“We broke the lock on the crypt, sir. From what I could see, everything appears in order.”

“Phew! Good to know. It would be really ghoulish if someone had broken into the mausoleum and did some mischief. So why didn’t Isaiah Pellman’s key work?”

“We don’t know. Could someone else in the family have changed the lock?”

“Not to my knowledge. I’m usually the only one who bothers to go up there . . . except for the funeral six months ago. I was up there about four months ago and everything was in perfect order.”

“Who else besides you has a key?”

“My sister . . . some of my other cousins.”

“Mr. Pellman checked the lock about four days ago and it worked. So if anyone had changed the lock, it had to have been in the last few days.”

“I assure you that none of my relatives have been up in the last few days.”

“Okay. I do have a question or two if you don’t mind my asking.”

“I’m here.”

“There are four beautiful stained-glass panels inside the crypt. The scenes look like the four seasons. I even got on a ladder and looked at the autumn panel. I found a Tiffany signature. Are they real Tiffany?”

There was a pause on the other end. “Why do you ask?”

“I’m a suspicious guy, which is a good thing for a detective. When I first talked to Isaiah Pellman, it sounded to me that someone broke the original lock on purpose. And then I saw those panels. If they’re real Tiffany, they’re worth stealing.”

“But you said everything looks in order.”

“It does.”

“So I’m confused.”

“Are the panels Tiffany?”

“Yes, and they do represent the four seasons. My grandmother commissioned them at the turn of the century.”

“Okay. It might be a good idea to send someone up here and have them authenticated. Or my partner suggested that maybe someone from one of the colleges could authenticate them with your permission, of course.”

“That’s ridiculous. Of course, they’re real!”

“I’m sure they were at one point.”

“What?” A long pause. “You think someone broke in and replaced the panels with forgeries?”

“Mr. Sobel, I’m certainly no art expert. But I did climb up on a ladder to get an up-close look. That’s how I found the Tiffany signature. And I only looked at the autumn panel, sir, so I don’t know about the others. But on that panel, someone had painted the two soldered loops on the lead frame that secures the two chains that hang from the ceiling. The loops were painted dark brown to match the patina. The paint flaked off on my hand. Did you do a repair on that work?”