A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! This chapter isn't as exciting, but I still rather like it.
Adria was on her hands and knees scrubbing the stage ferociously, refusing to dwell on the events of the previous night. She had reported Buquet's death to night watchmen, and word had spread that it was she who had discovered the body. The entire afternoon had been filled with curious members of the staff, especially younger ones, questioning her. Adria had given naught but the most vague responses, frustrating the pestering busybodies. They soon gave up on her and shared their own suspicions that she was involved in a more sinister way behind her back. Adria hardly cared; she had few friends here as it was, and she knew the event would soon be forgotten in the continuous drama of the most famous opera house in all of France. She hadn't slept the previous night, and despite her refusal to speak of the occurrence she had been thinking of nothing else. She had enjoyed hearing tales of the Opera Ghost for she found it was fun to pretend the grand old building was subject to severe and frightening hauntings. Never before had she even considered the possibility of the ghost really existing. However, every ballet rat had insisted that the ghost had been responsible for Buquet's death, and Adria could not dispel that chilling voice or spectral figure from her mind.
Anna approached Adria from behind, and tapped her gently on the shoulder. Adria jumped and twirled around on the spot. Eyebrows raised, Anne tried to cover her amusement with concern, as she asked, "A bit jumpy today aren't we?" Adria forced a smile. She wished to confide in her only friend, but she doubted Anne could keep this a secret and did not want the entire opera house to know she was seeing ghosts. To her surprise, Anne did not question her about the suicide or murder of the sceneshifter, but seemed genuinely concerned. She asked Adria why she had not showed up at the party last night, and swore that she had informed her that they were holding it on the roof. Anne then filled Adria's ears with the comparatively mundane details of the party, which Adria, for once, listened to attentively and gratefully. It was nice to have the mental distraction, but it did not last long. As Anne began describing the brawl that had occurred over a particularly comely costume girl, a man dressed in the uniform of the Parisian police sauntered up to the stage and interrupted.
"I was told you were the one who found the body of Joseph Buquet," He stated in a bored voice, "Would you kindly submit to a brief interview?" Submitting to an interview on this subject was the last thing Adria wished to do, but she had a good idea that it wasn't optional. She tried to prepare herself as she followed the rather rotund investigator into a side room for privacy. The man offered her a chair, but did not sit himself. As he towered over her he asked her to tell what she had seen. Adria told her story to the best of her ability, but left out the part about the death's head and the strange voice. She very much doubted that the police would put any credit to her story if she included them. In addition, if there really was a phantom that ruled over the opera and knew all that occurred within its walls, telling the police of his existence would surely annoy him. When Adria finished, she looked up to find her interrogator quite annoyed.
"I am afraid I have misunderstood you. Your story seems to imply that Buquet was murdered," the investigator stated with a frown.
"There is no doubt in my mind that he was," Adria announced defensively, "Why would you investigate if you believed otherwise?"
The man shrugged wearily, "Protocol. There is no evidence to suggest that this was anything other than natural suicide."
"Well, I suppose now there is," Adria alleged. She was realizing now that it was necessary for her to come forward with the whole story. "Men don't often scream in terror as they kill themselves. I suppose I should add that I heard someone threaten me as I was leaving the room, and I thought I saw a figure in black with a skull for a head. I presume he wore a mask of some kind."
The expression on the officer's face changed quickly from annoyance to downright anger, his fat face turning a nasty splotchy red. "Changing the story now, huh? 'Gotta make it all more dramatic! I'll be chalking this nonsense evidence up to a young lady's vivid imagination and attention-seeking! Joseph Buquet is responsible for his own death, and I'm bringing this case to the quick, simple close a suicide entails." This passionate tirade complete, the investigator marched through the door and slammed it shut.
Adria was angry that he had chosen to ignore her testimony simply because he was too lazy to bring the culprit to justice, but she got over it quickly. The interview had not gone unlike she feared it would, but she had not had much faith in Parisian police to begin with. After a moment of quiet contemplation, the cleaning girl returned to the laborious work of cleaning out the theater before the next night's performance.