Chapter Four
The Phantom's Great Mistake
It had been about two days since Firmin's departure. The Opera Populaire
was doing very well. There had not been a single incident or note from
the Phantom. On the third night it seemed like any other night. The
Phantom was in Box-Five and William watched from the catwalk.
During the performance, William thought he heard a soft snap, but he
ignored it. Then there was an even louder snap. William looked at the
catwalk and saw that it was breaking. The Phantom looked up as he saw
his brother and the catwalk fall to the stage. The Phantom gasped and
dashed out of Box-Five. William tried to get up, but was hurt badly from
the fall. Andre, Raoul and Piangi ran onto the stage.
" It's the Phantom!" screamed Piangi. Two stagehands ran out onto the
stage and lifted William up. Andre looked at William closely
" Are you sure it's the Phantom? I was told he wore a mask," said
Andre.
" He's just trying to throw us off!" Raoul growled. " Piangi! Go call
Firmin!" Piangi hurried off.
" Please, let me go, I've done nothing," cried William.
" Really?" hissed Raoul. " What about the chandelier? What about Josh
and Buquet's deaths? What about the missing money?"
" I was not responsible for the chandelier or the deaths! The money was
the overdue salary!" explained William. " Please! Let me go!"
" Why should we?" hissed Raoul.
" Raoul, it was obvious that the crash was an accident. Let the boy go,"
said Andre.
" Andre! This is the Phantom! The murderer!" snarled Raoul. The Phantom
then appeared on the stage. " Good God! There's two of them!" The
Phantom glared at the stagehands.
" I'm only going to warn you once, let him go," hissed the Phantom.
" If that's the Phantom, then who's." Raoul didn't even finish his
sentence. He just stared at William.
" I said, let him go!" the Phantom thundered.
William opened his mouth and sank his teeth into one of the stagehands'
arms. As soon as he was released he dashed over to his brother. The
Phantom covered William and himself with his cloak and the two
disappeared through a trap door. William and the Phantom slowly made
their way back to the lair.
" That does it! From now on, no more catwalks! I'm going to sit in a
box!" snarled William. The Phantom stared at William.
" William! You can't! If you were seen, the people would be after you!"
said the Phantom.
" Erik! I almost got killed up there!"
" William, we've been over this a million times. No matter what
happens....."
".....You must remain hidden," finished William. " But Erik--"
" No! How many times do I have to say it? No!"
" Fine," hissed William. " No more talk on the subject."
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Upstairs, Raoul was talking to Firmin on the phone. " Yes Richard, we
don't know who it is, all we know is that he works with the Phantom,"
said Raoul.
" Really?" asked Firmin. " Catch him! He might be the link to
finding this Phantom fellow! I'm leaving tonight so I'll be back by tomorrow
evening. I'll see you then Raoul."
" Take care Richard." Raoul hung up.
The next night the Phantom and William made their way to the theater.
" I hear Carlotta's performing again," grumbled William.
" Well, it's better than nothing," said the Phantom.
" Not by much," said William. The Phantom chuckled.
" Enjoy the show." The Phantom and William went their separate
ways. William showed up at the top of the stage. He waved down to his brother
in Box-Five. The Phantom nodded to him. The performance started. William
constantly cringed whenever Carlotta hit a high note. Soon he grew tired
of her voice.
" That does it," hissed William. He cleared his throat and
produced a loud croaking sound that went over Carlotta's voice. The Phantom
smiled over his brother's triumph. Carlotta sang again and William croaked
again. William was having such a good time, he didn't notice that two
stagehands were approaching him. " You know Carlotta, even though opera
is supposed to be dramatic, you can sure bring down a house," snickered
William. One of the stagehands then pulled a hood over William's head.
The other began to bind his hands behind his back. " Erik!" shrieked
William.
The Phantom stood up in his box. The curtain closed before he could see
what was happening to his brother. The Phantom darted out of the box.
" What was I thinking? How could I let my brother return to a
spot where anyone could find him?" cried the Phantom. The stagehands then
began to drag William to the managers' office. Outside the theater, a
cab pulled up. Firmin got out and paid the driver.
" Thank you, have a good night," said Firmin. He dashed into the theater. He
then slowed down and made his way into the office. Raoul and Andre were
waiting for him.
" Welcome back Richard," said Andre. Firmin did a quick bow to Andre.
" Did you catch him?" asked Firmin.
" Yes, they should be bringing him in any time now," said Raoul. The
stagehands then entered with William. The young brother jerked left and
right trying to get free.
" Lock the door," Firmin whispered to Raoul. Raoul walked over and locked
the door.
" What's going on? What are you going to do?" cried William. Andre
slowly walked and very calmly removed the hood. William's eyes instantly
met Andre's. William remembered Andre. He was the kind man who had
always shown pity on him. William calmed down and showed no hostility
towards Andre.
" He seems calm enough. Let's remove his bonds," said Andre. He
started to reach for the rope. Firmin and Raoul dashed over and grabbed his
wrists.
" Andre! Are you mad?" hissed Raoul.
" What's wrong? He doesn't look that dangerous," said Andre.
" Well, looks aren't everything my friend," said Firmin.
William shook violently.
" Let me go! Please! Let me go!" cried William. Firmin walked
over to get a closer look. Then put on his glasses to see better. William froze.
" What's your name?" asked Firmin.
" Why do you care, four eyes?" snarled William. Firmin glanced at him.
" Well, he's not very polite, I can tell you that," said Firmin stiffly.
" Please let me go! My brother will get worried!" cried William.
Firmin's eyes widened.
" Brother?" asked Firmin. William quickly bit his tongue. " What do you
mean brother?" William remained silent. " Answer me!" roared Firmin.
William kept quiet. Firmin grabbed him by his neck collar and lifted him
up. " Speak you little devil! Or do I have to force it out?" Andre
grabbed Firmin's shoulder.
" Richard! Stop it! You'll scare him to death!" shouted Andre.
" The little creep won't talk!" snarled Firmin.
" With the way you're handling it, I don't blame him!" Firmin let go
of William.
" Well then you make him speak!" snarled Firmin. The annoyed
manager threw himself into his chair. Andre laid a hand on William's shoulder.
" Now just calm down. Nobody wants to hurt you," said Andre. "
We just want you to answer a few questions." William calmed down and
listened to Andre. " What is your name?"
" William, sir," answered William softly.
" Have you lived here long?"
" Well over ten years."
" Really? And who is this brother you told us about?" William
turned his head away.
" I'm sorry sir. I cannot answer that question."
Firmin crashed his fist upon the desk. " Oh for the love of..."
started Firmin.
" Shh! " hissed Raoul. Andre faced William.
" Why not?" asked Andre.
" I gave my word!" cried William. Firmin leaped out of his chair.
" Aha!" shouted Firmin. " Isn't it obvious? His brother is the Phantom!"
" No! No, that's not true!" cried William.
" Do you really think so Richard?" asked Raoul.
" Of course! Why else wouldn't he tell us who his brother is? " Firmin
exclaimed. Raoul smiled.
" I see your point," said Raoul.
" This works out perfectly then!" said Firmin.
" What do you mean?" asked Andre.
" I mean, now we have live bait to catch the Phantom," said Firmin.
" Live bait?" cried William.
" Well, it wouldn't work that well if you were dead now would it?"
Firmin sneered.
" Richard! I'm completely against this!" snarled Andre.
" Well I'm not!" shouted Raoul. " It's more humane Andre," said Raoul.
" Whatever are you talking about?" asked Andre.
" Well, the only other way to get rid of him is to kill him," said
Raoul.
" Don't say that! Let me go! I can talk to my bother about finding
another place to live!" cried William.
" Do you think I'm a fool?" snarled Firmin.
" Yes!" shouted William. Firmin reached up to strike William. Andre
grabbed his arm and stopped him.
" Richard! Control yourself!" shouted Andre. Firmin pulled away from
Andre and turned to Raoul.
" Vicompte! Go fetch the rope! It's in the prop room!" Firmin ordered.
Raoul wasn't used to being called by his middle name or being ordered
around, but he did as Firmin asked and left the room. Andre threw his
partner a hateful glare. " If you don't want to stay for this, I
understand." Andre let out a disappointed sigh and started to head out
of the room.
" I never would have expected this from you Richard," Andre said as he
left. Firmin then turned back to William.
" Please sir, I beg you to reconsider. Even if you use me for
bait, I'll warn him before you even get a chance to see him," said William.
" You're right," said Firmin. " We'd better gag you."
Down below in the Phantom's lair, he wrote furiously on a sheet of
paper.
' Richard Firmin and Andre Moncharmin, you indeed are trying my fury!
You first dare to ignore my demands, but then you abduct my brother! You
are crossing the line and going into deadly territory. I have tried very
hard to keep my brother a secret, but I have failed. You don't seem to
realize what danger you are putting onto the members of the Opera
Populaire! The chandelier was just an accident, but I can and will kill
if I have to! I shall give you until twelve o'clock midnight to return
my brother to me. If he's not there, may God have mercy on your souls!
O.G '
The Phantom attached the note to a pigeon's leg and released it. The
pigeon flew until it reached the managers' office. Only Firmin was
there. He saw the pigeon and removed the note. He read over it very
carefully.
" Oh dear, for the theater's sake, I hope this works," said Firmin with
fear in his voice.
Later, and true to his word, Firmin had William gagged, but for safety
precautions, he also had him blindfolded. William was placed in perfect
view in the middle of the stage. He listened carefully hoping to hear
his brother's voice, but all he heard was Firmin's voice. " Are you
ready over there?" Firmin called over to the crewmembers. Two members
came out from behind the curtain. One had a hood in his hand, the other
had rope.
" Ready as we'll ever be Monsieur Firmin," said the stagehand.
" We have to make sure it's perfect. This Phantom is a clever one, and
we're going to have to be equally cunning if we're going to catch him,"
said Firmin.
" What time is it?" asked the stagehand. Firmin took out his watch.
" Eleven-fifty six. You better get back in position." The stagehands got
back behind the curtain. Raoul walked onto the stage and headed over to
Firmin.
" Are we set?" Raoul asked.
" We're set. Quick, behind the seats," said Firmin. The manager and
patron got off the stage and hid behind the third row of seats. The
Phantom made his way at the top of the stage to find his younger
sibling. He found William on the stage.
" Those animals" hissed the Phantom. He jumped down onto the stage and
headed over to his brother. When he stroked William, the younger brother
began to struggle. " William! William! It's all right! It's me!" The
Phantom removed the blindfold and then the gag.
" It's a trap Erik!" screamed William. The two stagehands dashed from
behind the curtain and pinned him to the floor. " Erik!"
William watched his brother get tied up and blinded with horror. Raoul
and Firmin got up from behind the seats. Firmin let out a sigh of
relief. The two took their time getting onto the stage. They stopped
when they were directly in front of the Phantom.
" Well, it looked like your plan worked!" exclaimed Raoul to Firmin. The
Phantom stopped struggling and froze.
" I know that voice!" snarled the Phantom. " I take it Monsieur Firmin
is with you Raoul de Chagny!" The Phantom pulled forward trying to
attack the voices. " Firmin, why can't you leave us alone?" Firmin was
shocked at this remark.
" Leave you alone?" snapped Firmin. " Why didn't you leave us alone? You
and your threats and murders! You almost shut our theater down for
good!"
" William! Are you still here?" cried the Phantom.
" Yes Erik!" William cried back.
" Monsieur Firmin! Please have pity on my brother! He has done nothing!
He is no threat to you! Let him go! It's me you wanted! Now that you
have me, let him go!" pleaded the Phantom.
" Don't be ridiculous!" sneered Raoul." He is equally cunning and
dangerous! But he doesn't deserve imprisonment, he will be sent to an
asylum."
" You heartless dog!" snarled the Phantom. Now, Firmin and Raoul kept
their full attention on the Phantom. From the other side of the stage,
Andre appeared. He took out a knife and headed over to William. William
stared at the weapon in Andre's hand and began to tremble with fear.
Andre kneeled down and began to cut the rope.
" Don't worry, I'll have you loose in a minute," whispered Andre. Soon
William was loose. Andre quickly dashed behind the curtain. William
threw the rope off him and got up. It was at that moment that Firmin and
Raoul decided to turn around.
" How did you get loose?" shouted Firmin. William jumped and ran behind
the curtain.
" What? What's going on?" asked the Phantom. Raoul started after
William.
" Don't worry Richard! I'll get him!" shouted Raoul. When Raoul was
behind the stage, he saw William climbing up the curtain. William looked
down at Raoul.
" I'll see you later Vicompte!" laughed William.
" You're not going to get away that easily!" snarled Raoul. He grabbed
the curtain and began to shake it. William stopped climbing and just
held on. William looked up. There was only four feet more to climb. He
knew with Raoul shaking the curtain, he couldn't make it. Then a hand
reached down and took hold of William's arm. William grabbed on and was
lifted up to the safety of the catwalk. William got himself balanced,
then looked down at the infuriated Raoul.
" Who is up there? Who is a traitor to the Opera Populaire?" roared
Raoul. The person who had helped William was keeping out of sight by
hiding behind a curtain flap. William came closer to see who it was. It
turned out to be Andre again. The manager turned to William.
" Are you alright?" asked Andre.
" Yes sir," answered William. Andre looked down.
" Oh dear. When I decided to help Richard run the theater, I didn't
expect to have to go through all this." William took hold of Andre's
sleeve.
" Please sir, will you help me rescue my brother?" Andre smiled at
William warmly.
" I'll do whatever I can."
" Terrific. Here's the plan."
Down below, Firmin was waiting for the police to arrive. The Phantom was
bounded to one of the seats in the first row. Raoul stormed over to
Firmin.
" Did you find him?" asked Firmin.
" No. Some traitor in this theater helped him get away," hissed Raoul.
The Phantom listened, interested in finding a new ally.
" Who?" asked Firmin. Raoul shrugged his shoulders. Meanwhile, Andre was
waiting by the electricity box, listening for William's signal. William
jumped down onto the stage directly in front of Firmin and Raoul.
" Light-Bill!" screamed William. The signal, Andre pulled the switch.
The theater turned pitch black. Raoul and Firmin began to run in
circles, worried that they might get attacked in the darkness.
" Bill-Paid!" The lights came back on. Firmin and Raoul looked
around. The Phantom and William were gone. The two slowly turned to each
other.
" It appears that we now have another ghost in our midst," Firmin said
nervously. Then from the silence, laughing began, the laughing got
louder and louder. It was the two brothers, laughing over their triumph.
" They're mocking us," hissed Raoul.
" Well Raoul de Chagny! For the first time you're right!" shouted the
Phantom. Firmin looked all around, trying to figure out where the voice
was coming from.
" You're lucky I'm not the kind that kills!" snarled William. " But then
again, my brother can always teach me!" The Phantom and his brother
laughed again, their laughter slowly died out. Andre walked into the
theater and up the aisle.
" Richard? Raoul? It's after one, I thought you would have finished the
job by now," said Andre. Firmin and Raoul walked over to Andre.
" Andre, dearest friend. It seems that the Phantom and his brother have
an accomplice. Because of him, my plan has fallen completely apart,"
said Firmin.
" Who do you suppose could be helping them?" asked Andre, trying his
best to act innocent. Raoul squinted at him.
" Well, you could," said Raoul.
" I beg your pardon?" asked Andre.
" Well, you could be suspect number one. They way you always tried to
help the Phantom's brother," said Raoul. Firmin glared at Raoul.
" Raoul! How dare you suspect Andre! He's always been my partner! He
wouldn't betray me!" snarled Firmin. He smiled at Andre. " Right
Andre?" Andre nodded his agreement. Raoul stared at Andre suspiciously.
Then left the theater. The two managers got their coats, and started out
of the theater as well.
" Don't be so glum Richard. You tried your best," said Andre.
" Well, my best wasn't enough. It's a good thing I had a back up plan,"
said Firmin. Andre turned around, shocked.
" What?" asked Andre. Firmin smiled at Andre and gave him a look as if
to say, "You'll understand in time".
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