CHAPTER 12
Michael Sweeney was a man of many talents and multiple occupations. In a village the size of Olney that was often a necessity, and even more so in Sweeney’s case. As the village undertaker his services were not exactly in constant demand, so he also earned a living as a stonemason, and as a gardener and part-time florist. Therefore, when it came to funerals Michael Sweeney pretty much had the market cornered in many respects. His gardening enterprise brought in a steady enough income, as many of the elderly residents of the village were only too happy to pay a reasonable regular sum to keep their cottage gardens looking good, and Sweeney was naturally green-fingered. At the age of forty, life tasted good to Michael Sweeney and he enjoyed the slow pace of life in Olney, having l
