Velma picked around the dented pieces of metal that were ripped from Vega's racecar to get to the charred wreckage. "Jinkies," she murmured. "That ghost car really did a number on this thing. Vega's pretty lucky he wasn't hurt…or worse." Carefully, she ran her finger down a nasty dent, examining the damage before turning away from the wreck to examine the area around the racer. Dark black skid marks marred the Coolsville 500 racetrack. "Jinkies! Four skid marks…and two that vanish into nowhere…but…ghosts shouldn't leave skid marks…and what's this?"
Velma strode a few feet from the wreck and picked up a white object from the track, realizing instantly that it was a grease-spotted rag. She pocketed it and returned to the racers and the rest of the gang.
"What'd you find out, Vel?" Fred asked.
"Oh…just a few clues," she replied carelessly, noticing that Jason, Sparky and Stanley wore near-identical worried frowns.
"C-c-clues?" Carlos shuddered, securely wrapped in a towel by the side of the track. "Wh-what d-do you m-m-mean?"
"I mean that I don't think we're dealing with a ghost here," Velma proclaimed. "Ghosts don't leave skid marks."
"You mean someone ran Vega off the road intentionally?" Stanley asked incredulously. "But who would do such a thing?"
"I'm not sure…yet...I need a few more clues, though, to break this case."
"Then let's split up, gang!" Fred announced. "Velma, Daphne and I will check out the garage. Shaggy, you and Scooby stay out here and scout out the track. See what else you can find around the wreck." After a bribe of Scooby Snacks, Shaggy and Scooby agreed to the plan.
After leaving Scooby and Shaggy outside, Fred, Velma and Daphne traipsed into the garage to look for clues. Sparky bent over Jason's engine while, in the corner, Jason pressed a drink into Vega's shaking hands.
"Hey, look over here!" announced Fred, pointing to the floor. The girls followed his finger to see a trail of oil leading towards the back of the garage. "Let's see where it leads!"
The trio of sleuths followed the sticky trail of ooze until it led them to a shocking discovery…the back wall of the garage.
"The oil stops here," Fred stated. Daphne and Velma shot Fred looks to the tune of 'no duh.'
"Hmmm…then there must be a secret passageway," remarked Velma. "Cars leaking oil don't just vanish into nowhere." She and Fred both turned to Daphne. "Well?"
"Well, what?" Daphne asked, confused.
"Well, you're usually the best at finding the entrances to secret passageways," Fred replied. "It comes with the whole 'danger-prone' thing."
Daphne frowned and placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, ha ha. Very funny. Just because I'm 'danger-prone' means I'll always stumble into the trap, huh? Well, I'm not doing it this time!" She stomped her foot for emphasis, triggering a hidden switch. The back wall of the garage slowly rose up, revealing a hidden room! "Not a word."
Velma and Fred stifled their chuckles as the three detectives entered the secret room.