Paris, April 1881
A scream erupted through the house. Even though Lisette was used to the dark passageways she and Erik constantly wandered, this was unlike anything she'd ever seen. Many of the orchestra members scrambled to relight their lamps while footmen and ushers lit the lamps in the hall.
Slowly, the hall was lit again. Ignoring performance etiquette, Lisette stood on the organ bench to get a better look at Box Five, but Erik was nowhere in sight. Instead, a young man standing in the middle of the performance hall caught her eye. It was the viscount, with one of the most horrified expressions she'd ever seen on his face. Lisette turned to see what he was staring at and realized Christine was no longer on the stage! Many chorus members and ballerinas were whispering anxiously backstage and both Meg and Sorelli looked at her helplessly. Mercier, Reyer, Gabriel, Richard, and Moncharmin were all huddled together before Richard straightened his coat jacket and walked center stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, sweat glistening from his forehead. "An unprecedented event has taken place and thrown us into a state of the greatest alarm. Our sister-artist, Christine Daae, has disappeared before our eyes and nobody can tell us how!"
As soon as he finished, the viscount let out a cry that echoed around the performance hall. They were plunged into darkness once more and this time the footmen and stagehands could not relight the lamps. The orchestra members began to abandon their posts, knocking over instruments and music stands in their hurry. The viscount's cry in the audience had also induced a panic. Audience members were screaming and fleeing to the exits, some even climbing onto the stage to get out. The roar was so loud that Lisette didn't even bother to try and hide her voice.
"Erik!"
A shot rang out in the hall, causing Lisette and many others to throw themselves to the floor. Was this all Erik's madness? No, she had learned if he hadn't been responsible for the chandelier incident she couldn't blame him for this.
She glanced back up at Box Five, knowing it would be the fastest way to find him in the chaos. Another shot rang out, but Lisette realized it was a group of men trying to exit through a barricaded door. Cursing their mad scheme, she climbed onto the stage, praying there would be no stray bullets. Seeing how Box Five was a reachable distance from the edge, she threw herself from the stage and over the railing, colliding with the plush chairs and letting out a cry as one made contact with her knee.
A hand roughly grabbed her, pulling her into the shadows and hoisting her to her feet. The pale mask stood out starkly against the darkness and Lisette couldn't help but pull herself into Erik's arms.
"What on earth is going on?" she asked, her voice half muffled as it was buried in his chest. "Where's Christine? Who's doing all of this?"
"I can only suspect the Comte de Chagny," Erik said. "He must be a fool missing from the opera for so many weeks, only to show up and sit in my box."
"He left right before the lights went out," Lisette said, pulling away.
"Come," Erik said, wrapping a protective arm around her. "We must find Nadir and find somewhere safe. My suspicions are confirmed of who has been following me around the opera house all of these months."
As they made their way into the passageway behind Box Five, Lisette tugged on his arm.
"The manager's office!" she cried. "If the comte's not there, perhaps Richard and Moncharmin might have some idea of what's going on! You have enough ghostly influence over them to gain some information."
Erik raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips. "Just when I thought I couldn't grow any fonder of you," he said.
Lisette blushed at his comment and they hurried through the rest of the passageway. They arrived at a strange looking window. Inside, they could see the two managers, Remy (the secretary), Mercier, and another man in uniform in the managers' office.
"To them, this window looks like a mirror," Erik said. "We can see them, but they can't see us."
She nodded, but was taken aback to see the viscount enter the office, eyes red with tears. He glanced anxiously over his shoulder as he shut the door. The man in uniform, the police commissioner, began asking all those in the room where Christine was. Lisette realized that the managers were still in shock, as Richard asked the police commissioner if they were sure Christine had disappeared, rather than just run off.
"Yes," the police commissioner answered. "She was carried off in the Prison Act, at the moment when Marguerite was invoking the aid of the angels; but I doubt she was carried off by an angel."
The viscount, who had been trembling in the corner, burst out, "And I am sure that she was!"
The entire room turned to look at him, as if they hadn't noticed he was there before. "I am sure of it," he repeated, his voice cracking.
Lisette glanced at Erik, whose eyes narrowed.
"Sure of what?" the police commissioner asked.
"That Christine Daae was carried off by an angel, Monsieur le commissaire, and I can tell you his name."
Erik suddenly pushed Lisette out of the way so he could have a full view of the window. A low growl was buried in his throat.
"Your name?" Lisette whispered, doing her best to peer over Erik's tall shoulder. "How does he know your name?"
"He doesn't," Erik scoffed, his voice right by her ear. "He's lying!"
"Aha, Monsieur le Vicomte de Chagny!" the commissioner laughed, "So you maintain that Christine was carried off by an angel: an angel of the opera, no doubt?"
"Yes, monsieur, by an angel of the opera; and I will tell you where he lives… when we are alone."
The commissioner quickly cleared everyone from the room except for the viscount and managers and nearly pulled a chair from underneath Moncharmin to sit down. Lisette placed a hand on Erik's shoulder and could feel his muscles tensing through all his layers of clothing.
"Monsieur le commissaire, the angel is called Erik. He lives in the opera and he is the Angel of Music!"
"The Angel of Music!" the commissioner said, hiding a laugh. "Really! That is very curious… the Angel of Music!" He turned to the managers. "Have you an Angel of Music on the premises, gentlemen?"
The managers shook their heads. For a moment, Lisette thought Erik's secret was safe, as only Christine called Erik the Angel of Music. But the viscount was quick to reveal that the Angel of Music and the Opera Ghost were one and the same. All the information spilled forth about Christine's lessons, Box Five, and the Opera Ghost's salary. By now, Erik was shaking with rage.
"What does that boy mean I have run off with twenty thousand francs?" Erik hissed. "I haven't received my salary for months!"
"Someone certainly took it on your behalf," Lisette said. "Look at Richard and Moncharmin! They're incapable of lying about something like that!"
The commissioner began questioning the viscount about his motives that evening. It was revealed that Christine and the viscount were going to run away and get married after that evening's performances..
"I suspected as much," Erik said. "That idiotic girl hadn't shown up for a lesson in months."
The commissioner then asked a question that caught both Lisette and the viscount off guard.
"Did you know that there were three other carriages outside the opera house in addition to yours?"
"I did not pay the least attention," the viscount answered, clearly perplexed.
"They were the carriages of La Sorelli and La Carlotta, which are still there. However, the Comte de Chagny's carriage is gone."
The viscount's eyebrows furrowed together. "This has nothing to say to—"
"I beg your pardon," the commissioner said, seeing the viscount's confusion. "Was not the Comte de Chagny opposed to your marriage to Mademoiselle Daae?"
Lisette glanced at Erik. None of this was a surprise to either of them, but it was surprising to discover the commissioner was aware of this information as well.
"That is a matter that only concerns the family," the viscount said, clearly wanting to avoid the topic.
"You have answered my question," the commissioner said, a smile playing around his lips. "He was opposed to it… and that was why you were carrying Christine Daae out of your brother's reach… Well, Monsieur le Chagny, allow me to inform you that your brother has been smarter than you! It is he who has carried off Christine Daae!"
Erik suddenly grabbed Lisette's arm, yanking her away from the window and nearly pulling her down the passageway.
"The police commissioner is much smarter than the vicomte and the managers give him credit for," Erik said, panting through his mask.
"How does the vicomte know your name?" Lisette asked, nearly tripped over her feet from the cobblestone.
"Either the comte has been sharing information with his brother," Erik said, "Or he's been playing us all."
Erik stopped, lowering his voice as he turned to Lisette. "We need to find Christine. I fear the Comte de Chagny is far more aggressive than any of us realize. If we don't find her… her very life might be in danger."