Chapter 61
As the sun set slowly in the West, paining the skies with a palate of pinks and golden tones and illuminating the fluffy edges of the greying clouds, Hannibal Lecter sat. He lounged comfortably in a folding lawn chair at the Eastern shore of the Chesapeake lake, wine glass at hand and packing supplies to his side. He was watching the opposite shore with his maroon eyes sparking.
The stars were coming out as the sun passed the horizon of dense, woodland trees and smoke could be seen rising from the fain glow of a bon fire, set slightly into the shadows of a great cabin, shore-side to the lake. There, people crowded, their laughter loud and pleasant in the airy silence of the forest. The cries of loons harmonized with the amused voices as they drifted in volume. Faint, then a little louder, then faint again. The sound of chatter, pleasant no doubt, and song often mixing so neither one was really distinct from the other.
Clarice Starling, now known as Special Agent Starling of the FBI Behavioural Sciences Department, Homicide Unit, was there with the new crowd. Having been invited by Noble Pilcher, a man she met working on her promotional case involving Buffalo Bill, or now recognized as Jame Gumb, she decided to take a break from her new duties at work and join him and his family at their lake-side cabin. Surrounded by smiles and laughter, she felt calm, calm and pleased with herself. It had been a long time since she had last gone out, away from her tasks at the academy, let alone with a man. It was so relaxing.
Pilcher's sister, not much younger then Starling herself, offered to roast her a marshmallow before everyone got ready for bed, but Clarice shook her head.
"No thanks," she smiled, rosy cheeked, "I've had too much already." Pilcher smiled too and added, "she means she's had too much to drink." He took a bottle of beer from her hands and everyone giggled along with Starling, blushing deeper red as she wobbled to a stand.
The fire was then dowsed by a lingering bucket of cool lake water and Starling stopped to look at the sky above. Pinks and honey tones had transcended to deep blues with navy outskirts and the moon was full across the lake. She wasn't entirely sure, but she thought she could see someone sitting across the silvery, rippling waters. She let it pass, on the account of her drinking, and looked again to the sky. The constellation Orion was directly over the lake, his belt pointing off into the forest. She wasn't sure why, but she had to smile while looking up at the radiant stars. They seemed so close, so warming to look at.
Noble easily whisked her away from the cool shore, and together they headed for the cabin, giggling every so often at the mere thought of how peaceful everything was. They left for bed together.
Back across the lake, still lounging in the quiet, Hannibal sat watching Clarice and Noble lope, ungracefully toward the large cabin. In the time he had watched them laugh and enjoy themselves, and using what natural light he could in that time, he had composed a note. It was addressed to Clarice and written elegantly in red ink script.
'I have windows.
'Orion is above the horizon now, and near it Jupiter, brighter then it will ever be again before the year 2000. (I have no intention of telling you the time and how high it is.) But I expect you can see it too. Some of our stars are the same.
'Clarice.
'Hannibal Lecter'
He folded the note carefully, and placed it in a thick parchment envalope, then seeled it with wax from the red candle he lit when the sun had disappeared from the sky. The dancing of the candle's faint smoke climbed through the air as Hannibal set the note down on a long-since-dead tree stump to pack up his belongings. Once everything was in order, he set off to deliver the note.
The forest was quiet aside from the gentle hooting of owls and the distant chorus of wolves. Nither seemed to bother Dr Lecter as he walked silently along the edge of the lake. He stopped every once in a while to look out over the lake as it reflected the glare of the full moon. He stooded once of twice to stare up at Orion as Clarice had, feeling some of the same things as she. He even stopped to wade through the chilly lakes tide. Before he could really take notice, the east horizon began to lighten once more and it was time to move along.
He got to the cabin as the dome of stars began to fade and sunlight would be creeping back up into the atmosphere. As he had suspected, the doors were not locked, and he slipped in without as sound. The cottage was just as big on the inside as it was on the out, but that made little obstical of finding Clarice for Hannibal, she still wore the same purfume she wore before coming to the asylum.
When he found her, she was fast asleep next to Pilcher. Her face was still rosy as it lay propped against fluffy pillows. The blankets were falling off of her. Hannibal smiled to himself and set the note down on her bedside table before gently gripping the blankets and pulling them back over her. She sighed in her sleep, but did not stir from it. Pitcher snoozed on and Hannibal took to leaning over Starling, he made sure the soft covers were pulled up all the way to her chin before caressing her exposed cheek with the back of his hand and fingers.
He stole away then, leaving her to sleep peacefully in the silence of the lambs.