VELVET

A PICTURE’S WORTH
The governor’s staff worked overtime to make sure everything was perfect for the charity event. Anytime the mansion could be used in a positive way, Governor Travers was all over it. But Daphne didn’t want to be there. She didn’t want to support anything Tonya was involved in. She never did anything for the good of the people; only for the good of herself. That was what the charity was about. Not about orphaned children or education. Tonya Somers, Press and Publicity Coordinator to the Governor, never missed an opportunity to be in the spotlight.
Daphne saw her coming and could do nothing to ward her off. No slingshots or magic wands. It just wasn’t her night.
“Daphne darling, how’s my little junior coordinator tonight?” Tonya whispered into her ear. “Hoping to find more of my daddy’s charity money to embezzle?”
“Tonya, please. Can’t we work something out?” Her voice quivered.
“Yes. You can return the millions of dollars you’ve pilfered from my father’s charity fund by tomorrow, or I’ll be forced to show daddy and the governor the bank statement. And do us all a favor.” She looked down at Daphne’s earrings and chuckled. “Never buy ‘diamonds’ at the Grocery Mart.”
“There’s no way I can have it all by tomorrow. Give me a week and I’ll put every cent back. One week.”
“Tomorrow. No exceptions.”
“You miserable… Go ahead, tell the governor.” Daphne hissed. “I’d rather see you in hell than return the money so you can squander it away on some useless, self-serving charity. And for the record, I bought my earrings from your jeweler!”
“Well Daph, your secret may be out sooner than you realized.” She turned her attention to another part of the room. “Governor Travers. May I have a word with you?”
*
Danica and Chuck watched Daphne closely. Her words were steady. She seemed resolved in her admission.
“Before you say anything else,” Chuck sat in the chair across from her. “Do you want to seek counsel?”
“No. I took the money, but I did so within the guidelines…just not…look,” She straightened herself. “Tonya never followed the rules. Ever. She was Tonya Somers, and could do whatever she wanted. The money I rerouted was going to be used for a special campaign the governor was going to launch this fall. If Tonya had been left to her own vices, the fund her father set up for various charities would’ve been depleted.”
“And these?” Danica pointed to the pictures.
Daphne seemed more at ease with the detectives. She leaned forward and stared at the photos. She slumped back in her seat. “Tonya had another wild party, and I was there simply to keep her out of the news. Our largest donors would pull out if they saw how she behaved. But she wouldn’t listen to anything I had to say, so I left.”
“Here’s my problem,” Danica smirked. “If someone palms the back of my head and shoves me so hard that I hit the ground…I’m not letting her get away with that. And look at everyone laughing at you.”
Daphne squirmed in her seat. She kept her head bowed. “It came with the job. Are we finished here? I need to get back to work.”
“One more thing.” Chuck held open the door for her. “Who is Tonya’s successor?”
“I am.”