Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, except for the ones I've made up myself.

Family Blood

Chapter 5: Chats and Insults

"You knew that this would happen, didn't you?" Silversted shook his head, amused.

The other man grinned. "What can I say? It's a hell of a lot more fun this way."

Silversted chuckled. "You really are the master of manipulation, you know that?"

"It's a gift." The man's voice suddenly became serious. "Are you sure that they are in Baltimore too?"

Silversted nodded. "Followed them here myself. I think that they're starting to get a little too predictable, don't you think?"

The other man nodded. "They can be that way once you get them figured out, especially Starling I found. But I wouldn't underestimate them just yet."

"So when do we get going on this again?" Silversted was starting to get impatient.

"Soon hopefully. Depends on what Lecter and Starling decide to do next." The man chuckled. "I'm sure that, whatever it is they decide to do, it'll be quite entertaining to say the least."

**************

In her father's old cell in the basement of Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, Jadis Lecter tried hard not to fidget in the uncomfortable straitjacket as the guard put on the face mask. She forced back a cough at the smell of the dreadful thing as it slipped onto her face.

'How did Dr. Lecter ever put up with this?' Jadis thought.

On the other side of the glass barrier, Dr. Nathan Chilton savored the sight of the young Jadis being bound like a madman. He wondered what he would do to her once he had Hannibal Lecter. He'd like to keep her, for anything, as a trophy. His first Lecter. Plus, he rather enjoyed looking at her just for her beauty. He grinned to himself, making a mental note to himself to keep the surveillance tapes of her when he retires. 

With Jadis firmly secured, Chilton told the guards to go away for about ten minutes. He wanted to have a private chat with her. Stepping into the cell, the first thing that hit him was just how tiny the cell actually was. The second thing that hit him was the feeling of Jadis' piercing maroon eyes watching his every move.

Chilton faced the woman and cleared his voice. "Good day Lecter, allow me to introduce myself. I'm Dr. Nathan Chilton, the administrator of this hospital, and your keeper." He grinned at her.

A rancid taste filled Jadis' mouth. Chilton's cocky demeanor made her sick to her stomach.

Chilton went on, leaning closer in towards her. "In case you didn't know, my uncle was the one who kept your father in here all those years ago. Coincidence? I think not. Fate can be a wonderful thing, don't you agree Lecter?" His repulsive grin grew wider.

Jadis narrowed her eyes, trying hard not to vomit at the smell of Chilton's hot breath on her exposed face. "Dr. Fredrick Chilton," she said, her voice low and measured. "According to my father, all he was ever good for was for stocking a fridge, though I suspect that his heart must have tasted quite bland. Don't you agree Chilton?"

She had to fight to not laugh at the look the appeared on Chilton's face. 'This could be more fun than I thought,' she told herself in her head.

Chilton's face twisted into one of fury. "You bitch!" he hissed at her before striking her hard on the face with his fist.

Jadis didn't know what bothered her more. The sharp, but quickly passing pain of Chilton's fist or the spit that had hit her face when he spoke.

Chilton decided that he'd had enough of her for today. Storming out of the cell and slamming the door behind him, he yelled to the guards that he was finished. His glare was always upon her as she was unbound from her restraints and locked inside the cell.

"One more thing Lecter," Chilton told her. "Someone from the FBI's going to be interviewing you tomorrow morning."

With that, he left Jadis alone in the cell. She wiped the spit off of her face with the sleeve of the blue prison uniform and sat down on the hard cot. She felt unwanted eyes watching her. Looking across the hall, another prisoner, an old and overweight man, was sitting on the floor leaning on the bars, plainly staring at her. Jadis went as far as she could into the corner as she pulled up her legs to her chest, wanting to get out of his line of sight. Hiding her face in her arms, tears silently fell from her bloodshot maroon eyes.

'Guilty by association,' she thought bitterly. 'That's the only reason why I'm here. I'm the cannibal's daughter.'

She wished so hard that she could escape the unrelenting gaze of the man across from her, the constant surveillance of the camera above her, the never-ending mental undressing of Nathan Chilton, and the hated closeness of the cell's cold walls all around her.

'May this place burn,' she thought angrily, 'I want to be with Clarice and my father again. I want to go back to Cairo and be Lilith again. I want to help my father cook Chilton for dinner. I want to kill Silversted. Damn it! I want to go home!'

The young Lecter never felt so angry and helpless in her entire life.

*******************

"Okay, thanks Dr. Chilton," Pearsall said before hanging up the phone. Elaine was sitting on the other side of his desk, waiting patiently for Pearsall to finish his conversation with Chilton.

"Well?" she asked once he had hung up the phone.

"Lecter's all settled in," he reported. "Chilton had a little talk with her and from what he told me it didn't go very well for him."

Elaine raised a brow. "Meaning..."

"According to him all she would say was an insult about his uncle and that's it."

Elaine nodded. "So we're sending our agent in tomorrow morning?"

Pearsall nodded. "At nine in the morning Chilton has him booked for." Pearsall hesitated. "I really don't like the idea of sending him in there to interview Lecter."

"Why not? He's more than qualified to, one of our best agents by far."

"And he's also the brother of Paul Krendler," Pearsall said a little more forcefully. "Have you forgotten what her father did to Paul two years ago Elaine? What if he goes after Matthew next?"

"Agent Pearsall," Elaine said while standing up. "I assure you that no harm will come to him. We'll keep a few other agents around him for protection if it'll make you feel any better."

Pearsall shook his head. "No, that's okay Parker. It's just that I'm a little paranoid about this whole situation."

Elaine gave him a kind smile. "I understand, Agent Pearsall."

With that, she left Pearsall alone with his thoughts.