A/N: Hello dear readers! Thank you for your continued support. I want to hear some feedback so please leave some comments and reviews because they always help me with the story. Especially because next chapter is going to be a wild ride. This chapter I made extra long. Next chapter will be the transfer of Hannibal. Read on to find out what happens!!!! And thank you again for reading!!


Chapter 27

Ardelia knew she didn't have much of a chance in squeezing any information out of Pearsall, so instead she decided to sneak around in evidence to find the letters Dr. Lecter had mentioned. It didn't take Ardelia long to find them. In total there were three letters. She pulled out her phone and took several pictures then looked at the file that came with them. They were dusted for fingerprints and the mailing address was checked and that yielded nothing. After she was done taking the pictures, she left and phoned Clarice in her car.

"Claire, it's Dee. I need to meet you today, and it has to be today. Where can we meet?"

"Have you found anything?"

"Yes, but I need your help."

"Alright then. Park at 5th Avenue in the parking garage 4th level. I will pick you up myself from there."

"Got it."

Ardelia did as instructed and made it to the 5th Avenue parking garage in twenty-three minutes. Clarice made it there in thirty-three minutes. She pulled up behind Ardelia's car and flashed her lights as a signal. Ardelia got into the car.

"Still taking extra precautions I see Claire."

"Can't be too careful. The FBI have been on high alert."

Ardelia glanced at her friend and, for the first time, really noticed her belly protruding outward. She still was in excellent shape, but the baby was definitely noticeable now.

"Have you been feeling alright?"

"Well…I don't have my head stuck in a toilet all day long like before. On the down side I feel anxious all the time so sleep doesn't come easy to me."

"He was so happy to see you on the video, even if it was only for a moment."

"I was happy too. The happiest I have been in a long time. Now, what do you have?"

Ardelia pulled out her phone, "I am not supposed to know these exist, so I couldn't remove them from evidence. Instead I took as many pictures as possible. They were dusted for prints and the return address was checked. Both were dead ends."

Clarice glanced downward at the phone. The letters were all typed and addressed to Hannibal himself. "Has he seen these letters or read them?"

"No, the FBI is keeping it completely quiet. Lecter said the only reason he knew was because he overheard the guards mumbling about it on duty."

Clarice pulled into the parking lot of a large hotel. She parked and took the phone from Ardelia and proceeded to read the letters aloud.

"My Dearest Hannibal. These filthy animals think they can keep you caged, but I know better. I have seen what you are capable of, and I know what you can do. You are a God amongst these men. If they do not free you, then I suppose I shall have to come take you by force. Many men will die I am sure of that. I do not expect this letter to reach you, but I do expect it to land in the hands of the faculty at the prison you are being housed in. So to whomever is reading this let it be known that you have all dug your own graves. Release Hannibal, or you all will die."

Ardelia shook her head, "And that is just the first letter. Doctor Lecter said he doesn't know who is behind this, but that if we can find the person helping him that maybe we have a chance."

Clarice seemed deep in thought, "You said they dusted for prints and found nothing right?"

Ardelia nodded, "Yes, the only prints on there were from some members of the facility."

"Did it state in the files who turned in these notes?"

"There was a Douglas Fitcher listed in the files. He is the supervisor at the facility."

"Have you checked him out yet?"

"No, as soon as I found the notes I called you right away."

"Did he turn all three of the notes in?"

"Yes."

"Seems a bit too convenient doesn't it? Three separate notes dated weeks apart and he just so happened to be there to receive them and to turn them in. He should be our main suspect now. Come on up to my room. We have some more digging to do."

Ardelia followed Clarice into the hotel room. The hotel itself was very nice. It had several large rooms in it used for various events and dinners. There were three restaurants in it and a full bar. Clarice's room was on the 5th floor. Once they made it in her room, Ardelia marveled at the set up. Clarice had three different laptops, a large camera, and a whole mess of food bags next to the desk.

"Damn girl, looks like you have been working like crazy, I mean look at all this. How long have you been in this place for?"

"About two weeks. I move around pretty frequently. I always chose hotels with food stops in them. That way I can limit how often I go outside."

"Right. What have you been working on?"

"My family's life after all this is over. I have been arranging new identifications, changing over some of the bank accounts, and arranging for our child to be born into this world."

Ardelia smiled, "Gives you some hope for the future doesn't it?"

"Yes. Now let's get on with this Douglas Fitcher." Clarice powered on the computers and waited for the screens to load. Ardelia logged on to the FBI's website so that Clarice could check up on Hannibal and the facility he was being housed in. They pulled the records on Douglas and did a background search and found all the basic info they needed. Douglas Fitcher 52 years of age, recently divorced, no children, lives in a small two bedroom house, and the records found that his wife took everything from him in the divorce.

Ardelia asked, "Damn, what the hell did he do that he got the rug pulled out from under him like that?"

"Why don't we go find out? She doesn't live far from here. I think that is about an hour drive."


While Clarice and Ardelia investigated Douglas was leaving work. He had one last meeting with Mr. Leerson before the big transfer happened. Douglas was all too eager, especially when thinking of that extra $500,000 that will be sitting in his bank account in just a few short days. He met Leerson at the same park they always had, only this time, he was to meet him a little further down the jogging trail. Douglas made is way down the path and found Mr. Leerson down in the wooded area.

"Ah Mr. Leerson, I hope I haven't kept you waiting too long."

"Not at all, let's get on with it shall we?"

"Yes, you told me there was one last message to deliver. Where is it?"

Mr. Leerson smiled, "Come here Douglas."

Leerson turned around and began walking off the trail and Douglas followed. "So Mr. Leerson, if I may ask, why did you feel the need to add one last message. I mean, you got what you wanted right? The transfer will be happening in three days time"

"Yes Douglas it is all going according to plan. But I can't wait the three days, we need to move now."

"But how do you expect to-"

Douglas was cut short when the knife entered the back of his head. He was dead instantly and Leerson turned around and smiled, "Congratulations Mr. Gibbs, you will now be getting his share when this is over. How does a million dollars sound for the job?"

Gibbs stood over Douglas Fitcher's lifeless body and smiled, "So all I need to do is pull a trigger and disappear right?"

"Yes, my last message to the facility will be Douglas. I imagine, after this, they will be eager to move him. Now, do you think you can help me with the body?"


Ardelia arrived at the residence of Laura Baker formally known as Laura Fitcher. Clarice waited in the car with head phones on so she could listen to the conversation. Ardelia wore a wire under her blouse. She knocked twice and Laura answered the door promptly.

"Can I help you?"

"Are you Miss Laura Baker?"

"Yes and you are?"

"Ardelia Mapp, FBI." Ardelia flashed her badge.

"Have I done something wrong?"

"No ma'am, I just have some questions for you about your ex-husband Douglas Fitcher."

Laura frowned, "Whatever he has done, I have no part in it."

"He hasn't done anything either. You see, the facility he works at has been receiving death threats, and Mr. Fitcher is a person of interest in all this. I just wanted to ask you some questions. I am afraid that is all I can say on the matter."

"Well come in then."

Ardelia followed her into her home and in a word it was, gaudy. Too many statuettes, different sorts of furniture placed all over the house made it difficult to navigate in some places. She had crystals and glasses in a china cabinet and pictures upon pictures hung up on the walls.

"Admiring the place Agent Mapp?" Laura asked with a smile.

"Oh, uh, yes….quite a lovely home you have here."

"Finally a woman who appreciates taste! Douglas was always complaining."

They sat down in the kitchen and Ardelia started, "So, in your words, can you describe Mr. Fitcher to me?"

Laura sighed, "Douglas was always a very book smart man, no too common sense smart, but you know. His family was well off and so he was always a bit on the lazy side because he was never hurting for money. He went to school just to please his parents and graduated, but never got a job. After his parents died he got all their money and so he saw no reason to work again. Well until I nagged him into finding something to get out of the damn house every now and again. I worked as a nurse while he sat at home and got fatter and fatter. So he finally got a job and still to this day he works there a that institution."

Ardelia wrote down some notes and looked up to Laura, "I see, and the reasoning for the divorce?"

Laura glanced off, "Shouldn't this all be in the court papers? I don't see a reason to-"

"The reason stated in those papers was irreconcilable differences. But, I also noticed that he gave you pretty much everything he had in the divorce. Which tells me maybe there is a bit more to the story than that."

Laura tapped her fingers on the kitchen table over and over again.

"Laura? Please, if it would help in the investigation I need to know. People's lives are at stake."

"I….well I mean he….had been seeing this underage girl on the side. Paying her to….do things with him. And when I got home from work early one night I found them. I was so disgusted I just left and we didn't talk for a week. The next time I saw him, it was with divorce papers in my hand. He knew I was going to go after him and the girl so he made me promise something. He told me that if it ever went on paper that he had been seeing an underage girl and he was marked as a pedophile, he would go to jail. So I told him that if he agreed to leave me his family fortune, that I would not mention the girl and we could go our own separate ways."

Ardelia looked baffled, "So you black mailed him into giving you his money in exchange for hiding his little secret?"

"Oh please, the only thing good about the man was his money, and believe me, as soon as I took it all, his little girlfriend left too."

Clarice listened over the headset shocked by the whole conversation. She glanced over when she heard Ardelia's phone ringing, it was Pearsall. He called three times in a row and then the phone started buzzing. Clarice noticed it was numerous text messages from Ardelia's friend at the FBI. Clarice saw Hannibal's name mentioned so she grabbed the phone and started reading the text messages.

"Dee, Pearsall wants you at his office ASAP. They just found a body over at Liberty Park. They are transferring Hannibal Lecter tomorrow. Get your ass over here now before Pearsall loses his shit."

Clarice's eyes widened, "Fuck."

She pulled out her phone and called the burner phone that Ardelia was carrying.

Ardelia was listening to Laura carry on about he whole scandal and noticed the burner phone ringing. She excused herself and answered, "What's up?"

"Forget this, they are moving Hannibal tomorrow, we have to move now!"

Ardelia hung up, "Sorry Miss Laura, there has been an emergency I have to go."

"Wait what about-"

Ardelia stormed out of the house. While Clarice drove, Ardelia phoned Pearsall back and put him on speaker so Clarice could hear.

Pearsall's voice boomed over the phone, "Ardelia! Where the FUCK have you been?"

"Working the case you gave me, I am on my way now what happened?"

"They found the body of Douglas Fithcer at Liberty Park. He worked at the facility that is housing Lecter. The killer left a note on his body threatening to kill everyone in the place if Lecter isn't set free. We are moving him tomorrow morning. We can't risk this."

Clarice and Ardelia stared at each other, "Alright, I am on my way now."

She hung up the phone, "Holy shit Clarice. This guy just completely cut all time we had of an investigation."

"There isn't anymore time. The only option I have is to be there at the transfer tomorrow and to save Hannibal before this man gets to him first."

"Clarice that is fucking nuts! No way! You are pregnant. How in the hell do you expect to-"

Clarice yelled over Ardelia, "I KNOW! But this is the only way now. There is no more time."