Chapter 504 - Carmen (1/2)

“Terrific deduction,” Holmes commended. “As I said, you really do have a remarkable talent for this line of work, my oriental friend. There really are no words to describe your brilliance!”

He was about to say more,, but the music had started, so Holmes retreated to his seat. He clasped his hands and straightened his knees, ready to savor the performance.

This new opera was called “Carmen.” The author George Bizet was French. Extremely talented, he sadly died at the young age of 37. This play, which told of a tragic tale of love in Seville, Spain, was completed a year before his pa.s.sing

The story told about Carmen, a beautiful and unfettered gypsy girl that worked at a cigarette factory. Don Jose, the military squad leader, fell head over heels for her, abandoning his lover, the kind and gentle Micaela by the countryside. He even violated strict military discipline and let Carmen go when she got involved in a fight with a fellow female worker. When Jose was released from prison, he joined the group of smugglers that Carmen belonged to. Alas, the days that followed saw the two young lovers. .h.i.t a rough patch. Carmen quickly moved on and fell in love with Escamillo, the bullfighter. While the crowd was cheered for Escamillo’s victory over the bull, Carmen perished under Don Jose’s dagger. Love and destruction were the themes of this play. Unlike the previous stories where the main characters were heroes or mythological personalities, the protagonist, Carmen, was a female factory worker and a low-level military officer. It was an incredibly bold attempt, which was why Irene Adler disguised herself as a gypsy busker in the East End to search for inspiration.

Ms. Adler wore a red dress that drew everyone’s eyes to her.

Tonight, she was even more dazzling than ever, with a certain wild disposition. The 3/8-beat aria she sang as she seduced Don Jose was the climax of the first act.

But just as the audience was indulging her performance, Holmes patted Zhang Heng on the shoulder and whispered, “We have to make a move.”

The pair got up from their seats and tiptoed as gingerly as they could to the aisle, crouching low to avoid attention.

“Do you see that waiter in the box on the second floor?” asked Holmes.

“Mmhmm.”

“He delivers fruit platters to each of the boxes. And normally, the same person does it throughout the night. Just ten minutes ago, another guy took his spot.”

“Do you think it could be Mr. M observing his target up close?”

“I don’t think it’s Mr. M himself, but this bloke is obviously connected. If we get our hands on him, at least we’ll be able to find out who Mr. M is targeting now,” Holmes continued.

When they looked up, though, they spotted the waiter staring at them suspiciously.

“He seemed to have… noticed us,” Zhang Heng sighed.

“… Looks like it,” agreed Holmes.

Without warning, the waiter abruptly threw the platter he was carrying and ran to a nearby box.

“Let’s split up. I’m going up!”

“I’ll take the outside then,” said Zhang Heng.