the branch? Made cash deposits? Had there even been any? Was all the cash disappearing?
I turn on the faucet and splash my face. I don’t even know what I don’t know. Sure, I toured my own deli when it first opened. And I visit it every now and then, giving the staff a quick pep talk before showing myself out.
Dad used the template of his business to start mine. As far as I know, Max’s L.A. Pickle and Anthony’s Boulder Pickle are the same. I’ll ask them about the books, the software, the checks and balances.
Except they’re the competition.
Plus, they’ll laugh me into next week.
And about Nova. Why did she appoint herself in charge of the store? And how come I hadn’t heard my manager took off? What was she doing anyway? Lamonte had joked about her medical leave in Hawaii. And I admit it sounds a little ludicrous.
I’ll have Audra check into that.
Maybe the accountant knows something. He manages the whole chain’s payroll and taxes. I’ll put Audra on that too.
Meanwhile, I have to keep working while I watch for any other irregularities. Nobody went into the manager’s office while I was on shift.
I have the keys. And the passwords to everything. My administrative access is higher than the manager’s. That was one thing I made sure I could do before I flew down here. Our centralized tech company assured me there would be no problem getting access to the computer files. All orders, deliveries, invoicing, and expense sheets would be mine.
And tomorrow, I will do just that.
If Nova gives me a moment’s break to do so.
Day two in Pickle Hell turns out to be Lamonte’s day off. In his place is another youngish fellow named Arush. He prepares a great vat of chicken salad. Apparently, he’s aces at it.
Nova sends me back to the chopping block with new bins of vegetables, and I get started.
This day is harder, the cuts on my fingers slowing me down. But Nova watches me for a moment, nods in satisfaction at the size and consistency of my dicing and takes off.
I keep chopping for a while, listening to the rest of the staff chat as they set up the restaurant for the day. Clearly, the low man in the hierarchy gets to do the vegetables alone.
Arush leaves to fill the bins in the sandwich line.
It’s time to snoop.
I set down my knife and tiptoe toward the swinging door. A single round window provides a view of the front.
Nova and Elda busily arrange the sandwich line, working around Arush. I should have a few moments to slip into the office and see what I can find.
I pull the key from my pocket and hurry to the back corner.
The manager’s office is a small space built near the delivery door. It’s fairly private. Only a small square window for looking out into the workspace, and another one on the back wall gives a view of the parking lot where the delivery trucks pull up.
As soon as I step inside, I grab several pieces of paper from the printer to cover the little window so no one can see in.
When I’ve got it taped up, I snap on the light.
The office is dusty, as if it hasn’t been used in some time. The desk is shoved into one corner, shelves on the wall above it lined with black binders stuffed with paper.
The desk itself is mostly clear, a calendar propped up against the back wall. The dates are for last fall. No one has torn off a sheet in six months.
The computer monitor rests angled in a corner, and I reach down to power on the PC. While it whines into startup mode, I pull down one of the binders from above.
It’s filled with order receipts from two years ago. I shove it back up. I open each one until I find the most recent. They stop about the same time as the calendar with a note that the ordering system has gone electronic.
Good. Computer files are easier to search and compare.
I open the drawer directly in front of the chair. Nothing but pens and random office supplies.
I don’t expect anything obvious. In fact, I don’t have a clue about what I’m looking for. It’s not like I’ll find a secret file folder labeled Embezzled Funds.
But I do run my hand underneath the bottom of the desk just in case.
The screen glows blue and prompts me to enter a password.
I pull out my phone to