Free Beauty to Die For and Other Mystery Shorts by Lauren Carr Page B

gawk at Ms. Taylor’s treasures. I worked for her for thirty years.”
    “You must have been close,” Mac said with sympathy.
    “Very.”
    “Mac! He-lp me pl-le-ee-ze!” Archie cried from within the interior of the house.
    “I’m sorry for your loss,” Mac muttered while dashing around the towering man and running in the direction of Archie’s call. He found her attached to the end of the leash with a hundred pounds of fur at the other end dragging her from room to room. Mac weaved through the crowd to get to her side.
    “I see what he’s tailing.” She dared to let go of the leash with one hand to point a finger up ahead.
    Mac had to search the throng of people ahead of them before he could see the object that had captured Gnarly’s attention. On what appeared to be a mound of yellow daisies, the blue bird bounced and beebopped on top of woman’s head.
    Gnarly was on the hunt.
    “Gnarly,” Mac jerked on the leash, “leave the bird alone.”
    Still on the trail of the blue bird, the black and tan dog dragged them across the parlor to a row of mannequins set in front of a red cherry china hutch.
    “Oh, my!” Archie uttered when Gnarly halted behind the woman who suddenly stopped to stare at a white gown encrusted with diamonds. They all stopped so fast that she and Mac collided and almost knocked over the mannequin.
    His eye on the bird, Gnarly barked at the woman in the hat.
    Annoyed by the barking dog, several of the patrons glared at the couple trying to shush the dog.
    The gowns on three mannequins was causing as much of a ruckus as the barking dog. One gown was red, the other was blue, and the middle was white mixed with other brilliant sparkling colors. The lights around the mannequins caught and sparked off of the jewels that did not appear to have a uniform size or shape.
    All three gowns were more than beaded. Each of the gowns was ornamented in jewels. The red in what appeared to be rubies. The blue one in sapphires, the white gown in the center was done up in diamonds, emeralds, topaz, and a variety of other jewel colors. The sign in front of the white gown described it as the showcase costume worn by Celeste Taylor during her run on Broadway in the mid-sixties. She had kept the gown, which was designed personally for her by a top designer.
    “Gorgeous,” Archie said in awe.
    Every guest passing by stopped to gaze upon the gowns with awe while the dog at his master’s feet whined and simpered at Mac while casting longing looks at the bird lady as if to say, “I want that bird. Can you get it for me please?”
    “Gnarly, quiet,” Mac ordered the dog while shooting embarrassed grins at the gathering crowd of shoppers.
    “Your dog has good taste,” said an elderly lady who was making no pretense of admiring the red gown.
    “Yes, they are beautiful,” a young woman with her hair done up in a twist and a serious expression on her face said. “Unfortunately, the gems on these gowns are very good imitations. They are worthless. However, they are valuable in that Celeste wore them on Broadway in her play Sparkle for several years.”
    “Can you imagine how valuable these gowns would be if the jewels were real diamonds?” Archie asked Mac.
    “They do look very real,” the business woman explained. “But I assure you, they’re fake, as is most of Celeste Taylor’s jewelry and artwork, I’m afraid.” She offered her hand to Mac. “Brenda Collins. I’m the appraiser hired by the estate to assess Ms. Taylor’s assets.” She glanced down at Gnarly who was crying loudly. “Is something wrong with your dog?”
    “Yes,” Mac answered.
    “Mac, can’t you make him stop?” Archie begged.
    “He listens to you more than he does me.” Mac snapped, “Gnarly, shut up. Can’t you see it’s a fake bird?”
    As if to beg for his master to get the bird for him, the German shepherd gazed first at the bird, and then at Mac and then back at the bird lady a few feet away. He uttered a whimper