"What!" cried Bob. "You're crazy."
"I am not. Look here."
He released his hold on his erstwhile opponent and stood up. Bob followed suit. In amazement they looked at the man on the ground at their feet.
"That's a High Ridge police badge all right," said Bob. "No doubt of it."
"Are you a detective?" Hugh asked their victim.
The man looked at them through narrowed eyelids. "Yes," he said weakly, and started to reach towards his hip pocket.
"Here, here!" cried Hugh. "None of that! This whole thing is a mistake."
"Let me help you up," urged Bob, offering his hand to the beaten man.
Hugh also assisted him and they raised him to his feet.
"I guess we were after the same people you were," exclaimed Bob, taking it for granted that the detective had trailed the Germans to the deserted house as he and Hugh had done. "They had us locked up in there and we had just broken down the door and were coming out. We didn't know you were a detective."
"You didn't give us a chance to find out," laughed Hugh, greatly relieved at the unexpected turn of events. He also felt safer to have an officer of the law with them.