Chapter 2: No is Not an Option
Andre and Firmin waited in silence, in their office, as a page was sent to fetch Madame Giry. They sat at their respective desks that faced each other, in the room, and neither looked up at the other. Andre flipped through a news paper as Firmin drummed his fingers nervously on his desk as he stared out the window to the sunny streets below. Finally Madame Giry was ushered into the room and took a seat in a large arm chair that faced the two desks. Firmin force a few note into the boys hand and shooed him out of the room. He waited at the door till the boy was well out of sight, of the office, and closed the door silently behind him. He then took his seat again at his desk and the silence in the room became deafening.
Madame Giry shifted uneasily in her seat, moving her glance from one man to the other. Both looked nervous and hot in the summer heat and their suits of wool and cotton. Both of them looked down at their folded hands as if they were praying for some terrible disaster to pass them by. The last time Mme. Giry had seen them like this they were seated in a small hotel room the night that the theatre had been set on fire. Much of their fortune was lost that night but the theatre was rebuilt and they came out of their unhappiness to lead the company again. They were always the optimistic ones around the theatre and when the days came that the operas had to stop and the ballets were their only source of income they looked at it as another wonderful endeavour for the opera populaire. But this was different then the last time. Their desks were littered with maps of the city, old one and new ones. Architectural drawings of the theatre fell over the edge of both desks and a large leather bound journal rested between both of them. Andre fiddled a bit with a quill he had in one hand and Firmin's eyes moved unnaturally over the drawings of the theatre. Mme. Giry finally spoke to break the uneasiness that filled the small room.
"Gentlemen, if you don't mind telling me what is going on. If there is no reason for me to be in your office other than to watch the two of you sit in silence and ponder over your maps I ask that you give me my days pay and send me forth to continue my work. Unless there is something that really is as urgent as the page has told me. He made is seem like the world was ending for the two of you and now that I am here you merely sit in silence," she said as she sighed loudly.
"Oh Mme. Giry, it is important. More important than anyone in this theatre will ever think it to be. We have a job for you that is probably almost impossible but if anyone can do it we know it is you." Andre said as he flipped back a few pages in the leather bound journal, "we are willing to pay you twice your daily wage for as long as it take if you agree to help us in our cause." he said has he pushed a page of equations into the women's hands.
She looked over the page of figures slowly, taking in everything that was on the page and doing calculations of her own in her head before she spoke, "I would like to know the cause of such importance before I agree to anything and your calculations are a little bit off M. Andre just right here," she said as she placed the paper back on the desk and pointed to the error.
"We need you to find us the phantom of the opera," Firmin said calmly as he leaned back in his chair.
"Really M. Firmin this is no time for jokes what is the real reason I am hear?" she asked with a little laugh.
"It is no joke Madame," Firmin said as he motioned to Andre to continue.
"We are in great trouble Madame," Andre said with a hint of fear in his voice, "we are not going to be able to keep the theatre running or the ballet school if we do not pick up our business. And so we need to have an opera of great proportions performed here."
"You are just not trying hard enough to bring in the vocal talent to this place to through the opera back into the favour of the people," Mme. Giry said frankly.
"Oh we are Madame, you have no idea how we are trying, but people are either too above performing old operas or they are to afraid of our theatre," Firmin said as he tapped his fingers on the desk again.
"Then commission a composer to write you a grand opera," Mme. Giry stated.
"That is our plan, we want to commission the phantom of the opera to write us another. Another opera as grand in design as Don Juan Triumphant. We are prepared to offer him one hundred thousand franks for an opera that would be publicised as the next great masterwork by the opera ghost." Firmin said happily, "and to continue his monthly wage of twenty thousand franks just to be our resident composer."
"That is absolute madness monsieur," Madame Giry stated with a look of disgust and horror crossing her face, "that would be like making a deal with the devil!" she said still with a tone that was unconvinced.
"No madame it is not madness but brilliance," Firmin said getting more and more excited, "absolute brilliance. It would be the best publicity for the theatre. To say that the phantom of the opera has returned. It will bring in the actors and the people we will fill the opera to capacity once more! Have the phantom make an appearance at opening night and threaten something upon us and the seats will be filled for months. We will have the opera back in our theatre and then we can continue to perform the operas as we once did. As long as we can keep this publicity alive."
"He has gone mad hasn't he?" Giry asked Andre.
"No Madame we are very serious about the idea," Andre said as he looked at Firmin, "our only problem is we cannot find the phantom to ask for his help. We don't even know where to look. You must know how to find him or how to contact him."
"What gives you that idea?" Mme. Giry asked suspiciously.
"You were the one that let him into this theatre in the first place. You must know more than almost anyone about the secrets that lie deep within this place. He must owe something to you for saving his live," Firmin stated as he began to pace in front of the woman.
"That is absurd monsieur," she almost yelled as tears welled in her eyes, "I helped him that first day so that he would not be used as a puppet for peoples enjoyment and now that is what you want to make him into!"
"No, no Madame that is not what we want. We just want to save this place. I mean if we louse then he louses as well. If the theatre goes bankrupt then it most certainly will be demolished and so too will his hiding place," Andre said as he tried to calm both the old woman and his partner.
"What makes you think he is still within this theatre?" Madame Giry asked as she pulled a handkerchief out of her apron and dabbed at her eyes and nose.
"Where else would he have to go woman, you said yourself that he knew nothing else but this place," Firmin said feeling angry.
"He is a grown man monsieur and as the police did not find him then it is obvious that he is not hear," she said feeling more angry every moment that passed.
"We have to find him Madame and you are our only lead right now. If you would simply pass on a message to the man in the mask for us that would be the extent of your involvement should you not want to aid any further. We will leave you after that to your ballet and we'll deal with everything else on our own," Andre said as he motioned for Firmin to take his seat and not say another word to the woman who sat so emotional in their office.
"And what if I do help you and you do get in contact with this man, he is a criminal and what is to say that you will not turn him in to the police the moment that he has given you what you wanted, if he agrees to do what you want him to do?" the woman asked through her tears.
"He is now to much of an asset to us. We are certain that should he be able to help us with this matter of the theatre then he will be able to help us with others. We do not wish to exploit him in any way and should it come down to the police returning to look for him we have prepared ourselves to deny ever seeing him in the theatre and simply have been give instructions through written notification. He will not be found and we will not turn him in," Andre said as he placed one hand on his heart and swore to god in heaven that he would never tell another living soul.
"Alright,"the old woman said after a long silence, "I will try my best to find him but I have to tell you I have not had contact with him since the incidence that had happened. I would not be surprised in the least if he has fled the theatre never to return. And if I do not come to find him then monsieurs I fear that you will have to come up with another idea to save your theatre," she said as she stood from her seat, "if in fact I do find him what do you want me to tell him?" she asked.
"Please tell him that should he agree to speak to us we are happy to comply with any rules or regulations set down by him. We will only see him under his circumstances as to make everything play out in his favour and to show that we are serious about the danger that the theatre is in. It is not our intention to harm him at all and we beg him that he consider aiding in the saving of our theatre. We are resting the fate of the opera populaire in the hands of the Angel of Music." Andre said and placed a note in Madame Giry's hand as well as an envelope that was addressed to the phantom and was unsealed, "you may Madame read over this note I have written to the opera ghost describing exactly what is the financial status of the theatre and the problems that we are all facing. If you are pleased with the letter then seal it in the envelope and if you find the ghost give it to him on our behalf. If you do not find it slip it under our door unopened and we will know that he has either declined or disappeared for good."
Madame Giry stood silently in the middle of the office reading over the letter as the two managers sat silently at their desks. She remained silent for a few minutes then walked slowly to Andre's side. She placed the note back on the desk in front of him and placed her gloved finger in the middle of one of the pages, "the note sounds fine and your offers are very generous but I am afraid you have made another error in your calculations right here Monsieur. Perhaps you should rewrite this letter. Bring it back to me in the envelope sealed with your stamp. I will return to my ballet rehearsal now. You will find me on the stage I will wait for you to come before I set off in search of your phantom."
Andre and Firmin smiled and bowed courteously to the old woman as she left the office. Once she had gone the silence returned as Andre busied himself with the corrections in the letter and Firmin resumed the drumming of his fingers.