Bhaskar’s eyes flew open, and he sat up straight.
‘That’s right!’ he hissed. ‘Remember I told you that it looked vaguely familiar? That’s it! Manu has hit the nail on the head. The dagger you found in the stream looks very similar to the one the intruder had dropped.’
‘Are you sure, Mr Fernandez?’
‘Hmm … Am I sure?’ Bhaskar frowned deeply. ‘I think so. But will I swear to it? Probably not. You see, we didn’t pay much attention to the dagger that day. Murugan picked it up, and by the time we realized it, many sets of fingerprints were all over it. But after that day, I haven’t seen it. It’s been a while now, and I can’t be sure if this is the same dagger.’
‘Where was it kept after that day? Do you remember?’
‘I’m afraid not. Perhaps Murugan will know.’
He reached out and pressed the button of a portable bell. Somewhere deep in the mansion a bell chirped. A minute later the door opened and Murugan came in.
‘Yes, sir?’ he asked.
Bhaskar asked him about the dagger the intruder had dropped.
‘I remember putting it in the top drawer of the table that stands in the hall,’ he said slowly. ‘That was soon after I had picked it up and everyone had examined it. I didn’t see it after that.’
‘Go check the drawer, Murugan,’ Bhaskar growled. ‘See if it is still there.’
Less than a minute later, Murugan was back, shaking his head. Sebastian trailed in behind him.
‘No, sir. It isn’t there.’
‘Was that the last time you saw it, Murugan?’ Bhaskar asked. ‘When you put it in the drawer?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Murugan had paled. He seemed to have made the connection. ‘The dagger that was found today, sir … it looks very similar to that one.’
‘Could it be the same dagger?’
Murugan nodded silently.
‘I think so too,’ Sebastian added quietly. ‘Murugan is right. We put it in the drawer and forgot about it.’
‘Then,’ Athreya said, ‘anyone could have taken it, I suppose?’
‘Yes.’
‘Who all were at the mansion when the intruder broke in?’
‘Mr Fernandez, Manu and Mr Phillip. Apart from Murugan, the staff and me. Richie and Dora came the next day.’
‘And when did this intruder break in?’
‘Let’s see … About three months ago.’
‘There is something I haven’t told you about the intruder,’ Bhaskar said slowly. ‘When I described the man, Inspector Muthu seemed to recognize him. The intruder was a short, wiry man who moved about very rapidly and belligerently. I didn’t see his face, but his mannerisms reminded me of a small, pugnacious street dog.’
Something stirred at the back of Athreya’s mind. Bhaskar’s description had reminded him of something he had heard recently. Very recently.
‘But we kept the description of the intruder a secret. Muthu’s boss–the assistant commissioner of police–had said that there was a known offender of that description who prowled across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Once every few months, he said, he was seen in these parts. They would apprehend him the next time they came across him. They wanted to question him on one or two other matters too. It was best not to put him on his guard by letting his description out.’
‘The ACP also said that this offender had a nickname,’ Sebastian added. ‘I don’t remember what it was.’
‘Mongrel,’ Bhaskar filled in. ‘He is known as the mongrel.’
The penny dropped in Athreya’s mind–that was the term Mrs Carvallo had used! She had said that someone had overheard Phillip call someone a mongrel.
Before he could voice his thought, the library door flew open and Inspector Muthu walked in. He seemed pleased with himself, and was bursting to share some news.
‘Guess whom we found at the Misty Valley Resort?’ he asked. ‘The mongrel! He was hanging around with Ismail, one of the resort staff.’ His face split into a wide grin as he regarded Bhaskar and Sebastian. ‘And you know what? His left thigh has a recent bullet wound.’
‘Who is this mongrel, Inspector?’ Athreya asked.
‘He is many things, sir.’ Athreya noticed the change in how the inspector was addressing him. ‘We don’t have proof to nail him, but we know that he is a thief. And, more importantly, he is a blade for hire.’
‘Then,’ Sebastian said his eyes ablaze with fury, ‘anyone could have hired him to kill Mr Fernandez. Anyone.’
Meanwhile, as Athreya was talking to Bhaskar, Dora had gone to the service area adjoining the kitchen to carry out the assignment Athreya had given her. This was the time when a lot of the ironing would be done. While the cook and her girls were busy preparing dinner in the kitchen, the boys would be busy ironing clothes in the service area. A perfect time to do a little snooping.
She sauntered into the kitchen as she often did, and began chatting with the staff. She was very well liked by them, and they took the liberty to joke with her in a way they did with none of the other residents.
As she chatted with them, she found her way to the service area where two boys were ironing clothes. They had just begun and were indulging in small talk to lighten their chore. She joined in as they talked about daggers in general and the one they had retrieved from the stream in particular. One of them was talking about how tribals around his village made their own weapons for hunting, including daggers, bows and arrows.
Keeping up the banter, Dora went through the heap of un-ironed clothes, looking for something made of thickish dark-blue cloth. She found three candidates, and picked up each of them in turn and held them up to study the fabric.
Unsure, she dropped them and sauntered away, pushing her hands into her pockets. From her left pocket, she pulled out the scrap of cloth Athreya had given her and studied it. She put it back in her pocket and ambled back to the pile of clothes. Athreya had told her to identify the
