When Detective James was told that there was a job for him, he didn’t expect it to be a case of a bakery thief. He wasn’t a fan of sweets.

There was a break-in at a local bakery last night and oddly enough the only thing the person took was a secret ingredient.

“When I opened the bakery this morning and went to my office, I noticed my window was broken and the door in my office that leads to the back of the bakery outside was slightly opened.

When I searched the entire place the only thing that was missing was the ingredient which I had just gotten yesterday. I was planning to use it for the baking contest tomorrow.

Almost everybody that knows how to bake in my area is going to participate in it and using the ingredient will give me a high chance of winning.” Olanna, the bakery owner explained. 

They were in the dining area of the bakery as the detective questioned her.

“Why would someone go through the risk of breaking in your bakery just to steal this ingredient?”

“It’s a rare ingredient that I always use in preparing my cakes.

All my customers seem to love it. Most of the people that come here always demand the cake and whenever it’s on sale we usually make a lot of money.

Almost everybody, even my neighbors has tried asking me to tell them what the secret ingredient is but I refused cause it’s my grandmother’s secret recipe and I promised her I wouldn’t tell anybody.”

“If you need it urgently, can’t you buy another one in the market or something?” the detective asked.

“I wish I could but it can’t be easily seen anywhere. It was from my grandmother that I learned how to make the cakes so she’s the only person that I can get it from.

She usually sends some to me whenever I run out but it takes like 2 days for it to be delivered here from the village so it’ll be too late for her to send another one before the contest.”

“Whoever that stole it knew that you had just received it yesterday. Who did you tell about the delivered package?”

“I told my assistant, Ife, in my office immediately I got it. We were discussing preparations for the contest tomorrow. But it couldn’t have been her, why would she steal it knowing very well that we might win using the ingredient?”

“Who else works here in the bakery?”

“Apart from my assistant, I have my cashier, Kayode.”

“And what can you say about him regarding the secret ingredient and his behavior at work?”

“Well Kayode is hardworking but sometimes asks rugged. Come to think of it, he left early yesterday and came to my office to tell me about his early leave when I was discussing with Ife. Said he had some important family matter to attend to.

Due to he's always been hardworking, I gave him the remaining day off.”

“He hasn’t even come to work yet,” Olanna said when she looked around and didn't see him.

“Quite strange for a hardworking employee, don’t you agree?” the detective said.

“He’s hardworking, but not good with punctuality.”

“Okay then, looks like I’ll need to speak to your assistant personally.”

Detective James questioned her assistant, Ife, but unfortunately couldn’t get anything useful out from her. She hadn’t told anyone about the ingredient and didn’t see any suspicious movement around the bakery the previous day.

Looking at her office, the scene of the crime, from outside, detective James was able to know how the burglar got into the place.

The burglar broke the window which was close beside the back door so he could slip his left hand in and unlock the door from the inside.

Detective James, looking closely at the broken area of the window, noticed faint blood smeared around it and a few tiny drops at the bottom part.

“Looks like your burglar isn’t a professional.”

“What makes you think that?” Olanna asked.

“See this patch of blood around the broken area of the window,” James said, showing Olanna where the blood was, “shows he got hurt while trying to open the door.

It’s unlikely for a hired professional to do a lousy job. So from what I’ve discovered here, I know 2 things about the thief;

First of all, the person wasn't hired.

Secondly, the person has a fresh wound on their left arm."

“I think we’re done checking the crime scene.” The detective said then he went back into the office and started walking towards the hallway as Olanna followed behind him.

“Do you know who the culprit might be?” Olanna asked innocently.

“Not yet, just have to keep an eye out for anyone with a wounded left arm.”

“Is it possible for you to find the culprit before the end of today?”

“I’m a detective, not a miracle worker. Some of these cases usually take up to 3 days or more.” James said which made Olanna a bit sad. If they couldn’t find the thief today, it will be fruitless.

“I need to speak to your cashier. I believe he will know everyone that came in and left this bakery yesterday, it might help us a lot.” When they reached the dining area, they saw Kayode just as he walked into the bakery.

“Sorry I’m late, something happened at home,” Kayode said as he saw them staring at him silently. But they weren’t starring at him because of his tardiness. He had a slightly bruised face and a bandaged left arm.

“I need you to give me an account of everything that happened here yesterday? How many customers did you receive? Did you recognize anyone, maybe a regular customer? Did you notice anything suspicious?”

James and Kayode were both sitting down opposite each other at a table beside the window in the dining area of the bakery.

“Business was slow yesterday. In the morning, we received 2 first time customers who only bought something and left immediately. In the afternoon, Olanna received a package from the delivery man which she took to her office.

 Shortly after that, her neighbor and a regular customer of ours, Toby, came over to ask about his mixer which he lent to Olanna a few months ago. I told him to check the storeroom which he did and later saw what he was looking for and left.

Later on, Mrs. Oge, another regular customer of ours came over with her daughter. She wanted to buy one of Olanna’s special cakes but found out it wasn’t available. We talked a little about the contest and she said she was planning on participating in it because she usually bakes once in a while.

After that, she asked for the direction to the bathroom which I directed her to and she left. I didn’t stay long and took permission from her so I could leave early.”

“Where did you go to when you left the bakery?”

“I went to meet up with some friends then I went straight home.”

“That looks like an interesting wounded arm, how did you get it?”

“Um, my little sister was playing with the kitchen knife yesterday and I got hurt trying to get it from her, she’s a stubborn girl.”

Detective James nodded his head slowly as he was processing what he was told. “Did you also get that bruise on your face from your sister too, ” James asked which made Kayode touch the bruise on his face. “Oh no, I got that over a little fight I got into with my friends, nothing serious.”

“What was the little fight about?”

“Just some money issue, that’s all.”

“Were you aware that the package your boss received yesterday was the secret ingredient?”

“No, I didn’t know.”

“Strange because the person that stole it knew that she had it and that same person also got wounded on the left arm while trying to break into the bakery.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“What I’m trying to say is that you were heavily in debt and they were already disturbing you about it, that's why you took an early leave from work yesterday.

When you met up with them, things didn’t end up well which explains the bruise on your face.

While trying to think of a way of providing the money, you must have remembered overhearing when your boss was talking about her secret ingredient with her assistant and you knew very well that there are people who are willing to pay any amount just to get their hands on it.

With that being your only source of getting the money, you decide to break into the bakery last night and in the process, you hurt your arm.

Then you took the ingredient and nothing else since that was the only thing that you wanted.

You came to work late because you spent all morning trying to come up with the best story to tell in case you were going to be questioned.”

“That’s not true, I didn’t break in anywhere neither did I steal anything. You're right, I was owing money that’s why I left work early yesterday and that's why I got into a fight, but I’m still owing them.

I was planning on asking my boss to lend me money and take it away from my future salary but when I went to confront her about it yesterday in her office, she was with her assistant.

I didn’t know what they were talking about but I knew I couldn’t bring it up when someone else was there so I just took permission to leave early.

I swear I didn’t break into the bakery and steal the ingredient. I was at home all night. You can even ask my parents and my neighbors. I didn’t leave home all night yesterday.”

“We’ll see about that.” James then stood up from where he was and left Kayode to his thoughts.

If Kayode was the one, he needed to find concrete evidence which he will use to make him confess.

But first, he had to use the men’s room, “Where’s your bathroom?” he asked Ife who was sitting not too far away from them. “Just go straight, by your left." 

"Thank you." He said and went straight to the bathroom. When he got there, he noticed there was no tissue and went back to ask for one. “Sorry about that, there’s more in the storeroom, let me go and get it.” She was about to get up when the detective stopped her.

“No need I can do it, just tell me where it’s located.”

“Down the hallway.”

James followed her direction and was able to find the storeroom. It was quite petite and was filled with a lot of boxes and dusty equipment and tools, there was hardly any space.

He found the tissues and had already collected one when he heard someone talking, it was Olanna’s voice but she wasn’t there.

He checked if she was in the hallway but she wasn’t. When he paid attention more closely, he noticed that her voice was coming from her office which was beside the storeroom. She was talking on the phone with someone about the break-in, probably her grandmother.

He could hear her quite clearly and was a bit confused when he noticed a very small air vent on the top right corner of the wall that separated the storeroom from her office. He then went into deep thought and then it struck him, “Of course.”

He left the storeroom and the tissue that brought him there and went straight to Olanna’s office. She was still on the phone when he came in. “Sorry to interrupt but I need you to take me somewhere.”

They were in her neighborhood as Olanna lead the way to her neighbor’s apartment. When they got there, James gave it a knock as they waited for a response.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s Olanna, your neighbor.” After a few seconds, the door was opened as Toby stood on the other side with a confused face as he wasn’t expecting to see her standing in front of his door with a strange man.

“Hey Olanna, who's this?” Toby asked, trying to put up a welcoming smile.

“Let me introduce myself, I’m detective James Ozo and I’m here to ask you a few questions. Can we come in?”

Toby’s smile disappeared immediately and was replaced with a slight shock expression on his face. “What for?” he asked.

“Your neighbor’s bakery was broken into last night and something went missing after that. Were you aware of the incident?”

“No, I wasn’t.” Toby said and turned to Olanna, “did they steal your money?”

“No, they just took_”

“Can we come in? I would love to sit down and rest my legs.” James said immediately, cutting Olanna off.

“Of course, come in.” Toby opened the door wider for them as they entered his apartment. Detective James notice his bandaged left arm and smiled. All he had to do now was to find a way to make him confess.

“The cashier told me you came around the bakery yesterday, correct?”

“Yeah, I came to collect the mixer that I lent to Olanna a few months ago. He told me that she was busy in her office and directed me to where I’ll find it. I left shortly after that."

“That wound on your arm looks fresh, how did you get it?” Detective James could see the panic in Toby’s body rising as he touched his wounded arm.

“Um, I mistakenly cut myself with a knife when I was cooking this morning.” James didn’t believe him as he shook his head slowly.

“You wanna know what I think? I think you’re the one who broke into her bakery last night.”

“Excuse me?” Toby tried to defend himself but James didn’t let him.

“The burglar who broke into her bakery knew about the item he went there to steal and only Olanna and her assistant knew about it….and you. 

When you went to the storeroom at the bakery to collect what you came for, you must have overheard Olanna when she was discussing with her assistant in her office about her secret ingredient which had just arrived and how she was going to use it for the contest.

You knew that if she uses it to prepare her cake for the contest, there was a high chance that she was going to win and you didn’t want that. You were also going to participate in the contest too that’s why you came to collect your mixer which you haven’t used in months.

You wanted to win the grand prize by any means necessary, even if it means eliminating your opponent.

So you hatch a plan and decide to steal her secret ingredient. You broke into her office from the back door and ended up getting hurt in the process. But it didn’t matter cause you were able to achieve what you wanted to do. Due to you were in a hurry, you didn’t lock the back door, leaving it open for money thieves to come in easily. That’s why you asked if her money was stolen.”

Toby was starting to break out in cold sweat as he looked from the detective's face to Olanna’s sad disappointed face. “I, I, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re just cooking up stories, you have no way to prove it.”

“We gave some of your other neighbors a little visit and one of them told us that he saw you coming back late last night, looking all suspicious holding a wrapped bag.”

“That still doesn’t prove anything.”

“We also ran a fingerprint test on the handle of the back door and was surprised to find a match.”

Detective James knew he had Toby cornered as he saw the surprised look on his face when he heard about the fingerprint.

He never ran any fingerprint test neither did he question any of his neighbors but there was no way Toby would have known that.

“Where is it Toby?” he knew it was all over as he saw the defeated look on Toby's face.

“In the kitchen, inside the down cabinet,” Toby said as he sat down with his head down, he knew for sure he was in big trouble.

Olanna quickly went into his kitchen and retrieved the stolen item. “Found it,” she said when she came out of the kitchen.

“Perfect. Looks like my work here is done.”