The manager, Richard, backed away, his arrogant sneer melting into sheer panic.
“Arthur! Sir!” Richard stammered as the CEO approached. “I was just enforcing standard policy! Corporate says no handouts, I had to—”
“Save it,” Arthur snapped.
Suddenly, Margaret’s fragile, trembling posture vanished. She straightened her spine, her teary eyes turning to ice. She reached into her worn leather purse, but she didn’t pull out the medicine.
She pulled out a USB drive.
“You’re right, Richard, margins are tight,” Margaret said, her voice razor-sharp. “Especially when you’ve been manually overriding the POS system for six months, triple-charging cash-paying seniors and pocketing the difference.”
Richard’s jaw hit the floor. “I—you—that prescription…”
“Fake,” Margaret smiled coldly. “Bait. And you bit.”
Realizing he was trapped, Richard shoved a display rack and lunged for the back exit. But Arthur simply snapped his fingers. Two uniformed police officers stepped out from the adjacent aisle. They hadn’t just arrived; they’d been quietly browsing the vitamin section the entire time.
“Wire fraud, grand larceny, and elder abuse,” Arthur listed off as the cuffs clicked around Richard’s wrists.
As the ex-manager was dragged out kicking and swearing, Margaret turned to Noah. The young cashier wasn’t looking surprised. In fact, he was holding the store’s master keys.
“Flawless undercover work, Noah,” Margaret said, her warm smile returning as she patted his shoulder. “Your anonymous email saved this community. Are you ready for your new title?”
Noah tossed the manager’s keys in the air, caught them with a grin, and walked around to the main terminal.
“I thought you’d never ask, Mrs. Ellis,” Noah said, logging in. “Now, let’s get these prices fixed.”