Chapter 4: Dance of the Seven Veils
"The woman is infuriating," Will Graham stated once again, as if in some way to convince Dr. Hannibal Lecter to believe his words. Salome Ashwood angered him like no other woman he had ever met. She rivaled Jack Crawford on the annoyance scale.
"You have strong feelings for this woman," Hannibal replied as he stood coolly in front of his desk. The vibrant red painted wall from behind formed a dangerous scene that could rival that of any account of Hell. He looked up to Will who once again stood above him on the library balcony, pacing back and forth in a nervous manner.
"I mean," Will said with a shake of his head as he paced back and forth, back and forth, "the woman thinks that I can't help save someone's life."
"Surely she doesn't think all of that," Hannibal reasoned, "It was you that saved Abigail Hobbs and others before Jack sought me out."
"Yeah, but you were there too," Will reminded him, "Sal is just, I don't even know how to describe her. She's like a parasite. She doesn't give a damn about anyone or anything. I should know I was partners with her on the force."
"And by the looks of it," Hannibal replied, "Old Jack wants you and her back in the saddle again. What's it like when she is walking in the victim's footsteps?"
"Infuriating," he said simply.
"Then her given name lives up to its reputation," Hannibal informed him with a small smile that begged desperately to paint his face.
Will looked up at the good doctor with a confused, questioning look in his eyes, "I don't understand."
"Salome," Hannibal began to explain, "was the daughter of Herodias. She was known to be lighthearted, possessing of a cold foolishness," he smiled as he recalled the Biblical character, "and murderous," he looked over to Will Graham and allowed the smile to come over his features, "She demanded John the Baptist's head on a silver platter."
Will shook his head in slight amusement, "Sounds like Sal to me."
"Could it be that you are jealous of her jumps," Hannibal suggested, "One would say that walking in the shoes of a kidnap or murder victim would be relatively easier than walking in the shoes of a murderer."
"I'm not jealous," Will clarified, "And Sal," he stopped and shook his head, "She does have nightmares, it just doesn't," he paused to search for the perfect word to describe the woman that succeeded in infuriating him, "affect her like it does me."
"And how do you know it doesn't affect her in the same manner as your empathy for serial killers? What makes you and her so different?"
Will shook his head at the good doctor as he thought about the question and then replied solemnly, "She doesn't care about anything."
"And you do," Hannibal stated in a matter of fact tone, "I've seen you. How many nights did you stay with Abigail Hobbs? It isn't a fault to care about people."
"No," he shook his head, "I was her partner for a long time. Crawford wanted us together. She picked up where I failed. We were a team…that's what Crawford wants us for. I was her partner for a long time and I saw things that she did," he shook his head, "things that weren't…" he paused and attempted to wipe the invisible stress from his face off of him, "I saw her doing things that weren't normal."
"Things," Hannibal asked, his curiosity peeked, "What kind of things?"
"She'd withdraw into herself," Will answered in a hushed tone, "She'd murmur to herself. Sometimes," he cleared his throat, "Sometimes she'd have these awful panic attacks and she'd never tell me why or what brought them on."
"Panic attacks?"
"Yeah," he confirmed with his eyes to the floor as he was thinking back, "She'd start breathing deeply and just shut herself off from the world. Nobody could go around her."
"And this affected your work or were you just the concerned neighbor that hears the screams but never calls the police," Hannibal asked as he looked up to the strained special agent that climbed down the ladder.
"No," Will answered, "I'd help her through it. Sometimes I was the only one she'd allow near her, " he shook his head, "That's why she left the FBI. She said that she was too tired of dancing over the victim's ghost prints."
"You two would have made quite the team," Hannibal informed, "with the right training. Jack would have his golden ticket if that were to happen. It's remarkable really. Two detectives that have great empathy. One for the predator and one for the prey. Nothing short of luck for Jack that he found you both. You and Agent Ashwood can still make a remarkable team with that right training."
Will felt a smile tug at his lips, "Are you suggesting couples therapy now, Doctor?"
Hannibal smirked with an almost mischievous glint in his eyes, "In a manner of speaking. Personally, I thought it was quite a show the way you two interacted at the abandoned factory. I think with the right encouragement, you and Agent Ashwood could make a remarkable team. Now," Hannibal walked towards the door and opened it, "if you could excuse me, I hate to cut this short Will, but I have to see a patient that has been admitted to the hospital recently."
Jack Crawford drove twenty miles over the speed limit with Salome Ashwood accompanying him in the passenger seat. Tall trees blurred by them as she looked out the window. Rain drops fell slowly down the window from the quick shower that had occurred a short time ago. Fall was settling in for a good stay, the leaves were just now turning into beautiful shades of reds and yellows before the inevitable brown would take over and cause the leaves to flutter to the earth below where they would eventually decay into the earth.
"Who needed to talk with you yesterday," Salome asked as she turned from the window and looked towards Jack with curious eyes, "at the factory?"
"Some nut case," Jack answered, "Told an officer that he had seen something."
"Did he?"
"Here's his card," Jack said as he dug into his jacket pocket and pulled out a rumpled white card, "I can't believe I kept it."
She rolled her eyes as she turned the white card over to see the words 'SEBASTIAN MARTIN: PSYCHIC. APPOINTMENTS BY PHONE. NO WALK-INS.'
"A psychic," Salome askeed with a slight chuckle, "That's just what we need. More idiots coming out of the wood work."
"He said he saw her," Jack informed her as he turned onto the graveled intersection where the young girl.
"In a vision?"
"And in real life apparently," Jack answered, "Said he saw the man a few weeks ago. He couldn't remember what he looked like."
"Well there goes the bologna of being psychic," Salome retorted as they pulled into the wood chip and gravel mixed drive way. Local police officers were standing as guards in front of the house to keep the media away.
"Did anyone question him?"
"I had someone question him," Jack answered, "I listened in on the interview. We decided to let him go. There was nothing substantial about his statement."
"Hmm," she said in a muffled voice as they car came to a stop.
Jack pulled himself out of the car and looked down to her as he asked, "What are you thinking Sally?"
"I can't figure out why he is changing his patterns Jack," Salome informed him as she pulled herself out of his car and looked up to the two story house that loomed in front of her. Light blue, almost grey paint looked back at her as she looked up at the house. Two windows on the second floor were covered over in tin foil to keep the evening and early morning sun from precious eyes.
"What with choosing a girl," he asked as they both walked up to the door and knocked.
"It just seems different," she whispered in an attempt to keep others in the dark of their conversation, "And where's the backpack that she was wearing? Something just doesn't ring right."
"Maybe you should talk to Will," Jack offered, "You two could put your heads together. Dr. Lecter seems to think that he could help. In fact, he suggested that it would be in best interest for the both of you."
Salome smirked as she replied, "What, like couple's therapy?"
The door opened just as Jack was about to reply. A woman with tinted bottle blonde hair looked back at them with wrinkling, tired skin and a long bird like nose. Her eyes were rimmed and slightly bloodshot from a long night of worrying for the missing child.
"Mrs. Julie Long," Salome announced as she held her badge out in front of her and then placed it back into her jacket pocket, "I'm Agent Salome Ashwood of the FBI, may we come in?"
"No," the woman said, "I'm Julie's sister, Laura. But come in. She's in Sarah's bedroom. She's been worried sick all day. We overheard a conversation from one of those men that they think Sarah was taken by the Wolf Moon Killer," tears threatened to fall from the woman's tired eyes as she looked at the two, "That isn't true is it?"
"We don't know mam," Salome lied carefully, "But we are working hard trying to find her."
"Come in," Laura said as she allowed the two to come into the house and led them up the stairs towards the bedroom, "I'll take you up to Sarah's bedroom. Julie hasn't touched anything really. She's just been sitting there, watching the bed. I think she expects for her daughter to appear. Poor thing."
"Is someone in there with her," Jack asked as the edged towards the door. A distinct male voice could be overheard from behind the white wooden door with a painted pink flower stamped in the middle.
"Well, she insisted that," Laura started to say but Jack interrupted her by quickly opening the door with annoyance painted upon his face. Salome hurried in behind him to see a surprised man looking at them; an almost weasel-like smile crossed his face as he took them in. His facial reaction reminded her of Freddie Lounds. He had well tamed brown hair and bright green eyes, his eyes widened slightly as Jack moved toward him. Sarah's mother, a natural blonde with pale skin and red rimmed eyes, moved to stop Jack from shoving him into the wall. Salome pulled the mother away from her boss and calmed her down.
"Let go of me," Julie demanded and pulled away from Salome and hurried to the man's side.
"What is he doing here," Jack asked in agitation, his voice was deep as he glared at the skinny man and then to Julie.
"A reading," Sebastian Martin informed him as the young girl's mother placed a protective hand against his shoulder.
"I asked him to come here," Julie defended him, "He sees her," a glitter of hope flickered in her eyes, "He says that she's alive."
"Out," Jack demanded and pointed towards the door as he jerked him away from the wall, "Before I have you behind bars for obstructing justice and interfering in an official investigation."
"I could sue you for police brutality," Sebastian informed Jack and looked him in the eyes.
Salome moved quickly between the two men and placed her hand upon the cuffs on her belt, "And I can arrest you right now for contaminating a potential crime scene."
"What," the mother asked in a worried tone.
Salome closed her eyes, regret filled her body as she registered what her words meant to the mother of the missing child.
"You're her," Sebastian asked as he pointed towards Salome, his eyes brightened, "I read about you in the newspaper. About…about how you stopped that terror plot in the Middle East."
"Then you know that I was also CIA," she whispered as she edged closer to the man, "and their tactics in dealing with snot nosed punks is a lot different than the FBI's."
"I don't want him to go," Julie demanded as Jack began to push him out of the room.
"Mrs. Long, he's just trying to use you," Salome informed her calmly as she softly pushed the woman back as Crawford exited the room with the psychic in tow, "He just wants publicity. He's just using you."
"But he said-"
"Yes and he's said it to thousands of other worried mothers," she informed him, almost bitterly.
"He said she was alive."
"And she still is," Salome informed her softly as she helped the woman sit on the bed. Her blue eyes quickly moved about the room, taking in every detail. Pink and white walls looked back at her. Ballet slippers hung on the door knob of her closet were dresses of pink hung up and jeans laid forgotten on the floor.
"Where's my daughter," Julie cried as she watched the woman look around the room in a focused state. She watched as the agent's blue eyes moved over the room carefully, taking in every tiny detail, even the spider rolling up the fly in the corner of the ceiling.
"We're looking for her," Salome answered absently, void of emotion, "Where's Sarah's backpack?"
Julie looked around the room as she wiped tears from her cheeks, "Uhm," she looked around frantically, "It's not here. She must have had it on her when…"
"Why would he take the backpack too," Salome asked as she continued to look at the pink room, confusion cluttered her mind. She regarded the white wall closest to the foiled window that looked over the driveway and into the small patch of woods across the street. The wall was littered with a child's drawings. Trees, most likely from her view across the way, cluttered the wall.
"Are these your daughter's drawings," Salome asked the mother as she turned to look at her and kneeled down to get a better look at the drawings.
"Mostly," Julie answered, "Sometimes her friend would come over and draw. She only had one friend, Britney Nobles from down the road. I have their number if you need it."
"No that won't be necessary," Salome informed her as she rose from her crouching position near the wall; she kept her concentration on the drawings of the trees that looked at her.
"Did your daughter have nightmares? Complain of hearing anything at night?"
"No," Julie answered, "But-"
"What?"
"She complained about a vampire. She said he'd hide in her closest and stare at her," Julie informed her as fresh tears poured down her red and puffy cheeks, "She'd run to me in tears. When I'd bring her back into her room there was nothing…oh my God! Was he in the house?!"
Salome ignored the woman's sobs as she continued to examine the trees on the wall for any sort of clue or jump that she could make. Nothing came to her as she looked it over.
"Sally," the hurried voice of Jack announced, breaking her concentration from the walls, "The backpack was found in the dumpster down the road."
Salome hurried out of the bedroom; the crying mother was following her with wails of anguish leaving her small body. She moved passed Sebastian Martin, who had yet to leave the Long property, and towards the uniformed officer that held the pink backpack up for her to see.
"Is that blood," Julie asked in horror as a small splash of dried blood stood out against the pink on one of the straps.
"Step back Mrs. Long," an officer said softly as he slowly pulled her back.
The uniformed officer quickly unzipped the child's backpack only to see a doll and a piece of paper inside. Salome's name was written in chicken scratch cursive on the back of the paper, it was folded horizontally and wrinkled up.
"Let me see it," she demanded.
The officer looked her over carefully and then down at the note, reading it against her will. He handed the letter over to Jack, who quickly opened it up. A small bubble of anger boiled inside of her at the action the officer had just displayed.
"Dear Agent Ashwood," Jack read aloud to her as Sebastian snuck in behind them to overhear, "I've followed you religiously in the papers. I find you quite interesting. It made my dick hard thinking about you looking over pictures of dead children. I must say, Sally, may I call you Sally? I must say that I am rather disappointed. I left something for you that I thought you would enjoy. I'd love to see you dance, Sally. How about an erotic dance? We could have our own Dance of the Seven Veils, if you'd like. I think I'd quite enjoy it. True you are rather plain, but your gift sets you apart. I hope that it will be you that catches me. It would be interesting to have you pin me against the wall and cuff my hands behind my back rendering me utterly helpless. I must be going now. Little Sarah dressed in pink is screaming for her mommy now. And just for you, I am considering lengthening this girl's life. It all depends on how you dance for me. Tell me Sally, would you send me to an asylum or would you ask for my head on a silver platter? Until next time, Teddy Bear."
"Shit," Salome hissed under her breath as she turned to look at the house just as the sun started to go down over the trees.
Sebastian walked up to her and looked into her blue eyes with his bright green ones and gave her a large smile. He watched as confusion and distrust pulled across her face. Her right brow perked upwards slightly as she took him in.
"You're going to find her," he reassured her, "She's alive. I can see it."
...
Night had fallen in the small house that belonged to Salome. The TV played an old episode of Law and Order on the television that had been long forgotten. Salome lay asleep on the cream colored couch. Her head was propped up on the armrest and a copy of the letter, the original had been sent back to Forensics, and photographs from the new crime scene sat upon her chest and stomach forming a blanket of murder documents to keep her warm from the isolating fan in the corner.
Rain fell hard outside as Marnie walked in from her date with her longtime boyfriend. Her hair was a lighter shade than her sister's, mostly from her early teenage life of bleaching her hair blonde with vibrant wild colors. She was smaller than her sister in frame, but she could fight right along with her sister from years of being on the karate team at her school as well as taking boxing lessons at the local gym.
Marnie had lived with Salome for the last three years. The two had always been close throughout their life. It was the two of them through it all. They only had each other after they were taken from their home in Kentucky and taken to live with their relatives in Texas. Their relatives took in foster children as well, so their whole lives they had become accustomed to seeing children that were in much more dire situations than they had ever been in.
They had each other always and when Salome left under Crawford's wing it had been particularly hard for her to adjust to. She had started failing in school. She begged her relatives to let her move in with Salome, but they had refused. That's what had caused her to withdraw from her school by using a good friend's mother as an impersonator and drive up to Quantico. Her sister, of course, took her in and put her back into school. They had made a life living together. Everything had seemed to turn around until she started to see just how the work affected Salome. She watched as Salome stayed up nights on end just to study a crime scene, she could hear Salome talking to herself long into the night, and she watched every relationship that Salome tried to have dissolved. Something was wrong with her older sister.
To say that she hadn't expected a big blow up between Rick and Salome would have been a lie. She knew it was coming, it would be just a matter of when and who would scream obscenities first. Though she had never dreamed that Rick had started using the same drugs that had taken their mother and father away. Salome had been so involved in her work that she hadn't seen the signs of her own boyfriend using illegal drugs, her sister had been blind to everything that didn't revolve around work.
Marnie shook her head as she looked down at her older sister laying on the couch. She walked slowly up to her and took the photographs and the letters off of her chest without looking at the disturbing and graphic material. She placed them on the coffee table and grabbed a small blanket that lay forgotten on the smaller couch in the corner.
"Sweet dreams Sal," Marnie whispered to her sister as she placed the blanket over Salome's body. She turned to look down at the letter and a small white paper fell from underneath it that she had missed. She quickly looked up at it and read the name of the doctor that the card belonged to. The name 'Hannibal Lecter' looked back at her along with a clean bill of mental health and his elegant signature at the bottom.
"Dr. Lecter," she whispered as she looked down at her sleeping sister and then softly, being careful not to wake her sister, walked out of the living room.
"It's about time she sought some help."
I hope all of you that are reading are enjoying.
So we get a little insight to the bad guy. What do you think?
And Hannibal, hmm he just kind of walked out on Will huh?
Review and tell me what you think. I love reviews.