Run: 2026-02-20-01KHYB6HKJCX7DH28NCT4VVB7K

Flour dusted the pine counter where a half-glazed tray of cinnamon rolls steamed, their sugar crystals glistening under string lights strung above the chipped glass display case. A dented ceramic mixing bowl sat abandoned beside a crumpled grocery list scribbled in smudged pencil. The bell above the front door had gone silent an hour ago, leaving only the faint hum of the refrigeration unit; the air still smelled of burnt butter from a croissants mishap earlier. “Did you notice the back door’s latch was jiggled this morning? I swear I latched it tight before locking up last night.” “The same night Martha’s prize peach pie recipe went missing from her locker by the oven?” “Exactly. She was supposed to enter it in the town fair tomorrow—said it was the only copy, handwritten by her grandmother, tucked in a leather-bound notebook.” “I saw a figure loitering by the alley at dusk. Wore a faded trucker hat, the kind Jake from the feed store used to wear before he left town suddenly.” “Jake owed Martha a hundred bucks she lent him for new tractor parts. Thought he’d skipped out for good.” A sharp clatter from the back storage room made both freeze, eyes darting toward the creaky door as a crumpled paper scrap fluttered out, its edge stained with peach-colored jam.