Run: 2026-02-25-01KJBDVHD44VNZRP9584ADRK1N

The scent of burnt sugar clung to the air, mixing with the sharp morning chill drifting through the open door. The bell above the door remained silent, the shop locked against the world. "You shouldn't have opened the safe." "It was unlocked. It was practically begging." "And now the whole town knows about the ledger." "They know because you told them." "I told them nothing. I just saw the police car parked outside." Flour dusted the wooden counter like fresh snow. A heavy rolling pin was set down with a definitive thud. "Did you see the entry for Tuesday?" "I saw the withdrawal." "Two thousand dollars. Gone." "Gone where?" "Into the bakery's accounts. But not for ingredients." Silence stretched between them, heavy as the cast iron pans hanging overhead. "Are you saying I embezzled?" "I'm saying the money matches the missing funds from the library." "That's impossible." "Is it? Or is it just inconvenient?" The espresso machine hissed violently, filling the sudden void. "Then we have a problem." "We already had a problem. Now we have a suspect." "Not yet." "Soon." A hand reached for the leather-bound ledger. "Put that down." "I'm just checking the math." "For the police report." "Or for the alibi."