under her bare feet. She clutched the ball of her cheap dress aga

the reflection in a gilded oil p

ned the

s Wi

was shar

than Audie's entire cover identity. As Basil's stepsister and the co-trustee of his estate, Corine's p

ress higher to cover the fact that sh

t over Audie's disheveled hair, the bare

rk, wet stain

il had spilled it w

. Her nose wrinkled.

d up his medication. She'd lock him dow

n't risk her voice betraying the lie she was about to construct. "No, ma'am," Audie stamm

n eyebrow. "I b

I squeezed the burger too hard. The sauce... it went everywhere. It was so embarras

of the cheap, fruity shampoo Audie used w

ed her lip. It was the look one ga

rine repeated.

Morrow. I'll wash

ou do. And

, ma

. difficult tonight? I hea

ap. Corine

" she mumbled, the lie tasting like ash. "He said I

narrative. Basil was unstab

o elevate your standards. Yo

, ma

lf to trip over her own feet near

rs. It was small, windowless. She locked the

d bleach over the stain. She scr

The frightened girl was go

ank and pulled out a waterproof

Her fingers flew

sil Dean.

transfers that looked like errors. But to Audie, they were a patter

ilding a

arked. Duchess.

e narrow bed, staring at the ceiling. Basil Dean was

nding right in