I glanced down at the dark handbag sitting under the light of the hanging chandelier.

It looked glossy and thick, with heavy brass rings fastening the straps to the side pockets.

“What about it?” I asked quietly.

“The lining’s pulling loose from the top zipper,” Mark said.

“It’s cheap black plastic underneath.

That isn’t real leather at all.”

I looked more closely at the edge of the purse where the zipper met the corner seam.

A rough white thread poked out of the joint, and the material around the brass ring had peeled back half an inch, exposing gray, fibrous paper beneath the top coat.