Selección Terror: El Protegido

Catalog Description *El Protegido* (The Protégé), by Ralph Barby, is a mystery-thriller serialized in the Bruguera terror collection (No. 205, January 1977). The narrative begins on Paris's Rue Gambetta, where three young people—sisters Nicole and Geraldine, and paratrooper Jean Pierre—encounter a mute street urchin and provide him food. Nicole leaves with Lambert, a wealthy playboy, who takes her to the Tívoli cinema under false pretenses, bribing an usher named Máture to access a private dressing room. After the screening ends, Máture discovers two decomposed skeletons inside the room—one on a cot, one scattered on the floor. He flees in panic. Subsequently, Police Commissioner Leganié shows Geraldine a gold bracelet with amber charm belonging to her sister Nicole, requesting identification. The narrative suggests foul play and develops into a murder investigation involving the mysterious child, Lambert's deception, and the bodies discovered in the theater's hidden chamber.