Chapter 2

“Moms' grocery bill just took a huge nosedive for the week,” Brian said in an off-hand manner.  The four male Bob-Whites were only a few minutes away from their postponed dinner at the local Chinese eatery, the Red Moon Cafe.

“Oh?”  Jim turned to look at his best friend.  ”What happened?”

“Mart's eaten out two nights in a row.”  Somehow Brian managed to keep a straight face as he replied.

The guys laughed while Mart accepted the good-natured teasing as a matter of course.  “Laugh if you want, but it's the first time I remember Moms not cooking two nights in a row.  Dad's taking her out this evening to White Plains.”

“Are they celebrating?” Dan asked.

Mart shrugged.  “Maybe Bobby being away at camp.  It's not an anniversary or anything.”

“It's hard to believe Bobby finally made it to summer camp,” Jim commented, remembering the summer he’d met the youngest Belden.   He parallel-parked the Bob-White station wagon with such skill it seemed effortless.  “Can you imagine being his camp counselor?”

Brian and Mart paused and exchanged glances before bursting out into laughter.  “It might cause even the most stalwart of counselors to quit,” Brian admitted. 

Remembering his own first Bobby-experience, Dan agreed with them.  “Puts the concept of  “hardship pay” into perspective, doesn't it?”

Laughing, the quartet pushed open the door and entered the busy restaurant, where they were immediately waved toward a table near the register.  Refusing menus since they had already decided on what to order, they took their seats just as the waitress appeared with glasses of their favorite beverages before they could even speak.  Their many excursions to the restaurant over the summer had obviously familiarized her with their preferences.  After they all ordered their food, Dan picked up his icy soda and took a long drink.  “It's hard to believe, but do you realize the girls have never eaten here?”

“That's right,” Jim said.  “It opened right before they left for camp.”

“Gynecomorphous Homo Sapiens experience completely different perspectives when experiencing deglutition at various establishments,” Mart remarked casually.  He sat down his soda and met the rolling eyes of his companions.  

“Cripes, Mart!” Dan was the first to retort.  “Save it for Trixie, would you?”

Mart cleared his throat and tried again.  “I wonder if Di ate here before she left for Arizona for the summer.  She didn't mention it to me if she did.”  Unlike Honey and Trixie, Diana had opted to spend the summer working and helping out at her Uncle's dude ranch in Arizona.  Although most of the Bob-Whites felt certain she would end up in some field related to art, her father wanted her to explore other career options as well.  Hotel management was one of those options and she had willingly agreed to spend a few months learning the ropes of the daily operation of her uncle’s resort.

“Women view restaurants differently, and of course Di gives me reviews of everywhere she eats,” Mart continued.  “All the girls do.  They know about my thirst for knowledge.”

“More like your appetite for epicurean information,” Brian shot back.  He felt he had a duty to keep his brother reined in during Trixie's absence.  After all, until the girls returned, Mart was the youngest in the group.

“All gastronomic facts are welcome, that is true,” Mart acknowledged.  “In fact --” His own teasing retort was cut short as he noticed the proprietor of the restaurant approaching their table.  ”Hello, Ms. Wong,” he said with a smile.  “Are things getting back to normal since yesterday's, uh, incident?”

“As much as they can,” she replied with a grateful smile.  “I wanted to thank you for your help with Zane yesterday,” she continued.  “Not to mention your assistance with the customers.  Please order whatever you like this evening.  I'd like to cover your meal to thank you for helping me out.”

“We can't let you do that Ms. Wong,” Jim replied immediately.  “We hardly did anything.  Just made sure Zane was okay, shouted a few words to the crowd, and hung up a sign.”

“He's right,” Dan chimed in.  “Besides, there isn't a restaurant around that can afford to cover Mart Belden's bill.”

“This restaurant will,” she insisted.  ”At least as long as I'm running it.”

The Bob-Whites exchanged uncomfortable looks.  “Is there a chance you won't be running it?” Brian asked tentatively.

Ms. Wong sighed.  “The cafe is a family business and my father-in-law is a co-owner.  He's not happy with how much money we're making.”  She paused and took a deep breath.  “It may be more accurate to say that he's not happy with the fact that we're not making any money.  He doesn't let me make a lot of the decisions about working on the business, he just wants me to work in the business.  I need to have inputs to our suppliers, the equipment we purchase, the bank accounts, all of it.  He just wants me to work here each day.”  She stopped as if suddenly realizing she said too much.

“My apologies.”  She gave a slight bow reminiscent of a much older Asian culture.  The guys couldn't help but feel it was a gesture her father-in-law would have made.  “That is not your concern.  Your meal ...” she paused and stepped to one side as the wait staff arrived with a heavily laden tray.  “Tonight it is my treat.  You've helped me more than you know.”

As the boys begin to eat, Brian looked around the table at the pile of food they'd all ordered.  “Since the food is free, we ARE going to tip more generously, agreed?”

“Absolutely!”

Deciding that ordering dessert would be taxing their hostess’s generosity, the male Bob-Whites agreed that milkshakes at Wimpy's would be a more appropriate ending to their evening. 

“I still think we could call in an order for those Chinese Almond Cookies with fruit,” Mart grumbled.  “She won't know it's us.”

“Until we pick them up,” Jim retorted.  “Then she’ll refuse to let us pay.  Come on, you can get your cookies next weekend.  I wouldn’t mind a vanilla shake tonight.”

“You always get a vanilla shake,” Dan reminded him.  “Why don’t you live a little and get chocolate for a change?”

“Or strawberry,” Brian added in an all-too-innocent tone.  “Isn’t strawberry what you usually share with Trixie?”

“Trixie’s not here,” Jim pointed out the obvious to his best friend.  “I’m getting vanilla because I want vanilla.  If I wanted chocolate, I’d get chocolate and if someone else wanted to share a strawberry then I’d share a strawberry, but unless one of you are watching your waistline, I’m not sure why you’d want to share, and if we’re not going to share then I’m getting vanilla.”

“I dunno,” Dan sounded doubtful.  “It sounds to me like Honey is here.  Maybe she wants to share.”

The boys laughed as they walked into Wimpy’s.  The counter’s four empty seats beckoned them.  It seemed easier than taking up one of the booths in the crowded restaurant, and by mutual agreement they quickly settled themselves in the vintage swivel stools.  “A round of shakes, Mike,” Dan instructed.  “Two chocolate and two vanilla, right?”

The guys nodded.  It was their usual order.

“Coming right up,” Mike replied easily.  “Going to the movies again tonight?”

“No,” Mart informed him.  “We’d planned to eat at Wong’s last night but she … uh, wasn’t open.  We ate there tonight instead.”

“Unfortunate what happened to Cindy,” Mike acknowledged with a sad shake of his head.  His hands paused as he reached for the cups.  “Are you drinking those here or is it to go?”

“Here,” came the resounding chorus.

Mike automatically moved to pull together glasses, syrup and the other ingredients for milkshakes.  “She’s a sharp lady and that was a tough break for her.  She certainly couldn’t afford that kind of loss.”

The boys exchanged uneasy looks.  “Do you mean they got a lot of money?”

“More than the money,” he replied.  He raised his voice as he pushed the first shake into the multi-mixer so they could hear him.   “They took the payroll, the computer, and all her books and records.  She was in the middle of meeting with her bookkeeper when it happened.  Thankfully, she has a backup, but she’s still waiting to get a new computer so she can load those files.”

“How did you find out so much about the robbery?” Dan asked curiously.

“The police warned the merchants in the area, especially the restaurant owners.  We’re to be on the lookout for anyone in the area who looks suspicious.”  He paused as he looked back over his shoulder.  “Besides, Cindy’s a nice lady who’s had a tough time since her husband died.  Some of us have been giving her pointers since she started up the Red Moon.”

This tidbit was news to all of them and they were quiet for a few moments as they digested the information. 

“Her restaurant wasn’t a threat to Wimpy’s?”  Mart asked the question on everyone’s mind.

“Heck no!” Mike answered immediately.  He handed two vanilla shakes over to the guys and started on the chocolate.  “The more restaurants that come to Sleepyside, the better off we’ll all be.  We already lose enough of our business to White Plains.  It’s pretty well established that groupings of restaurants help each other.  They remind people of the option of eating out.  People want both burgers and Asian cuisine; she doesn’t serve burgers and I don’t serve fried rice.  We complement each other.”

Mart almost choked on his shake.  He would have bet a dollar that Mike didn’t even know the word cuisine, much less refer to his menu in such a manner.  The two chocolate shakes were ready and Mike turned to place them on the counter.  “I hope this isn’t the last straw for her.  She’s really been struggling to make a go of it.”

The guys exchanged puzzled looks, surprised to hear the Red Moon was struggling to that extent.  Feeling uncomfortable discussing someone else’s business in public, they turned their conversation to other topics.  As they were slurping down the last remains of the frosty beverages, Spider came into the restaurant and indicated he was there to pick up a call-in order.  He leaned against the counter and took in the four guys.  “Weren’t you guys eating out last night?”  He asked.

“Yes.”  Dan’s eyes narrowed.  He swiveled his stool to turn towards Spider.  “Why do you ask?”

“The girls let you out without them two nights in a row ... it just seems odd.”  He shrugged as if dismissing the question.

Jim bit back the flash of anger that Spider’s comment had ignited.  It was fine for him and the other Bob-Whites to refer to the female members as girls, but for outsiders to do so was an entirely different story.  Not to mention that the slight implication of who was really in charge of the Bob-Whites rankled.

“Our sisters,” The emphasis on the word sisters was obvious.  “Our sisters are working at a camp upstate this summer.  Not that they would mind if we were out every night.”

“Maybe,” Spider allowed.  “But your posse seems incomplete without them.”  He pulled his wallet out and paid the bill as Mike rang it up.  “It’s probably for the best.  The last thing we need is the two of them involving themselves in this latest robbery.   Armed robbers are not for amateurs, no matter how lucky they may have been in the past.”   With a doff of his cap towards the astounded quartet, he left, whistling.

“Of all the nerve!” Mart fumed.  “I have half of a mind to catch up and tell him a thing or two!  Lucky!  There was a lot more than luck involved in most of those cases!”

“Yeah, I don’t like it either!”  Jim’s eyes narrowed.  “Trixie, Honey, and Di don’t like older men calling them girls, and now it seems that I don’t like it either.”

“Glad to know I wasn’t the only one,” Brian added.  “They’re young women now, and they deserve respect from him.”

“Don't kid yourself.” Mike offered his opinion.  ”Spider was fishing.  He wanted to be subjected to a barrage of questions from Trixie.  Her questions have a way of helping look at his cases differently.”

The Bob-Whites were taken aback.  “Do you really think so, Mike?” Dan asked.  “Armed robbery is usually pretty straightforward.”

“Maybe,” Mike acknowledged.  “But how many times are restaurants held up by three goons?”

“Three?” Mart echoed.  “Are you sure about that?”

Mike nodded.  “Heard it from Cindy herself this morning when I stopped by to check on her.  Not to mention, two of them were carrying baseball bats and one was carrying a gun.”

“Why on earth would you need a baseball bat if you had a gun?” Jim asked in disbelief.

“Exactly my point!”