To his chagrin and despite his best efforts, Hannibal ran into Franklin at José's. He had been able to avoid the annoying little man after his referral when Hannibal had officially shut down his practice to focus on the FBI, and Komeda's unfortunate dinner party. For once, Franklin didn't excitedly approach him. He just politely nodded, and returned his attention to the extensive cheese collection Jose's famously offered.
Franklin looked calm, relaxed collected, and was wearing far more casual clothing that he had done previously before. If anything, his outfit was more on par with something Will would wear. Hannibal felt simultaneously relieved and infuriated.
"Hello, Franklin. How have you been?" Hannibal asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
"I still have a lot of respect for you, though we can't be friends." Franklin said in greeting back.
"Who are you friends with?" Hannibal asked, already knowing the answer, or at very least, he thought he did.
"I would be friends with Will if you were more comfortable with that." Franklin said, still appearing to be unbothered or hyped by their exchange.
"But you're not?" Hannibal prodded.
"We are friendly. Will has been very good about explaining and establishing boundaries with me. He's explained why we can't be close friends due to the nature of his job and his relationship with you." Franklin said, making Hannibal wonder what the hell Will could have said to him to get that through Franklin's thick skull. "He's been really helping me realize my own self-worth, to the point that I've found myself looking at my other relationships with clearer eyes."
"So which have you become? The profiler or the psychoanalyst?" This simply would not do. Even though he wasn't his patient anymore, Hannibal couldn't allow Franklin to gain any sort of confidence.
"Neither. I just feel like I am looking at things differently now, and according to Will, that's all right. I am working on being my own person." Franklin said, "I have a tendency to imitate people I admire."
"And what have you discovered looking through clearer eyes?" It was becoming increasingly apparent that Will's meddling with Franklin had gone quite well.
"My friend Tobias may not be the person who I thought he is. I Googled 'psychopaths, and went down the checklist." Franklin's new calm was being to show its cracks. "I was a little surprised to see how many boxes I had checked."
"Why were you so curious to Google?" Hannibal asked. Now that he had met Franklin's friend, it needed to be determined if Tobias was a threat or not.
"He's been saying very dark things, and then saying 'just kidding' a lot. I asked Will about it, and he felt like it was cause for concern because it started to seem kind of crazy." Franklin seemed to regain some of his mental footing when speaking about his Will.
"What did Will say?"
"That psychopaths aren't crazy, and that they're totally aware of what they do, and the consequences of those actions." Franklin said, "And that I should immediately get help if I felt my life was in danger."
"He is correct." Damn him.
"Oh my God, would you diagnose someone like Tobias as a psychopath?" Franklin asked.
"Tobias has never been a patient of mine. I can only analyze your perception of him. You could be projecting onto him what you consider to be your own flaws." Hannibal turned it around, diluting Franklin's newfound calm.
"Does that mean I am a psychopath? I think Will would've mentioned it." Franklin fretted.
"Franklin, you're not a psychopath." Hannibal assured without doing so at all. "Although, you may be attracted to them."
Hannibal began wondering just how often Will was around Franklin. He didn't like the idea of them spending any amount of time together. His phone let his know that he was thinking of the Devil himself, Will's ringtone interrupting them.
"Please excuse me. I have to take this." Hannibal stepped off to the side, but pitched his voice just loud enough so that Franklin could still hear him. "Hello, Mielasis."
"Leave Franklin alone." Was the unexpected response.
"How did you know I was with Franklin?" Hannibal asked.
"Because you don't typically answer the phone like that unless you're trying to show off, and you mentioned that you swinging by the fancy cheese place today. Not a huge leap in logic." Will said, "Knock it off with Franklin. He's not your patient anymore, and it was one damn dinner party."
"Were you calling for any particular reason?" They were definitely going to have a discussion about Franklin later on.
"We've got a body. Jack and I will swing by to pick you up in about thirty minutes."
"Is it an interesting case?"
"Do I get called out to the uninteresting ones? See you soon." Will said before hanging up. It was clear Will was already being stressed out by Jack, and he needed Hannibal there as a buffer.
True to his word, Jack and Will along with Beverly came squealing into the parking lot as Hannibal finished up his purchase, paying to have it all delivered. To his annoyance, Franklin did the same.
"Hi, Will!" Franklin said as soon as they pulled up, waving his hand much like how a small child would.
"Hiyah, Franklin. Gotta run, have a case." Will called back as Hannibal tried to get into the vehicle as quickly as humanly possible, all while keeping his dignity intact to join Will in the back seat. Hannibal was pleased to note that Beverley was riding shotgun in front with Jack. "Text me about lunch."
"Will do!" Franklin's entire being lit up with joy.
"Isn't that the guy from the Stammets case?" Jack asked upon recognizing Franklin when he was still Hannibal's patient.
"It is." Beverly turned around, ready to interrogate Will about it.
"Just drive please." Hannibal sighed, considering killing Franklin. The problem was that he was annoying and obsessive, but that was about it. Frankly speaking, Franklin was just too pathetic in Hannibal's mind. It would be like going entirely out of one's way to end a solitary ant's life, and Hannibal certainly didn't want to eat Franklin or elevate him into art. That, and the most part, Franklin was a polite, unremarkable individual with high levels of anxiety and self loathing. He didn't merit the Ripper's full attention.
Hannibal didn't get to dwell on the Franklin issue for long, Jack soon pulling into a very familiar place, the Baltimore Metropolitan Orchestra. Someone was going to end up on his table if one of his favorite musicians or conductors were dead.
Thankfully though, it just turned out only to be a mediocre trombone player. The musician's loss of life was truly the orchestra's gain.
Garish was the first thought that sprang to Hannibal's mind. There was definitely skill and intent there, but the execution was lacking, Hannibal decided as he studied the man made into a cello, the neck of the instrument protruding out of the man's throat.
"The victim is Douglas Wilson, a member of the Baltimore Metropolitan Orchestra's brass section- a trombone player. He was killed shortly after his last performance. Blunt force trauma to the back of the head." Jack said as he watched Hannibal and Will slowly circle around the cello corpse.
"His killer brought him here to…put on a show." Will was already deep in thought. Hannibal had no doubts within him that Will, like himself, had a pretty clear picture about who the killer was.
"Will, is it me, or is it becoming easier for you to look?" Jack asked, his tone prickly enough to make even Beverly pause in her examination of the bow string.
"I tell myself…it's purely an intellectual exercise." Will said as he looked over at Jack, hiding his confusion behind diplomacy.
"Well, in the narrow view of forensics, that's exactly what it is." Jack said, his tone patronizing.
"They're not any easier, Jack." Will said quietly, doing his best to keep his temper in check.
"Shake it off. Get to work. We'll come back in when you're ready for us." Was Jack's version of a pep talk.
"Do you know why Hannibal gets to stay?" Will said quietly, but kept his glaring eye contact steady. "He respects the process for what it is."
"And I don't?" Jack had the gall to say.
"No, you do not." Hannibal said, "You know that Will can get you the Ripper, but you don't understand how he can, and it scares you."
"I'm not scared of Will." Jack said angrily.
"Of the man? No, you're not. You know Will is deep down a good person. It is his abilities you fear, and the possibility that they might overwhelm him. You care more about catching the Ripper than keeping Will's psyche intact, and that scares you as well. Because of your fear, you doubt Will's gift. Because of your lack of understanding, you question it." Hannibal said in an almost casual tone as if he were merely commenting on the weather. Beverly's eyes were wide with shock, and Jack was fuming by the time he was done.
"Why would Will be overwhelmed by some intellectual exercises?" Backpedaling was not Jack's strong suit.
"How many times do I have to explain it to you? I can empathize with ANYONE!" Will shouting the last word, getting everyone's attention. It echoed beautifully in the orchestra's space. "That includes any and all of the killer's victims, their fears, their pain, their confusion, their unanswered prayers and questions of 'why me?', and it doesn't just go away. It all gets locked in my head so that I remember everything, every single goddamn bloody, pain soaked detail, which is manageable while I'm awake. You know what has full access to all the crap I have in my head? My subconscious. I get to relive all of it from both perspectives on a fairly regular basis, and for whatever reason, you can't seem to grasp that."
The tirade left Will panting and shaking with anger. "So no, you don't get to stay. Leave, or you can solve this one and all the rest by yourself."
"Jack," Hannibal spoke before the stunned man had a chance to, "If you want Will's help, I think it would be best if you remain quiet and leave before he does."
"Oh do you." Jack shot back.
"You're already pushing someone who is toeing the edge. If you push too hard, they may take you over it with them." Hannibal warned.
"Fine." Jack said, clearly seething, "But we're going to talk about this later."
"No, we're not. You can fire me, or I'll quit. I really don't care which comes first." Will told the man dismissing him by giving his full attention back to their victim.
"I'll walk you to the door." Hannibal herded Jack in the direction he needed to go.
"I'm curious about what answer you wanted from Will." Hannibal couldn't resist twisting the proverbial knife.
"The one that gets me the Chesapeake Ripper." Was Jack's beloved answer.
"The way you are going about it will make your wish an impossibility."
"You don't think he's capable?" Made Hannibal inwardly laugh.
"Will is more than capable. The problem is that you're not in the right frame of mind to listen to him when he does. By the time you do, it will be far too late." Hannibal promised.
"I'll try to keep that in mind." Jack lied, whether he knew it or not. He couldn't say that the Ripper didn't give him fair warning.
"Please do, and Jack," Hannibal said
"What?" The agent snapped, Beverly talking advantage of her boss's pause to scurry on ahead. Hannibal appreciated good survival skills.
"When you betray Will, you will lose him." Hannibal said.
"I don't plan on ever betraying Will." Jack growled, turning on his heel to leave. Jack looked like he needed some air.
"Yet." Hannibal said softly at Jack's retreating form before shutting and locking the door behind him.
"You did well." Hannibal told Will as he rejoined him.
"It was unprofessional." Will grumbled out, sounding like he was more trying to convince himself than Hannibal.
"Yes, it was. Jack should know better." Got a snort of barely suppressed amusement from Will.
"Better get to work." Will sighed, cracking his neck before closing his eyes.
To Hannibal's delighted surprise, Will began to reconstruct the crime scene out loud. "I open his throat from the outside to access the trachea and expose the vocal chords. I open his throat from the inside using the neck of the cello. Powder on the wound. Rosin from the bow. I wanted to play him. I wanted to create a sound."
Will began to sway, his arms moving as if they were playing an instrument, presumably a cello. "My sound. This…is my design."
This went on for a moment, Hannibal wondering what Will could be playing, how it would sound, and if it could be recreated in the real world.
"It's Tobias." Will sighed after his performance was over.
"Well, obviously." Hannibal said, getting a strained look from Will. He was beginning to get stressed out about something, smelling sour sweet with tension and fear. "Who is he playing for?"
"You, obviously." Will said with a tense laugh.
"We've only met just the once." Hannibal wasn't following, and was beginning to get irritated that he wasn't. Will had made this glorious leap somewhere.
"He knows." Will said without a hint of doubt.
"That's impossible." Hannibal scoffed.
"Why? Because you're so infallible? I'm sure Miriam Lass and myself would disagree." Will shot back as he began to circle the corpse again. "I'm telling you flat out that he knows. I don't know how he knows, but he does."
"That is unfortunate." Hannibal admitted, surveying his memory palace for possibilities. If Will said he knew, Tobias somehow knew.
"It has be something to do with the latest sounder since you've only just met him once. I knew something was off about that guy." Will's face looked pained.
"Do you know what he wants?" Hannibal asked.
"You're attention."
"It's a serenade."
"No." Will waved that notion off, "This isn't how he kills. Normally, he doesn't kill for an audience. He prefers to be in the audience."
"And you believe he risked getting caught to serenade me."
"I believe he wants to show you how well he plays." Will said, "Shit! This is bad."
"Why? It's an easy problem to fix."
"Kill him before he kills you? Yeah, great. Easy peasy except you don't know what he knows about what, what kind of information he's gathered. You don't know if he's set up any kind of insurance policy in the event of a sudden violent or inexplainable demise. Tobias is meticulous and skilled. This wasn't random." Will said, pointing over to the corpse mimicking Hannibal's own style.
"We have to find out what he knows, and if he's planning on using that knowledge to his advantage."
"All while investigating him for murder which puts both of us in danger." Will sighed, "Oh for fuck's sake, you're loving this!"
"I do enjoy a challenge."