The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim

replaced items on the Model A. Mr. Meiser would have picked the car to vandalize because he’d know we’d associate him with it. But he’d pull his punches for the car’s sake, not ours.”
    “What’s your third point?” Dan asked.
    “The man I talked to in the hospital yesterday just wasn’t the type to do anything destructive,” Trixie said stubbornly.
    “He went to prison for committing assault,” Brian said. “That’s pretty destructive.”
    “End of round three,” Jim said softly. “I’m afraid you haven’t convinced any of us, Trix.”
    “Well, I’ve convinced myself, anyway,” Trixie told him. “And I’m more sure than ever about something else.”
    “What’s that?” Jim asked,
    “Henry Meiser’s hit-and-run accident was no accident. Somebody ran him down intentionally.”
    “Not that theory again!” Brian exclaimed.
    “Well, think about it. If Mr. Meiser wasn't the one who vandalized the car, somebody else was. But it must be somebody connected with him, because he was connected with the car,” Trixie said.
    “And that just logically leads you to the conclusion that somebody ran him down on purpose,” Brian said, shaking his head. “I wish they offered a course in logic at Sleepyside Junior-Senior High School. I’d force you to sign up for it.”
    “No,” Mart said. “Such overt cruelty would be unwarranted. Our distaff sibling would be incapable of attaining a passing grade in such a course. She would become the oldest freshman enrolled in our alma mater.”
    Trixie flushed and opened her mouth to speak, but Brian gestured for silence. “I’m sorry about my wisecrack, Trixie. I really am. It may turn out that your hunch is right and someone did run Mr. Meiser down intentionally. But there’s nothing we can do about that now. We can call Mr. Burnside and tell him about the car. I think we’d better go do that.“
    “Meeting adjourned,” Jim said, rising from his chair. “Let’s go over to Manor House to make the call. That’s the closest phone. I don’t mind admitting I’d like to have this over with.”
    The four boys rose and walked to the door. Trixie remained seated, resting her chin on her hand. Honey continued to sit across the table, looking at her best friend anxiously.
    “Are you girls coming along?” Jim asked over his shoulder.
    Honey shook her head and motioned for her brother to go on ahead. Jim nodded understandingly. “They were pretty hard on you, Trixie,” Honey said softly when the door had closed behind the boys.
    “That’s what I get for telling them my theories. Sergeant Molinson said today that he’d like to sentence me to a year’s silence. I wish he would!” Trixie said hotly.
    “Well, you convinced me, anyway,” Honey said. “I don’t think Mr. Meiser was the vandal, either.“
    “You’re not just saying that, are you?” Trixie asked. Honey shook her head. “At least you convinced me that the case isn’t as cut-and-dried as Sergeant Molinson made it sound. If the boys knew about the woman on Glenwood Avenue—”
    “They’d tell me she was afraid of Henry Meiser or of something totally unrelated,” Trixie concluded. “I thought about telling them, but I knew Brian and Mart would have a fit because I didn’t say anything when Sergeant Molinson was at the house today.“
    “That’s right!” Honey said. “Oh, Trixie, you should have told him]”
    “Probably,” Trixie admitted. “I was about to, but I remembered what you said. I don’t want to make that woman more terrified than she already is.“
    “Trixie Belden, when I said that, Henry Meiser hadn’t left Sleepyside Hospital in the middle of the night!” Honey said. “Even if he didn’t vandalize the Model A, everything is different now.”
    “Nothing is different,” Trixie protested. “We still have no good reason to believe that woman is connected with Henry Meiser.”
    “We don’t have any good reasons, but you do believe it, don’t you?” Honey guessed.
    Trixie grinned sheepishly. “You’re reading my thoughts again, Honey. I do think there’s a connection. That’s why I want to go back to that house, right now!”
    “Go back!” Honey exclaimed. “Oh, Trixie, we can’t do that! How will we explain it to the boys?“
    “We don’t have to. They’ll be busy with the car all afternoon. We’ll just tell our parents we have an errand to run in town.”
    “But what can you hope to find out by going back to the house?” Honey