"Ha!" said Detective Smuff. "A clue!" He immediately fished a notebook out of his pocket and began rummaging around for a pencil.
"Never mind, Detective Smuff," observed the chief heavily. "I'll take any notes that are needed."
Detective Smuff, duly squelched, put back his notebook in confusion.
"What fellow?" Frank asked. "Who drove up to your office in a yellow roadster?"
"The hold-up man," declared Harrity. "I was held up this morning. A fellow tried to steal the steamboat money on me."
"Now just a minute. Just a minute!" demanded the chief. "Let me say a word here. The situation is this. A man drove up to the steamboat office a little while ago and tried to hold up Mr. Harrity. But a passenger happened to come into the office just then and the fellow got frightened and ran away. Is that right?"
"That's right," said Harrity.
"I'll make a note of it," said the chief, suiting the action to the word. When he had scribbled industriously for some time he raised the pen again and pointed it at Chet.
"Now you," he observed, "say that somebody stole a yellow roadster on you this morning."
"Yes, sir! From our farm. He was seen driving into Bayport just a little while ago."