Antiques Carry On by Barbara Allan

Author:Barbara Allan [Barbara Allan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Severn House
Published: 2021-03-09T22:00:00+00:00

I commented, ‘So you’re limiting the suspects only to people who were at the tag sale.’

Mother nodded. ‘Because Tiffany was almost certainly killed by a slow-acting poison administered during that period of time.’

‘Possibly slow acting,’ I corrected, then raised a finger as if testing wind direction (though in the case of a hot wind, it always came from Mother’s direction). ‘We don’t have the autopsy results yet. And what if a fast-acting poison had been waiting for Tiffany in that coffin?’

Mother’s jaw dropped. ‘That hadn’t occurred to me. Good thinking, dear!’

Suddenly I’d been promoted to the top of the class! Of course, my only fellow student was Sushi.

‘But,’ Mother said, ‘how would that poison have been administered? Surely not by mouth!’

‘Something within the coffin that she might inhale?’

Mother was nodding. ‘Possibly. Possibly.’

‘Or she took it herself by mouth. Something she had with her. The lozenge we postulated.’

Her eyebrows had climbed above her glasses. ‘A suicide?’

‘A suicide in that case, yes. We don’t know enough about Tiffany and her private life to determine whether she had a motive to take her own life. But we can’t rule it out.’

Mother began pacing again. ‘Let’s explore the notion that the poison, however it was administered, was waiting in that coffin.’

‘OK.’ I was all for that. I mean, it was my theory.

‘Since Tiffany arrived late to the session,’ Mother said, ‘after the other coffins had already been assigned, by way of participant photos … the one coffin remaining, sans photo, was obviously reserved for the murder victim.’

‘But who would have had access to the coffins before the class?’

Mother thought for a moment. ‘Well, naturally, Tilda herself, who set them up in the crematorium room. And, I suppose, any one of the attendees could have snuck inside the crematorium before going into the meeting room.’

I raised a ‘stop’ palm. ‘You’re forgetting Mr Dunn, who provided the coffins.’

Mother made a face as if smelling spoiled milk. ‘Nonsense. Ned Dunn had no motive for dispatching Tiffany.’

‘How can you say that? How much do you really know about the man? And Tiffany’s life remains largely a mystery.’

Mother put hands on hips. ‘Are you trying to be difficult?’

‘No,’ I replied. ‘But what about this scenario: daughter visits mother, there’s a heated argument, and Tiffany pushes Ruth down the stairs. The police see it as an accident, but Dunn thinks the death looks suspicious. He confronts Tiffany, she offers him a bribe, and, in need of cash for his business, Dunn takes it. Later he regrets having done so – realizing Tiffany has made him an accessory to murder. Then along comes Tilda, asking to use his facility for her “Appreciating Life Through Death” session, and when Dunn realizes Tiffany is attending – maybe even as late as when she walks in the door, presenting the opportunity – he takes advantage of the situation while everyone is in the meeting room.’

‘Taking advantage how?’ Mother asked.

‘Don’t you think a funeral director would have something lying around that could be lethal if

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