‘The mongrel’s offer is simple. If I agree to not identify him, he will tell me who commissioned him.’
‘Cunning!’ Athreya said. ‘He may look an ordinary ruffian, but he is no fool. I take it that Muthu got no whiff of this offer?’
‘None. He is playing it by the book. He insists that I should identify the mongrel only in a line-up, as mandated by law. That way, the identification will be watertight. He could easily have brought the mongrel here for me to identify, at least informally. But that might play into the hands of a smart defence lawyer.’
‘Muthu is playing his hand well. I wonder how convinced he is that the mongrel killed Phillip.’
‘You don’t think he did?’ Bhaskar countered, studying Athreya’s face.
‘He might have, but that would only be a part of the answer. It throws no light on the other major question.’
‘Which is?’
‘What was Phillip doing in your wheelchair in the chapel in the middle of a murky night?’
‘It doesn’t, I agree,’ said Bhaskar, nodding. ‘Coming back to the mongrel’s proposition, what do you think?’
‘Don’t you already know who commissioned him, Mr Fernandez?’
Bhaskar let out a tired sigh.
‘Perhaps I do, Mr Athreya … perhaps I do. The heart is more willing to accept one part of what the brain says. But there is another part that I wish wasn’t true.’
‘Murthy?’ Athreya asked.
Bhaskar nodded pitiably.
‘Imagine what that would do to Michelle, Mr Athreya. She will be broken.’
‘It may also be for the best,’ Athreya said softly. ‘I think the scales are falling from her eyes.’
‘She lied about the time of death to protect him,’ Bhaskar retorted. ‘That was a mere thirty-six hours ago.’
‘Much has happened since, and the events have left Michelle emotionally wrung out. There is a possibility that she may follow your advice.’
Bhaskar stared hard at him, but didn’t ask how Athreya knew about his advice to Michelle.
‘So,’ he said, returning to the original question, ‘should I accept the offer?’
‘How do you know he will keep his word? Once you examine the line-up and say that you don’t recognize anyone, there is no going back.’
‘True. What do you suggest I do?’
‘Postpone the decision. Let matters play out.’
‘One more question … You spoke about Phillip being in Austria. What name did he go by there?’
‘Philipose. At least, that’s how he signed his paintings. If he had another name too, I don’t know it yet.’
‘Jacob,’ Bhaskar said in an undertone. ‘Does the name Jacob Lopez ring a bell?’
‘No. But I’ll see what I can find out.’
‘I returned from Austria in 1996. Phillip seems to have been there much later. Do you know when?’
‘Between 2008 and 2012, I believe.’
‘Jacob Lopez was released from prison in late 2007. Like Phillip, he too was of Indian origin.’
When Athreya returned to the drawing room, he found Jilsy waiting for him. Ganesh, Varadan, Manu and Father Tobias were talking together in one corner, while Dora, Michelle and Richie were whispering to each other in another. Abbas was nowhere to be seen, and Sebastian had gone to talk to Bhaskar in the library.
‘Can I talk to you, Mr Athreya?’ Jilsy asked in a small, frightened voice.
‘Of course, Jilsy.’ Athreya smiled. ‘Where would you like to talk?’
‘Somewhere private. Where nobody can hear or disturb us.’
‘We can go to my room or to yours, whichever you prefer. We may be interrupted in the study. Or else, we can walk outside.’
‘Outside?’ Jilsy gasped.
She took one look at the dark, gloomy night and shook her head. The fog was as thick as it had been on the night of the murder. Memories of that night were all too fresh in her memory.
‘Can we go to your room, if you don’t mind?’ she asked. ‘I’ll tell Ganesh and come.’
A minute later, they were in Athreya’s room, sitting in chairs that were facing each other.
‘What should we do, Mr Athreya?’ she asked as soon as they were seated. ‘You told us not to speak about the mongrel, but Ganesh blurted it out. He is afraid too. More for me than for himself.’
‘Nothing,’ Athreya replied. ‘Do nothing. Don’t talk about it, but don’t avoid the subject either, at least in an obvious manner. If someone asks, Ganesh can say that he doesn’t remember when he had heard Phillip mention the mongrel’s name. He can probably say that he might have heard him speak over the phone to someone. That way, you will avoid the question of who Phillip was speaking to when he mentioned the mongrel.’
‘You think that will work?’ Jilsy asked doubtfully.
‘That’s the best you can do now. If you try avoiding the subject, people may think that you know more than you are letting on. That could be dangerous.’
‘I … I guess you’re right.’
‘And Ganesh should not say that you too overheard Phillip.’
‘Yes.’ Jilsy nodded animatedly. ‘We understand that. Ganesh won’t make a mistake again. Thank you, Mr Athreya.’
‘If you have another fifteen minutes, I want to speak to you on another matter. I need to speak to you alone and totally in private.’
Jilsy stared at him with large, round eyes and nodded slowly.
‘Now, for your sake, and that of your husband, I want you to not get up and run away in the middle of the conversation. It’s going to be a difficult one … perhaps harder than any conversation you’ve recently had. Understand?’
Jilsy nodded mutely, anxiety etched on her face.
‘Please understand that I am trying to help you. I know that you did not kill Phillip.’
Jilsy’s eyes became saucers. She stared at Athreya dumbstruck.
‘Jilsy,’ he said slowly, ‘I know that you went into the chapel on the night of the murder.’
A stifled cry escaped her and she recoiled, shrinking into the chair, trying to disappear into it. She stared at Athreya as if hypnotized, unable to tear her eyes away from his. He stared back at her. A full minute passed.
‘You went there a little after 1 a.m., didn’t
