Someone to watch over me

the library this afternoon? Let’s go home and put on the worst clothes we have. It’s grim in that basement.“
    “Good idea. And I’ve got books to return. Don’t let me forget to take them along.”

    Hours later they were about to give up. They were hot and gritty with dust in their hair and newsprint ink all over their hands. They’d gone through all the 1926 newspapers they could locate and found no mention at all of Dr. Oggleton. Lily was picking through the last mangled paper when she said, “Oh, here’s something about a VanZillen. Wasn’t that one of your names?“
    “What is it?“ Robert said, wiping his brow and getting a black streak on his forehead.
    “A notice of a memorial service for a Captain VanZillen that had already occurred the week before. It lists his military credits, where he served, and says he died when a ferry crossing the Mississippi capsized during a flood the month before. Nearly sixty people died and were washed away. The service was private,“ she said, skimming the article. “A Reverend Hale gave the sermon—that must have been before the Rismillers came here. Oh, and the eulogy was by Henry White. That must be Edith’s husband. Nothing else of note.“
    “What was the date?“ Robert asked.
    Lily flipped the tattered newspaper around. “First week of August. May we go home now?
    I’m longing for a shower and clean clothes, and it’s almost dinnertime.“
    “I can’t do much more about my mystery mummy until the other vets get back in town. Might as well put him on the back burner for a while. Are you getting more books before we go?“
    “I’m much too dirty to touch a book. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

    It wasn’t until another three days had passed that Lily had her idea. She thought it was so absurd and unpleasant that she couldn’t think of telling anyone and merely said she had some shopping to do in the city and took the 10 A.M. train. One of her suspicions was verified at the New York Public Library. She needed to find out a few more things, and it was going to require getting a permanent wave. If she was right, it would break her heart, but she’d have to tell Howard Walker.
    Meanwhile, Robert was also troubled by something that kept nagging at the back of his mind. He couldn’t bring himself to mention it to Lily until he knew more. He hunted down the girl band, which wasn’t easy, as they’d moved out of Voorburg and gone to Poughkeepsie, where there were more places where they could perform. When he ran them down at last, he had two questions for Judy, their leader.
    “My sister told me about the man who was watching you ladies bathe in a creek. She said he talked to you as if you were prostitutes.“
    “Unfortunately, he did. It was most insulting. Especially when that woman in the tight red dress who hangs out on the street in Voorburg really is one,“ Judy said.
    “I’ve got another personal question to ask you. I hope you’ll answer. It might solve a murder.”
    Her reply was what he’d feared he’d hear. He went looking for Chief Walker and laid out his theory, which made him sad. He hoped Walker could confirm that he was wrong, but it was out of his hands.
    Lily was forced to get her hair done again. She endured the permanent wave curlers and the scary electrical gadget. Afterward, while Nina was trying to get a comb through the result, Lily asked if she knew who Edith White’s first husband was. Edith had only referred to him as Bernard in her hearing. Lily got the reply she expected and, with her hair fried to a crisp, reported everything she’d learned to Walker, two hours later.
    He stared at her hair, horrified, the whole time she spoke.
    When she got home, Mrs. Prinney was equally appalled at Lily’s appearance and made her wash her hair twice, put glops of mayonnaise on it, and wrap a steaming hot towel around her head for half an hour. It helped a little.
    Two days later, when Howard Walker had done his best to organize and double-check the information he’d gotten from both the Brewsters, he called Grace and Favor in the morning and asked for Robert.
    “We’ve got a long day ahead of us. I need you and Lily to go along with me to make a couple of arrests. I’m taking Harry Harbinger instead of Ralph, and I’d like you and Lily to meet me at ten o’clock.”
    Robert parked the Duesie at the bottom of the Andersons’ drive, just out of sight of the house. Walker arrived a few minutes later, and they squeezed