"Morning, Elsie. The usual coffee and croissant?" "You know me too well, Martha. Though I might get a couple of those lemon tarts to go. Ned has a bit of a sweet tooth." "Say no more. I'll box them up for you." "Have you heard the latest gossip? Old Mrs. Withers claims she saw a suspicious figure lurking around the abandoned mill last night." "Again? That woman has an overactive imagination. Probably just a raccoon or something." "I don't know. With all the strange occurrences lately, I can't help but wonder." "Like what? That broken window at the library?" "And the missing garden gnomes from the Johnsons' yard. Something peculiar is afoot in our little town." "You're starting to sound like one of those amateur sleuths from your mystery novels." "Maybe I should look into it. Add a bit of excitement to my retirement years." "Be careful what you wish for, Elsie. The last thing we need is another mystery on our hands." "Oh, hush. It might be fun. Imagine the stories I could tell the grandkids."