Chapter 34

SHERLOCK’S SWEET DEDUCTIONS

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

“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.

“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.”