Ticket for a long journey (3/?)
Clarice unfolded the letter... He wrote:
--~°--~°--~°--~°
Clarice,
I can imagine you there in your plain apartment
sitting over this letter open-mouthed and shaking your head -
indeed it is me who wrote you!
Did you really think I would forget? How could
I possibly, it has been a cruel test as it is and I wasn't longer
able to resist the urge to write to you.
Agent Starling, I am ready to give you another
opportunity to catch me! Are you willing and able to tempt your
fate?
Well if you do, and I assume your all present
ambition will force you to, follow my instructions.
We will play a little game - you do love games,
don't you Clarice, we both know that - we will start a little
paper-chase! Doesn't that sound splendid, little Starling? All
those tips and tricks the FBI has taught you will come in handy
now!
Well then Clarice, yes, I know what you are
thinking and you are most accurately right - the first little
precious slip of paper lies quietly in that lonely metal box somewhere
in London... my clever girl!
Oh and Clarice, don't even think about it
- of course I am not in London so you don't have to make all your
British colleagues start a running the gauntlet for me. I won't
be there to welcome them!
Think about it Clarice - I am waiting!
ta ta
Hannibal Lecter
PS: whenever I touch the deliciously smooth
coldness of that single cuff I have that vision of you in my mind
- how do you feel when you take it into your beautiful hands,
Clarice?
--~°--~°--~°--~°
Clarice's eyes were opened wide. She felt
numb, her skin tingled all over. She folded the letter, her index
finger stroking over the edges of the soft elegant paper. Seconds
later she unfolded it again to read it over once more - just to
make sure she wouldn't miss anything.
When she finished reading it for the second
time she scoffed, shaking her head.
"This is ridiculous!" she said aloud.
Clarice rose from her chair almost knocking
it over. How could he do that to her - a paper-chase - how absolutely
absurd, and what was that about her loving games, huh - who was
the one starting this silly game! It was f...g ludicrous.
It drove her to despair. He was so damn sure
that she wouldn't bring the letter to the Bureau, because certainly
there would be a flood of questions washing over her, which she
definitely couldn't and wouldn't even try to answer. Of course
he knew that and for sure even planned that, why else did he add
things like his inability to forget her or the part about the
cuff. The FBI didn't even know yet that she didn't own one genuine
pair of handcuffs anymore. Clarice hadn't told anybody. She'd
just ordered a new one and reported the old one missing since
the incident with Lecter. The officer hadn't even hesitated one
second.
They all had been very understanding and had
treated her as if she suffered from an awful disease. Thank God
that had calmed down after some weeks, it was getting on her nerves.
Anyway, Clarice was not sure how she was supposed
to go to London in 4 days. The possibility of staying in Washington
never crossed her mind. What should she tell her boss? Maybe she
should just call in sick and take some days off, but she knew
that wouldn't be enough - who can say what that genius mind had
planned? - Clarice thought about it nibbling on her thumb nail.
Well, she had a little over two weeks vacation time left.
However, Clarice was sure she would go anyway,
perhaps it was the last chance he granted her.
Deep wrinkles of doubt appeared on her forehead.
She kept on biting that thumb nail of hers obliviously.
Clarice realized that she had been pacing
around the apartment all the time. She stopped short, then took
the letter into both hands and folded it again, her final decision
clear in her mind.
"Ok Doctor, I'll take the bait - let's
see what you've got in store?!" she said aloud a smirk on
her lips.
end of part 3
to be continued-