“It’s more than likely this old auto belonged to Mr. Brown,” came from Fred.
“Maybe he was with the men who had the security boxes,” ventured Randy. “One thing I feel pretty sure of—this hold-up was engineered by our old enemies.”
“It certainly begins to took that way to me,” answered Jack. “First we spot Slugger Brown and Nappy Martell watching us. Then we discover Mr. Martell in the automobile that knocked Andy down, and here we find this auto, that was used by the men who had the two security boxes, marked with what you might call Slugger’s absent-minded hieroglyphics. I begin to think if we can lay our hands on that bunch we’ll be pretty close to getting the stolen stuff back.”
The other boys agreed in this, and it looked to them as if the whole affair solved itself into the single question of locating the rascals who formerly had made so much trouble for themselves and for their parents.
The lads lost no time in returning to New York. There they reported what they had learned and this revelation was listened to with much satisfaction by their fathers.
“These things are beginning to fit in,” said Tom Rover. “I certainly hope those detectives are able to round up the Browns and the Martells.”
But this was by no means easy. An investigation proved that both families had moved away from where they had formerly lived, and a thorough search by not only the Rovers but also half a dozen detectives failed to give a hint as to their whereabouts.
“It begins to look to me as if the bunch had left this country,” said Tom Rover.
“Have the police heard any more regarding Ditini and Ronombo?” asked Randy.