Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8WVPT230EHBV6J22PT209C

The morning light filtered through the checkered curtains of Sweet Crumb Bakery, casting warm squares across the flour-dusted counter. The scent of cinnamon rolls hung thick in the air, mingling with fresh coffee and something darker — suspicion. "You heard about Margaret's garden shed, I suppose." "Heard about it? I drove past it this morning. Police tape everywhere. Looked like something out of a television program." "They found Walter Briggs's missing ledger in there. Tucked right behind a bag of potting soil." "Margaret wouldn't steal a ledger. She can barely remember where she puts her reading glasses." "That's exactly what someone *wants* us to think." A tray of scones emerged from the oven, golden and perfect. One was plated and slid across the counter without a word of transaction — just the quiet understanding of regulars. "I saw someone near that shed Tuesday night. Tall. Wearing that awful green coat from the thrift shop on Pine Street." "Half the town owns that coat." "Not half the town was out walking at midnight." The coffee maker gurgled into the silence. Outside, a crow landed on the bakery's window box and tilted its head, as if listening. "I think we need to talk to Dorothy."