CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND SIXTY FOUR – FRUSTRATED EFFORTS

The next day brought more of the same. Charlotte arrived to find that all their cleaning supplies had vanished overnight. Mr. Davies swore he had locked them in the supply closet, but now the closet stood empty. As Charlotte and Linda made an emergency run to the store to replace the missing supplies, Linda voiced what they were all beginning to suspect. "You don't think... someone's doing this on purpose, do you?" she asked hesitantly. Charlotte frowned. "I hate to think it, but it's starting to seem like the only explanation. But who would want to sabotage us? And why now?" The question hung between them, unanswered but deeply unsettling. Back at the pub, tensions were running high. Tony snapped at Linda when she accidentally bumped into him, causing him to drop a stack of plates. Mr. Davies was constantly on edge, jumping at every little sound. As Charlotte scrubbed tables, she overheard a heated exchange between Tony and Mr. Davies. "I'm telling you, it has to be someone wit