bright as he leaned across the
desk toward Malone.

"Do I get three guesses?" Malone said.

Burris ignored him. "Frankly," he said, "I've got a hunch that the whole
thing was done with remote control. Somewhere in that car was a very
cleverly concealed device that was capable of running the Cadillac from
a distance."

It did sound plausible, Malone thought. "Did the prowl car boys find
any traces of it when they examined the wreckage?" he said.

"Not a thing," Burris said. "But, after all, it could have been melted.
The fire did destroy a lot of the Cadillac, and there's just no telling.
But I'd give long odds that there must have been some kind of robot
device in that car. It's the only answer, isn't it?"

"I suppose so," Malone said.

"Malone," Burris said, his voice filled with Devotion To One's Country
In The Face Of Great Obstacles, "Malone, I want you to find that
device!"

"In the wreck?" Malone said.

Burris sighed and leaned back. "No," he said. "Of course not. Not in the
wreck. But the other red Cadillacs--some of them, anyhow--ought to
have--"

"What red Cadillacs?" Malone said.

"The other ones that have been stolen. From Connecticut, mostly. One
from New Jersey, out near Passaic."

"Have any of the others been moving around without drivers?" Malone
said.

"Well," Burris said, "there's been no report of it. But who can tell?"
He gestured with both arms. "Anything is possible, Malone."

"Sure," Malone said.

"Now," Burris said, "all of the stolen cars are red 1972 Cadillacs.
There's got to be some reason for that--and I think they're covering up
another car like the one that got smashed: a remote--controlled
Cadillac. Or even a self-guiding, automatic, robot-controlled Cadillac."

"They?" Malone said. "Who?"

"Whoever is stealing the cars," Burris said patiently.

"Oh," Malone said. "Sure. But--"

"So get up to New York," Burris said, "keep your eyes open, and nose
around. Got it?"

"I have now," Malone said.

"And when that Cadillac is found, Malone, we want to take a look at it.
O.K.?"

"Yes, sir," Malone said.

III.

Of course, there were written reports, too. Burris had handed Malone a
sheaf of them--copies of the New York police reports to Burris
himself--and Malone, wanting some time to look through them, had taken a
train to New York instead of a plane. Besides, the new planes still made
him slightly nervous, though he could ride one when he had to. If jet
eng