He would never believe you wanted him for anything other than his money, she told herself.Even if it wasn’t true.And that, her pride could not bear.
That was the dash of ice water that cut through the haze.
She returned to herself.
Theodore Parker was not why she was there.
She forced her breathing to slow. Coaxed her mind back to the task at hand.
“I just keep going over who was there that night,” she said.
“That woman who followed us isn’t here,” Theodore said, glancing over his shoulder. “I’ve been keeping my eye out for her all night.”
Grace’s disappointment deepened. She was hoping the mysterious woman would appear and they could question her together—at the very least to determine her identity, if not uncover what she wanted.
Why had she followed them when Harriet was with them, and then stopped as soon as she was murdered? That woman was rising to the top of Grace’s suspect list.
Situating her right next to Earnest.
But suddenly, the thought she had been searching for earlier dropped like a lazy feather, just within her reach.
“There is someone else who is conspicuously absent tonight,” Grace murmured. “Someone who was there for the night of the murder but isn’t here now.”
“Someone other than Oliver, you mean?” Theodore asked.
She smiled. “Someone who had a camera.”
Theodore arched an eyebrow at her in understanding. “That gossip columnist for theFair’s Fare.”
She nodded. “Sam Whitcomb.”
She felt a warmth rise within her as another lead unfurled itself, beckoning her to follow it like a road paved with gold.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MAY 8, 1904
Five Days After the Murder
GRACE WANTED TOalight to Sam Whitcomb’s offices first thing the next morning, but Lillie had arranged for them to meet with Dr. May instead.
Grace tightened her hat as she stepped out into the cool morning breeze. She locked the studio door behind her, her eyes narrowing. She would have just enough time to speak with Dr. May that morning, meet with Walt for lunch on the fairgrounds, and then pay a visit to Sam Whitcomb’s offices. But she startled a little when a carriage came around the corner.
Because it wasn’t the Carters’ carriage that she had been expecting.
It was Earnest Allred’s.
Her face promptly flushed, embarrassed about how badly things had gone last night. She braced herself as the carriage door opened.
“Grace!” Lillie exclaimed. “Earnest agreed to give us a ride to Dr. May’s on his way to a business meeting this morning. Wasn’t that kind of him?”
“Miss Covington,” Earnest said in greeting. His smile was brittle.
“Mr. Allred,” she said. She fiddled absently with the large flowers pinned at the throat of her blouse, hoping Lillie didn’t pick up on how noticeably strained things were between them.
“I wasn’t sure if I was even going to convince Mother to let me leave this morning,” Lillie said as the carriage trundled over the paved stone roads. “Her nerves are fraying. But with Earnest’s help, she finally relented.”
“Then we thank you for your service, Mr. Allred,” Grace said stiffly.
