Criminal Case: Grimsborough

Chapter 50: Snakes on the Stage-Part 2

While Jones and Marie were sitting on the steps of the opera house, Jones felt something hit him on the head and they saw that it was a brick. The two officers dove to the ground bracing for more, but when the didn't feel anymore, Jones sat up, looked around and asked, "Is it over? Did you see where the brick came from Marie?"

It was then that Marie saw someone suspicious run back into the opera house. She scrunched her eyes and said, "That person is trying to stop us in our investigation. Well we won't let ourselves be intimidated that easily!"

"You said it baby girl! We won't be intimidated by giant snakes, projectiles or anything! Let's search around and see what they aimed at us and maybe I can get an ice pack too," Jones said while rubbing the goose egg bump on his head.

After they looked around, Jones and Marie saw no sign of their attacker, but Marie found the brick that was aimed at them. It was then that Marie saw a note attached to the brick and when she took it off, the letters were too faded to read. Just then, Marie found a key with a tag that indicates it's the key to the victim's dressing room. The first thing Marie looked at was the note that was attached to the brick that was thrown at Jones' head. She then brushed her powder over the note until the writing was visible enough to read.

On the note, it said, 'Roland had it coming! Now leave us be!' And at the end it was signed by 'The Opera Phantom.' Jones knew clearly well that since ghosts can't hold pens or tie notes to bricks, he knew that it meant that someone was playing games with them. Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared before them and then Marie noticed a man wearing half a mask on his face standing before them. He then said to the female officers, "I'm not playing games Inspector Marie! You've just fallen into the mystical world of the opera!"

Jones was also shocked when the man appeared before them and he said sternly, "I don't know about mystic pal, but you're gonna answer some questions for us right away!" And then he felt the pain in his head tinge a little and he grabbed the side where he was hit.

Marie then asked the man, "Are you by any chance, the Opera Phantom?"

The phantom bowed at Marie, took her hand and kissed the back of it and said, "Indeed I am malady."

Jones slapped the phantom's hand on of Marie's and he said, "Well phantom or not, throwing a brick at a police officer is a criminal offense! And you also wrote explicit threats against the victim of a murder!"

The phantom then said while singing out, "I AM INNOCENT! I, the greatest soul the opera has ever seen, I tell you now! It is the witch, the demon, she's the one who murdered this innocent man!"

Jones looked at the man curiously and asked, "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's Eve! The diabolic Eve! She sent her serpent to bring fear and destruction upon us all," the phantom said in anger and then he disappeared again in a puff of smoke.

Jones rolled his eyes and groaned out, "Not again! I can't believe I let him get away like that! Sorry Marie, but that phantom sounds like a crazy person to me!"

Marie started to think about what the phantom meant when he said Eve and then she said, "Do you think Eve and the serpent could be a reference to Harper and her snake? Let's talk to her and find out!"

Once they were in front of her, Marie asked her, "Harper, we just met with someone who calls himself the Opera Phantom. Does that name ring any bells? Cause he's made some pretty heavy accusations against you."

After she heard that phantom's name, Harper explained angrily, "I know that guy! He lives inside the opera house, in the basement or something, and I found him when I was looking for a place for my snake. He was crying like a baby and he was asking me to keep quiet and to not tell anyone that he was living there. I thought he was just some homeless guy cause he didn't seem that threatening. And that's how I got rewarded. Well, I shouldn't be all that surprised really. Ever since I had snakes, people have been teasing me and calling me Eve and all that.