. And what about when you spilled that hot cherry liqueur on me? Was that really an accident?”
    John gaped at her. “Of course it was! Look, I was nervous,” he admitted. “That was the first time I heard that you were a detective, and it rattled me.”
    â€œWhy?” Nancy asked.
    At first John didn’t answer. Then he said slowly, “I thought you might be investigating me. I was afraid of losing my job.”
    â€œLike you did the last one?” Nancy said softly.
    John’s face whitened. “How’d you find out about that?”
    â€œI’m a detective, remember.” Nancy took a step closer to John. “I wasn’t investigating you. But I think you’d be much better off if you told me the whole story now.”
    John bowed his head. His whole body seemed to sag as he began speaking.
    â€œI have a kid brother who got involved with a rough crowd in Fairbanks,” he said. “That’s where we used to live. Jim started gambling, lost a lot of money, and—well, it’s a long story, but he got desperate. There’s no excuse, and I know it, but . . .” John paused and kicked at the snow.
    â€œBut?” Nancy prompted gently.
    John took a deep breath. “He—he stole some money from his boss. Of course he got caught and went to prison, and there was some publicity. I couldn’t stand it, so I left Fairbanks and went to Seward. I thought I’d start a new life, only it didn’t work out that way. I got a job, but when they checked into my past they found out about Jim.” He lifted his hands in a sad gesture. “So they fired me. Told me not to ask for references.”
    â€œThat’s not fair,” Nancy said indignantly. “You shouldn’t be punished for your brother’s crime.”
    â€œYou’re telling me!” John’s voice was bitter. “But what could I do? I tried getting a job at a few other places in Seward, but no one would hire me—I guess the word had spread.”
    â€œSo you came to Anchorage,” Nancy guessed.
    â€œSo I came to Anchorage,” he confirmed. “I was careful this time, and I didn’t tell Mr. Wilcox about my brother. I warned Jim to send his letters to a friend so Mr. Wilcox would never see the prison return address. And when I call my brother, I try not to let anyone know about it.”
    â€œYou shouldn’t have worried,” Nancy began, but John wasn’t listening to her.
    â€œThen you came,” he said, and frowned. “When I heard you were a detective, I thought Mr. Wilcox had hired you to check on my background. I panicked.”
    Nancy nodded. “I believe you,” she said, “but I think you’d better tell Mr. Wilcox the truth.”
    â€œI guess I have to,” John reluctantly agreed. They headed for the parking lot. Steve and Craig were loading the last of the dogs onto the truck. The sled was waiting to be strapped on top.
    â€œHi, everybody,” Nancy called. Her