Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for December 22, 2016

Leslie Knox, you sly fox in the hen house.

Serious attitude from sales person…

$350 more than the limit, with his “collected” cash, for his idea of “step one”. This is so wrong in so many ways.

“Step One”? You can also call it “Step Last”.

This storyline makes me a bit nervous.

I knew it, it was stealing from friends. Well, ok, not friends because it doesn’t have any. Acquaintances. That’s the word. It was stealing from acquaintances.

“Collecting Cash” huh? Nice. I had hopes he wasn’t as bad as others thought. The evidence is now pointing the other way.

Women are good ways to avoid excess cash casches.

Wedding is over at last? Thank Evans.

Few of you forgot how he got those said cash.

The missing cash will be blamed on Pru.

Step one, kind of foreboding here. He is purchasing an expensive necklace with stolen money from his “collection” from the Fuse play. Is he trying to destroy it somehow. Very foreboding.

looks like les is setting himself up for what he karmically deserves

@Luannfan1212, I think you’re close. Les isn’t stupid nor do I think he’s into Pru. I think he learned a thing or two from Mr Grey (whom I loathe) and is laundering his take from KK. He knows Pru won’t accept something like this (or he thinks he does). He figures she’ll refuse it, and he can return it or pawn it for the cash and obliterate any ties to the “children’s theater” fund or the stolen tips. I think the gag will be that Pru will think it’s costume jewelry, accept it, and Les will have to scheme on getting it back before Uncle Sugar, who knows from costume jewelry, notices it.

Ok I posted a comment and it showed up twice so I deleted one and now they are both gone. So I guess I will try again. Sorry if this shows up twice. Anyone notice how similar in looks and haughty, rude attitude Les and the sales lady have? Same nose, same ears, same eyes, same eyebrow arch and same sour expression. Les somewhat resembles a Vulcan… but that would be a disservice to Mr. Spock. Well here’s to hoping Les gets caught regarding the " collected" stolen money and gets his comeuppance from Pru and the gang @ K2.

Geez, I can hardly wait until he gets to step 4 with Pru.

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Har!

This is likely to be explosive, or come close to it. Les is setting himself up for embarrassment in multiple ways, and he won’t take it lightly. He’s the sort who blames his failures on everyone else.

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And I can’t buy the speculation that he’s buying this just to launder the money. If so, he’d have no need to offer a gift to Pru, expecting to get it back. And that small an amount of unmarked money does not need to be laundered.

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I’m certain he’s sweet on Pru, and has a grandiose idea that this is how to woo her. He’s in for lots of shocks.

Remember a few months ago, when Les was “collecting for the children’s theater”?

It seems that TJ got away with blowing up his truck and collecting insurance money. However – Les is a little leaguer.

a GIFT for the girl of his SCHEMES—

The reflection of her rejection—

A jewel, from a jerk— or….

Prudence don’t play dat!

Somebody is about to have a big fall…

Did I miss something? I thought Pru was gay.

Boy, is HE in for a surprise!

This is NOT going to end well… (particularly for Leslie…)

Why do you think he will offer it to Pru as Les..

I am pretty sure that the gift will be from “Ox” and that suddenly all the stolen money will show up on the records and Ox will be in deep trouble.

That’s what step 1 is all about.

$350. On someone who will most unlikely to be his girlfriend? Money well wasted.

@bellicosecello: The money laundering idea is an interesting one. It would sure set up some funny scenario gags of how Les would try to get the necklace back . Would definitely be something I could see in a " I Love Lucy " type sitcom. Wonder how it could play out in a 3 or 4 panel a day comic strip? It could certainly be an arc that could last a week or 2. Even perhaps with an interim arc in between to keep the suspense and gag going.

I seem to recall Les dipping into cash at work and various other places he had access to.

The stare down between Miss LaDee Dah, and Leslie…. And so begins, ‘the battle of noses’…

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…Also, one wonders if they should call the fire department… Just in case Les’ trousers should commence with incineration….

“In The Till, Of The Night” (♬)

“Caution: Slippery Rocks”

“Snakes And Ladles”

“La Dolce Invoice”

“By The Receipt Of Your Pants”

“If You Have To Ask…. "

“Gone With The Windfall”

“Proceed With The Proceeds”

“Misplaced Intentions”

“Fill Your Sales With Hot Air”

“Your Cheatin’ Heart” (♬)

“There Must Be Some Misunderstanding” (♪)

“A Hunka, Hunka Burning Pants” (♪)

“When The Leslie Breaks” (♬)

“Flood Assurance”

“The Ambush Of Pangs”

“An Un-conscience Matter”

“Planning For A Guilt Trip”

“It’s A Steal!”

“For Every Transaction, There Will Be An Equal And Opposite Reaction… "

“Hot Cash And A Cold Sale”

“Never Sell To A Weasel”

“A Collect Calling”

or

“D’oh! Nations”

I never accepted jewelry from anyone I dated until I was engaged to him. I never accepted gifts from anyone I dated that were over $20.00. about the cost of a hard backed book. ( I encouraged used books, though. Still do.) Now, tickets to a concert, movie or a play as part of a date, that was a bit different. Good tickets are expensive, but we were both going so it seemed different to me. I told all three of my daughters to do the same. I told both sons not to give expensive gifts. Invest in time together, tennis lessons, cooking classes, board games to play). If they are into you, they will like it better anyway.

Are we ending the year on a low note?

I actually feel bad for Les. I know he’s a jerk, but he’s legitimately trying to buy a gift for Pru, getting a lot of attitude for it and apparently he doesn’t know Pru is not into guys.

A very snooty attitude from a sales person. One wonders how she makes a living in sales with that attitude.

so who is the lucky woman? it can not be Pru. she prefers other women. could it be Tiffany?

I smell sexual harassment. And Les is the boss’s nephew too? Nice

Um, did anyone clue Les in on the fact that Pru is gay? or is this for his true love, himself?

Scum bag…

I believe it was established early on that Pru was gay, so Les is definitely up to no good. Evidenced by the cash he has been “collecting”.

“I’m SORRY, Young Man, but We DON’T Accept Cash, ONLY Credit! And I need to See some I.D. and I need a sample of Your Blood for the DNA test! CAWN’T be too Careful these days, Dont’cha Know?” -- The Stuck-Up Elitist Snob of a Saleslady, who wouldn’t DREAM of Subjecting WEALTHY Customers to that CRAP.

I bet Lesley is going to frame Pru as the thief. He is working another angle. No one knows he was skimming the collections or from the tips or from the cash till, but I think there are some questions concerning where the money is or why they haven’t collected more from their charitable functions.

I was among those giving Les way too much credit for turning a corner. He’s in for a big fall in so many ways. I just wonder what else he’s been skimming besides the obvious ’children’s fund’. Probably a few tips here and there, among other sources (the general till perhaps?), which may be why Ox is so short on funds. K2 appears to be thriving.

But I thought Pru was gay? That is what she told LuAnn when LuAnn thought Pru was interested in Quill. Does Leslie Knox not know this????

Knox has all the angles figured out

This must be the only jewelry store in town. You’d think Ms. Snooty would be a lot nicer to someone spending almost $400. I’d never shop at a place that treated me that poorly.

Lots of interesting speculation, here. We know Pru is gay. Presumably the DeGroots, Bern and Toni know (can I call Toni one of the DeGroots? I’m aware she kept her name), but it’s not clear that Les knows she’s gay..Today makes me think it’s not so much that Les wants to hook up with Pru, but that he’s trying to cause trouble for her, or for someone, possibly to cover up an alarming amount of money that’s gone missing. This would not be on the scale of missing tip money, but a larger amount either missing from the till, or collected for charity donations above the $35 he told Pru about..I still don’t see how the gift exchange ties into it, though. And I hope the Evanses don’t just wave away the fact that Mr. Grey maneuvered them into hiring Les in the first place. There’s also the strip where he told Les, in private, that he needs to keep this job, and “you know why”. What was that about?.Oh, and Robin Harwood: My compliments on the pun!

We need emoticons here. “Go away.” (Argythree) can be communicated in a playful, friendly way, or a gruff way, or an unfriendly way, or in a dozen other ways…All these interpersonal comments are ambiguous, in their shadings. That’s why I so appreciate comics like Luann, there is a lot more visual information, like Les’s face—-is he a sneaky weasel, or maybe just 70% weasel, 30% lonely kid? Also – maybe Les just got a lot of good tips (though that seems doubtful at this point). Well, Greg, if Les turns out to be a scumbag, I hope he’s a nuanced one! Tally Ho!

3

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Hmm.

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Leslie could still be interested romantically in Pru. As some have suggested the “Call it step one.” line suggests a plan of some sort. It could be a sincere, albeit over-the-top way for Leslie to unsuccessfully win Pru’s heart. (1/10)

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Leslie very likely has something more sinister afoot in his mind. It reads to me now with the “Call it step one” line that he has a grand scheme to bring down The Fuse and all those associated with it. (6/10)

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Pretty sure he’s going to start setting up Pru to make it look like she’s stealing.

bordercolliedawn said,

@DavidHuieGreen

“I don’t see the intended-recipient woman being the problem here. She didn’t initiate anything.”

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Nope.

She’s nearly flawless, a really sweet kid.

I’d probably give her a gift out of money

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I’m nearly as generous as Leslie.

I hope he gets what’s coming to him. That amount of cash he stole is probably a felony.

Les “palmed” Pru’s name on 12/20. He obviously doesn’t know Pru is gay.

Now we know.

Let’s us not forget that some of the money he’s buying that with is Pru’s. What a class act that Les is – NOT.

Guess he doesn’t know Pru is a LESbian???LOL

OMG WE’RE ALL DONE WITH THE WEDDING????OMG OMG THANK YOU. IT’S SAFE TO READ THIS STRIP AGAIN! WOO HOO!!

I thought so…

Seeing that this strip receives its fair share of comments, I check the comment section for it at the beta site for a few times now and have yet to see any comments posted, which leaves me to wonder if anybody uses the beta site accept me. The comment by the way was “now we know”. I also highly recommend the beta site.

I’m suspecting Les is somehow going to try to frame Pru to get rid of her; make it look like she has been embezzling from the restaurant and bought the necklace with her ill-gotten gains.

Many a man has ignored that fact (that a woman was a lesbian). I used to be told that I “just hadn’t met the right guy yet”. I also remember the straight men that would ask me to slow dance in the local gay bar because “why should we be divided by artificial constructs (like identifying as gay)?” I kept being tempted to suggest that they ask one of the gay guys to dance if they wanted to break down barriers.

Happens to gay men by women. I had a gay friend who complained about that.

Leslie is paying? I would have thought he’d go for the five-finger discount. Maybe he is turning over a new leaf.

Why does TJ get such a bad rap here?

TJ sees angles and if they’re not criminal and won’t hurt anyone, he’ll take them. I knew a lot of people like that when I was in High School. They’re not bad people, they just see things differently than you and I.

However, Les is a different story. If he was caught doing this back when he was 16, he would be considered a “Juvenile Delinquent” and gotten a slap on the wrist. Now that he is over 18 he is considered a “Felon”.

I think he’ll be surprised that his actions are no longer being considered “shenanigans” but “Fraud” and “Grand Theft in the Third Degree”.

I hate Les, but I also hate snotty sales people. “You work on commission, right? Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now.”

Somehow Gunther should be bumbling around in this arc to accidentally discover Les’s deception.

I can’t wait till he finds out Pru is gay! Cannot.wait!!

No longer getting paragraph separation like I used to. Any suggestions? Brdshtt?

@ JPuzzleWhizz. Thanks 4 the tips re the duplicate postings. I think it might have had something to do with my computer moving slow and I hit refresh. However my browser was Microsoft edge and not firefox. also yeah the same cartoonist was drawingLesles and the rude sales lady… so I was thinking Birds of a feather… or split personalities.. .. or maybe Obnoxious Twits, I means Twins. LOL

Yup! I knew it!

we are about to see one of Leslie’s weaknesses. everybody has one.

Anyone remember where the cash came from? Could be a twelve step to remove the compitition.

We need the strip’s historian to tell us what poster to this strip had the most lines of commentary this year. I could hazard a guess…

Pru is the only one on the staff of the Fuse who treats Les as if he doesn’t have the ugly past that he has. Mr. Grey must have told her but she has been letting him start with a clean slate. He likes her because she accepts him as a normal human being. But Les just can’t seem to make good choices. He’s just got criminal intent in his bones even when he’s smitten with someone.

He’s going to try and say that she stole the money and used it to buy that jewelry, to get her fired.

Earlier in the day, someone said Les’s plan is to give Pru the necklace, then have her framed for stealing the money to buy it. Genius! (for the writer, not Les). Then, in his own thoughts, he could get her higher-paying job.

I can’t think of any reason why Les would want to get Pru in trouble or get rid of her. She’s always been nice to him. He would have more motivation to get rid of Ox or TJ but not Pru. I think he has romantic intentions towards her.

Wait—doesn’t Pru prefer the company of ladies?

Thought Leslie was going to steal it.

The big problem I foresee is that Pru is gay. What’s Les going to do when he hears about that?

Little Les “Bad Boy” Knox is so quintessentially a ’50s sleazebag with his greasy D.A. hairdo!

I suspect he will learn to regret trying to hustle Prudence. She’s a big-city, experienced girl who happens to be a lesbian but is not stupid and not weak and helpless.

It were better for Little Les if Mr. Gray were to discipline him and not Ms. Prudence!

—That, at least, is my take on where this is going….

I haven’t seen any evidence that TJ, Ox, or anyone else at the Kafe is treating Les as if they know about his past. Pru has less reason to know about his past, but for exactly that reason, it might make a lot of sense to warn her, if anyone did have suspicions.

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I’m still waiting to see where this is going to end up. I don’t think we’ve seen anywhere near all the pieces of the picture yet.

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I don’t want this to end up with Mrs. Berger feeling betrayed. One way or another, I hope Mr. Grey turns out not to have been party to any sort of nefarious shenanigans. He may well have been trying to do his sister a favor, and thought he could do a better job of straightening Les out, I don’t know.

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Thinking about it, I’ll bet Mrs. Berger knows more than we’ve been shown at this point. Assuming she’s still keeping company with Mr. Grey, anyway. Have they exchanged first names yet?

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For that matter, what exactly is his connection with the Kafe, or the Fuse overall, now that the remodel is done? Was he just the project manager during the construction? I seem to remember seeing him around after that, but he hasn’t been around for a while, now. Is he the manager of the Fuse, while Pru runs the Kafe? It’s possible I missed something, have we seen what exactly are the lines of authority here? Who reports to whom?

Sorry about disappearing like that. A wonderful member of our family had a massive stroke tonight and things have not gone well. I really do not want to talk about it, but figure this is better than people later asking.

So, we’re not going to get treated to the honeymoon?

Step 3 will be all the inquires as to how he got so much money.

Sukie, consider yourself hugged.

Truncated Spoiler Alert: Ox Rox, Rocks in box…

Shortest spoiler quote: " "

SPOILER DEUX

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Speechless. Me, too, Pru…