Death in Ecstasy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Chosen vessel

The Church of the Sacred Flame was some kind of religious organization with vague beliefs and history. To Alleyn, Fox and Bathgate, it was an obvious scheme to swindle wealthy gullible patrons out of their money. Cara Quayne was the richest among the patrons and Father Garnette chose her to be the Chosen Vessel, a position of some note.

During the ceremony, Miss Quayne drinks from the sacred chalice and promptly falls dead from cyanide poisoning.

Answer: Samuel Ogden

When Alleyn inspected the chalice, he discovered a small, crumpled piece of paper that he suspected someone dropped into the chalice to dump the poison. He immediately found this revealing because everyone who participated in the ceremony (except for the two acolytes and Father Garnette) drank from the cup without being poisoned. Although he does not say so right away, Alleyn suspected Samuel Ogden because he was the last to drink the cup before Cara Quayne. However, Father Garnette and the acolytes also handled the cup before Miss Quayne drank from it.

The order the cup was passed around is as follows: Father Garnette (who did not drink from it), Dagmar Condour, M. de Ravigne, Ernestine Wade, Maurice Pringle, Janey Jenkins and Samuel Ogden. Ogden returned the cup to Father Garnette who then passed it on to the Chosen Vessel, Cara Quayne.

Answer: The Church of the Sacred Flame

While Miss Quayne's nannie, Father Garnette and her former paramour Raoul de Ravigne did inherit, she left the majority of her estate to the church itself. Alleyn found this peculiar and visited Miss Quayne's lawyer who informed Alleyn he tried to persuade his client not to do this. Miss Quayne previously donated large sums of money to the church in various forms.

Answer: In Father Garnette's chambers

On a shelf in Father Garnette's private chambers, Alleyn discovered a book that, among other things, describe an easy process to manufacture cyanide poisoning. The book opened directly to this page, meaning it had been opened to that section many times before. Mr. Ogden claimed the book as his own but said it disappeared after he showed it to his fellow church patrons.

Answer: The Church of the Sacred Flame Temple

In the days before her death, Miss Quayne seemed troubled by something. Her former nannie (who was now her housekeeper) disapproved of Miss Quayne's association with the Church of the Sacred Flame. She followed her employer that afternoon to the temple.

Meanwhile, Miss Wade was in the temple's meditation room when an argument disrupted her. She told Alleyn she overheard Cara Quayne tell someone "I don't believe you are speaking the truth and I shall tell dear Father Garnette what you have done."

Answer: Maurice Pringle

Maurice Pringle was known for being a "nervous" young man. Miss Wade described him as trembling when he took the sacred cup from her and he otherwise had a predisposition to be jumpy. Alleyn suspected this instantly and Janey Jenkins, who was engaged to Maurice, all but confirmed this. Janey, while a member of the Church of the Sacred Flame, only attended the services to watch Maurice.

She suspected Father Garnette was somehow responsible for Maurice's addiction.

Answer: Cut-up newspaper

Father Garnette kept bonds Miss Quayne donated to the church in the safe. However after the murder, Alleyn, Fox and Bathgate discovered nothing but cut-up pieces of newspaper where the bonds should have been.

Answer: Dagmar Condour

Mr. Ogden, by far and away, had the largest stake in the church. He was a millionaire who funded a number of large projects. Ogden willingly admits his stake in the Church of the Sacred Flame. In addition, M. de Ravigne was also a founder and donated a much smaller amount of capital and thus had a much smaller stake. Father Garnette earned 20% of the profits but did not put up any capital.

Answer: Because she knew he was stealing from the church

Cara Quayne was already suspicious of Mr. Ogden and on the afternoon she was murdered, she walked in on Ogden stealing the bonds she donated. She threatened to expose him to Father Garnette. While Miss Quayne believed the priest was genuine, he was actually a partner in the scam with Ogden. Because Ogden stole from the church funds, it reduced Garnette's profit. Ogden already decided to murder Miss Quayne before this incident to claim the money she left the church and this only solidified his decision.

Alleyn suspected Ogden early because he was the last person to handle the cup (besides Father Garnette who did not drink from it) before Cara Quayne. He slipped a piece of paper containing the cyanide into the cup after he drank from. Alleyn believed the other guests could have poisoned the chalice without killing anyone else because the paper would take a minute to dissolve but he didn't believe any of them would have taken that chance.

Answer: Australia

Ogden masqueraded as an American for the vast majority of the novel. However, he was actually an Australian wanted for his part in the drug trade and a previous homicide. Alleyn noticed Ogden frequently spoke in over-the-top American idioms that seemed very unnatural. Although he did have businesses in the States, this was all a ruse to cover his true nationality.