‘Ever accosted him, Sebastian?’ Dora asked impishly. ‘You are the most fearless of us all, except perhaps Uncle.’
‘No, Dora,’ said Sebastian, smiling indulgently. ‘Perhaps I should do that one of these days.’
‘Don’t mess with things that don’t concern you, Sebastian,’ Bhaskar growled. ‘Let sleeping dogs lie. Of course, if he comes into Greybrooke Manor, kill him.’
‘Kill a ghost, Uncle?’ Dora laughed. ‘How?’
‘With a silver cross and a stake through the heart,’ Manu retorted irreverently, with a wide grin. ‘Don’t you know? That’s what they do in horror books. Sure-shot way to slay ghouls, vampires and werewolves.’
‘Stop it, you two!’ Michelle barked, and pointed with her eyes to Jilsy. ‘Can’t you see she is scared?’ Michelle herself seemed a shade paler.
‘Ha, ha!’ Ganesh guffawed and threw his bearlike arm around his wife’s slim shoulders. ‘Don’t worry, my dear. Nothing can touch you when I am around.’ He pulled her close and gave her a squeeze that made her gasp. ‘Neither Parker nor anything else.’
‘Don’t take this lightly, Ganesh,’ Abbas warned with a seriousness that surprised Athreya. ‘And you too, Manu and Dora. You don’t know what you are talking about–’
A terrific crash of thunder sounded overhead, vibrating around the room. Simultaneously, a bright rod of lightning fell outside the French windows. It seared the valley with a momentary brilliance that hurt the eye, making everyone in the room wince.
When they recovered from the intense flash, they found themselves plunged in impenetrable darkness. All the lights in the drawing room and the hall outside had gone off. The few lights that had illuminated the walkway between the mansion and the annex were also off. Night invaded the drawing room through the open French windows.
Someone whimpered in the darkness. A sharp intake of breath followed the sound. Silence fell.
Athreya felt his senses suddenly sharpen as if he was expecting something to happen. His imagination took flight. He thought he heard a soft moan and a rustling sound coming from his right. He tried to recall which direction he had been facing when the lights had gone out, but couldn’t remember.
He turned his face towards the direction from which the rustling sound had come. Another flash of lightning lit up the mist outside, and he found himself looking directly at the French windows at the far end of the room.
Framed against the lightning’s blaze was a figure clad in a shapeless, hooded robe that covered it from head to toe. Two billowing arms were outstretched on either side to touch the frame of the French windows.
In its left hand was something long and slender.
Jilsy screamed. Someone dropped a glass. Several gasps sounded. The person behind Athreya drew his breath sharply. A faint glow sprang up from the wheelchair’s touchscreen console, showing Bhaskar’s keen face in sharp relief, hunched forward and peering through the darkness at the French windows. The glow also fell on Bhaskar’s right hand.
In it was a handgun.
Another flash from the heavens lit up the room, showing that the robed silhouette had come in a pace or two. Its arms were still outstretched. A new voice, hoarse and quivering, took a name.
‘Bhaskar!’ it said.
Jilsy screamed again, and, in the glow from the wheelchair’s console, Athreya saw Sebastian move swiftly and pick up something.
The next moment, the lights came on. Murugan had started the generator. Two steps away from the French windows stood the robed figure, clad in black from head to toe and clutching a cane walking stick. The hood fell away to reveal a bald pate and a smooth face wearing glasses. The eyes behind the glasses blinked rapidly in response to the sudden light.
‘Father Tobias!’ Manu exclaimed and strode forward towards the newcomer. ‘What are you doing outside on such a night?’
Behind him, Jilsy collapsed into the nearest chair with a soft moan of relief. Michelle, her face as white as a sheet, had both her hands covering her mouth in terror. Her glass lay in two pieces at her feet.
Sebastian, who had been standing behind Bhaskar when the lights went out, was now beside him. In his hand was a heavy brass candlestick from the nearby mantelpiece. He now moved swiftly to return it to its place. The others hadn’t moved, save Bhaskar, whose right hand was disappearing under the bright red-and-green woollen blanket covering his knees. He was putting away his automatic.
‘Oh, I’m so sorry to barge in, Manu,’ the priest said, smiling ruefully. ‘I got lost in this blessed fog and didn’t know where I was until I saw your lights from a distance and came here. I hope you don’t mind.’ His timid gaze flickered across the room. ‘Oh dear, I seem to have startled you. I’m so sorry.’
‘No harm done, Reverend.’ Bhaskar immediately took charge. ‘The ladies got a bit of a shock, but nothing a stiff drink can’t remedy. Pity you don’t take an occasional drink yourself. This is the perfect night for one. Anyway, come in and warm yourself.’
‘Would you like some hot tea, Father?’ Dora asked, stepping forward. She had collected the shards of Michelle’s broken glass from the floor and handed them over to Murugan, who had come in with a mop to clean the mess.
‘Bless you, Dora. Yes, I could do with some tea. If you don’t mind, that is. I don’t want to trouble you.’
‘No trouble at all, Father. I’ll be back in a jiffy.’
The priest shook out his cassock and picked up the two leaves that fell from it. He looked around apologetically and nodded his head in silent greeting at each person.
‘I seem to have gate-crashed this party. My profound apologies. Please, please don’t let me interrupt you.’
‘Join the party, Reverend,’ Bhaskar boomed. ‘You are always welcome at Greybrooke Manor, party or not. Come and rest your feet. You must have been on them for a while.’
‘For a couple of hours.’ The cleric lowered himself into a chair that Sebastian brought for him. ‘Good evening, Sebastian, Phillip, Major.’
‘This
