The Paper Trail novel · Chapter 21 of 24
Chapter 21: The Gala, Third Course
A sound went through the ballroom.
Daphne stood at the foot of the stage in her gold dress, hands clasped, the picture of a woman forced to speak.
"I love Ella," she said. "She's my dearest friend."
"She gave me that condo because she was lonely, and then she turned on us and signed a wire to make her husband look guilty."
"I'm so sorry, everyone. She isn't well."
I came down the steps.
I walked until I stood two feet from her, and I smiled.
"Daphne," I said. "Where were you the week my father died?"
Her smile did not move.
"At home."
"At home," I said.
"In Milwaukee. Why?"
I held out my hand without looking.
Mavis, behind me, put a folded slip of paper into it.
It was small and creased, and the ink had faded in the folds.
"This was in a shoebox," I said. "Your shoebox. You kept every receipt, because you planned to be paid back."
"That's not mine."
The rest of this chapter is part of the paid portion of the series. Chapters 1–12 of The Paper Trail are free to read — start from the beginning, then unlock the rest with coins in the app.
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