The boys spent the evening trying to realize, with Willie Creek's help, some value from the day's developments. They were late getting to bed and still sleeping soundly when Phil and Dave, the following morning, were well on the road to Pittsfield. And now to return to the latter pair of eager searchers, it may be briefly stated that their day's work was without results. Except that they had made the theft of the Big Six the more widely known, they felt their efforts in Pittsfield to have been a total failure. At nine o'clock on Tuesday night they were on a Pullman, their tickets reading "Syracuse." There is in the city named, as everyone knows, an automobile club of more than usual excellence. Whether it be in helping a pair of boys toward the recovery of a lost car, or the more general work of erecting road signs, mapping off the best detours around road construction work and informing the public of the same, nothing is too small or too large a task to receive intelligent attention. And it was a fortunate chance, therefore, that Phil and Dave chose Syracuse to be the scene of their next endeavors. Very early Wednesday morning the two boys began their inquiries--began a day of work and developments, following rapidly one upon another, and more startling at their close than the strangest dreams may often be. CHAPTER IV DETECTIVE BOB RACK HAS SOMETHING TO SAY To the police officials of Syracuse, Phil and Dave first directed their steps in that city. The result was as usual. The department had a report that such-and-such a car was stolen. The officers would be pretty likely to discover it if the machine should appear in the town. "But you better see the Automobile club. They are a big help in everything where autos are concerned," advised the police captain. At a centrally located garage the boys stopped to repeat the same questions they had asked so many times before. The man in charge had heard the story of a car mysteriously disappearing from the South Fork road beyond Port Greeley, but that was all. "You can't do better than see the Automobile club," he added, however. "They are the ones to get you the right dope if there's any way to get it." Although it was still too early to expect to find a secretary or other officer present, the boys decided to visit the club headquarters at once. A pleasant-faced man was reading a motor journal as they entered. To him they stated the purpose of their call. "By George, that's interesting!" said the stranger thoughtfully. "Wait a minute!" Reaching for a desk phone, the pleasant-faced man was soon in touch with the person he desired. Briefly he told of the two young callers and their errand. "All right, that's the ticket!" he said, after some conversation over the wire, and hung up the receiver.