Page 40 of The Misplaced Warrior

“They actually aren’t,” Sherlock Holmes said on the other side of Gen, having also appeared out of nowhere. She turned to find the great detective wearing his usual brown tweed suit and flat cap.

“Yeah, the pastries aren’t killing the patrons,” King Rudolf chimed in. “I was just saying not to eat them because they’ll make you fat.”

She scoffed. “I’m a magician. Calories fuel my magic.”

“Oh, I forgot,” King Rudolf said, waving dismissively. “I was mistaking you for a fairy for a moment. That poor race can really chunk up if they aren’t careful. And it doesn’t help that they all have sweet tooths.”

“What about fae?” Gen questioned. “Aren’t you a type of fairy?”

“We are, but we don’t have that problem because we drink all our calories,” Rudolf said, pulling out a silver flask and offering it to Gen.

She shook her head. “Maybe later. First, what’s going on here?”

“Well, the head bakers at several of the Alchemy Bakeries have dropped dead,” Rudolf explained, taking a sip from his flask.

“Just the head bakers?” Gen asked. “And just at Alchemy Bakeries?”

“That’s right,” Sherlock affirmed. “Yes, it’s a franchised company. Anyway, we recruited an expert to advise on this one, since magical baking has many nuances that we’re not privy to.”

The king nodded. “I know how to eat Have a Happier Birthday Cake, but I don’t know how to make it.”

“It’s the levain,” Lee from the Crying Cat Bakery declared, striding in from a door at the back of the bakery.

“The levain?” Rudolf asked. “What’s that? Or who? I once dated a Lavane. That woman was so vain, but that goes without saying with a name like that.”

“It’s the starter for the sourdough they make here,” Lee explained, pausing when she was in front of the others. “It’s probably what Alchemy Bakeries are best known for.”

“What’s magical about the bread?” Gen asked.

“It’s delicious,” Lee replied. “That’s it. Sometimes the magic is just in the flavor.”

“So who could be poisoning the levain?” Sherlock mused, combing his fingers over his chin. “And why does it only poison and kill the head bakers at each location?”

“I would say Alchemy Bakeries’ biggest competitor, Enchanted Ovens, but that’s unlikely,” Lee offered matter-of-factly. “However, the levain is closely guarded because the corporate office knows how much their rivals want to get their hands on it. Of course, Enchanted Ovens have superior ovens, as their name indicates, which they also closely guard the secrets of.”

“That’s interesting,” Sherlock said, thinking. “So the levain comes from the corporate office then?”

“Yes,” Lee answered. “And the reason that it only affects and kills the head bakers is that they make the loaves from the starter since it has to be so closely guarded. I’ve determined that it’s the levain itself that has the poison, so at first contact, they are infected with a slow-acting carcinogen. But once they mix it with the other bread ingredients, like salt, it nullifies the effects.”

“And therefore it doesn’t kill the patrons who eat it,” Gen guessed.

“Now, who would want to kill the head bakers at each location?” King Rudolf took another drink, offering the flask to Lee.

She declined, shrugging. “Beats me, but in the meantime, my business is slammed since everyone is afraid of Alchemy Bakeries and not patronizing the place. It’s really annoying. I’ve had to bake constantly. I just wish all the hungry people would leave me alone. Maybe I’ll murder them to grant me some peace.”

“I’d advise against that,” Sherlock said, looking intently at his assistant. “I think we need to pay a visit to Alchemy Bakeries’ corporate office. Something tells me that our killer is there.”

Rudolf sighed, taking a drink. “Okay, but I’m not acting all business-like just because we’re going to a professional place. They can have me drunk or they can’t have me at all.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

A TWIST IN THE TALE

Alchemy Bakeries Corporate Office, Los Angeles, California, United States

Since Sherlock Holmes and King Rudolf couldn’t take Gen’s case until they finished their current one, she decided to accompany them. Also, any chance to observe the great detective team was valuable for Gen. They both brought a different skill set to their work and it was incredibly impressive to watch.

Sherlock was calculated and fact-based. Conversely, Rudolfus Sweetwater was flippant and guided by emotions. Between the two styles, they had a one hundred percent track record for solving their cases. That gave Gen a lot of hope, since she really needed their help to figure out who framed her.

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