Chapter 29 : The Cash Register

Gideon emits a little sigh. It's not often that he has to take care of the counter, but Catherine isn't here today, and Mr Leapers can deal with the baking on his own. The buck gave him the cash register's code, and he knows he'll change it and check the content at the end of the day. It hurts a bit, but the mistrust is just another thing in his life.

He's not too fond of doing this work, mainly because despite how much the clients have warmed up to him, most of them can still be a bit calous. Some discuss the prices even, knowing that it's hard for him to call them out on it without seeming like the bad guy.

But overall, it's okay, he's been treated worse before.

A pair of young bunnies exit the shop with their treat, and the tod busies himself by tidying up the counter when he hears the doorbell chime.

"Hello." Comes a familiar voice.

Raising his head, his gaze falls upon the thin vixen that pushed the door.

"Hey Hester."

"Hey Gid." She smiles. "I see you've done good for yourself."

"Heh, yeah, I s'pose. How can I serve ya?"

"Can I have one of those cakes?"

"Shure! 'That for a special occasion? We do special orders. Ya just need to place it 48 hours before picking it up." He explains, putting the strawberry pie in a box, and taking the money she's handing him.

"I'm already glad I can finally purchase something from one of the tri-burrow's best bakery."

"Heh… Yeah. I guess that's good. Anyway, what's it for, if ya don't mind my askin'?"

"It's my father's birthday." The vixen smiles. "Maybe we'll order something special next time. How are things aside from work?"

"Good. Calm. Not much to say. You?"

"I'm getting into my last year of highschool. After that, I'll probably get into college… So… Still with Judy?" She asks in a more hushed tone.

"Shhh." He reacts, glancing toward the kitchen, hoping the old bunny heard nothing.

"I'll take it as a yes." The vixen grins. "Well, I won't take more of your time. Have a great day."

"Yeah. Y-ya too." Gideon mutters as the door closes.

- 1 -

"Boy, can I talk to you for a minute?"

The fox is sliding trays into the oven as his bosses' voice interrupts him his work. "Just puttin' all this in, Mr Leapers. Okay, s'done. Whaddya need?"

"Not here, in my office."

Lifting a brow, the tod follows the buck further in the back, into a room filled with cabinets, a desk and piles of papers. Gideon is starting to think about opening his own bakery someday, but it seems to be a lot of work aside from the actual baking.

"Take a sit."

The tod complies, the sides of the chair digging into his butt cheeks as it's too narrow for a fox.

Silence settles between the two mammals, as the older of two stares into empty space. Then he emits a deep sigh.

"There were 200 Zoollars missing in the register yesterday evening."

Gideon's eyes widen. "What?"

"I've counted twice, checked the whole registry. A wad of bill was missing."

"What- No-"

The buck is starting at him intensely as Gideon's heart rate quickens.

Closing his eyes, the tod tries to calm down. This is not happening. It can't be happening.

"My lunch money's gone!" Comes a voice from his memory. "Gideon must have stolen it!"

"I didn't-"

"Someone broke the gym's window with a stone."

"No-"

"He threw the first punch!"

"It wasn't me-"

"Boy? Boy?"

Gideon opens his eyes, realising he's hunched over, his shaking paws holding his chest as he tries to find his breath. The buck has rounded his desk and is looking at him worriedly, his cellphone in paw.

"Boy, are you alright?"

"I didn't do it."

"What?"

"The m-m-money. I didn't steal it."

The bunny lifts a brow and shakes his head. "I know you didn't steal it."

"I… Ya believe me?"

A sigh escapes the buck's throat. "If you hadn't been working here for over a year, maybe I wouldn't have. But nothing could make me believe someone that works as hard as you do would steal from his place of work."

"Oh… O-okay." Gideon doesn't dare say who he thinks stole the money. Pointing out his suspicions about those things never worked out well for him in the past.

"I know Catherine did it." The buck adds. "There has been other problems. Things not selling well mostly. Do you know something about that?" The fox just stare at his boss, his jaw clenched. "Lost your tongue, boy?"

"I… Erh… I know she's advising people not to buy what I bake to make me look bad."

"Why do you think she would do that?"

"I used to be… Pretty bad. I wos a bully through school, and maybe I was an asshole to her or her friends, or siblings at some points. I dunno, I can't say remember all the people I was bad to, but I know there were a lot. Or maybe I'm a fox and that's enough for her..."

"Either way, she has no right to mess with my business." The buck says, scratching his eyes. "What do I do about that? I don't want to call the cops, I don't have proof, and they might pin it on you, being a fox and all. And her parents are one of my main suppliers… Ugh, this is a mess."

"Yeah." The fox agrees. "Maybe I should call Judy."

"Your friend? Why?"

"She's pretty clever, she might find any idea. Got me out of worse."

"You think she'll be able to keep it to herself?"

"Judy knows how to keep secrets. Worst case scenario, she just won't have any idea."

"Alright. In the meantime, I'm going to have to bar her access to the register."

"Maybe ya shouldn't. She'll know yer onto her. And if she stole it to make me look bad, it ain't likely she'll do it again, innit?"

The buck gives him a surprised look and smiles. "You're right."

- 2 -

"Ya know, you don't have to wait wid' me." States Gideon as he's kneading dough.

The doe simply smiles and keep watching him work. She has no idea why but there's something absolutely irresistible about the movement of his paws and arms. "I thought you could use the support."

"Cath' might need it more'n me."

"Yeah, but she doesn't deserve it."

Thankfully, at this hour during the afternoon, the shop's activity is pretty low, which means there's little chance a customer will enter the shop.

A few minutes pass by, until the office door opens. Catherine exits it and quickly travels through the kitchen, giving the fox the stink eye, before disappearing outside.

"How did it go?" Judy asks.

"Like you said it would." Answers the buck, walking to her and handing her back her a carrot pen. "I didn't know they could make recorders this small."

With a chuckle, Judy pushes the button on the side.

"-did you need Mr Leapers?" Comes the doe's voice.

"I'd like to know if you know anything about money disappearing from the register."

"No sir. When did that happen?"

"A couple of days back."

"Ah… Well, I did go to the toilet a couple of times, so maybe Gideon took the opportunity to-"

"He didn't have the code of the register when it happened."

There's a short pause, during which Gideon snorts. It was her own doing and she forgot about that. Nice going.

"I- Erh- Well… He… Erh, he told me to give him the money. Or else, he'd… Uh… Hurt me."

Judy bristles. Catherine was right to leave before she got to hear this recording, or she would have shoved that pen down her throat.

"So you stole for him under duress and didn't tell me?"

"Erh-"

"My own theory is that you've been messing with my business in order to make him look bad, and that you stole this money in order to accuse him."

"Y-you don't have proof."

"That's true. But just so you know, a case of larceny can be worth up to a year in prison and a thousand Zoollars fine."

Silence falls again and Gideon turns to Judy. "That much?"

"It almost never reaches that high on a first offense. Almost never." She shrugs.

"Only over two hundred Zoollars?" Reacts the doe in the recording.

There's a new silence, and they almost can hear Mr leapers' smile.

"I never told you how much was stolen. Now I know for sure you were involved. And I recorded it."

A gulping noise is heard, and both the tod and doe giggle.

"So here's what I propose. You're going to resign, give up on your notice time, and I'm going to keep that recording. Get near my shop again, or make me look bad in front of your parents, and it goes straight to the authorities. Are we clear on that?"

"But what should I tell them? They'll never accept for me not to work until the end of the year!"

"That, Miss, isn't my problem. You messed with my store and my employee, the consequences are on you. Now get the hell out and don't bother coming in tomorrow."

The carrot pen clicks and Judy slides it in her pocket. "I can make a copy of it if you want."

"I hope I won't have to use it, but I'd appreciate that." Smiles the bakery's owner. "Now I'm going to have to recruit another employee."

"Ain't two people enough?" Asks Gideon. "I reckon we can manage it."

"We do, but you're at school two days a week, and I need someone to fill in for you during that time."

"Oh. Yeah. I forgot about that."

"Don't worry boy, I don't think I'll have trouble finding someone else." The buck smiles. "Plenty of mammals ready to make an honest buck if given the chance."