Run: 2026-05-27-01KSMF6M1T221SJ7SWAPBVA393

The bell above the bakery door jingled as the morning rush subsided. Cream-colored walls lined with glass display cases overflowed with golden croissants and chocolate éclairs that glistened under soft lighting. "So, have you heard about the mayor's missing briefcase yet?" The question came quietly, accompanied by the familiar clink of porcelain on metal. Well, now. You're not even supposed to know about that. The mayor's people are keeping it hushed-hushed. I just serve coffee and sweets. But I do have ears, and I did overhear Mrs. Henderson telling Mrs. Miller that the mayor was in a right state yesterday morning. State is putting it mildly. He went completely gray around the edges when he realized it wasn't just at his office. They searched the whole place. Is it possible he just... misplaced it? People do sometimes. Oh, come now. Mayor Croft can't put his own socks in the right drawer, let alone a briefcase. It contained confidential town documents. And the latest quarter's financial reports. Just saying. Doesn't seem like the sort of thing someone would brush off as misplaced, does it? Not in Pine Creek, it wouldn't. Too much... unexplained activity lately.