"Good night! And there's been no trace of them?"
"Not a sign. The police kept it quiet all day, hoping to recover them without any fuss, but they've had to admit themselves beaten. The cars have absolutely disappeared."
Aunt Gertrude spoke up.
"Mighty funny there were no cars stolen while those Dodds were in jail," she said pointedly. "The minute they get out—away go two new automobiles."
The boys glanced at one another uncomfortably. They were quite convinced that Jack Dodd and his father were innocent of any complicity in the car thefts, but they had to admit to themselves that their aunt had expressed a suspicion that might be commonly maintained throughout Bayport.
"The Dodds didn't have anything to do with it," said Fenton Hardy quietly. "I'm sure of that. Still—it looks bad."
"It certainly does!" declared Aunt Gertrude.
Frank turned to his brother.
"It's time for us to get busy," he said. "We'll go out on the Shore Road again to-morrow afternoon."