Orchard Crates

One apple tag exposes a hidden harvest; by morning, the accountant who found it is dead.During an autumn tasting at Brewed in the Morning, Tom Elwick quietly warns Emma Chandler that the orchard's figures do not agree. Hours later, his ledger is gone, and Ollie Bradshaw's antique crate-pry has disappeared from the display.The orchard blames weather and a poor crop. The paper tells another story: premium apples sold through private orders, blue-marked crates moved after hours, and working fruit erased before the final count. Plenty of people needed the money. Only one person had enough authority to make buyer, worker, lender, and office records obey.The harvest will not pause for murder. Emma must follow the missing column while the crates keep moving—because in this orchard, the most dangerous crop is the one missing from the books.