by RV Raman
‘Wow.’ Dora gasped. ‘You mean it? You don’t suspect me?’
‘Well, at any rate, you didn’t commit the fatal act.’
‘Thanks,’ Dora shot back with a mock bow. ‘That’s a comfort…however small it may be. But what if I am an accomplice?’
‘That’s possible, but I have taken that into account.’
‘Really, Mr Athreya.’
‘So will you help me?’ he repeated.
‘If I can, I would love to. What do you have in mind?’
‘Laundry.’
Chapter 12
Inspector Muthu turned out to be an intimidating hulk of a man, over six-and-a-half feet tall, with powerful limbs and shoulders. His uniform stretched tight over his body and seemed to be a size too small for him. When he walked, it was with a swagger born of an unshakable confidence in one’s physical prowess. His hair was close-cropped and jet black. His mobile phone looked like a toy in his hand.
Watching him from the far end of the drawing room as he came in, Jilsy took an involuntary step back, half-hiding herself behind her husband. Dora eyed him warily and Michelle grew visibly nervous.
Sebastian made the introductions quickly and with minimum words. He had been brought up to speed with whatever had transpired in his absence, and had, in turn, updated the inspector and the police doctor. Bhaskar asked everyone to gather in the drawing room, so the two officials could meet all of them in one go.
Muthu glowered at each one of them in turn, trying to intimidate them into conceding the upper hand to him. But he met with little success, except with Richie, who had suddenly gone sullen and shifty-eyed.
When Muthu’s eyes fell on Ganesh, his back straightened and he threw the major a quick salute, which Ganesh returned. Uniform, it appeared, admired uniform. With Varadan, Muthu remained cautious, limiting himself to a quick nod. When Abbas’s turn came, the inspector’s scowl deepened, but Abbas remained placid and polite.
Bhaskar seemed to take an instant dislike to the inspector, though it was not clear to Athreya if it was something he carried over from the past, perhaps from when the break-in was investigated. Muthu had already met Manu and Sebastian before reaching Greybrooke Manor.
The ladies the inspector glossed over, appearing to consider them irrelevant. His eyes lingered over Athreya, whom he studied the longest.
‘You are the one who discovered the body?’ he asked belligerently.
‘I am,’ Athreya answered evenly.
‘How long were you alone with the body before you called the others?’
‘Fifteen minutes or so.’
‘Why didn’t you call them immediately?’
‘So that I could study the crime scene. I didn’t want people coming in and contaminating the evidence. In any case, Mr. Phillip was long dead.’
‘But you contaminated the evidence!’ Muthu snapped fiercely.
‘I didn’t touch anything after I discovered the body, except the body itself, which I touched to gauge its temperature.’
‘You touched something before you discovered it, then?’
‘Yes. I closed an open window that was banging in the wind. That’s what I had entered the chapel for. And, of course, I touched the chapel door.’
‘So, you left your fingerprints on the window and the door. That’s contamination. Then you studied the crime scene, you say? What did you find?’
‘I have made a list, which I will give to you. I have also spoken to everyone here and made a note of their movements during the night.’
‘You? Who gave you the authority to talk to the witnesses?’
‘I did,’ Bhaskar cut in sharply. ‘I asked him to investigate the crime.’
‘A suspect investigating the crime?’ Muthu demanded without taking his eyes off Athreya. ‘Are you a policeman?’
‘No,’ Athreya answered calmly.
‘Then?’
‘Let’s say I have a little experience in such matters. Would you like me to share my findings?’
‘A civilian’s findings?’ Muthu looked incredulous. ‘Let alone a suspect who discovered the body? I will make my own investigations. Now, Mr. Sebastian says that you have the murder weapon in your possession. Hand it over.’
‘Gladly.’ Athreya produced a key ring with two keys.
‘This is the key to the chapel. Two identical keys. The dagger is in a sealed plastic bag inside the chapel. Nobody has touched it.’
‘Why did you meddle with the evidence?’
‘For God’s sake, man,’ Bhaskar thundered. ‘If he hadn’t found it, it might have been buried under the brook’s sand and gravel by now. Can’t you see that he did you a service by recovering it?’
‘How did you know it was there?’ Muthu persisted, eyeing Athreya.
‘I thought there was a good chance that the killer might have thrown it there.’
‘You want me to believe that?’ Muthu attempted to thunder as Bhaskar just had, and failed miserably.
‘That’s your choice, Inspector.’
‘Lord in heaven, Inspector!’ Bhaskar exclaimed. ‘Do you know who he is?’
‘It wouldn’t matter if he was the prime minister. He is a civilian and a suspect. That’s all that matters. The law,’ he concluded loftily, ‘applies equally to everyone.’
Athreya gestured Bhaskar to back off.
‘Mr. Sebastian told me that one of you is a doctor,’ Muthu went on. ‘And that the person has estimated the time of death. Who was it?’
‘Me,’ Michelle said timidly. ‘I am only a GP, and I don’t know much about estimating the time of death. I did my best.’
‘That is fine, madam,’ Muthu conceded magnanimously. ‘It’s always a good thing to estimate the time of death as soon as the body is discovered. As time passes, the accuracy drops. So, thank you, madam. You have saved us one task.
‘Now, the police doctor and I will go see the body. I want everyone to remain here. You.’ he pointed to Athreya. ‘You come with me. I want you to tell me how exactly you discovered the body.’
Flashing a quick smile at a bristling Bhaskar and a horrified Manu, Athreya followed the inspector out through the French windows.
‘The chapel is at the end of the walkway,’ Sebastian called out after Muthu, who grunted in response and turned left.
The police doctor, a small quiet man, had been staring at Athreya during his exchange with the inspector. As Muthu strode forward on his long legs, pulling away from Athreya and the police doctor, the latter fell in step with Athreya.
‘I think we have met, sir,’ he said deferentially.
‘We have, Doctor. I remember it well. It was the double murder in Ooty three years ago, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes, sir. I’m surprised that you remember me.’
‘I just happen to be blessed with a good memory for faces. That’s all.’
‘Don’t mind the inspector, sir. He is always like that. He doesn’t know who you are. I’ll tell him later when we are alone.’
‘Don’t bother, Doctor. I’m sure he will discover it by himself within twenty-four hours. Has the landslide been cleared up?’
‘They have almost finished clearing one lane of the road. I think the police wagon will be here to collect the body in an hour or two.’
‘Excellent. There is something I need you to do.’
‘What?’
‘You need to perform an autopsy as soon as possible and examine the contents of the stomach.’
‘Any specific reason?’ the doctor asked.
Athreya told him.
* * *
Athreya sat alone on the stone bench outside the chapel door, sifting through what had been said in the drawing room in the morning, and what Dora and Manu had added on the walkway. While most of the testimonies had fitted with each other—like those of Michelle and Varadan—the overall picture was as murky as last night’s fog. The various accounts had offered no indication that any of the sus
pects were out and about at the time of the murder. Surely, someone—or more than one person—had stayed out later than they had admitted. Or they had gone out again after retiring by 1 a.m.
While the people who were staying in the mansion would have run the risk of being seen by others in the main building, the people who were staying in the annex ran no such risk. They could have stepped out into the thick mist without anyone seeing them.
And what made the picture even murkier was the complete lack of knowledge about what Phillip had been up to from the time he and Varadan finished talking till the time he was killed. Of course, Athreya still had three potential suspects to talk to. Maybe one of them had a clue. As if on cue, footsteps sounded on the walkway, and he looked up to see Sebastian approaching.
‘I’m sorry about the way the inspector spoke, Mr. Athreya,’ he began as he sat down on the stone bench beside Athreya. ‘I should have explained who you were before I told him about our searching the chapel.’
‘Don’t give it another thought, Sebastian. I don’t take offence so easily. I’ve dealt with even more hostile police officers before. I will be surprised if Muthu doesn’t back off in the next day or two. I made some calls earlier this morning, and the news will reach him sooner or later.
‘Instead, let’s turn to more useful things. I’ve spoken to most of the others about their movements last night and asked them if they saw or heard anything that was out of place. As we wait for the inspector to finish his examination of the chapel, why don’t you tell me about your movements and whatever you noticed?’
‘That’s what I came for. Mr. Fernandez sent me.’
‘Excellent. Let’s start.’
‘I’m not sure if I have anything significant to say. You will remember that we entered the mansion together. It was a little short of midnight.’
‘11:50 p.m., to be precise,’ Athreya interjected.
‘That sounds right. I came in, checked if Mr. Fernandez was asleep, and then retired at about midnight or a few minutes after.’
‘Was Mr. Fernandez asleep?’
‘He was.’
‘Did you see anyone in the gallery?’
‘No.’ Sebastian turned a startled face towards him.
‘Was someone there?’
‘I don’t know. Had there been someone, would you have seen him or her?’
‘I think so…unless he was flat against the wall, next to the suit of armour.’ He shook his head suddenly.
‘No, that’s not right. How stupid of me! I plugged in the wheelchair to charge. I would have seen if there was anyone in the gallery, even behind the suit of armour.’
‘Is that your routine every night?’
‘Yes. Once Mr. Fernandez retires, I plug in the wheelchair.’
‘Okay. And was the back door closed?’
‘It was. I checked it.’
‘What did you do after that?’
‘Went to my room, changed into my pyjamas and went to bed.’
‘Did you hear anything in the night?’
‘I would be lying if I said I hadn’t. The fact is that I am a light sleeper; more so after the break-in happened. I heard some voices drift in through the window. I also heard a couple of doors opening and closing. One of them must have been Manu’s door, I guess. But I didn’t think much of it. Voices and sounds of doors were expected last night.’
‘Talking about doors, would you have heard the chapel door open?’
Sebastian sat bolt upright.
‘Yes,’ he said, his eyes flashing. ‘The door creaks, and creaks loudly. I would have heard it.’
‘Yet, you didn’t.’
Sebastian nodded. ‘I wonder why. Did I sleep sounder than usual? I didn’t drink much.’
‘The interesting thing is that none of us four who slept on the ground floor—you, Mr Fernandez, Manu and me—heard anything. Yet, the wheelchair was taken. Yet, the chapel door was opened. Yet, Phillip was killed.’
‘Are you trying to suggest something, Mr. Athreya?’
‘I don’t know. It just seems to me that some prior planning was done for last night.’
‘You mean it was premeditated?’
‘Either that, or someone had intended something else. And things went wrong.’
The conversation was interrupted by Muthu opening the chapel door and beckoning Athreya to come in. Sebastian followed Athreya to the chapel door and stopped there, looking at the hinges. From the aisle of the chapel, Athreya threw a glance over his shoulder and saw a perplexed look on Sebastian’s face.
* * *
A couple of hours later, after enduring a belligerent interrogation by Muthu, Athreya was back at the Misty Valley Resort. The inspector had chosen to grill Athreya first, making use of the study for his questioning. He had made Athreya repeat his narrative several times, trying to find inconsistencies. Athreya had patiently repeated his account each time without the slightest deviation.
At length, a frustrated Muthu gave up and dismissed him. Throughout the gruelling hour, Athreya had answered all of the inspector’s questions promptly, but had offered nothing—views or information—proactively.
As Athreya brought his borrowed cycle to a halt at Misty Valley’s gate, he was surprised to find the same security guard he had seen early in the morning. On seeing Athreya, he threw a salute and grinned as he had done earlier in the morning, showing crooked, discoloured teeth.
‘Still here?’ Athreya asked. ‘I thought your duty ended at 8 a.m.?’
‘The manager asked me to stay, sir,’ the guard said conspiratorially. ‘Something has happened at the mansion, he said. I may be wanted.’
‘Smart man, your manager,’ said Athreya, nodding in approval. ‘Tell me, do you know if Mr. Phillip has a maid or someone who helps him keep the house clean?’
‘Yes, sir. Mrs. Carvallo. She goes there every day and tidies up his house.’
‘Where can I find her?’
‘Here, sir. In the resort. She works here and part-time for Mr Phillip. Do you want me to call her?’
‘Yes, please.’
Five minutes later, Athreya was talking to a kindly widow of about sixty, who was wearing her cross prominently. Athreya had left the cycle with the security guard and was walking with Mrs. Carvallo on the mud road running between the resort and Phillip’s house.
‘Is Mr. Phillip all right?’ she asked as soon as she joined Athreya on the road. ‘They say something has happened to him.’
‘All in good time, Mrs. Carvallo,’ Athreya replied. ‘I wanted to ask you a few questions first. When were you inside Mr. Phillip’s house last?’
‘Why, sir, four hours ago. I cleaned the house.’
Athreya swung around and stared at her. If she had cleaned the house, whatever evidence there might have been would now be lost.
‘You cleaned the house?’ Athreya repeated after her stupidly.
‘Yes, sir. I have a key. I clean it every day. Even when he is not at home. I usually go there earlier, but as he is away, I went today at about noon.’
‘Did you find anything out of place?’
‘No, nothing. Everything was as usual.’
‘Nothing missing?’
It was Mrs. Carvallo’s turn to be astonished.
‘No, sir.’ she exclaimed. ‘Missing? Good Lord, no. This is a safe place.’ She peered at Athreya shrewdly. ‘So, something has happened to Mr Phillip.’
‘I’m afraid so.’
Athreya told her the minimum he could get away with, without telling her outright that Phillip had been murdered. She shed copious tears and spoke about how the Lord always took back the best of His flock. In response to a question, she declared that Phillip had been a very good and kind man who couldn’t have had any enemies. Athreya steered the conversation towards his dealings with neighbours.
Yes, there had been a few altercations, she said, but then who didn’t have a few disagreements in this day and age? T
here were bound to be misunderstandings between people, but the right thing to do was to talk it over and sort it out. Take Thursday’s quarrel with Ganesh, for instance. There had been raised voices between Phillip and the retired major, who had been upset with the painter.
Someone had overheard Phillip call someone else a mongrel, and the major had got it into his head that it was him that Phillip had been referring to.
But Phillip had been patient and had explained that he had not called Ganesh a mongrel. If he had indeed called someone a mongrel, it would certainly not have been a man who had fought for the country. After about ten minutes of altercation, the major had left, and as far as Mrs. Carvallo knew, the matter had been sorted out.
Was she sure that she had heard it right? After all, ‘mongrel’ was an English term that didn’t translate well to Tamil. No, sir! Mrs. Carvallo was affronted. She had, in case Mr. Athreya didn’t know, studied in an English- medium Catholic missionary school. She knew English well, and even read novels.
After apologizing for his error and tasking her with the Herculean burden of not telling anyone about Phillip’s death, Athreya went into the resort in search of Murthy, who turned out to be a handsome moustachioed man, a little on the shorter side. His long, luxurious hair was brushed back at an angle, and his lean face could be charming, especially to women. This Adonis-like charm, Athreya couldn’t help thinking, was a common quality that united Abbas, Richie and Murthy. Perhaps the three men had more in common, too.
Murthy nodded warily as Athreya introduced himself; he showed no surprise at seeing him. Michelle’d had all the time in the world to relay the developments to him.
‘On what basis do you believe that I was at Greybrooke Manor?’ Murthy asked Athreya, as they sat in his room, facing each other. An open packet of Gold Flake cigarettes lay on the table. ‘Did anyone see me? Did anyone hear me? Michelle will tell you, if she hasn’t already done so, that she didn’t see me all day yesterday.’
‘Couldn’t anyone else have seen you?’ Athreya asked.
‘Who?’ Murthy countered. ‘I am not on speaking terms with Bhaskar, and do not enter the mansion. I have not met anyone else from the family recently, except Richie. I met him here, at the Misty Valley Resort.’
