Opera Ghost
Chapter Twenty-Four
Eight o' clock finally came and from behind the red curtain, Jess could hear the hum and buzz of the audience as the lights dimmed and anxiousness set it. She was anxious too, but not because she was about to see a show. She watched from far back in a downstage wing and Bernard Ambler prepared to step on stage. He turned beforehand to receive a smile and a thumbs-up from his co-workers, but she could have sworn that he was looking at her. Even though she thought she was well hidden, she was certain that his smile was really a gloat.
How she wished that nothing would happen tonight. Just to prove Ambler wrong, and then she was packing her things and getting out of this place. She had decided that was what she had to do, and after the gala she would grab her things and force the boys to come along too. It seemed cowardly but they would be no good here or to one another if they were dead. Ambler walked in front of the curtain to make his speech. Jess felt some one tap her shoulder and she turned to her left. Claudine was standing at her side, half concealed in the dark, even though her crisp white dress stood out.
"Pardon, Jessalyn but do you have a flashlight? It's always too dark back here anyway," she asked. Jess fished in her pocket and pulled out her little black flashlight and switched it on.
"I never leave home without it." Claudine reached out to take it form her, but Jess pulled it back out of her grasp. "Just out of curiosity, why do you need it?"
Claudine looked confused and put her slender hand on her hip. "I'm in charge of escorting one the singers around tonight. The mangers had invited a famous soprano to come perform for the gala, Madame Pursoe, and I need some more light if I'm ever going to get her from her dressing room to the wings in one piece," she explained with a smile.
Jess pointed back to the stairs. "Well, then I hope you wouldn't mind if I came with you."
Claudine shook her head. "Not at all, if you wish." She started to move to lead the way, but Jess stepped in front of her with the flashlight.
"It's down the stairs right? The larger dressing rooms," she stated more than asked. Claudine nodded and then giggled.
"Yes, you sure know your way around the theater," she remarked as they rounded the stairs heading down.
Jess didn't think it was funny, but Claudine didn't need to know that. "I make it a point to know my way around," she commented back. When they reached downstairs, Jess shut off her light and they made their way to the small mass of dancers and singers as Claudine indicated which door. She went inside and Jess waited like a stern guard until she reemerged with a beautiful middle-aged brunette. The singer was dressed in a period gown made of purple and white silk, but without any wig or thick make-up. The woman noticed Jess and whispered a few words in French to Claudine. She replied back in their native tongue and when Jess heard her full name said in the mist of the foreign words, she took the effort to bow her head in acknowledgement to the diva.
The singer noticed this gesture and within another comment between them, both of the women seemed to be laughing at her. Jess raised an eyebrow. "All right Claudine, what did she say about me?"
Claudine threw up her hands, trying to stop her giggles. "Oh nothing. She just remarked how you are the perfect gentleman." Jess blushed, realizing her hair was tucked under her black cap. She switched back on her light and let them follow her back upstairs, still pondering if the singer's comment was merely a mistake in identity or a premeditated joke. The backstage areas was now extremely crowded, since a ballet piece had just finished on stage and the dancers rushed to change their costumes. Technicians ran to all areas to try and prepare the next performance piece before the curtain when up.
"There is to be another dance piece before Madame sings," Claudine whispered in Jessalyn's ear. Jess saw Daniel and Tony standing in the opposite wing across the stage. The mat knife in her large pocket twitched as she moved. Jess turned to Claudine and stuck her flashlight in the other girl's palm.
"Well then you can hang on to this until then," she told her, before darting across the stage to where the boys were. She escaped the open curtain and the rush of dancers by mere seconds.
Tony and Dan were dressed in the same suits they had worn during the first performance they had attended in Paris. They blended in with the rest of the backstage population. "Hey Jess. What's up?" Dan asked. "No signs of you-know-who yet," he joked.
Jess shook her head and then gave a cautious glance upward to the grid. "None yet, thank God." She motioned for both of them to pull in a huddle. "Listen, what I really need you two to do is keep an eye out for Claudine for the rest of the evening."
Dan looked at her concerned. "Claudine? What does he want with her?" he asked concerned. Jess shook her head, partly in jealously.
"I don't know, just watch out for her," Jess stated again. "Got it?"
Tony put a firm hand on her shoulder. "I know what you mean and I'm not going to let you wander around this theater alone. You're in more danger than the rest of us. I'm not going to let you do this alone, Jess, because I know you will." His dark eyes held hers as he voiced his concerns.
"I'll be fine," she assured him.
"I say we should stick together," Dan suggested. The music for the next piece started as the dancers glided on stage. Jess glanced over to the other side of the stage where she had just come from. There was no sign of Ambler, but Delauney stood in the wings, peeking his head around the curtain to get a glimpse of the audience. For the longest time, she had thought Delauney was the one after them. The one trying to scare them away from their project. Now she knew that Ambler was defiantly the main threat, but she wasn't sure how Delauney fitted into the puzzle. The dance ended to polite applause, and Delauney stepped in front of the curtain. Jess heard someone cough behind her.
Jessalyn's eyes were attuned to the darkness of the stage, and she could make out the figure of Ambler emerging from a flight of stairs. The curtain dropped in and before she could give Ambler a chance, Jess rushed back across the stage. She motioned for Tony and Dan to follow her. She could hear the stagehands cursing at them, as the three barely missed the shuffle of scenery flying in and out. Claudine was helping Madame Pursoe fix her dress before she went on, as the singer gazed into a small hand mirror.
"Dan, you two stand on the downstage wing," she whispered to Dan.
"I thought we were going to stick together," he said.
Jess pulled her knife out of her pocket, just enough to show him the handle. "Please just trust me."
Dan reached out and gave her left hand a firm squeeze. "I do. Don't make me regret it then," he said before running off. She turned back to Claudine who returned her look with one of confusion.
"Is everything all right?" she asked.
"Sure." Jess nodded, trying to restrain herself from wiping the sweat off her forehead. Delauney had obviously finished his introduction as thunderous applause greeted the diva in the next act. The singer gathered herself together, before handing Claudine her mirror and strutting towards center stage. Jess watched as the conductor started the opening phrases, seeing the bows of the string instruments move upward. It was something famous, probably by Mozart. She could feel her hands starting to shake.
"I don't think so…something is wrong." Claudine whispered behind her, an uncertain tone in her sweet voice. Jess looked back at her, the singer's aria echoing in her ears. Claudine's blue eyes went wide as she saw her face.
"Mon Dieu, Jess, you are so pale," she exclaimed. Suddenly a grinding sound like an engine broke the graceful music. A unison gasp rose from the audience. Jess knew that sound. It was the same sound the blowers in the theater back at school made when they kicked on. She could only imagine the size of the blowers and air ducts needed for the massive auditorium of the Paris Opera House. The gears and fans started to pick up speed and grow louder.
"What's happening?" Claudine asked, a little frightened.
"Some one turned on the blowers, or something," Jess explained. Now the speed of the fans began to increase and blow even more strongly, which seemed technically impossible. No blower or any sort of air system would be designed to run that fast and strong. It blew under her black shirt and both the singers' long skirts and Claudine's dress were caught in the gusts of wind. The mirror in Claudine's hand as well Jessalyn's flashlight flew out of her grip and smashed onto the floor. Jess put a hand on top of her head to keep her cap from flying away. Some one had to have tinkered with the system to make it blow so violently.
"Erik…" she muttered under her breath. The wind had finally gained enough force to cause Claudine to tumble to the ground. Muffled shouts and screams came from the audience as confusion started to fall over the people. Stagehands rushed to secure the line sets, but still scenery rocked in the strong breeze and the poor singer was standing alone , being whipped about in the wind like a rag doll. Jess bent to pull Claudine up to her feet, pulling off the slender high heels shoes that weren't helping. She looked around for Dan or Tony but couldn't see either or them. Jess saw one of the stage managers reach for a microphone on a table, obviously a 'God mic' which would sound throughout the auditorium.
He switched it on and was greeted by a flash of blue electric sparks as he flung it away. "We have to help her," Claudine said, pointing out on stage. Jess took her hand and started to make her way center stage. People scurried on stage and through the wings to get out of the way of the unsteady scenery about to fall.
As soon as they reached center stage, a folly of sheet music flew at their faces. Claudine shrieked as the paper cut and stung her face. "Dan! Tony!" Jess called out again. Two pit musicians bravely climbed up to the stage and helped Madame Pursoe to the wings. Then Jess heard and smelled a spark of electricity. All the lights in the theater started to flicker on and off. The screams grew louder and no one made an effort to calm the audience. Jess still couldn't make out Tony or Dan in the crowd.
There was one person, however, she could make out quite clearly. Ambler stormed towards her, the dark figures of security personal flanking behind him. Even Claudine could see the anger in his eyes. "Jessalyn…what's going on?" she asked trembling.
A shower of sparks fell from above as the heat of the lamps caused bulbs to blow up and wires to burst into flame. "Just hang on. Hang on," she instructed, trying to dodge the falling sparks. She tried to back up, still holding Claudine's hand, but their escape was impossible as Ambler gained speed and closed in. Jess reached for the knife in her pocket.
"No…" Jess whispered in disbelief. Ambler reached forward and grabbed her arm forcefully.
All the lights in the theater went out.
More screams greeted the darkness. Jessalyn squeezed Claudine's hand even tighter, determined not to let her go. She barely felt Ambler as he knocked her over onto the stage and her knife fell out of her pocket spinning away in the blackness. Claudine gasped and called for help. Jess was still trying to get Ambler off of her. She could see nothing, but had to guess as she rolled to one side to escape from being pinned. She had to let Claudine go if either of them had a chance of getting to safety. "Claudine, run!" she told her.
"I can't see" she protested.
Jess grunted. "I know, just go!"
A pair of hands found her neck. Claudine slipped away, as Ambler dragged Jess up by her throat. She gagged, her lungs desperate for air. She clawed at him wildly. Then she noticed two pin points of yellow light that had manifested themselves out of nowhere. She had seen those eyes before.
"Erik!"
She felt the hands around her neck fall away. The sound of Ambler's enraged breathing turn into groans of agony. Suddenly there was a thud and something heavy fell into her lap, and she in turn fell backwards onto the floor. A splash of warm liquid spilled over her skirt, neck and face. She lay there, stunned for a moment still unable to see. Gasps and shrieks clouded her ears, until someone lifted her from her back, to let her rest on her knees. She sat there helpless in the dark and in the chaos as the liquid started to drip from her chin.
A slender and cold set of fingers caressed under her neck wile she was still in a daze. She shivered; knowing who those fingers belonged to.
Then Claudine screamed in terror." Jess! Jessalyn! Somebody!"
The lights came back on.
Ambler's bloody face stared up at her from where it had been placed in her lap. Sticking out of his back was the grey handle of her knife. Around his neck was a noose of black cord, but it hadn't been used to its full capability: he wasn't dead yet. Jess looked down at her hands and discovered they were covered in blood. His blood was all over her, even on her lips and cheeks. She gave a disgusted scream of disbelief.
Ambler's hand grabbed her arm and his mouth moved in horror. "Murderer. Arrest her!" he called with his last breath. His eyes rolled back into his head and he fell lifeless into her lap once more. Jess was too dumbstruck to even scream again.
Claudine was gone and the shouts of "murder" from patrons and performers alike deafened her. The two security guards were about ten yards away, and they just looked at her. Without another word, Jess stood and ran away as fast as her legs could carry her.
The theater was in utter pandemonium. Dancers fled downstairs to the safety of the dressing rooms and stagehands abandoned their posts. Tony along with Dan searched for Jess. They had lost sight of her and Claudine just before the lights had gone out, and they still had no clue as to what really was going on. Tony looked everywhere, trying to slip on his dress shoes as he walked quickly. He checked behind curtains and dark spaces backstage where she could be hiding, trying to avoid being knocked down by the panicked mass of people. "Jess!" He cursed himself; he never should have let her go off alone.
"Tony." Dan grabbed his shoulder and pointed on stage. "Look." Tony's gaze followed to where Dan has pointed. On stage in the pool of a spotlight, was Ambler's body, blood pouring from his neck and back.
"Jesus….who did this?" he gasped in disgust. Suddenly he felt someone grab his wrists and pull him back. He saw out of the corner of his eye the same thing happen to Daniel. "Hey, what the hell is going on!" he shouted. Then he heard the click of metal and felt the cold substance against his wrist. The same someone threw him down on the ground telling him to shut up in French. Tony tumbled backward and then felt his head hit something hard as he passed out.
Dan struggled against his handcuffs and looked at his friend who had hit his head on the fly rail. "Tony?" The security guard who had handcuffed him produced another set of cuffs and secured him to a pole. "Why are you doing this?" he demanded.
The man looked down at him coldly. "Because you are in league with the murderer," he explained in labored English.
"But we had nothing to do with the murder! We don't even know what's going on! Let us go, please!" he tried to reason with the man, but the guard walked away ignoring him. Dan struggled against his restraints to no avail. Tony stirred beside him, but didn't fully wake up. Now Dan was starting to fear the worst. The stage was nearly empty except for the security personnel and policemen scattered about the stage. The lights began their flickering dance again, probably affected by the strong wind that had tossed them about.
He couldn't see Jessalyn or Claudine. This had to be the Phantom's work.
Then Dan felt a pair of fingers over his wrist and then a click. He could now move away from where he was chained. Another click and his hands were free. "What!" he exclaimed turning around.
The face of Lucas Delauney greeted him with a finger pressed to his lips. "Please be quiet, monsieur," the manager told him. Dan was in shock. Now what's going on? Delauney went to Tony's side and Dan saw him take a set of keys and free Tony's wrists from the handcuffs. The man slapped Tony's cheek lightly, and then gave him a shake. Tony's eyes finally flew open and he sat upright. Dan sighed in relief. "Come we must move quickly." Delauney told them, helping Tony up to his feet. Tony glanced at Dan in confusion and Dan rolled his shoulder to explain he was just has puzzled as he was. They waited until a majority of the policeman ran offstage towards the dressing room, shouting orders to peruse.
"Who are they after?" Dan asked, knowing who was responsible for this.
"Mademoiselle Greene," Delauney replied bitterly.
"Jess! What would they be after her?"
"That is why we must move quickly. Your friend's life is in great danger." He told them, moving across the stage. They looked out on the faces of frighten patrons, still standing in chaos. Some had left and others were heading for the doors. However, a great number of people remained in their seats. Delauney stopped center stage and cupped his hand around his mouth.
"Mesdames and Messieurs, you must leave the auditorium immediately," he called out. "It's not safe here anymore." Gasps followed the announcement as people rushed to leave.
"Why? Will some one please tell me what's going on?" Dan shouted in frustration, and then he heard a loud noise as if someone had jiggled a bag of scions next to his ear. He let his eyes look up and focus up on the large elaborate chandelier. It was swaying recklessly in the wind.
"Oh shit," he whispered.