Anything Goes

many cannons and guns and ammunition that they didn’t have room to store them in their New York City warehouse. So one of the family built a mock Scottish castle on an uninhabited island for storage of the ammunition. There are living quarters for the family in the upper stories. Imagine trying to sleep when you’re a few feet over a huge arsenal.“
    “Why did they all go there?“ Lily asked. “Uncle Horatio and his friends, I mean.“
    “Just a jaunt, I hear. The island and the arsenal are heavily guarded and your uncle must have asked permission to bring friends to see it. For all I know, he knew one of the Bannerman family.“
    “So, what happened there?“ Robert asked.
    “Nobody knows exactly,“ Jack said. “It’s very rocky and the tides can be vicious. Most likely the yacht just ran aground. They raised the thing later and there was a big gash alongside the keel.“
    “Uncle Horatio wasn’t much of a sailor then?“ Robert asked.
    “I don’t know. I wasn’t invited along.“ That sounded petulant and childish even to his own ears. “Who was?“ Lily asked.
    “I don’t remember all their names. Local bigwigs. Your next-door neighbor, for one.“
    “Who is our next-door neighbor?“ Robert asked.
    Jack was surprised. Jonathan Winslow was not only the richest man hereabouts, but he, his wife and his daughter were among the most socially prominent. They’d actually had foreign royalty visit any number of times in the past. He mentioned the name.
    “Do they have a daughter they call Sissy?“ Lily asked.
    “I believe so.“
    “I went to dancing classes with Sissy Winslow,“ Lily said, more to herself than to him. “And we were in the Mayflower Girls in grade school.“
    “Mayflower Girls?“ Robert asked.
    “We all had names of Mayflower people. Brewster, Bradford, Winslow, Billingslea. It was a joke. I don’t think any of us were actually descendants.”
    Jack was still hoping to get something interesting out of the Brewsters and answering their questions and listening to girlish recollections wasn’t accomplishing anything.
    “You mentioned Mrs. Prinney having made the lemonade. I understand Mr. and Mrs. Prinney have put their house up for sale. Are they living here?“
    “To our enormous pleasure, they are,“ Robert said.
    “Why is that?“
    “Because they wished to—and this house is much too big for the two of us,“ Robert replied cheerfully. He wasn’t about to mention that Mr. Prinney controlled the money and served as official watchdog on their movements.
    “How could we find out more about our uncle’s death?“ Lily came back to the subject that most interested her.
    “What’s to find out?“ Jack asked. “The boat sank. He drowned.“
    “Did anyone else drown in the accident?“ Robert asked.
    “Nope. But my editor wrote it up pretty thoroughly. You could come to Voorburg someday and take a look at the newspaper morgue.“
    “I think we’ll do that,“ Robert said.
    Jack gave him a long, appraising look. “Why are you so interested?“
    “Well, he was our great-uncle,“ Lily said. “And nobody seems to want to tell us what happened.“
    “You think there was something suspicious about the accident?“ Jack asked, his inquisitive mind making a leap.
    “Oh, no. Certainly not,“ Robert said, too heartily. “We’re just curious people.”
    Jack didn’t know whether to believe them or not. Surely Mr. Prinney had explained it all to them. But maybe not. Prinney had a reputation for complete discretion.
    Jack waited a minute, debating with himself, then said hesitantly, “I shouldn’t be the one to tell you, but I’ve heard he was murdered.”
     

Chapter 7
     
    “Murdered!“ Lily exclaimed. “By whom?”
    Jack had to admire her grammar—and her delivery. She sounded genuinely shocked.
    “I don’t know. Nobody knows. My editor handled the story himself and I never heard the details.“ That was a hard admission to make since it made him look like a mere flunky.
    “I don’t understand why Mr. Prinney didn’t tell us this,“ Robert said. “Somebody actually killed our uncle? On purpose?“
    “I couldn’t swear to the truth of it,“ Jack admitted. “But that’s what folks in town say.“
    “Who killed him?“ Lily asked.
    “Nobody knows. There are only rumors.”
    The way he was waffling made Robert suspicious. “I think you have everything you need for your interview, don’t you?“ he said pleasantly.
    Jack took the hint, stuffed