Answers

When Liv told her of Old Kohler's death again, Neph showed none of her earlier odd behavior. Instead, she asked in surprise, "He died?"

"Yes-" Liv nodded.

Neph frowned with the ordinary concern of someone hearing that a stranger had died. "Oh dear-how am I supposed to tell Sherlock? Hmm-right, Old Kohler didn't have any other family, did he?"

Liv nodded again, and Neph pretended to think before asking, "Hmm-do you know where we can collect his body?"

A look of surprise and understanding appeared on Liv's face. "Are you going to arrange Old Kohler's burial?"

Neph nodded slightly and ventured, "I wonder whether burial plots are expensive in this era-"

Her choice of words was a little strange, but Liv thought nothing of it and replied naturally, "That depends on where you bury him.

"For unclaimed bodies, factory owners with a little conscience will buy a communal grave in the suburbs and bury them together. It costs only two pounds for twenty or thirty people.

"Individual graves in the suburbs cost a little more. That's what we usually choose, and they generally cost less than five pounds. In the city, the price varies by district.

"The Church of Evernight provides a basic Requiem free of charge, so there's no extra expense for that. Of course, cremation is another option. Besides that, a coffin and a headstone will cost some money-"

Liv gave her a rough rundown of funeral expenses while cautiously watching Neph's expression. Only when she saw that Neph looked relaxed did she feel reassured. Neph noticed that Liv mentioned only the cheapest one or two options for each item. For burial plots, for instance, she never explained how much a grave in the city would cost.

Even added together, the prices she quoted did not amount to