Stolen Cars
"It certainly is a mystery how those autos disappeared," said Frank Hardy.
"I'll say it is," replied his brother Joe, raising his voice to be heard above the clatter of their motorcycles. "Just think of it! Two cars last week, two the week before, and one the week before that. Some thieving, I'll tell the world."
"And Martin's car was brand new," called back Chet Morton.
"Mighty tough," Frank affirmed. "It's bad enough to lose a car, but to have it stolen the day after you've bought it is a little too much."
"Must be a regular gang of car thieves at work."
The three boys, on their motorcycles, were speeding along the Shore Road that skirted Barmet Bay, just out of Bayport, on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
"A person takes a big risk leaving a car parked along this road," said Chet. "Every one of the five autos disappeared along the shore."
"What beats me," declared Frank, turning out to avoid a mud puddle, "is how the thieves got away with them. None of them were seen coming into Bayport and there was no trace of them at the other end of the Shore Road, either. Seems as if they just vanished into the thin air."
Chet slowed down so that the trio were riding abreast.