Run: 2026-07-01-01KWE9FGEZ3GJX10Q42X99QPPG

The smell of cinnamon rolls still hung in the air, though the display case sat mostly empty at this hour. "You're the one who found her, aren't you? Behind the flower shop?" "Word travels fast." "This is Maple Hollow. Word travels before it happens." A cup of coffee slid across the counter, steam curling upward like a question mark. "She wasn't just lying there. Someone had arranged her. Like she was posed for a photograph nobody wanted to take." "That's a strange thing to notice, in the middle of finding a body." "I notice things. It's why Gerald keeps me around instead of firing me for burning the scones." "So what else did you notice?" "Her shoes were missing. Just her shoes. Everything else—purse, jewelry, that ridiculous scarf she always wore—untouched." "Someone wanted those shoes specifically." "Or someone wanted us to think that." "You've been reading too many of those paperback mysteries from the library." "Maybe. But you didn't deny it." A pause stretched between them, filled only by the soft hum of the display case cooler and the distant chime of the front door. "I didn't deny anything. I just think you should be careful who you say these things to." "Is that a warning?" "Consider it advice. From a friend."