Devil's Ride by Kathryn Thomas Read Free Book Online Page A

inventory count, so if I didn’t tally this time, I was going to bring it to Peter’s attention and give him a heads up that something wasn’t right.
     
    “Peter,” I asked an hour later as I stuck my head into his office. “Can I get the last two months of inventory and receipts?”
     
    “Sure. Why?” he asked.
     
    “I can’t get the numbers to balance and I’m looking for a starting point.”
     
    He grinned at me. “See why I asked you to take this on? Inventory was so screwed up that I finally got to where I just took your numbers and adjusted the inventory to match.” He turned in his chair and dug in a file cabinet. “Here you go,” he said as he handed out two thick folders.
     
    “Your inventory system leaves a little to be desired,” I teased as I took the folder.
     
    “I know. Believe me, I know. That’s why this is perfect. You can get this mess straightened out while you are pregnant. Thanks again for doing this.”
     
    I smiled and gave him a nod as I backed out of his office. It’s always nice to have the boss thank you.
     
    I spent the next six hours checking and rechecking. I went back to the last two months that I was working the bar and started there. I had to fudge the numbers to get them to align to start with, but from there inventory and receipts tracked close enough that I felt confident that I had starting point.
     
    But then when I had been replaced as the bartender, the receipt and inventory had started to diverge again. It was almost six o’clock and I saw Tina head down the hall, grinning at me as she passed. I didn’t like her very much because she was under the mistaken impression that she had gotten my job because she was a better bartender than I was, not because I was pregnant. That fact was still a secret between Peter and me.   
     
    “Tina!” I called, rising to follow her.
     
    “Yeah?”
     
    “You have a minute?”
     
    “For you? Sure. What’cha want?”
     
    “I’m having trouble balancing your receipts to the inventory.”
     
    “And that is my problem how?”
     
    “I’m just checking to make sure you’re recording all the drinks you serve, including the comps.”
     
    Her eyes narrowed. “What are you suggesting?”
     
    “Nothing. I’m just looking for a little help here. I have to start someplace.”
     
    “Why don’t you start with your counting?”
     
    I bit my tongue. If I were in her shoes, I would be insulted at the question myself. “I already did. I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m just looking for the problem.”
     
    “No. You’re looking to create a problem. Just because Peter asked me to replace you is no reason to get all bitchy with me.”
     
    “I’m not being bitchy!” I protested. “Peter asked me to get a handle on the inventory. Okay, that’s what I’m trying to do. But we are having a lot of losses, more than I can explain by slop.”
     
    “Sloppy bookkeeping you mean.”
     
    She was really starting to annoy me. “Look, all I want is a straight up answer. Are you recording all your receipts?”
     
    “Yes. Now, why don’t you go back into your little office and let me do what I do, okay?”
     
    I didn’t like her tone, not one little bit, but I said nothing. “Thank you. That’s all I needed to hear.” I turned on my heel and reentered my office. It was time to go anyway. I gathered my stuff and as I walked out, my day done, I decided that I was going to have to dig a little deeper. I was confident in the inventory now, so that left only one other place for a problem.
     
    ***
     
    “What are you doing?” Peter asked as I tallied the bottles behind the bar. It was almost time for the bar to open, but I was nearly done with my count.
     
    “I can’t get receipts to balance,” I said as I finished my count. It was only a gross estimate of what was behind the bar, but it was one more data point I could use to track usage.
     
    “Is there a problem?” he asked, his tone saying more