The guilty person never felt lower. Softly, he said to Ben, “I know I should have told you. I started to a thousand times. I just never had the courage. Guess I’m not as tough as I act.”

Ben looked at his guilty friend and felt pity and compassion. He had known for a long time that he was not as tough or gruff as he let on. Ben said to Tommy, “Would you explain how you came to your conclusion?”

“All I had to do was pay close attention to what we have been talking about. I know it wasn’t me and you knew it too when you saw that the tire marks made in the oil puddle were not made by my oversized tires. You realized it wasn’t Mike when you learned that he pulled out of the judging because of a radiator leak which appeared on the drive to the meet, for you did not mention antifreeze being on the pavement. I have no doubt that Debbie was with the Riggs at the store in the Impala at the exact time you were in the pavilion.”