The aroma of freshly baked pastries filled the tiny bakery, mingling with the chatter of morning customers. Sunlight threaded through the lace curtains, dancing across tables adorned with checkered cloths. "The apple turnovers are still warm. Would you like one?" "I'm tempted, but I really came to ask you something." "Oh?" "Yes, it's about Mr. Fenwick's cat. You've heard, haven't you?" "Only that she's gone missing. Poor man, she was his shadow." "That's the thing. She didn't wander off. Someone took her." "Who would steal a cat? Especially a grumpy one like Tibbles." "Well, that's just it. She was missing right around the same time as Mrs. Patterson's prize tulips disappeared." "Are you suggesting a connection between a cantankerous cat and tulips?" "Not exactly the pairing you'd expect." "True, but remember the time Mr. Fenwick entered his marmalade in the county fair?" "Of course. He didn't win. The judges preferred Mrs. Patterson's orange marmalade." "Precisely. There's been a bit of a marmalade rivalry since then." "So, you think they're trying to sabotage each other's hobbies?" "It's all speculation, but it wouldn't be the first time they've meddled in each other's affairs." "Maybe the cat's developed a taste for mischief like her owner."