Manu’s eyes were dancing as a smile tugged at his lips. I knew it, the look on his face said.
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 pen 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 autopsy at the breakfast table. All the three ladies are very upset. So I ask you again: what have you achieved?’
‘I did not enjoy this any more than you or Jilsy did, Mr Varadan. ‘But I had to do this. My apologies for taking the liberty, Mr. Fernandez,’ said Athreya as he turned to face Bhaskar, ‘but I have been charged with solving this crime.’
‘Then,’ Varadan retorted, ‘I suppose you have achieved something through this stage show?’
‘Yes. A part of the puzzle has fallen into place. As a lawyer, you will appreciate this, Mr. Varadan…a lot more is at play here than just a straightforward murder. Unless I strip away the extraneous, I will not be able to see the core clearly.’
Chapter 15
Half an hour later, Athreya was knocking on Michelle’s door. She had sent him a text message, asking him if he could come up to her room. Athreya had agreed, and had strolled up the stairway to the first floor. As soon as he knocked, the door opened, and Michelle asked him to come in and take a chair. Her face was streaked with tears and she was trembling.
‘I’m sorry, Mr. Athreya,’ she sobbed. ‘I deceived you. I didn’t know what else to do; I am caught in a trap. But before that, I must thank you.’
‘Thank me?’ Athreya asked, genuinely surprised.
‘Yes, I’m grateful to you for not calling out my deception in the dining room in front of everyone. You could easily have accused me then and there, and I would not have had anything to say. That’s what the police inspector would have done.
‘But thanks to your kindness, they all think that it was an error on my part. They all heard what I had said yesterday: I am a GP and know little about estimating the time of death. So thank you, Mr Athreya, for preserving my dignity.’
Athreya opened his mouth to respond, but she beat him to it.
‘You knew I was lying, didn’t you?’ she asked.
‘Well…let’s just say that I thought it was a possibility.’
‘You had your own estimate of the time of death?’
‘A very rough one based on my own experience. I thought it was around 1 a.m. The time window you suggested seemed too late.’
Michelle nodded and wiped her face.
‘You know why I did it?’ she asked.
‘Your husband was here until almost 2
