Disclaimer: The
characters of Hannibal Lecter, Clarice Starling, Jack Crawford and Paul
Krendler do not belong to me, but to Thomas Harris. No copyright
infringement intended. I don't see how I could make any money of it
anyway.
I'm just borrowing them for a ride. I'll turn them back. I promise ...
Or
maybe not ...
Notes: I know this is a short chapter, but I couldn't resist to the pleasure of a little conversation between Clarice and the Good Doctor. Hope you will enjoy it too. Many thanks to the reviewers of previous chapters.
Chapter 4
The house was only ten miles from Washington but it looked like deep in the countryside. The park was vast enough to guarantee his privacy. Besides, the security systems were the state of the art. The only modification he had had to do was to disconnect them from the police department. Had anyone be so bold as to disturb his peace, he could deal with his own security himself.
Hannibal Lecter parked the jaguar in the garage, next to the pickup. He closed the sliding door and headed to the main entrance. The night was cold and clear. The stars were bright and the moon was almost full. He took a deep breath and savored the odor of the night.
Once inside, he hung his coat and went directly to the sitting room. Without switching on the light, he helped himself a glass of Cognac and went to sit in the large armchair by the window. He touched lightly the remote control and the music of an aria from Bach started filling the room. He closed his eyes.
He let the memory of her scent cloud his mind. To be so close to her after all this time had generated in him a turmoil of emotions he did not expect. He had not realized he had missed her so much until his hand touched her skin. He smiled at the memory of her resisting his grip. You can never get rid of me, Clarice Starling. Not in a thousand years ...
He lowered the music and took the phone. He knew the number by hard but it was the first time he was actually dialing it.
Clarice had been in her bed for two hours, but sleep had apparently decided not to come. She was thinking again about her conversation with Mc Dougall and was wondering if she could have handled it in a different and better way.
"I am one of the few men on this earth who have understood him, and who he is. And I think he respects that." What kind of fool could utter such bullshit. Did he really believe in that ? If he did, he was more stupid than Clarice had imagined. She hadn't the pretense to understand Lecter, but one thing she was sure of was that he would never feel anything like 'respect' for a man like Mc Dougall. He might find it amusing to play a bit with him, but it would not last long. And then ...
Clarice was trying to focus her thoughts on Mc Dougall to keep her mind away from what happened in the alley. She was just avoiding the facts, and she knew it. As well as she knew she could not win at this little game. Sooner or later she would have to cope with it. But she did not feel ready yet.
She switched on the lamp on her bedside table and grabbed the book next to it. "The Great Train Robbery" by Michael Crichton. Well, that would do. Anything that would not deal with cannibalism or serial killers of psychiatrists or brain surgery or Florence or ... OK, let's try with trains.
She sat in her bed and started to concentrate on her reading. She was about to succeed when the ring of her telephone startled her. Se had a look at the clock: 3:47 am. "Who the h..." She hesitated a moment before answering. But it could be the office ... It could only be the office: who else would call her in the middle of the night. she picked up the receiver.
" - Starling." No answer. "Who's there ?" No answer. She was getting nervous. "I'm warning you, I'm not in the perfect mood for playing guesses. So either you have something to say or I hang up.
- Good evening, Clarice.
- Dr. Lecter ?" So much for trying to forget him ! "Dr. Lecter, what the f...
- I just wanted to be sure you made it home safe. The streets of Washington are so insecure these days. You never know what kind of maniac you could encounter there.
- I realized that tonight !" She heard him chuckle. "And you had to wake me up in the middle of the night for that ?
- I'm sorry if I did, Clarice. I had not realized it was so late. I could not find sleep and I thought ... Well, forget about it. The important thing is that you are all right. Good night now."
Clarice' s mind was racing. She could not just let him hang up.
" - Dr. Lecter, wait !" she almost shouted. If she could reach her cell phone, she might be able to alert the FBI and have the call traced. She had to try. He had not hung up. "Dr. Lecter, are you still here ?
- Yes, Clarice. I'm still here. What's on your mind ?
- Well, now that you have waken me up, I thought we could talk a little. You surprised me sooner in the alley and I was not quite myself. There are so many things I'd like to know and ...
- You thought maybe I could help. Tell me."
Clarice was in the kitchen now, searching for her cell phone in her jacket. She had to play smart. If he suspected anything strange he would hang up immediately.
" - How long have you been back in the United States, Dr. Lecter ?
- What makes you think I ever left ?
- Well, after what happened at Krendler' s house, I thought ... I mean, your safety ...
- You thought leaving the country would have been the smartest thing to do." Clarice had found her phone and was looking for Crawford' s number now. "Not necessarily, Clarice. Yours is a very wide country, with plenty of places to hide. And the access to the ultimate technologies. For instance, did you know that with a minimum of knowledge and the right accesses you can build yourself a virtual satellite network that would make it almost impossible to trace your phone calls ? Or at least not in less than one hour ..."
Clarice put her cell phone on the table. Of course he knew what she was about to do.
" - And I guess you find it very funny, don't you ?" She sighed.
" - No, Clarice. But considering your attempt to locate me would have failed, I thought it was fair to tell you. Had you manage to reach Jack Crawford, you would have had to explain to him how we met tonight ... and what you were doing at Mc Dougall' s place. A lot of embarrassing questions ... and for no tangible result. I thought I could spare you the pain.
- Thank you, Dr. Lecter. Is there anything you don't know about my life ?
- There might be a few things ... But a gentleman should never ask."
As she did not answer he went on.
" - I realize that now that your attempt to find me has failed, you may not have any more interests in our little conversation, have you, Clarice ? I should probably let you go back to sleep.
- I was not sleeping.
- I see.
- I was thinking about Mc Dougall. Trying to find a way to protect him from you. One thing I would like to know, though ...
- Yes ?
- Why did you get after Dubrowski and Sogliato ? Why not go directly for Mc Dougall ? After all, he has written that god-damned book. He is the one you should be angry about."
She heard him laugh.
" - Is he ?" he asked. "Things are not always what they seem, Clarice. You should know by now. No, I'm not angry about Mr. Mc Dougall. Neither was I about Mr. Dubrowski or Mr. Sogliato. Think of them as messengers, rather than targets.
- Messengers to whom, Dr. Lecter ?
- To the person responsible for all this. As Mr. Mc dougall has been a messenger to me. You see, I have just answered a letter I received.
- I don't follow, Dr. Lecter. What are you talking about ?
- I know this sounds a little bit confusing, Clarice. And I'm sorry I cannot be more explicit for the moment. But I have told you all I could tell you. For my safety, and for your own. The rest, you will have to discover by yourself. I will leave you now. I think you should take some rest. Good night, Clarice.
- Dr. Lecter ?"
He had hung up. She stayed like that staring at the phone for a couple of minutes, unable to decide what she should think of the conversation she just had, almost doubting it had been real. Then she left the kitchen and went back to her bedroom. Five minutes later, she was sleeping like a baby.
Hannibal Lecter turned the volume of the stereo higher. He removed his shoes and laid on the couch. As soon as he closed his eyes, the face of Clarice Starling appeared to him, peacefully asleep. "Sleep well, Clarice. And have sweet dreams."
To be continued ... Thanks for reading. If you want to leave a review, feel free. If you don't, feel free the same.
Absolut.
Notes: I know this is a short chapter, but I couldn't resist to the pleasure of a little conversation between Clarice and the Good Doctor. Hope you will enjoy it too. Many thanks to the reviewers of previous chapters.
Chapter 4
The house was only ten miles from Washington but it looked like deep in the countryside. The park was vast enough to guarantee his privacy. Besides, the security systems were the state of the art. The only modification he had had to do was to disconnect them from the police department. Had anyone be so bold as to disturb his peace, he could deal with his own security himself.
Hannibal Lecter parked the jaguar in the garage, next to the pickup. He closed the sliding door and headed to the main entrance. The night was cold and clear. The stars were bright and the moon was almost full. He took a deep breath and savored the odor of the night.
Once inside, he hung his coat and went directly to the sitting room. Without switching on the light, he helped himself a glass of Cognac and went to sit in the large armchair by the window. He touched lightly the remote control and the music of an aria from Bach started filling the room. He closed his eyes.
He let the memory of her scent cloud his mind. To be so close to her after all this time had generated in him a turmoil of emotions he did not expect. He had not realized he had missed her so much until his hand touched her skin. He smiled at the memory of her resisting his grip. You can never get rid of me, Clarice Starling. Not in a thousand years ...
He lowered the music and took the phone. He knew the number by hard but it was the first time he was actually dialing it.
Clarice had been in her bed for two hours, but sleep had apparently decided not to come. She was thinking again about her conversation with Mc Dougall and was wondering if she could have handled it in a different and better way.
"I am one of the few men on this earth who have understood him, and who he is. And I think he respects that." What kind of fool could utter such bullshit. Did he really believe in that ? If he did, he was more stupid than Clarice had imagined. She hadn't the pretense to understand Lecter, but one thing she was sure of was that he would never feel anything like 'respect' for a man like Mc Dougall. He might find it amusing to play a bit with him, but it would not last long. And then ...
Clarice was trying to focus her thoughts on Mc Dougall to keep her mind away from what happened in the alley. She was just avoiding the facts, and she knew it. As well as she knew she could not win at this little game. Sooner or later she would have to cope with it. But she did not feel ready yet.
She switched on the lamp on her bedside table and grabbed the book next to it. "The Great Train Robbery" by Michael Crichton. Well, that would do. Anything that would not deal with cannibalism or serial killers of psychiatrists or brain surgery or Florence or ... OK, let's try with trains.
She sat in her bed and started to concentrate on her reading. She was about to succeed when the ring of her telephone startled her. Se had a look at the clock: 3:47 am. "Who the h..." She hesitated a moment before answering. But it could be the office ... It could only be the office: who else would call her in the middle of the night. she picked up the receiver.
" - Starling." No answer. "Who's there ?" No answer. She was getting nervous. "I'm warning you, I'm not in the perfect mood for playing guesses. So either you have something to say or I hang up.
- Good evening, Clarice.
- Dr. Lecter ?" So much for trying to forget him ! "Dr. Lecter, what the f...
- I just wanted to be sure you made it home safe. The streets of Washington are so insecure these days. You never know what kind of maniac you could encounter there.
- I realized that tonight !" She heard him chuckle. "And you had to wake me up in the middle of the night for that ?
- I'm sorry if I did, Clarice. I had not realized it was so late. I could not find sleep and I thought ... Well, forget about it. The important thing is that you are all right. Good night now."
Clarice' s mind was racing. She could not just let him hang up.
" - Dr. Lecter, wait !" she almost shouted. If she could reach her cell phone, she might be able to alert the FBI and have the call traced. She had to try. He had not hung up. "Dr. Lecter, are you still here ?
- Yes, Clarice. I'm still here. What's on your mind ?
- Well, now that you have waken me up, I thought we could talk a little. You surprised me sooner in the alley and I was not quite myself. There are so many things I'd like to know and ...
- You thought maybe I could help. Tell me."
Clarice was in the kitchen now, searching for her cell phone in her jacket. She had to play smart. If he suspected anything strange he would hang up immediately.
" - How long have you been back in the United States, Dr. Lecter ?
- What makes you think I ever left ?
- Well, after what happened at Krendler' s house, I thought ... I mean, your safety ...
- You thought leaving the country would have been the smartest thing to do." Clarice had found her phone and was looking for Crawford' s number now. "Not necessarily, Clarice. Yours is a very wide country, with plenty of places to hide. And the access to the ultimate technologies. For instance, did you know that with a minimum of knowledge and the right accesses you can build yourself a virtual satellite network that would make it almost impossible to trace your phone calls ? Or at least not in less than one hour ..."
Clarice put her cell phone on the table. Of course he knew what she was about to do.
" - And I guess you find it very funny, don't you ?" She sighed.
" - No, Clarice. But considering your attempt to locate me would have failed, I thought it was fair to tell you. Had you manage to reach Jack Crawford, you would have had to explain to him how we met tonight ... and what you were doing at Mc Dougall' s place. A lot of embarrassing questions ... and for no tangible result. I thought I could spare you the pain.
- Thank you, Dr. Lecter. Is there anything you don't know about my life ?
- There might be a few things ... But a gentleman should never ask."
As she did not answer he went on.
" - I realize that now that your attempt to find me has failed, you may not have any more interests in our little conversation, have you, Clarice ? I should probably let you go back to sleep.
- I was not sleeping.
- I see.
- I was thinking about Mc Dougall. Trying to find a way to protect him from you. One thing I would like to know, though ...
- Yes ?
- Why did you get after Dubrowski and Sogliato ? Why not go directly for Mc Dougall ? After all, he has written that god-damned book. He is the one you should be angry about."
She heard him laugh.
" - Is he ?" he asked. "Things are not always what they seem, Clarice. You should know by now. No, I'm not angry about Mr. Mc Dougall. Neither was I about Mr. Dubrowski or Mr. Sogliato. Think of them as messengers, rather than targets.
- Messengers to whom, Dr. Lecter ?
- To the person responsible for all this. As Mr. Mc dougall has been a messenger to me. You see, I have just answered a letter I received.
- I don't follow, Dr. Lecter. What are you talking about ?
- I know this sounds a little bit confusing, Clarice. And I'm sorry I cannot be more explicit for the moment. But I have told you all I could tell you. For my safety, and for your own. The rest, you will have to discover by yourself. I will leave you now. I think you should take some rest. Good night, Clarice.
- Dr. Lecter ?"
He had hung up. She stayed like that staring at the phone for a couple of minutes, unable to decide what she should think of the conversation she just had, almost doubting it had been real. Then she left the kitchen and went back to her bedroom. Five minutes later, she was sleeping like a baby.
Hannibal Lecter turned the volume of the stereo higher. He removed his shoes and laid on the couch. As soon as he closed his eyes, the face of Clarice Starling appeared to him, peacefully asleep. "Sleep well, Clarice. And have sweet dreams."
To be continued ... Thanks for reading. If you want to leave a review, feel free. If you don't, feel free the same.
Absolut.