Chapter Seventeen #2
Bina slurped the dregs of her coffee, then set the empty cup down. “No, I only woke up when my husband came back to update me on the series of events after the police arrived. How devastating. Thinking of Rohith’s gruesome death makes me sick.”
Tejas nodded slowly. There was one last thing to figure out, but he’d have to be cautious not to make the lead actor go on the defensive with his next question.
“Were there any tensions or arguments on set that morning? Between Rohith Pai and Preethi, perhaps, or any of the other cast or crewmembers?”
Bina opened her mouth, then shut it when Gopal’s hand pressed on her thigh. “I don’t believe so,” Gopal said, shrugging. “Like we said, Rohith’s murder came as a ghastly shock to us all.”
“All right.” Tejas pinched the bridge of his nose. “I think that’s all we had to ask. Naina?”
“That’s all,” Naina agreed. They thanked the Krishnans and returned to the office, not speaking about the case until they were inside the AKC building.
“Neither Jagannath nor the Krishnans had anything negative to say about Pai, despite what that worker said,” Naina said, tapping her chin while they were in the elevator.
“But if Gopal, who was in the trailer right behind the scene of the crime, didn’t hear Preethi’s screams, how did Jagannath? Or is he lying?”
“He’s definitely trying not to make himself look suspicious,” Tejas agreed. He checked his phone. “The forensic report came out while we were at the Krishnans’ place. Let’s go through it at our desks and update our document.”
“Roger that,” Naina said. The elevator doors opened, and they both started forward, nearly bumping shoulders. The familiar, delectable scent of Naina’s lavender shampoo hit Tejas’s nostrils, bringing back memories he really shouldn’t recall at the workplace.
“I—I’m sorry, you first.” Naina pressed her lips together and gestured for him to go ahead.
Tejas didn’t miss the way her chest rose and fell under her pale blue silk shirt at that slight contact. “Thank you,” he said. He slid past her, grazing her arm with his elbow on purpose, turning once to grin at the flushed color of her cheeks.
He plopped into his revolving chair in his cubicle and greeted Dhanush with “Good afternoon.” Dhanush, who was on the phone and completely purple in the face, lifted his hand in a weak wave before returning to screaming at whomever was on the other end of the call.
“Why can’t you understand that this could fuck up the entire case?
How can you misplace something as important as—” He scoffed. “Yeah. You’d better fix this.”
“All good?” Tejas asked when Dhanush put the phone down and ran two shaky hands through his hair.
Was it a trick of the light, or were Dhanush’s eyes glossy?
“I—I don’t know,” Dhanush said, stammering.
“Iqbal’s been so busy with his other clients that he’s asked me to take point on the Subramanian case, even though my own caseload is full already; and with all the media attention the embezzlement is getting, my phone has been blowing up nonstop with calls from journalists and the court and junior lawyers who can’t do anything right!
” His voice rose at the last two words, and he slammed his hand on his desk.
“I can’t fuck up again, or my uncle will fire me. ”
Tejas sucked on his teeth. “When was the last time you fucked up?”
“Last year,” Dhanush said, his face paling.
“The client’s alibi was solid, but he told it to me in confidence because he wasn’t…
out of the closet yet, and he knew I was.
” His eyes turned sad. “His sports career would have tanked if people found out he was gay, and I of all people know how homophobic the world can be. So I—”
“You didn’t tell anyone else the alibi?” Tejas guessed.
“And we lost the case.” Dhanush looked down at his shoes, his eyes dampening more.
“My uncle found out afterward that I kept the alibi to myself, and he yelled at me for hours. He said the only reason I even got the job here was because of him, and if he wanted to, he could fire me and make sure no law firm ever hired me again.”
Tejas hesitated, then brought his chair closer to Dhanush’s. “Look at me,” he said, putting a hand on Dhanush’s shoulder. “You’re one of the best lawyers at AKC. Ask anyone at the office, and they’d agree with me.”
Dhanush snorted. “Only because they’re all afraid of me.”
“Because they know how good you are at your job,” Tejas affirmed. “Even Naina would testify to that. Although I do think if you yelled at people less, they might be willing to help you more.”
“Makes sense.” Finally, Dhanush let out a weak grin. “Thanks, Tejas.”
Tejas thumped him on the back. “Don’t let your uncle’s threats scare you, all right? You’re going to win this case.”
Dhanush’s eyes went to his phone. “You’re right.
I am going to win. I need to make some calls…
” He returned to the phone, his words still stern and tense—though not outright mean—and Tejas smiled to himself as he checked his email for the forensic report.
Dhanush would prove his uncle wrong and win his case; and Tejas and Naina would win theirs too.