Authors note: this is the second part to my sequel . I hope you'll enjoy .
'be patient with Clarice .. she's confused and in love .'
~°~
This looked all too familiar .. A dozen pairs of eyes were directed at her when she entered the conference room. She was seated at one of the empty chairs opposite to them. Everything looked just too familiar .Clarice sighed. Maybe she was about to be dismissed again, she wondered, but for what cause?? Did they really know something about Hannibal and herself . 'darn, what is it you have against me' she thought. Inside herself the feelings played thunderstorm, outside she appeared to be calm and superior, the perfect professional, Special Agent Clarice Starling..
The door opened and the big boss entered the room. She hadn't spoken to him since the incidents with Ivelda Drumgo. She wasn't very eager to have to now .. but there was no getting out, so she had to face it, again all alone with apparently the whole FBI against her. Clarice sighed.
He sat down, opened his jacket and fixed a tie, which actually was totally and absolutely in fine order. So he was kind of nervous too. What was wrong with all these people .. what in hell had she done. what evidence did they have? Again so many questions that remained unanswered.
"Agent Starling?" one of those suits addressed her suddenly.
"Yes sir!" she found his gaze and held it steadily, which was disturbing him anyhow. It seemed that he believed that she was hiding something and might feel guilty.
"Is it right that you received a parcel a day ago?" he went on.
For heavens sake - how did they know about that. all of a sudden the scales fell from her eyes . they had been intercepting her mail all the time. Oh no! She should have thought about that. What a deadly mistake! Clarice tried to stay calm. It was her only chance. 'Try to explain it somehow' she told herself.
"Yes sir, positive, I received a parcel yesterday!"
"Well Starling, tell us what were the contents of the parcel?" .darn they knew exactly. This was a trap, they wanted to get her out of the department. What now? Think, girl, think. could they know about the letter too. well of course.. they presumably had searched it for fingerprints or any other sign from the Doctor. The must have found the letter as well. Probably they also had it copied before they put it back in between.
"Well Sir, the contents were a framed picture of myself drawn in charcoal and a letter, which was hidden behind the picture!"
"W e l l . " he stopped, then there was an uncomfortable silence," isn't there something else you might want to tell us Agent Starling?" he grinned sort of meanly.
"Other than the fact that the parcel probably was sent by Dr. Hannibal Lecter, sir, I am not sure what you mean?" she grinned back, and it gave her great satisfaction that his grin faded and his lips then were just a thin line. He reminded her so much of Krendler that her stomach screamed with disdain. She had been so grateful that she would not have to face him again, and now this.
Krendler number two now looked at his superiors as if to ask for instructions. Big Boss nodded and again he looked at her.
"Starling, are you aware that you were holding back evidence? Your task would have been to at once inform the headquarters that you've received a parcel from a member of the ten most wanted list, but you didn't. Of course, by now, you have noticed that we have intercepted your mail. In the first place it was meant to be to guard you, but it seems now that there is more yet to your stay with Hannibal Lecter than you wanted us to believe. Maybe you want to tell us now why you didn't inform us about the parcel and what you know about the whereabouts of Hannibal Lecter?"
Clarice could not believe what was happening to her. 'Is this a dream' she wondered. Apparently not. Then she had an idea.
"Sir, I survived quite a long time in the presence of Hannibal Lecter and when I received that parcel I was in complete shock! I smashed the frame against the wall, you can check that, the glass is still sprayed all across the room, and I finally found the letter, which I read. And of course I instantly thought about informing you, but I first wanted to think it over. As you know I am the only one who ever has been that close to him, if you can call it 'close', and I just wanted to consider what he was trying to say in his letter..!" She couldn't even finish when Krendler number two interrupted.
"Isn't it perfectly clear, what he wants to say with his letter?? - he is about to kill himself - out of love for you Agent Starling, how touching, ain't it?" again this ugly grin. She'd love to tell him what she really thought of him..
"Sir, that's what I meant to think about, I am not sure what he means with his words. That's why I waited .. I just was too confused. Isn't that understandable? I admit I shouldn't have waited that long, but I wanted to think about it over the weekend and give it to you Monday morning!"
Again there was silence.
Krendler two was talking very quietly to his superiors and Clarice thought about the odds that she would be allowed to stay in the FBI. It was such a dumb situation. She cursed herself for not thinking about the possibility that they might search her mail.
"Agent Starling.. " before he could finish his sentence two young against burst into the room.
They were holding cell phones in there hands and one of them had a piece of paper in his hands. He put the paper in front of the chief inspector, who was reading whatever was written there, a deep frown appeared on his forehead.
"Can I have your attention, please! We just received this fax and lots of calls from the local police stations that the body of Dr. Hannibal Lecter has been found. The body seems to be totally burned caused by the explosion of the engine, but an impression has been made and proves that it definitely is Hannibal Lecter!"
Silence hung heavily over their heads.
Clarice sat there in total disbelief. NO - that was impossible. He was NOT DEAD.... He could not be dead. She was totally oblivious to everything that was going on in the room. Everybody was talking all of a sudden, but Clarice could only think of the times she had spent in his presence. The excitement she had felt whenever he was near her. NO - it was not true . at least she hoped.
~°~°~ to be continued ~°~°~
This looked all too familiar .. A dozen pairs of eyes were directed at her when she entered the conference room. She was seated at one of the empty chairs opposite to them. Everything looked just too familiar .Clarice sighed. Maybe she was about to be dismissed again, she wondered, but for what cause?? Did they really know something about Hannibal and herself . 'darn, what is it you have against me' she thought. Inside herself the feelings played thunderstorm, outside she appeared to be calm and superior, the perfect professional, Special Agent Clarice Starling..
The door opened and the big boss entered the room. She hadn't spoken to him since the incidents with Ivelda Drumgo. She wasn't very eager to have to now .. but there was no getting out, so she had to face it, again all alone with apparently the whole FBI against her. Clarice sighed.
He sat down, opened his jacket and fixed a tie, which actually was totally and absolutely in fine order. So he was kind of nervous too. What was wrong with all these people .. what in hell had she done. what evidence did they have? Again so many questions that remained unanswered.
"Agent Starling?" one of those suits addressed her suddenly.
"Yes sir!" she found his gaze and held it steadily, which was disturbing him anyhow. It seemed that he believed that she was hiding something and might feel guilty.
"Is it right that you received a parcel a day ago?" he went on.
For heavens sake - how did they know about that. all of a sudden the scales fell from her eyes . they had been intercepting her mail all the time. Oh no! She should have thought about that. What a deadly mistake! Clarice tried to stay calm. It was her only chance. 'Try to explain it somehow' she told herself.
"Yes sir, positive, I received a parcel yesterday!"
"Well Starling, tell us what were the contents of the parcel?" .darn they knew exactly. This was a trap, they wanted to get her out of the department. What now? Think, girl, think. could they know about the letter too. well of course.. they presumably had searched it for fingerprints or any other sign from the Doctor. The must have found the letter as well. Probably they also had it copied before they put it back in between.
"Well Sir, the contents were a framed picture of myself drawn in charcoal and a letter, which was hidden behind the picture!"
"W e l l . " he stopped, then there was an uncomfortable silence," isn't there something else you might want to tell us Agent Starling?" he grinned sort of meanly.
"Other than the fact that the parcel probably was sent by Dr. Hannibal Lecter, sir, I am not sure what you mean?" she grinned back, and it gave her great satisfaction that his grin faded and his lips then were just a thin line. He reminded her so much of Krendler that her stomach screamed with disdain. She had been so grateful that she would not have to face him again, and now this.
Krendler number two now looked at his superiors as if to ask for instructions. Big Boss nodded and again he looked at her.
"Starling, are you aware that you were holding back evidence? Your task would have been to at once inform the headquarters that you've received a parcel from a member of the ten most wanted list, but you didn't. Of course, by now, you have noticed that we have intercepted your mail. In the first place it was meant to be to guard you, but it seems now that there is more yet to your stay with Hannibal Lecter than you wanted us to believe. Maybe you want to tell us now why you didn't inform us about the parcel and what you know about the whereabouts of Hannibal Lecter?"
Clarice could not believe what was happening to her. 'Is this a dream' she wondered. Apparently not. Then she had an idea.
"Sir, I survived quite a long time in the presence of Hannibal Lecter and when I received that parcel I was in complete shock! I smashed the frame against the wall, you can check that, the glass is still sprayed all across the room, and I finally found the letter, which I read. And of course I instantly thought about informing you, but I first wanted to think it over. As you know I am the only one who ever has been that close to him, if you can call it 'close', and I just wanted to consider what he was trying to say in his letter..!" She couldn't even finish when Krendler number two interrupted.
"Isn't it perfectly clear, what he wants to say with his letter?? - he is about to kill himself - out of love for you Agent Starling, how touching, ain't it?" again this ugly grin. She'd love to tell him what she really thought of him..
"Sir, that's what I meant to think about, I am not sure what he means with his words. That's why I waited .. I just was too confused. Isn't that understandable? I admit I shouldn't have waited that long, but I wanted to think about it over the weekend and give it to you Monday morning!"
Again there was silence.
Krendler two was talking very quietly to his superiors and Clarice thought about the odds that she would be allowed to stay in the FBI. It was such a dumb situation. She cursed herself for not thinking about the possibility that they might search her mail.
"Agent Starling.. " before he could finish his sentence two young against burst into the room.
They were holding cell phones in there hands and one of them had a piece of paper in his hands. He put the paper in front of the chief inspector, who was reading whatever was written there, a deep frown appeared on his forehead.
"Can I have your attention, please! We just received this fax and lots of calls from the local police stations that the body of Dr. Hannibal Lecter has been found. The body seems to be totally burned caused by the explosion of the engine, but an impression has been made and proves that it definitely is Hannibal Lecter!"
Silence hung heavily over their heads.
Clarice sat there in total disbelief. NO - that was impossible. He was NOT DEAD.... He could not be dead. She was totally oblivious to everything that was going on in the room. Everybody was talking all of a sudden, but Clarice could only think of the times she had spent in his presence. The excitement she had felt whenever he was near her. NO - it was not true . at least she hoped.
~°~°~ to be continued ~°~°~