Detective and mystery stories; Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction; Nurses -- Fiction; Washington (D.C.) Region -- Fiction
Reynolds heaved a sigh of relief which was echoed by Dorothy. “Now we
can get along with our work, Miss Deane; how will these photographs do
for a layout of the leaders of the ultra-smart set?” placing a number
of prints together; and Dorothy soon became absorbed in making her
selections.
After the departure of the photographer, twenty minutes later, Dorothy
wrote her directions on the back of each photograph and had just
completed her task when the office boy entered and laid a “flimsy” on
her desk.
“Take these photographs to the engraver and tell him I must have the
cuts by tomorrow afternoon,” she directed, and picked up the “flimsy.”
It proved to be a garbled account of Millicent Porter sent out by one
of the news agencies and laid great stress upon her wealth and the
social prominence of her family. Dorothy frowned as she crumpled it
in her hand, then thinking better of her action she smoothed out the
“flimsy” and carefully pigeonholed it.
Dorothy’s thoughts were far from her work as she mechanically
carried out the daily office routine. A talk with a White House
usher elicited the news that the President was playing golf and
might go to the theater that night; a chat with a confidential clerk
in the Department of State provided her with the list of guests
at a diplomatic dinner to be given that night by the Secretary of
State; but her other telephone calls drew blank; and Dorothy, after
looking over the meager items chronicled in the social columns of the
afternoon papers, welcomed the ring of the telephone. It proved to be
a long-distance call from Albany, N. Y., giving her the information
that a Congressman’s wife was receiving at the Governor’s reception,
describing the gown which she would wear, and stating that she desired
to have it fully written up in the _Morning Tribune_.
Half an hour later Dorothy was correcting her typewritten copy when
the door was jerked unceremoniously open, and the city editor walked
in, followed by Detective Mitchell. Dorothy’s heart sank at sight of
the city editor’s aggressive air; previous encounters had given her an
inkling of his bullying disposition, and the presence of Mitchell did
not look propitious.
“See here, Miss Deane, why haven’t you informed me that you are
visiting Millicent Porter?” demanded the city editor.
“I did not think the news would interest you.” Dorothy laid down
her copy and nodded coolly to the detective. “Good afternoon, Mr.
Mitchell.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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