Elliot froze.
He could scarcely believe his ears. If Lillian had used some trick to deceive the audience and clear herself of involvement, he could understand that.
But what did he mean, "the entire troupe stayed at the hotel and never went to the theater"?
No, that was absolutely impossible. Staging a performance involved a whole series of complicated tasks: preliminary rehearsals, publicity, backstage preparations on the day, coordinating personnel... Even if Lillian had the means to pull the wool over everyone's eyes, what about all the other troupe members? Had they all lost their memories? Or had they all been controlled? Elliot had read that day's logs on the Difference Engine. Some audience members in the theater had indeed died in the explosions, but most had survived. They had witnessed the Rose Troupe's performance with their own eyes. Lillian had even undergone her transformation right there onstage, amid the flames!
There was no need for a special investigation. Asking a couple of survivors would suffice.
"Was this information released by the Church too?"
"No, this came from the family's private investigation. Our people more or less investigated the periphery, but nothing deeper." Conrad paused and lowered his voice. "Young master, I suggest you do not pursue this matter. Unless an extremely dangerous being was involved, the Seven Great Churches would never have jointly suppressed the information. Even the Night Watch Bureau has stopped investigating!"
Elliot nodded numbly, but his mind was in turmoil.
The family's intelligence network was relatively reliable, yet these findings seriously contradicted the Difference Engine's records.
It was as though he had hallucinated, as though the truth he knew had diverged from recorded history.
Elliot said little more to Conrad. He turned and returned to his room, his gaze settling on the Difference Engine.
*Those three