morning and Dad and I were able to satisfy him that we hadn't been out of the house all evening."
"Oh," said Smuff, evidently disappointed. "The Chief was here, was he?"
"Yes."
"Well, I guess there ain't any use of me askin' questions, then," returned the detective.
"No sign of any of the cars, officer?" Frank asked.
"Not a trace."
"Any word from the other towns?"
Detective Smuff shook his head.
"There was three different ways they could have gone," he said. "The Shore Road branches off into three roads and we've sent men out along every one of 'em and every inch of the highway has been searched. Them cars have just plain vanished."
"The police in the other towns didn't see them?"
"No reports at all."
"Perhaps they were taken right through Bayport and out the other side," Joe suggested.
"They weren't taken through Bayport. The cars were missed within five minutes after they were stolen and all the patrolmen were told about 'em and kept a lookout. There was no-
