Someone to watch over me

up to you and Robert, isn’t it?”
    Lily knew she sounded prim when she said,
    “He knows much more than we do about the newspaper budget. We trust his opinion.“ We have to, she thought of saying, but bit back the words.
    “Still, I like the idea of your going,“ she went on. “Firsthand information about people the town knows is best. And I can present it more tactfully to Mr. Prinney than you can. You’d get all hot under the collar if he argued with you. I’m on my way there now; he’s working at home today. I’ll try to talk him round.”
    Jack didn’t like this, but he had to agree. “Give me a ring-a-ding here when you’re done.”
    Lily hated it when he used slang. He had such a good grasp of perfect grammar. But this was not the time to mention it. She turned coy. “I have to walk clear up the hill. It would hurry things up if you gave me a lift and hid the motorcycle until I signal.”
    Jack laughed. “You once said you’d rather walk anywhere than ride in the sidecar.“
    “A girl can change her mind, can’t she?“ she said sweetly.
    By the time they had sped up the hill, Lily felt as if half her hair had been ripped out in the wind. She must look a wreck. She tried to step gracefully from the sidecar and nearly fell out, which just made it worse. Jack parked by the gatehouse, but he couldn’t help but hear what Robert called to her as she headed for the mansion.
    “Lily, guess what we found in the old icehouse.”
    “A million dollars?“ Lily asked.
    “Nope. Guess again.“
    “Oh, Robert. You know I’ll never guess.”
    “A body.“
    “Hmm. A body of what? A possum? A fox?”
    “Lily, you’re so unimaginative. The body of a man.”
    Lily hugged herself as if protecting herself from the news. “A man? Who? Haven’t we already had enough deaths here?“
    “This isn’t a recent one. It’s more like a mummy.“
    “An old Indian or something?“
    “Not quite. A very well-dressed gentleman.“ Jack had quietly approached, and startled Lily when he said, “Where is he?“
    “Already on his way to Albany,“ Robert said.
    “Whew,“ Jack said. “I was afraid Doc Polhemus would be involved. He’s such a fool and a gossip.“ Jack was one of the people young Dr. Polhemus often brought up by name when he blathered about his wart theory, claiming he’d cured Jack and others of warts by identifying and destroying what he called the “mother“ wart. It made Jack mad to have this secret shared in public.
    “We all know that,“ Robert said. “Chief Walker took care that Dr. Polhemus didn’t know about it until he’d contacted the coroner up there. Polhemus is out of town for a couple of days and a brand-new doctor from Fishkill is filling in for him. Walker told the substitute the man could have been from anywhere. Not necessarily local. Walker asked the State of New York to step in.“
    “Lily,“ Jack said, “don’t you have something to do?“
    “What?“ she asked, still trying to absorb the bad news.
    “The Bonus March,“ Jack said. “Remember?”
    “Oh, yes.“ Lily hurried inside.
    “Do you really have no idea whose body it is?“ Jack asked, when Lily was apparently out of hearing range.
    “I’ve only lived here for a short time. And this guy’s been dead for a long time,“ Robert replied.
    “Oh, wasn’t he just a skeleton in clothing?“
    “No, I told you he was like a mummy. I guess because the old icehouse was so sturdy and well chinked.“ Robert thought for a moment. “Maybe he was put in there in very cold, dry weather and froze solid.“
    “Couldn’t anyone else identify him?“
    “There were only the Harbinger brothers helping me take down the icehouse. And—“ Robert paused, trying to think of a tactful way to explain.
    “And what?“ Jack demanded.
    “His face is unrecognizable. Hands as well. The parts of him that were exposed. Mice probably.”
    Jack turned a little bit green. “I see. Did Howard Walker have any guess how long he’d been there?“
    “Nope. I don’t know how anyone could tell. If Great-uncle Horatio was still using the icehouse, the body probably wasn’t put there until after he died. Or maybe not. Grace and Favor stood vacant for quite a while after Great-uncle Horatio died.“
    “But was it still in use when he was alive? When was the ice storage shed added to the side of the pantry?”
    Robert scratched his head. “Again, it was here when we arrived. Might have been put on years or even decades