Graham stepped through the black curtain as Crawford held it open for him. It was very dark in the room and Graham looked back over at Crawford as he flicked the lights on. "No, Jack," he said. "If this is the way she sees it, I want to see it the same way." Crawford flicked the lights back down, leaving the only illumination to be the desk lamp that huddled tightly over the information Starling had studied last before heading out for lunch and a jog, and from the wall display. Just before Crawford hit the lights, Graham caught sight of the sign on the inside of the curtain that proclaimed the room to be "Hannibal's House". He smiled ruefully. "Charming," he commented as his eyes readjusted to the lighting. He made a sweeping glance of the room, immediately recognizing why the room could be billed as the House that Hannibal built. He found himself compelled to move towards the big display of photographs that had been posted on the wall of the man himself, not realizing this was just what Dr. Lecter's last victim had done.
At that moment, the curtain flew open and Special Agent Clarice Starling herself appeared. Will Graham turned around, his back facing the light coming from the display of Dr. Lecter's photographs, his face in shadows. Clarice took one look from Crawford to the strange man standing in what she considered her personal space and her eyes blazed as she reset them on Crawford. Graham could see her clearly from where she was standing, photographs of Dr. Lecter projected from the wall onto her white t-shirt. Despite the triangle of sweat coming down her shirt and her sweat-drenched hair, Clarice Starling was quite an attractive woman. Graham noted that pictures did her no justice.
"What's going on, Mr. Crawford?" She demanded, not showing any of the respect that the title indicated.
"Starling, I'd like you to meet…"
"My replacement, right? God damn it, Jack! I'm so close to finding him! He's all right here, I know it! If I just had time… he's been spooked, that damned Italian bumbler saw to that, I'll have to keep refining the list of watchables, but I know he's here. This guy, what does he know?" She flung her arm out and pointed a finger at Graham without ever taking her eyes off Crawford. Graham was surprised because he had moved since she had walked in and he was sure she hadn't noticed. "I've actually seen Lecter, talked to him. You can't tell me that some guy that just walked into this will understand him the way I do. Does he have any idea the kind of person he's going to take on? Is he prepared to live with another person inside his mind day and night? Does he even know what it's like to have your mind dissected and your dreams destroyed in just five minutes by a person who knew nothing about you a moment before?"
"I have a feeling I just experienced it," Graham said sarcastically.
Clarice ignored him, but her voice quieted so that Will had to strain to hear it. "Damn it, Jack! Don't take this away from me! They've taken everything else. This is the only thing I have left that I'm sure I can do."
"Don't worry, Starling. This isn't your replacement. This is your new partner."
Clarice's face didn't soften a bit. "Mr. Crawford, with all due respect, does this guy have any idea what he's getting himself into? Or is he just a glory seeker hoping to ride on some coattails up to the top?"
"I think he's qualified enough. Clarice Starling, allow me to introduce Will Graham."
For the first time, Clarice showed some surprise. She turned her head towards Graham who had stepped up and now offered his hand. "A pleasure, I'm sure," she said, obviously distracted as she gave him a strong squeeze and shake. He noticed she barely glanced at the horrible scarring on his face even though he was sure there was enough light to see it now. Even knowing she must have studied his own files to discover things about Lecter, he had expected more of a reaction form her. Usually disgust was the first thing to come. You have to remember she saw a man eating his own brain. You only imagined it and got nauseous. Graham decided that Clarice Starling was much tougher than her exterior made one imagine.
While Graham was distracted with these thoughts, Starling herself was once more making Crawford the target of her onslaught. "Jack, listen to me. No insult to Mr. Graham, but catching Lecter when he was comfortable in his freedom is one thing. Trying to get him when he knows he's being hunted is something totally different! Lecter's going to be even more on his guard now. You know it was eight years before anyone even suspected him in Italy! Eight years before he started using any M.O. that Mr. Graham could identify."
"Starling, Will has caught Lecter before and even though I do know that no one is better qualified to catch him again than you, Will might shine some light onto your quest that all the reports and dossiers in the world couldn't." Clarice's visage didn't waver. Graham wondered if she hadn't taken lessons from Lecter on how to be stone-faced. Crawford put his arm around her and led her a little away from Graham. "Just give him a few days, Starling. If he's no help to you, I can assign him an office somewhere else and he can pursue Lecter in his own way. Look," he continued when she gave an exasperated sigh, "this is just to help get the Justice department off our backs. They're still not sure about your actions at Muskrat Farm. They've reinstated you, but Will's presence might just be enough to let them know how serious you are."
"Alright," Graham heard Clarice say resignedly. "If that's what it takes. Three days, no more, then I want him gone, Jack. Do you understand me? Gone."
"There we go. See, Will, I knew she'd see reason," Crawford grinned. "Now, Starling, we'll just leave you alone to adjust to the idea and maybe clear off a space for Will, if you could."
"You're asking an awful lot, Jack."
"You've never broken under the strain before," Crawford said as he escorted Graham out.
