‘Yes, sir.’
‘I hope someone is dusting the chapel for prints? Make sure they pay close attention to the wheelchair and the altar. We need to dust every square inch of the wheelchair and identify every print on it, full or partial, clear or smudged.’
‘Leave it to me, sir. If you’ll come with me for a moment, I’ll take your prints.’
‘Oh, Inspector Muthu,’ Athreya said as he turned to go with the fingerprinting man, ‘I need to go out for an hour or so. I will report to you as soon as I return.’
Leaving a baffled Muthu behind, they went into the mansion. Fifteen minutes later, Athreya was being driven by Dora to Father Tobias’s church. They found the cleric fussing over his altar and preparing it for the next morning’s service.
‘Ah!’ he said as he straightened up and peered myopically at the newcomers. ‘Hello, Dora. Welcome, sir.’ He didn’t seem to recognize Athreya.
‘We met last night at Greybrooke Manor,’ Athreya reminded him.
‘Yes, of course! Mr Athreya, isn’t it? Welcome, sir.’
After greeting the priest, Dora had gone straight to the altar, before which she knelt and offered silent prayers. Watching her, Father Tobias seemed to sense that something was amiss.
‘What is it?’ he asked Athreya softly. ‘Something is troubling the child.’
‘Mr Phillip has been killed,’ Athreya replied. ‘In the chapel.’
Father Tobias blinked and stared at Athreya. He remained silent for a long moment and then nodded slowly.
‘He died under Christ’s eyes,’ he mumbled, referring to the mural in the chapel. ‘He is blessed. Excuse me.’
He went to the altar, where he knelt and removed his glasses. He closed his eyes, bowed his head and concentrated hard on a long silent prayer. Only his lips moved. Minutes passed, during which Dora completed her prayer and rose. As they watched Father Tobias silently, a solitary tear dropped from his eye to the ground. With that, he rose and wore his glasses again.
‘A prayer for Phillip’s soul,’ he explained softly. ‘The best prayer is one that comes from the heart and brings tears. The pain that Phillip must have suffered before his death deserved a tear.’
‘Pain?’ Dora asked.
‘Death is often painful, my child, even if the suffering lasts for a brief time. Unless one passes away in their sleep, of course. Phillip must have endured pain for a few moments.’
‘I have two requests for you, Father,’ Athreya interposed softly. ‘We need your help.’
‘At your service, Mr Athreya. What can I do for you and the stricken household at Greybrooke Manor?’
‘Phillip was killed sometime during the night, and I am making enquiries to see if we can find anything that points to how and why he was killed. I have spoken to everyone at the mansion, and I thought I must speak to you too.’
‘Certainly.’ Father Tobias blinked rapidly, and gazed at him with muddled benevolence. ‘How can I help?’
‘You spent the night at the annex. Did you happen to hear or see anything during the night that might help us understand this crime?’
The cleric bowed his head and stayed silent for a long moment, trying to remember.
‘Sebastian very kindly showed me to my room after dinner,’ he said slowly, at length. ‘Once there, I removed my cassock, washed and said my thanks for the night before retiring to bed. One of the blessings I enjoy is that of deep, undisturbed sleep. I slept soundly till about five in the morning, when I rose out of habit, said my prayers and left the estate.
‘Unfortunately, I didn’t hear anything during the night, neither from the chapel nor elsewhere. Poor Phillip. He must have had no time to shout. I’m sorry, Mr Athreya, I wish I had some information that could throw light on this tragedy. But don’t be disheartened. Our prayers will be answered, and light will dawn on this affair.’
‘Did you see or hear anyone when you left early in the morning, Father?’
‘Only Bahadur at the gate. Nobody else.’
‘Did you hear any voices or sounds from the rose garden or the rock garden?’
Father Tobias shook his head slowly.
‘Did you pass anyone on the road?’
‘No … It was still dark when I left. The few people who might have been about at that time would have been in their houses that day. It had been an unusually murky night.’
‘It was,’ Athreya agreed. ‘And you had lost your way until you saw the lights of Greybrooke Manor. Did you pass anyone or hear any voices when you were approaching the estate?’
‘Once again, I am forced to answer in the negative. I’m sorry; I can’t throw any light on this tragedy. But, as I said, the Lord will show the way, don’t fret. Light will shine on the misdeeds of men. All will be revealed.’
‘Thank you, Father,’ Athreya replied with a bowed head. ‘With your blessings, I’m sure it will. My other request is to ask you if you recognize any of these things.’
Athreya opened a cardboard shoebox with a number of items and showed it to the cleric. On top was a dark-blue silk scarf, which Father Tobias picked up and examined.
‘No,’ he said. ‘I don’t recognize it.’
He dropped the scarf into the lid of the shoebox and picked up the next item. It was a silver cigar case with intricate carvings depicting the three kings visiting the infant Jesus on the night of His birth. The gleaming silver box was coated with clear lacquer to keep it from tarnishing.
‘Ah!’ the cleric exclaimed, as he picked it up appreciatively and opened it. ‘A beautiful piece! This is from Mr Fernandez’s collection, isn’t it?’
‘Are you sure, Father?’
‘Yes … I’ve seen it in the display case next to the dining room door. And this next one …’ He dropped the silver box and picked up a glass paperweight. ‘… is from Mr Fernandez’s study.’
The paperweight had small purplish bubbles frozen in the glass, and at
