Free Drag-Strip Racer by Matt Christopher

it?”
    Her eyes focused on him. “Dana’s the one who saw Scott’s pickup truck driving toward Daddy’s automobile parts store that morning.
     Then he sneaked over to Scott’s place and saw the engine in their garage. Didn’t Dana, or Daddy, tell you that?”
    He hesitated. “No,” he answered finally, dumbfounded at the news. His hands trembled. He set the glass of Coke down and clenched
     his fists.
    Dottie looked at him gravely. “Ken, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
    He relaxed his fists. “Sorry.” He forced a grin. “I guess I’ve been a little touchy since I broke my foot.”
    He put the glass to his lips and took a couple of swallows.
    Ask Dusty Hill for it,
Dana had said.
I’m sure he’ll give it to you.
No wonder he was sure that Dusty would put up the bail money for him. He felt that Dusty owed him for having told him who
     had swiped his engine.
    “How was Dana sure it was Scott who had stolen the engine?” Ken asked.
    “He was coming home late from Nick’s place that night and saw Scott’s truck drive into the lane heading toward the rear of
     Wade Mall,” Dottieexplained. “Only he didn’t realize it was Scott’s truck at the time. Scott had a sign on the side of it advertising Daddy’s
     store. But he saw the first three letters on Scott’s license plate.”
    “R stands for Rat,” Ken said.
    “Right. Rat, his nickname.” She shook her head and looked away for a minute. “What an actor. He could be so charming! Ugh!”
     She turned back to him. “Anyway, when Dana found out that an engine was stolen from Daddy’s store—”
    “I told him,” Ken cut in.
    Her eyebrows raised. “Oh?”
    “Go on,” he said.
    “Well, he sort of added two and two, drove up to Scott’s place, and saw the engine in Scott’s father’s garage.”
    “And got away without being seen?” Ken shook his head, incredulous. “You know, that brother of mine has a lot of guts, too.”
    “But he
was
seen,” said Dottie. “By Scott’s father.”
    Ken and his sisters listened avidly to her as she went on to explain about the threat Mr. Taggart had made against Dana, and
     Dana’s promise not to inform the police on them if Scott returned the engine to the store.
    “Wonder why he promised that?” Ken muttered.
    Dottie laughed. “Maybe to save his life,” she said. “Scott’s father had a shotgun on him.”
    “A shotgun?” Ken gulped. Then he winced as he visualized the scene in his mind and compared it with the experience he had
     had not too long ago with the two old men. Both he and Dana could look back sometime and thank their stars they hadn’t been
     shot.
    But, suddenly, Ken’s mood changed. Dana had seemed so distant since Ken inherited the car; why the change now? Did Dana want
     to become better friends, or did he want something else? Ken couldn’t help being suspicious.
    He tried to hide his emotions as they talked a bit more. Then he glanced at his watch and saw that it was close to one o’clock.
    “No wonder my stomach’s been talking back to me,” he said. “It’s past lunchtime. I’ve got to get home.”
    “I’m glad we could get together for a minute, Ken,” Dottie said, scooping up the check. She smiled. “This is on me.”
    “Okay. Thanks.”
    He thought about asking her to go to a moviewith him sometime, but decided he could call her on the telephone later in the week.
    He slid out of the booth, picked up his crutches, and hobbled out of the place, his sisters flanking him like bodyguards.
    In the truck the girls started to bring up the subject of Dana’s connection with Scott Taggart’s theft of the engine, but
     Ken cut them short. He said he didn’t want to hear another word about it.
    He didn’t, but their mention of it aroused his suspicions again. Did Dana use his information about the engine to get Dusty
     to sponsor his brother? Ken tried to think of a way to tell Dana that it was fine for him to tell Dusty who had stolen the
     engine, but he