Run: 2026-05-31-01KSYXKABXNZ08C5K1J4KJ31F6

The bell above the door jingled as she stepped inside, the warm scent of cinnamon wrapping around her like a hug. "You're late. The scones are nearly gone." "I had a good reason this time, I promise." "You always have a good reason. Last week it was a flat tire. The week before, a lost cat." "This one's better. You'll never guess what I found behind the old Hargrove place." "If you say another stray cat, I'm cutting you off from the lemon tarts." "A locked box. Buried under the rose bushes, just like Mrs. Pemberton said." The clatter of a dropped tray broke the quiet. "You're joking. You actually went looking?" "Of course I did. You don't drop a hint like that and expect me to ignore it." "And? What was inside?" "That's the thing. I couldn't open it. The lock's rusted solid, and there's an initial carved into the lid. A letter 'H,' I think." "Hargrove." "Or Hadley. Or Hutchins. Half this town starts with an H." A long pause, then the soft scrape of a chair being pulled out. "Sit down. Pour yourself some coffee. We're going to figure this out properly—and this time, I'm coming with you."