# A Mysterious Crime explained — Fantômas > Chapter companion for Fantômas by Pierre Souvestre. ## What happens Dollon, the steward, takes a train to Paris to meet with Mme. de Vibray and M. Fuselier. During a violent storm, a man in a waterproof coat waits in a railway cutting, then jumps onto a train. The next morning, a body is found on the line near Brétigny, and officials discover a compartment with an unfastened safety catch. Two passengers recall a fellow traveler who disappeared overnight, and a mysterious bundle containing liquid carbonic acid is found. ## Themes in this chapter ### Crime and Justice The discovery of a dead body and the official investigation into a possible murder on the train. ### Fear and Terror The stormy night, the mysterious man lurking in the cutting, and the passengers' shock at the crime. ### Identity and Deception The man disguises himself as a bricklayer and changes clothes to avoid detection. ## Character check-ins ### M. Dollon The old steward who takes the train to Paris, leaving his children at Verrières. ### Baronne de Vibray Mentioned as someone Dollon plans to call upon. ### Detective M. Fuselier Mentioned as the official Dollon needs to see at his office. ## Key lines > “Awful weather!” he growled: “I don’t remember such a shocking night for years: wind, rain, every conceivable thing! But I mustn’t grumble, for the total absence of moon will be uncommonly useful for my purpose.” The man complains about the storm but acknowledges that the dark night helps his plan. _Shows the man's calculated opportunism despite harsh conditions._ > “Then that must be the man whose body has been found upon the line. But I do not know whether it is to be regarded as a case of suicide or of murder, for some hand baggage has been picked up as well: a suicide would not have thrown his luggage out, and a thief would not have wanted to get rid of it.” The official is uncertain if the death was suicide or murder, noting that the discarded luggage contradicts both explanations. _Highlights the puzzling nature of the crime._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fant_mas_se/chapters/xxvi-a-mysterious-crime - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fant_mas_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fant_mas_se/chapters