Run: 2026-09-01-01M1EKZ2V399G3TP0Q30JQ67Z3

The morning light spilled across the marble counter, catching the dusting of powdered sugar on the display case. A fresh tray of sourdough roses cooled by the window, and the air tasted of toasted almonds and yeast. Outside, the streetlamps flickered, still casting shadows over Main Street's empty storefronts. "You said the delivery arrived at dawn." "The truck was here at five." "Five is not dawn." "Not by your clock. By mine, it's always dawn in here." "You're avoiding the question. The box was sealed when you opened it." "Every box is sealed." "Not from the inside." A jasmine plant wilted on the sill, unwatered. "The flour shipment came from the usual supplier." "Then why is the invoice missing?" "Because I haven't looked at it yet." "You never forget an invoice." "I never forget when something is left out." The doorbell chimed. A black cat slipped through the gap, ignoring crumbs scattered across the checkered floor. "Is that the cat from the Miller place?" "We don't talk about the Miller place." "We should. They stopped ordering after Tuesday." "I stopped taking orders from anyone who asks too many questions, and I stopped listening to rumors about sealed boxes." "Then I suppose I'm not ordering anything." "Good. Because the pecan tarts are for something else entirely." "Something else?" "Something that starts with you standing still and ends with me telling you exactly what happened to the missing ledger." The cat leaped onto the counter, knocking over a jar of vanilla beans that rolled beneath the register. "Don't." "Too late." "Then fix it. And don't tell me you didn't do it on purpose."