Run: 2026-05-22-01KS873B1KNFTEJB2GJR015M5A

The bell above the door jingled, cutting through the thick, warm scent of cinnamon and rising dough. Flour dusted the worn wooden counter like fresh snow. "You’re opening late." "The oven acting up again?" "Worse. The mayor’s wife was in here before dawn." A pastry bag squeezed a perfect rosette of pink buttercream onto a cooling vanilla cupcake. "At this hour? She never wakes up before noon." "She wasn't buying. She was looking for something. Kept asking about the bitter almond extract." The piping bag paused, a heavy dollop of frosting dropping onto the parchment paper. "Bitter almond? But old Mrs. Higgins died after eating an almond macaroon." "Exactly. And she specifically wanted the batch baked on Tuesday." A hot iron baking sheet clattered loudly onto the wire cooling rack. "Tuesday was the day of the botanical garden party." "Keep your voice down. If she finds out we still have those leftover scraps in the basement freezer..." The front door chimed again. Slow, heavy footsteps echoed across the hexagon floor tiles. "Act natural. And slide the inventory ledger under the register." A dark shadow fell across the frosted glass.