Athreya fell silent. He rose and went to the window. He remained there, looking out, with his back to Jilsy. A minute passed. Jilsy stayed bent forward. Another minute passed. Slowly, she lifted her face. Athreya stayed where he was, with his back to her, not wanting to embarrass her by looking at her.
She must be feeling wretched, humiliated beyond measure. Her secret had been blown open by a stranger—a man. The only saving grace, if any, was Athreya’s age.
‘If you are thinking that this is none of my business, you are partially right,’ he said softly. ‘Had it not been for this murder, I wouldn’t have intruded. But, as fate would have it, your activities are closely tied with those of the murderer. I hope you will understand. I hope you will forgive me. Your secret is safer with me than with those who betrayed your confidence.’
Athreya fell silent for another minute. Jilsy was sitting up now, wiping her face.
‘It was Richie, wasn’t it?’ Athreya asked eventually. ‘I need to know because I must eliminate possibilities. Only then can I catch the murderer.’
‘Yes,’ said a low, broken voice from behind him.
‘Behind the altar?’ he asked gently.
‘Yes…how did you know?’
‘The mats behind the altar had shifted under the weight of bodies. And your blue nightgown caught and ripped on one of the benches, leaving a scrap of cloth behind.’
‘Oh, God. What have I done.’
‘Another question, Jilsy…did you enter through the chapel door or the window?’
‘Window.’
‘What time was the rendezvous?’
‘1:10…1:15.’
‘And when did you leave the chapel?’
‘About 1:45.’
‘Through the window?’
‘Yes…I didn’t want to risk using the door…it’s visible from the mansion.’
‘You were there from 1:15 to 1:45 a.m.…didn’t you see Phillip’s body in the corner?’
‘No! You must believe me…I didn’t.’
‘I believe you, Jilsy. That’s why you threw up, I know. You were disgusted at the thought of the body lying there all the time when you-’
‘Please, don’t go into that! I beg you!’
‘I won’t, but the next question is important. During that half hour, did anyone come in?’
‘No. Thankfully…no.’
‘And when you left…did you hear or see anything?’
‘No.’
‘And Richie left immediately afterwards?’
‘I guess so.’
‘The candles on the altar…did you see how they were placed?’
‘No. No. It was too dark.
‘Thank you. I’m sorry that I had to put you through this. Now, take your time and compose yourself. I won’t turn from the window until you leave the room. I have embarrassed you enough. I’m sorry.’
The room fell silent for another two minutes. Athreya kept his word and stared steadfastly out of the window. Then to his surprise, Jilsy spoke.
‘Mr. Athreya?’ she said softly.
‘Yes, Jilsy?’
‘Turn around…please.’
Athreya blinked in surprise. ‘Are you sure?’ he asked.
‘Yes, I am.’ Jilsy’s voice was steady. ‘I want to see your face.’
Athreya slowly turned to see Jilsy standing in the middle of the room, looking at him through pensive eyes. Her face had been rubbed clean of make-up. She looked lonely, vulnerable.
‘You have been far more decent than you needed to be,’ she said. ‘You didn’t call me out for what I am.’
‘You are nothing but an unfortunate young lady who has erred.’
‘Thank you…you are too kind. But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. I wanted to ask about one of the things you said. Does the whole valley really know?’
Her eyes were full of shame. Athreya nodded silently.
‘Bhaskar? Manu?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Others, too. Dora is aghast and ashamed at Richie. She agonizes over what he does and sheds tears.’
‘My husband…’ she began wretchedly, but couldn’t finish. Her words hung in the air.
‘He doesn’t, as far as I know. He is one of the few who doesn’t. Also because he trusts you. He will not think ill of you.’
Her voice shook. ‘He deserves better.’
Jilsy gnawed at her lower lip for a long moment, thinking furiously. Athreya waited. At length, she looked up.
‘If I promise to never do this again, Mr. Athreya—never—will you help us leave this valley?’
‘In what way?’
‘With what has just happened. I am going to tell my husband that it is dangerous for us to remain here. There is no telling what the mongrel could do to us after being released from jail. After all, we were the ones who tipped you off about him.
‘I’m going to tell Ganesh that we must leave this place as soon as we can. This will become a closed chapter; I will never return to this place. We can settle happily somewhere else. I promise that I will never ever be so stupid again. Will you help me, sir? Will you back me up when I tell Ganesh that we need to leave this place forever?’
‘I will.’
‘Thank you, sir. I couldn’t have asked for more.’
* * *
It was going to be an uneasy night. Athreya could sense the disquiet among the guests when he returned to the drawing room. There had been thirteen at dinner on Friday, and Phillip had been killed. Now, a dozen remained, and the night was disconcertingly similar to Friday. Grey coils of mist, heavy and damp, swirled in the valley, reducing visibility to a few feet. Low clouds hung overhead, shrouding the world in inky darkness. It was only the light spilling from the French windows and the feeble glow of a few solar lamps along the walkways that challenged the night’s reign.
Talk was desultory and faces wary. Yet, people seemed reluctant to break up the gathering. They were drawing comfort from being together in a group, putting off the loneliness of the bedroom for as long as they could.
Ganesh took refuge in his rum and Coke as Jilsy sat beside him, preoccupied and silent. Perhaps she was contemplating her personal watershed, unable as she was to share it with her husband. Bhaskar brooded in a corner, exchanging sporadic words with Varadan and Father Tobias. Sebastian and Manu were talking in low tones, with Richie listening nervously. Dora and Michelle seemed comfortable with each other’s silence. Abbas had returned to his room in the
