Chapter 3

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Eastern Division

"What are you thinking about?" Beverly Katz asks to her team in the autopsy room they have commandeered temporarily for the investigation.

"Hamburgers and fries." Jimmy Price quips as he opens the abdominal cavity of "Number Seven", the last victim in the earlier crime scene. Brian Zeller smirks.

"I'm surprised it's not Mexican." Brian adds.

"I don't think I could stomach it." Jimmy returns quickly sending a chuckle through Beverly and Brian. "I think it's safe to say that most of these people were kept on a strict diet."

"What have you found?" I say as I clean my glasses and place them back on my nose. It's cool in here but to me it is chilling. I feel sensitive physically because my mind is not taking in my surroundings; it's focusing on my body as it tries to find the rest it demands. I am trying to stay in focus, but I keep thinking about the display of the crime scene, about coffee, and hamburgers and fries. Jimmy pulls out the lower intestines of 'Number 7' and I forget about food.

"Well, we are looking at a diet consisting of rice and beans." Jimmy says as he finishes cutting through the large intestine. "Filling but not a lot of nutritional variety."

"However, our 'Christo' figure has only recently been eating beans and rice." Beverly adds. "I'm seeing some vegetable matter and what looks like bacon and eggs in the lower intestine."

"Well that rules out any one of the Jewish faith." Brian comments.

"What about the lungs?" I say, but I already know that they were all alive before they were burned. Part of me is horrified, but the ghost of the one responsible feels justified. "I believe they were alive before they were burned."

"You're right." Brian is decent enough to look remorseful. "They didn't die quickly."

"Not all of them." Beverly pointed to the open chest of 'Cristo'. "This one was dead before the burning, and that's not all. Are you ready for this?" She looks up at me and I have a sinking feeling. I tell myself 'no', but I answer 'yes'. "He's almost completely ensanguinated and a chunk of his left latissimus dorsi muscle has been removed." She shakes her head. "It's a new one for me."

"This is my blood, this is my body, which is given up for you." My stomach growls making me feel more awkward than I already do. I try to visualize what it would take to drain completely someone of blood, and as I close my eyes, I feel a firm hand on my elbow. I look behind me sharply only to be met with the eager look of Jack Crawford and concern from Doctor Hannibal Lecter.

"You look like hell, Will." I feel like Hell. Hannibal removes his hand from my elbow, and I stand a little straighter- not wanting to give away my weakness in the company of lions. "Do you need to take a rest?"

"Come! You can tell me what you think on the way to lunch." Jack motions to the door. "I'll meet you outside after I talk with my forensics team. Meanwhile, I suggest you get whatever is distracting you off your chest with Doctor Lecter before we move on. I want this case over quickly before I have religious outrage and riots out in the streets. The local authorities aren't even trying to take jurisdiction on this one."

"Jack, I don't know if I can do this one. We've just finished the 'Angel Maker' case. I haven't had enough time to get my head back, and I don't think a little sit-in session with Doctor Lecter is going to make it all magically go away." Jack fixes me with stern look. I try not to take it personally because I know he's having a hard time as well at home.

"Eat something. Get some rest. If you don't feel better after talking with Doctor Lecter, I will take you off the case and you can go home."

I nod my head with mixed feelings on what Jack had said as I walk out the door that Doctor Lecter is holding open for me. I think I hear a slight intake of breath as I pass by him, and I glance back with a questioning look. Doctor Lecter follows me out the door and makes no indication that he had done anything. "Did you just smell me again?"

"I just noticed you've given up on your cheap after shave and cologne." He says cooly and gives me one of his light-hearted smiles.

"Yeah, I forgot to pack it in my rush out the door early this morning. You're lucky I remembered my tooth brush."

"And here I thought you were a changed man and took what I said to heart." I smile as we walk down the corridor. He makes me do that sometimes. It gets to me how different our lives are, and yet, he is one of the closest persons to me. He drags me through the fire because I need him too, and then pulls me out when it gets too much.

Thinking of him, makes me think of Alana Bloom and I pull out my phone to see if I've missed her calls. She hasn't called. I feel disappointed though I do not like to admit why. I scroll through my contacts as I rub my dry eyes. I find her number. My finger is over the dial button. All it would take is a simple reflex of the muscles. I can ask her about my house and dogs and how she is handling feeding all them. I think about it, and then I close my phone and quickly deposit it deep in my pocket.

I really need a nap. I really need to eat, but I am absolutely sure Doctor Lecter doesn't eat drive-through meals. I am hoping Jack has a better idea and will not make me decide. "I'm sure Ms. Bloom is looking forward to your return home. No doubt your pets are on the verge of mutiny while she is captaining your ship."

"I doubt it." I smile, thinking of the time she came to my house to tell me Abigail Hobbs awoke. "I have a loyal crew. Besides, I think she may be a cat person."

"Maybe one day you will find out for sure." Lecter smiles at me, and I try not to think about the path less traveled with her. I open the front door and we walk towards the direction of Jack's car.

I see the suspicious man before I see Jack's car. He was wearing a baseball cap with a hooded sweatshirt drawn up, sunglasses, and ragged jeans. He might as well have gone around pointing signs at himself. Then, I noticed him trying to break into Jack's car. "HEY!" I shout and start running towards him. He had to be about 50 yards away from where we were standing and I doubted I would catch him. That is when Doctor Lecter passes me and I realize I have no stamina today. The man rushes into a waiting vehicle and they squeal out of the parking lot.

I stop by Jack's car to survey the damage to the rental and it looks like we got there in time for some chipped paint, and a screw driver and bent coat hanger sticking out of the door frame. I saw files in the seat and what looks like a folded up scrap of paper. "Did you get a license number?" Doctor Lecter asks me. I shake my head.

"Did you?" I ask him, but he exhales and shakes his head. "I'll know it if I see it again. Come on, we need to report this."

"It was very careless of them. I wonder what they were looking for in Agent Crawford's car?" Doctor Lecter muses as I pull out my phone to call him.

"I don't know for sure, but I don't think it was random. Whatever it is, it's important and Jack might want to think about getting a new rental."


A/N: Thank you for reading! I'm happy with all the reviews, the favs, and the follows. I'm sorry it takes so long to update, but such is life. Future chapter plans to increase tension between Graham and Crawford as they look for the Cristo Killer, allowing Hannibal to continue his subtle takeover of Will's mind. Ann is introduced as she tries in a desperate attempt to save her sisters. Whatever does happen to the two failed car burglars?