Image description: The YeastEnders village of Walnutford, with baked-goods characters gathered in Almond Square outside The Queen Victoria Sponge.
Ronnie Roly-Poly stayed perfectly still behind the flour crates.
Beside her, Rye-vita had stopped writing.
Inside the mill office, Bruno Brioche stood opposite the figure in the dark coat.
“Boss.”
Ronnie leaned towards Rye-vita.
“Well, that’s inconvenient.”
“Why?”
“I was rather hoping Bruno was the top idiot.”
The newcomer placed the scorched photograph flat on the desk.
“Parker has caused enough problems.”
“He knows about the First Layer.”
“Parker knows everything about the First Layer.”
“And the pub?”
The gloved hand tapped the photograph once.
“Unit Three comes first.”
Rye-vita scribbled the words in her notebook.
Unit Three.
Ronnie had heard that somewhere.
Then she remembered.
The delivery slip.
Marzipan Storage Company. Unit Three. Almond Square.
Inside the office, Bruno picked up a set of keys.
“What do you want me to do?”
“Open it.”
A flour crate creaked.
Bruno stopped.
“Did you hear that?”
Ronnie held her breath.
Bruno started towards the office door.
There was nowhere to go.
Rye-vita pointed upwards.
A loading platform ran above the crates.
Ronnie stared at her.
“You’re joking.”
The office door opened.
They climbed onto the crates just as Bruno stepped into the warehouse.
One rocked beneath Ronnie’s foot.
Rye-vita grabbed her arm.
Below them, Bruno looked around.
“Someone’s been in here.”
From the office came the quiet voice.
“Then perhaps you should find them.”
Bruno walked between the stacks.
Ronnie and Rye-vita crawled along the loading platform until they reached a small side window.
Ronnie pushed it open.
“You first.”
“Why me?”
“You’re the private investigator.”
“I don’t remember windows being in the job description.”
“They are now.”
Ten minutes later, they burst through the doors of the Queen Victoria Sponge.
Peggy looked up from behind the bar.
“Flour.”
Ronnie dusted flour from her coat.
“Long story.”
“I knew it.”
Rye-vita went straight to the delivery slip.
“Unit Three. That’s what they’re after.”
Parker Pastry went quiet.
Sticky Nick caught it immediately.
“There it is again.”
Parker frowned. “What?”
“That face you make whenever we’re about to discover something you’d rather we didn’t.”
“I have no such face.”
Dot Crumble adjusted her sugar-dusted glasses.
“You do.”
Peggy put both hands on the bar.
“What is Unit Three?”
Parker studied the old delivery slip.
“It was a storage room.”
“We know that.”
“No. You don’t.”
He opened his battered leather case and took out an old map of Almond Square.
There were only two storage units marked on it.
Unit One.
Unit Two.
Phil the Pudding counted them.
“One. Two.”
“Thank you, Phil,” said Peggy.
“Just helping.”
Rye-vita pointed at the map.
“So where’s Unit Three?”
Parker placed his finger directly over the Queen Victoria Sponge.
Nobody spoke.
Peggy stared at him.
“You’re going to tell me that’s a coincidence.”
“No.”
Sticky Nick unfolded the newer map they had found earlier.
The shaded area beneath the pub matched Parker’s finger almost exactly.
“The lower storage room.”
Parker nodded.
“Unit Three wasn’t beside Almond Square.”
Dot looked towards the cellar door.
“It was underneath it.”
“Underneath my pub?” said Peggy.
“Partly.”
“What do you mean, partly?”
Parker traced the old storage space across the map.
It ran beneath the Queen Victoria Sponge, under part of Almond Square and towards another building.
Fatbread peered over his shoulder.
“What building?”
Parker didn’t answer.
Sharon Scone reached across and moved his hand.
At the far end of the faded outline were two words.
YE OLD CRUMB.
Sticky Nick looked through the window.
Across Almond Square stood Ye Olde Crumb and Butter.
“Oh,” said Dot.
Peggy turned back to Parker.
“So Bruno has the keys.”
“Yes.”
“And his boss wants Unit Three opened.”
“Yes.”
Peggy grabbed her coat.
Phil sighed.
“Old mill?”
“No.”
“Burned bakery?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Peggy pointed across Almond Square.
“We’re going to the café.”
Phil looked through the window.
“That’s much nearer.”
Peggy opened the pub door.
“Don’t get comfortable.”
Across the square, the lights inside Ye Olde Crumb and Butter suddenly went out.
Blindman Makes 