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: Sorry for posting so late, but I've been a little bit busy. Next chapter should come up soon. Many thanks to the reviewers of previous chapters.

Chapter 5

Clarice was feeling strangely good and fresh, considering she had slept only two hours. They had started investigating the serial numbers of the weapons they had seized to try to link them to registered crimes and criminal. This meant a tedious day in front of a computer, and she generally did not appreciate such activities. But today, she did it with enthusiasm. David was discreetly glancing at her in disbelief.

After two hours, they finally started to get some results. One of the rifles had apparently been used in a failed bank robbery in Texas six months before. One of the burglar had been killed during the assault of the police and his gun had been seized. Then, the question was how the rifle arrived from the Dallas police deposit to a warehouse near Washington DC. David took the phone and asked someone at the Dallas FBI office to investigate with the local Police Department to see what had happened.

They definitely had deserved a good lunch. David renewed his invitation for the Italian restaurant and this time got a very positive answer. They had only just gone out of the building when Starling' s cell phone rang. She took the call. "Starling. ... Yes, Mr. Krantz ..." David grinned at her. " No. I was going for lunch with agent Scomb ... Yes, I understand ... No. No problem, really ... I'll be with you in a minute."

She looked at David with a smile:

" - Dave, it seems I'm not eating Italian today !
- This I had understood. What does the master want from you ?
- Don't know. He did not tell. He just wants to see me in his office. Sorry.
- No problem. Well, if it doesn't last too long, you know where to find me.
- OK. See you later."

Krantz phone call had disturbed a bit her good mood. While climbing the stairs she was wondering why he had asked her to come so urgently. If it was about the case, why hadn't he asked for David too ?

Krantz secretary was gone for lunch. She knocked at her boss' door and opened it. As soon as she entered the office, she understood they were not going to talk about the case she was working on. In front of Krantz was seated Jack Crawford. She stopped.

" - Starling. Come in." Krantz said, his voice not giving out a clue of what his mood was. "Sit down." She complied.
- Mr. Krantz, Mr. Crawford." she managed to keep her voice calm.
- Starling," Krantz continued. "Jack has come to me this morning to tell me about something ... let's say ... a little bit embarrassing. It seems it has been reported to him that one of my agents had been encroaching on his land last night. I'm sure there is a rational explanation for this, but I just can't make it out right now. Maybe you could help ?"

Clarice closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

" - There is none, sir." she whispered. "I felt I had to talk with Mr. Mc Dougall and ...
- And Jack Crawford here explicitly told you he did not want you to do so, is that correct ?
- Yes, sir. He did.
- Well, in that case, could you tell me why you ignored his orders and went there anyway ?
- I thought I had to do it, sir. I'm really convinced Mr. Mc Dougall is in danger and I wanted to try to convince him to accept the protection of the police.
- I see.
- But I never said to him I was coming on behalf of the FBI, sir. It was a kind of ... personal initiative. After all, Mc Dougall has mentioned my name in his book ... without asking for my permission. It is natural I feel involved. I mean, as a private person ...
- But you are an FBI agent, aren't you, Starling ?
- Yes, sir."

Crawford hadn't said a word since she had entered the office. But he kept his eyes locked on her. Krantz started again.

" - And of course, you have other reasons to feel 'personally involved' when it is about Lecter, haven't you ?" Clarice felt her cheeks become red.
" - I have no personal relationship with Hannibal Lecter, sir" she said. "He was at the center of a case I worked on in the past and that's all. I just happen to know what he is able to do and felt it was my duty to let Mr. Mc dougall know about the danger he is exposing himself to.
- Relax, Starling. Relax ... Jack ?"

Crawford nodded at him and then looked back at Clarice. " I did not come to Terry to have you reproved, Starling." he started. I came to ask his permission to have you back in Behavioral Science, on a temporary assignment, of course." Clarice looked at the two men in disbelief. "It seems I can't keep you out anyway. So, I figured out that if you had to get involved, better have you on our side than working on your own. Since this morning, the Bureau is officially on the case. You are the person who knows Lecter the best. And I sure could use you. Terry has agreed to relieve you from your current assignment. What do you say ?"

Clarice could not believe it. a minute before she was expecting to be fired. And now, she was offered a job.

" - It's OK for me, sir. I mean, if Mr. Krantz agrees, then ... What about the investigation on the weapons ?
- I'll give Scomb another agent to help him. He'll manage.
- Then ...
- So, we have a deal." Crawford concluded. "You have an appointment with Mike Simpson at 2:30 pm in his office downtown, Starling. I told him you would work with him on the disappearance of Frank Sogliato. See if you can find some leads. Simpson will give you all necessary information. Just report to me this evening.
- All right, sir."

Both men were expecting her to go, but she had something to tell them first.

" - Sir. There is something you should know.
- What is it again, Starling ?" Krantz asked. Clarice hesitated a bit before answering.
" - I met Dr. Lecter yesterday evening.
- What ?" Crawford had jumped off his chair. "How ?
- He was ... expecting me outside Mc Dougall' s building. He took me by surprise. He immobilized me. I did not have time to react. He did not even let me look at him, but I'm sure it was him.
- Did he hurt you ?" Krantz asked.
" - No. I think he just wanted to talk to me.
- What did he say ?" Crawford had raised his voice.
" - It only lasted a few minutes, sir. He did not say much. Except he implicitly admitted he kidnapped Dubrowski and Sogliato.
- Did he kill them ?
- I asked, but he did not answer. Lecter scarcely answer directly to questions. But frankly, sir, I don't believe we should expect to find them alive.
- And that's all he said ?
- Yes. Oh no. He also spotted agent Finch.
- Damn ! "

Crawford sat back on the chair. He was still staring at her.

" - When did you plan to tell me that, Starling ?
- I was, sir ... It's just that ... Wasn't easy. You ordered me not to go there and ... It's not like if Lecter had given me really valuable information.
- All right, Starling. I suppose I can count on you for telling me if he ever contacts you again, can I ?
- Certainly, sir"

Clarice mentally cursed herself. She hadn't talked about the phone call. She knew she should have, but she simply could not. For God knows what reasons, she was considering this moment of intimacy with Hannibal Lecter as something personal.

Starling and Crawford left together.

" - How did you know, sir ?" she asked when they were in the elevator. "Did Mc Dougall complain ?
- He had his lawyer call us this morning. He asked us to commit we would no more disturb his client' s peace.
- I see. I wonder why he did that.
- No idea, Clarice. I really don't care about Mc Dougall' s peace anyway. Let's go to work, now. Remember: I want your report tonight.
- You'll have it, sir."


The police station was crowded and smoky. She went to the first officer she saw and asked for chief inspector Simpson. It was so noisy she could hardly hear her own voice. The office showed her to Simpson office. It was open, so she simply went in.

" - Chief inspector Simpson ? I am special agent Clarice Starling, from the FBI. I think Jack Crawford told you about me.
- He did. Please, come in. And you can call me Mike.
- Clarice."

He stood up to shake her hands. Simpson was about fifty years old. He was rather sturdy, but not fat. His hair was beginning to turn gray and the first wrinkles had appeared on his face. But his piercing black eyes were literally shining with intelligence.

" - Welcome on board, Clarice." he said. "Really need help on that one. Did they tell you about the details ?
- No. They told me you would.
- Right."

They both sat and he started summarizing the case for her. Sogliato had left his office at seven, as every evening. At nine, as he had not come home, his wife started worrying and she tried to call him. But she got no answer, neither in office nor on his cell phone. She waited a few hours more, regularly trying to contact him and his friends and colleagues. But in vain. At 3:00 am, she had called the police.

Unlike for Dubrowski, Sogliato' s car had been found the day after, abandoned in the parking lot of a supermarket about two miles from his office. Of course, the scientific experts from Washington police department had examined every single inch of the car, but the only traces they had found, finger prints, hair, ... had been identified as belonging to Sogliato himself or one of his relatives.

The police was still trying to find witnesses but had little hope now.

" - Well, to make it short, we don't have anything looking like a clue." Simpson concluded. " The guy just disappeared, and that's all.
- Did the family notice anything strange in the previous days ?
- Nope. Nothing at home. Nothing at his office."

Clarice nodded. It was her turn now.

" - What do you know about Hannibal Lecter, Mike ?
- What I read in the papers or saw on TV. Including what they wrote about you."

Clarice smiled. She appreciated his honesty. She started telling him all she knew about Lecter, from their very first encounter to the one last night. She gave him all the elements of his psychological profile as she had drawn it. She made it as complete as possible, leaving only her personal feelings outside. Not that she did not feel comfortable with Simpson, but simply she could not make out what she was feeling.

" - You know that as soon as they find out you're working with me, the media will start the whole thing all over again ?" Simpson simply said at the end of her long speech.
" - I know. And I don't mind. I'm used to it.
- Good. Let's go back to work, then."

Simpson introduced her to the rest of the team. There were actually three inspectors and two officers. Together, they started making a list of the possible places where Lecter could have gone in the area. Starling had a pretty fair idea of the kind of place he would live in, or the style of furniture or goods he could have bought. They included all luxury store in a fifty miles range from Washington, as well as the museums. Starling had brought with her the latest picture they had from Lecter. Copies were distributed to each member of the team and they split the work by area.

Simpson and Starling instead would concentrate on the houses. They were looking for something rather big and isolated. Lecter could have bought or rented the place. They would start with the real estates, looking for transactions in the last six months regarding luxurious properties. Money was not a problem. He could afford the best. Clarice knew the chances that Lecter had been stupid enough to leave them a lead were poor. But they had to try something.

It was already late when they finished drawing their plans. Besides, Clarice still had to go and report to Crawford. They decided they would re-start in the morning.


To be continued ... Thanks for reading. If you want to leave a review, feel free. If you don't, feel free the same.
Absolut.