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night?” Jason, one of the village guys asked.
    “It’s true,” Jim answered, taking a bite of sausage. “Didn’t get anything that we know of. Made a mess of the front office though.”
    “There’s been a rash of break-ins. Especially around Silver Lake,” Corky Lockwood added. Corky was the manager of Raven Ridge Dairies. He was short with flaming red hair that swept around his forehead in an attempt to cover a balding head. “Saw it in the paper this morning. They’ve been takin’ computer stuff and TVs.”
    “Lots of the cottages over there are empty quite a bit of the time, so it’s probably easy pickings,” Jim replied.
    The rest of the crowd on the stools put in their two cents of how the sheriff’s department should be tracking down the crooks, while Jim finished off the pancakes. When he looked up again, Midge was filling his coffee cup. He gave her a grin.
    “Pancakes are top notch as usual.”
    Midge grinned back. “Of course. Why wouldn’t they be? Did I hear you got robbed last night?”
    “Well, they broke in. Didn’t get anything that we could see. Broke the window in the door, messed up the desk. It’s a good thing we’ve got the alarm system. Scared ‘em off before they got to the back office where the money was.”
    “That’s good then. Gracie holdin’ up OK?”
    “I guess so. It was a pretty tough day with her Aunt Shirley’s funeral and then that. We’ll see how it goes.”
    “Looks like Isabelle’s doing all right.” Midge nodded her head toward the dining room. “She’s already working on some fundraiser with Gloria.”
    Jim groaned inwardly. “I’m sure she is. She’s probably heard everything out here too.”
    “Probably,” Midge quipped. The woman of indeterminate age put the coffee pot on the counter. She was scrawny with a smoker’s gravelly voice.
    “Sheesh. I’d better get out of here before she sees me.” Jim slapped down a $10 bill. “Keep the change.”
    He never made it off the stool. Isabelle in a cloud of sweet perfume was on him like a duck on a June bug. Why women thought it was necessary to douse themselves in bug spray was beyond him.
    “Jim! Is it true? You and Gracie were robbed last night?”
    He sighed. “Yup. They didn’t get anything though. Made some mess, but we’re in business today.”
    “How absolutely awful! The kennel is so isolated. You’re a perfect target for something like that. You’d better get some sort of security.”
    “Well, we do have…” Jim wasn’t allowed to finish.
    “I’d better check on Gracie. She wasn’t herself yesterday anyway. She really upset my father. Plus we have some family business to discuss.” Isabelle drew herself up, her blue eyes determined.
    “I don’t think that’s necessary. She’s got her hands full with work. Gracie’s fine. We’re looking for some more kennel helpers, so…”
    “You need more people at the kennel?” Gloria Minders joined Isabelle at the counter.
    “Well, yeah. Business is growing pretty fast and one of our summer helpers quit yesterday. We need a couple of people, maybe more.”
    “That’s good to know, Jim. I might be able to help. You may not have heard, but I’m heading up a new organization called Second Chances. We’re working with parolees and probationers to find them jobs to get back into the work force and be productive again.”
    “Uh, that’s great,” Jim was unsure of how to extricate himself gracefully from two determined women. He edged nearer the door.
    “Maybe I could call Gracie later about it,” Gloria offered.
    “Maybe. You know, I really need to get going. I’d call before you come, Isabelle. Like I said, Gracie’s pretty busy.”
    Isabelle brushed some stray crumbs from her pink jacket. “Family doesn’t need to call, Jim.”
    His cellphone sang out “Jeremiah was a Bullfrog,” which got a chuckle from Corky and a glare from Isabelle. Grabbing the cell from his belt, Jim almost ran out the door. He sat in his truck