Run: 2026-02-25-01KJ95RD4689T9K4Y8BPE0YHPF

The bell above the door of "Sweet Surrender" chimed, a cheerful, almost jarring, melody. The aroma of cinnamon and baking bread usually wrapped visitors in a warm embrace, but today, a faint scent of burnt sugar and something akin to stale anxiety seemed to linger. Agnes stood behind the counter, wiping it down with a frantic energy that was entirely unlike her. Flour dusted her apron, but her usual bright smile had been replaced by a tight, worried frown. "Morning, Agnes. Just the usual blueberry scone, if you've managed to keep one for me." "Oh, Eleanor. Yes, of course. Just… let me get that for you." A moment of hesitation. The clatter of tongs against ceramic. "Did you hear about the fuss at the Historical Society meeting last night?" "Mercy, no. Only what Martha was twittering about this morning. Something about a… missing ledger?" "More than that. Much more. They say it vanished without a trace, right out of Mayor Thompson’s study." A sigh, heavy and low. "Now, was that one scone or two you were after?" "Just the one, thank you. But a vanishing ledger from *Thompson's* study? That’s rather dramatic, even for them." "Dramatic doesn't quite cover it, dear. Not when you know what was once kept in its pages."