Page 45 of The Misplaced Warrior

“That’s why you don’t care that Mitch has been cutting costs by using less quality ingredients,” Sherlock stated, taking a step, arriving right in front of Ginger Snaps. “But you, well, you’re the only one here who has their heart in this business. The proof is in your name. Baking is a point of pride for you.”

“Well, yeah but…” Ginger trailed away.

“And when Eddie and Mitch started using inferior ingredients, you became personally offended,” Sherlock continued. “You told Mitch this, but he wouldn’t listen to you.”

“You probably even told him that his father, your mentor, wouldn’t have stood for such cost-cutting methods,” Rudolf stated.

“How do you know that about my father?” Mitch asked.

Rudolf pointed to a picture on the far wall. “That’s your father in that photo, isn’t it?”

All looked at the framed photo.

“Well, yes,” Mitch replied.

“And he was an actual baker,” Sherlock stated. “He’s wearing an apron, whereas you wear a suit. And his arm is around Ginger, not you. He cared about this business, which was why his hands were in all aspects of the Alchemy Bakeries.”

The great detective looked directly at Ginger. “And when Alchemy Bakeries started using ingredients that were not just cheap, but somewhat harmful to patrons, causing digestive issues, you decided to take matters into your own hands. Since Mitch and Eddie wouldn’t listen to your concerns, you went to the head bakers of the various shops. But they didn’t care—not like you did.”

“Therefore, you decided that the only way to remedy this was to bring down the company from the inside,” Rudolf stated, taking a sip from his flask. “You’d take out the head bakers, plummet the stocks of the company and then move on to start your own business.”

“Well, I-I-I…” Ginger trailed away, shame written on her face. She managed to nod. “I don’t know how you know all that, but it’s true.”

“How could you possibly do that?” Mitch asked, his face flushed red with anger, like the color of his tie. “How were you going to start your own company?”

“With the real levain that she stole,” Sherlock stated. “You see, Ginger loved Alchemy Bakeries and the late Mr. Crumb too much to actually poison the real levain. So she must have replaced it with a similar one that those who weren’t privy to key ingredients, like you all and the head bakers, wouldn’t notice.”

“I didn’t mean to kill anyone,” Ginger stated, tears falling down her face. “But then the first head baker died and it was too late. I did know that the salt would negate the effects, but it was only supposed to make them sick.”

“Yes, in your attempts to copy the authentic levain, you got the recipe wrong,” Sherlock replied. “But then they’d already been sent out and it was just a matter of time before they’d be handled by the various bakers.”

“I was only hoping to sabotage the head bakers, making the business fail,” Ginger explained. “It was just one batch and since then, I’ve fixed the actual levain.”

“Which is why there shouldn’t be any more deaths,” Rudolf stated. “And that means you’ll only be tried for involuntary manslaughter.”

“And you’ll be returning my prized levain!” Mitch ordered, pointing an accusatory finger at Ginger.

“I will,” she said. “But just do what your father would have wanted. If you want this company to succeed, go back to using the ingredients that he prized. Quality is important.”

The CEO simply glared at the woman who was holding back tears, but had a pure look of conviction on her face.

King Rudolf clapped, smiling brightly. “Well, I think we’ve been productive. We’ve found a spy, a gambler, an incompetent and a murderer.” He turned to Gen. “You want to go and get some drinks and you can tell us about the case you have for us?”

Gen pointed to his flask. “You have been drinking.”

He nodded. “That was just me getting a buzz to help me work out this mystery. Now, I’m ready to celebrate another case closed.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

DOUBLE AGENT, DOUBLE DANGER

John’s Electronics Repair Shop, West Hollywood, California, United States

For a long moment, Gen sat, simply speechless. Alicia had just finished explaining what she’d learned going undercover at MystTech Creations. It was much bigger than Gen could have ever imagined. And Emperor was absolutely correct—this was something dangerous.

“I can’t believe this,” Gen said, looking at Sherlock and King Rudolf.

“I know, we just sniffed out a mole in Alchemy Bakeries.” The fae pointed at Alicia. “And now she’s a mole at MystTech Creations. That’s so ironic.”

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