[acidx]

If I understood this comment correctly, this approach wouldn't work with a single possible tombstone value.

If the table has, for instance, a tophashes array that looks something like VVVVVVdVVVV, where "V" is any value, and "d" is a deleted item, you can't stop looking after the "d" value -- as your item might be there.

[teo_zero]

A tombstone must be distinct from an empty element. In your example, you wouldn't stop at "d" because you haven't found an empty yet.