Passages contains graphic and explicit sexual content.

Listener discretion is advised.

Welcome, oh yeah, welcome to Passages Passages.

Indulge me now if you will hang cobwebs and shadows in your mind, think darkness and danger too, entails from another time.

Travel with me, please, into the darkened recesses of other people's.

Minds, to a world of.

Wood and cloth and stream.

This season of Passages is a Harlequin intrigue again Puppet's Bobby.

Passages.

Puppet, would you do today?

Are we recording?

Yeah?

Oh no, no, whoa Welcome to.

Puppet, come to Papa Jeese.

If you are joining us, congratulations you have not been raptured.

Or we are so sorry you have not.

Been raptured and piss you've been rapping, you've been piss on.

If you've been raptured, you probably weren't listening to us anywhere.

You've been raptured by And yeah, rest and piss because all the pists raining down from the people as they're taken into the into the heavens.

I can feel pretty confident that we did not lose many listeners.

You lost one listener and hopetoken New Joysey.

Oh I love Hopetoken New Joysey.

There was one old woman who had fallen and her pile of like old newspapers podcast and fell on top of her and she was trapped under it with like and and just as she was hitting at her phone to try to.

She's listened to five six season.

It gets on replay book and it's plugged in so it doesn't phone could never charging.

She was trying to hit it to get to call nine one.

She never set up serious.

She can't.

She doesn't doesn't know one serious.

She thinks Siria is like her daughter that doesn't visit her.

So she slapped at her phone accidentally turned on the apps podcast apps the podcast on us and then she heard me screaming and was like hap and and she's not knowing that I was a podcast.

And then on the on September twenty third, she finally succumb to her injuries and she died.

So she's the only one who's been wrapped.

Sure she Jesus came down but couldn't get her out from underneath the second newspaper, so he just left her.

Was sticky.

I did see a really good thread earlier today.

I was like, so what if you're inside when you get raptured, you crushed.

Let's get stuck on the ceiling like an old mis kind of like hit by a ceiling fan found you.

This is fun.

I think that, you know.

I want to say that the rapture ideas were created during a time of like fat roofs or something, so you could just like go through it.

That's not true.

The whole rapture thing came up in like the seventeen hundreds or something, like we had castles way later, we had roofs.

Roofs real later, yeah, way later, seventeen hundreds.

This was a time of science, like.

You know, sort of this is the time of puppet science.

Well, seventeen ninety or seventeen eighty or eighty about.

It wasn't like the sixteen hundreds or something when the puppet theater opened.

Yes, six hundred years late.

So the puppet theater precedes the rapture.

Oh my god, do you know what happened last week?

On Passages?

We totally recorded last week and not almost a month ago, because I was gone for half the month and then I had COVID.

She got potactic corvid.

Amanda want to the Irish Emerald Viols and came back with that noise spice Covent.

I got it.

Ireland is fucking cool, is fucking cool.

It was awesome.

The Motherland.

Yeah, a shocking.

So I'm irish.

I was talking to an actual Irish person, you know, American Irish.

I was talking to an actual Irish person.

And I was like, yeah, when I went to Ireland, you know, we did went on the tour and I kissed the Blarney Stone.

That's the that's the He's like, that's the quickest way to know you're not really Irish if you go do that shite.

And I'm like, I was in high school and we were on a tour kissed the stones, which is, by the way, like, holy shit, can you imagine thousands of people at a kissing stone?

Now, the Blarneystone, Covid Larny Stone, Scott is special, like the.

Variant Lord, wait until that gets around.

Okay, So that was eight thousand years ago.

Yeah, my dad was still alive.

He's alive as we record this.

Is he Oh that's good.

No, Like, I think a lot of things were different.

There were a lot of things different before we recorded.

Charlie Kirks was different before Charlie Kirk different, the like mental health of the country was somehow like a little better than it is now.

I don't know is there is there, but I don't think there's a basement on this thing.

I think like the mental derangement can go all the way to like mad Max Fury.

Right, I will say s I blissfully did not know what a groper was three weeks ago.

And now I know I did not know the difference between oh wo and before last week, and I wish I still didn't know that.

What's crazy is just how everything deeply unseerious, all of it is, And it's like people are dying.

So serious and everyone is so unseerious about it.

It's I feel like I'm taking crazy PILs.

It's like, you know what It's like, It's like walking around Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factor, because if.

You just have to accept that all these absurd things are.

Around in a while, like a kid's gonna get sucked into a dream pipe, into a tube and he's like, I don't know it either goes to the smelting vat or the big chocolate posts and everyone in.

The factory accept you is like, yeah, this is normal happens.

Children Fat children are sucked into pipes, other children are rendered into juice and blueberry juice, Like this is just normal.

This is And then you're like, this is not okay.

This shouldn't you all, Charlie, you should not be happening, and they're like, fuck you, this is what happens.

It's a privilege for you to be here.

How to shut your fucking mouth.

You got a ticket to even get here.

Yeah, sometimes we crush children.

Sometimes we turn children into TV Adams and then they're tiny.

I feel like it's it's getting harder and harder to be like, what's happening here?

Like, because you know, the longer you're in the asylum, the less the outside world it was real.

Ohio, Ashley, we are you know, we're on thin iedch We were Ohio the whole time.

It's a layers.

We were imagining her, imagining a fantasy world for herself.

Like we're in Ohio, ash.

I don't think the outside world was ever.

You know, eventually this is and this is funk Here's something funked up to think about.

If you and I aren't raptured later today, which is a very real possibility.

There's no way we're getting rapture.

Hold on, we're too gay to be honest, there's a very real possibility that we will be raptured later today.

You can't disprove it, Amanda.

You can't disprove that it could happen.

Yes, and the lack of proof that something could happen is definitely irrevocable proof.

It's the same irrefutable proofs, the same as having proof.

It is explaining that to me.

I know, you're just gonna a woman.

You don't trust a woman.

You don't know these things.

But but my mom took too much toilet all.

Oh my god, it came out.

He can at all giveny toilet cases.

That's true.

Wait, that's that was real?

That was real.

Yeah.

No, I threaded.

I threaded yesterday that I'm gonna take so much time at all so I get autism even harder, which is clearly a joke.

But it was so darling.

There were plenty of people in my comments that are like, Okay, but please don't do that because it's really gonna hurt your liver, and I'm like, yeah, I'm not.

Gonna take extra take for toilet people.

We live in a world where it's like, hah, that's funny, but please someone make sure she doesn't actually storm.

I can't tell what's real anymore.

Yeah, so I literally had to like subtweet myself being like, okay, I'm the concern is making me laugh, very funny, this is a joke and I'm not going to do that.

That's because it's because like even even people that like seem like they might have like a brain between between their ears, like are acting up, I know, acting strange lately.

You know I love to troll.

Yeah, anyway, Yeah, I had such a especially Charlie Kirk.

I had such a clear image of of of.

Man, where were you when Charlie Kirk was shot?

Dude?

I wish I could take responsibility.

I was.

I'm just said that I didn't get invited to memorial Widow Kirk's nazi w W e rally nazi w w e iro technic widow.

Maybe come on down, brother, We're get we are Charlie Kirk.

You want to have more than Charlie Kirk.

Charlie you had two's are incredible?

Wait what have you not been seeing?

Getting Charlie kirktoos?

Also stop please please tell me you saw the infamous Charlie Kirk portrait that was laid.

On his him, his face.

You're not gonna believe this.

It's a painting that either Donald Trump or a child with no hands.

Did Donald Trump did this.

It's just a paint, a memorial painting of Charlie Kirk that was like prominently laying on his casket.

It's fan art.

I think it's incredible and I cropped it so it just as Hardy cur.

So all over the internet whatever.

Well threads, let's be real, because that's like my favorite place.

Whatever I've seen Pete like little fucking cockboys posting about Charlie Kirk.

I've just put with no contact Lee Hardy care.

Because okay, because and we should talk about this for a minute, because for some reason, because for some reasons, the right can't make art.

They can't make art, they can't do comedy, they can't make art, and apparently mourning a man is a bit there's a bit of art to it, and they fail.

So I honestly I feel so bad for his ghost, his poor ghost.

I mean, can you imagine being shot and and and whatever disagreements I had with Charlie Kirk and they were everything.

I think of his spirit, his haunting, going to win Owmania and fucking seeing his wife come out to us Sparkler around.

I know, the worst cry anyone's ever seen, to see her fake tears, My Barbie Dolls fake cried during My Baby Sagas when I was like six.

Then missus Harley k did.

Oh my god, I swear to God when she she scared, she scared the ship out of me.

But I think, but I do think, thinking about his ghost standing around at his memorial at widow Mania is very and thinking and seeing all of the people like who he thought were his like friends and allies, just using it to score pol faking the Christian stuff.

Cannice owns the only person who actually seemed to actually give a ship about him, And what is that saying fu the site his fellow piece of ship.

Uh didn't even get to speak like, yeah, they locked her out, They locked her out and just like just to see that.

It's a very like I picture him in like an Ebonezer Scrooge, like like with a little candle and the little hat and the ghosts being like, hitch, here's what your hatred?

Hathrod a window mania, and not one person cared about you.

The world is not a better place, is a slightly worst place for you having been in it, Darlie.

So anyway, that was all before Yeah, the episode was before that, So I don't remember what happened last time.

Oh, they went, they followed the cat and it took them into that blood room, the boarded up room that had blood on it, and then they were like, they figured out there's another murder.

What the fuck, Aaron, what happened last time?

Okay, so last time on passages you knew the whole time.

No, I don't remember.

All of it.

Watching a squirm.

Katerina and raoul U went into the boarded up room on the map, yes, the moldy sections of the theater, and found the blood staines, and then they left the puppet and like the pride boards opened so that the master would know that they had been there at.

Least someone had been there.

A short scene of the the puppet master finding that someone had been in there, yes, and the.

Puppet master said that, uh was this when the puppe master was like, get bebet figured out she'll be dead or she'll be dead by the end of the week or whatever.

Yes, so Bebet's on the top of the list.

I think that's all I remember.

And then I think we got a little bit of the Lama Sanderou party or whatever.

The Oh yeah, they're getting ready for the Maskaraine.

Did it sound like he was just deep throating.

The long drawn Silver's puppet Masqueraine.

Well, it's not as.

Something something on, yeah, because they're like, Okay, there's probably going to be a robbery at this party.

We'll we'll go and keep our eyes on the situation.

So that's really where we open in chapter sixteen is they're at armand Louis de Mals you did you actually you kind of know that.

My eyes are really itchy and swollen right now from who knows what, and so my eyes are like almost shut and I just keep hearing people deep throating dicks around me when you guys try and pronounce.

It, rman, Louise sold So we're at the party, which uh is not the same as the hamble Bone Ball, which will be another week or so later.

This is a succession of parties.

Jesus Christ.

Raoul does crash the masquerade because doy but I have questions.

We'll get to them because this masquerade is extremely exclusive.

They have made this clear multiple times.

And yet Raoul goes in not a great costume, with seemingly no preparation of like a backstory, a false identity.

He just he thinks through putting on a mask in a cloak, and then that's where the thinking ends.

He just goes to the party.

Wait, he's going to the other one.

No, he's this is the armand Louis Saint sondomand masquerade.

This is the next party after the backstage party.

The backstage party was.

Like that starts with a decorator's nightmare.

Yes, yep, so we're opening chapter sixteen in Raoul's POV.

He's at the masquerade.

He thinks the house that it's at or whatever is ugly.

He's just being a bitch, like no reason, you live in the vault, you live in the second Subterraneans like a mor lock.

But I guess this kind of gives some context of what era we're in.

It was madness inside the Chateau, a decorator's nightmare.

Ral stood unobtrusively in the curtained corner of a room where candles provided the only light source.

Splashes of the supernatural, overlaid a strong sixties motif, not elegant but unconventional.

It could be eighteen sixties, right, no, no, no, we had a fridge.

Yeah, it's the sixties.

It is set in the eighties, and you can and if you look at this tiny little little painted eighties early nineties, it's it's clearly an eighties story, for sure, it must be.

It's not as fun, no to not.

But they certainly do not speak or interact with each other as though they are living in the nineteen eighties or nineties.

This is and I will I also have a note that I wrote that just says who talks like this?

And no one?

No one?

Uh, Okay, he's getting he's at this party, but he thinks back to when he was like getting ready for the party, and he was still on the vaults, and Sofia was with him, helping him put on his costume.

You are the merchant puppet, Sophia exclaimed, as he donned black pants, cape and boots in the vaults.

A creature of mystery and deceit.

Not the merchant, Sophia ral indicated the leather mask on his cot.

Tonight, I am the phantom.

Another creature of darkness.

They will only see your eyes.

I think many women will fall in love with you at this party.

So he's got a leather mask, dear, But like, I don't think.

I think the eyehole in leather mass mask is quite large, because he, upon getting to the party, is almost immediately freaking out that he did not do a good job with his costume.

Too much of his eyes can show.

Everybody's gonna know who he is.

Jesus Christ.

Can you imagine, Ah, I'm gonna go to this party in disguise.

Then you get there and you're like, oh, fuck, I don't have enough shit on me?

Eh good.

The black cap and leather mask was not the best disguise.

Too much of his face could be seen.

And if his dark hair was very long, now that was a minor difference.

He took a chance coming here, a big one, but necessary of his instincts to be believed.

Yeah, but you could have put on like more of a costume.

It's a mask, Garay.

You could have put like a whole helmet on.

He se.

He sensed also that the puppet master watched his robber puppets closely.

Now, maybe he watched everyone Raoul couldn't say.

But Katerina was part of everyone, and she shared a dressing room with Babbett, who tended to blurt out her fears, and so this nightmare must end before it worsened, before Babbet endangered Katerina any further push her out a window Sophia's solution for the problem.

But then, tolerance wasn't one of Sophia's strong points.

Ghost hunting was her preference, and that she still did with a vengeance.

She'd cackled with delight earlier tonight that Bet.

Sees the puppets move, and yet without the gold threads, we know this cannot happen.

And do not tell me that it is you who makes this movement happen.

I speak of Sylvan's flapping wings, a thing you could not possibly bring about, my sexy young friend.

Jesus Christ, she's like getting less and less subtle about this.

Yep, so uh so murder her.

She starts with ye, and then and then she goes on to be like dumb bitch doesn't even know about the magic golden threads, saying that as if that is a that's an obvious.

Thing, that's a reason.

To be off yeah.

Interesting.

So she says he didn't do that, He.

Didn't do what the wings?

Oh yeah, yeah, He's like, I know you're not.

She's like, I know you're not responsible for Sylvain's fucking wings flapping on their own.

And he doesn't correct her.

He's like, I don't know.

Yeah, he says Raul smiled to himself.

Let her dream.

He couldn't wait for a ghost to make things right.

He must unmask the puppet master as soon as possible.

So I feel like that could allude to well, I did break something to make that happen.

But he's tricked her and she wants to believe in a ghost.

Still better, so let it happen.

Okay, So now he's back in.

He's not thinking of the vaults anymore.

Now he's present at the party.

An interesting party tonight, Do you agree?

Francois's low voice behind Raoul made his entire body stiffen.

He didn't turn very interesting, he agreed, affecting a soft Italian accent and leaning one shoulder against the wall.

You're a friend of Armand's missieur of his wife.

Ah, I see, so he doesn't even have like a name a connection, you know.

Oh, yeah, I'm i'm, I'm, i'm, I'm I'm his wife's friend.

And then he doesn't.

Ever, he doesn't have anything like more robust built for his secret crashing of the party.

I feel like he's dropped some puppet balls here.

Yeah, massive puppet balls.

You own the puppet theater, Raoul observed, slowly, an intriguing venture, missieur we will say unique.

Francois chuckled for myself, I am not a fan of puppets like you.

I prefer phantoms.

Then he fucks him, inserting his pennist.

I remember phantoms, the little puppet faces.

They unsettle me, miniature creatures that evolts human events, evolves human awareness where none in fact exists.

I take it then that you do not believe in the legend of Giovanni Ribisi Veroni.

Ah we, Francois said, surprising him.

Now in this I most certainly.

Do you believe?

Was he joking?

Raoul shifted position, stealing a sideways glance at his profile, but all he saw was an indistinct silhouette outlined against the folds of a deep burgundy curtain.

Francois continued, Giovanni Ribisi Veroni was born at a time of darkness, of alchemy and sorcery.

And I would say many secular beliefs.

I distracted, Oh, yes, interrupted his remarks.

Quite beautiful, so Francois, while he's talking about how he certainly does believe in Giovanni, sees gorgeous Katerina approach, and he's distracted himself, and now Raoul with how beautiful Katerina is.

And she was a vision in a strapless sheath of lace, so for satin, shimmering black that somehow paid a compliment to the green of her eyes.

Across her throat.

She had draped a long satin scarf so that the ends might flew down her pick with the soft nipples of her hair.

You say, nipples, ripples of her hair.

Oh, I both read and heard ends might flow down her back with the soft nipples.

Of her hair.

I heard, I heard and read it that way.

Will It was great.

It was full of delight for a moment while I believed that that was the case.

Uh, Katerina, Francois called softly, just please come here and explain to this gentleman about Giovanne's legend.

She's like geez, She's like I'll.

Fucking I'll do that.

Thank god, God, it's been fifteen minutes since I told told anyone about that shit.

I can't wait.

Raul glanced at the man.

There was something in his tone, a note of amusement, perhaps a cat toying with not one mouse but several.

So he's just got the sinking suspicion that Francois knows exactly who he is and it's just going along with this, which.

Is which is the kind of paranoia that would bedraggle me every moment of the evening, but also the kind of paranoia that is completely pos completely warranted, because he is he is not well disguised.

No, not in the slightest Okay, I'm sorry to take some insulin sugar diabetes.

Uh.

Katerina approached with Philip atter side.

Raoul felt a jealous growl in his throat, but swallowed it and eased himself deeper into the shadows.

It was just him.

Into Francoisois.

It was a feudal move.

Katerina's eyes registered momentary recognition before she greeted him with a polite nod.

Yes, what is it he would like to know, monsieur, He asks, do I believe in the legend francois applied.

I say that I do, and this surprises him.

Phillip's brow shot up.

Can't say about him, but it surprises the hell out of me, old man, you actually believe in all that nonsense?

God, he's like, he's like he's guessed on to me, like Buck Rogers.

Now I picture a much like wimpier and coukier and pretty boyish.

I fully only see him as blonde guest on gas blonde jazz blonde.

Excuse me, Katerina said, and instantly he qualified the remark, of course, I believe in fantasies, love always have.

I think we should do our utmost to make them come true.

I'll even grant you that ghosts might wander the earth, but puppets being brought to lie like you.

Like making him like Ret Butler's great.

Uh So, Katerine is annoyed because how dare her boyfriend and living.

Puppet does not not believe in that?

Like Ariel And.

It's my whole personality.

How can you do?

This is my only thing, this is all I have.

I'll kill you in stage.

Of Yeah, I'm gonna go on widow Mania and put gold threads in your hair and make you into a puppet, improving all the liberals that I was right the whole time.

Uh So, she turns to Francois and says, you think she Honey exists?

You ask a creature of the night that question a voice put in a new voice put in and behind his mask, Raoul rolled his eyes.

Pierre now and Louise.

So Pierre and Louise are there together.

Louise is Pierre's beard.

The situation went from risky to impossible.

He fell back in a bit more, drawing the black cape tighter around his body.

That won't.

Trying to disappeared into the curtains, and no one.

Notices, and not everyone.

Or everyone notices, and just is pretending that they don't notice.

For everyone knows.

That's Roll, right, Does he think we can't know?

It's like it's like Roll just put glasses, the glasses on and no know.

I'm here just humoring his delusion.

Yeah, I don't say anything good evening, Pier.

Still that hint of humor marked Francois's tone.

You have brought a companion tonight, I see, Louise smiled.

He likes red hair.

I'm here by default.

I think hardly that Pierre assured he sent and.

I'm a fat you see, oh.

Girl, that's not why you're here, that's.

Not why you're beard your beard here.

Show me how that you show me.

How that you know how to do it with a womans sucker round sucker, dick car rock ladies, show us how you do it.

But but blao hardly that Pierre Pierre assured he sent rowand assessing.

Do I know you, Monsieur Phantom?

If you do, then you have me at a disadvantage, Raoul replied, calmly, controlling his urge to bolt.

He felt more trapped here than in the vaults.

He just runs away.

I can't imagine.

Do I know you, Monsieur Fantom?

Runs Fuck?

He's a full tim Robinson crash out and runs away.

I'm taking ripping the heat off.

I have to cut the hat off.

He felt more trapped here than in the vaults, a rat surrounded by drooling cats.

Ah, yes, but two Guardian angels as well.

Don't forget that roul, because yeah, Katerina and Louise are there.

I think maybe we've met, Louise remarked with convincing dispassion last year at the opera, Perhaps, he murmured, and this is where I wrote my note lowest prep.

Does he not have a name and backstory prepared?

He should absolutely be like, why, yes, I certainly was there because my name is John Gumblebon.

Right, Yes, I'm Philip Hambleton.

I'm Jean Pierre, Philip Hambleton, humble Bone.

Me Philip there, No, I'm Philip.

Oh my god.

Okay.

So then they take a lot of time talking back and forth about Giovanni and why Francois believes in him and.

Blah blah blah him.

I mean bullshit nonsense, doesn't matter.

Have you always believed in the legend, Francois, I've always believed in many occult possibilities.

He is an occult possibility.

Pierre mattered to Louise, Didn't I just get him, bitch?

I really got him.

I'm so glad you're here to hear my jokes.

He's it's like, I can't wait to fuck you.

Ah.

Then Louise is like, it's so creepy to think about puppets walking about, living, breathing, controlling.

Francois murmured, Whatever the whole idea gives me the willies me as well, old girl Philip's bright blue eyes on the circle.

Really, people, this is complete and utter nonsense.

Puppets are made of wood, and if they walk about, it's only in myth.

Do you not think that puppets of flesh and blood exists?

Philip Francoise softly spoken words were rich and meaning, But it was Pierre who waved an impatient hand.

This is where I wrote, who talks like this?

This is crazy?

You speak in terms of philosophy now, of symbolic things that have nothing to do with legend, puppets of greed and gain, of ignorance and uncertain direction.

Call them the sheep of modern society, and it would be the same thing.

It comes to this, Puppets of a metaphorical nature exist, Puppets of legend do not.

Perhaps France would have argued the point, or maybe Katerina.

However, the opportunity was cut short by the sound that suddenly pierced the din of the music.

Advice is and laughter.

It was a dreadful sound, a woman screaming in terror, and her scream came from the Great.

Hall, all stabbed out.

Well, we don't cut it out no, who is screaming?

But someone is screaming, And do you want.

To bad Bet is always the one fucking screaming.

Do you want to.

Guess why this unnamed woman is screaming?

Pitch can't guess it.

Don't read ahead, don't read ahead.

Kill it doesn't crawl on me because she thinks she's being attack by roaches or something like that.

Only she could see a rat, maybe.

No dead body, as she'd been sure there must be.

But then if that was the case, the woman screams would have made wouldn't have made sense.

Corpses couldn't crawl, so what besides Katerina's skin could long warm fingers wrapped around her waist?

A rat, Raoul said softly in her ear.

One of the guests arrived as I did, with two white rats on a leash.

Okay, well, pet rats is not at all something I fucking imagined.

And there's no other context for why that happened.

Caterina just goes, Okay, that's it.

I'm going home, ridiculous.

I can't do this.

That line of dialogue, Okay, that's it.

I'm going on.

Is the first thing that sounds like a woman in the eighties yep, me.

And at that same time almost everybody leaves, uh, and so Raoul kind of like hangs back while everybody's leaving, and he overhears a conversation between Babet and Ian.

That's so weird.

Somebody brought and then just everybody leaves that and the person's like, it's my birthday?

Where are you going?

Pretty much interesting?

I cannot do it, Ian Babbett was moaning, I cannot keep him busy, you insist, But all the time I see blood and I think I can't do the tect.

I see the puppet master watching me from every patch of darkness.

Oh my covid.

Okay, mmm, don't be absurd and okay, then drew her alongside a potted palm and lowered his voice.

He can't be everywhere, you know that.

In fact, I haven't even seen him tonight, but he is here, yes, I should imagine.

So, however, he isn't likely to be watching you now.

Where is armand geese?

Babet hesitated, licking her dry lips.

He's weekend.

Yeah, he grew angry with me and he went with your Dutch chess too.

He's private sea.

So I think Babet was supposed to seduce armand suck his little ding dong, find out where all the good stuff is hidden?

And Babet fumbled he went off with somebody else.

And Ian is not happy about this, because the puppet master will not be pleased his private suite.

The Sionian's voice pretty much told Katerina where uh the would be?

Sole and merchandise resided.

Oh, Katerina and Raul are sol listening?

Raul too, No robbery tonight, he murmured, and she nodded relief in spite of herself.

No robbery, no trouble, no chance that Raoul would be caught, you fool, Ian said mildly, then sighed again.

All right, bad bet, come along.

All is apparently lost.

As all is apparently lost, I might as well take you home.

What about the puppet master.

Babbet whispered, sounding scared.

Would he be angry with me?

Ian didn't answers.

His hooded eyes looked into the crowd.

Were somewhere Francois and Pierre both lurked.

But who was the puppet master?

Katerina wondered out loud at against agast her hair, against.

Her hair, a gas her hair.

Raoul shook his head, I don't know, but this is for sure, bad Bet has gotten your seven deep deep trouble for you for you bare Bet.

Okay, So now everybody's leaving, including Louise and Pierre, and Pierre invites Louise back to his condo's apartment in the skies of Perie.

He has the sky ride sat part of Paris.

But she has been noticing that he's been seemed a little like cold and distant.

She's like, oh shit, did like he notice Raoul?

Am I reading too far into this?

And he's a huge homo and I'm just a beard.

I really want to fuck him?

Like, what do I do?

What do I do?

Is he even into that?

Do I have to?

Am I gonna have to like strap it on like Pte, you know, go for a whole like gender thing with him.

Right, She's kind of freaking out.

He maintained his silence long after they'd stepped from the limousine and ridden a fancy lift to his security.

Flat, security flat.

His security flap, I don't know, And what a flap it was?

She round, looking around plush furnishings.

Oh my god, I can't read.

That would be so funny if she's all of a sudden, you're like, I can't read.

I can't read, like if you just suddenly and blind her death.

Plush furnishings, plants, a wall of plans.

You just forgot how to read, Just suddenly, in the middle of this recording, you just couldn't read anymore.

Your tough little head just went blip and it just fell right out.

I can read again.

Here we go.

He maintained his silence long after they had stepped from the limousine and ridden the fancy lift to his security flap, and what a flap it was, she thought, looking around.

Plush furnishings, plants, a wall of puppets, and Potasso painting.

Puppets go up right next to the Picassos.

Well, they're in the same clouds.

It's the same class of art.

This world's most impulsive goga for puppets.

This world be we have advertiser.

Can I come of cognac, Pierre inquired, At last, Thank Heaven, he smiled.

Please.

Louise arranged herself on the sofa, This very handsome man with someone to want, and she did want him, so forget the crazy notion that he might be the puppet master.

Pierre was as sane as they came.

You didn't enjoy the party, she remarked, when he joined her on the soft leather couch.

Was she wrong or did his smile not quite reach his eyes?

Did you?

He asked, not much.

She slipped her cognac nervously, then gave herself a shake and reached out a finger to the collar of his shirt.

I thought it was rather overdone, but then I should imagine all the so called normal people escaped early as we did.

I imagine, he sounded absent.

His gaze was riveted to the wall of windows across from them.

I know that phantom, he stated so unexpectedly that Louisa was dropped her glass.

A patron of the arts, she suggested, clearing her throat and tightening her hold on the crystal stem.

I've met him before.

Pierre looked sharply at her face.

The dark light in his eyes didn't settle her nerves where he demanded, I'm not sure at the opera, maybe, yes, that's it last year.

Damn Pierre's unrelenting skepticism.

I do not think so, he said, slowly.

You think I'm lying, Louise returned, jelly, still stroking his collar although seduction wasn't her intention at this moment, not lying mistaken.

Catching her fingers in a rather tight grip, Pierre brought them to his lips.

It was an idle motion.

His mind was far away.

I know that man, I am certain of it.

I just cannot place him.

Louise banked her trepidation long enough to make one more attempt.

Pierre, she said, capturing his chin and turning his head.

She saw no cruelty in his expression, but there was something Forget phantoms and queer duck parties.

What the fuck is a queer duck party?

What queer doc?

Queer hyphen doc parties?

So like when you call him like an odd duck, Oh, that guy's an odd duck.

Like gotta be something like that.

Yeah.

Like it was like kind of a weird, weirdo party.

But also like Pierre would take you home from this.

She said, it was like overdone.

So like if you went to a like a themed party and they like.

The guy shows up with two rats, I'm probably gonna go because that's ship's some that's some queer duck, nony duck.

Nonsose geeus think about me instead?

Hmmm.

That won her a small smile and his attention.

The grip on her hand loosened, his thumb caress her poem, bringing a shiver of anxious anticipation to her scheme.

This man knew how to seduce and to scare.

Maybe it was crazy, but she siddled closer anyway, untying his hair and running her fingers through the rich brown length of it.

Her lips brushes.

Job, Aaron loves that.

She's like you read that where you're like he knows how to seduce and.

Like gazing boo.

He gave She shits her pants.

He gazed deeply into my eyes, and then he pooped.

I pooped in a mount.

Forget everything, Pierre, she whispered, for tonight, think only about me.

He broke off quite suddenly, as her sifting fingers brought a previously hidden lock of his hair into the periphery of her vision.

A tangled strand, she thought at first, but her horrified eyes quickly corrected that it wasn't a tangle in the braided lock of hair that rested in her icy palm.

It was gold threads.

What the fuck is that?

What?

What got gold threads on the and his rattail?

What the treads?

Rattail, what the fuck hidden under his don't read aheadad don't.

I'm doing the next chapter right now.

Read this really ruins it for me.

You stop it.

I know you can't read.

Hey, you're doing I've made up everything I've ever told you about this book.

No, holy shit.

So wait no he waited, wait wait, wait wait Witte, calm down, we're not we're not being raptured.

He went to a costume party?

Am I allowed to?

Just?

Yes, he went to a costume party.

Calmed down, calmed down, yes, calm down, you're freaking out.

Okay, he went to a costume party.

He just has a costume element that has golden threads in his hair.

No, it's like under his hair, not part of the costume.

And he the one who was like, he doesn't really believe in the legend.

I am chapter sixteen seventeen because that was chapter sixteen.

I never said I could count.

That hasn't changed che.

Chapter eleven levantine but bah Okay.

Back at the party, Katerina and Rall still haven't quite left yet.

She's like, get out of here before Phillips sees you.

He's coming this way.

He's gonna recognize you in this light.

I'll come to the vaults and find you tomorrow.

And so she leaves, and then we're in Rawl's pov blah blah blah.

He watches Louise leave with Pierre, God help her if he was the one.

And finally Ian had told Bebett that he would take her home, and then he wanted to return to the puppet theater to meet the puppet master.

Roll wondered.

So he's like, I'm gonna follow Ian and Babett.

So he hops in a cab.

He follows them.

Yeah, obviously they they would be the ones to tail yep.

And he's spying on them when they're outside of like Babette's apartment, and he's talking to her before he goes back to the puppet theater.

So if you want to read along, you'll have to beat okay, page one seventy five at the bottom, I just I guess, just don't read ahead.

I just got too excited because.

Of the because of how fucking Philip.

No, Pierre is a puppet person.

That can't be happening.

It's be too wonderful.

You saw what happened, Ian asked, quietly, Yes, I know.

She botched.

Oh you're not in this never mind, he's on the phone.

Okay, so I got this wrong.

He follows, he follows, I he sees, he sees Ian dropped bad bet off and then he continues to follow him back to the puppet theater.

And now he's spying on him, like in his office from one of his wall holes and listen to his phone conversation one of.

The many glory holes in the wall of correct.

The fifth Avenue, Scruples bathroom.

Portal, portal fun with portals.

Dick, you saw what happened, Ian asked quietly.

Yes, I know she botched things, but she was upset.

Couldn't we silence again?

Then a subdued yes, I understand.

No, I'm not defending her, but I'm merely pulling out that she's done good work in the past.

Maybe if I spoke to her a protracted silence this time, and something change charging in the air.

Raoul noticed this in mild surprise.

Some cloud of brooding evil stretched out to envelop him in the corridor, a sense of corruption so strong it brought a chill to his skin, and his eyes roaming the hole just in case.

Ian's tone grew tense nervous is it absolutely necessary, he asked at length, wouldn't you won't you let me talk to Babbet one more time?

The plea dwindled off, and with a defeated sigh, Ian bowed to the pressure.

As you wish, he agreed.

If you feel we must do, you have a plan a way to dispose of her that will not turn suspicion on us.

Raoul's trained to hear better.

Thirty seconds later he was left white faced and shaking in the hall, wishing to God he hadn't heard anything.

Yes, they would heal Babbett, but no, this time the architect would not be framed because he had disappeared.

Another must be set up instead.

Ba bet too too long, ba Bet too long?

Oh shit, shit, yeah, get yes, it took me a million years.

Ba Bet too long.

Would die this coming Saturday night.

She would be murdered at the Hambleton Masquerade Ball, and the blame would be laid at Phila Hambleton's feet.

WHOA smash cut to Katerina, who is with Louise, and Louise is freaking the funk out because she's just escaped the puppet man's.

Oh my god, lap, oh my god.

Tell me again, Louise, Katerina said, rubbing her friend's trembling forearm, exactly what happened with Pierre.

Louise's voice quavered, but she was calmer now.

He was acting very queer, Katie.

You don't say, I don't say.

As if his mind were somewhere else.

He was weird.

He owned the steam like another man, that he was very close to it.

And he wouldn't fuck me.

He fingered his collar, but he STU wouldn't fuck me.

Yeah, he just kept talking about rowd and puppet puppets and Pierre's Oh no, he's Pierre in fence.

Wow.

I didn't know what to make of it, and I like him, you know, which didn't help.

She gulped the coffee, pushing at her unruly hair with her fist.

In my hand, she declared, tot lipped.

I held it in my hand and I still can't believe it.

What did you hold?

She asked?

Gold threads, caddie.

He has bald.

Threads branded into a tiny section of his hair underneath and at the back, you know where normally no one would see them, unless, of course, they happened to be cozying up to him as I was but how did you get out?

Didn't he try to stop you?

I mean, that's very strange.

I know Louise pressed the tips her fingers through her forehead.

The funny thing is, I don't remember much after I saw the wretched thing, except that suddenly all of his puppets, and he has many, by the way, seemed to be staring at me.

And then he stared at me and he asked me what was wrong, almost as if he didn't know that I'd found the stupid threads.

He was acting so strangely.

And there's more.

He felt he knew the phantom he saw tonight.

I knew someone would would do that.

That's not really more, that's like less.

Yeah, and there's less.

There's also less less.

There's also can we talk about how obvious Roles costume was stupid?

What a dumb dumb yea, But yeah, this is like I like the like Oh and there's and there's even less yep, yeah, because no, the fact that he wears golden threads in his hair while pretending he doesn't like believe in the legend.

Because even if it's way more interesting than yeah, even.

If it's just an affectation or something like it's still very odd.

I knew someone would do that to jumping out to sit still.

Katerina again pacing running her day, palms up and down the arms and for white poit, what is anything something?

I think they're at her apartment.

It's got to be like a kind of couch or or oh pas a rope.

Like yeah, because I think they're at an apartment.

Yeah, it's a it's a p e I G n O I R y.

You know those like in the old movies when women would walk around with the like Chloe Aaron.

This is the eighties.

It's not olden days, no, I know, but that you first you said it was a couch.

Now you're saying, yeah, a woman's light dressing gown or neglige.

That's what I said that first, and you said couch.

And now here you are trying to say.

Oh, it's because I like couch.

No, it's not.

Also a couch that jd Vance loves.

Get me in my get my hill, Billy Ellergy inside that old old what horrible end, Slipperlegy.

Sighing, she said, disaster.

Then she lifted her head.

Maybe not though, even if Pierre figures out that is the phantom.

He still won't know where he's hiding.

He'll know he's in Paris.

The party was in Versailles.

Anyway, the police are already looking for rauland in Paris.

If they don't know he's hiding in the vault, why would Pierre.

I don't know, because everyone one knows.

Besides, who's to say that Pierre will even make the connection?

My god, Pierre's the puppet master, isn't he?

Is?

He accused?

Louise rubbed her eyes.

Who knows.

When I saw the gold threads, that was my first thought too, But after I left, I told myself that was total rubbish.

I've been swinging back and forth ever since.

I mean, Caddie, would the puppet master where gold threads.

In his head?

Yeah?

It's weird.

Katerina tugged the broad curtain aside and gazed at the jumble of rooftops below.

Maybe he's crazy, you know.

He butchered Claudia, and I'm sure he did the same thing to Genevieve.

And I keep remembering what Jean told me about the answers being in the legend.

What does that mean?

I have no idea, Katerina, can.

We fucking anything, It's nonsense.

She had to reason this out.

Puppets come to life in Giovanni's world.

Maybe Pierre thinks he's a puppet, you know, like the Italian merchant.

Louise whispered, I don't want to hear this.

Who's shock?

Who's shot someone I met in the vaults?

Real?

You think it's just Katerina's like full cracked out?

I mean, is Katerina the only one who's seen him?

Yes?

Oh my god, No, I think Sofia alluded to knowing that he exists.

Okay, so, but so we have two pretty unreliable narrators here.

Crazy puppet Lady and crazy vault Lady are teaming up.

Someone I met in the vaults.

You're sure ap Pierre didn't try to stop you from leaving his apartment.

You'd think if he was a puppet master he would have.

He might not realize I saw the braid, Louise reminded, anyway, the telephone was ringing when he answered it.

That's when I grabbed my bag and bolted.

Oh.

I made some lame excuse about having a migraine, but mostly I just wanted to get the hell out of there, go someplace safe.

Not into the vaults, though I really ought to have.

RAU needs to know about this, so.

I have a question.

Yeah, this is a little unrelated, but it is interesting.

Okay, So she is genuinely entertaining the thought that he could be a puppet person come to life with magic golden threads.

They both are this is a okay.

First of all, holy shit, yep.

They also think're be raptured.

Yep, wondering they are for I.

Think the protagonist might be right wing extremists with like severe lead and mold poisoning.

I think that they might be genuinely that Katerina might be crazy.

And if we get a reveal that she like ate her husband or whatever, and the that's she killed her husband and ate his body like in the opening, I would not be surprised.

Because if it is just a throwaway that her husband died and she just didn't really seem to care that much, well, I mean.

He was like he could have been like abusive.

So I think we can.

Easily could be one of those trophy things where it's like he was a drug addict.

I don't you know, he was a bad person in getting written, and I don't feel much about getting written because again, yeah, I mean, like honestly like not to circle back, but when bad, when really really bad things happened to bad people, it is just perfectly natural not to be serre.

Well, sure, but I mean I'm saying it's trophy because having an addiction does not inherently make you a bad person.

Yes, And they just were using that inappropriately as a throwaway to us not caring or Katerina making him not caring.

Yeah, that he's gone.

So okay, here's my question.

So they genuinely believe that it is a possibility that magic transmutation of puppet into human flesh happens.

Okay, So my question is, apparently do they have a penis?

So this is a real question.

So if she had, because she's like sex, like sex on this guy, right, she tries to if you tie the magic threat because I think about magic and magic systems and how magic works a lot.

So if you tie these enchanted golden threads to a like human sized, like mannequin puppet thing and it comes to life, right, it presumably transmutes like into flesh, right, so it must be skin and flesh and tissue.

Does it then grow a penis?

Or did you carve a penis on it?

See, that's what I think.

I think these puppets.

Are spotomically correct.

Puppet they have genitals.

Wow, are they articulated?

I think that's like a couple of joint so that it will the donner can like one.

Of sensory snake dragon things.

Is it like a little leather pouch like tacked to the crotch for the scrotum or are they wooden scrot.

All I'm saying is I think, in the context of the puppets the book universe, it is more likely that Giovanni Rabisi, the puppet fucker lunatic, created puppets with Jenni than it is that the magic includes magically becoming anatomically correct upon becoming human.

That is equal.

I think they're equally likely, and I think they're both very very funny.

And so that's why I really wanted to talk to you about this, particularly my answer on it.

And we so also, by the way, let's get ready to be disappointed.

Let's get ready to have none of the magic honestly, because we really do not have much book left if that's the magic parts, because the magic stuff has been hinted at if it's probably gonna turn out that all of the magical stuff is all red herrings, sure, and that it's like gonna be like one of those Scooby Doo things where it's like like, oh, it's a magic haunting thing, and then it's like, oh no, there's actually a perfectly reach that.

It's definitely the most likely.

Perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this stuff.

Yeah, but I don't want that to be it.

But I also we're just gonna have to write the other version.

I also just don't think that I could possible and I'm gonna I'm hopefully not gonna eat my words, but I don't think I could be disappointed because everything about this has been so delightful.

Like, however, however she decides to wrap up, He's an absolute fucking dumpster fire of a mystery.

Is so so it's absurd, it's so absurd.

Yeah, and I'm obsessed with it.

There's like there would be no way to solve this.

No, this is it could be anything.

So yeah, Katerine is like, Okay, I'll tell Raul, I'll get down, I'll get my ass down into those vaults.

Papa.

She murmured, by the way, this ship just keeps getting sicker and thicker.

Right, the puppets, we're like puppets on puppets strings, and a puppet is like a marionette that's pulled by another puppet.

Who is the puppet at the top of all the puppets, like like say, and.

The puppet at the top of all the puppets is himself a puppet.

It's crazy.

So she's it's just, oh my god.

The word puppets appears on every page in this book, and it's incredible.

How many times do you think that the puppets.

Somebody go back and count.

It's more than the number of pages.

Maybe puppets, she murmured.

My god, Louise I used to think how nice it would be if the legend were true, if puppets actually could come to life.

Now I'm terrified that, in some mad, twisted way, that's exactly what.

The age break.

First word puppet.

That's the title of this book.

Amanda Puppet, the person in charge thought and disgust.

Okay, so now we're in puppet Master's puppet po puppet.

Puppet ov puppet.

He touched the gold braid hidden in his hair and smiled Death to those Humans who Knew too much Claudia Genevieve Babbett.

So I wonder if that's that's a reveal are we now supposed to believe or is this another red hair?

But we now know we've discovered Pierre's puppet rat tail.

And then we cut to puppet p Ov Puppet Master pov pm OV, and he's fingering his own rattail, golden threadtail.

I just love imagine it's a really long, super conspicuous.

Added she talks about how it's madded in the back of his.

Super conspicuous rattail and just everyone just looking past it all.

No one's noticed it somehow, okay, okay, So.

Death to those Humans who Knew too much, which alludes to either either he truly is not human, or he doesn't think he's human he's or sane and thinks he's a possible or it's.

Just like a really misleading choice of words to try to check everything.

Is intentional in this book.

It's too smart for that.

Stop picking at your skin.

No what I'm watching you pick?

Don't pick?

What do you?

What is with you?

And I don't want you to hurt your flesh and your tattoos and.

What is what is with you to be very bossy about about people like not people?

You Let me make that clear.

I'm not even human.

I'm just a puppet to you, just your rat tail.

We all have to wear gold matted clipping ratt That's it.

That's the that's the finale.

Look just us as puppets done.

Just do make up, to give himself a little ventriloquist features and tie golden thread in our hair.

Fucking done, fucking awesome.

Halloween party extravaganza.

Yeah, Eron does to die two lines into his beard, no more like puppet.

You can do it with temporary like the lines of the like he could like mass scare of the lines into.

That's a great idea, that's super funny.

And then we braid a little golden things into it.

Okay, so we're in puppet oh v.

He stopped there leaning on a column beside the empty stage.

So he's in.

He's in the puppet theater and picturing the people puppets who danced for him every night across the polish floor.

Fucking crist oh yes, he whispered.

They make the audience clap, but who really pulls the strings.

This.

They don't know.

Even my small band of puppet thieves knows nothing for sure, Like seven puppets on the show, Sharge, Yeah, I think we're supposed to believe that this is Pierre, his human puppets that dance for him.

He's like directing the puppets ship.

It's too obvious a one to one.

Yeah, it's it would be kind of hard to I don't know unless this is Giovanni, who knows it's his theater.

Yeah, it's the Italian Merchants theater.

I don't find you guys, I don't.

Know, could easily be Francois.

So he's like thinking about how he's definitely gonna have to kill, which is kind.

Of weird because it's like the least killable offense that she's made, because she.

Sounds like a raving lunatic.

She's kind of a good cover for everything they're doing well.

In this particular instance, it's like he's gonna kill or because she didn't seduce someone in job.

That's just that's just failing.

That's not like risking to expose them, that's just like being bad at her job.

And like it seems like he's been the issue he's been taking and why he's been saying.

An kill her because she went online and talked shit about Charlie Kirk and he was really offended.

God, Okay, so puppet Master's gonna kill Bebet.

But he's like I he's thinking, I can't kill this one directly, which is such a bomber because I love killing people.

I just really love it.

And he's thinking out loud like Okay, how am I gonna make this work?

He's gonna have to kill Ian, and he's like he's fantasizing about what Ian will say when he's standing over him to kill him.

You can't think to kill me, he would exclaim in horror.

But that's exactly what the puppet Master meant to do.

Poor de ludity and always controlled by someone.

Is this is by the way, Ian is being really stupid?

Oh yeah, Like once somebody has has like bridged that gap from like yeah, I admit that I am killing people for my own pleasure, not just for the business of it.

All.

Time to get out, like bail beyond all of the cops, like go in to witness protection.

It's only a matter of time before that cons on you for.

Sure, So he's talking out loud to himself with the puppet theater going over his plan.

Put in an order.

Now, he whispered himself to himself that bet will divers by Ian's hand so that Philip can take the blame, because they're going to do it at the Hamblebone Ball.

And your contributions are the best part of the show.

What would the police make of it, he wondered, Well, undoubtedly they would make precisely what the puppet Master wished them to do.

That.

If it was that, and that was if Philip caught up one woman, he must also have caught up the other two.

He was a crazy man, perhaps responsible for the rash of recent robberies and about Paris, rather the puppet Master.

So okay, now I no longer believe that Philip is the puppet Master, because here's the puppet Master from puppet Master POV trying to set up Philip.

Unless Philip is playing some weird double character.

I think that that ship has sailed.

A club going with himself.

Yes, he's setting himself up to take the fall.

There you go, wasn't that Brian's theory?

Oh Brian did?

Yeah, Brian said, what what what something about how like he was saying, it could that the puppet Master.

Is in but he doesn't even really know it because he has split personality.

He has like a split personality, so like when he's having those conversations, he's like talking to himself.

Yeah, so that would be amazing.

I was supposing that it was Philip tried to set himself up to Can you imagine one of your split personalities setting up sabotaging sabotage the other one, and then they both wind up in jail.

That's awesome.

Lucky architect, whoever he was, he would be let off the hook.

Ba Bet would be dead, and that would leave only a few minor details to clear up.

Three to be precise, Ian, Louise and Katerina.

Ah.

But how to blame Philip for these murders before they could be committed.

Wouldn't Philip be in the hands of the police because they would have already pinned the other murders on him.

Yes, this was a question to ponder, but solvable perhaps by pinning the blame for Katerinas and Louise's deaths on Ian, leave them for the police to find and have Ian the puppet Master's servant mysteriously vanish.

The puppet master laughed again in delight.

Enjoy your last few hours, ignorant puppets, for the gram Reaper and his knife will be calling for you in the darkness after the masquerade bar.

And thunder collapse.

So I guess the Hamblebone puppet party is also a masquerade, Like nothing happens at the Gargle dick Ball masquerade ball.

Yeah, the scene was pretty point.

Why even have it just have the Hamblebone mass?

It was a weird It lasted three pages, and rats bit some ladies nipples and they all ran away the nipples of her head.

Yeah.

So, uh, by the way, I do have to say this, this whole like mass snarling villain is so like old like hammer horror like it it's old noir or black and white movie.

It's such a choice too, because like we're in his inner monologue, so we don't need him to be speaking aloud alone in an.

Empty puppet shouting to the heavens.

He could just be thinking of his evil plans.

Yeah, so it's like we really chose to put him in this very bizarre Yeah.

It's got this great like camp effect of like I love old movie camp effect.

Yeah, okay, So then it cuts to Raoul's POV.

He seems to be understanding the sing together from the one sided phone conversation with Ian, which maybe was just Ian talking to his love in a mirror.

We didn't see if you listen, it's just a dial tone.

There's no one there.

That Babett is going to be killed.

She's going to be killed at the puppet party.

And he's thinking to himself like, well, wait, if I just let that happen, then it would get me kind of off the hook, because like, I've been disappeared for however long I couldn't and other people would be there, like I couldn't possibly have committed that murder.

Yeah.

If if he's coming to the same conclusion that the puppet Master is, ye that if this, if this murder gets.

Pinched, if they set up Philip, yeah, he.

Says the situation.

The situation would be like Raoul's, but Philip would be given no chance to escape before the police arrived.

The puppet Master would see to that Philip would be apprehended, and Raoul would be free and he could have Katerina too.

His problems would be solved, except for two all details that Bet would be dead and an innocent man would be blamed.

So he's like, I can't obviously, I'm not going to do that in good time.

Really dark.

He's also wandering around in like a kind of slummy area of Paris at like a park where people like do drugs or whatever, just out and about not in his mask, being like the cops could be anywhere, wouldn't they come down here?

All the time, I think he's having this moment where it's like I should turn myself in.

This has gone too far mode here and he's like pacing in this park, and then I guess decides we'll wait, maybe I won't fucking turn myself in and see if I can stop this in time.

Yeah, he's having like a bit of a crisis.

He's also racked with guilt about thinking, oh.

Yeah, if I let this go down, off.

The other murders on him too.

Yep.

So then he leaves.

I don't we don't know where he goes.

I assume back to the ball too fucking nose.

And then it's cuts to I think Katerina, Yeah, Katarina's bob.

In.

They're back at the puppet theater and they're getting ready to work in the museum for the day double shifts, and I guess two people are called in sick, so Katerina and Louise had to cover their shifts.

It's a whole thing drank they had way towards sparpling puppet water.

Pierre comes in and says, our writers have made changes to the script.

Study them.

We will rehearse in half an hour.

So if they make changes to.

The script, I mean, I don't know.

Pierre, the fucking probable puppet master is now suddenly like the script has changed, you have to learn it.

Katerina is agonizing because she hasn't yet had time to go down into the vault and talk to Raoul about everything that happened with the rat tail braids, and like all so Raoul doesn't know this yet, and she's like, fuck, now we also have to fill in for these gals that are sick and we have to learn new lines.

And then.

Ian.

Then Ian walks in the dressing room and is like, okay, we're having a performance meal at Lutise, that restaurants that everybody loves, owners treat no excuses, everyone be there.

So it's like, fuck, I can't even run to the vaults during break time.

I had to be like, fuck off, I'm I have somewhere to go, because one of the people in this theater is almost assuredly so a.

Rapid succession series of very convenient events are keeping her from being able to go into the vaults and fill raul In on what she's learned in the last you know, twelve hours.

Uh ba bah bah okay.

And then Louise is whispering to Katerina, trust me, the gold threads are there.

I should I should have had such a hallucination.

And then they go to dinner throwaway, seeing the meal was done.

Now they had to dress for tonight's performance.

More hours had passed before she would get to Raoul, and then Bebet comes up.

Blah blah blah.

Oh they're back in the museum.

I guess there's a bunch of puppets, and Bebet walks up and is like starting to be bitchy.

But then she goes completely white and like slack jawed, staring at one of the puppet cases again and raising her finger to point at it.

Katerina followed her finger, felt Louise's hand on her arm.

She saw the question in her friend's eyes, but didn't know the reason for it.

Bebet's glassy gaze was fixed on one of the cases.

Katerina searched the displays.

She found nothing out of the ordinary inside until she got to the Italian merchant, or rather until she didn't get to him.

She looked around.

Where was he not in his case?

She gasped, suddenly felt Louise's nails bite hard into her arm.

He wasn't standing in his case.

Her shocked eyes corrected, but he was there, his sandaled feet dangling in the air.

He was hanging by the neck at the end of a slender gold thread.

And that's the end of chapter seven.

There's a little puppet hanging.

Yeah, my puppetside, I know, peticide, papeticide, puppet ov to find out what happened.

Oh but you'll have to tune in next week.

To find out kill that Poppas was.

All very confusing and I can't wait for more masquerades, mascarade, hamblebone news on parade.

Get point of view from a popet just behind you.

The puppet wad flows behind.

Jesus.

All right, okay, yeah, there's a little hung to puppet all right, Pierre might be or is a fucking weirdo who wears in his hair.

Yeah, we either got puppet Master reveal in the last like fifty pages.

I don't think there's a hundred pages left.

Yeah no, yeah, like yeah, seven eighty page, seventy pages.

We might have gotten a little early, but we're at the end.

I don't think so.

I think they're gonna save the reveal for right at the end.

It would be silly of them not to, I think so.

But I am curious because a lot of this is making sense.

Yeah again I if there's a supernatural element, then I guess it makes sense more.

We haven't really gotten a lot of he just the Killer talks about puppets a lot, because everyone talks about oh yeah, fair but he but he doesn't like seem to reference the magical supernatural quality a lot.

What I'm wondering if the magic is real and whoever is the true puppet Master is not Pierre, but has woven into Pierre's hair the threads because I feel like Ian is meeting up with the puppet Master and would know that it was Pierre, And I'm still unclear on whether or not.

But it just isn't revealing the guy's name.

That yeah, because but there are things in this last chapter from Louise's perspective about like how weird Pierre's eyes seemed like it's like not in character.

Stuff like that she's been lusting after him for a while, so it's stuff that she would have noticed before.

Like he seems so different tonight.

He seems so different.

And then he's got this fucking he's got this rat tail now all of a sudden, I think he's under I think he's under response we don't have mind controlled.

Oh boy, this could really come off the rails here in the last seven could I hope it?

Don't tune in to find out.

We really need to work on our side.

Thank you for listening to Passages.

Passages.

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