"She thought you were a crook," said Fay in her calm voice.
Ricky glared at her, and the young man stared. Then he burst into a bellow of laughter, and soon they were all laughing, which eased the tension considerably, and very soon they were all the best of friends.
"No, but honestly," the young man said eventually, "did I look like a crook?"
"Och, you don't need to look like a crook for Ricky to think you are a crook," said Julie. "Ricky's got crooks on the brain."
"Well maybe I have," said Ricky, "but it was you who knocked him down."
"Well, you were standing there dithering and muttering and jumping from foot to foot like a hen on a hot girdle," said Julie. "Somebody had to do something."
"The young man laughed again. "That's right," he said. "Knock him down first and work it out afterwards. Much safer."
From CROOKS TOUR, Chapter 2, Crook in the Station.
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