# The Missing Sugar Bowl The morning light filtered through the checkered curtains of Sweet Crumbs Bakery, casting warm squares across the flour-dusted counter. The scent of cinnamon rolls hung thick in the air as two women stood on opposite sides of the display case. "I'm telling you, Edna's sugar bowl didn't just walk off her kitchen table by itself." "Things go missing all the time. Last week I lost my reading glasses, and they turned up in the refrigerator." "That's because you put them there. This is different. That sugar bowl was solid sterling silver, passed down from her grandmother. And it disappeared the same afternoon she hosted her bridge club." "You're not suggesting one of the ladies took it?" "I'm suggesting that four women entered that house, and when they left, something left with them." A tray of blueberry scones slid onto the cooling rack with practiced ease. A contemplative silence settled between them, broken only by the gentle ticking of the cat-shaped clock on the wall. "Well, Margaret plays bridge like she's robbing a bank. Wouldn't surprise me if she applied the same philosophy to silverware." "Thursday's my turn to host. I say we set a trap." "I'll bring the lemon bars."