And it's about the size of a human face.

She doesn't have much actual reason to believe it's one of the masks. And she doesn't have any actual reason to believe it'll do any harm, even if it is. Certainly not enough reason to steal Lucas's mail about it. Whether or not she found Parker unsettling in the opium mist of the party last night has no bearing on whether or not he's trying to hurt anyone in her house, and why would he want that?

...but nonetheless she takes the box and puts it in her wardrobe, underneath a pile of shirts.

There's a knock on her door.

She answers it.

"Did a package come for me this morning?" He still sounds nervous-excited. "It's from Mr. Parker."

"I don't think so. Why, what's in it?"

"It's the thing that Mr. Parker said would help Ana."

"That isn't going to help me identify a package, Lucas."

"Well, there aren't that many packages that come to our house. If it's a package, and it's addressed to me, give it to me. Without it, Ana's stage fright is going to ruin the chance of a lifetime."

"...I wasn't intending not to, Lucas, I don't make a habit of stealing your mail."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to accuse you of being a thief, I'm just-- worried. What happens if it doesn't get here in time?"

Airy smile. "Not knowing what it is, I'm afraid I can't say."

"I guess. Just. Keep an eye out for it, okay?"

Lucas leaves.

Well. If Simone didn't feel like a vindictive bitch who was ruining her friend's chances of success for no particular reason before, she certainly does now.

This is silly. This is stupid. She's being stupid. She has no reason to believe that anything bad is going to happen. Just a woman high on opium and her own nerves. Or, frankly, just that she's annoyed with Lucas and Ana and looking for reasons to be right.

Next time Lucas is out of the house again, she takes the package out of her wardrobe and puts it on the kitchen table for him.

When he returns, he snatches the package and takes it to his room.

He's very clearly on edge.

Ugh ugh ugh. Now she's worried about it after all.

Or maybe she's just looking for an excuse to be worried, because she's annoyed with Ana, because she's annoyed with Lucas, because Lucas thinks the world revolves around Ana's auditions, because Ana is too shy to be anything but a nice girl and you can hear the difference in the way Lucas talks to them, because Ana can't work herself up to do anything about her problems except look around for someone else to save her.

Or maybe something is actually wrong, and she just made the wrong choice, and there's going to be fallout and soon.

Or maybe she's just being stupid! She can't tell!

After about half an hour of pacing she finds a phone book and calls Sano.

"Hello. This is Mr. Sano's office," his secretary says. 

"Hello. This is Simone Laurent speaking; is Mr. Sano busy?"

"Yes, he's bus--" The sound of rustling papers and a voice in the background. "Uh. Sorry, ma'am, yes, I will put you through."

"Miss Laurent!" Mr. Sano sounds warm and delighted to hear from her.

Wow, that's not worrying at all.

"Mr. Sano," she agrees. "Good morning."

"To what do I owe the pleasure? I understand that conventionally on Sundays one either goes to church or sleeps in."

Tiny, fake laugh. "I'm unusual in that regard. --I'm sorry, I know it isn't the most pleasant of topics, but I was.... concerned about the woman at the party."

"It was certainly a disturbing series of events," Mr. Sano agrees. "But I'm confused why you're calling me, Miss Laurent. I deal in antiquities. As we discussed, I do not smoke opium myself."

"No, but-- I was watching when she came in. You didn't look surprised."

A moment's hesitation, one you might barely even notice. "Mr. Parker and I have shared our circles for many years. After a while, you grow accustomed to his-- patterns." He seems to be telling the truth. "Those who spend time around him have a certain, mm, way of behavior."