Elle

“Dorothy was the only one of her friends lucky enough to have pockets in her formal pantsuit, which she dutifully turned inside out. Then Rose, Sophia, Blanche, and Dorothy opened their purses for El Toro’s inspection. He scanned the inside of their pocketbooks, which held similar contents: wallets, tubes of lipstick, Kleenex, loose coins. Blanche’s had a tiny travel perfume, some wintergreen Certs, an old matchbook, and a prophylactic, which made El Toro raise his eyebrows. Sophia’s purse held a rosary, a key chain, a few pill containers, some crumpled papers, and a small penknife, while Rose’s held a powder compact, a small tin of herring, and a piece of cheese wrapped in plastic.”
― Rachel Ekstrom Courage, Death on the Lanai