“Anybody can get fooled,” Frank told him. “Well, Chet, let’s operate on this car.”
The detective stood by sullenly as Frank pulled out a penknife and began to scrape the red paint off part of the fender.
CHAPTER V
The Hunt Is Intensified
“HEY!” Oscar Smuff shouted. “You be careful with that penknife! The man who owns this place don’t want you ruinin’ his cars!”
Frank Hardy looked up at the detective. “I’ve watched my father scrape off flecks of paint many times. The way he does it, you wouldn’t know anybody had made a mark.”
Smuff grunted. “But you’re not your father. Easy there!”
As cautiously as possible Frank picked off flecks of the red paint in a spot where it would hardly be noticeable. Taking a flashlight from his pocket, he trained it on the spot.
Joe, leaning over his brother’s shoulder, said, “There was light-blue paint under this red, not yellow.”
“Right,” Frank agreed, eying Smuff intently.