10 Lethal Black Dress by Ellen Byerrum Read Free Book Online Page B

good grace. “Just the green lining.”
    “Champagne does that?” Trujillo asked.
    “Anything wet. Rain, water, coffee, whatever.”
    “What makes you think it’s this dye?” Mac asked.
    “The lining color. Brilliant green. There was once a toxic
dye called Paris Green.” She neglected to mention the smell or her headache. Why
confuse the issue.
    “Does that have something to do with Napoleon’s death?” Tony
asked.
    “His wallpaper!” Claudia exclaimed. “Yes. One theory is that
he was poisoned by the wet wallpaper. It was green. At some point after his
death, they found arsenic in his hair clippings. But Napoleon was not the only
one who had a run-in with toxic wallpaper.”
    “No?” Mac played straight man. “Do tell.”
    Claudia had a twinkle in her eye. “In the weeks before he
died, Oscar Wilde reportedly said he and the wallpaper were fighting a duel to
the death. ‘Either it goes or I do,’ he said.”
    “Sadly, we don’t know what his wallpaper looked like,” Lacey
said. “Or whether it was Paris Green.”
    “We can imagine it was,” Claudia said. “Makes a better story
that way.”
    “You women are all in a conspiracy,” Lamont said.
    “I, for one, now can’t wait to see what Ms. Wallace is
wearing,” Claudia said, ignoring him. “Is that her up there?”
    Everyone at the table shifted to see Courtney stumble against
one of the front tables. Eric Park quickly stepped in to steady her. He seemed
to be trying to get her to leave. She staggered and shook her head vehemently.
    “Has she been drinking?” Mac asked.
    “I didn’t see her drinking any champagne,” Lacey said. “Just
wearing it. I hope she’s okay.”
    “Pretty embarrassing. Getting soaked by a waiter and losing
your cool at this glamorous gala,” LaToya said. “Motive for murder, I’d say.
That waiter better watch his you-know-what. Good thing you’re here, Broadway.”
She scooted her chair an inch closer to the big detective.
    “Don’t worry, it won’t be murder,” Tony said. “Courtney will
probably just die of humiliation.”
    “She doesn’t look healthy,” Claudia said. “She shouldn’t have
to be working this thing tonight if she’s sick.”
    “Nice dress, though,” Tony commented. “A little limp-looking.”
    “Champagne will do that,” Lacey said. “It’s vintage. The
dress, not the champagne. She’s wearing it as part of her series.”
    “You don’t think that dress really is harmful, do you,
Lacey?” Claudia asked.
    “I don’t know, Claudia. I told her she should get out of it
and wear something else. She wouldn’t listen to me.”
    “Why would she?” LaToya said. “You’re the competition.”
    “Well, then,” Claudia said. “You warned her. She didn’t
listen.”
    “She looks inebriated to me. Hey, I see Hansen.” Mac stood up
and waved at the staff photographer. “Let’s have him take that woman’s
photograph. For the record.”
    “Good idea, Mac. Just in case something awful happens,” Tony
said. “We are a newspaper, after all.”
    “Nothing’s going to happen,” Lacey protested. I hope.
    “Long Lens” Hansen made his way over, draped with cameras and
gear, as usual. He’d gone formal for a news photographer, which meant he was
wearing his clean black jeans and black shirt and a black sport coat. He
huddled briefly with Mac. A quick nod of the head and Hansen and his cameras
were on the prowl for Courtney Wallace.
    “If something does happen,” Tony said to Lacey, “and you
scoop Johnson on it, right here at the Correspondents’ Dinner, he’s going to
have a stroke. And then we’ll have to have pictures of that too.”
    “Nothing wrong with a little friendly competition,” Mac said.
“Johnson can take it.”
    “Ha. Wait till the book comes out,” LaToya said, loud enough
for the next table to hear.
    “What book?” Lamont asked.
    “ Terror at Timberline .” Lacey shook her head as she
said it. “Mac’s title, not mine.”
    Mac yawned. He