Run: 2026-04-27-01KQ72R16AZHTPJZ5RPVEWFEQW

The bell above the door jingled, cutting through the heavy scent of yeast and caramelized sugar. I wiped flour from my apron, eyeing the crumpled note hidden inside the hollowed-out pumpkin loaf. The parchment was still warm. "You're staring at that bun like it owes you money. It's the third time you've poked the crust today." "This bun might owe Mayor Higgins his job. Did you see what was tucked in the cream cheese swirl?" "A ring? Did he pop the question?" "A ledger key. Gold and tiny. Just like the ones they pulled from the mud in Old Man Miller's garden last week." The oven timer dinged, a sharp counterpoint to the sudden drop in temperature near the display case. "Careful now. You whisper about Miller's garden and the sheriff starts looking for arson charges again. He's already eyeing my sourdough as evidence." "Let him look. But tell me, who else knows how to open the town hall safe? You? The rector? Or the woman who bakes the bread for the funeral home?" "I bake bread. I don't open safes. Though I suppose the recipe for rye requires a certain... flexibility with the truth. Pass me that rolling pin; you're making the dough nervous."