For years, Lidia was the kind of customer a small butcher shop owner could almost set a clock by. She came in, bought a small amount of meat, spoke politely, and left without drawing attention. Then one morning, that familiar routine changed in a way no one in the shop could ignore.
Instead of her usual modest purchase, Lidia asked for 60 kilos of beef.
Ovidiu, the butcher, was surprised, but he did not immediately assume anything was wrong. Large food orders happen for ordinary reasons. Families host celebrations, neighbors cook for events, and sometimes people buy in bulk to help someone else. A single large purchase was unusual, but not impossible to explain.
The problem was that Lidia came back the next day and asked for the same amount again.