Run: 2026-03-25-01KMJ7TJX36WPHGFNK4DA299TC

The morning sun slanted through the front window of Butter & Crust, catching dust motes dancing above trays of still-warm sourdough. The scent of cinnamon and yeast wrapped around the quiet hum of the display cooler. “Saw Marjorie Folly leave Old Man Hemlock’s place before dawn. Barefoot. Carrying a garden trowel.” “Barefoot? In November? That’s either suspicious or poetic.” “Call it poetic if you want. I call it odd. Especially since Hemlock’s been missing since Tuesday. And now his prize-winning pumpkins are gone too.” “Maybe she was helping him move them? He adored those stupid squash.” “He adored them enough to cancel bingo for three weeks, yes. But he wouldn’t let anyone near them. Not even Mrs. Pendergast, who brought him soup during his gout flare-up.” “Hm. And the trowel?” “Found it behind the hydrangeas. Covered in mud. And something… purple.” “Not just any purple. Violet-tinged. Like the inside of a Moonshadow pumpkin—Hemlock’s rare variety. The one he said would win State Fair.” “Exactly. Also, Marjorie’s cat hasn’t been seen since Wednesday. It used to nap on Hemlock’s porch every afternoon.” “You thinking what I’m thinking?” “That Marjorie might know more than she’s letting on. Or that cat’s buried under those hydrangeas with a mouth full of pumpkin.” “That cat hated vegetables. Wouldn’t touch a zucchini.” “Then maybe it’s Hemlock under there.” “Pass the scones. And the notebook. We’ve got a theory to bake.”