Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8VBASBQ8EZWZ23BBWMHSE2

The morning rush had thinned to a quiet trickle when the bell above the door chimed. The scent of cinnamon rolls and fresh coffee hung in the warm air like a comfortable secret. "You heard about Gerald Finch, I suppose." "Found him in the orchard, they're saying. Right beneath the old apple tree." A ceramic mug clinked softly against the counter. "Terrible business." "Margaret was in here at dawn, white as flour. She'd been crying, you could tell." "Well, she would be, wouldn't she? They'd only just patched things up after that property dispute." The glass case was wiped slowly, the cloth moving in careful circles around a tray of lemon scones. "The sheriff's been asking questions down at the hardware store. Wanted to know who bought rope in the last month." "Rope." A pause. "That's a peculiar detail to share." "Mm. Danny shouldn't have said anything, but you know how he gets." "I do know how he gets." A second mug was set out, filled without being asked for. "Listen, there's something I noticed when I walked past the orchard yesterday morning. Something the sheriff doesn't know about yet." The bakery fell very still.