Death and Transfiguration

Chapter 38

"So it all started when I found Maman's note in the drawer," Jean-Luc said. "It was a little under a year after she disappeared - until I found the note, I thought she'd died, since that was what Papa told us. I tried to get in touch with Maman, but I couldn't find her anywhere. It was like she had vanished into nothing. So I did the next best thing: I made the people that had driven her away from Sophie and I feel her pain."

"What about your father?" I asked. "He was on the list."

"I...I don't know. We never got that far," Jean-Luc said. "I started at the top of the list, with Johann Bergmann. I knew he would be in Paris for the premiere of the Lost Shadow, so I got Antoine and Romain to help me. Antoine and I switched places, and Romain was in the crowd. He was the one who threw the case - we only started the riot to cover up what was going on.

"I never intended to kill Bergmann. I was only armed with a BB gun - I didn't even think that I could kill him! So I snuck out of the auditorium, and as I was going down the staircase, I ran into Bergmann. I knew this was my chance, so I shot him, but...but..."

Jean-Luc had burst into tears again, but nevertheless, he continued his story. "As soon as I shot him, he lost his balance, and he fell backwards over the railing and down onto the floor below. I ran down the staircase, but by the time I got there, Bergmann was dead. His neck must have snapped when he hit the ground.

"After the opera was over, I told Antoine and Romain what had happened. Romain thought it was better that way - we didn't have any witnesses, after all - but Antoine...he wouldn't even speak to me. He hated me. I think he still does, and after what I did...I think I understand why.

"Lajoie was next on the list, and Romain was convinced that we couldn't keep him alive, like we had nearly done with Bergmann. We couldn't have him telling everyone what we had done. So I stole Papa's rifle, and Romain and I cornered him at the start of orchestra rehearsal. I shot him once in the foot, and then, once we could get closer, Romain shot him again in the chest. Lajoie died in an instant, and Romain and I fled the scene before anyone could figure out what had happened. Romain kept Papa's rifle at his house after it was all over, and as far as I know, it's still there."

"What about Pascal?" I asked.

"I didn't have anything to do with that. It was all Romain," Jean-Luc said. "He became really paranoid after Bergmann died. He always thought that someone would find us, that someone would figure out what we had done. And Miss Pascal...she almost did figure it out. I stole de Villiers' attendance list the first rehearsal after Lajoie died, just to cover our tracks, but Pascal found it again. Once she knew that I wasn't at rehearsal, it wasn't hard for her to figure out that I had killed Bergmann and Lajoie. So Romain found her after she had dinner at our house, and he stabbed her with a kitchen knife. I was against it - Miss Pascal was innocent, and I didn't want her to die - but we'd come too far. It was the only way to make sure that no one discovered our secret."

"So why are you telling me all of this now?" I asked.

Once again, Jean-Luc started to weep. "When I started all of this, when I walked into the Palais Garnier that night, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought that making all of them pay might somehow make Maman proud, but I was wrong. I went too far. I killed them, and...I can't forgive myself for that. I can't even sleep at night anymore, Miss Brackenborough, knowing that they're gone forever, knowing that they have family members who miss them like I miss Maman. I don't know where I went wrong - maybe I shouldn't have listened to Romain, maybe I should have turned myself after what happened to Bergmann, maybe I shouldn't have gone to the Palais Garnier at all..."

I didn't know what to do: all this time, all I had wanted was justice, but until now, I had no idea who the killer was or why they had done it. Now that I knew, turning him in to the police didn't seem like the best solution. If Jean-Luc was found guilty, he could face the death penalty - he could be guillotined at thirteen years old - and that didn't seem like justice to me.

Then again, I couldn't stand the thought of Jean-Luc coming away from this without punishment. Because of him, Bergmann, Lajoie, and Pascal were dead. He had committed the greatest of crimes, the taking of a life, and for that, he had to pay. It just didn't seem like there was an easy answer to any of this.

"First of all, you can't keep going with the list, Jean-Luc," I said. "I won't let you hurt Léa, or anyone else for that matter."

"I wasn't planning on it," Jean-Luc said.

"And don't think that you'll get away with this. There will be repercussions. Bergmann, Lajoie, and Pascal...they all deserve justice."

"I...I understand."

"Good," I said. "I'm going to head home - it's been a long night - but I'll see you again tomorrow. Goodnight, Jean-Luc."

Jean-Luc shut the door, and I headed back to the boarding house, overhearing Moreau's daily practicing as usual as I returned home. However, I wasn't in the mood to enjoy his lovely rendition of the Mendelssohn concerto. How could I, now that I knew the awful truth?

The next day, before I went to Sylvestre's house, I decided to stop by the police station. I was curious as to what evidence they had, whether or not they'd figured out that Jean-Luc and his friends were behind all of this. I doubted it, but it would certainly be helpful to have more information.

However, when I got there, I saw a familiar face. He didn't even notice me as he opened the doors to the police station, as his slender, adolescent frame slipped through the doorway, as his hazel eyes met Officer Robiquet's.

It was Jean-Luc, and I had managed to catch him just before he confessed his crimes to the Paris police.