Saint-Jolivet of Pendleton

There never has been one!"

"In that case, Madam, would you be so kind as to tell me who was operating this vehicle when it reached this location?"

"No one."

"But, come on Madam, the bus could not have moved without someone steering it, hence the existence of a profession called chauffeur or driver."

"It might be an electronic system," interceded a young man. "I saw a report on television that showed a computer learning how to drive heavy machinery. It might be a pilot project."

"What!" exclaimed Pendleton. "Are you, too, maintaining that there is no driver in this bus?"

"Of course! You surprise me. I thought the fact quite visible."

"I am not referring to his current absence, but of his former presence."

"There was no driver, we keep telling you," insisted the young man whose good humor was retreating from Pendleton's stubbornness.

"I don't believe it..." started Pendleton before being cut off by the arrival of a new bus.

It was certainly the next one from the same line and that one, to Pendleton's satisfaction, was duly supplied with someone at the wheel. The latter got out and joined our Heroes.

"What are you all doing here? Can't you see that there is no one at the wheel? You won't get very far."

"At last someone sensible," shouted Pendleton, who was starting to doubt his own sanity. "Mister driver, I know my question will sound absurd, but it is important that you answer it seriously."

"I'm at your disposal. We drivers must often deal with stupid questions. It's part of our trade and we are trained to react properly, even in the most bizarre situations."

"Okay then, here it comes. Many people claim with forcefulness that there never was any driver in this bus. Some have even suggested that it could be an experimental electronic system. I'm asking you, was there one of your colleagues onboard when this bus got here?"

"Absolutely impossible! I'm the only one on this line today and I had the 09:24 start and not the 08:54."

"You're the only one today?"

"That's what I said."

"How do you account, then, for the presence of this vehicle at this intersection? Was it perhaps stolen? And the thief, to cover his tracks, waited at each stop? What do you have to say to that?"

"I say that the piece of equipment in question left at 08:54, as usual, thus respecting the grand traditions of punctuality of our public transportation system, and that it could not have been taken since the garage is well guarded and nothing abnormal was reported. I would further add that the fact that it stopped at each of the appropriate, and judiciously selected, locations is far from irregular. It has been doing the same round everyday for the past ten years. It knows it by heart, obviously."

"This gets madder by the minute! I must be dreaming, complained Pendleton. Somebody pinch me! No, no, madam, don't do it. I know I'm not dreaming, it's just a figure of speech. From tons of tiny details, my power of deduction, with its incredible precision, which I cannot separate myself from and sometimes scares me, confirms to me that I am not dreaming. And if I were, it would never be as stupid as this bus without a driver. And what about my six dollars? That is a real mystery! What do you mean, 'what about your six dollars?' Ah! Just drop it! All of you, just drop it. It's probably a very bad joke and there are cameras hidden everywhere. I'm getting out of here. And you, yes you with the box, come with me, I have to talk to you."

"Wait a second," interrupted the driver of the second bus.