Page 44 of The Misplaced Warrior

“I know for certain that the murderer is in this room,” Sherlock Holmes began, starting to pace. The suspects, Mitch Crumb, Eddie Dough, Ginger Snaps and Cocoa Twist all stood in a group now in front of the CEO’s desk. They all looked at each other with trepidation as the great detective strode in front of them.

“One of you isn’t who you say you are,” King Rudolf stated, leaning against the wall next to the door. He pointed with his flask at Cocoa Twist. “You want to tell us where you actually work?”

All eyes swiveled to the young woman. “Me? What? How?—”

“That’s right,” Sherlock Holmes said, pausing in front of Cocoa. “You are a spy from Enchanted Ovens, the rival competitor to Alchemy Bakeries. Isn’t that correct?”

“What?” Mitch Crumb boomed, his face flushing red. “You little traitor. Is that right?”

Cocoa lowered her chin, shame written on her face. “It-It-It is. But I can explain.”

“You infiltrated our company and now you’ve been murdering the head bakers?” Eddie Dough asked, his expression incredulous.

Cocoa shook her head urgently. “No, I’ve simply been trying to learn your secrets. I’m trying to get a sample of the levain for Enchanted Ovens.”

“Which is how we know that you aren’t the murderer,” Rudolf said matter-of-factly, taking a sip. “The person who has been murdering the head bakers is someone who has access to that key ingredient—the prized levains.”

“That’s right,” Sherlock said, looking directly at Cocoa. “Which isn’t you or otherwise, you wouldn’t still be here.”

“How did you know I worked for Enchanted Ovens?” Cocoa asked, tears welling in her eyes.

It dawned on Gen suddenly. “When you greeted us. You said that the area was only for employees of ‘Enchant’ but then corrected yourself.”

Rudolf nodded. “Which on its own wouldn’t have been enough. But then you were using the ovens here wrong, according to your boss Ginger.”

“And that would be because you’re used to the superior patented models at Enchanted Ovens,” Sherlock added.

“They aren’t that much better,” Mitch muttered, shaking his head. “And you’re fired, Cocoa.”

The woman was crying now. “I understand. What I did was wrong. But at least I haven’t killed anyone. Alchemy Bakeries is corrupt.”

“It is not,” Mitch argued.

“Of course it is,” Sherlock Holmes said, starting to pace again. “Because you, Mitch Crumb, as CEO have been cutting costs to fund your gambling addiction. And now you’re broke, the company is failing due to these deaths, but you can’t bring yourself to sell since this company was the last thing your father entrusted to you.”

“How do you know all that?” Mitch asked with sudden surprise.

“Easy,” Rudolf chirped, pointing at the man’s tie which had a swirling red and black design. “That garment is a gift that the Bellagio hotel gives to high-stakes gamblers.”

“What?” Mitch scoffed. “That’s so far-fetched. How could you possibly know that?”

“I own Las Vegas,” the king stated, taking a sip. “Like all of it. I’m the king of the fae and quite literally own every single casino on the Strip or off it.”

Sherlock nodded. “It’s true. And although you’ve gotten Alchemy Bakeries in quite the financial mess, you aren’t the murderer.”

“But if it’s the levains that’s killing the head bakers, Mitch said himself that he oversees all aspects of the business,” Eddie argued.

“That’s right, but he obviously doesn’t know much about the baking process,” Rudolf stated. “He knows how to lose money at roulette and make me richer. Thanks, pal.”

Mitch seethed, shaking his head. “I don’t know much about the actual baking, that’s true.”

“And the person who has been murdering the head bakers is someone who expertly understands the advanced chemistry of baking,” Sherlock explained, pausing in front of Eddie. “They are someone who knows how ingredients react. You see, the levain has been contaminated and when handled by head bakers, infects them with a slow-acting poison. But once salt is added, the effects are nullified, making it safe once more. Only someone with knowledge of ingredients would know that.”

“Me!” Eddie exclaimed. “I’m the Quality Control Officer but that doesn’t mean I know about poison or all this interaction business. That’s well over my head.”

“It is,” Rudolf stated. “You’re a big dummy when it comes to that kind of stuff.”

“Hey!” Eddie yelled, his face red.

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