Scarecrow of 1889
Chapter 25: Masquerade of Deception

Chapter 25: Masquerade of Deception

"I don’t understand, Miss Jane. How is that even possible?" Addison’s brow furrowed deeply in confusion as he voiced his perplexity.

Despite their conclusion that Sylvester and Ricardo were the same person, doubts lingered about Agnes’s involvement. Jane’s assistant continued, "Agnes worked in a dance club. She would have needed certain qualifications for the job."

Jane shook her head with a sigh. "We’ll have to investigate that ourselves. Some men are able to cover up their masculinity. Sometimes, because of their features, and some... he works in an opera, he might know how to cover it up. Right now, it doesn’t seem like Sylvester is going to provide us with any answers."

"Do you think Mr. Crowley has been assuming the identities of Mr. Wood and Ms. Holloway all this time?" Addison queried, his tone tinged with doubt. "If so, he must truly be Lady Delilah’s son to have pulled it off without arousing suspicion."

To Jane, the whole thing was like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water on her, leaving her stunned and furious with herself for letting her guard down. All this time, she had been hunting the scarecrow murderer, only to realise that the culprit had been right under her nose, masquerading as someone else. Ricardo or Sylvester had always treated her with flattery, gazing at her as though she were some rare gem and teasing her playfully, and she failed to notice.

"Something feels off about this, Addison," Jane murmured, her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

Addison speculated, "It’s certainly a bizarre case, with him impersonating people. What if he’s not just impersonating them, but actually responsible for their deaths? What if he killed individuals with the names of Ricardo Wood and Agnes Holloway, then assumed their identities?"

"If that’s the case, we could be looking at over fifteen victims, given Mr. Crowley’s murder list. But I doubt that’s the case," Jane replied, her lips pressed into a thin line. She rubbed her temples, trying to formulate a plan, before lowering her hand to her side. "I want to visit the Frontier Hall."

They left for the opera house in her carriage while watching people continue to make commotion outside the apartment, as if wanting to know the juicy bits of the gore that had taken place and the mastermind behind it.

"Jane. You will see with years of your work that the one who harms is always someone closer than you can expect."

Jane heard her former employer’s voice in the back of her head.

If she hadn’t left for Stirling to attend her caretaker’s funeral, perhaps the murders would have stopped with Lady Delilah. It was as though luck had intervened, shielding the culprit from her scrutiny. She closed her eyes momentarily, trying to steady her thoughts.

Upon arriving at the Frontier Hall, Jane noticed how there were news reporters in the front, who were being stopped by the guards.

"I just have a few questions. I will be done soon," said one of the reporters, ready to get the scoop.

"Frontier Hall Opera House is closed today. Please leave and come tomorrow," the guards tried to keep the reporters and other prying people away, even though there were people inside the opera house. "Leave now and come tomorrow!"

Jane pulled out her card and said to one of the guards, "We are the detectives of the case. We need to take a look inside."

One of the reporters laughed, "As if she can be a detective. She’s lying just to get in."

Jane pulled out her card and raised it forward. "Let me in, or I will tell the commissioner that there are people who are aiding the criminal in the murders that have taken place so far."

The guards looked at each other, passing unsure expressions before one of them said, "You can go inside."

Jane felt a surge of relief as they entered the building, eager to gather more information. As they approached the bustling stage, Addison attempted to engage one of the actresses in conversation.

"Excuse me, miss. Could I have a moment of your time? We need to discuss Mr. Crowley," Addison addressed the actress, but she merely turned her head, ignoring his request and focusing on her rehearsal. "People never seem to take detectives seriously," Addison muttered in frustration.

Undeterred, Jane pressed forward, making her way to the back of the stage, where she spotted a man busy repairing a chair. She addressed him politely, "Excuse me, sir," and the man turned to face her.

"I have a few questions to ask. If you could spare a moment, please," Jane continued, her tone courteous yet determined.

"Mr. Williams has instructed us not to discuss this matter. He believes the reputation of the opera house is at stake," the man responded, introducing himself as Oscar Greenwood and extending his hand in greeting.

"Jane Reinhart," Jane reciprocated the introduction, noting the wariness in the man’s demeanour. "How long have you been working here, Mr. Greenwood?"

"More than three decades now. Same position, same job. I’ve been here since Lady Delilah left to get married. Are you here to inquire about Mr. Crowley?" Oscar inquired, his curiosity piqued by Jane’s presence.

"Yes," Jane affirmed before making her inquiry. "But I wanted to confirm something from my memory. Have there been performances here in different languages, like French or Spanish? Something Mr. Crowley might have been involved in?"

"We do host multilingual performances once a year. We had a Spanish one recently, but Mr. Crowley isn’t fluent in Spanish. Nonetheless, he put considerable effort into familiarising himself with the scripts and materials, given his involvement in various aspects of the production, from stage backdrops to dramaturgy," Mr. Greenwood explained, noting the change in Jane’s demeanour. "It’s hard to believe he could have done such a thing to his mother."

"You believe he’s innocent?" Jane inquired, seeking confirmation, and Mr. Greenwood nodded emphatically.

"Absolutely. There’s never been any indication of violence from him. He’s always been reserved, never been involved in any altercations, and has always been cooperative," Mr. Greenwood asserted.

Meanwhile, Addison couldn’t resist muttering under his breath, "That’s what they all say."

"May I take a look around?" Jane inquired politely before proceeding to walk through the various rooms. Some were occupied with people bustling about, while others lay empty and silent.

As they stepped into the costume room, Jane moved cautiously, weaving through the racks of clothing until she reached a closet. With a heavy heart, she pushed it open, and her spirits plummeted as she recognised the clothes she had seen Ricardo wear before.

Moving to the other side of the room, Jane turned to Addison and inquired, "Do you happen to have the description of Agnes?"

"It should be here somewhere." Addison took out his bag, which had files, and he pulled out one of them. Going through it, he said, "She has red hair, her hairstyle was let down. Probably dark eyes."

Jane took a deep breath and then said, "Mr. Greenwood, please let your owner know that we will be taking the auburn wigs from here. We will return them in less than a week." She wanted to verify the wigs, to make sure one of them belonged to Agnes so that she knew this was where he was taking things from, making it easier for no one to ever doubt him.

While records were being made against Sylvester, the newspaper had already declared with a headline— Blood on the Real Life Stage: The Notorious Son’s Bloody Act Unveiled!!