As the sparse conversation around the table paused, he went on.
‘Phillip did not die at 2.30 a.m. as we first supposed,’ he said in a clear, loud voice. ‘He was killed at 12.45 a.m.’
He chose to declare a specific time instead of the usual time window for a reason. By conveying certainty and precision, the assertion he was making would have a deeper impact on those listening. As soon as he said it, he began sweeping his eyes over the faces around the table rapidly. As he had hoped, the reactions were varied. Some eyes snapped to him, while some others completely avoided him.
Closest to him on the right side, Dora dropped her spoon, which clattered to the floor. For a fleeting moment, Athreya saw dismay shrivel her face before she dived after her spoon in an effort to hide her consternation. It was obvious that she was avoiding Athreya’s eyes.
Beside her, Michelle choked on her water and burst into a fit of coughing. Even the flush the coughing had brought to her face failed to cover the gathering pallor. Her lips were already trembling violently when she let go of her glass and buried her mouth in her napkin. All the while, she had kept her gaze away from Athreya’s.
Next to her, Richie had frozen. He had been reaching for the butter dish when Athreya had dropped his bombshell. His startled eyes, now suddenly looking haunted, and remained riveted to the table. His extended arm, instead of reaching for the butter, snapped back as if it had touched fire.
Beside him was Abbas, calm and collected as ever. He betrayed nothing. Except for a momentary halting of his knife, which was cutting his omelette when Athreya spoke, he betrayed no outward sign of having received major news.
Farther up the table, and closest to Bhaskar at the other end, Varadan slowly placed his knife and fork on his plate and picked up his napkin. He dabbed his lips carefully as his glazed eyes remained fixed on the table before him. It was apparent that his lawyer brain was recalibrating events in light of the fresh evidence.
What was common between all the five people on Athreya’s right was that they were avoiding looking at him.
But it not so with the others. Bhaskar, Manu and Sebastian were staring at him across the length of the table. Bhaskar’s eyes were drilling holes into Athreya’s head. He had realized what Athreya was up to. A moment later, Bhaskar’s own gaze swept over the faces around the table.
Manu’s eyes were dancing as a smile tugged at his lips. ‘I knew it!’ the look on his face said. ‘A fresh perspective, eh?’ Sebastian’s face had a similar look to what Athreya had seen when the former had discovered that the hinges of the chapel door had been oiled. Bewilderment alongside an intense effort to comprehend the new information.
Jilsy had a horrified look on her face. Along with the horror was deep revulsion, as if she were watching a particularly revolting horror movie. So deep was the disgust that it caught Athreya unawares. In a searing flash of insight, he understood the reason behind it. All of a sudden, some of the unresolved questions in his mind found answers.
Meanwhile, beside her, Ganesh’s slow brain was just beginning to register the import of what Athreya had said. His mouth had fallen open and his uncomprehending face was turned towards Athreya.
‘12.45 a.m.?’ Bhaskar demanded from across the table. ‘Are you sure?’
Athreya nodded.
‘The police doctor called. I had asked him to perform an autopsy as soon as possible, and to examine the stomach’s contents,’ he explained, and went on to repeat what the man had said. ‘Phillip was killed between one and a half and two hours after his last meal. If dinner finished at 11 p.m., he was killed between 12.30 a.m. and 1 a.m.’
‘You asked him!’ Bhaskar growled. ‘Were you expecting this?’
Michelle, Richie and Abbas were still not looking at Athreya. Varadan was, and Dora was stealing glances at him through the corner of her eye.
‘Yes,’ Athreya said softly. ‘I was expecting it.’
‘That changes everything,’ Bhaskar said loudly. ‘If I recall correctly, many people were up and about between 12.30 a.m. and 1 a.m. Almost everyone.’
‘That’s right,’ said Athreya. ‘At least four people have acknowledged being out at that time in their testimonies. The rest of us could very easily have gone out again after retiring. I, for instance, went into my room at 11.50 p.m., and have no alibi after that. Nothing would have stopped me from sneaking out of the back door at 12.30 p.m.’
Suddenly, a choked gasp sounded from Jilsy. As he had been speaking with Bhaskar, Athreya had noticed the sickly look on Jilsy’s face going from bad to worse. By now, she had acquired a greyish pallor. She leapt to her feet, clasped her hands over her mouth and fled towards the washroom. Seconds later, faint retching sounds reached the dining room.
Dora threw a distressed glance at Athreya and went after Jilsy. A few long moments later, Ganesh excused himself, rose to his feet and left the dining room.
Neither Richie nor Michelle finished their breakfast, and Abbas seemed to have suddenly lost his appetite. Varadan was once again looking at Athreya disapprovingly; just as he had done the previous morning when Athreya had announced that there had been a murder and had led people to believe that Bhaskar had been killed.
Bhaskar and Manu entered into an animated discussion about what the new development meant, while Sebastian listened, contributing from time to time. Without meeting Athreya’s eye, Michelle mumbled an apology and rose. Richie was quick to follow, but without an apology.
‘Mr Athreya,’ Varadan said severely. He was visibly angry now. ‘What have you achieved by this needless melodrama? I suspect you planned this one too, as you had planned the previous one. And you chose to speak of the
