1 Chapter 17: Tension Builds
N/A – You wanted longer chapters… so here you go. What was once originally two chapters – in one. Sorry it's taking so long now. My mind is losing it's momentum.
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Hannibal sat in the abandoned Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally insane. The orderlies lounge was pitch black below ground, where he sat. It was less than a-hundred yards from his old prison cell, but that thought never once crossed his mind. He certainly didn't waste any time walking down the disgusting hallways to look at it again. The place where he'd first caught a glimpse of the attractive, ambitious, and young Clarice Starling. That was all he thought about that place now. It wasn't important to see it.
There was a stolen cell phone in his hand, since the payphone attached to the wall above his head – and everything else in the building for that matter – was cut off from power.
Hannibal, of course, hadn't been looking at Ardelia when he'd called her that morning. He'd only watched her leave her house – a move he wouldn't repeat. She'd be closely observed now. Still… he would make another phone call. At least until the phone was reported stolen, and the piece of technology would prove useless to him, no one would be able to trace the calls to his hide-out.
He ran his hands over his face, leaving the cell phone in his lap temporarily. Incarceration had been the very hell his mind feared. To have Clarice in a cell where he couldn't reach her was even worse. Lifting the cell phone again, he blindly punched in Ardelia's number.
"Hello?"
His breath caught in his throat, and he nearly dropped the phone. Clever Ardelia Mapp to do this. The voice on the other end of the line was soft from disuse. But without a doubt, he recognized it as belonging to his Clarice. What did Ms. Mapp have up her sleeve?
"My little Starling." He whispered. "What is she planning by giving you the phone?"
There was a moment of quiet while she cleared her throat. It sounded almost as though she was ill, but he knew not speaking for long periods of time could do that to a throat. Had she refused to speak to anyone until now? He didn't know. All he knew came from the papers, and that was that she refused to make any statements. Until now, he hadn't taken that literally.
"She thinks I'll talk you out of stalking her." Clarice whispered.
"Oh… but it's so much fun!" Hannibal chuckled. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." She sighed. "Bored… but safe." She cleared her throat again. "The food is lousy."
"Clarice… who's listening to the conversation?"
"Mapp is." Her failure to call Ardelia by her first name didn't fail to make it clear to him she hated the woman now. That was good, to a degree. Although he didn't wish for anything like this to have happened, he thought it would be easier to take care of Ardelia should the need arise. Then Clarice wouldn't be so furious with him.
"Well, well, well… I hope she makes sure you get taken care of."
"She'll try." Clarice sighed. "You want her to talk?"
"Most definitely not." He said crisply. "Clarice, keep the phone with you. I'll call you again. I won't speak to Mapp. Only you."
"Alright." She said. It sounded as though she might have a smirk.
"Clarice. Tell them the truth if you want to."
"Which truth would that be, Doctor?" She asked drolly. "Talk to you soon… Hannibal."
"Ta."
Hanging up, Hannibal lay his head back against the cement block wall. Clarice was all right. Yet that was very little comfort to him. He could do absolutely nothing to get her out. Why was she waiting to tell them the truth? What sort of crimes could they possibly charge her for that they hadn't already pinned on her already? He didn't think much.
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Six weeks passed. Clarice was kept in solitude; accessed only by Ardelia, her partner Kevin, and daily phone calls from Hannibal. Every call was tapped, so they didn't last long, and the three simple words they both wanted to whisper remained unspoken between them. Their love for one another. Each call, Hannibal seemed more annoyed at their predicament. Each time he hung up, they could both feel the tension around them because of how they both wanted to reassure one another of their past. They loved each other. They'd spoken the words to one another before.
"I .. I don't feel very well today." Clarice sighed during one of their calls. "I'm going to see a doctor before they transfer me, I think."
"Are they moving you?" Hannibal's already angry voice rose. It was difficult for him to call her, talk to her while other people were listening in on their conversation, and remain calm all of the time. It was getting on his nerves. Now this new piece of news worried him to know end. "When? To where?"
"I don't know." She replied. "Sometime this week, but I don't know where. They don't want me telling you."
"Sensible." He admitted. "Clarice, are you all right?"
"Yes."
"That's the first lie you've told me in a very long time." He stated. "What happened? What's the matter?"
"Maybe I'll tell you sometime." She whispered. "Good-bye, Hannibal."
"Clarice –"
She turned off the cell phone, passing it through the cell bars to Ardelia. Over her shoulder stood her partner Kevin. Clarice gave him a look of acid.
"Now, do you want to tell me what the hell is going on with you?" Ardelia asked softly. "I'm sorry about yesterday. But I can't control being sick. Kevin was here."
"I think I hate him even more than I hate you." Clarice spat venomously. "I never want him near me again! Get him out of here!"
Ardelia looked over her shoulder at Kevin, startled, and then back to Clarice. She put her cell phone into her purse quickly.
"What happened?" She demanded.
"Be damned if I know." Kevin replied with an annoyed shrug.
"Kevin – outside – now." Ardelia hissed. "Come on! Move it!"
Clarice made herself smile humorlessly as Kevin was herded down the hall, and undoubtedly into a prison cell. She hoped so. She hated him that much.
Her hair had grown longer, and was halfway down her back now. She was given a soft-bristled brush each morning to run through her hair, and ribbon to pull it back into a pony tail. Her clothes were very simple. She was given a blue button-up short-sleeved shirt, blue slacks, and white socks and shoes. At night she was given a pair of fluffy slippers – courtesy of Ardelia – and a plain white cotton nightgown. She was an inmate, but because there was very little evidence against her except for the obvious – hearsay – she was allowed to be comfortable. Yet never was Clarice allowed out of her cell. Never. They weren't afraid of her trying to escape, so much as Hannibal Lecter trying to get her out of there himself.
Ardelia came back half of an hour after she escorted Kevin out of the building, and looked in on Clarice with concern. Never had she wanted to turn against her friend. Even Clarice thought she understood that. Ardelia Mapp had just been doing her job – as Clarice had once shot a friend doing her job. She remembered the fish market. Yet that hadn't been the same thing. That wasn't supposed to have ended like that.
"Clarice… do you want a doctor to look at you?" She asked softly. "I'm sorry…"
"I want to be looked at, yes. For every possible test she can give me." Clarice stood up, and walked over to the bars, looking through them to Ardelia. "If I don't have a female doctor, so help me, Ardelia –"
"Relax, I know. I understand." She smiled weakly. She herself looked sick. "I've already talked to my superior. Kevin has been removed from this case as my partner. If you want, you can bring charges against him. It will be hard to arrange, but –"
"We'll see." She said. "For now… the doctor."
"I'll call her now."
Among other things, the doctor was to test her for evidence of a physical or sexual assault. Clarice knew that she'd test positive for such tests. All she'd done overnight since Kevin was left alone with her on Ardelia's sick day was change from her nightgown into her regular clothes. She hadn't washed herself, or given up the nightgown to be washed.
N/A – You wanted longer chapters… so here you go. What was once originally two chapters – in one. Sorry it's taking so long now. My mind is losing it's momentum.
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Hannibal sat in the abandoned Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally insane. The orderlies lounge was pitch black below ground, where he sat. It was less than a-hundred yards from his old prison cell, but that thought never once crossed his mind. He certainly didn't waste any time walking down the disgusting hallways to look at it again. The place where he'd first caught a glimpse of the attractive, ambitious, and young Clarice Starling. That was all he thought about that place now. It wasn't important to see it.
There was a stolen cell phone in his hand, since the payphone attached to the wall above his head – and everything else in the building for that matter – was cut off from power.
Hannibal, of course, hadn't been looking at Ardelia when he'd called her that morning. He'd only watched her leave her house – a move he wouldn't repeat. She'd be closely observed now. Still… he would make another phone call. At least until the phone was reported stolen, and the piece of technology would prove useless to him, no one would be able to trace the calls to his hide-out.
He ran his hands over his face, leaving the cell phone in his lap temporarily. Incarceration had been the very hell his mind feared. To have Clarice in a cell where he couldn't reach her was even worse. Lifting the cell phone again, he blindly punched in Ardelia's number.
"Hello?"
His breath caught in his throat, and he nearly dropped the phone. Clever Ardelia Mapp to do this. The voice on the other end of the line was soft from disuse. But without a doubt, he recognized it as belonging to his Clarice. What did Ms. Mapp have up her sleeve?
"My little Starling." He whispered. "What is she planning by giving you the phone?"
There was a moment of quiet while she cleared her throat. It sounded almost as though she was ill, but he knew not speaking for long periods of time could do that to a throat. Had she refused to speak to anyone until now? He didn't know. All he knew came from the papers, and that was that she refused to make any statements. Until now, he hadn't taken that literally.
"She thinks I'll talk you out of stalking her." Clarice whispered.
"Oh… but it's so much fun!" Hannibal chuckled. "Are you alright?"
"Yes." She sighed. "Bored… but safe." She cleared her throat again. "The food is lousy."
"Clarice… who's listening to the conversation?"
"Mapp is." Her failure to call Ardelia by her first name didn't fail to make it clear to him she hated the woman now. That was good, to a degree. Although he didn't wish for anything like this to have happened, he thought it would be easier to take care of Ardelia should the need arise. Then Clarice wouldn't be so furious with him.
"Well, well, well… I hope she makes sure you get taken care of."
"She'll try." Clarice sighed. "You want her to talk?"
"Most definitely not." He said crisply. "Clarice, keep the phone with you. I'll call you again. I won't speak to Mapp. Only you."
"Alright." She said. It sounded as though she might have a smirk.
"Clarice. Tell them the truth if you want to."
"Which truth would that be, Doctor?" She asked drolly. "Talk to you soon… Hannibal."
"Ta."
Hanging up, Hannibal lay his head back against the cement block wall. Clarice was all right. Yet that was very little comfort to him. He could do absolutely nothing to get her out. Why was she waiting to tell them the truth? What sort of crimes could they possibly charge her for that they hadn't already pinned on her already? He didn't think much.
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Six weeks passed. Clarice was kept in solitude; accessed only by Ardelia, her partner Kevin, and daily phone calls from Hannibal. Every call was tapped, so they didn't last long, and the three simple words they both wanted to whisper remained unspoken between them. Their love for one another. Each call, Hannibal seemed more annoyed at their predicament. Each time he hung up, they could both feel the tension around them because of how they both wanted to reassure one another of their past. They loved each other. They'd spoken the words to one another before.
"I .. I don't feel very well today." Clarice sighed during one of their calls. "I'm going to see a doctor before they transfer me, I think."
"Are they moving you?" Hannibal's already angry voice rose. It was difficult for him to call her, talk to her while other people were listening in on their conversation, and remain calm all of the time. It was getting on his nerves. Now this new piece of news worried him to know end. "When? To where?"
"I don't know." She replied. "Sometime this week, but I don't know where. They don't want me telling you."
"Sensible." He admitted. "Clarice, are you all right?"
"Yes."
"That's the first lie you've told me in a very long time." He stated. "What happened? What's the matter?"
"Maybe I'll tell you sometime." She whispered. "Good-bye, Hannibal."
"Clarice –"
She turned off the cell phone, passing it through the cell bars to Ardelia. Over her shoulder stood her partner Kevin. Clarice gave him a look of acid.
"Now, do you want to tell me what the hell is going on with you?" Ardelia asked softly. "I'm sorry about yesterday. But I can't control being sick. Kevin was here."
"I think I hate him even more than I hate you." Clarice spat venomously. "I never want him near me again! Get him out of here!"
Ardelia looked over her shoulder at Kevin, startled, and then back to Clarice. She put her cell phone into her purse quickly.
"What happened?" She demanded.
"Be damned if I know." Kevin replied with an annoyed shrug.
"Kevin – outside – now." Ardelia hissed. "Come on! Move it!"
Clarice made herself smile humorlessly as Kevin was herded down the hall, and undoubtedly into a prison cell. She hoped so. She hated him that much.
Her hair had grown longer, and was halfway down her back now. She was given a soft-bristled brush each morning to run through her hair, and ribbon to pull it back into a pony tail. Her clothes were very simple. She was given a blue button-up short-sleeved shirt, blue slacks, and white socks and shoes. At night she was given a pair of fluffy slippers – courtesy of Ardelia – and a plain white cotton nightgown. She was an inmate, but because there was very little evidence against her except for the obvious – hearsay – she was allowed to be comfortable. Yet never was Clarice allowed out of her cell. Never. They weren't afraid of her trying to escape, so much as Hannibal Lecter trying to get her out of there himself.
Ardelia came back half of an hour after she escorted Kevin out of the building, and looked in on Clarice with concern. Never had she wanted to turn against her friend. Even Clarice thought she understood that. Ardelia Mapp had just been doing her job – as Clarice had once shot a friend doing her job. She remembered the fish market. Yet that hadn't been the same thing. That wasn't supposed to have ended like that.
"Clarice… do you want a doctor to look at you?" She asked softly. "I'm sorry…"
"I want to be looked at, yes. For every possible test she can give me." Clarice stood up, and walked over to the bars, looking through them to Ardelia. "If I don't have a female doctor, so help me, Ardelia –"
"Relax, I know. I understand." She smiled weakly. She herself looked sick. "I've already talked to my superior. Kevin has been removed from this case as my partner. If you want, you can bring charges against him. It will be hard to arrange, but –"
"We'll see." She said. "For now… the doctor."
"I'll call her now."
Among other things, the doctor was to test her for evidence of a physical or sexual assault. Clarice knew that she'd test positive for such tests. All she'd done overnight since Kevin was left alone with her on Ardelia's sick day was change from her nightgown into her regular clothes. She hadn't washed herself, or given up the nightgown to be washed.