‘Let’s take a walk outside, if you don’t mind.’
‘I don’t mind at all.’
They went down the stairs and out of the front door together, then walked along the walkway towards the rock garden.
‘I remembered one or two things from last night. I don’t know if they are relevant. I don’t even know if they really happened or I imagined them. I thought I should tell you about them. I can’t swear by them, but I kind of think I didn’t imagine them. Is that okay?’
‘It’s perfectly fine. Tell me.’
‘As I said earlier, I returned to the mansion at 12:27 a.m. Of that, I am absolutely certain, and it doesn’t change. Besides, Mr. Varadan also corroborated it.
‘When I shut the front door and turned to go towards the stairs, I thought I heard a small noise from the art gallery. I stopped and peered in the direction of the sound, but I couldn’t see anything amiss in the faint light of the night bulb. I didn’t see anyone in the gallery. I didn’t think much of it as it could have been anyone: Murugan, Uncle, Sebastian or any of the staff.
‘I am not sure of the next thing I’m going to say. I thought—and I am not certain—that I saw a thin crack of light at the end of the gallery, as if the back door was slightly open. If it was open half an inch, light from the staff quarters would have spilled in, and that’s how it would have looked.
‘Dismissing it from my mind, I went up the stairs. Now, you need to understand how the rooms upstairs are laid out. The four rooms that are occupied are in a line. I am using the first one, which is the corner room above the drawing room. The next room is occupied by Richie and the third by Phillip. Michelle is using the last one. Is that clear?’
‘Yes. Go on,’ said Athreya.
‘The stairs come out between the second and the third rooms: Richie’s and Phillip’s. When I reached the top of the stairs, I noticed two things. First, there was no light under Phillip’s door. I didn’t think that was relevant until I realized that Phillip was talking to Varadan till about 12:25 a.m.
‘If Phillip had gone up to his room immediately after that, he would have just entered his room when I reached the first floor, and the light would have been burning. Most of us would have our lights on for at least a few minutes after entering our room. And as Phillip had just entered his room, his light should have been on. But it wasn’t. Again, I am not sure if it is relevant or not, but I thought I should tell you.’
‘You did the right thing, Dora,’ Athreya said slowly, his mind churning. ‘I can’t be sure yet, but it could turn out to be very relevant. You said that you noticed two things. What was the second thing?’
‘I noticed Richie’s light was on. The line of light was clearly visible under his door, and I also heard him humming a tune.’
Athreya stopped and looked Dora full in the face.
‘Now, Dora. Look me in the eye. You wouldn’t be protecting your brother, would you? We all know how much you love your brother, and I have seen you come to his defence at least once before. He continues to disappoint you, but you fight for him. This is not one such case, is it?’
Dora flushed deeply and bit her lip. Tears sprang to her eyes and she looked hurt. After a few moments’ struggle, she whispered through a choked throat.
‘That was not fair, Mr. Athreya.’
‘Perhaps not,’ Athreya conceded. ‘But I’m sure you see why I have to ask that.’
Dora nodded mutely and dropped her eyes.
‘I am speaking the truth, Mr. Athreya,’ she said slowly. ‘I am not making this up. I don’t know how to convince you, but I’ll swear to it if you want me to.’
‘No.’ Athreya resumed walking. ‘No need to swear. All this about Richie’s light being switched on only serves to establish that he was in his room at 12:30 a.m. The murder didn’t take place for two hours after that.’
‘Yes, I realize that. There is more, but I am on unsure ground here. After entering my room, I locked the door, changed into my shorts and t-shirt, and went to bed. It must have been around 12:45 a.m. or so.
‘I was just I beginning to drift off when I heard a door open and close. I am not in a position to say which door, but I did hear a door open and close on the first floor. Then, after ten minutes or so, I heard the sound of a door again. Opening and closing.
‘The two sounds could well have been Michelle and Phillip returning to their rooms. I think Michelle said that she had returned just short of 1 a.m. So the first sound could definitely be her.’
‘Possibly. Anything else?’
‘No, that’s it. I hope it’s useful, but it looks like I’ve only made things murkier.’
‘That’s how it always is. Things get murkier before they get clearer. It’s important to get the right facts. I’m glad you told me this. Ah! Here is Manu. Let’s see if he noticed anything. He entered the mansion around fifteen minutes after you.’
He hailed Manu who was hurrying down the walkway from the annex.
‘I’ve wanted to tell you something, but I didn’t get the chance,’ Manu said as he joined Athreya. ‘The dagger we recovered from the stream…it seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I think I have it now, but I am not a hundred percent sure. You see, I only saw it once, and fleetingly.’
‘That’s all right. Where?’
‘It looks like the dagger the intruder brought with him.’
‘The intruder who broke into the mansion and tried to kill your father?’ Athreya asked.
‘Yes. He dropped his dagger when Dad shot him. Murugan picked
