Grace held her breath. Ethel reached for Grace’s notebook and wrote down a name.
“Glen Perkins? Parkins? He works with the De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company. He wanted me to come and sing at one of their events next week. I spoke to him earlier that night, and I believe he left with the man who approached Harriet.”
She turned the notebook around. “Find Glen Perkins, and he can tell you the identity of that man.”
Grace felt a match spark of hope.
“Thank you, Miss Adams.”
“Call me Ethel, Gretchen.”
Grace smiled at Theo and gave Ethel a bow of gratitude.
“You better nail that note tonight, Bonita, or I’ll have your hide,” Ethel hollered toward the stage. “Let’s take it from the top. And then I need a hot tea and a nap.”
“Well, Miss Covington,” Theo said, leaning to whisper in her ear. “I think you just got our first lead.”
Grace and Theodore were making their way through the verdant pathways of the sunken gardens when they ran into Earnest and Frannie. They were sitting on one of the many benches, chatting with Copper beneath the shade of Frannie’s parasol.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Copper said, noticing them. “Care to join us?”
“We’re off on an errand, I’m afraid,” Grace said. She met Earnest’s eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Like life has walloped me this week,” he said. “Figured some fresh air at the fair would do us all some good.”
Although perhaps by this point, we should all stay away, Grace thought.
“Where are you going?” Frannie asked. She directed her attention solely at Theodore.
“We have someone to speak with at the telegraph office,” he said. He squinted, shading his eyes from the sun. “Someone who might know something about Harriet’s death.”
Earnest stood. “You’re investigating?” he asked. “I’d love to join you. I have some thoughts of my own.”
Frannie harrumphed, crossing her legs. “I couldn’t be less interested in this and think it’s all a terrible show of judgment,” she said.
“Go ride some rides and have some fairy floss,” Earnest said, waving his hand.
“What the lady wants, the lady gets,” Copper said, offering Frannie his arm. She simpered, turning her back on them. “It’s not that we don’t care,” Copper said, throwing an apologetic look over his shoulder. “We just have different ways of showing it.”
Grace found herself between Theodore and Earnest as they turned toward the De Forest telegraph tower, which rose like a beacon in the distance, capped by a waving American flag.
News sellers everywhere were hawking special edition copies of theFair’s Fare. A few policemen were approaching the newsstands and appeared to be trying to shut down their operations. Grace caught the headline as they passed.
AUTOPSY RESULTS PENDING OVERDOSE OR… POISON?
There was an image of Harriet’s lovely face on the front.
Then beneath it read:
PROMINENT MEMBER OF ST. LOUIS ELITE ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF MURDER
Tears pricked Grace’s eyes as she hurried past. People were lining up to buy the papers like they did to try ice-cream cones and iced teas. Her stomach soured at the gleeful way they consumed the gossip, made even more delicious by the featuring of someone rich. She felt an admonishment to herself, because of course she had participated before, too. But now it was Oliver, and Lillie, and yes—even Aunt Clove. Why were people so awful to one another—particularly among the classes? Why did they root for each other’s downfall? Why must it—
“Why must it be sotall?” Theo groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking up at the telegraph tower. Its wood structure was a lattice that stretched three hundred feet in the air. A box of glass windows glittered at the observation point.
Earnest laughed, but it was without cruelty.
“You stay, Parker,” Earnest said, gently touching his arm. “Grace and I can handle this.”
