♪ Briar: Good crumb.

Not too chewy.

Hey, hey!

I'd say it could be the seventh best-- Oh, smooth.

What is it?

Something juicy?

Dumb video.

You'd hate it.

Honestly, bro, it's, um... Go on, play it.

[Sighs] Mm-kay.

Hi.

I'm Briar Lee.

I'm at Reuben's Cafe, where the harbor glimpses are super-pretty, and I'm looking forward to breakfast.

Who am I kidding?

It's very late brunch.

Oh, I recognize her.

She's a food critic.

Influencer.

Main man Reuben behind the counter is a total DILF.

[Chuckles] "D" is for "Dude," right?

It's absolutely "D" for "Dad."

Well, [Scoffs] obviously not, because I don't have any-- My sourdough.

♪ The sourdough is maybe not quite as exciting as the pastry offerings.

"Not quite"?

Briar: Good crumb.

Not too chewy.

I say it could be the seventh best sourdough loaf in Auckland.

This side of Auckland.

♪ Alexa: Hey.

I nearly gave up this time.

Oh, yeah.

I'm so sorry.

I just had to comment on a video.

Talk to me about a case - anything but bread.

Actually, there may be some bread in this one.

Bakery delivery van was found at dawn on Tuesday, three weeks ago, in a lake near Rangiriri.

Mm-hmm.

Josh Boyer was found inside.

They pulled the van out of the water, but he was already dead.

Josh was 28 years old.

Part-time security guard, also worked in a shop and on deliveries for his fiancée, Steph Rozentals.

Wait.

Steph Rozentals?

Of Rozentals Bakery?

Yeah, I thought you might've heard of her.

Oh, finest sourdough in Auckland, according to some.

They make a pretty mean Portuguese tart.

Yes, well, Portuguese tarts are mean.

They've got bugger all custard and even less tart.

Coroner's report?

Death by drowning.

They found water in his lungs.

Also traces of flour.

Occupational hazard, I guess.

What kind of flour?

Wheat, I think.

You know, it says here that Josh Boyer was a Navy diver.

Well, he'd know how to get out of a sinking car.

And blunt force trauma?

Consistent with hitting his head on the back panel of the cabin, as he left the road.

Okay, well, it looks like an accident, then.

Time of death was between 3 and 4 a.m.

Maybe he fell asleep at the wheel, banged his head as he hit the water.

So why is this loaf not rising for you, detective?

This is a delivery down south, to some cafes that Steph Rozentals supplies -- you know, normal run, normal time.

It just seems odd that Josh would fall asleep at the wheel an hour into a drive he'd done plenty of times before.

You have a suspect.

Steph didn't divorce her husband until a year ago - Zachary Rozentals.

They were a team, ran the shop together.

Famously feisty the whole time.

they were either fighting each other or behind the proofing cabinets, doing something else.

Bakers are a passionate lot.

Well, that has been my experience.

What were the Rozentals doing that night?

Phone records place them both in their respective bakeries all night, and they opened as per usual, so the bread got baked.

And the Portuguese tarts too?

So...you gonna take a look?

There are 20 varieties of wheat grown around the world, Harry, and seven species.

So, when I ask about wheat... I have more homework to do.

That's right.

♪ ♪ Alexa: Paint me a picture of Josh Boyer's life in the month before he died.

Madison: On it.

Josh is all over the socials.

All of them.

Never met a breakfast he didn't wanna photograph.

And he spends a lot of time in gym shorts.

Alexa?

Help me out here.

There seem to be two Rozentals bakeries.

Zachary Rozentals set up a rival one after the divorce.

Which is which?

I wanna talk to Steph Rozentals.

They don't say.

Both shops claim they're the OG.

Okay.

♪ Hi.

Can I talk to Steph Rozentals, please?

Hey, if second-rate breads are what you're after, then, yeah, Steph's definitely who you need.

I think maybe I came in the wrong store.

No, no.

Not if you want good bread, you haven't.

[Chuckles] You must be Zachary, and I'll make my own judgement about bread, thank you.

Can I have a sourdough loaf, please?

I feel like I know you.

Where have we met?

Previous life?

Yeah.

[Softly] When you were more charming.

Alexa: Thank you.

♪ Morena.

[Ding-dong!]

Morena.

Wow.

I've heard so much about the sourdough in this place.

That Steph Rozentals really has got the magic touch, hasn't she?

Oh, no, I leave the bread to them.

Or is this your work too?

I mean, Steph, I mean.

Oh, you're the pastry chef.

Milo's the name, 40 years in the game.

But you can call me My-lo.

[Chuckles] Everyone does.

Hi, Milo.

Ooh, can I have one of your custard tarts?

No, no.

You may have one of my Portuguese tarts, made with puff pastry and cinnamon.

Perfect, oh, and, um... the potato sourdough too, please.

Mm-hmm.

Oh, here she is.

Hi.

Hi.

Big fan.

I'm Alexa.

I'm a bit of a bread tragic, I'm afraid, and dabble in sourdough myself from time to time.

Okay.

Hi.

Gosh, I would love to get a look at the engine room in this place.

Oh, no customers in the kitchen.

Sorry.

Oh, I'm not snooping for secrets.

I've kind of got a few of my own, actually.

[Chuckles] I'm sure.

It's just that I'm really fascinated by equipment at this scale.

I use a Lupenschwegen at home.

A Lupe?

Wow.

I had one of those years ago.

It's a beautiful machine, but if anything goes wrong, you have to ring Dusseldorf.

Tell me about it.

I had to teach myself German just to get through to the customer service department.

Schnell!

You know.

[Chuckles] [Milo chuckles] Steph: So in a shift, we do 80 kilos of white bread, 160 of sourdough.

160?

Yep.

40 wholemeal, 40 multigrain.

Wow.

What kind of flour do you use?

A good local organic.

It's not about the flour.

It's all about technique.

And with sourdough, the quality of the starter.

Yeah, true that.

I've been nurturing my sourdough starter for the last 18 months.

Well, the Rozentals Bakery starter goes back 70 years.

It's been in your family that long?

Like, three generations?

Well, yeah, my husband's family -- his grandmother's, but I got it in the divorce settlement.

You've been in the wars recently.

I was really sorry to read about your fiancé.

Yeah.

Yeah, it's been, um... it's been tough.

Josh was... [Chuckles ruefully] I can't believe he's gone.

Was it a whirlwind romance?

Yeah, he, um... He'd stop by late on his security rounds.

And then he started coming for the best coffee in Auckland.

[Chuckles] A likely story.

Yeah, it's not very good, it's true.

We've had bad reviews.

Oh, not by that Briar Lee, the Bread Whisperer?

Might have been.

But Josh was just so sweet and attentive, and... you know, he took me up on a hot-air balloon to propose.

That was just a week before... his, um... his accident.

Well, sweet and attentive works.

Especially after your husband.

You met him, then.

Well, I accidentally went in the shop earlier.

He is an unbelievable idiot.

He thinks getting a fancy coffee machine's gonna give him edge.

But if you want second-rate bread, he is your man.

Yeah, that's kind of what I heard.

♪ A customer uploaded this a month before Josh died.

Alexa: Okay, this is Zachary's.

See what you think.

[Indistinct conversation on TV] Like this child that I was married to for most of my life!

This is fine too.

Maybe not as good.

Yeah, the other one's better.

Steph's sourdough.

Sorry, who said yes to who?

Well, it definitely wasn't -- Well, I think it was you.

Back off, mate.

Get out of here!

Oh, this is going well.

Oh, shut up, Zachary.

Just leave it, Steph!

Madison: Is that Josh?

Alexa: Yeah.

And Josh seems awfully protective.

It's kind of sweet the way he swoops in there.

I think Steph's big enough to look after herself.

You know, she said that the store had been reviewed.

Maybe it's that Briar Lee.

I mean, I can't find the review.

There's a big gap in her posts.

Have you been stalking Briar Lee online?

Oh, stalking's such an ugly word.

Gosh, what if she likes Steph's sourdough more than yours?

Ha-ha!

Just find me that review.

And what about Josh, anyway?

Josh left the Navy five years back for health reasons, but he's pretty fit -- he dives, he kickboxes, he worked as a bouncer for a few months.

Mm.

[Knocking at DOOR] [Phone pings] So what did Josh post about his engagement to Steph?

[Door closes] Haven't seen that.

Nothing on Insta or Facey.

Hey.

Bit of news.

Here.

Try these.

Yep.

It's bread.

Is it important?

I'll let you know.

Forensics ran some tests on the flour in Josh's lungs.

Spectroscope says it's a European variety.

Old school.

An heirloom strain.

You know, there's millers here that import this stuff, and then grind it locally.

Okay.

Is that significant?

We'll soon find out.

Morning, Zachary.

Oh, hey.

Look, I really adored your sourdough.

Oh.

You've got the magic touch.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

Yeah.

[Chuckles] Look -- I'm a little bit of a bread tragic myself, and I would love to get a look at the engine-- Hey, I realized how we know each other.

Yeah.

You, um... you took over our order at Reuben's Cafe by the water.

No, I don't think I-- Yes, I've seen you bounce in there with an armful of loaves.

So how do you do it, you got a little kitchen oven at home or something?

Well, it is true that I have a small-- And I know you work for the police, too.

Technically in parallel.

So, what, is this about that idiot that my ex had a fling with?

Because he worked for Steph.

You know, he followed her around everywhere, I mean, he died delivering her bread.

His name was Josh.

Right.

And, look, sad loss.

But... once again, you have the wrong bakery.

♪ When I said, "Make yourself at home--" Hey, how come you dumped the Rozentals?

Eh?

Yeah.

They used to be your bread suppliers, and now they're not.

Why?

Well, because of you, Alexa.

No.

Really?

Well, you turned up that morning with this fantastic bag of bread.

You swept me off my feet; I couldn't say no to you, so... I had to say goodbye to the Rozentals.

Wait a minute, you said that your mother used to supply your sourdough.

And you chose to believe me.

No good comes from discussing exes.

Oh, so there's been more than one?

[Chuckles] How many bread suppliers have you had prior to me?

Well, I don't keep count.

I have a café, and my café has needs.

It's all about you now.

So I'm your supplier.

And I'm very happy with that.

[Chuckles] But my bread's better than Rozentals', right?

'Course.

[Scoffs] Yeah.

Hey, I almost forgot to ask.

Did you tell Zachary that I work with the police?

We-- Well, it got him off my back when I cut him off.

Mm.

Yes, I do understand.

Only now you owe me.

[Sighs] ♪ Zachary Rozentals.

It's been a while.

G'day, mate.

[Chuckles weakly] Hey, I've, uh... I just met the woman who's baking your bread now.

That would be Alexa Crowe.

She's-- Mate, I don't know why you're wasting your time on a baking dilettante.

[Sighs] You know she works for the police?

Has she got you here digging dirt up on me?

No, not at all.

She did ask about you and Steph, and it reminded me I've been meaning to check in.

Okay... Nothing.

Mate, hospos look after each other.

And with you starting out on your own, I thought I'd come and grab a few samples.

Oh, Okay.

[Cellphone buzzes] Not as such.

[Whispers] What?

Be quick.

I can't find anything about Josh's discharge from the Navy.

[Meows] You called me for that?

Yes, but I'm on it, Alexa.

Hi again, by the way.

Discharge is meant to be super-private, but, yeah, nah, everyone in the Navy gossips like crazy.

Navy dirty laundry is Beth's specialty.

Okay, I need you to find out more about Josh and more about Zachary Rozentals.

I think that the flour found in Josh's lungs came from Zachary's kitchen.

So he was there the night he died.

Which means that somebody's lying.

Josh Boyer was murdered.

♪ Harry: I took Zachary's flour bag down to the tech guys myself.

Do I wanna know how you got it?

Alexa: Nicked it.

Yeah, I thought as much.

The flour matches the particles we found in Josh's lungs.

And yes, they were inhaled not long before he died.

So Josh was in Zachary's kitchen.

Which doesn't get us far.

What about motive?

Oh, no, if ever a man bore a grudge, it's Zachary Rozentals.

He's still furious with me for taking one of his customers.

Sorry?

Imagine how he feels about Steph.

I mean, divorce can be toxic, right?

So maybe killing Josh was payback.

Or he just didn't like Josh moving in on his ex-wife.

Or both.

♪ So you work for the police?

Well, not exactly, but yes, there are some loose ends to tie up.

Some loose ends about a car accident?

Was, um, Josh living with you?

Yeah, I've been, um... I've been trying to pack up his things.

It's been a bit, um... Right.

...hard.

I actually believe that Josh went over to your ex-husband's bakery that night.

Any idea why he'd do that?

Um, he didn't do that.

[Chuckles] Well, you said that he went to work with you about 11 p.m., and he was there cleaning all night.

Yeah, I was doing the first round of bread for the out-of-town deliveries.

So he could've ducked out, you know, just popped down the road.

No.

No, he was there the whole time.

I checked on him.

And then he took the van out at 2 a.m., and... I saw him off... and then he drove towards the motorway, and that was the last time... I saw him.

Well, you shouldn't feel bad about keeping his stuff.

Memories are all we have left.

He was really tired.

He hadn't rested, and...he'd been to the gym, and then he went out to Piha, and... I shouldn't have let him drive.

What time did your pastry chef arrive at work?

Milo?

He wasn't with me then.

I was doing my own patisserie work.

[Sighs] Milo worked for Zachary after the divorce.

He only just joined me recently.

Oh, he got fed up with Zachary?

Zachary sacked him actually.

He had some sort of meltdown.

He's a bloody idiot.

Don't ask me why.

Well, that seems weird, because Milo worked for you guys for years.

Yeah, well, naturally, that's why I snapped him up.

So when did Zachary sack Milo exactly?

Um, couldn't be completely sure, but, um, maybe the... 15th?

Well, the 15th is the date of Josh's accident.

Was it?

Yeah, it was a difficult day all 'round.

Um... well, I was baking that night.

Same old.

In a bad mood?

Alexa: You'd fired Milo.

What had he done?

It was just that was an impulse thing.

I was shaking things up.

Milo had been working here forever, and I've got... I've got young Marigold now, so... You sacked him without notice.

Did he freak out?

Did Josh walk in in the middle of it?

Well, I sacked Milo by text.

And what's Josh got to do with it?

Your favorite flour was found in Josh's lungs.

He was here that night.

He wasn't.

And that flour really isn't that rare.

Actually, have you checked to see if Steph uses it?

I think we both know that Steph doesn't use hand-milled, imported French grain.

Okay, well, the guy probably snorted it up his nose somewhere else.

Look, boyfriend was a little bit of a try-hard.

Probably up for anything.

That boyfriend was Steph's fiancé.

And she's suffering.

You didn't know he was the fiancé?

Yeah.

Of course I did.

Okay, sure.

Yeah, all right.

Steph's had a rough time.

Doesn't mean that she doesn't have the hide of a rhino.

The GPS data backs up Steph.

Josh's phone was in the city, then out at Piha, and then at the bakery until 2 a.m.

Anything interesting in his texts?

There's a lot to Steph with love hearts.

Like, he's a total simp.

Mm-hmm.

I think the word is "uxorious."

Hey, I've found Briar Lee's review of Steph's place in an archive.

Very lukewarm.

It had actually been deleted, and then she stopped doing reviews for months.

Uh-huh.

Why?

Holidays?

Alien abduction?

It doesn't say.

Well, use all your skills and find out.

What about Zachary's phone?

Text coming to you.

Here's the one sacking Milo at 1 a.m.

[Cellphone pings] [Chuckles] Harsh.

I was shocked, especially by text.

Not Zachary's style.

You must have felt betrayed.

Ach!

They're both crazy.

Zach tried to apologize that morning -- take back the sacking.

I told him, "Stuff it."

Yeah.

And then Steph offered me a job.

Are those straight out of the oven?

Portuguese tarts, yeah.

Made with puff pastry and cinnamon.

Mm.

Don't you just wanna get away from both of them?

Oh, they're hard to be around, true, but they were a great team.

All that competition made them perfectimo.

[Chuckles] Well, they're still at one another's throats.

True, true.

But Steph is easier to work with, especially with Josh not around.

Sorry to say, but Josh could be a bit, um, bub-bub-bub, unhinged.

[Ding-dong!]

He came down, threatened me at Zach's one day.

Physically threatened you?

Yeah.

He said I should quit.

[Scoffs] He got stroppy, I tried to push him out.

Oh!

He smacked me one.

And then Steph turned up and dragged him away.

Fancy.

♪ I think Josh had anger management problems.

He attacked Milo in Zachary's bakery a while back.

So maybe Milo pushed him into the lake.

He gets sacked, and then he goes and murders Josh?

Meh.

I want you and Beth to dig a little deeper into Josh's past.

You know, find out if it was... spicy and sweet, savory or stale.

Already on it.

Hey, I might have some more information about that Briar Lee review soonish.

Oh, my God.

Your digital sleuthing powers are legendary.

♪ So... you hated Steph Rozentals' shop.

Uh, hell no.

My audience doesn't want hate.

They wanna to hear what's good, what's trending hot.

Well, you weren't very positive about Steph's.

She is iconic, but the café side of her business lets her down.

I noticed that you stopped doing reviews for a few months, just after the Rozentals post.

Comments deleted -- see you later.

I'm back now.

Good bread is my life.

But did something happen?

After I posted that Rozentals review, there was an attack on my pages -- spambots posting hundreds of links to porn sites and incel chatrooms.

I couldn't do anything but shut it down.

Do you know who did it?

It's very hard to trace these things, and it was devastating because it's my livelihood, you know?

But I'm back now.

So far, so good.

Alexa: You're not supposed to do the interviews.

I am the seasoned detective.

[Thump!]

And I'm the trained digital intelligence analyst.

Also, it was Briar Lee who you called a Gen Z muppet.

I have interviewed plenty of muppets.

Not ones who marked your sourdough as seventh best.

You weren't to be trusted.

You know I'm right, eh, Chowder?

[Meows] So, tell me about these spambots.

They came from a site in Croatia.

Oh, yeah?

They hate Briar Lee too.

Someone gave them money to mount the attack.

Is it possible to find out who?

Yes, the spambots were paid for through a PayPal account, registered to-- [Whispers] Josh Boyer.

Will you stop doing that?

I can't.

I'm a seasoned detective.

♪ Briar Lee.

A little surprised to see you here, actually, after that review.

Seems like you don't much care for the bread here.

You supply Reuben's sourdough.

That's amazing.

Seventh best is amazing.

Anyhoo, you spoke yesterday to my colleague, Madison, about that review you did for Rozentals bakery.

Briefly.

You stopped posting after the spam attack, and then you started up again a few weeks ago.

Yes.

Just after Josh Boyer died.

You knew Josh Boyer attacked you, so you knew it was safe to start posting again.

I just said the coffee was awful.

It wasn't even about the baked stuff.

Did he find you?

He came to my apartment.

He screamed at me through the door.

Then the spam happened, and it was so ugly.

I was freaking out.

Major anxiety.

I went to see Steph Rozentals, and-- Steph was involved?

Uh, I don't know.

I just asked her to call him off.

What did she say?

Pretty much zero.

Not a word.

Why didn't you tell Madison this yesterday?

She said the cops were checking into Josh's death.

And you didn't wanna seem like a suspect?

No.

I didn't want to admit I was happy Josh was dead.

♪ Morning, Zachary.

Morning.

Steph: Sorry about the smell.

Ugh.

Sorry.

Sorry.

Man: Disgusting.

Milo: I will find it.

Sorry about the smell.

Oh, Zachary?

Yeah, it never stops.

Alexa: Hmm.

You remember Briar Lee?

Who?

She gave you a bad review about three months back.

You know, about the coffee.

[Sighs] I've been doing this for more than a decade, and the worst critic I've ever had was the man that I was married to.

Still is.

Why would I care what a teenager thinks about my coffee?

So you didn't send Josh over to monster her?

Oh, yeah.

That was, um... That was actually really embarrassing.

I tried to get him to stop, but he was just really protective, you know?

Milo: Eureka!

[Laughs] You stinky little shrimp.

Is, uh... everything Okay over here?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

'Cause your stunts are like a Seth Rogen movie.

Ah, well, you get your recipes off the Internet, Steph.

You know your pastry chef uses custard powder in your Danishes?

Did you know that?

Are you aware that Milo's using home-brand jam in your jam fancies?

Well, at least people fancy our jam fancies.

Well, can I ask a quick question?

No.

Uh, when did you start doing prawns?

Oh.

[Chuckles] [Alexa chuckles nervously] Argh.

Alexa: Zachary?

Zach.

Zach!

Call an ambulance.

It never stops.

Zachary!

♪ The ambo said he'll need a scan.

They're thinking delayed concussion, a bleed inside the skull.

[Sighs] Delayed concussion?

When did he get hit?

There's old bruising on the back of his head.

Could be weeks ago.

Did he say anything to you about it?

Well, I haven't seen him since he sacked me.

[Sighs] The morning after, he said he couldn't think straight.

But we were arguing by then.

[Scoffs] Did you have a crack at him, Milo?

What?

I'm a pastry chef.

What... [Stutters] you think I'm that guy?

[Clears throat] Excuse me.

I need to close up.

One problem tomorrow -- first time ever either shop has been closed.

What a day!

[Sighs] [Ding-dong!]

It's not your fault, if that's what you're thinking.

Although that crack about the custard powder -- now, that was a low blow.

Thanks.

Do you think he'll be all right?

Crack on the head, they said.

A bump like that can get you days, even weeks, later.

Unless it was your fault.

What did you do?

Slug him with a rolling pin?

[Giggles] Baker's weapon of choice.

No, we've never had to resort to that.

What if it was Josh?

If he circled back in the van that night, arrived at Zachary's kitchen, they got into a fight-- I mean, Zachary couldn't even fight a 12-year-old.

He's just not wired like that.

Even in self-defense?

Why would Josh wanna attack Zachary?

We were engaged.

Zachary was irrelevant.

You're very upset.

Even despite everything Zachary's done.

I'm upset because I don't want my husband to die.

Oh yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, of c-- [Stutters] [Quietly] Ex-husband.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Madison: Weird.

Josh didn't post a single thing about his proposal to Steph.

Even though he hired a hot-air balloon?

I was engaged once... But she left me for some actor dude.

Glad there was no social media oversharing back in my day.

That would have been shameful.

Mm.

So shameful.

Thanks for your sympathy.

[Chuckles softly] [Cellphone buzzes] Oh.

Navy buddy.

I'm on.

And I'm due at a hospital stake-out.

Exciting Mm.

♪ [Rhythmic knocking on door] ♪ Hey!

What's this?

Hey, sis.

It's your first dividend as number one investor in my company.

Getting paid in avocados now?

Yeah, let's just go with that, shall we?

You're not gonna last long if you keep stealing their fruit.

Ah, it was tucked away in a corner.

They didn't even know they had it.

Do you keep saying that about their life savings?

[Chowder meows] Ohh, hey.

Look at this -- My mate.

Chowds.

Will: Hello, buddy.

What's going on here, then?

You scoping out the competition, are ya?

Yeah, kind of.

This one was closed today.

That's right.

How did you know that?

Are you a regular there?

Well, sort of.

I did have the best bread I've ever had in my entire life from there a while back.

All right.

Bold claim, buster.

Oh, yes, yes, your bread is very good.

All right?

But this -- I'm telling you, it was sublime, but it must have been a one-off.

They've never had the same bread back since.

Oh yeah?

What was so special about it?

I don't know.

It was just different from the usual.

The baker swore blind that it was the same as always, but I do not agree.

When exactly was this?

I dunno, about three weeks ago?

It was definitely a Tuesday, 'cause I took a little loaf to my Tuesday client.

She loved it.

She agreed -- delish.

I've been back every Tuesday since, and so far, it's the same old sourdough.

Not that there's anything wrong with sourdough.

I'm telling you, though, you've gotta try this stuff.

Next time they have it, I'm gonna stock the freezer.

Okay.

Thanks, Will.

Oh yeah.

No, you're welcome.

You don't have any use for guavas, do ya?

I got a client, he doesn't know he's got a whole hedge full of them.

Ooh.

♪ ♪ ♪ Nice fish, Josh.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Cellphone buzzes] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [Window squeaks, thuds] Wait, wait, wait.

Wait for me.

Wait for me.

Zachary: Steph, it's all right.

Steph: Just wait.

I'll help you.

Zachary: Yeah, I'm all right.

[Conversation continues indistinctly] ♪ ♪ [Door bell rings, Footsteps approach] Alexa!

I'm perfectly fine.

There's no need to check up on me.

No, I'm more concerned about Zachary's health.

Can I talk to him?

Yeah.

Zachary's, um... Where'd you stash him?

The old marital bed?

Well, Zachary and I... seem to be having a moment.

There's still something between us.

Well, you were married a long time.

Yeah, when Josh had his accident, Zach was... He was really there for me, you know?

It was comforting.

I guess we've rekindled.

The loaf rose twice.

[Chuckles weakly] I'd like to talk to Zachary.

He's actually asleep.

Well, he should be.

Can we, um -- Can we do this another time maybe?

You lied about your engagement to Josh.

You said no, didn't you?

Alexa: How did he take it?

You know, given that he's got a temper and all.

Look, it wasn't a flat no.

It was more of a "not yet."

He wasn't pleased, but he sucked it up.

So why lie about it?

I just wanted to honor his memory.

[Sighs] I wanted to go to his funeral as a fiancée, not as some woman he'd shacked up with.

Why do you and Zachary persist with this charade of a feud?

You're back together.

We've fought a long war.

It's part of the Rozentals brand now.

People love it.

Are you saying Josh was a psychopath?

No.

Psychopath has a very specific meaning.

Yes, I know, but thank you for Mad-splaining.

I'd say Josh is an angry dude.

Like, beyond an orc -- he's definitely Uruk-hai.

What?

He was kicked out of the Navy.

He got into a brawl in a pub near his base with three civilians and put two of them in hospital.

Oh, they kept that quiet.

Can't have violent people in the Defense Forces.

In fact, those texts of his that you sent me, they were kind of shouty too.

His plumber copped it, also a real estate agent who spammed him.

Well, I might forgive him that one.

Josh worked as a bouncer after the Navy, but never in one job for long.

The punters, they... pressed his buttons too easily.

So many fractured jaws; never his.

You know, Steph had to keep him away from Milo and Briar Lee.

Briar Lee?

She didn't tell me that.

Yeah, well, that's why I do the interviews.

Hey, are you both the type of person who would get offended if I put a full stop at the end of a text?

Hell yeah.

It is so blunt, it's... And unnecessary.

Really?

That's really important, isn't it?

And you're not gonna tell us why.

Let's you and I take a little trip out to the lake where Josh died.

Rangiriri.

Ooh, if you're going out that way, you have to go to this mean little produce market just off the highway.

They sell the best pies.

You should totally get one.

Ooh, that sounds good.

We're working.

No pies.

♪ ♪ So, the trip from Auckland takes over an hour.

Yeah, if you don't stop for food.

So something happened to Josh in Zachary's bakery that night.

What time did you say Zachary fired Milo by text?

Four minutes past 1 a.m., but what's that got to do with anything?

Well, that's when it started.

Like, maybe a fight or something.

Say it took 10 minutes.

Mm.

And then moving the body, I reckon they would've got here about 3:20 a.m.

You think Zachary did it?

Get rid of the boyfriend, get his wife back.

Okay, so he shoves unconscious Josh into the driver's seat, starts the engine, puts it in gear.

Alexa: And watches it run into the water good and deep.

Hmm.

[Sighs] I figure it would've been... 3:30, at earliest, by then.

Zachary needed another car to get back to town.

Oh, he had help.

There were two murderers.

Zachary and Milo?

So if it took an hour to get back to town, there's no way that Zachary got back in time to bake for the shop that morning.

But they opened that day, same as usual.

Yeah, they did.

All right, well, now that the work is done, stop at that place that Beth mentioned?

Look, she texted me the directions, and I'm starting to get hangry here, so... Sure.

Anything for you.

♪ What did you get?

Alexa: Kumara bread and one made with potatoes.

Stays fresh longer.

See?

Glad we stopped here?

♪ Good.

Come.

What's so urgent?

Come here.

I want you to try these.

[Sighs] Ooh, you're branching out from sourdough, are ya?

Yes, well, they're not mine, so feel free to criticize.

Try that one.

This is the emergency?

You know, I'm a busy man.

Doing what?

Stealing fruit?

Get involved.

Yeah, not bad.

Try that one.

♪ Oh, come on.

How did you do that?

Do what?

This is the good stuff from Rozentals Bakery I got that one time.

That's what I thought.

What did you do?

Did you bully them into making it for you, did ya?

No, Zachary doesn't make kumara bread.

He bought it from the markets out south.

Ooh, that's a bit naughty, isn't it?

Not that I'm complaining.

So just for confirmation, you definitely bought the bread from Zachary Rozentals' bakery.

Uh, yeah, is this about bread, or did someone murder someone?

Both.

You got it from Zachary's, right?

No.

No.

No?

They both had it.

But I wanted lunch after my client, so I went to Zachary's.

He had run out.

Bam!

The competition had the same good stuff.

What are the chances?

Can I take this home?

Yeah, sure.

[Store bell jingles] ♪ Hi, Zach.

Whoa!

Oh, my God!

What-What are you doing?

Sorry I had to let myself in.

I just want to check a couple of things.

Well, what do you want?

If I can just borrow your phone a second, I will explain to you exactly what happened here three weeks ago.

What?

And maybe even why.

♪ [Store bell jingles] Zach.

I got... Hi, Steph.

Oh, you got Zach's message?

Actually, it's from me.

Zachary: And now she's just as confused as I am.

Three weeks ago, you came here, and you found Josh waiting for you with his speargun.

No.

He made you hand over your phone, and he sent that text to Milo giving him the sack, and that kept Milo out of the way.

Uh, no again.

We've already been through all of this with Milo.

Yes, but he texted Milo in his style, not yours.

He didn't finish with a full stop.

But, now, you always use a full stop.

And I think you use letters instead of digits, which I applaud.

However, Josh, he came here to take care of you, 'cause he thought you were a problem, a problem for Steph's business that he had to fix -- I mean, taking care of Milo, for daring to work for Zachary, after he opened the rival shop, just like he took care of Briar Lee, for posting a bad review.

See, Josh had a history of using violence to solve problems, but you knew that.

He'd watched you two at each other's throats for months.

He could not guess what you meant to one another, even after the divorce.

So when Steph came into the shop, and she saw Josh had left his phone and gone, she could guess where he was heading.

Um, where is this coming from?

This is an absolute fairy tale.

Yeah, a Grimm one.

So, there he is.

He's got you bailed up at the point of his speargun.

And at some point, you decide to run.

I mean, do me a favor, would ya?

Oh, my God, you could've killed him!

What the hell are you doing?!

I am sorry about the wall, but that is a perfect match.

God, ballistics is just gonna love it.

♪ But now we've got a problem.

He needs a new weapon.

So he reaches for this paddle.

Well, not this paddle, 'cause he got rid of that one.

This one is shiny and new.

You're duckin', you're divin', and then Josh smacks you from behind, on the back of the head.

♪ What's he gonna do?

Is he gonna beat the hell out of you?

Is he gonna strangle you?

You don't know.

But you fight back.

You get the upper hand, and you knock Josh out cold.

And then Steph shows up.

What was it like for you?

I mean, there's your ex-husband standing over your young, fit, ex-Navy, ex-military, ex-bouncer boyfriend.

I mean, up until that point, it was self-defense, right?

You could have called the police, but Zachary knew what to do.

He got a flour sack, and he put it over Josh's head and made you get in the van and take the body down to the lake.

To drown him, to murder him.

He was already dead.

Okay?

We were sure he was already dead.

Would you shut up, you ....?

And the road accident?

That was Steph's idea.

You miserable prick.

But the miserable prick did all the hard work overpowering Josh, right?

I saved your life.

He was strangling you.

You were blue.

So it was you.

You picked up the steel paddle, and you took out Josh.

I mean, it was between Josh and Zachary.

You chose Zachary.

She put the bag on his head as well.

Because you told me he was dead!

Well, I'm not a medical expert, am I?

You said you wanted him to be dead, Steph.

No, I wanted him to go away.

But the lake was all your idea, entirely your idea.

No, no, well, you made me own that text to Milo.

Okay?

My best friend thinks that I sacked him.

Milo is not your best friend.

He thinks you're deranged.

He thinks you're a sour-faced trout, Okay?

Whoa, Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That will be all.

[Shop bell jingles] [Sighs] Actually... the kumara bread -- stocking the shelves with it.

Whose idea?

His.

Hers.

You two give co-dependency a bad name.

♪ [Sighs] Don't touch me.

♪ Briar: Rumors are flying.

A couple of top bakers are helping police with their inquiries.

Can't say too much.

But, here at Rozentals, Chef Milo has stepped out of the custard tart and finger bun-- Um, um, um, Portuguese tarts made with puff pastry and cinnamon, please.

Hmm.

Portuguese tart shadows.

That Milo, he sure is a survivor.

He's rocking the sourdough, which is more than edible, though maybe not quite as exciting as the sourdough over at Reuben's café, where the baker of loaves has been hitting new heights lately.

What a suck-up.

What did you do to her?

What did you say?

I dunno, maybe I'm just using a new kind of French imported flour.

Could have been that.

[Chuckles] I saw Briar Lee.

Your bread's moving up the charts.

But who cares what critics think, eh?

I only care what you think, Reuben.

How come you chose my sourdough over Rozentals?

Well, 'cause life is too short, and I just wanna work with good people, people I can call family.

Aww.

But her bread's still better than theirs, right?

Fair question.

Reuben: Yeah, it's pretty good.

Oh, no way, sucker.

Come back.

Pretty good, in summary.

But we need to work on the prices.

[Alexa chuckles] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪