Run: 2026-02-20-01KHY7T1APJFFZ1G1HFQRMK7KJ

The scent of cinnamon and yeast hung thick in the air, battling for dominance with the lingering sweetness of blueberry muffins. Flour dusted the worn wooden counter where a half-finished crossword puzzle lay beside a mug of lukewarm tea. “He really wouldn’t have just vanished, would he?” “Not Silas Blackwood,” a voice replied, a low rumble that seemed to vibrate through the shelves stacked with gingerbread men. “Not without a fight. He was a stubborn old goat.” “But the will… it’s so specific. Forty percent to the historical society, twenty to the library, and the rest… to the town. Giving it all away like that? It doesn't make sense.” A sigh escaped, followed by the scrape of a chair as someone settled closer. “Maybe he was tired of arguing,” the voice suggested, a hint of amusement underlying the observation. “About the town’s history, about the library’s budget, about… well, everything.” “It’s unsettling, isn't it?” A hand stirred the sugar in the tea. “Like he was deliberately trying to… rearrange things. Starting with his own disappearance.” “Let’s just say Silas Blackwood wasn’t known for his graceful exits,” the voice murmured, pointing a floury finger towards the glass display case filled with apple turnovers. “More like a dramatic tumble.”