diff --git a/tests/normalizing_reader.cc b/tests/normalizing_reader.cc
index 3952176e56..fb8c3f0a72 100644
--- a/tests/normalizing_reader.cc
+++ b/tests/normalizing_reader.cc
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ future<> normalizing_reader::fill_buffer(db::timeout_clock::time_point timeout)
     return do_until([this] { return is_buffer_full() || is_end_of_stream(); }, [this, timeout] {
         return _rd.fill_buffer(timeout).then([this] {
             position_in_partition::less_compare less{*_rd.schema()};
-            position_in_partition::equal_compare eq{*_rd.schema()};
             while (!_rd.is_buffer_empty()) {
                 auto mf = _rd.pop_mutation_fragment();
                 if (mf.is_end_of_partition()) {
@@ -43,23 +42,16 @@ future<> normalizing_reader::fill_buffer(db::timeout_clock::time_point timeout)
                     _range_tombstones.apply(std::move(mf).as_range_tombstone());
                     continue;
                 } else if (mf.is_clustering_row()) {
-                    const clustering_row& cr = mf.as_clustering_row();
-                    auto ck = cr.key();
-                    auto end_kind = clustering_key::make_full(*_schema, ck) ? bound_kind::excl_end : bound_kind::incl_end;
+                    auto ck = mf.as_clustering_row().key();
+                    clustering_key::make_full(*_rd.schema(), ck);
+                    auto after_pos = position_in_partition::after_key(ck);
                     while (auto mfo = _range_tombstones.get_next(mf)) {
                         range_tombstone&& rt = std::move(*mfo).as_range_tombstone();
-                        if (less(rt.end_position(), cr.position())
-                            || eq(rt.end_position(), position_in_partition::after_key(ck))) {
+                        if (!less(after_pos, rt.end_position())) {
                             push_mutation_fragment(std::move(rt));
                         } else {
-                            push_mutation_fragment(range_tombstone{
-                                    rt.start_bound(),
-                                    bound_view{ck, end_kind},
-                                    rt.tomb});
-
-                            rt.trim_front(*_rd.schema(), position_in_partition::after_key(ck));
-                            _range_tombstones.apply(std::move(rt));
-                            break;
+                            push_mutation_fragment(range_tombstone{rt.position(), after_pos, rt.tomb});
+                            _range_tombstones.apply(range_tombstone{after_pos, rt.end_position(), rt.tomb});
                         }
                     }
                 }