A/N: Angel of Mystery, Charity, Child of the Dark Woods, ya'll got to help me out. I need more reviewers! Spread the word about my series! I'll give you an Erik cookie...(a cookie in the shape of a white mask)
Meanwhile, here's an idea that popped into my head tonight as I was finishing Chapter Five. How about a crossover with Sherlock Holmes? My series is only about six years off the Doyle canon, and I could make it a case Holmes worked on before he ever met Watson. Whatca think? Review and tell me.
Back to the story, I hope you like Chapter Five. Pieces will be put together, villians come out of the woodwork, minor fluff is to be had and you'll never guess who makes a quest appearance! (So don't cheat and scroll down to the bottom of the page and see) Enjoy the show!
peace, love and lipgloss,
Mlle. Fox
The next day, Firmin and Andre walked into a seedy looking pub where smoke was a decoration and dirt a welcome mat. The working man and average drunk looked up at their entrance obviously curious, but they soon returned to their ale and mumbled conversations. Firmin approached the bar, Andre close on his heels. The large barkeep with meat hooks for hands leaned on the bar and asked bluntly,
"Can I get you anything gentlemen?"
"Got anything cold? We've been walking all day!" asked Andre wiping his brow.
"Sorry Mousier. Everything is as warm as a dead body around here!" said the bartender.
"Speaking of which!" muttered Firmin.
"Well, sir. Perhaps you can help us. We saw a sign outside that said you had rooms for rent?" asked Andre ignoring his partner's comment.
"You require a room?" he asked.
"No, but we are looking for the room a friend of ours did occupy. Does the name Roland Richard ring a belle?" asked Firmin.
"No Mousier. Only Roland I know's of is this one pauper who the Widow Coudre use to let sleep in her barn." said the bartender. Firmin gave Andre a pointed look and Andre asked,
"Mousier please. This is the fifth establishment we've visited today. Did this Roland have gray hair with a touch of red to it, brown eyes, a Roman nose, and wore a brown suit?"
"Aye, that's him. Why do you ask? Are you police or something? Has he done anything?" asked the barkeep.
"Not for a few days!" joked Andre.
"Can you tell us where we might find the Widow Coudre?" asked Firmin.
"She should be home. Her cottage is right up the road. Big blue door. Can't miss it!" said the barkeep taking up a glass and beginning to polish it with a stained cloth.
"Merci Mousier!" said Firmin giving his a gold piece. As the barkeep took it up and bit it to test if it was real, Andre led Firmin out saying,
"Finally! Perhaps this Widow can tell us about Richard!"
"One can only hope. And I hope this means we can go home soon! My feet are killing me!" said Firmin.
"Well, I told you to wear old shoes today." said Andre.
"I am wearing old shoes!" protested Firmin.
"No you're not. I know those are the new shoes you bought last week." argues Andre as they stepped outside.
"No, my new shoes are brown, not black!" said Firmin as they began to walk down the street.
"Oh really? How long have you had those?" asked Andre.
"About a year! But I don't wear them much." said Firmin.
"That's why your feet ache then. They're like new!" Andre told him.
"I've worn them enough to break them in!" Firmin said.
"You have not or your feet wouldn't hurt!" said Andre.
"They hurt because we've been walking around all bloody day!" spat out Firmin.
"I've walked as much as you and my feet don't hurt!" pointed out Andre.
"And I suppose that's because you wore old shoes?" asked Firmin skeptically.
"No, these are new shoes, actually." Andre said.
"Then why did you tell me to wear old shoes then while you are wearing new shoes?" asked Firmin.
"Because I needed to break mine in. Besides, I shop at a very good shoemaker." said Andre.
"Oh? And he doesn't make shoe's that hurt when you wear them?" asked Firmin.
"Oh no! I'll give you his card when we get home." Andre told him.
"What are we looking for again?" asked Firmin.
"A blue door I believe!" said Andre looking around. Firmin turned around and said,
"Oh there it is, we passed it!"
"Ah!" said Andre as he and Firmin approached the door. Firmin knocked. They waited. Firmin knocked again. They waited again. Upon knocking the third time, Andre said,
"I don't believe she's home!"
"Oh bother!...Look! The gate to her back garden is open." said Firmin walking over to it.
"We can't just walk in there!" said Andre.
"We're just having a look around. Maybe we can find something of Richard's! Come!" Firmin told him pushing back the gate. Andre rolled his eyes,
"He never said detective work was so rude!" He followed and found Firmin in a small, wooden barn with one doe eyed cow chewing on crud and one lazy orange tabby chewing on a mouse. Firmin held a sleeve to his nose to block the smell as he looked up to the hayloft.
"That seems like a good place for Richard to sleep in!" he said putting aside his cane.
"I'll hold the ladder!" said Andre taking hold of the rickety piece of craftsmanship. Firmin began to climb saying,
"Thank you!" He peeked his head over the top of the ladder and looked around.
"Not much around here except hay!" he told Andre.
"Nothing at all?" asked Andre. Firmin looked again, then furrowed his brow at a little black book hidden in the hay.
"Wait a moment..."he took it up and read a few pages, "Ming Vase, 700 francs, bought November 22, 1871...Jade statue, 1000 francs, bought November 30, 1871...my word Andre! I think we found something!"
"Hold it right there!" said a voice from the barn entrance. They saw a local constable with a withered old woman behind his aimed rifle pointing at the partners and saying,
"There they are! The thieves came in my gate after I went next door to give Mrs. Vetir some broth! We saw them from her kitchen window!" As they raised their hands in surrender, the constable told them,
"Mousiers, you're under arrest!"
Meanwhile, Erik and Antoinette got out of the carriage and turned a corner to find themselves walking down St. Paul street. At midday, the wealthy neighborhood donned their hats and parasols and took a leisurely stroll on the pristine walkways to walk off their lavish lunches. Erik paused, hesitant to get in too deep in this strange elite world, but Antoinette smiled up and him and pulled him along by the arm,
"Come along Mousier! We don't wish to appear like we don't belong here!" Erik grunted his indignation and cocked his hat further off to the right side as he walked arm in arm with Antoinette. He noticed the ladies greeting each other and complimenting one another's frilly, lacey or ruffled outfit while the men tipped their hats and nodded a greeting to each other. One lady passed them and told Antoinette,
"What a lovely hat!"
"Merci! Good day!" smiled Antoinette. She looked behind her and whispered to Erik,
"You know what she really thought don't you?"
"No." said Erik shaking his head.
"She thought 'Nice hat, but mine's more expensive, therefore better!' That's how this society girls work. They appear sweet and endearing but they won't hesitate to crush you!" said Antoinette as Erik tipped his hat in greeting a man who passed them.
"I believe I know what you mean. I saw plenty of that attitude at the Populaire. The women would gush over each other's outfits, but a second one left the group the others would talk about how gaudy or ugly it was or even worse they'd imply she didn't get it for anything, if you know what I mean." he told her.
"Sandwiches?" she asked with a wry grin. He looked into her face and smiled,
"Sandwiches." Then, Erik looked ahead and his smile became a victorious one.
"Don't look now my dear, but I believe we are about to meet the Colonel!" She looked ahead and saw a distinguish, handsome man of middle age puffing on a cigar as the buxom young blond on his arm rattled on in a foreign language. But his eyes chilled Antoinette down to the bone. They were filled with an indescribable darkness. She shook away her fears and told him,
"Remember, charm!" He nodded and then began to act better than Shakespeare when he smiled and came forward to the Colonel saying,
"I beg your pardon Mousier! Do you live in this neighborhood?" The Colonel stopped, took out his cigar and said in a tongue laced with an accent,
"Yah. Why do you ask?"
"My name is Erik DuL'Soir and this is my friend Mlle. Antoinette Carone. She is helping me shop for a new house and we thought St. Paul street would be a good place to start." Erik told him.
"It certainly is, Mousier. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Col. Wilhelm Brottlemeijer, and this is my...niece...Mlle. Lily Saliguade." said the Colonel gesturing to the lady on his arm.
"Enchante!" she said in a sweet voice.
"Bon jour!" nodded Antoinette.
"So Colonel you must know if there is a house available around here, don't you? I certainly don't care what it costs!" Erik told him.
"As a matter of fact I was thinking of selling my maison in a few weeks!" said the Colonel with a smile.
"Really? What luck!" said Erik.
""Perhaps you and the Mam'selle would accompany us to the house to have a look around, maybe discuss the possibility of selling it?" suggested the Colonel.
"That sounds like an excellent idea! But we certainly wouldn't want to put you out!" said Erik.
"Nine, nine! It shall be a pleasure mine heir!" said Brottlemeijer with a bow. He turned around leading the way as Antoinette asked him,
"So Colonel. Is that a German accent I detect?"
"It most certainly is! I've only lived in Paris for the last few years. I wish to return to my Berlin as soon as possible! Your France is lovely, but I desire the Motherland once more!" said the Colonel with nostalgia.
"And are you of German heritage as well, Mam'selle?" asked Erik to Mlle. Lily.
"Oh no! I'm French, but Willy here wants me to learn German!" she said with a giggle.
"Willy?" asked Antoinette dryly. They came up to a townhouse and Brottlemeijer said,
"Nickname!" Erik and Antoinette exchanged looks as the Colonel fished out his keys and unlocked the door.
Once inside, the butler took their things and the Colonel told him in direct German to have tea waiting in the conservatory. With a flourish, Brottlemeijer waved a hand about the grand marble foyer and said,
"Well? Does my home make a good first impression, Mousier?" Erik nodded looking at the stained glass skylight above them,
"It does indeed. I myself have always been a student of architecture. The masonry work in here is magnificent."
"Come, let me show you the rest. I notice sir, you are wearing an eye patch. Did you see action in the last war?" asked Brottlemeijer over his shoulder as he lead them up the stairs.
"Nothing as glamorous. I was...injured in a hunting accident." said Erik remembering the alias Firmin and Andre had used.
"War is not glamorous M. DuL'Soir. I myself fought with Count Helmuth in the Battle of Gravelotte. When the Prussian forces took Paris, I myself found the city so inviting I turned in my commission and stayed." the Colonel said. As they came on the second floor landing, Antoinette asked,
"And yet now you wish to return to Germany?"
"I'm afraid I must. I long for the motherland and a business matter I've been trying to resolve must be completed in Berlin." answered the Colonel.
"What sort of business?" asked Erik. Stepping into a large sitting room, the Colonel said,
"I am an antique dealer Mousier. You will notice many fine pieces from my own collection throughout the house. For instance, here in the study..."
The tour bored Antoinette to death. Not only did this man talk incessantly about old brick-a-brack; she couldn't help but feel as if his charming manner and winning smile was hiding something darker, more sinister. It was his dark eyes that gave it away. Those eyes chilled her to the bone. Gratefully, they finished the tour in the conservatory that was just off to the large parlor in the west wing. The gentlemen stood and sipped their tea as Antoinette asked Mlle. Lily,
"So Mam'selle, do you plan to travel with your Uncle to Germany?"
"Come Mousier! Let us leave the ladies to gossip. I can show you around the gardens!" Colonel Brottlemeijer told Erik. They stepped outside, and Antoinette whispered to Lily,
"Now, Mam'selle. Is it safe to presume the Colonel is not REALLY your uncle?" Outside, the Colonel told Erik with a laugh,
"No, Lily is not my niece..." Inside Lily said,
"I was a can-can dancer and we met while I was in the chorus. He said he knew it was love when he saw me raise my foot over my head! Want to see?" Stopping her from lifting her skirts, Antoinette said,
"That's quite alright dear!" Outside, Brottlemeijer said,
But I found in France the only acceptable way to keep a mistress is if you are married first. I am a confirmed bachelor Mousier!"
"And yet why do you care what others should think?" asked Erik. Inside, Lily told Antoinette as she poured another cup of tea,
"He needs to look good for business. Besides, he's going to marry me someday! He told me himself!"
"Well yes...Say Mam'selle tell me. Did the Colonel ever mention or introduce you to a Roland Richard?" asked Antoinette. Outside, The Colonel looked to the sky and said in thought,
"Richard, did you say? No...never heard such a name."
"I thought you might of heard of him from the paper this morning..." said Erik with a shrug. The Colonel snapped his fingers,
"Oh yes! Faked his death and then showed up two days ago on his widow's doorstep, right? Peculiar case. I suppose he ran off with a mistress!" Inside, Lily told Antoinette,
"Willy was awfully upset this morning when he got the paper. Something about some homeless man ending up dead. He wouldn't tell me about it. Told me to go back to planning our party."
"Party?" asked Antoinette.
"Yes, just a formal little gathering to have some fun before winter settles in." said the Colonel. "You and Miss Carone should attend!"
"Oh no, we couldn't!" said Erik.
"I insist...and invite your employers M. Andre and M. Firmin...I look forward to meeting them..." said the Colonel with a triumphant and dark smirk. Surprised, but keeping his face and tone even, Erik said,
"You know of us then?"
"The men I hire to follow a person takes very good mental notes, Mousier. Especially if she is young and beautiful like your Mlle. Carone. I do not know what you are after...but I so desire a challenge." the Colonel told him. Erik said with his authoritive and commanding voice,
"You shall most certainly get one Colonel." said Erik. Turning to the conservatory once more, Brottlemeijer said,
"And now...you must be leaving!" Erik walked past him and told Antoinette,
"Come Mlle. Carone. We have a few more houses to visit!" Noticing the dark look in his eyes, Antoinette stood and smiled at Lily,
"It had most certainly been a pleasure speaking with you Mam'selle!"
"Same here, Doll!" said Lily waving at them politely as they got their things and walked out. Instantly, Lily's countenance changed from simple and starry eyed to seductive and plotting. She looked up at the Colonel who poured himself some fresh tea and said,
"So! Did he take the bait?"
"He did! And I'm sure his employers will as well! And while we wine and dine the Andre and Firmin detective agency, my men shall do a full check on their home and office!" said the Colonel proud of himself.
"But what if one of them sneaks away to go snooping around?" asked Lily taking up her tea. The Colonel chuckled,
"Only a phantom can find his way in my world, Lipshin!"
A half-hour later, Erik helped Antoinette down from the carriage as she said,
"Erik, I don't trust that man!"
"Neither do I. But this is the best opportunity to see what he's up to!" Erik told her as they came up the drive. Suddenly, Jean Claude burst through the front door and exclaimed,
"Mam'selle! Thank heavens you're home!"
"Jean Claude, what's the matter?" asked Antoinette picking up her skirts as she rushed up the front steps.
"I just received word Miss!"
"What word?" asked Antoinette.
"Mrs. Ravon and Miss Janet haven't stopped crying..." Erik snapped at him,
"For God's sake man! Spit it out!"
"M. Andre and M. Firmin have been arrested Mousier!" Jean Claude told them as they looked at each other before turning back to the carriage and ducking inside.
Meanwhile, Andre shifted closer to Firmin on the damp splintered bench trying not to touch the dirty old wino snoring loudly beside him. Firmin looked around at the rough looking men in the cell with them. They were eyeing him like he might be their last meal. Firmin muttered to Andre,
"Andre, don't get to close to me while we are in jail!"
"Well it's your fault for sneaking in the barn!" Andre told him.
"You held the ladder!" Firmin said.
"Well you saw the open gate!" argued Andre.
"You followed me!" pointed out Firmin.
"And you never told me detective work would be so rude AND so you never told me we'd run into the risk of getting arrested!" yelled Andre. Firmin sighed and said,
"You win. I'm tired of arguing with you!"
"Well I'm tired of arguing with you!" said Andre as Firmin rolled his eyes. They waited a few more minutes, when they heard the unlocking of a door. A policeman came in and announced pointing to the partner's with his nightstick,
"You two! You have company!" He stepped aside and in walked Erik, looking coldly. Firmin and Andre rushed forward and grasped the bars saying,
"Thank heavens!"
"Now we can get out of here!"
"Not so fast Mousiers!" said Erik.
"Oh Erik, come now! You don't intend to leave us in here do you?" asked Andre.
"Possibly," said Erik folding his arms. He continued, "How on Earth did you two end up in here?"
"Ask him!" said the partners nodding to each other.
"Before I consider letting you out, can you give me something conclusive to think about? Like, oh say, the CASE for example?" asked Erik sarcastically.
"How about the little black book full of an inventory of expensive collectables bought in the year 1871?" offered Andre.
"An inventory of collectables? Of course, the Colonel!" exclaimed Erik snapping his fingers.
"The Colonel? So you found out about him then?" asked Firmin.
"More than I would have liked. His name is Wilhelm Brottlemeijer, and he's from Germany with a war record. Did I mention he's an ANTIQUE dealer?" Erik told them.
"But what does an inventory of fine antiques have to do with the Commune and the treasury?" asked Firmin.
"Perhaps they're STOLEN antiquities! If this Colonel Brottlemeijer is crooked enough to have us followed, who's to say he's not into the black market?" suggested Andre.
"And the Commune did business with him, buying antiques cheap so they could resell them at a profit!" said Erik.
"But why would Brottlemeijer sell them cheap?" asked Andre.
"We're business Andre, think! He probably needed to unload them! And if the Nationalists remained in power, the new government might repay him and look the other way while doing business!" Firmin told him.
"Sounds smart to me." said a miscellaneous criminal in the jail cell leaning in a corner near Firmin. As Firmin raised a brow looking oddly at the eavesdropper, Erik began to pace,
"Anyone in that committee would have reason to want that inventory. The Colonel to cover his tracks..."
"Sergeant Letrec lied about his whereabouts during the Commune. He said he had fled to Versailles, but then he said at the same time he was breaking down protests which is why he was too busy to see Richard." pointed out Andre.
"And the Doctor outright threatened me and evaded my question." said Firmin.
"And Antoinette said Father Tomas grew pale and ill looking as if he had been caught. Anyone of them could have reason to kill Richard." said Erik.
"But this is all speculation. We need proof! And we still haven't addressed the issue that Richard was tortured!" said Firmin.
"We shall discover who tortured him. And I think we may find proof when we attend the gala Colonel Brottlemeijer is giving." said Erik as the door leading to the cells began to open again. Firmin said,
"We're going to what?" Antoinette walked in greeted by catcalls, whoops, hollers and whistles from the other inmates. They wouldn't stop as the officer banged on the cell with his nightstick and said,
"Button it!" But to his surprise, and to Antoinette's and the partners as well, Erik glared at all of them and actually growled, gnashing his teeth. A dead silence fell. Still shooting a look to kill, Erik regained his calm voice and told them,
"The Colonel knows who we are and that we're investigating him. So he's invited us to his party."
"What!" asked Firmin.
"It's a trap!" said Andre.
"Oh no Mousiers. I know his thinking. He merely wants to toy with us and play the game on his turf. We shall most certainly attend." said Erik.
"Well if anyone is interested, I've paid the bail money." said Antoinette dryly.
"Well it's about time!" said Andre.
"Mam'selle you should have been quicker about it so we wouldn't have to stay in here as long as we have!" Firmin told her.
"Really, you must be losing your touch." said Andre. Antoinette turned to Erik and said,
"Maybe we should leave them in there!"
"NOO!" yelled the partners. Antoinette smiled aside at them,
"Just kidding Mousiers."
"Sorry Mam'selle!" said Firmin.
"You know we are grateful!" said Andre.
"Thank you, and for your information, I was speaking with the Widow Coudre!" she said.
"What did she have to say, the old Bat!" said Andre bitterly.
"Besides, she's dropping the charges?" They turned sheepish, "That she's been letting a Mr. Roland stay in her barn for a month now, doing odd chores to earn his keep, and though he was very polite, he's been waking her at all hours of the night with him screaming out in his sleep." she told them.
"Screaming?" asked Andre.
"Mr. Richard must have been released from his torture for a month or else he wouldn't scream so. Wouldn't you say so Erik?...Erik?" Antoinette said. But Erik was a world away again, but this time, the world was frightening for he was pale and sweating. His eyes defensive and scared like a child in the dark. As he began to breath heavily, shutting his eyes tight, Antoinette shook his arm,
"Erik! Erik talk to me!"
"Erik snap out of it!" yelled Firmin.
"He okay?" asked a prisoner.
"Should I get a doctor?" asked the guard. Antoinette took his face in his hands and got nose to nose with him, despite the fact Erik grabbed her wrists in an iron grip and pain coursed through her body.
"ERIK! ERIK, FOCUS ON ME! FOCUS ON ME!" she yelled. Suddenly, Erik snapped his eyes opened and slowed his breathing as he began to look at her. She whispered,
"Where were you just now?" He said in a ragged breath threatening to choke up,
"B...b...back with the gypsies..."
"Were they beating you?" she asked in a hushed tone. He nodded as she stroked his hair. There was silence a moment, silence and a quiet communication between their eyes. His telling her how much he needed her, her's telling him it was okay. Firmin cleared his throat,
"I suggest we get going. We have a party to prepare for!"
The invitation to Col. Brottlemeijer's party came the very next day in the post. Two nights later, the men came down the stairs in black coat and tails, Firmin telling Jean Claude,
"We'll be back no later than two...three if we decide to mix business with pleasure!"
"Of course sirs!" said Jean Claude. Andre looked to Erik who was fidgeting with his glove.
"Erik, you seem nervous for some reason."
"A masque I can deal with. But I've never attended a party where faces could be viewed openly." Erik admitted.
"Never fear Mousier! Allow M. Firmin and myself give you some pointers about dealing with proper society!" said Andre.
"First, never act as if you don't belong. Because then people will treat you like you don't!" said Firmin.
"Instead, treat the others of the upper class like THEY don't belong." added Andre and Erik furrowed his brow.
"Flirt with ladies constantly!" said Firmin.
"But don't make them seem like they're streetwalkers!" said Andre.
"Thought Lord knows half of them act like it!" muttered Firmin.
"Finally, stick to generic conversation. The weather, people's health, who's cheating on who, that sort of thing!" said Andre with a brush off.
"To discuss politics only leads to fights, and discussing cultural things like art and music only leave others inferior and confused!" said Firmin.
"Much like this whole conversation!" quipped Erik. Firmin sighed and yelled up the stairs,
"Mlle. Carone! What the devil is taking so long!" Suddenly, Antoinette appeared in a rich silk gown of royal purple, which was off shoulder with a slight plunge to the neckline. She said coming down the stairs, her train following behind her,
"Coming Mousier! Coming! Honestly, you men simply don't appreciate that it takes time to look gorgeous for you!" Erik came up to her with an astonished tone,
"You look exquisite!" she smiled devilishly,
"Well! I suppose some of you do!" They donned their capes and top hats, and flew away to the carriage to the Colonel's stately maison. The party was in full swing as Brottlemeijer greeted them at the door enthusiastically,
"Ah, Mousiers! At last we meet! Col. Wilhelm Brottlemeijer at your service!" As he clicked his heels, Firmin said,
"A pleasure, Colonel. Michael Firmin, my partner Giles Andre. And I believe you've already met our assistants!"
"Ah yes. We had a most pleasant visit! Tell me. Did you both meet M. DuL'Soir at the Opera Populaire?" asked the Colonel. Surprised, Andre said,
"You know we use to own the Opera then?"
"I asked about. And I'm sure you of all people shall enjoy my surprise tonight!" said the Colonel with a wide grin.
"What surprise?" asked Firmin. Brottlemeijer waved a finger at them, acting as a schoolboy,
"Ah, ah, ah! There is a reason it is called a surprise Mousier! Have a most enjoyable evening!" As the Colonel walked away to see to other guests, Firmin said while taking a glass of champagne from a waiter's tray,
"He's up to something!"
"But what?" asked Andre.
"Something to make us all on edge!" said Erik taking a glass as well.
"What could he possible pull out his hat to put us on edge?" asked Antoinette sipping from her glass. Suddenly, the Colonel gently tapped his glass with a knife and caught everyone attention saying,
"Friends! We are most fortunate tonight! For I actually managed to convince a great artist come perform for us tonight! Madams, Mousiers and Mam'selles! I give you...Madame Carlotta Gurtecelli!"