Run: 2026-04-25-01KQ2G3XSZX8GRWR1SZCR09MJ2

“You’re putting extra cinnamon in the scones today.” “Am I? I thought that was my secret.” “It’s never a secret when Mrs. Abernathy’s cat goes missing. You only break out the heavy cinnamon when you’re worried about something.” “The cat isn’t missing. It’s just… strategically absent. I saw it in the alley behind the library an hour ago, sunning itself on a stack of old newspapers.” “Then why the cinnamon?” “Because I found something tucked under the bakery doormat this morning. Not the usual coupon flyer. A single pearl earring, the clip-on kind Edna Maplecroft wears to church every Sunday.” “Edna hasn’t missed a Sunday in forty years. She certainly wouldn’t leave an earring here.” “Exactly. And the door was unlocked when I arrived. Nothing taken, not even the day-old muffins. But my flour bin had been shifted three inches to the left. Someone was very tidy and very specific.” “You think Edna broke in to rearrange your flour?” “I think someone wants me to think Edna broke in. Or someone wants Edna to think she was here and forgot. Either way, it’s a message baked in something stronger than cinnamon.” “The book club meeting is tonight. Edna’s hosting.” “Then I’d better bring the scones. And keep my eyes on the jewelry.”