“What’s going on here?” the officer demanded looking suspiciously at the two boys.
Before they could answer King weakly cried out:
“These robbers did their best to—” he began when Bob interrupted him.
“Let me tell—”
But the officer in turn interrupted him.
“One at a time here. You have the floor,” he said, nodding to King, who was now sitting up and leaning against the front wheel of the car. Making his voice sound as weak as possible King told how his car had broken down and the two boys had happened along and, at the point of a gun, had demanded his money. It was a plausible story as he told it and more than once the boys saw the officer look askance at them. When he had finished he turned to Bob.
“Now I’ll hear your side.”
Bob told him the truth in a few words and as he finished the officer said:
“You say those wheels run by an electric motor?”
“Yes, sir.”