"Did you get a call for Ninety-nine Waverly any time yesterday afternoon?" "I did not." "You're sure?" "I am that." There was no hesitation, no uncertainty in the tone. Donald Morris looked quickly at Clancy, but Clancy was entirely occupied with the two garage men. "Well, that's funny," said Peter, with a puzzled frown. "Miss Blake was very much annoyed when your taxi didn't come, and she had to get one from--where was it now? She told me, but I can't remember. What's the name of another public garage near here?" "I don't think there is any decent one anywhere near here except mine, but there's a cab stand at the Lafayette. Maybe she got it from there. It would be the nearest place. Anyhow, Mr.--Mr. Clancy, you can bet we didn't get the call, or we'd'a' been on the job. We've been drivin' Miss Blake for a couple of years or more and we're always very particular, anyway. Let's see----" Hammond again referred to his book. "We took Ninety-nine Waverly to the theatre Saturday evening at seven forty-five, but we didn't have a call to get her after the performance that night.... No. The last is May twenty-seventh at seven forty-five. Nothing after that." He glanced at the mechanic who was waiting at the door. "All right, Joe," with a nod of dismissal, and the man disappeared. "I can't explain it," Hammond turned to Peter, "only we didn't get the call, and I wisht you'd tell Miss Blake so. Joe's been here for a long time and he's very careful. Never knew him to make a mistake. Them darned telephone operators might have given her the wrong number and somebody thought they'd play a joke by sayin' they'd come for her. I can't think how else----" "Well, it's a mistake, then," said Peter, pleasantly, "and I'll tell Miss Blake--when I see her. Sorry to have troubled you," and with an apologetic wave of the hand, he took Donald Morris by the arm and led him, disappointed and perplexed, into the street. "Cheer up," said Peter, as he turned him eastward. "Don't get discouraged. We've only just begun. This may be a long chase and, as I said, we'll have to trust a good deal to luck. I'm not disappointed a whole lot, as I had a kind of a hunch that the cab might not have come from a place where Miss Blake was well known. We'll try the Lafayette, since it's so near, and if we don't find anything there, I'll get my partner, O'Malley, on the 'phone and we'll comb the city for that cab." "Like looking for a needle in a haystack," muttered Morris, wearily. "Oh, not so bad as that," said Peter. "We've got that sort of thing pretty well systematized. It may take a little time, but we're bound to find a cab, unless they left on foot, with only hand luggage, and that's hardly probable, is it?"