‘Do you think I was unjustified in what I did, Mr Athreya?’ she asked.
‘Not really,’ Athreya replied, picking his words carefully. ‘Being under a cloud of suspicion is never a pleasant thing. It gnaws away at you, makes you tense and makes you irritable. People in situations like yours have said worse things than you did today.’
‘I couldn’t stand what Uncle’s words implicitly conveyed. They were too hurtful.’
‘That, I cannot argue with. The implications were clear. You had the courage to call it out. The others didn’t.’
‘Do you think they have something to hide?’
Athreya let out a long sigh.
‘There were thirteen at dinner that night,’ he said. ‘One died. That leaves a dozen of us. Most of the dozen have something to hide. They have either lied or are withholding information.’
‘Mr Athreya,’ Dora said slowly. ‘You do realize the implications of what you are saying, don’t you?’
Athreya turned to face her.
‘I do, Dora,’ he said equally slowly. ‘And I hope you do too.’
Dora remained silent. When she didn’t speak for a full minute, Athreya went on gently.
‘The time for hiding things is past. You do everyone more harm by hiding things. But, most of all, you harm yourself.’
Dora remained silent, neither acknowledging Athreya’s allegation nor denying it.
‘It is about what you heard and saw after you retired that night, isn’t it?’ Athreya continued, staring at the stream along with Dora. ‘You had heard the sound of two doors opening. One was Michelle’s. But you know about the other one too. That’s what you are hiding. Did you also see him go down the stairs?’
‘Yes …’ Dora whispered through a choked throat. ‘Yes.’
‘It must have been between 12.50 a.m. and 1 a.m. Am I right?’
Dora nodded again, and slowly turned her face to Athreya.
‘What would you do in my place, Mr Athreya?’ she croaked. ‘He is my brother.’
‘You can’t shield Richie forever, Dora. I have one more question to ask you. You remember Thursday evening, the first dinner I had here? Richie came in late?’
She nodded.
‘There was a sudden silence when he came in, and tears came to your eyes. I think I know the reason for it. Will you confirm it for me?’
16
Father Tobias was true to his word. After completing the morning service at his church, he had come down to Greybrooke Manor. When Athreya and Dora returned to the mansion, they saw him in the drawing room, talking to Bhaskar and Sebastian. They were discussing details of the memorial service that was to be held that evening. Sebastian was making a list of people to call.
‘Would you like to call Mrs Carvallo?’ Athreya asked. ‘Phillip’s housekeeper.’
‘Of course,’ Sebastian nodded and made a note. ‘I believe she works at the resort. She was fond of him and kept a tidy house, despite Phillip’s idiosyncrasies.’
‘Idiosyncrasies?’
‘The painter in him really messed up the house, you know,’ Sebastian said with a slight smile. ‘You must see the room he used as his painting studio. There are so many spills and blotches of paint on the rug that you can’t make out its original colour. Phillip would leave paints, canvases, brushes and all sorts of things all over the place. If Mrs Carvallo didn’t come one day, you could make it out from the state of his house.’
‘A bit of a dreamy man, Phillip,’ Father Tobias agreed, no less absent-minded himself. ‘Forgetful and erratic in his habits. But he was kind and generous. Always willing to help out his fellow men. The few times he did come to the church, he would always drop something into the collection box.’
‘Have the police traced his sister?’ Athreya asked. ‘Jilsy said he had a sister in Pune.’
‘I believe so,’ the priest nodded. ‘They found her phone number on his mobile phone, the inspector told me. He had come to ask me if I knew her, and if I could break the sad news to her. Unfortunately, I don’t know her. It’s always such a shock to receive such news. Especially over the phone.’
‘They got her address from her letters they found in his house,’ Sebastian added. ‘Muthu was thoughtful enough to have a local policeman deliver the news to her husband. I believe they are coming here tomorrow.’
‘Ah! That’s good.’ Father Tobias bobbed his head in a relieved manner. ‘There is the matter of his interment. They will have to decide where to bury him.’
The cleric glanced at Bhaskar, but Bhaskar ignored him and remained steadfastly silent. Was Father Tobias expecting Bhaskar to offer the family cemetery to a friend?
‘That’s, of course, for the family to decide,’ the priest went on after a brief pause. ‘I hope they have the money.’
‘I believe the police found a fair bit of cash in Phillip’s house,’ Sebastian clarified. ‘I’ve seen Phillip deal only in cash. I don’t know if he had a bank account. I’ve never known him to go to a bank in Coonoor, but he used to pay his rent promptly. Always in cash.’
Athreya wondered what Phillip’s source of income had been. Was it only the money he had saved in Austria, or did he have a local source too? He must have invested his savings somewhere. He made a mental note to ask Inspector Muthu about it. On a day-to-day level, how had Phillip replenished his cash supply if he was not in the habit of going to a bank?
The discussion went on to the details of the memorial service that was to be held in the chapel that evening. Dora became involved in the discussion, and Athreya, finding that he couldn’t contribute, decided to keep out of the way of those who were organizing it.
He had not completed his examination of the chapel, but there was no chance of continuing it today. He would have to do it tomorrow morning, when the rest of the household was asleep. He had confronted Michelle and Dora
