Dr Tessier rented a carriage and driver to take them back directly to the house. The trio left late at night, under cover of darkness. Erik wore his ceramic mask, which, because of the painted eyes and eyebrows, lent a serene look to his countenance. Erik went peaceably enough back to the Tessier home.
Earlier at the Opera House 5th cellar, in his former home, Erik had found that the large box where he kept the music had been smashed to pieces, but the music was mostly intact.
When they arrived, they found that the Gagnons had already fled. Nicole was alone in the house and she was very glad to see the docteur and her son and she was no longer terrified of the house guest, who now was able to keep his mask off inside the house. He paid her every sou that she had lent him before he had fled, and added a considerable amount, for she had saved his life. He offered Émilie money for room and board and all the medical attention she had paid him.
Life resumed almost where it had left off before Émilie's departure. Nicole took over as not only cook, but maid also. Erik recovered quickly from his wound and soon had very little pain from it most of the time. Erik and Émilie tutored Rémy, with Erik taking over the boy's musical and artistic education. He started interesting the boy in architecture and also continued teaching him sleight of hand tricks and illusions, including what some considered the "black art" of ventriloquism.
Émilie had few patients so she could spend a considerable amount of time with her son. Erik started again to persuade Émilie to let him train her voice. She finally gave in.
One day, as Émilie was finishing work in the surgery, a man entered and asked for a moment of her time. He was dressed nicely, had a pleasant manner and was dark and handsome, with intelligent looking dark eyes.
"Oui, Monsieur, may I help you?" asked Émilie.
"Oui, Madame, that you may. You are the nurse?"
Dr Tessier smiled. "Non, Monsieur, I am le médecin...Dr Tessier... how may I help you?"
"Je suis désolé, Docteur, my mistake...I am Inspector Étienne Langlois...I am looking for a certain person who has committed many crimes and I wish to find him to bring him to justice."
"Who is this person, Inspector?"
"He has no name other than "Erik" and he was considered dead after a raging rabble threw him in the Seine. It happened not far from the Paris Opera House. However, he has reportedly been seen since that time, so he must have escaped somehow."
"I see," said Émilie, noncommitally. I am a distance from Paris, I would have been unlikely to have seen such a person."
"Perhaps he could be one of your patients? Someone who was hurt escaping from a crowd bent on killing him?"
"I would not think so...but tell me more, Monsieur. Please, sit down." She gestured at a chair across from her desk.
"If you had seen his face, you would not forget him, Docteur. He is said to have a horrible face with burning eyes..."
Émilie laughed. "He sounds like some type of fictional monster..."
"Do not laugh, Docteur. I have not seen him, but have interviewed many who have. He is terrifying."
"I see. And what has this terrifying person done?"
"It seems that he escaped from an insane asylum some years ago, where he had been confined for some time. He killed a guard and made his escape. They say he is very wily and as mad as a hatter.*"
"Is he crazy enough to have committed crimes?" asked Émilie, starting to have an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Oui, certainment. I understand he secretly lived at the Paris Opera House. It has been just over a year now, perhaps a bit less, that the strange events at the Opera House ended. But before that, havoc reigned as this person blackmailed, kidnapped, frightened and even killed several people."
"So why are you coming to me with this information, Monsieur Langlois?"
"Because I have information, actually a signed statement, from two people who definitely identified this person as a guest in your home."
"Who, may I ask, signed this statement?"
Langlois opened the paper. "Oui, here it is...Monsieur Jacques Gagnon and his wife, Marie."
Émilie scanned the paper and looked at the signatures of the two servants who had fled while she had been in Paris.
She looked up and smiled at the Inspector. "These people must be mistaken about a criminal, and an insane one at that, staying at my home." She handed the paper back to Langlois.
"I understand the Gagnons worked for you for quite some time. Why would you feel they were mistaken?"
"They created some havoc at my home and I was about to dismiss them when I returned, but they had already fled. They had lost track of my child while I was gone and did not inform me of that fact, ultimately leaving my son to his fate, for all they knew. Luckily a kindly person found and took care of him."
"I see. This is not the story they told me..."
Émilie stood up. "Monsieur, I could not have even thought of sheltering a criminal with my young son at home. My former servants are surely mistaken."
Langlois was persistent. "Madame Docteur, I hardly think that these two good people would make up such a story...why they told me horrendous details..."
"Indeed," said Émilie icily. "I shall keep my eyes open for such a person and call you at once if I should encounter this dreadful criminal. Do you have an address at which you can be reached?"
"Oui," said the inspector and handed her his card. He bowed slightly and took his leave. Émilie locked the door to the surgery then sat at her desk leaning her forehead on her palm.
*The expression "mad as a hatter" comes from the hat industry of the 1800's when small amounts of mercury was used in the hat making process. The workers who made the hats (hatters) often got dementia from the constant exposure to mercury.