Run: 2026-04-27-01KQ73ZXWMBHB72ZCPSCQTJ0HT

The bell above the door jingled, admitting a draft of autumn air before the woman behind the counter wiped flour-dusted hands on her apron. "You're late. And you look like you've seen a ghost." A heavy sigh echoed from across the glass display. "Worse. I saw the Sheriff digging near the gazebo at midnight." The tray of cinnamon twists hovered, then stilled. "The gazebo? I told Miller that structure was cursed." "Not a ghost. Mud. Clinging to his boots, and a shiny silver button caught in the brambles." Knuckles whitened on the tray. "A button from Mrs. Higgins' blazer? She's been threatening the mill over her missing diamond pendant since Tuesday." "Exactly. Which makes her sudden donation to the bakery's roof fund suspiciously timed." The woman leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper. "I just bake. I don't investigate. But if the Sheriff finds that button, he'll need hard evidence. I know where she keeps the ledger." "Careful. Curiosity got the baker poisoned last year. I'd hate for you to end up in the fruitcake tin." "Please. I'm the one who bakes the cake. No one eats my fruitcake without my say-so."