Casebook: "The Opera Ghost"

[Detective Emma Brook]

You find me in France, good friends... I've been before, you know. But this time I'm hunting not a man but a ghost. Yes, a ghost.

boss: Gaston Leroux, creator of Detective Joseph Rouletabille
objective: gather information on the "Opera Ghost"
goal set: find this "Opera Ghost"

A certain few people I am supposed to contact:

Some "Daroga"; he's a... Persian Spratling of sorts! Hah!

Christine Daae; she's an opera singer, like Mum. Now, if I were an opera singer, where would I hide...

and her rumored husband, Raoul de Chagny. Shouldn't be hard, since he is now a Comte.

Wish me luck.

EMMA


p.s. this is my boss. Queer thing, isn't he?

[Detective Emma Brook]

Leroux finally delivered to my apartment pictures of the woman I am looking for.

She looks extremely intense. Oh dear. Have I mixed myself up with lunatics again?

[Detective Emma Brook]

[Detective Emma Brook]

I found my Persian, with no little effort. He seemed happy to speak with me, thankfully. He gave me a description of the man I'm looking for, and told me what he saw at the Opera:

ERIK: unnaturally tall, wearing a mask, dressed in opera finery, severely deformed face; "death's head"

In love with Christine Daae, he kidnapped her and forced her to marry him, threatening to kill Raoul de Chagny. Daroga helped Raoul save the girl. Erik later died of "heartbreak"

I highly doubt that Erik is dead. Therefor, he is still out there for me to find.

Christine is in Sweden?

[Detective Emma Brook]

I found this in the theater-and-whatnot archive. Now I see where I get my figure. Mother.

[Detective Emma Brook]

My accommodations here in Paris are most comfortable. I am living in the top floor of a very open set of apartments; there is only a door at the top of the steps that lead to my rooms. Beyond that door is whoever occupies the flat below me.

The general scheme is emerald and this very pleasant creme-gold. There are large windows on the wall which faces the street; their casings are impeccably white and they are framed by sturdy, heavy emerald material. My chairs are overstuffed and very comfortable, and a slightly lighter shade of green. The wood in the room is all a light, golden style, including my desk.

I have a sitting room and study, and adjacent to that I have a smaller-sized bedroom. The coverings are white and the pillows and duvet match the colors of the sitting room. The wallpaper is a very attractive creme color.

It is all very well put together. I'm quite pleased. My hat to Monsieur Leroux for arranging this for me.

[Detective Emma Brook]

I was given this extremely damaged photo of the Palais Garnier taken when it was almost through with construction:

If you look closely, you can see the image of a barely-opaque man. Now, this is a common anomaly in old photographs like this but he is... uncommonly tall, wouldn't you say?

You can't see his face either. Just something to think about...

[Detective Emma Brook]

No one back in London will believe me when (and if) I return from this journey. I use the term journey lightly because I have no idea how I got here, wherever here is. I woke up here and since it would be very hard to move me very far while I slept, I think I am probably still in England. All of the people here speak English if they don't speak French, anyway.

I will record a log of people I meet here, just to keep track. I have the feeling there are a lot of us.

Erik Lavalais - he was working on the greenhouse that is just outside of my window. Very tall, around 6'5" wearing a black mask. He seems to be from some sort of Persian country, though his accent is vaguely French. Says there are at least 12 of us here.

I have yet to see anyone else, but I only just got back to my room to record this.

Cheers.

[Detective Emma Brook]

A few more to add to the list:

Erik Lenoir - this bloke really did not take much of a shine to me. He's masked and just like the other Eriks--what in the world is going on? And where is the--dare I say--real opera ghost?

Maria Gianelli - met her in the library. We looked over the scores of Don Juan Triumphant, something supposedly composed by an Erik... what in the hell? She also told me to find Lenoir.

[Detective Emma Brook]

An interesting development with the formerly mentioned Lavalais.

I stumbled upon his lair--it seems they all have one, I've yet to find anyone inhabiting the one labeled "Leroux", but I'll keep searching--and got through all of his traps and whatnot. The man is paranoid like you wouldn't believe!

He recognized me, and it seems that I angered him greatly. He flew into such a rage that he tore off that black mask--and what I saw was indescribable. It was sort of what Leroux told me about, but yet... so, so different.

I slept there, because apparently he thinks kidnapping me is a good idea. I'm writing this now only because I escaped.

Strange things are happening in this manor. Why would anyone build a manor with so many cellars...?

[Detective Emma Brook]

Yet more on Lavalais. I seem to be writing about him often.

I had my suspicions, and he confirmed them--M. Lavalais has been alive for a couple of centuries. I am sure it's scientifically impossible, and yet all signs point to that answer. There has to be another answer. There must be.

I still haven't found Christine Daae, de Chagny, Erik, or any other I was supposed to come in contact with here. And yet there are plenty of Christines and Eriks. I'm not particularly well-liked here, and I'm not particularly surprised.

[Detective Emma Brook]

I've found several things like this tucked into operas in the library. There's a whole aisle of sheet music, bound together in folders. This place seems to have been made for composers.