The Secrets We Keep Part 1

  Annie was walking down the street to her bakery. She greeted the folks of the town. She opened the door of the bakery and got inside. She went to the kitchen. She passed the cupboard where she keeps her grandmother’s box, to hang her coat and put her bag down. Then she stopped and took a few steps back. She stood in front of the cupboard. The cupboard was open, and her grandmother’s box was not there.

  This could not be possible, Annie thought. There was no sign of break-in except the open cupboard and missing box. Her grandmother had warned her about something like this could happen. Annie took every measure to prevent this or at least she thought she did. She had to find that box before anything bad happened. She called the police. Police will make it easy for her to find the person who stole the box. She will handle the rest.

  Gaël followed the man who broke into bakeries to this town. He dealt with strange things daily because of his job, but this could be easily the strangest thing. He heard from his friends there was someone attacking the bakers or breaking into the bakeries. He didn’t pay too much attention until one of the bakers was found dead. The old woman was killed so brutally. Gaël wanted to find the person who did it and made them pay for it. Since that day he followed this man to this town. Gaël hoped this time he could stop him before someone else got hurt or killed. He drove his car to the bakery.

  When he arrived at the bakery there was a police car. He thought he was too late, then he saw the woman talking to the police. Gaël got out of his car and walked towards them. The woman’s eyes landed on him immediately. Like she sensed his presence. Her eyes got squinted, and the polite smile on her face disappeared as she looked at him. The police noticed the change in her posture and turned in Gaël’s direction.

  Police walked towards Gaël and asked, “Can I help you, sir?”

  “I think you can, I am Gaël Morel FBI agent, and I am working on a strange case, and I tracked the suspect to here.” He said and pulled his badge out, and added, “I believe the problem the baker is having is involved with my case. So, I would like to ask some questions to the owner of the bakery.”

  “This way sir.” The police said, then he gestured to Annie and said, “This is Miss Lucas. She is the owner of the bakery. There had been a burglary in her bakery.”

  “I can handle the rest. Thank you for your help officer.” Gaël said.

  The police officer nodded and walked away. He was glad that he no longer had to deal with a bakery burglary.

  Gaël turned to Annie and asked, “Can you tell me what happened Miss Lucas?”

  Annie found it strange an FBI agent was interested in a burglary that happened in a bakery. She wondered if he was really who he said he was. There was something she knew for sure; this so-called agent could help her find her grandmother’s box. Her desire to get her grandmother's box back outweighed her doubts.

  She answered his question, “I walked to my bakery the door was locked as it was supposed to be, but when I went inside to kitchen the cupboard, I kept my grandmother’s box was open, and the box was gone.”

  “Is there anything valuable in that box?”

  “Just my grandmother’s spices and some of her recipes. I had no idea why someone would like to steal it.”

  “Do you think someone in town might have stolen it?”

  “I live in this town for decades Mr Morel. I can assure you no one in this town would do this.”

  “So, you believe an outsider stole it?”

  “Yes, that is the only explanation I can come up with.”

  “Where do outsiders who come to town usually stay?”

  “They stay at Mrs Jacques hotel. It is down the street.” Annie said gesturing in the direction of Mrs Jacques hotel.

  “Thank you, Miss Morel. I will check the hotel. I will inform you if I find anything.”

  “Thank you for your help, Mr Morel,” Annie said with a small smile.

  As Gaël got in his car he had a strange feeling about this woman. Most of the people he came across would be stressed and tense, but Miss Lucas was so calm. Like she knew exactly what was going on. Whatever was in that box it was so much more than just some spices and recipes. He couldn’t get her eyes out of his mind. Those blue eyes were so familiar. Where did he see those eyes before?

To be continued…