"That's the strange part of it. The car was locked, although the garage door was open. I can't see how he got away with it."
"A professional job," commented Frank. "These auto thieves always carry scores of keys with them. But we're losing time here. The only thing is to set out in pursuit and to notify the police. The hired man didn't see which way the fellow went, did he?"
"No."
"There is only the one road, and we didn't meet him, so he must have taken the turning to the right at the end of the lane."
"We'll chase him," said Joe. "Climb onto my bike, Chet. We'll get the thief yet."
"Wait a minute," cried Frank suddenly. "I have an idea! Joe, do you remember that car we saw wrecked in the bushes?"
"Sure."
"Perhaps the driver stole the first automobile he could lay his hands on after the wreck."
"What wreck was that?" asked Chet.
The Hardy boys told him of the wrecked car they had found by the roadside. It had occurred to Frank that perhaps the smash-up might have occurred just a short while before and that the driver of the wrecked car had resumed his interrupted journey in a stolen automobile.