(VIGINIA, AUGUST 13)
Clarice almost skipped out of her room, showered and dressed. She picked up the letter which sat behind the door and felt a cold quiver on her belly, as if she had dropped something down her front. She had been oping that there would be something waiting for her. She opened it hurriedly, wanting so desperately to see the Doctor's handwriting, her eyes wild and heart pounding. She held it close to her face as she read the words, a smile on her face, written elegantly in black ink…
'Little Starling,
I know that you're so desperately searching for me and I just wanted to let you know what you're getting yourself into. We might get to meet face to face, you know, and won't that be interesting? If I do find you, sweetheart, just know that no one else ever will. I have only been granted to look upon your beautiful face in the newspapers over the past couple of weeks and I would love to see you up close, maybe even touch you. I can't even think about it, it's getting me giddy.
I don't underestimate you, I am fully aware of what you are capable of after last year's fiasco with my old friend, Jame Gumb. Well done, darling, I am most proud of you. I only hope that you don't underestimate me because if you do, things are likely to get much messier than they already are.
Until fate brings us together, my dear, I am yours,
Mimi.'
Her heart sunk to her stomach. She stood on the spot for a moment, the letter shaking in her hands. One footstep seemed like a thousand. She shook her head and opened her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Move, Clarice, move. Evidence bag.
A high and piercing scream filled the air, and when she looked around she realised that it must have come from her own mouth. The room moved beneath her feet, it swayed and she shook her head again, closing her eyes. Opening them again, and the room is moving still. She hissed through her teeth as a rhythmic ache banged against the sides of her head, sharp and deep. She didn't have the letter anymore, it was on the floor somewhere. She bent down, her arm out and hand grabbing for it, but she could not. It was not in one position, it moved all over the place. She let herself go and now she was sitting on the floor, disbelief hanging with shock hanging with fear hanging all over her, drowning and suffocating her. She lay down and let the room move around her. Maybe it would stop, maybe if she just closes her eyes for a minute. It did not stop but swirled now, a slow and sickly swirl. She did not know what was happening but she did know that with the last ounce of energy left in her body, she should call out for Dee.
She took as much breath in as she could and pinched her eyes, her head hurting more when she made a sound. "Deeeee? DEEEEEEEEEEE?"
"Clarice?" Dee shouted, climbing out of her bed and rushing to the stairs, when she heard her calling again. "Clarice!" she called, running down the stairs and pulling herself spin left and into the living room. She saw her then, limp on the floor, eyes closing.
"Clarice, what's wrong? Speak to me! Are you hurt?" she asked, looking for blood and finding none.
"No, Dee... bag... evidence."
Looking around, she took the letter by the corner in the tips of her fingers, and looked at the name at the end. She ran to the drawer, where she knew that there must be an evidence bag lying around, and found one. She dropped the letter into the bag and set it aside. Dee grabbed the phone from the shelf and called for an ambulance, her fingers hardly able to dial She sat next to Clarice and stroked her face whilst waiting for the ambulance, though Clarice did not respond now, not once. Dee had seen Clarice like this before, days before when Clarice had been admitted to hospital during then night. She tried to convince herself that it was just the same thing, that she would be okay the next day, but the worry tore.
"Oh God, Clarice..." Dee whispered, tears starting to form. "Clarice."
Crawford stood with Ardelia out in the hall of the hospital, as the Doctors examined Clarice. Ardelia's eyes were red, she didn't have time to take her makeup off from her date the night before and her clothes were creased, and Crawford's face was paler than ever. He tried to hold back his emotion and maintain his authority but it was apparent to anyone that laid eyed on him that the event had stressed him. There was an unusual silence between the two of them for a while, though it was not an uncomfortable one.
"I want to see Lecter." Dee said, looking up at Crawford's long face.
"What?" Crawford asked.
"Mimi mentioned Jame Gumb in the letter, so Lecter must know something. Clarice can't go so I will."
Crawford shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."
Dee's voice raised. "I have to. She threatened Clarice. She might come for her. The letter was hand delivered, she knows where we live!"
Crawford crossed his arms. "You do know how dangerous he is, don't you?"
"Yes, I know exactly what he has done to earn him a place as that asylum, but Clarice is a sister to me. I would do anything to ensure her safety. Anything. I need to see him."
He sighed and thought for a moment, feeling a tooth with his tongue. "Clarice is a lucky girl, having you as a best friend."
"Thank you, Sir." Dee said. She would have blushed if it wasn't for the situation with Clarice.
Crawford stood at the phone, away from Dee. He mumbled something and then put the phone down. He approached her, sitting in the waiting room now, her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands, she looked up when he sat next to her, nothing but emptiness in her eyes and her usually tanned skin pale. There was a tinge of hope in her face.
"Somehow I got you in there, get down there for one."
"Yes, Sir." she said, standing.
Crawford almost sounded worried. "He's very dangerous, be very careful. And don't let Chilton find out that you're not actually working on the case. He knows you're with Clarice but he thinks you've been working on Mimi with her. It's the only way I could get you in."
Dee left the hospital without looking at Clarice's limp body again, and uncaring that she was going to lie to the hospital's director. She had heard from Clarice that he was a real asshole and she was prepared for him. If there was one person who could deal with assholes, it was Ardelia. The huge building that was the Baltimore hospital made Dee feel uneasy but she pushed it back and acted on the idea of Clarice, cut up and dead like the others. She acted on her courage. She knocked on the door, opening it just a little and peering in at the man sitting behind his desk, he had been waiting for her. His name plaque said that he was Dr Frederick Chilton.
"Dr Chilton?"
"You must be Miss Mapp." he said, standing.
"Yes." she said, shaking his hand and almost heaving from his heavy scent.
"How is Miss Starling?"
"She's still in the hospital, they say it's shock."
He changed the subject as if it didn't matter and gestured to a bottle sitting on his desk. "Would you like a drink?"
She did not hide her disgust and shock, a strong scowl on her face. "No thank you, Dr Chilton. I really need to see Dr Lecter."
"Of course. I'll take you down there." he said, a little embarrassed.
Ardelia tried not to speak to Chilton for the journey down to the dungeon and hid her distaste at his may failed attempts at flattery. Every time he would flash his yellow teeth at her she would want to lay one right in his face but restrained it and just clenched her teeth. The smell of sweat hit her when they reached the deepest level of the asylum and Dee formed an even deeper appreciation for Clarice, questioning how she managed being there so often. She was thankful when she met a friendly orderly, Barney, and Chilton left.
"Hi, I'm Barney. Has Dr Chilton gone over the rules with you?"
"No, not yet."
"All right, I'll explain but you shouldn't have any trouble with him, he's usually very welcoming to guests. Polite guests that it, so you shouldn't have any trouble. Don't approach the glass, don't touch the glass, pass him only soft paper, no pens or pencils, if he tried to pass you anything, don't take it."
"Right."
"How's Clarice?"
She tilted her head from side to side and tried a smile. "She's recovering. They say it's shock."
"I do hope that she's feeling better soon, Dr Lecter's very worried about her. There's a chair for you at the end."
"Thank you."
"I'll be watching." he said, sensing the panic which started to bubble in her stomach.
Dee hurried through the gates and past the inmates, being sure not to look into their faces and keeping as far away from the bars as possible, her arms almost brushing the stone wall. Her trainers were hitting the stone floor with thuds and her curly hair bouncing happily, though but was the only attractive feature about her that day, her eyes shining red and her makeup rushed, hurt mixed with a hangover distorting the usually brown glow on her face.
This must be little Miss Ardelia Mapp… this should be interesting.
Dee looked at him as soon as she could see through the glass. She couldn't afford fear, instead she spoke loud and clear, ignoring the fact that just his appearance was enough to ring alarm bells in her head. He was so still and his eyes… were they red?
"Dr Lecter, my name is Ardelia Mapp. May I speak with you?" she asked, standing as still as she could.
"You're Clarice's roommate aren't you?"
"Yes, yes I am."
"Well then of course."
"Clarice is in the hospital, she's in shock. She received this letter from Mimi, would you like to see it?" she asked, holding it up.
"Please." he said, and Dee slid the evidence bag across. "Please sit, Miss Mapp."
She lowered herself onto the metal chair and watched him read the letter. She considered him, he was so unusual, a known psychopath but so elegant and poised. Dee noticed the drawings on the walls and thought that they were grey-scale photographs at first, all of Clarice, every single one. Some of her sleeping. She felt her heart sink a little. Dr Lecter sat with his hand beneath his chin and the other holding the letter, his gaze hummed across the words on the paper. His presence was unusually comforting and calm. Finally, he lifted his head and gazed with red orbs.
"What would you like to know, Miss Mapp?"
Dee took a deep, subtle breath. "Well, on the letter she says that she knew Buffalo Bill, and you knew him so I was wondering if you knew Mimi or anything... anything that would help."
"I was acquainted with Jame Gumb but no, unfortunately, I am not familiar with Mimi's identity. If I was, I would have informed Clarice already."
She breathed in and out through her nose. "Dr Lecter, Clarice's life is at stake. And I know you care about her s-"
"Miss Mapp, you know nothing other than what the world thinks it knows." said Dr Lecter, the tiniest amount of impatience hanging in his words.
Dee was not scared. "Please help me, Dr Lecter. I love Clarice and I don't want her to get hurt. Mimi knows where we live now and she could come for her."
"If she comes for Clarice, she'll come for you too."
Dee grabbed at her tough side and clenched the sides of the chair, enough for Dr Lecter to notice, but she didn't break her concentrated expression. "I don't care about my safety. Please help me."
"I am very sorry, Miss Mapp, but I do not know who Mimi is. Jame Gumb mentioned no one who fits her characteristics."
"Can you tell me anything?"
"I can tell you that this letter is a warning, not a threat. She's scared but she doesn't want to admit it, not only to Clarice but to herself as well." said Dr Lecter. "I don't think that she will visit you, but just in case I suggest that you are prepared. Maybe sleep with a weapon under your pillow."
Dee found his voice unusual, it was raspy and deep but slow and soft too. She found herself hanging on his every word, taking comfort from it and forgetting why he was behind the glass. She gathered herself.
"What else can I do, for Clarice?" asked Dee.
"You can make sure that she rests, she needs to get her strength back up and it'll keep Mimi at bay too, hopefully."
"Is that all?"
"I'm afraid so."
Dee looked down at her shoes and Dr Lecter watched, reminded of someone else. He took a small breath before cutting through the air with his metallic rasp. "Please tell Clarice that I am thinking of her."
"I will. Thank you for your help, Dr Lecter."
"You're welcome." he said standing and sliding the letter back.
"Goodbye."
"Goodbye, Miss Mapp." he said before she disappeared.
He was left with the image of Clarice lying in a hospital bed, unconscious and unresponsive, her skin pale and body limp and he found himself wanting- no- needing to get out and go to her. To take care of his little Starling. It was true that he didn't know of Mimi's identity, he really didn't, nor did he think that there was any real threat in the letter, merely a scared girl's attempt at defence, but he couldn't rule it out, Clarice's life was at stake and he wasn't prepared to take chances. He sat for hours and hours, working in his sleek head until he recognised the familiar footsteps of his orderly and friend, Barney, and he stood up, hoping for news on Clarice.
"Dr Lecter, I'm afraid we're going to have to inspect your cell early today, I'm leaving for the night and they can't do it without me here." he said solemnly.
"Of course, Barney, do come in." he said, something so subtle and strange igniting the red sparks which clung to the colour of his eyes, something so conniving and cunning making them crackle and dance in the light.
Tonight.
