Baker Vs. The Secret Ingredient

Might be the strangest investigation of a serial robber that I’ve ever encountered in my career as a detective.
I arrive at the place thinking about your run-of-the-mill type robberies yet again. I did the usual answer question sessions with the owner of the bakery. Which is now robbery number four in the past two weeks.
No fingerprints, just like the previous ones. This is their calling card of sorts, since this is happening at all the robbery sites across the area. They’re not stealing the usual things either, like money. No, not this person or group of persons. But still not sure what it is yet what is until I stumble onto the strangest thing that clues me in on things, I’ve seen at other robbery crime scenes across the municipality. They are only stealing, and this is going to sound insane. I even think it’s nuts. But anyway, they steal parts of various recipes, the secret ingredient part and only that part. The rest of the recipes are always intact. As the days drawn on dead end after dead end. Even with this one particular clue, I’m still stuck even interviewing viable witnesses leads nowhere. It isn’t until the last robbery just before we catch them, I get a break in the case and boy, is it a big one too. Actually, it’s three layers worth with a very decadent frosting with a side of one really stupid perpetrator and it’s all by accident when I order a birthday cake for someone at the station.
Once I’d brought the cake out, looking it over for good. I notice something strange about it. I grab my pocketknife, cut into it.
Where I realized had the person doing the break-ins scan through each case file as I look the cake over.
Use one of those fast-food joint plastic forks and I taste it. BINGO! Found my robbery suspect from appearances and looks like this tasty treat made from each of the stolen secret ingredients. I couldn’t believe my taste buds! Pun intended!
I get a search and arrest warrant the same day. It turns out they’re new in town and a very jealous type, but also knew each baker from this city. How do you like old bakery school chums or whatever you call them? This clown apparently flunked himself out-of-school while also try in to cheat through it. You know where this story going guy gets busted, thrown out, then years later seeks revenge. Only revenge this time is more bitter than sweet. It later got him convict of all crimes and is serving more than deserts in a ten-year sentence.
They all learned after keeping all their secrets under better lock and key because you never know who’s out there waiting to steal your secret sauce, or better in this case, frosting.