The Case Of The Convenience Store Robbery

Thank heavens you’re here!” exclaimed 17 year old Robbie, the clerk at the little corner convenience store where I often buy my morning coffee. I’d ducked in out of the rain to grab a coffee and muffin on my way to meet my niece Crystal before school. She always called on me to help when she had problems, and this one was a pretty small one – she needed to borrow $5 for a class trip.

The little store was warm and cozy despite the driving rain outside, and I was pleased to note that Robbie was obviously doing a good job of keeping the place neat and tidy. The floor was spotless, and all the shelves were neatly arranged.

“What’s wrong, Robbie?” I asked.

“You just missed them!” the young boy told me. “Two men just burst into here, held a gun on me and demanded all the money in the register. Mr. Loan says if that happens, we should just give it over, so I did, but as soon as they were gone, I ran outside to see if I could get their license number, or at least see the car they were driving.”

“What did you see?” I asked him, frowning at the thought of my niece’s friend in such a dangerous situation.

“Well, I had to run halfway out into the parking lot, but as they passed under the light at the end of the road, I realized that it was Bart Petersen’s car! I can’t believe that Bart Petersen just robbed the
Store!”

“I don’t believe it either, Robbie. You’d better put the money back because if you tell the police that story, you’re going to be arrested.”

How did Detective Nose know that Robbie was lying?

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