Chapter Eight

"Well, that explains where Piangi went," Rossi quipped.

"Damn," Hotch said.

"So he killed Piangi in the middle of an act and then took his place for the duet?" Prentiss asked.

"And he hung the body with the Punjab lasso," Madame Giry finished, "look, we don't have a lot of time. We've got to go now if your team wants to get him alive."

"Let's go," Hotch commanded.

"Keep your hands at the level of your eyes," Madame Giry ordered.

Track down this muderer!

He must be found!

"This mob wants him as much as we do," Morgan observed.

"Well, that's not happening," Hotch argued.

"Clear!" Prentiss exclaimed.

"Clear!" Rossi retorted.

"Okay, he's not gonna go quietly," Hotch said, "we need to appeal to his love for Christine and we need to sympathize with him."

"I'll say," Rossi agreed, "the guy's been through enough."

"We still need to catch him," Hotch noted, "hopefully we can get him some help and make him realize what he is doing is wrong."

"He lives at the bottom of the lake," Madame Giry added, "there's an easier way. Follow me!"

Why, you ask was I bound and chained in this cold and dismal place?

Not for any mortal sin, but the wickedness of my abhorrent face Destler sang.

"Look, I'm sorry I took off your mask," Christine reasoned, "I assure you it won't happen again, angel."

"Don't call me that!" Destler yelled.

"I hear singing," Prentiss whispered.

"Okay, stelath is gonna be our strength," Morgan said, "we need to distract him, catch him off guard."

"Wait my dear," Destler snarled, "we have a guest!"

"Raoul!" Christine yelped as Destler hung him.

"Actually, we have several guests," Destler taunted, "hello agents. So glad you can finally make it."

"Erik Destler, you need to let Christine and Raoul go. Now," Hotch commanded.

"But...but...she loves me," Destler argued.

"That may be true," JJ said, "she loves you. She doesn't love what you're doing right now."

"I know you want to be accepted by people, but this is wrong," Rossi said.

"No! No!" Destler exclaimed, "this is right!"

"I know what happened to you at the circus," Reid negotiated, "I know about the abuse, about how Madame Giry took you in. I know you were isolated from everyone. No one taught you and no one loved you. You learned how to make beautiful music and build things all by yourself. That all changed when you heard Christine sing, didn't it?"

"Yes! Yes! She had the voice of angel."

"You were her angel of music," Reid stated.

"Yes! I am her angel! No one else!"

"Right now," Reid started, "you need to be the angel that Chrstine needs. Holding her and Raoul hostage isn't the way to do that. Let them go."

Erik started crying into the wedding veil.

"You will always be my angel of music," Christine whispered, "but right now, you need to go with these people. They can help you."

"Alright," Destler wept, "I'll let you go."

"That's good, Erik," Reid praised, "because if you love someone, you have to let them go."

Erik released Raoul from the rope. Raoul immediatley rushed to Christine.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yes. I'm fine."

Christine and the phantom shared one last look.

You alone can make my song take flight.

It's over now, the music of the night.

"Well, that was some case," Prentiss quipped.

"Killings at an opera house. Who knew?" Rossi remarked.

"I hear Christine and Raoul are already married," Hotch said.

"Yeah, and Destler's in a mental hospital," Reid noted.

"Poor guy," Rossi lamented, "he never really had a chance. Grown men go crazy locked in a jail cell. I can't imagine what being locked up in a cage does to a child. And all because of a disfigurement he had no control over."

"The good news is that he's been placed in one of France's most advanced hospitals," Hotch said, "and with a lot of work, he might have a chance again."

"The doctors even say they might be able to fix his face," Prentiss smiled.

"These are the endings we want," Rossi smiled, "where everyone comes out alive and we get our bad guys." "Yeah, except our bad guy wasn't really 'bad,'" Morgan said, sadly.

"Yeah, I know," Rossi grimaced.

The case had affected them all deeply.

"So, Reid, you gonna call Christine?" Morgan asked.

"Morgan, she's married," Reid retorted, "I can't just...barge in like that."

"Well, I'll tell you what we'll do," Prentiss said, "there's a great bar in downtown Paris. How about we go down for drinks and get Pretty Boy hooked up with a hot French girl?"

"As long as she doesn't have an obbsessed stalker, fine by me," Reid said.

"Oh, did Pretty Boy just crack a joke?" Morgan asked.

Reid lightly punched his shoulder.

"Merde," Morgan muttered.

"Boys, boys," JJ scolded.

"Yeah, watch your language, Morgan," Prentiss laughed.

Morgan threw his hands up in the air and the team laughed. They would be just fine.