It took a few hours, but when he was done, he was satisfied. The smell of
ammonia and cleanser hung heavy in the air. He returned to the sitting
room where Erin slumped in her wheelchair.
"You don't mind the aroma, do you?" he asked sarcastically as he took the grips of the chair. Carefully, he wheeled her out to the Cadillac. He placed her carefully on the passenger seat, much as she had arrived. The wheelchair folded up and disappeared into the roomy trunk of the Cadillac without problem. He drove into the city. The Cadillac's big engine made for easy acceleration. Despite himself, he was beginning to like the car.
He left the expressway and drove through the streets easily until he found what he was looking for. The neon sign advertising fresh-brewed gourmet coffee was off; the coffee bar was silent. He pulled the car around into the alley, walked around to the front, and unlocked the door with Erin's keys. He was pleased to note that the burglar alarm code had not changed. Moving quickly, he opened the back door, got Erin and her wheelchair out of his car, and brought her into the coffee shop. In the cream dress, she was a radiance in the dark shop. The store was closed, but even so, he knew that he would need to leave quickly before someone noticed the young woman in a dinner gown slumped in a wheelchair.
He dropped an envelope into Erin's lap. Now there was only one thing left to do, so Dr. Lecter did it. He reached under Erin's chin and raised her face to his.
"Ciao, Erin," he said. "The experiment is ended. Well, my part, anyway. Heaven only knows when we'll see each other again."
He leaned forward as if to kiss her and then stopped. He thought a bit more. Then he decided and went ahead and did it, his lips pressing against hers. Her eyes fluttered and she made a brief sound as if stirring. Dr. Lecter was surprised.
He turned then, drew himself up to his full height, and took the telephone off the wall. The sound of three digits beeped in the receiver as he dialed 911. Without another word, he left via the back door and got into his car. He maneuvered through the alleyway, turned right, then right again. He could see the front of the coffee shop now.
Without knowing why, he pulled the Cadillac into a parking space a block or so up the street. He could not see her from his viewpoint; the windows of the coffee bar faced the wrong way. He knew that he should not be doing this. He knew the smartest thing to do would be to leave. But something urged him to stay.
As he waited, he thought. This whole trip had been an exercise in living with substitutes, often below his standards. Well by any objective standard, but below his own standards. A Cadillac in place of a Jaguar. A house in the country in place of a house on the river. And, of course, Erin in place of Clarice.
But was Erin below his standards? Was she merely a pale copy of Clarice?
No, he decided. She had served him well as a lab rat, for his experiment. But he could not compare her to Starling and judge her worse. They were two women navigating their respective bureaucracies. There had been a spark with her, just as with Clarice. Clarice had been his student; Erin had been his charge. It was different, but not worse.
Perhaps ten minutes later, a police cruiser pulled up in front of the shop. The police officer in it jumped out and looked into the windows of the coffee bar. He spoke into his radio. He banged on the door with his flashlight. A few minutes later, another patrol car and an ambulance pulled up behind it. After conferring with each other, the police broke open the door.
Dr. Lecter watched silently from a block away. The Cadillac was completely dark; he did not want to call attention to himself by turning on the interior lights. He simply sat and watched as they entered the building. He wondered briefly what they would think when they got there.
He sat up as they brought out his charge on a stretcher. His hands flexed on the wheel as he watched them wheel her unconscious form into the back of the ambulance and take off with her, sirens wailing. Fools. There was no medical emergency, the note in the envelope made it exceedingly clear that she would wake up on her own without any problem in a few hours. Still, the foolish medical establishment had to do what it deemed proper. Even though he'd done it better.
The ambulance left. The police remained to fill out whatever they needed to do. Dr. Lecter had seen what he needed to, so he started the Cadillac, pulled from the space, and drove into the night.
"You don't mind the aroma, do you?" he asked sarcastically as he took the grips of the chair. Carefully, he wheeled her out to the Cadillac. He placed her carefully on the passenger seat, much as she had arrived. The wheelchair folded up and disappeared into the roomy trunk of the Cadillac without problem. He drove into the city. The Cadillac's big engine made for easy acceleration. Despite himself, he was beginning to like the car.
He left the expressway and drove through the streets easily until he found what he was looking for. The neon sign advertising fresh-brewed gourmet coffee was off; the coffee bar was silent. He pulled the car around into the alley, walked around to the front, and unlocked the door with Erin's keys. He was pleased to note that the burglar alarm code had not changed. Moving quickly, he opened the back door, got Erin and her wheelchair out of his car, and brought her into the coffee shop. In the cream dress, she was a radiance in the dark shop. The store was closed, but even so, he knew that he would need to leave quickly before someone noticed the young woman in a dinner gown slumped in a wheelchair.
He dropped an envelope into Erin's lap. Now there was only one thing left to do, so Dr. Lecter did it. He reached under Erin's chin and raised her face to his.
"Ciao, Erin," he said. "The experiment is ended. Well, my part, anyway. Heaven only knows when we'll see each other again."
He leaned forward as if to kiss her and then stopped. He thought a bit more. Then he decided and went ahead and did it, his lips pressing against hers. Her eyes fluttered and she made a brief sound as if stirring. Dr. Lecter was surprised.
He turned then, drew himself up to his full height, and took the telephone off the wall. The sound of three digits beeped in the receiver as he dialed 911. Without another word, he left via the back door and got into his car. He maneuvered through the alleyway, turned right, then right again. He could see the front of the coffee shop now.
Without knowing why, he pulled the Cadillac into a parking space a block or so up the street. He could not see her from his viewpoint; the windows of the coffee bar faced the wrong way. He knew that he should not be doing this. He knew the smartest thing to do would be to leave. But something urged him to stay.
As he waited, he thought. This whole trip had been an exercise in living with substitutes, often below his standards. Well by any objective standard, but below his own standards. A Cadillac in place of a Jaguar. A house in the country in place of a house on the river. And, of course, Erin in place of Clarice.
But was Erin below his standards? Was she merely a pale copy of Clarice?
No, he decided. She had served him well as a lab rat, for his experiment. But he could not compare her to Starling and judge her worse. They were two women navigating their respective bureaucracies. There had been a spark with her, just as with Clarice. Clarice had been his student; Erin had been his charge. It was different, but not worse.
Perhaps ten minutes later, a police cruiser pulled up in front of the shop. The police officer in it jumped out and looked into the windows of the coffee bar. He spoke into his radio. He banged on the door with his flashlight. A few minutes later, another patrol car and an ambulance pulled up behind it. After conferring with each other, the police broke open the door.
Dr. Lecter watched silently from a block away. The Cadillac was completely dark; he did not want to call attention to himself by turning on the interior lights. He simply sat and watched as they entered the building. He wondered briefly what they would think when they got there.
He sat up as they brought out his charge on a stretcher. His hands flexed on the wheel as he watched them wheel her unconscious form into the back of the ambulance and take off with her, sirens wailing. Fools. There was no medical emergency, the note in the envelope made it exceedingly clear that she would wake up on her own without any problem in a few hours. Still, the foolish medical establishment had to do what it deemed proper. Even though he'd done it better.
The ambulance left. The police remained to fill out whatever they needed to do. Dr. Lecter had seen what he needed to, so he started the Cadillac, pulled from the space, and drove into the night.
