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The kid shook his head. “No. I’m here every day and that’s nothing we’ve done in all the years I’ve worked here. Why?”
Caleb swallowed hard, unable to wrap his head around the information. “Okay, thanks. I was just curious, but don’t worry about it. Come on, Joelle, you can play in the office this time since Uncle Bill isn’t here.”
“Can I swing around in his chair?” She grinned.
“Of course.” He led her to the office and after a few spins, she settled onto the floor, content to play with her dolls. Which left Caleb time to think…and stew. He didn’t want Madison to be right because the truth would be an ugly reality. He clung to the belief there had to be another explanation, but he was no longer shutting out the possibility.
Joelle crawled under the desk, using it as a house. “Daddy,” she said, crawling out from the darkened space, “I found a paper. Here.” His daughter placed what appeared to be a small receipt in his hand.
“Thanks, honey. You’re a good finder and I’m sure Uncle Bill will appreciate this.” Joelle crawled back into her play space, as Caleb inspected the paper he held. Much to his surprise, it was a horse race ticket stub for next week’s Texas Classic race.
Caleb frowned. Was his uncle betting on horses? It wasn’t anything he ever remembered his uncle talking about, and the owner of this ticket was doing some serious betting. This bet was to the tune of two grand. Madison’s words from yesterday came back to mind. Sizeable sums to BOGOP, and lower deposits from sales that matched. And according to Tommy, there had never been a BOGO display.
Maybe the ticket belonged to someone else. It’s not like there was a name on it or anything. He spotted the trashcan next to the desk. Left with no choice, Caleb rifled through the trash. Toward the bottom, he found two more of the blue tickets wadded up in a ball. He uncurled each one, and the truth hit hard. His uncle had a gambling problem, and it would seem he was using Bigsby’s to foot the bill.
Caleb’s gut clenched, the betrayal making him sick to his stomach. At least until rage settled in its place. He pocketed the tickets and then searched the desk but didn’t find anything else. Not that he needed more proof to add fuel to the fire. Pacing the room, he waited for his uncle, determined to have it out with him.
The man deserved to be in jail, not running his store. All this time, Caleb had believed in his earnest offer to help after Lauren died. Discovering the offer was motivated by greed appalled him. For his mother’s sake, he wouldn’t turn his uncle over to the police, at least he wouldn’t if his uncle agreed to his terms. Bill was still family, and Caleb had to help him.
“Hey, how’s my favorite little girl?” Uncle Bill said from the doorway, a smile at the ready.
Joelle scooted out from under the desk and ran toward him. Part of Caleb didn’t want his daughter to even have contact with someone capable of such deceit, but he wouldn’t involve Joelle in the situation’s ugliness. “We’ve been waiting for you. And guess what? I found a paper you lost. Daddy said I was a good finder.”
“Why thank you,” Uncle Bill said, the lines on his forehead deepening as he turned his focus back to Caleb.
“Joelle, why don’t you take a couple of dolls and play behind the register for a minute?”
“Sure thing, Daddy.” Joelle grabbed one doll and headed to the sales floor. Caleb followed, stopping at the doorway. “Hey Tommy, can you keep an eye on Joelle for a bit?”
“Sure thing, Mr. Duncan. Come on pip squeak,” Tommy said, holding out his hand. With Joelle settled, Caleb closed the door and turned to face his uncle, who had moved to sit at the desk.
“What brings you here?” Uncle Bill asked, looking more out of sorts with each passing second.
Caleb tamped down the anger threatening to spill over. It wouldn’t do any good and how he handled this could affect the outcome. His uncle’s decision would need to be his own. “As you know, the store has been losing money.”
Uncle Bill’s face grew pale. “I’m so sorry. I did what you asked and stopped the BOGOP orders, but there’s little else I can do to turn things around.”
“That’s not true. I believed in you and trusted you. But these tickets,” Caleb said, pulling them out of his pocket and tossing them on the desk, “they tell a different story.”
His uncle’s face turned ashen. “It’s not what you th..th..think.”
“Sure, it is. You might as well tell me the truth because I’m not leaving until I understand why you would do this to us. Stealing is wrong at all levels, but this…you’re stealing from family.” Caleb shook his head, at a loss for words to explain the devastating impact of his uncle’s actions.
Uncle Bill stood, holding the desk for support. “I didn’t…you’ve got this all wrong.”
There was no way his uncle could talk his way out of this. “The numbers match. Those tickets, the dates, the BOGO sales that incidentally are non-existent. An elaborate accounting nightmare designed to cover your gambling habits.”
His uncle looked on the verge of a breakdown, as though his entire life was flashing before his eyes. “I…”
“The truth,” Caleb said, taking a step forward.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t plan this when I took over the store. Please believe me.” Suddenly, his uncle looked old. As though he’d aged ten years right before Caleb’s eyes. He dropped back into the chair and slumped forward on the desk, refusing to look at Caleb.
“Then what happened?” Caleb asked, not willing to stop pressing for answers until he knew the whole story. His uncle’s addiction would have cost him the store and possibly the house if it hadn’t been for Madison’s discovery.
“It started with just small bets. But then the excitement…and the need to recover what I was losing got to me. I was stuck and had no way out other than to borrow money from a bookie and then I had to keep repaying him. All I ever needed was one big win and I swore I’d quit. I’m so sorry. What are you going to do to me? I know what I deserve, but I beg you, please don’t send me to jail. I don’t want to live the rest of my life behind bars.”
Caleb let out a deep breath. The store would recover under his management, especially given he wouldn’t have to pay for a store manager. He didn’t want anger at life to continue to control his every decision. “This whole situation is heartbreaking, and you can consider yourself fired…immediately. As for what I’m going to do, I’ve thought of a plan, but only you can decide your fate.”
