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The curtains were pulled as Bella bounded off stage. She returned to the small space of old curtains and various ropes as the applause rang out from the hundreds of parents and family in attendance. The performance had been better than she could've hoped, and she could see all the people she cared about watching her. Even the tall shadow that loomed high above where she knew a couple of her classmates were manning the lights caught her attention.
From Hannibal's shadow to Joe's cheering, the knot in her stomach finally released when her eyes landed on Clarice. With arms raised and clapping, Clarice's proud grin and beaming eyes had to be reflected on her own face as she stood on the stage with the rest of the dancers. Her mother's smile and gaze were as calming as Hannibal's voice, and Bella couldn't remember the last time she had felt this at peace in a long time. She stood, letting her head drop back with eyes closed, and let the moment sink in looking much like someone soaking up the sun after a long winter.
The silence was broken though when the side stage door was opened, the latching mechanism loud without any objects nearby to absorb the noise. She opened her eyes and turned just in time to see hands coming at her. One came over her mouth while the other turned away only for its attached arm to collide with her chest. Her body knocked back into the concrete block wall and knocked the wind out of her, but it didn't stop her hands from reaching out and clawing at any piece of skin she could. The index finger on her left hand reached his cheek, and he took the hand away from her mouth to cover the wound.
"Chet, get off of me!" Bella grunted. She pushed him again, hard enough to force him backwards.
He only came back by pressing his entire body weight on her against the wall. "You'll take it and like it, Starling." He spat.
When his hand came up to cover her mouth again, Bella bared her teeth and bit down when two of his fingers slid in. He ripped his fingers out so fast; she felt the skin rip from his knuckles. The texture was like flaccid chicken skin that was once crispy, and the blood made it slide right over her lips. The taste of his blood was strong though, and she felt the small, metallic pool that had gathered under her tongue like a rich sauce on a steak would.
The shock of that discovery paralyzed her, but Chet wasn't focused on her anymore. He swore and looked at the mangled remains of his two fingers. His skin hung and dripped blood onto the old orange curtains, marking them with his presence. When he attempted to push the skin back down, he had to bite back a howl. It was his turn to seek a distraction, and his eyes moved back to her, darker than she had ever seen them. A single exhale seethed through his teeth as his foot moved to take a step back to her.
The foot never landed. He maybe had one exhale after that. Two arms raised up behind him, holding an old stage light, and came down as Bella turned away with closed eyes. She could hear the bulb shatter and the distinct crack of bone breaking: Chet's skull. Only when the thud of a body hitting the floor hit her ears did she open her eyes again. On the floor, Chet lay with eyes wide open, mouth slack, and skull seeping.
Behind him, Joe stood with wild eyes and the busted light in his hands. He stared down at the body, chest expanding rapidly, without a single tremor running through his hands. His eyes slowly met hers and he let the light drop into the curtains on the floor before he stepped over the body. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Bella breathed before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him. She inhaled sharply, the aroma of Chet's blood on her lips hitting her once more. "I can't believe you did that."
"I saw him sneak in through the side door and wanted to make sure he didn't try anything." Joe sighed before glancing back over his shoulder to look at the body. "I wasn't planning on killing him."
Bella buried her face into his chest. "That won't matter to Paul. He's been after my mom and I since Buffalo Bill. If he finds out what happened, he'll have us all hang in a way he sees fit." She looked at the body herself, dodging Joe's attempts to try and block the sight from her. "What are we going to do?"
Joe shook his head. "I don't know." He kissed her head. "Go see your mom. She'll know what to do. I'll try to hide him for the time being. Just, come back." He stepped out of the curtain piles with her and gently prodded her to the door. "She said no to me taking you out, but she might not have an option now."
Bella licked her lips before she wiped at her mouth, satisfied that Chet's blood was gone from her face, before stepping out from the side door and hurrying over to Clarice. Again, she was met with a proud smile as her mother's arms wrapped around her. Bella didn't waste the opportunity to hug her tightly. "Hey, Mommy."
"Bella, I'm so proud of you. You did amazing." Clarice gushed as she kissed Bella's head. She held Bella close and moved her lips closer to her ear. "I bet your father is just beside himself right now."
"I hope he doesn't have plans tonight." Bella sighed before meeting Clarice's eyes. The second her smile dropped, worry flooded into her mother's blue eyes. "Chet's dead."
Clarice's eyes widened the slightest, but she was careful not to show anything else of her surprise. They were still being watched and monitored by the two agents whose patience was being tested with them out in the open with hundreds of people around. "What do you mean?"
Bella glanced towards the stage door. "Right after the show, he ambushed me." The worry almost took over, but she quickly squashed it away. "I pushed him away. He didn't touch me, but Joe came in and hit him with an old stage light. The way he hit the floor, Mom, he's gone." She bit her lip and looked back to the agents standing guard by the doors. "I know that the Beer Can Killer is after us, but I can't just leave Joe to deal with this on his own."
"Paul would find a way to string us in." Clarice concluded herself with a slight nod. She jutted her chin back towards the stage door. "Remember everything I've taught you. The evidence cannot lead back to you or Joe. Phones off or not on you to the dump site. Take Chet's car with you. Borrow an extra car wherever you take him. Do you have a plan for that?"
Bella nodded. "I think so. Joe might know a place too." She glanced back up at the balcony. The silhouette of her father was no longer where she saw it before. "We can drive to Ray's after-party and leave Joe's truck there. I could get another set of keys at the party from one of the jocks. With the amount of alcohol and drunk girls, their car keys will be the least of their concerns."
Clarice nodded. "Alright. Just be careful." She kissed Bella's cheek. "I'll call your father. He'll probably start following you though the second he realizes you're not with me." She held her daughter's gaze for a moment, inhaling slowly. "You were more shocked from last night's near intruder than from just seeing your first dead body."
"I'm not really sorry that Chet's gone." Bella breathed. She gave Clarice another hug. "I'll call you the second we get back to the party. Whatever we do, we'll do it quick."
"Remember DNA." Clarice whispered. She squeezed Bella's hand before letting her go to hurry back to the stage door. Picking up her clutch from her seat, she made her way through the crowd to the two agents, moving as if she hadn't a care in the world. Her fingers itched to reach in and grab her burner, but she held off. "Thank you, boys, for sitting through that. Bella said she would change, grab her things, and come right out. Meanwhile, I need to use the ladies' room. Which one of you is going to stalk me all the way to the door?" She asked with a smirk.
Clarice went down to the last stall in the ladies' room. Luckily, most of the crowd had cleared out. A few of the rich moms stood at the sinks gossiping about the latest so-called scandal, usually consisting of who brought store bought items to a bake sale. She, herself, had been their favorite topic for many years when there wasn't a school crisis going on.
Without giving them a moment of her attention, she locked herself in the stall and pulled out the burner and pressed the single button that allowed her to speed-dial his. She pressed herself against the wall and cupped her hand over her mouth to defuse the sound of her voice in the bathroom as much as possible. When the ringing stopped, she didn't wait for his greeting. "I need you to follow Bella."
"Why, hello, Clarice. What a wonderful performance I must say. Did you enjoy it?" Hannibal asked, bypassing Clarice's demand.
"We can discuss that later. You need to follow Bella. She is leaving with her ex, Joe." Clarice reiterated, trying not to be rude. Her anxiety about the situation was creeping in fast though about letting her daughter roam free with a serial killer personally targeting her. "Just follow her. Make sure no one touches her."
Hannibal's pause was filled with a single exhale. "I will always do that. Why does this sound especially troubling?"
Clarice bit her lip, closing her eyes. She never thought she would speak the words she had longed for years to say. "What you offered to do for Bella at dinner that first night. . .Joe just went through with it. They are back-pedaling for clean up right now. I've got to keep those two agents distracted long enough for Bella to sneak out of here with Joe. I'm not sure where they're going after dropping off Joe's car at an after-party."
Hannibal sat in his truck at the far end of the parking lot. He had snuck out with the crowd of parents that were too busy gushing over their child's performance to notice his presence. In the driver's seat, he sat low enough to make the truck cab appear empty in the darkness provided. "Tell her to go to the bay harbor. Mr. Krendler has a boat there that I've noticed the young Krendler go sailing out on. I understand that you've most likely taught her the basics of evidence."
"She knows." Clarice whispered. She briefly rolled her eyes, a smile playing on her lips. "She's too much like us for her own good."
"Ah, my dear, that's what makes this all the more fun." Hannibal grinned. "I'll watch her. If anything comes up, I will call you. Once she gets back in touch with you though, we'll go back to only calls from your end."
Clarice chuckled softly. "And, here I thought I was finally with someone who would call me in the morning."
Hannibal smiled once he caught onto her reference. His voice lowered considerably, and he could picture the effect he was having on his lamb. "Clarice, my plan is to only hold you in the mornings after thoroughly fucking you the night before." The tip of his tongue ran over his small white teeth. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but I would never be as cliche to only call you."
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