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Alexander McQueen Fall Winter 2024 Hoof boot Pharrell's Millionaires aviator for Louis Vuitton, here and right Escale watch Creek Boulevard; Mr. and Mrs. Willard E. Walker in Highland Park (twice); Martha and W.W. Lynch; Mr. and Mrs. Glen Turner on Gaywood Road in Preston Hollow; N.J. DeSanders; Harry Rolnick, founder of Resistol Hats; Murphy Williams in University Park; Florence and Herbert Klein on Kelsey Road in Preston Hollow (twice); Ray and Mabel Smith on Audubon Place; Ginny and Clint Murchison Sr. on Audubon Place, and legions more described in the book. The King of Diamonds is Pederson's fifth book; during her time at The Dallas Morning News, Texas Monthly named her as one of the most powerful women in Texas. Since her book's debut, she's been doing the speakers' circuit, enchanting audiences as we all voraciously tear through her true- crime tell-all. Nonetheless, Pederson found time in her busy schedule for a quick Zoom with me, during which her darling dog Gracie continually edged onto the screen, lest she be forgotten. Q&A Billy Fong: How long did it take to write this book? Rena Pederson: In a way, I've been writing it for 50 years, since that's when I first heard about the thief. I officially began researching it in 2015. When I started, I thought it would be easy and fun to do. I was picturing David Niven in Raffles or Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief with Dallas history thrown in. When I was finished, the original manuscript was 700-plus pages, and at that point, I realized I needed to cut it in half. It took me another year to undo what I had done. As a result, I turned in my final copy to the publisher in 2023. BF: Describe that era. RP: It was a time when people who were suddenly rich wanted to look rich, so women dressed up and the men gave them jewels — lots of them. People lived colorful lives and talked colorfully, too. Perhaps my favorite quote came from Matilda Gray Stream [via Elizabeth Taylor who originally uttered the line]. After her husband gave her a 50-carat diamond ring for her 50th birthday, she wore it often, even for lunches. Over one midday meal, someone asked, "Don't you think it's vulgar to wear a ring that large?" Without skipping a beat, she replied, "I did until I had one." Her reaction was so typical of the culture then. BF: What was the most intriguing crime? RP: For me, the burglary that stands out was at the home of Bruno and Josephine Graf. It was perhaps the most spectacular … most ambitious … The thief waited for hours for the couple to return to their magnificent home [designed by Edward Durell Stone and still magnificent on Park Lane] after attending the Jewel Charity Ball in Fort Worth ... He climbed a 10-foot wall and leaped to the second story ledge of the home, then he walked right by them as they slept and made his way to her jewels, which included a 20.4-carat diamond ring. BF: Could something similar occur today? RP: It would be harder today and easier to catch the thief, thanks to new technology. Today people have security cameras and police have computerized fingerprint systems. People often ask me, "Why didn't the police use DNA testing?" Well, DNA analysis wasn't available for criminal cases until 1986. The King of Diamonds often left cigarettes that he smoked as he waited outside. If a thief left such evidence today, you could more easily track him down. BF: Who would you want to play the characters in The King of Diamonds — including yourself — for a streaming series or blockbuster movie? RP: [Some Hollywood folks are, in fact, looking at it now — but she has been advised not to buy her dress yet.] Meryl Streep, most definitely, as Evelyn Lambert [a philanthropist who called both Dallas and Venice home]. Luke Wilson [one of the born-and-raised-in Dallas Wilson boys] as one of the Kirksmith brothers. In 1953, Town & Country did a photo spread of the Crystal Charity Ball, and one of the pics is of Jim Kirksmith, who looks just like Luke Wilson. Matthew McConaughey or Glen Powell — either would be perfect as one of the other Kirksmith brothers. Demi Moore would be ideal as Nancy Hamon, who had such joie de vivre and was a noted beauty in her younger years. And me? Holly Hunter could be fun. I'd love that. (Continued from page 56) Left: The famous floating dinner table in Bruno and Josephine Herbert Graf's home. A map of Preston Hollow drawn by Dallas police to track the thief. Mrs. Dudley Ramsden (left) and socialite Nancy Ann Smith at a costume party hosted by Nancy Hamon. JASON FRANZEN THE NANCY HAMON PAPERS, BYWATERS SPECIAL COLLECTION, HAMON ARTS LIBRARY, SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY. 58