“Oh, please,” Bess cajoled. “Just a quick peek. We promise not to disturb anything.”
The salesman glanced at his watch. “Sure, why not?” he said finally. “Mr. Todd won’t be back for another half hour.”
The girls followed him into the workshop at the back of the store. It was a small room with a cluttered workbench running along one side. Photographs and drawings of jewelry designs were pinned on the wall above the bench.
The salesman pointed out the furnace and the kiln at the far end of the workbench. Then, climbing a stepladder, he reached for a metal object on a high shelf. “The molds are kept up here,” he explained. “We used this one to make the swans.” He stepped down from the ladder and showed the girls a heavy metal mold.
Just then there was another jingle from the shop door.
“I’ll be right back,” the young man said, placing the mold down on the workbench.
As soon as he had disappeared, Nancy whispered, “Quick! Hold the stepladder for me. I want to get up there.”
George and Bess steadied the ladder as Nancy scrambled up and grabbed hold of the top shelf.
“What is she doing up there?” Bess asked, flashing George a worried look.
George shrugged. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “But she’d better get down fast before that guy comes back.”
Suddenly Nancy heard the salesman shout, “Hey! What are you doing up there?”
George and Bess jumped back in surprise, and Nancy looked down. In the next second she felt the ladder wobble beneath her feet. Her stomach knotted in fear as all at once she lost her balance. The ladder toppled over, leaving Nancy hanging from the shelf.
“Get down from there!” the young man yelled. Nancy gripped the shelf with all her might. Suddenly it began to bend under her weight. Then, with a loud crack, the wooden shelf broke in half! Nancy fell to the floor, followed by splintered pieces of shelf. Molds showered down around her, as she shielded her head with her arms.
“Look what you’ve done!” the salesman cried. “This will cost me my job!”
But as Nancy struggled to get up, she spotted what she’d been looking for. On the floor beside her was a metal mold in the shape of the Golden Horse!
11
A Visit with Professor Herbert
“What were you looking for back there?” George asked Nancy as the girls scrambled into the car a few minutes later.
“Yeah, why were you climbing those shelves?” Bess asked from the backseat. “That poor salesman . . . Well, we did offer to clean up.”
Nancy related the conversation she’d overheard at the dog show between Fiona and Justin Todd. “Fiona was trying to get her husband to make her a copy of Su-Lin’s necklace,” Nancy began. “She reminded Justin that he’d copied an antique for Professor Herbert. Obviously it was some kind of secret, because Justin was furious with Fiona for blabbing about it in public.”
“Wait a minute,” George said, frowning. “I was sitting right there, and I didn’t hear a thing.”
“Nancy’s ears are highly tuned to that kind of stuff,” Bess teased.
Nancy braked for a red light. “Well, I think that antique Todd made for Herbert was a copy of the Golden Horse,” she said. “I couldn’t be certain, though, until I saw the mold,” she said. “But the timing tipped me off. Todd made the copy about a month ago. That was about the time that Professor Herbert appraised the Golden Horse for the museum.” The light changed, and Nancy accelerated across the intersection.
“The professor has a special interest in the Golden Horses,” she went on. “Su-Lin told me he devoted a whole chapter to them in his book. Anyway, Herbert knew his friend Todd had the know-how to copy the piece, so it was easy to imagine he might ask him to do the favor.”
“What’s wrong with having a copy made?” Bess asked.
“Nothing, really,” George said. “Plenty of people own copies of fine art, right?”
“There’s nothing wrong with owning a copy, but Justin Todd’s secrecy makes me suspicious,” Nancy said.
George chewed her lip thoughtfully. “Maybe Stone found out that Herbert had the horse copied, and that’s why they were arguing at the dog show,” she suggested.
“That’s a thought,” Nancy said, fingering the Tibetan necklace Su-Lin had given her.
“Too bad we weren’t able to overhear Stone and Herbert arguing,” George said.
“I wonder if we can use this situation to our advantage,” Nancy said slowly. “Maybe I could get Herbert to talk about Stone. He might let some kind of useful information slip out.”
Nancy checked her watch. It was only two o’clock. “How about a drive out to Westmoor University?” she asked her friends.
“I’d love to,” George said, “but I think Bess has a dental appointment in half an hour.”
“Did you have to remind me?” Bess said as Nancy made a right and headed toward the River Heights Medical Center.
“See you guys later,” Bess said with a sigh, stepping out of the car as they pulled up. “I’ll take a cab home.”
After dropping Bess off, Nancy drove out to Westmoor University with George. A short while later they were walking across the sprawling campus. George stopped a student and asked for directions to the anthropology department.
“It’s in Harris Hall,” the young woman said, pointing to a large brick building across the lawn.
The girls headed toward the building and entered through the large front doors. They found a directory posted in the lobby. Professor Herbert’s office was on the third floor.
“I guess it’d be better if you went up alone,” George suggested. “I’ll take a walk around the campus.”
Nancy agreed to meet George back in the lobby in half an hour. She entered the elevator and pressed the button for the third floor, hoping the professor would be available.
