Free Persuasive Lips by Sherry Silver Page B

certificates, high school and college diplomas, pencils and a ruler. Hmm, the Mickeys might come in handy… Chloe scooped up the c hloral hydrate c a psules, dropped them in a n envelop e , licked it shut and placed it on top of her r o lled blue gingham dress. She stretched a sock over the can of pennies and sunk it into the bottom of her suitcase. Her hand trembled as she tossed in two pink envelopes, recent letters from her “sister”.
    As Chloe lay across the patch w ork quilt o n her twin bed, she was grateful the landlady had left and wouldn’t see the tears of pain as she strugg l ed into her girdle. She finished dressing and then slipped her coat and gloves on. Chloe draped a beige cowl over her head and wrapped it around her n e ck.
    She looked all over the space that had b een her home for the last eleven months. The furnished room for let seemed emptier than when she had first moved in. Chloe placed her key on the desk then turned off the light.
    She tiptoed down the dark narrow hall to t h e kitchen. Big band music blared from the radio in the back room. The taxi driver announced his arrival by leaning on the horn.
    Mrs. Grogan pressed an envelope into her hand.
    “ Here’s P a ddy’s address. He’ll be a-waitin’ for ya darl i n ’. He’s good stock d on’t ya know. He’ll see that nobody harms ya there in paradise. Don’t ya worry none, I’ll take care of y o ur paycheck. If Paddy fusses ’b o ut the telephone then ya call me person-to- person every week. And drop me some postcards. And if I ever get my hands on the beast who did this to you…so help me…”
    Teardrops spilled d o wn Chloe’s face as s h e hugged and kissed her landl a dy. Her friend. She hurried to the cab, not allow i ng herself to look back. She was grateful she had slipp e d out without having to exp l ain her departure to the other girls.
    * * * * *
    At Washington’s Union Station, the driver pulled the brim of his hat low, covering his eyes before he helped her out onto t h e shoveled and salted sidewalk. He retrieved her luggage from the trunk.
    With her hand still tr e mbling, she held out a dollar. “Keep the change.”
    He hesitat e d before taking it. “Thanks. Would you want for me to carry the bags in, miss?”
    “ No thank you.” She entered the grand do m ed building by way of a revolving door and zigz a gged thr o ugh the bustling crowd. At the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railway counter, she joined the end of the queue. Chloe set her luggage down on the polished marble floor and ran her hands along the soft burgundy velvet ropes. Velvet. Like the choir robe I used to wear at The Church of the Good Shepherd. Back in North Carolina. Where I sho u ld’ve sta y ed.
    * * * * *
    Still outsi d e, the cabby removed his hat and ran his fingers through his greasy white hair. He paced in front of the train s t ation, peering in the brightly lit windows. Shoving through the revolving door, he made a beeli n e to a phone booth. He dropped a nickel and spun the dial. “She’s at Union Station at the RF&P desk. Shall I see where she’s head e d?”
     
    Hundred Dollar Bill
    Book One in the Good Girls of Washington Series
    Available in all eBook formats
     
    Also by Sherry Silver:

    Thousand Dollar Pharaoh
    The Good Girls of Washington Series Book 2
     
    In 1945, a beautiful undercover secret service agent has a dangerous assignment. United States thousand dollar bills are turning up all over the globe. Bodyguarding the widowed former First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, Chloe must tread lightly and include her in what the first lady views as a thrilling cozy mystery. Can she protect Mrs. Roosevelt, unmask the counterfeiting ringleader and throw the swift fist of justice while traveling from Egypt to Washington to London with a royal mummy’s severed arm and a peculiar sand cat? Agent Chloe Lambert takes a bullet for her country and suffers the government's inexcusable intrusion into her private affairs. She will