That night…
The trip to the Bakers group clubhouse had been surreal, and it had stuck with me for the rest of the day, but it was a step in the right direction.
I leaned my back against the sofa, sitting on the floor with my notepad in my lap, and Waffle laid out beside me watching TV.
“The glove,” I said. “The glove had to have belonged to a member of the Bakers group, Waffle.”
Waffle lifted his ears then let them flop down again, just to show he was listening. I appreciated the gesture. Sometimes, it felt as if I was talking more to myself than to him.
“So, that leaves two options. Either this was a member of the Bakers group who murdered Nora and then made a hasty escape, or it was someone else who knew about the tensions in the Bakers group and planted the glove to pin the blame on someone else.”
I had to follow where the evidence led me, and I had a lot of information about Elijah. But I couldn’t forget Jackson Cook’s argument with Nora or the fact that his wife, Hazel, was a part of the Bakers group as well.
The notepad lay open in my lap, and I reviewed what I had.
“The knives,” I said. “Two knives taken, one used and the other missing.” I underlined that as it seemed important. “The glove.” That also got an underline. “And the applications. I’ve proved that none of them women were at the party, though, I do need to check on their alibis before I rule them out completely.”
Waffle yawned and stretched out his fluffy front legs. He was too adorable to ignore, so I gave him a quick kiss on the head.
My cellphone buzzed on the coffee table, and I picked it up and checked my notifications.
An email to my personal email account. That was unusual. It wasn’t like I had a lot of contacts at the moment.
I opened my inbox.
The message was from the Bakers group! They had sent me an “applicant’s newsletter,” whatever that meant. I opened it and started reading.
Welcome applicant,
We are proud to welcome you to the group of applicants for the year. For the next several months, while your application is reviewed and you go through the rigorous process of being interviewed and tested to see if you qualify to be a part of the group, you will receive these update emails.
As a side note, these emails are not to be shared with anyone. Not even your fellow applicants, should you discover their identities.
Now, that that’s out of the way, we can proceed on to our information docket. How exciting for you.
As an applicant of the Bakers group, you are subject to several strict rules. Breaking these rules will result in your immediate dismissal from the applicants group. Furthermore, rule-breaking will prevent you or your progeny from applying to the Bakers group for a sum total of 100 years from the date of the rule breach.
The appeals process is lengthy, so we strongly advise that you don’t break any rules during this process. Missing out on the opportunities provided by being a part of the Bakers group would be a travesty for you.
Below, find a copy of the rules you’ll need to adhere to.
Bakers Group Applicant Rules
- Any and all fraternization with members of other groups in Star Lake is strongly prohibited. This includes befriending, dating, marrying, or birthing members of the Butchers group or Boaters group in Star Lake.
I blinked, going over that part again.
“Wait a second,” I said, stroking Waffle’s ears. “Wait a second, you can’t marry a Butcher? But… aren’t Hazel and Jackson married? And Jackson’s a butcher, right?” That made me more suspicious of them.
I made a note of it in my notepad then continued reading.
- Discussing your application to the Bakers group with anyone, including flora and fauna, is strictly forbidden. This will result in immediate expulsion from the applicants’ group.
“Flora and fauna?” I rolled my eyes. “Are these people for real?”
- All applicants must attend one applicant meeting per week. Details will be forwarded to the email address provided.
- Applicants are prohibited from baking the cupcake/cake/treat/baked good that they used in their application for anyone else. They may not sell, distribute or consume said item until their application is approved.
The Bakers Group Welcomes Your Interest
As you can see, the rules for becoming an applicant and maintaining your applicant status are simple and straightforward. If you have any questions regarding these rules, though they are so obviously understandable, should be forwarded to info@thebakersgroup.com.
Keep Baking!
Mirriam Frost.
Baker’s Group Applicant Liaison.
Beneath that sign off, a picture had been pasted of the chief members of the Bakers group. There were several familiar faces, but Hazel, the butcher’s wife, and Elijah, my prime suspect, stood out. Both bore smiles that said they’d rather have been anywhere else than having their picture taken.
“This is pure craziness,” I said.
Waffle rolled onto his side, his eyes closing.
I kept my mouth shut and my thoughts to myself, so as not to disturb him.
Being a member of this group had to be uncomfortable. Who would want to be a part of something like this? I doubted there were any benefits that could potentially outweigh the costs.
Not only had Rebecca told me that once you were a part of the group, you could never leave, but now I’d discovered you couldn’t even marry someone from a different faction?
Things were getting weirder by the minute.