2
Alma skidded to a stop when she glimpsed a narrow hall that ran alongside the entire length of the building. The wall opposite her was filled with shelves of every imaginable ingredient, but her curiosity needed to wait. To her left was only a dead end, but to her right she could see the way opened up to a large backroom. She’d only decided to sprint down in that direction when the old man rounded the corner with a steaming mug in his hand. He was covered in white flour, but in his hands he had a steaming cup of hot cocoa.
“I’m afraid you can’t come back here. This is for employees only,” Eres scolded the woman. He shuffled up to her, hooked one arm in his and directed them back into the customer area of the shop.
“But are you all right? What was that noise?” Alma asked him. S
