With that they swung off the trolley and after waiting a few minutes along came another car going in the opposite direction.
“That auto may stop in Lowell. I don’t suppose it will do any good, but it’s the first thing that looks like a clew that we have had, and we’d better follow it up.”
When they got back to town they visited all the garages in the city without explaining their mission, and looked at the numbers on all the cars. They didn’t find the one they were looking for, so they went down to report to Mr. Williams. He was very much interested.
“Why didn’t you ask the garage people if they had seen a car with that number?”
“Guess we didn’t know enough,” said Hans. “We’re not such great detectives after all.”
Mr. Williams thought enough of the clew to say that he would have one of the detectives interview the managers of the garages and find out if a car of that number had been in town that day and to see if they could trace it. “We can also write to St. Louis and find out who owns that Missouri number.”
Hans and Hal then went to their rooms to get ready for dinner, for their work made them hungry, although of course Hans had the better appetite of the two. In the evening they were sitting in Hans’ room when there was a knock on the door. Hal opened it and there was Mr. Williams.
“We’ve found the automobile,” said Mr. Williams. “It belongs to one of the students of the University who has a colored driver. The driver has been employed for only a month and I am afraid that there is nothing in our clew. The machine belongs to Crossley.”
Hans jumped about four feet in the air: “Crossley did you say?” The jump seemed to give him power to think quick. “Could it be possible. Could he do such a thing? I hardly think so. He wouldn’t have any reason for it. He has plenty of money.” He was thinking out loud. “Wait, let me see. He might not want to do it just for money. He deliberately spiked Hal. He seemed to have it in for him for some reason. Come to think of it that fellow on the train looked something like him under those glasses.” Then came “yes, it might have been Crossley.”
The others sat watching him in amazement. Finally Hans turned to Mr. Williams and told him what he had noticed about the deliberate spiking of Hal. He could give no motive and neither could Hal say why Crossley might dislike him.