Remember When

knock. "Hold on a minute." He opened the door to the cute little blonde who stood by the room service cart.
    "Morning, Mr. Gannon. Ready for breakfast?"
    "Yeah, thanks. Just... put it anywhere."
    She caught sight of Vince as she rolled in the cart. "Oh, hi, Chief."
    "Sherry. How you doing?"
    "Oh... you know." She angled the cart and tried not to look overly curious as she shot glances at both men. "I can go down, get another cup if you want coffee, Chief."
    "Don't you worry about it, Sherry. I had two before I left the house."
    "Just call down if you change your mind." She pulled the warming cover off a plate, revealing an omelette and a side of bacon. "Um..." She held out the leather folder to Max, waited while he signed the bill. "Hope you enjoy your breakfast, Mr. Gannon."
    She walked out, casting one last look over her shoulder before she shut the door.
    "Go ahead," Vince invited. "No point letting those eggs get cold. They make a nice omelette here."
    "What kind of break-in was it? Burglary?"
    "Looked that way. Why was Miss Tavish with you last night?"
    Max sat, decided to pour the coffee. "Socializing. I asked her to have a drink with me. She agreed. I hoped to be able to extend that to dinner, and since she was agreeable to that after we had a drink-down in the lounge here-we went into the dining room."
    "You always make dates with women when you buy presents for your mother?"
    "If it worked that well, I'd be buying my mama a lot more presents." Max lifted his cup, drank and met Vince's eyes over the rim. "Laine's a very attractive, very interesting woman. I wanted to see her, socially. I asked. I'm sorry she's got trouble."
    "Somebody got in and out of her place during the time she was in town here, socializing with you."
    "Yeah, I get that." Max decided he might as well eat, and forked up some omelette. "So you're wondering if I go around hitting on pretty women in shops, then setting them up for a burglary while I charm them over dinner. That's a stretch, Chief, since I never set eyes on Laine before yesterday, don't-as yet-know her residence or if she's got something worth stealing in it. Be smarter, wouldn't it, to hit the shop? She's got a lot of nice merchandise in it."
    Vince simply watched Max eat, said nothing. "Couple of good thick glasses over there," Max said after a moment, "if you want some of this coffee after all."
    "I'll pass. What's your business in Angel's Gap, Mr. Gannon?"
    "I'm with Reliance Insurance, and I'm here doing some fieldwork."
    "What kind of fieldwork?"
    "Chief Burger, you can contact Aaron Slaker, CEO of Reliance, and verify my association with the company. He's based in New York. But I'm not at liberty to discuss the details of my work without my client's permission."
    "That doesn't sound like insurance work to me."
    "There's all kinds of insurance." Max opened a little jar of strawberry jam and spread some on a triangle of toast.
    "You got identification?"
    "Sure." Max rose, walked over to the dresser and took his driver's license out of his wallet. He passed it to Vince, then took his seat again.
    "You don't sound like New York City."
    "Just can't drum the Georgia out of the boy." He was just irritated enough to exaggerate his drawl and make it a challenge. "I don't steal, Chief. I just wanted to have dinner with a pretty woman.
    You go ahead and call Slaker."
    Vince dropped the license beside Max's plate. "I'll do that." He started for the door, turned with his hand on the knob. "How long do you plan to be in town, Mr. Gannon?"
    "Till the job's done." He scooped up more egg. "Chief? You were right. They do a really good omelette here."
    Even when the door shut behind Vince, Max sat and ate. And considered. A cop being a cop, Burger would run him, and the run would turn up his four years on the force. And his investigator's license. Small towns being small towns, that little tidbit would get back to Laine before too long.
    He'd decide how to play that when it had to be played. Meanwhile there was the matter of the break-in. The timing was just a little too good to be serendipity. And it told him he wasn't the only one who thought the very attractive Miss Tavish had something to hide.
    It was all a matter of who was going to find it first.
    ***
    "Don't worry about anything," Jenny assured Laine. "Angie and I can handle things here. Are you sure you don't want to just close the store for the day? Vince said your place is a wreck. I could come over and help you out."
    Laine