I held my breath. I wonder what the gossips were saying about me now? Was it about Spencer? Or about what happened the last time I was here? I had hoped that word wouldn’t get out about either. As far as I was aware, only Kaavi knew about me and Spencer back home (who was I going to tell, anyway?), and the Fonsekas would burn their house to the ground before they let out what happened five years ago.

I wonder how it would feel to add just a little bit of poison to their canapés. Not enough to kill them, of course. Just enough to make them ill. For their skin to suddenly glisten and their cheeks to flush and their stomachs to clench before they started to cramp up. For the sudden and explosive vomiting to begin. For them to start gasping for air.

Mrs. Fonseka had remained near the staircase where we left her. She didn’t look shocked or angry anymore—her face was instead arranged into a pleasant, dangerous smile.

She reached for my arm as I walked by her, her fingers gripping hard around my flesh at an angle that the aunties couldn’t see.

“Kaavi might have invited you, but don’t think for a moment that I have forgotten about our agreement,” she hissed, the smile never leaving her face.

I nodded, a tight smile on my lips too. Like I could ever forget, even though I wished to every moment of every day.

AUNTY RAJINI

Interview Transcript: Rajini Thambiah (abbrev. RT)

Date: January 25, 2020

Location: The Mount Lavinia Hotel

RT: Can I know what all this commotion is? We’ve been treated like criminals—locked in our rooms from morning. Brought measly, cold food that we had to eat like beggars. Nihal and Fiona better have a proper explanation for this, I tell you.

[Pause]

Unless—well, we aren’t in any danger, are we? Is there some sort of psychopath or murderer running amok at the hotel? Is that why we’ve been kept locked away?

EP: I understand your frustration, Mrs. Thambiah, but we are dealing with an investigation here. We believe there is no immediate threat at present. Now, if you could please state your name and address for our records, we need to get started right away.

RT: Well, I’ll do this for the sake of Fiona. She must be out of her mind with worry, after all. I’m Rajini Thambiah, and I reside at 34 Francis Road, Wellawatte, when I am in Colombo. We usually spend April in Nuwara Eliya, you know, for the season. And we always fly to Australia to spend Christmas with my son’s family, even though it’s far too hot there at the time.

EP: But you were in Colombo on the morning of the twenty-first of January, for Fiona Fonseka’s brunch.

RT: Yes, we were planning this year’s dinner-dance. Preeni had this ridiculous idea to make it a costume party, and we were trying to discourage her. The last time we did that, one of the De Livera girls showed up in her underwear claiming it was a costume and our chapter was almost shut down for encouraging lewd behavior after someone took pictures and circulated them among those wretched gossip sites. You know, I think—

EP: So to confirm, you were at Mrs. Fonseka’s brunch on the twenty-first?

RT: Yes, my dear, though I can’t say I care for your tone.

EP: Was Miss Bloom present on that day?

RT: You mean Amaya Bloom, I suppose? Yes, she had slunk in. I didn’t even notice her at first. I thought she might have been a caterer or something. We were late to start as always. Fiona had kept us waiting, again. But then she came down the stairs and saw the Bloom girl and screamed bloody murder. I almost choked on my smoked salmon canapé.

EP: And what was the nature of her screaming?

RT: It almost gave me a heart attack, you know? I couldn’t breathe for a minute, at least. I even—

EP: Did Mrs. Fonseka say anything in particular, Mrs. Thambiah?

RT: Well, if you ask me, it seemed like Fiona had no idea the girl was coming. She looked like she had seen a ghost. I don’t blame her, you know. There were so many rumors circulating about that girl. She had quite the reputation, you know?

EP: Could you elaborate on that further, please?

RT: My dear, I thought this was an investigation. Not a place for gossip.

[Pause]

But if you must know, there has been quite a bit of talk about the time Amaya stayed at the Fonsekas’. And while Nihal has done well for himself, I can’t speak of his loyalty to Fiona. He’s been spotted, you know? At one of those parties where the men put their car keys in a bowl. You know what I’m talking about, I hope. But then again, this is Colombo. It’s not out of the blue for a man as rich and powerful as Nihal to have, well, extramarital pleasures. Certainly, men with less have had more. And word around town is that Fiona isn’t faultless herself. Of course, that was many years ago, and the rumored man, one of Nihal’s friends, mind you, suddenly and conveniently dropped dead of a heart attack. Now, I’m not accusing Nihal of anything, of course. I’m just saying that his relationship with the Bloom girl always seemed very improper, since you asked me.

EP: Did Mrs. Fonseka discuss these infidelities with you?

RT: Ha! Like Fiona would ever let anyone see behind her facade. Fat chance of that. As far as she was concerned, she had the perfect family, and she’d kill to keep it that way. She taught her daughters to behave like that as well, though if you ask me, only Kaavindi made an actual effort.

EP: And how would you describe Kaavindi Fonseka’s relationship with her mother?

RT: It doesn’t take a detective to gather that Kaavindi had been well trained by Fiona, you know. She was always the model of perfection—so pristine was her reputation. And her manners are impeccable. The moment she sees me it’s always, Yes, Aunty Rajini, I love your dress, Aunty Rajini, how is your cold now, Aunty Rajini?

She was as different from her sister, Tehani, as night and day. Poor Fiona. No matter how much of an effort they made with Tehani—I heard they had even sent her to some sort of finishing school type thing for troubled girls, but still no luck—she’s still seen at all the major nightclubs leaving with some chap or the other. But you know, maybe it’s all Fiona’s fault after all.

The moment Fiona had her little outburst that morning of our brunch, Kaavi was on it like a professional peacekeeper. Smoothed the whole thing over. Couldn’t say I blamed her, to be honest. Fiona was putting up quite the show. But who knows? Maybe they had planned the whole thing, and invited the Bloom girl to distract from something else.

EP: Which would be?

RT: Listen, dear. I’m no detective. I know that Nihal Fonseka likes to believe angels themselves delivered his eldest daughter into this world. And Fiona Fonseka likes to pretend that she does everything by her astrologer’s book. But answer me this—have you heard of a wedding being rushed along so quickly without there being another, more pressing, matter of urgency? Like, say, an unplanned pregnancy? And if there were an unplanned pregnancy, who would do whatever it took to keep the family reputation safe? I don’t think you need to be a head of security to figure that out.