Run: 2026-02-16-01KHK1YMG8Y4KQQATV7NR0BSP2

The bell above the door jingled, cutting through the scent of rising dough and burnt sugar. "You're early. The scones aren't even out of the oven yet." "I didn't come for scones. I came because everyone in town is talking about the mayor's missing watch." "Let them talk. Gossip rises faster than yeast in this heat." A tray slammed onto the flour-dusted counter with a heavy thud. "But you look like you've seen a ghost, not just heard a rumor." "It wasn't just a rumor. Someone saw Arthur near the alley behind the shop last night. The same alley where the back door was left unlocked." "I lock that door every single night. You know I do." "Then how did the flour sack end up outside? The one with the strange blue ribbon tied around it?" Silence stretched between them, broken only by the rhythmic ticking of the old wall clock. "Blue ribbon? That's odd. I only use red twine." "Exactly. And Arthur owes money to half the merchants on Main Street. If he was here, he wasn't buying bread." "Maybe he was dropping something off. Or picking something up that doesn't belong to him." The oven timer dinged, a sharp, cheerful sound that felt entirely out of place. "Well, whatever he was doing, he left a mess. Look at these footprints near the register. Mud. In July." "Small town problems usually have big roots. We need to figure out who else has a key before the police turn this into a circus."