The sweet scent of freshly baked pastries wafted through the air as the morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the Cozy Cupboard bakery. The aroma was a familiar comfort to the townsfolk, who gathered at the bakery every day to catch up on gossip and discuss the latest news. "I'm telling you, Emily was acting strange yesterday," said a voice low and conspiratorial, as two women stood behind the counter, sifting through a batch of dough. "Yeah? What kind of strange?" replied the other, handing a tray of steaming hot croissants to a customer. "Well, she was going on and on about finding something in the park. Kept talking about 'proof' and 'the truth'... sounded like she was totally lost in her own world." "That's not like Emily. What's gotten into her?" The two women exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes sparkling with a mixture of curiosity and concern. "Guess we'll just have to wait and see how this all plays out," said the first speaker, her voice barely above a whisper. The other woman nodded, her expression thoughtful as she slid a tray of muffins into the display case. "You're right. This whole thing just gets stranger by the minute."