Six Days After the Meeting

Clara Varlese sat at the desk, in her office, at the firm, on the phone with someone regarding the details of the case. As she glanced at her computer screen, she noticed the time and realized that it was a few minutes past her scheduled appointment with Christine Daaé. It had come as a surprise when she'd heard from Corbin that Miss Daaé had refused to testify for the prosecution. Perhaps the situation for this case wouldn't wind up being so hopeless after all! She quickly ended the conversation and hung up the phone. Corbin was running late. He had called in earlier explaining that he had had the misfortune to spill coffee on his pants and had to go home to change. Varlese buzzed the secretary in the anteroom and asked if Miss Daaé was there yet, and when she received an affirmative answer, instructed the woman to send her in.

Christine, who had been waiting patiently just beyond the secretary's desk, looked up when she heard the sound of the intercom. She was doing her best to try to hide how very tired and worried she looked as she stood, uncrossing her hands from her lap, and went to the door of the office. She hesitated a moment, unsure, before knocking. Her hand had only just come in contact with the wood before the door opened before her and revealed a highly professional looking woman in a grey business suit.

"Please, come in. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Daaé," said Varlese as she offered her hand. Christine shook it and attempted a weak smile. Varlese gestured to a chair on one side of the table and moved back around to her position on the other.

"You will have to forgive my associate, Mr. Corbin, he's running a little late, but he will be with us shortly."

"It's alright," Christine responded. "I'm sorry I couldn't meet with you earlier this week. My fiancé had some objections..."

'Some objections' was putting the matter mildly. The girl's fiancé had had more than just some objections. In fact, the conversation that included the said objections had ended with him forbidding Christine to go to the meeting at all. But, to Christine's advantage, he had had one of those engagements, as young businessmen often do, that came up rather suddenly and most conveniently kept him away this afternoon. Christine was not about to let the chance pass by and quickly scheduled this meeting. It wasn't that her fiancé didn't have perfectly good reasons for wanting her not to go...But...She went anyway...

Varlese sat. "That would be Raoul Chagny, yes? He is a witness for the prosecution in this case. What do you mean by objections?"

"He isn't exactly thrilled that I agreed to meet with you," Christine answered, choosing her words carefully. "He has very strong prejudices against Erik, as you can well imagine. He was very upset when I refused to help the prosecution..."

Varlese nodded, understanding perfectly. "That is why we have asked you here today, actually. We find it very strange that you haven't agreed to help your own side of this case and we would like to know where exactly you stand on the matter."

Christine looked at her a moment as she sorted her thoughts and tried to decide how to respond to that. Her answering words were soft, "...I am not against Erik. Some things that he did, I do not agree with, but I...I couldn't bear to see him behind bars for the rest of his life. Or worse. If I..." She paused a moment then. Her own words had thrown her off...'Or worse...' The worst could happen to Erik as a result of this case...She tried to collect her thoughts to make them make sense. "I would gladly help the defense side, however my fiancé would be very upset if I did." She pressed her lips together. "I, however, will do my part to see that he doesn't end up as most would like him to. If I am questioned, I will not say things against him..."

She had thought all this out ahead of time. A long time ahead of time. She had thought about it a lot.

"That was going to be my next question..." Varlese said, her tone disappointed. "If you would be willing to testify for the defense."

Christine looked down. "Raoul would be very upset..."

Robert Corbin chose that moment to come into the room without warning while cursing softly under his breath. "Sorry I'm late." He glanced to Christine and nodded politely.

Varlese did not stand and gestured to him as he made his way to the table. "Miss Daaé, my associate, Mr. Corbin."

"A pleasure." He offered his hand and she took it wordlessly.

Varlese looked back to her a moment before continuing with where she had been going before the interruption. "Miss Daaé, I am going to be frank with you. In our efforts to develop a defense for Erik's case, we have come up with very little. Your testimony would be of great use for his cause if you agreed to act as our witness."

Christine looked from one to the other and didn't speak for a long time as if she were debating some inner argument with herself. She had refused to take Raoul's side because she hadn't wanted to work against Erik to condemn him...But if it were truly that terrible, could she actually help him? Finally, she spoke: "I had been afraid of that...Would it even help though? I don't know much about the murders nor any of the other offenses..."

Varlese glanced to Corbin, her original doubts resurfacing, and then looked back to Christine. "Then, do you decline?"

Before she could, though, Corbin added: "Any defense in any capacity would be helpful, Miss Daaé."

Christine spoke quietly as if she were afraid her answer would be overheard and she would be stopped. "I suppose you're right...I will help him."

Both lawyers were very grateful to hear that she was agreeing to testify for the defense as they could use whatever help they could get. However, Varlese had her doubts about the girl's credibility. Not only was she willing to battle against her fiancé in court, but she was also agreeing to help the man who had kidnapped her on multiple occasions go free.

She wanted to be certain. "The defendant seemed to imply that it was possible you held a grudge against him."

Christine looked to her, her clear, blue eyes wide, and answered without hesitation. "I couldn't ever."

"And you would be willing to join us in fighting against your fiancé's case?"

Christine bit her lip in misgiving. "...Yes."

That was all either attorney needed to hear! It seemed as if the very air in the room became lighter and the future most certainly looked brighter. Both offered her great smiles of gratitude.

"We can't thank you enough," Varlese spoke in the first optimistic tone she had used in ages. "We will need to meet again shortly to discuss your testimony and lay out your written deposition...We can make an appointment for that say..." She flipped through her schedule, searching for the soonest free date. There was none. She would have to bump something. "Friday afternoon? At 3:30?"

"I'll try..." Christine answered hopefully. She still had her fiancé to deal with. "Count on that unless I get in contact with you beforehand."

Varlese nodded. "Of course. Thank you." She crossed out the appointment already written in for 3:30 and wrote in Daaé's name, then turned back to her. "Now...What can you tell us about the defendant? I'm afraid our knowledge of his situation is very limited, and he doesn't do much, himself, to help our efforts."

"I...I don't know where to start..." Christine was more than hesitant about giving any information about Erik. "However, if he wanted you to know, he would have told you...Try again, and if he still doesn't talk to you to help himself, then I will tell you what I know to help him."

Varlese looked at her a moment before she realized just how unaware Christine was of the nature of the situation. "It's not so much a matter of what he wants us to know, Miss Daaé, but what we can find out to use to his advantage."

"I know..." she said, apologetically, "But please try to talk to him again first."

Varlese didn't understand at all why she would want them to talk to him again first. "Well, Miss Daaé, we have tried talking to him and he is less than cooperative...Really, if you could help us, it would be much simpler."

"Not yet." For once, the girl's words were firm.

Varlese found Christine's determination very odd and glanced over to Corbin for a moment. He looked about as confused as she felt. She looked back to Christine, agreeing, as was her only choice. "Of course...Please do let us know when you are able, then."

"I will..." She stood and readied to leave. Already she was becoming edgy about how long she had been away and was worried that Raoul might have come back by now. "I will see you on Friday afternoon, then..."

Varlese stood as well and went over to the door to open it for Christine. "Yes, and thank you, once again, so much for helping us."

"You're welcome..." Christine simply stood there for a moment before moving as if she were unsure whether she truly wanted to go. "Until Friday," she added, delaying her departure just a moment longer. And then she left.

Varlese shut the door after her and looked back to her partner. "Well...That was...Well..."

Corbin understood what she meant. "...Yes. But at least we've got her word. It's better than nothing."

"Well, we'll have it on Friday at least..." She turned back to her computer to check her messages. "Perhaps, in our next meeting with Erik, he'll be a little more eager to cooperate."

"Christine seems to have an effect on him," Corbin mused. "Perhaps if we tell him she is planning to testify in his favor, he'll be more agreeable."

"Well...She had enough of an effect on him for him to kidnap her..."

He lifted his eyebrows. "I honestly don't understand why she would want to help her kidnapper."

"Well, we asked her, and she wouldn't tell us...But after she signs the papers, she'll have to disclose everything anyway."

He nodded. "Pretty little thing," he reflected. "Odd how she could get involved with someone like Erik..."

She shrugged. "Well, you know what they say about theatre people."

"I know exactly."