Persuasive Lips (11 page)

Back
on
her
feet,
she
forced
herself
on
w
ard.
A
dry
lump
ached
in
the
back
of
her mouth,
forced
open
from
heavy
breathi
n
g.
Frozen
rain
stung
her
face.
As
Chloe tumbled
again
she
pulled
her
hand
out
of
her
pocket,
not
letting
go
of
the
pistol.
The cobblestones abraded her wrists as she broke her fall.

As
she
sc
r
ambled
up
again,
one
blue
heel
snapped
off
in
a
snow-covered
grate, propelling
her
face
first
into
a
police
call
b
o
x.
Moaning
in
agony,
tasting
bl
o
od,
Chloe looked
ov
e
r
her
shoulder.
A
lone
car
sped
past.
Forcing
herself
onward,
she
made
it
to the
Fourteenth
Street
Bridge.
Gasping
for
breath,
Chl
o
e
leaned
over
the
concrete
railing and
threw
the
revolver.
It
slid
along
the
surface
o
f
the
frozen
Potomac
Rive
r
.
“Damn
it. I
can’t
even
dispose
of
a
gun
properly.
It
doesn’t
matter
anyh
o
w.
It
isn’t
the
murder weapon.”
Murder weapon? “
No!”

An icicle
fell
from
the
lamppost
a
bove
her.
Chloe
drew
back
as
it
seemed
to
shatter in
slow
motion.
S
h
e
looked
at
the
hun
d
red
dollar
bill
still
c
rumpled
in
her
hand. Benjamin
Franklin’s
picture
adorned
both
sides.
The
drunken
printers
should
b
e ashamed
of
themselves
for
such
a
mistake.
Chloe
dr
e
aded
turning
them
in.
But
right now
that
w
as
the
least
of
her
worries.
She
shivered
almost
convulsively
as
she
clutched the paper to her heart. Tears blinded her as she buttoned the fur coat.

* * * * *

Half
an
hour
later
back
at
the
White
Ho
u
se,
Eleanor
Roosevelt
emerged
f
r
om
the
^{Monroe
Room, startled to find h
e
r husband in the hallway.}

He
said,
“Babs!
Didn’t
see
you
come
i
n
.
How
was
the
hoop
dee
doo?
Tell
me,
are the older ladies supportive of my efforts?”

“
Um…yes.
Yes they are.”

“
So’d
you get swept off your feet by some handsome Republican?” “Naturally…a baker’s dozen of ’em.”

“
Say,
the
Secret
Serv
i
ce
boys
told
me
c
o
u
n
terfeit
money’s
been
turning
up
in
the
^{District,
Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.”}

“
Oh?
That’s…alarming… I’m really tired.”

“
I’m
on my way for a long hot soak. Care to join me?”

“
Um…no,
dear. I just want to get out of these shoes and get some shut-eye.”

“
So be it. Goodnight… I love you.”

She
leaned down. They kissed. “And I lo
v
e you.”

As
she
turned
away,
he
grabbed
her
arm.
“Babs,
what’s
that
all
along
the
hem
of your dress?”

“
Hunh?”

He
seized
the
emerald
taffeta
near
her
w
a
ist
and
began
hoisting
it
up.
E
l
eanor’s green
pumps
were
fi
l
thy.
His
gaze
ran
up
her
rayon
stockings.
T
h
ey
were
tight
at
the ankles and baggy at the knees. Franklin ex
am
ined the bottom of her dress.

The
first lady blushed as she looked over her shoulder. “Franklin! What if—” “Cobwebs. Well I’ll be. Rosie the Rivet
e
r must be older than I tho
u
ght.” Eleanor p
u
lled away, smoothing the taff
e
ta down. She gave him the evil eye.

Franklin
c
huckled
as
she
walked
off.
He
f
ollowed
his
pup
into
the
M
o
nr
o
e
room. Looking
around
the
sparse
spotless
room,
he
w
o
ndered
what
his
wife
had
been
up
to. Fala
sniffed
the
pan
e
ling
a
long
the
firepla
c
e
wall.
Mr.
Roosevelt
heard
a
voice
in
the corridor.

“
Sir?
Sir? Where you are?”

Fala
jumped
into
his
lap.
The
President
roll
e
d
into
the
hallway.
“
Ah,
I
was
looking for
you,
g
ood
fellow.
Come
a
n
d
draw
my
bath
now.
So
tell
me,
Fuji,
how
is
that stunning
c
r
eature
you
hoodwin
k
ed
into
matrimony?”
Tired
and
aching,
Mr.
Roosevelt allowed his
valet to push his wheelchair to the Presidential bedroom.

“
Traveling
again. But Mrs. Fuji did send special package you requested.” “Perfect t
i
ming, son.”

^{Fala
leapt
from
his
master's
lap
to
the
chair
at
the
foot
of
the
bed.
He
circled
twice}
and
kneaded
his
paws
into
the
u
pholstery
b
efore
curli
n
g
up
to
sleep.
As
was
t
heir
usual routine, the President began undressing.

The
valet
stepped
into
the
ad
j
oining
bathroom
and
turned
the
spigots
on.
Fuji adjusted
the
temperature
and
then
told
his
b
o
ss,
“Be
right
back,”
as
he
dashed
out
of the suite.

Fuji
soon
returned
with
a
brown
intera
g
ency
envelope.
He
delivered
it
to
the President
then mumb
l
ed, “I hope no overflow!” as he ran into the bathroom.

Mr.
Roosevelt
unsealed
the
metal
clasp
on
the
envelope
and
emptied
the
c
ontents onto his white bedspread. He gr
i
nned while
inspecting the nyl
o
n
s
tockings.

“
Okay
sir, your bath is drawn.”

President
Franklin
D
elano
Roo
s
evelt
replaced
the
contraband,
wheeled
over
to
a bookshelf
and
slipped
the
envelope
behind
an
original
edition
of
Poor
Richa
r
d’s
Almana
c
. “When’s the missus due back?”