Authors: Rube and Mischa
Clarice left Barney's duplex feeling a little more secure about her own feelings on the Lecter case. She no
longer felt as if questions were hovering over her. She felt free, more free than in a long while. But still, she
had another person to visit, and that person may not be as big of a boost to her ego. Quite the opposite, in
fact. Alice Smith, goddess of modern society, and ex-lover of Hannibal Lecter's. This was certainly going to
bring her down.
Clarice climbed into her Mustang and pulled out a map. Okay, she had to go South and make it to Sunset
Lane, and then turn on there to lead off onto Lillian. 3214 Lillian Drive was where she would find Alicia.
She started the car and drove, on edge the entire time.
Surprisingly, Clarice found out, as she passed stop lights and gas stations, Barney did not live that far away
from Alicia. In fact, it was only a twenty or so minute drive, but the scenery changed dramatically. It went
from middle-class to upscale luxury in a matter of ten blocks.
She counted down the numbers when she got to Lillian Drive. 3211, 3212, 3213 and, at last, 3214. She
pulled the car into the driveway, trying not to hit anything or run anything over. Places like this gave her the
creeps. Huge, museum like houses that made you feel like you were in a morgue they were so cold.
Shutting off the engine, Clarice unfastened her seatbelt and stepped out of the car, sunglasses perched
on her head, eyes flittering around the property.
The house was surrounded by great lawns and shrubbery. The walkway, made of pale pink and ivory colored
stones, made her heels click as she walked it up to the front door. The front door was two French doors that
looked like they had panels of crystal or some expensive glass set in the delicately. She rang the doorbell,
and swiped her fingerprint stain tentatively off of the bell.
Footsteps could be heard from inside the house, and then a latch was undone. Clarice straightened her
posture so that she didn't slouch and smiled at the housekeeper who opened the door with an expectant,
though polite, look.
"Hello, good afternoon. My name is Clarice Starling, I'm with the F.B.I. and I was wondering if I could
speak with your employer, Miss Smith?"
The housekeeper opened the door up gently for her to come inside.
"Of course. Follow me."
Clarice nodded her head and followed the maid down the hallway, fast the foyer, into a huge
living room, or a parlor, Clarice figured you could call it that, it was so fancy, and there, on
one of the pink couches, was perched probably the most attractive woman Clarice had ever seen.
Alicia smith was about five foot, eight inches, weighing in at maybe a hundred and ten pounds, tall,
graceful, with long, honey blonde hair that was done in long pin-curls down her back. Her eyes were
a pale, icy blue but were kind when she smiled at Clarice. White, white, white skin with a tinge of peach
stain on her cheeks, red lips that curved into a smile, even when she was serious. The black dress she
wore screamed taste, style, and money, but was cut simply to support her voluptuous, though rather small,
frame. Her breasts were enviable, Clarice noted, and she was doing just that; envying.
"Hello," Alicia said, reaching out one perfect, manicured hand to beckon to Clarice. "I don't believe we've
met?" A brow arched, and Clarice felt like cowering in a corner.
"No, we haven't. Miss Smith, my name is Agent Clarice Starling, I'm with the F.B.-"
"Ah, of course. The infamous Belle."
"Belle?" Clarice cocked her head to the side as she took a seat next to the ice queen.
"Belle, as in Beauty and the Beast, regarding what the papers called your...connection
to Hannibal. I should have recognized you from the papers."
"Oh." Clarice crossed her legs, and wondered why she hadn't worn a skirt. "Yes, well," she
cleared her throat, "I'm back on Doctor Lecters case, an-"
"Indeed." Nothing further from her, so Clarice continued.
"And, I am here to interview you about where you think he might be, what he talked to you
about, that sort of thing."
Alicia laughed a little, her head tossed back, mouth opened to reveal perfect rows of
straight, gleaming teeth.
"You and your comrades haven't got the faintest idea, have you? Oh well, I suppose I
might be of some sort of help with that. But I assure you, he didn't talk to me about that
sort of thing much. In fact, I did not know of the murders until much later, when he was
arrested."
"No one knew, Miss Smith."
"Please, call me Alicia."
"Then you must call me Clarice."
"All right then, Clarice."
"So, do you mind if I turn my tape recorder on?"
Alicia shook her head.
"Not at all." So Clarice did. "Tell me Clarice, what do you want to know?"
"Well, we'll start with the simple stuff. What was the nature of your relationship
with the Doctor?"
"I was his mistress for nine months."
"Anything previous? Friends, social companions, that sort of thing?"
"My dear, that was all part of the mistress role. I shouldn't really even say I was
his mistress. We were rarely intimate. I guess it was friendship with a bit of a twist."
"Of course." Clarice was sure that the woman could see her face was flaming.
"Now, ah, could you tell me a bit more about that?"
"Which part of it, dear?"
"All of it."
Alicia swept her curls to the side.
"Well, I'm sure you realize how charming and persuasive the
Doctor can be, with you being in his company, a pretty, young woman?"
Clarice was faintly reminded of that horrid Doctor Chilton back in Baltimore.
She nodded.
"It was the same, only, at first, I perused Hannibal like a dog. I was persistent,
and I never gave up hope that someday, I would be on his arm."
"And that someday did come."
"Yes, eventually. I think Hannibal was put off by how bold I was. I was enraptured
by his mind, but more than that, his looks. He was incredibly charismatic, incredibly
sexy, as I'm sure you must have realized, being female." Clarice didn't say anything.
"We didn't sleep together for a long while, just went to dinner, the opera, shopping,
other such things, you understand."
Clarice got comfortable in her seat, knowing that this could take quite a while.
Clarice left Barney's duplex feeling a little more secure about her own feelings on the Lecter case. She no
longer felt as if questions were hovering over her. She felt free, more free than in a long while. But still, she
had another person to visit, and that person may not be as big of a boost to her ego. Quite the opposite, in
fact. Alice Smith, goddess of modern society, and ex-lover of Hannibal Lecter's. This was certainly going to
bring her down.
Clarice climbed into her Mustang and pulled out a map. Okay, she had to go South and make it to Sunset
Lane, and then turn on there to lead off onto Lillian. 3214 Lillian Drive was where she would find Alicia.
She started the car and drove, on edge the entire time.
Surprisingly, Clarice found out, as she passed stop lights and gas stations, Barney did not live that far away
from Alicia. In fact, it was only a twenty or so minute drive, but the scenery changed dramatically. It went
from middle-class to upscale luxury in a matter of ten blocks.
She counted down the numbers when she got to Lillian Drive. 3211, 3212, 3213 and, at last, 3214. She
pulled the car into the driveway, trying not to hit anything or run anything over. Places like this gave her the
creeps. Huge, museum like houses that made you feel like you were in a morgue they were so cold.
Shutting off the engine, Clarice unfastened her seatbelt and stepped out of the car, sunglasses perched
on her head, eyes flittering around the property.
The house was surrounded by great lawns and shrubbery. The walkway, made of pale pink and ivory colored
stones, made her heels click as she walked it up to the front door. The front door was two French doors that
looked like they had panels of crystal or some expensive glass set in the delicately. She rang the doorbell,
and swiped her fingerprint stain tentatively off of the bell.
Footsteps could be heard from inside the house, and then a latch was undone. Clarice straightened her
posture so that she didn't slouch and smiled at the housekeeper who opened the door with an expectant,
though polite, look.
"Hello, good afternoon. My name is Clarice Starling, I'm with the F.B.I. and I was wondering if I could
speak with your employer, Miss Smith?"
The housekeeper opened the door up gently for her to come inside.
"Of course. Follow me."
Clarice nodded her head and followed the maid down the hallway, fast the foyer, into a huge
living room, or a parlor, Clarice figured you could call it that, it was so fancy, and there, on
one of the pink couches, was perched probably the most attractive woman Clarice had ever seen.
Alicia smith was about five foot, eight inches, weighing in at maybe a hundred and ten pounds, tall,
graceful, with long, honey blonde hair that was done in long pin-curls down her back. Her eyes were
a pale, icy blue but were kind when she smiled at Clarice. White, white, white skin with a tinge of peach
stain on her cheeks, red lips that curved into a smile, even when she was serious. The black dress she
wore screamed taste, style, and money, but was cut simply to support her voluptuous, though rather small,
frame. Her breasts were enviable, Clarice noted, and she was doing just that; envying.
"Hello," Alicia said, reaching out one perfect, manicured hand to beckon to Clarice. "I don't believe we've
met?" A brow arched, and Clarice felt like cowering in a corner.
"No, we haven't. Miss Smith, my name is Agent Clarice Starling, I'm with the F.B.-"
"Ah, of course. The infamous Belle."
"Belle?" Clarice cocked her head to the side as she took a seat next to the ice queen.
"Belle, as in Beauty and the Beast, regarding what the papers called your...connection
to Hannibal. I should have recognized you from the papers."
"Oh." Clarice crossed her legs, and wondered why she hadn't worn a skirt. "Yes, well," she
cleared her throat, "I'm back on Doctor Lecters case, an-"
"Indeed." Nothing further from her, so Clarice continued.
"And, I am here to interview you about where you think he might be, what he talked to you
about, that sort of thing."
Alicia laughed a little, her head tossed back, mouth opened to reveal perfect rows of
straight, gleaming teeth.
"You and your comrades haven't got the faintest idea, have you? Oh well, I suppose I
might be of some sort of help with that. But I assure you, he didn't talk to me about that
sort of thing much. In fact, I did not know of the murders until much later, when he was
arrested."
"No one knew, Miss Smith."
"Please, call me Alicia."
"Then you must call me Clarice."
"All right then, Clarice."
"So, do you mind if I turn my tape recorder on?"
Alicia shook her head.
"Not at all." So Clarice did. "Tell me Clarice, what do you want to know?"
"Well, we'll start with the simple stuff. What was the nature of your relationship
with the Doctor?"
"I was his mistress for nine months."
"Anything previous? Friends, social companions, that sort of thing?"
"My dear, that was all part of the mistress role. I shouldn't really even say I was
his mistress. We were rarely intimate. I guess it was friendship with a bit of a twist."
"Of course." Clarice was sure that the woman could see her face was flaming.
"Now, ah, could you tell me a bit more about that?"
"Which part of it, dear?"
"All of it."
Alicia swept her curls to the side.
"Well, I'm sure you realize how charming and persuasive the
Doctor can be, with you being in his company, a pretty, young woman?"
Clarice was faintly reminded of that horrid Doctor Chilton back in Baltimore.
She nodded.
"It was the same, only, at first, I perused Hannibal like a dog. I was persistent,
and I never gave up hope that someday, I would be on his arm."
"And that someday did come."
"Yes, eventually. I think Hannibal was put off by how bold I was. I was enraptured
by his mind, but more than that, his looks. He was incredibly charismatic, incredibly
sexy, as I'm sure you must have realized, being female." Clarice didn't say anything.
"We didn't sleep together for a long while, just went to dinner, the opera, shopping,
other such things, you understand."
Clarice got comfortable in her seat, knowing that this could take quite a while.