You might think that's the end of the story--employee
caught, confessed, convicted. But for Lacey, whose embezzlement
episode became known throughout the community, the saga was just
beginning. There was still the matter of surviving the employee
theft--both professionally and personally.
"It isn't so much the [money] she stole," says
Lacey. "It's that she was able to [betray] all these
employees who had worked incredibly long hours."
Would all their hard work not be enough to get the club through
this crisis? Would Lacey himself lose faith in people in
general--and those working for him, in particular? In a word,
no.
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"There are always more good people than bad," says
Lacey. "People do care; they want to help. I am the most
thankful guy on the planet."
Thankful because once word got out about what had happened,
big-name comedians called to say they'd come in to do shows.
Customers lined up outside the doors; they even offered to donate
money and answer phones. And Lacey's other employees--stunned
and upset by the embezzlement--asked their boss how they, too,
could help.
"It was much like 'It's a Wonderful
Life,' " recalls Lacey. "Every comic and all the
variety acts were saying 'We're not going to let anything
happen to the club. We're all coming down.' "
And they did. So what started as a cautionary tale evolved into,
well, a story with more than a few Capra-esque elements. Lacey says
now, "We're fine--and we're going to do
great."