The Phantom's Guardian (the Phantom of the Opera fan fiction)

Part 19 - Damage control

Desiree found that the sentence "I will deal with this in the morning." seemed a lot more tantalizing before. 

She had two options now: whether to keep pretending or to confess.

After leaving Erik's room, she stayed up the remainder of the dawn and through early morning. She kept replaying their brief kiss, which felt more like a dream as the reality crept slowly into the underground lair. In no time, she was back in her disguise as Derrick and she decided to go up to the opera house before Erik roused.

      
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A flurry of activity greeted her tired eyes at the theatre. A group of policemen were inspecting the rafters as the possible crime scene. Interrogations were a must for everyone who was unaccounted for at the time of the crime.

Desiree found Clara lurking near the storage rooms. As soon as Clara saw her, she motioned for Desiree to come with her to a quiet alcove.

"Did you have anything to do with Joseph Buquet's death?", Clara asked without preamble.
Desiree flinched inwardly in her harsh, untrusting tone. Desiree had come to care for her as a friend in this world, and Clara's weariness towards her just added to her depression.

"What? No! of course not, Clara. How could you ask that?"

Guilt flashed across Clara's face.

"I don't know what to think anymore, Derr--, Desiree. I thought I knew you, but you are a total stranger to me now."

"I can understand your confusion, Clara. And I am also thankful that you did not report me to anyone. But I did not kill him. I was in the dressing room with you when he was killed. Was I not?", Desiree rushed to explain.

Clara sighed.
"I know that. I think we are all stressed about the events."

"Umm, did anyone talk about the Phantom at all?", Desiree could not help asking.

Clara scowled at Desiree.

"The managers warned us not to talk to the police about him, so I don't think anyone will. I think you should leave the Opera Ghost alone. Now, it is even more dangerous because you are a girl. Christine said in the dressing room that the Phantom is obsessed with her. I think he did something to Carlotta. The hospital said she was exposed to her allergy but the police could not find her throat spray bottle from last night."

Desiree stiffened. The spray bottle that Clara spoke of was sitting in her store room now. She could not imagine what would happen if the police had found it.

"Oh, may be people stepped on the bottle and smashed it during the commotion." She spoke dismissively, making a mental note to get rid of it soon.

Desiree was lucky that she had both Clara and Madame Dubos as they provided an alibi for her whereabouts. Clara was particularly uneasy around her but she covered up well in front of the police officers, much to Desiree's relief.
       
She had also found out that Carlotta will be returning home for much needed rest and thanked every god in the world for that little peace of mind.

Desiree helped Madame Giry take stock in the auditorium, where a lot of furniture and decoration were either burnt or trampled. The older women wore a grim expression,  but nonetheless commented that the managers trifled with someone they should not have. Desiree could not help feeling that Madame Giry knows a lot more about Erik than she let on. 

"What??? How much???"

The two managers both looked confounded when Madame Giry stated the amount of funds needed to replace the chandelier and re-furnish the auditorium.