Chapter 35

"Should we?" Clarice asked. [D]

"I suggest," Hannibal intervened, "first of all that we leave the ferry. Why not have a decent conversation and most probably part ways peacefully?"

Clarice's mind raced to follow Hannibal's lead, and intentions. Sure, this youth was the meek one, following his brother. And he was the accomplice in his brother's horrible crimes, and had to pay for his deeds. Why not simply kill him here and now?

"All right," he sighed. "Let's talk."

"Leave the ship, mingle with the other passengers. We'll follow in a few minutes, and meet you at your hotel. What's your room number?"

"113."

"Oh, and you might want to wash your hands before you go," Hannibal suggested with a smile.

He looked at his hands, nodded and looked around. He then walked over to the sink, washed his hands and left the room.

When he'd gone, Hannibal swiftly wiped the knife handle with his handkerchief, followed by anything they'd touched. A quick scan of the floor followed. When he was satisfied, they left through the door of the other apartment.

When they reached the exit the queue had gone and the steward was waiting for them.

"Everything went well?"

"Yes, above expectation, thank you," Clarice replied and gave him a winning smile. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." [MB]

Sunlight and sky once again overhead, she turned to him and said, "The cameras are going to be a problem. I suppose that's why you let him live?"

He smiled at her. "Among other reasons."

She sighed. "I haven't seen that may security cameras since my last trip to London. It will help that they'll see the two of them going in and only him coming out. Unfortunate that they'll see us entering and exiting just next door."

"We'll be gone before it's a problem."

She nodded. "Okay," she said, and reached over to squeeze his hand. She believed him. Twisting her fingers into his, they crossed the dock with brisk steps and headed for their rental car. [D]

They drove in silence the short distance to the hotel, spotting the meek twin along the way. They entered the hotel. To Clarice's surprise, Hannibal went straight to the elevators and punched the button.

"How…"

"While you were fervently reliving the glorious tights Mr. Bowie wore in Labyrinth, I saw the dominant one take a peek from the window."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Of course not, that would have been too easy. Besides, we would have missed the ferry."

A brief silence before the elevator announced its presence. They went inside and Hannibal pressed the button for the third floor. The doors closed with a slight metallic screech.

"So you're going to treat me to an all-in cruise in the Caribbean?"

"No."

"No?" she replied and pretended to pout.

"No. Not the Caribbean."

"Come again?" [MB]

"But how would you feel about exploring these lovely Icelandic waters in a private yacht?"

She broke into a grin. "Will you be my captain?"

He gave a single nod and smiled, "Of course."

Her grin widened; her enthusiasm building even as a pang of regret shot through her. As much as she'd teased Hannibal about the provincialness of this town, she knew the yacht would likely be their means of exiting the country. She'd truly enjoyed this land of frozen waterfalls and colorful, dancing skies. She wasn't quite ready to leave, but after today, she knew they must.

One more loose end to wrap up, first, of course.

"Do you really think he'll come up and not just flee?" she asked.

"Our boy could have fled long ago. Apparently free-thinking independence isn't his style."

Her lips twisted and she nodded an agreement. "Apparently," she repeated back. [D]

"He preferred to help kill innocent people," she added as an afterthought.

"Yes, he did."

The elevator came to a stop, the doors opened and revealed a two-inch difference between the floors.

"Great. I think I'll take the stairs down. So, 113? That's to the left."

They exited the adventurous ride and crossed the hallway. Having arrived at the door, Clarice pulled out a small bag with tools and gained entrance in no time. Inside, the twin's bags were on the bed, their contents partially scattered on the unmade bed and floor. Hannibal started searching through the bags while Clarice took a good look around the room. After their thorough search, the only items of interest they came up with were the familiar gun and the second knife, used to kill Gaul Insubre in Milan. Hannibal sniffed the blade. From his reaction it was clear he could smell old blood on it. Clarice stuffed both items in her backpack.

"Where will we kill him?" she asked.

"I suggest we tell him, since we see it has been his brother's doing, we'll let him walk. And we will, at least for the moment. I'm curious what he will do now his brother is gone, independency is not his forte. And, without the weapons, he's become less of a danger. Let him walk, while we keep an eye on him."

"All right."

"I believe I hear him approaching the room." [MB]

Frederico didn't hesitate at the door. No fumbling with a key. No pause or hesitation to enter the room, though he clearly knew they were there.

He twisted the knob and walked right in, nonchalantly closing the door behind him. And then he turned to them and… smiled. He smiled at them both; warmth and peace shining from his handsome, youthful face. Clarice, who had never picked up either an easel or brush during her more than four decades on this earth, experienced a sudden, sharp need to paint him. To capture the look of transcended joy on his face and wrangle it onto a canvas for safekeeping. To make such bliss tangible, something she could mount on a wall and possess… but then the need flashed away as quickly as it had come, mere lightning on distant mountains, and she was once again able to focus on her immediate proximity.

She returned his smile with a nod. "We weren't sure if you would make it."

His face never dimmed. "I know. I wondered, too. I was walking away from the ship. My hands were shaking. I felt such despair…" his voice trailed off, and he wandered over to the window. "But then, realization. He's gone. Really, really gone- and I felt such relief, such lightness …"

After several quiet moments when it became clear he wouldn't continue, Hannibal addressed him. "Tell us, dear boy, what are your plans now?"

If possible, his face managed to glow even brighter. "Freedom." He said just the one word, then turned to the window, unlatched and opened it, and jumped. [D]

"Well, that was… unexpected," Clarice stated.

"Yes, it was. Come, we need to exit the hotel immediately."

Hannibal opened the door as the first screams and shouts entered from outside the window. He held the door open to her, as gallant as ever, and preceded her towards the fire exit at the far end of the building. Once outside, they crossed the distance to their vehicle, and entered it.

"The ship's waiting, my dear. We're packed and sacked, are you ready to board?"

"Yes, I am. I take it we'll be leaving Iceland behind us?"

"Yes. We must beware of the weather, I thought we could set course for Ireland."

Clarice fired up the engine as her mind raced and connected the dots.

"My ancestor's country."

"True."

She put the car in first gear and pulled away from the curb.

"I'll call both my sisters when we get there. Maybe we could visit the States after Ireland?"

"Yes, maybe we could," replied Hannibal. [MB]

And with this chapter, these events, we've reached the end of this our second collab. We, Duffie83 and MajorBachman would like to thank you for your attention, and a big thanks to those who have read and reviewed! It's been another great experience to us both, and as much as we enjoy knowing we have readers and reading their reviews, our collective effort has been our primary goal from the beginning; ars gratia artis.