Culinary arts.

As the POstables find a strange letter, they discover that the recipient's life may be in danger. The characters belong to the talented Martha Williamson.

"When I was eight years old, my mother always used to hide milk into the soup, otherwise no one would ate it." Norman said.

" Morning, everyone. Instead, let me tell you about the excellent Marengo chicken I had last Tuesday." Shane declared as she entered and took off her coat.

"Good morning, Miss McInerney. I didn't know you were interested in fine dining. I imagine your dinner must have been nice and pleasant." Oliver said, closing his book and thinking back to his last dinner with Shane.

"It wasn't a dinner, Oliver. I take cooking classes every Tuesday night at Garden's Palace, a little lovely restaurant with Chef Sarah Evans." Shane said.

"Well, that's great news." Oliver added, with a smile, visibly relieved.

" Chef Sarah Evans was that restaurant owner from California... My cousin Vernon ate at her restaurant in Fremont last year. It's was delicious." Norman said.

Rita quickly crossed the office.

"Tell me the truth. I'm sure it was for Oliver that you started the cooking class." Rita whispeared

"Yes, it's true." Shane said blushing.

"Well, Rita, please pick a letter." Oliver said as he stood up before he grabbed a letter opener.

Rita picks out an envelope.

"The address is incomplete and is written with pieces of letters, probably cut out of a magazine. Sarah Evans. Denver" Norman says as he analyzes the envelope.

Oliver opened the envelope to read the letter, which was typed.

Sarah,

You'll remember not to add fuel to the fire.

You have to keep a close on the fire.

Whip up egg whites.

Soon, you'll fall into apples.

"What does that mean?" Rita asked.

"No idea, we'll find out when we deliver the letter. Miss McInerney, please, would you come with me and show me the way." Oliver asked politely.

"A letter for me? No, there's nothing to worry about. I've always received a lot of anonymous letters like this, even when I worked in Fremont. It's common in the restaurant business. We're not always appreciated by certains food critics or journalists. The police have always told me not to take them seriously." Sarah explained after reading the letter.

"Sarah, are you sure, it's not a real threat this time?" Shane asked.

"Look, I'm going to drop this letter off at the police station. Thanks for bringing this letter." She answered.

"Miss Evans, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I wish you all the best for your restaurant." Oliver declared.

"Hello Chef Sarah ! Sorry to bother you. I think, I left my umbrella here, at the last class. I've looked all over my house. Can I look in the kitchen for a moment? And will there be more baking classes? " A man asked.

"Hello Kevin, yes, please, go ahead. Yes, there will be a class on éclair." Sarah answered just before the man entered in the kitchens.

"Excuse me, sorry. What's an éclair?" Oliver asked.

"An éclair is an oblong pastry made with choux dough filled with a cream and topped with chocolate or vanilla, or lemon or cofee icing. Usully, it's chocolat or cofee icing. I love French pastry. By the way, Shane, dont' forget. Tomorrow evening's class will be on baking, an apple pie." Sarah said.

"Sounds great. Unfortunately, tomorrow night, I won't be there, because my boyfriend is inviting me to dinner." Shane declared, as she took Oliver's hand in hers, as Kevin walked out of the kitchen.

Oliver was surprised and blushed slightly.

"Oh, I see. I have to get back to the kitchen. See you next week, Shane !"Sarah exclaimed.

"Oliver, aren't going home?" Shane asked.

"No, not yet. There's something wrong with this letter. There's a piece of the puzzle missing." Oliver said, as he tapping his pencil, on his desk.

Shane frowned, pulled up a chair and sat down next to Oliver, to read the letter that Rita had transcribed.

"You're right. We must have missed something. You think Sarah's hiding something. She seemed to think the letter was normal." Shane remarked.

"I think I found it !" Oliver exclaimed after thiking while few minutes.

He took a notebook and jotted down a few things.

"I think, we're dealing with a bad copycat crime novelist who likes fairy tales." Oliver said with a smile.

"What do you mean?" Shane asked.

"On the fire is clearly a warning. It's all about the apple. Your next class is about apple pie. And who passes out after eating an apple, is Snow White. Miss McInerney, the person is planning to poison Sarah in the next cooking class, so tomorrow." Oliver deduces.

" Oh, Sherlock Holmes is come back. I have an idea and I have a plan." Shane said with a little smile.

Intrigued, Oliver frowned as he tried to figure out what Shane wanted to say.

"So Shane, you want Norman and I to go to your cooking class tonight, to find out the guilty. It's so exciting!" Rita exclaimed.

"That's so cool! So,...We are like secret agents. It's a real mission like in the movies on TV!" Norman exclaimed delighted.

"Miss McInerney…. I refuse to endanger Norman and Rita's lives to catch a suspect. All we have to do is notify the police." Oliver remarked.

"Oliver, no one knows Rita and Norman there. The POstables arrested Sylvia, who was working with a drug cartel, when she was going after Casey. I'm going to hook you two up with a microphone and a camera. All you have to do is keep someone away from Sarah." Shane explains.

" My name is Bond, James Bond." Norman said, putting on his sunglasses.

"Good evening everyone and welcome to cooking class. It's always a pleasure to see new students. Please, introduce yourself and tell us why you decided to attend cooking classes." Sarah asked.

"I'm Xavier and this is Rosalie, my fiancée. In fact, at home, we sometimes argue about cooking. My fiancée never follows the recipes in order. That's why we are here." Norman answered.

"I hope to become a better cook too and not forget anymore." Rita added.

"It's perfect. We're having something simple made tonight, an apple pie." Sarah declared.

"Fantastic, we love apple pie, especially my Xavier !" Rita exclaimed with a smile.

"Wow! Rita and Norman are fantastic and play their parts to perfection." Shane exclaimed as she looked at her computer.

Oliver and Shane were waiting outside, in a little garden, behind the restaurant.

"Miss McInerney, I think your idea is a mistake. We have neither the skills nor the qualifications for this kind of mission. Let's call law enforcement." Oliver exclaimed in a low voice.

"Relax, Oliver. It's all right. We just have to wait... Dale Travers is on an investigation and will be here as soon as she can. Besides, the police won't come right away without evidence... Wait, but that's Kevin, what's he doing?" Shane remarked as she zoomed in on her computer screen.

"It's the same Kevin who came to the restaurant yesterday." Oliver remarked.

" Yeah, and he just took some kind of white powder out of his pocket... Norman, Rita, get ready. The suspect's wearing a gray hoodie." Shane said.

"All right, five more minutes and we'll put your cakes in the oven." Sarah exclaimed.

"Chef Sarah, there are some apple pieces I didn't use, and I made apple juice. You can tell me what you think." Kevin asked.

"It's a great idea. Plus it avoids waste. Yes, of course, I can't wait to taste it." Sarah says with a smile.

He stepped forward slowly, smiling, with a glass in his hand. He had only a few meters left, when Norman arrived, shoved him and spilled the glass on him.

"Did you do that on purpose?!" Kevin exclaimed.

"Sorry, I forgot to get lemon for my pie. When I tell you that my fiancée, forget a lot of things. It runs in the family. On the other hand, Apple juice is very hard to remove. Well, I'll get some lemon. And excuse me, a second time." Norman said as he headed into the kitchen.

"Norman is a genius." Oliver said with a smile.

" Yes, and we are just a special service of the Denver's post office." Shane added.

"Okay, now, that's enough. Everybody sit down with your hands on your head. Nobody move!" Kevin exclaimed as he pulled out a gun.

Everybody sit down in silence.

"Hey, man, if this is a holdup, I only have $50". A man exclaimed.

"Norman still hasn't come back. Shane, what do we do now?" Rita asked in a low voice in the microphone.

"My goodness. I didn't plan this." Shane exclaimed, worried.

"He went to a lot of trouble to find Sarah. He could hurt anyone. We have to do something." Oliver added with a pale face.

"Oliver, please, pray for all of us." Shane said, taking his hand in hers.

"Kevin, why? What does this mean?" Sarah exclaimed.

"Kevin, really? Didn't you recognize me?" He said, taking off his wig and a fake mustache.

" Trevor? What are you doing here?" Sarah asked.

"Sarah who cooks for the homeless, who cooks for charity events. Your name was everywhere. In Los Angeles, at cooking school, my father always put all his hopes on you. I was always behind your shadow. You took my place, my career and my life." Trevor said.

"You're wrong, I've always loved to cook. Your father taught me that no matter how big or small a restaurant is, the most important thing is to put all your hard work and passion into every dish you cook. That's what I've always done. And you never understood that." Sarah exclaimed.

"Not this time. If any of you, ever try to call the police or get out of here, I..." He says before he falls to the floor.

"Game, set and match! Wow ! Are these pan really made of stainless steel?" Norman asked.

"Norman! You saved our lives!" Rita exclaimed.

"Wow, amazing. Are you from the police?" A woman asked sitting on the floor.

"No, we're the POstables." Norman said.

"Oh, Lord! Thank God!" Oliver exclaimed as he leaned against the building.

"You see Oliver, everything went well." Shane, said smiling.

Suddenly three police cars arrived.

"Mission accomplished! I've always wanted to say that." Norman exclaimed as everyone got out.

"I don't know how to thank you. Do the four of you really work at the post office?" Sarah asked.

"Let's just say we're like postal detectives. We've done our job. Oliver always says we're responsible for what we find. Sarah, is everything going to be okay with you?" Shane asked.

"Yes, I'm going to devote myself entirely to teaching cooking, but without apple pie. Thanks and see you soon !" Sarah said, before leaving to speak with a policeman.

"Dale, here you go. I think you have all the evidences you need." Shane said, handing her a flash drive.

"Wow ! Thank you so much. You should all join our brigade one day. Congratulations to all of you. That was great work." Dale declared with a smile.

"Thank you very much, Dale. To be honest, all the credit goes to Rita and Norman." Oliver added with a smile.

"No, Oliver. We did it all together. Let's go to the Mailbox Grill." Norman said with a smile to his friends.

"Good evening, I'd like a double portion of ice cream with vanilla, chocolate and pecan nuts. And two glasses of Arnold Palmer, please." Norman asked.

"Norman, this mission with you was so exciting. I never imagined that I would do that someday. I wanted to tell you that you were very audacious and brave. "Rita said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you very much, Rita. We are stronger than The Incredibles. Cheers !" Norman said.

"Cheers, my Super Norman," Rita said as she toasted with him.

"So, Oliver? Was my idea always a mistake?" Shane asked as he joined Oliver, who was sitting on a table at the Mailbox Grill.

"Well, I sincerely apologize, Miss McInerney. It was an epic and emotional day." Oliver replied.

"Rita, Norman, you and I make a good team." Shane added.

"Yes, we do. A fine family of postal detectives. Speaking of which, I can't wait to hear what motivated you to take a cooking class." Oliver asked.

"Oliver, what you do in this world is a matter of no consequence. The question is what can you make people believe you have done. Arthur Conan Doyle. Sherlock Holmes. A Study in Scarlet." Shane said with a smile.

Oliver laughed and then smiled at her for a long time.

The end.

Author's note : I hope you enjoy this story. Have a good day. Thanks you all for reading :).