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Authors: Jill Churchill
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here for us.“
“Thanks. Your brother isn’t here?“
“He’s polishing the car. He was asking me where rags are kept at five this morning. As if I’d know,“ she said with a laugh.
Lily went to the kitchen to ask for breakfast in the library and when she returned, said to Jack, “What brings you here? Have you learned anything about our uncle’s death?“ After her run-in with Billy Smith the afternoon before, Jack Summer was downright welcome company.
“I looked up the articles about your uncle in the paper and copied them out since you seemed to want to know more about it.”
Robert suddenly appeared at the door, disheveled and chirpy. “She’s a beauty, Lily. Want to take her for a spin? Oh, Summer, old boy. Didn’t know we had company.“
“Mr. Summer came to show us the newspaper articles about Uncle Horatio. We’re having breakfast in here. Tell Mimi if you want some and tidy up a bit.”
Breakfast appeared at the same time Robert returned. As Mimi seemed to have the inclination to linger, they chatted about the automobile while they ate, though Lily was itching to get her hands on the newspaper articles. Robert was the one who instigated the investigation, but he was now obsessed with the Duesenberg just as Lily was getting really interested in Uncle Horatio.
She barely remembered her uncle. He was a big man, but she’d been a child the one time she met him—everybody had looked big to her then. “Portly“ was more the word. He had a large walrus moustache and big square yellow teeth like the keys on an old piano. That much she did recall. He’d given Robert and her sweets, probably over her mother’s polite objections. Was he the ogre Robert suggested and had goaded someone to a frenzy or was he just a nice old man who died tragically in an accident? When they were finished eating and Mimi had finally gone off with their plates, there was another interruption. Mr. Prinney came into the room, looking harried. “You haven’t seen my notary seal anywhere, have you?“
“A notary seal?“ Lily asked. “I don’t think so.“ Mrs. Prinney came in from the kitchen as Lily spoke. “Did you enjoy—oh, Elgin, what are you doing here? I thought you were at your office.“
“I brought my notary seal home last night and can’t find it now.“
“That’s the little thing you stick in the wax? You dropped it in the bedroom. I have it in the kitchen.“ Mr. Prinney headed for the kitchen and Mrs. Prinney hung back, shaking her head fondly. “He’s only done that twice in his life and both times this year. Last time it went missing, he found it just where it was supposed to be and he’d looked there three times already. Men!“
“Breakfast was wonderful,“ Lily said, hoping to draw the interruption to a close.
But Mrs. Prinney went into quite a song and dance about how she made the oatmeal, just as her granny had taught her when she was a mere slip of a girl. “ ‘Emmaline, my girl, if you can make up a big pot of oatmeal without scorching it and do a hem without the stitches showing, you’ll never lack for an occupation in bad times,’ my granny used to say.”
Lily feared Robert might go into gales of laughter over the image of Mrs. Prinney ever being a mere slip of a girl and gave him a gentle kick and a warning look.
Robert’s incipient laugh turned to a yelp.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I kick you?“ Lily said innocently.
When Mrs. Prinney finally departed, Lily wasted no time. “Do you have the articles with you?”
Jack handed over his handwritten transcripts to her because Robert had bent down and disappeared under the table to examine his injured leg.
Lily read through the lead story. Then read through it again more slowly. “Claude Cooke was on the boat? Claude Cooke!”
There was a thump as Robert banged his head try ing to get out from under the table. “Cousin Claude!”
Lily didn’t want to discuss Claude in front of Jack Summer and gave Robert a quick,
“Thanks. Your brother isn’t here?“
“He’s polishing the car. He was asking me where rags are kept at five this morning. As if I’d know,“ she said with a laugh.
Lily went to the kitchen to ask for breakfast in the library and when she returned, said to Jack, “What brings you here? Have you learned anything about our uncle’s death?“ After her run-in with Billy Smith the afternoon before, Jack Summer was downright welcome company.
“I looked up the articles about your uncle in the paper and copied them out since you seemed to want to know more about it.”
Robert suddenly appeared at the door, disheveled and chirpy. “She’s a beauty, Lily. Want to take her for a spin? Oh, Summer, old boy. Didn’t know we had company.“
“Mr. Summer came to show us the newspaper articles about Uncle Horatio. We’re having breakfast in here. Tell Mimi if you want some and tidy up a bit.”
Breakfast appeared at the same time Robert returned. As Mimi seemed to have the inclination to linger, they chatted about the automobile while they ate, though Lily was itching to get her hands on the newspaper articles. Robert was the one who instigated the investigation, but he was now obsessed with the Duesenberg just as Lily was getting really interested in Uncle Horatio.
She barely remembered her uncle. He was a big man, but she’d been a child the one time she met him—everybody had looked big to her then. “Portly“ was more the word. He had a large walrus moustache and big square yellow teeth like the keys on an old piano. That much she did recall. He’d given Robert and her sweets, probably over her mother’s polite objections. Was he the ogre Robert suggested and had goaded someone to a frenzy or was he just a nice old man who died tragically in an accident? When they were finished eating and Mimi had finally gone off with their plates, there was another interruption. Mr. Prinney came into the room, looking harried. “You haven’t seen my notary seal anywhere, have you?“
“A notary seal?“ Lily asked. “I don’t think so.“ Mrs. Prinney came in from the kitchen as Lily spoke. “Did you enjoy—oh, Elgin, what are you doing here? I thought you were at your office.“
“I brought my notary seal home last night and can’t find it now.“
“That’s the little thing you stick in the wax? You dropped it in the bedroom. I have it in the kitchen.“ Mr. Prinney headed for the kitchen and Mrs. Prinney hung back, shaking her head fondly. “He’s only done that twice in his life and both times this year. Last time it went missing, he found it just where it was supposed to be and he’d looked there three times already. Men!“
“Breakfast was wonderful,“ Lily said, hoping to draw the interruption to a close.
But Mrs. Prinney went into quite a song and dance about how she made the oatmeal, just as her granny had taught her when she was a mere slip of a girl. “ ‘Emmaline, my girl, if you can make up a big pot of oatmeal without scorching it and do a hem without the stitches showing, you’ll never lack for an occupation in bad times,’ my granny used to say.”
Lily feared Robert might go into gales of laughter over the image of Mrs. Prinney ever being a mere slip of a girl and gave him a gentle kick and a warning look.
Robert’s incipient laugh turned to a yelp.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I kick you?“ Lily said innocently.
When Mrs. Prinney finally departed, Lily wasted no time. “Do you have the articles with you?”
Jack handed over his handwritten transcripts to her because Robert had bent down and disappeared under the table to examine his injured leg.
Lily read through the lead story. Then read through it again more slowly. “Claude Cooke was on the boat? Claude Cooke!”
There was a thump as Robert banged his head try ing to get out from under the table. “Cousin Claude!”
Lily didn’t want to discuss Claude in front of Jack Summer and gave Robert a quick,
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