Chapter 14
We checked the ladies’ retiring room first before seeking out Senator Cullom. The female attendant was just about to lock up.
“Have you seen a girl in here recently?” I asked. “About this tall”—I held my hand up to my chin—“blonde hair piled in ringlets, wearing an aquamarine-colored gown?”
The woman nodded. “Jus’ a little while ago. She asked for help getting out a stain. Dropped a bit of meringue on herself.” She pointed to her bodice. “I had just the thing for her—Mrs. Nickerson’s Cleaning Tonic. Works wonders on any mark.”
Claudine waved an impatient hand. “Once you cleaned the stain…did you see where she went?”
“I didn’ even get the chance to use it. By the time I was back from the pantry with the bottle, the young lady was gone.” The woman clucked her tongue. “Girls t
