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Pretty Girl Gone (Mac McKenzie 3)

David Housewright

For Renée

as always

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank all those whose invaluable aid and insight helped ler, Coon Rapids City Attorney Tammi Fredrickson, Dr D P Lyle, Rhonda Martinson, Tom McGlynn, David Peterson of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Alison Picard, John Rock, Ben Sevier, Michael Sullivan, and Renée Valois

Pretty Girl Gone

1

The Degas was real

I had seen the painting of the ballerina at the Minneapolis Institute of Art about a year earlier The Institute sold it at auction soon after, despiteit required the income to cover overhead and pursue new acquisitions Only the auction was less public than MIA ossip swirled that thehad simply seen it, wanted it, and used his considerable connections to get it

I was ad in the lobby on the top floor of thatthere My escort stood close by He earing a gray trench coat with the belt cinched at the waist, looking like an extra in a bad Huartwith the pocket of the trench coat There was a gun in the pocket, a stainless steel Charter Arnored him If he didn’t shoot me ere alone, I doubted he would do it now, in a lobby filled with purposeful business people I spoke loud enough for un in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

My escort’s face went froht I bitch-slapped hi at the first decent opportunity

I heard the gallop of footsteps behind me, followed by a wo as

"Have either of you ever stopped to look at this painting? You’ve probably passed it a thousand times, but have you ever taken aof color, the woeful expression on the ballerina’s face? Critics didn’t like the ballerinas that Degas painted They said he was vulgar and cruel But he was neither It’s just that while everyone else at the tias wanted to capture thee, catch the rehearsals He wanted to show us the pain they endured, the suffering that went into their art Perhaps he thought it would help us to appreciate them more"

"Don’t tell me," the woman said "You’re the expert on nineteenth-century art ere told to expect"

"Merely a gifted aive Mr Muehlenhaus your opinion of French Iuess Muehlenhaus is one of those guys who knows nothing about art but knohat he likes"

The woman stared at ested I wasfor thirty lass doors; I could see offices and workers beyond theone to such extremes just to aveyour luck," I told him, but I don’t think he believed me