Run: 2026-07-09-01KX41FBNSF96HX5HYK020JBC9

The bell over the bakery door jingled, though no one entered. “Tell me that was the wind.” “In a town this small, the wind has an alibi.” Mara glanced toward the empty street. Flour dusted the counter, the display case gleamed with raspberry tarts, and beneath it lay a single muddy boot print. “You locked the door after closing.” “I locked it twice. Then I checked the back window.” “Which means someone came in before you locked up.” “Or someone never left.” The old refrigerator hummed. From the kitchen came the faint metallic clink of a tray shifting by itself. “Please don’t look at me like that.” “Like what?” “Like you’ve already decided I’m hiding a body in the pantry.” “If there were a body, the cinnamon rolls would be burning.” A sharp gasp escaped as Mara lifted the flour sack. Beneath it rested a silver charm shaped like a bee, its tiny wings stained dark red. “That belongs to the mayor.” “Then why was it found beside your secret recipe?” “It isn’t secret. It’s just—” “Written in invisible ink?” The bell jingled again. Both stared at the door. A folded note slid across the floor, stopping against Mara’s shoe. “Read it.” She opened it with trembling fingers. “Stop searching for the thief, or the next thing missing will be your bakery.” Outside, someone laughed softly and vanished into the fog.