Chapter 6

"Il Muto" and the Murder

For the rest of the day until the performance began, I was preparing for what I was going to do. I was going to ensure that Christine would play the main role. What I planned to do would make Carlotta so humiliated that she wouldn't have the courage to continue. It wasn't going to be easy, though. I would have to make sure no one saw me, the least of all Joseph Buquet. He seemed to have a recent interest in following me, something I wouldn't recommend unless you have a death wish.

I waited behind the mirror in Christine's dressing room until she had left, then I entered her room and placed the rose I had for her on the table like I had done for the last performance. After that, I made my way toward the stage, or, more specifically, above it. I heard Buquet approaching, and I climbed up the ropes holding up the catwalks. I was sure that he had seen me, but he was probably too drunk to realize it. Just then, the curtain opened and the performance of "Il Muto" began.

"They say that this youth has set my Lady's heart aflame!" sang one of the people on the stage as Christine, dressed as a maid, walked out onto the stage with a feather duster. I stared down in disgust. Carlotta should be playing the part of Serafimo the Pageboy, not Christine.

The opera continued, and the time for me to act was coming up. I started making my way down to the stage level when I saw Carlotta readying herself to go on by taking a spray from her atomizer. As she was walking out onto the stage, I took her atomizer and switched it for mine. While hers had a vocal spray, mine contained a concoction that I had made. Now, all I had to do was give Carlotta the chance to use it.

As I had expected, André and Firmin had completely disregarded my commands. The Vicomte was sitting in my box, which suited my purposes completely. I made my way up toward the narrow path circling the chandelier that was usually used for maintenance. Once I was there, I spoke.

"Did I not instruct that box five was to be left empty?" I asked, allowing my voice to fill the entire theatre. The actors on the stage stopped what they were doing.

"It's him!" Christine cried.

"Your part is silent!" Carlotta snapped at her. "Little toad!" My eyebrows rose in amusement.

"A toad, Madame?" I said with a small laugh. "Perhaps it is you who are the toad." Carlotta went to the side of the stage to my atomizer. She took a spray from it and returned to the stage, ready to start the scene over.

"Serafimo, away with this pretence!" she sang. "You cannot speak, but kiss me in my croak!" Carlotta had suddenly croaked like a toad. I laughed. The arrogant witch was finally getting what she deserved. I wondered whether or not she would continue singing. Unfortunately, she did. "Poor fool he makes me laugh," she sang cautiously. "Hahahaha! Haha croak! Croak! Croak! Croak!" I laughed harder than ever. I knew that everyone in the opera could hear me, but I didn't care. This was too hilarious. "I cannot go on!" she cried before running off the stage. The curtain closed and the managers stepped onto the stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Firmin said, "we apologize. The performance will continue in ten minutes time when the role of the Countess will be sung by Miss Christine Daaé." The audience applauded.

"Until that time, we will be giving you the ballet from act three of tonight's performance," André announced. "Maestro, the ballet. Now." They stepped off the stage, and I returned to the maintenance route. I heard footsteps behind me, and I knew that Buquet was following me. The fool.

I quickened my pace, turning where I could, and I found myself back above the stage. Buquet was still following me, and I decided to play a little game with him. I hid in a shadow and allowed him to pass by me before I emerged and began following him. He knew something was wrong, and he quickened his pace. I followed suit.

Buquet was almost running when he reached a dead end. He stopped and turned around, and almost bumped into me. He cried out in terror, and I cursed under my breath. If he drew attention to my being here, there would be trouble. I had to silence him, perhaps permanently.

He was running as fast as he could away from me, and I ran after him. This continued for a few minutes, and during this time, the ballet was playing. Somehow, Buquet had managed to get out of my sight, but when I went out onto one of the parallel catwalks above the stage, Buquet was on the other one. We both tried to go in the same direction, and then we stopped. We tried the other direction, and we stopped again. Finally, Buquet ran the other way, and I grabbed the rope holding up the catwalk and began climbing.

After running like a madman to get away from me, Buquet found himself back on the catwalk. I dropped down at the other end of it and shook it. Buquet stumbled and almost fell off. The ballet below us was almost over. I approached Buquet, a noose in my hand. Buquet could only cry out in fear as I slipped the noose around his neck. I tightened it, and he gagged. After a few seconds, he went limp. I tied the rope to one of the support ropes of the catwalk and pushed him over the side. He fell a short distance until there was a sudden jerk, and I knew he was dead.

There were screams from people in the audience and on the stage. The support rope of the catwalk snapped, and I had to grab another to avoid falling down onto the stage. The body of Buquet fell onto the stage, triggering more screams. I heard the footsteps of several people heading my way, and I climbed upward. I vanished into one of my tunnels, and sealed the entrance behind me.

I felt drained of energy. I knew what I had just done, and I knew that I would pay for it later. If Christine heard about this, as she probably would in no time at all, then she would be more afraid of me than she already was. I didn't want her to fear me, but I had just murdered someone, and I knew that she would never forgive me.