Thank you very much for the reviews. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter...
Disclaimer : Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling are the intellectual property of Thomas Harris. I'm just borrowing them.
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Chapter 4 : Hannibal and Clarice meet again
Clarice finished her coffee. She had devoted more than four months to the search of Hannibal Lecter and it was now necessary to go to the final phase, the most difficult.
6.30am, she had to intervene. Clarice knew that Lecter was not a big sleeper and it was better to surprise him early in the morning. After she was sure that her Colt 45. was loaded, she took a rope in the trunk of the car and approached the entrance. Contrary to the majority of the houses, there were no video cameras, luckily for the special agent.
During the last days, Clarice had sought the best way to enter the property and to pass by the gate was impossible. She had found only one solution and she hardly liked that.
''I hope that I'm not completely seized up since Quantico... It must be years that I haven't done that kind of thing.''
She spoke to herself to take heart. The wall was not very high but there wasn't any asperity. At the third attempt, Clarice managed to hang the hook. She climbed to the top of the wall and let herself drop on the other side. She hid the rope in a shrub and moved towards the house.
The villa was surrounded by a little wood of oaks and boxtree which protected it from the passers glance. Clarice followed the principal alley she can distinguished further on her right. After a turn, she finally saw the house a few meters away. She approached nearer without leaving the wood.
Clarice had never seen such a charming and such a refined villa. The alley arrived on a small paved place with a fountain in the middle which represented a woman pouring the water of the jug she held on her shoulder. There were bed of flowers all around. On the right, she saw the garages. The white colour of the two gates contrasted strongly with the dark colours of the old stones which appeared on the frontage. It was surely an old barn.
The villa was apparently more recent. The frontage was of a pale yellow and the windows contours were decorated with cut stones which remind of the style of the garages. A lantern was fixed above the door coloured like ebony. There was a second floor where she would certainly find the bedrooms.
Clarice moved on the left side of the house. A vine acted as a bower above a terrace which was prolonged on the back of the villa. The grape was not yet ripe but she could see the small green bunches that were swayed in the wind.
Attracted by such an amount of beauty and serenity, Clarice left the wood and approached the terrace. She drew her Colt, better stay careful. She looked by a window and saw what seemed to be the kitchen. Still walking, she arrived at the back of the house and failed to drop her gun when she saw... the scene before her.
The terrace was larger here and it was partially covered by a roof. A pleasant smell emerged from a wisteria which had invaded the right side and formed a sort of vegetable wall. A table and its four wicker chairs were placed at the centre of the terrace. A staircase gave access to a very coloured garden. Among the roses and other flowers there was a small basin where Japanese carps swam.
Clarice could have stayed hours in front of this scene but she was not here for that. She turned over towards the house and looked by the pane of a large French window which gave access to the terrace. She saw the dining room. After having tested the handle without success, she took a needle in her pocket. She hoped that there was no alarm or if there was one, that the doctor had not turned it on.
After a few seconds, the door opened with a click a little too noisy to Clarice's taste. Now, she mustn't make any noise and stayed on her guards.
The dining room was roomy. By an opening in a wall, the young woman could see the kitchen. ''A good means to pass the dishes... or to spy on the chef de cuisine'' Clarice thought with amusement. Six persons could sit around the oval table placed in the middle of the room and the knives, forks and spoons should be in the large dresser on the left.
Clarice had two possibilities. The door opposite her lead to the hall and the door on her left lead to the living room. She could see from where she was the sofa and the armchairs that faced the television. She could also see an immense library. But it was apparently not here that she would find the doctor. He was surely on the second floor.
When she was in the hall, she glanced quickly into the kitchen. There were all the necessary items and much more. The special agent even wondered what would be the use of certain instruments. Clarice turned around and found herself before a staircase. She again checked the magazine of her Colt and started to climb the steps.
She arrived at the end of a long corridor lit by two windows placed at each end. She felt her heart beating strongly in her chest and wondered if somebody could hear it. She tried to calm down and glanced over the corridor. Clarice counted four doors. Two of them, the closest, was closed. Another one was ajar and the last one was open.
She couldn't take the risk to open the doors which were closed. She thus moved towards the end of the corridor. On her right, she could distinguish a bathroom by the door recess. She had only one possibility.
Sweat beaded on Clarice's forehead. Never had she been so distressed. She approached the door on her left, her hands tightened on her Colt. She had reached the door. The shutters were not closed and the room was lit by the soft daylight. Starling could not see the bed from where she was.
She didn't have to hesitate. After a step on the side, Clarice was on the doorstep, her arms raised, her gun pointed in front of her. She quickly examined the interior of the room as she had learned in Quantico. On the right, a commode and an armchair with a jacket on its back. On the left, a large wardrobe and a mirror. Lastly, in the middle of the room, the bed with two bedside tables and in the bed...
''FBI ! Don't move Doctor Lecter !''
By shouting these words, Clarice had released a part of the tension that had seized her since she had reached this floor. She hadn't expect to find him still in bed. The doctor didn't seem surprised to see her, at least he didn't show it. When he had sat up, he said to her :
''Good morning, special agent Starling. How are you ?''
Now he had sat, Clarice could see that he didn't wear anything above the waist and the sight of this man bare-chested confused her a little. She reprimanded herself : ''I have to concentrate myself on what I have to do, it's not the first time I see a man stripped to the waist.'' She started :
''Doctor Lecter, I didn't come here to speak about my health and I would like you...''
Hannibal stopped her : ''Tsk, tsk, tsk... You know very well that I don't like rude people. Does your mission prevents you from being polite Clarice ?''
He had insisted on the last syllable of her first name as he had done in Baltimore years before. The young woman felt the anger rise in her but she calmed herself. It was better that things happened calmly.
''Good morning, doctor'', she said after a long sigh.
A light smile appeared on the doctor's lips. ''It's much better like that, isn't it ? A conversation between two civilized people.'' After a moment, he started again : ''But please Clarice, I interrupted you and you haven't finished your sentence.''
Why did he always behave this way ? The FBI came to arrest him and he was the typical example of the perfect gentleman. Clarice found this behaviour at the same time very irritating and very attracting.
''You know very well what I was going to say. I'm here to bring you back to the United States where you will be judged for the murders you've committed.''
''Mmm... Do you think that I have a chance to escape from death penalty, agent Starling ? Perhaps would I have to plead madness again ? What do you think ?''
Clarice's arms started to hurt aiming the doctor and all this discussion didn't make any progress. Moreover, the young woman had difficulties not to leave her glance wandered on Lecter's chest. He was still in good shape for his age and rather attractive.
''I don't know Doctor. Perhaps with a good lawyer, you would escape from it.''
''A pity you are not a lawyer, Clarice. I would have chosen you immediately. We could have spent good moments in the court...''
Hannibal's eyes sparkled. This little conversation was completely reinvigorating. It wasn't Clarice's opinion who felt more and more ill at ease. Since she had entered the room, she had never get over the discussion. He managed each time to destabilize her.
She walked close to the bed and said to the doctor with determination : ''Now, we have lost enough time, get up then face the wall your hands behind your head, legs spread.''
After a short moment, Hannibal answered : ''No.''
At first, Clarice thought she hadn't heard right but he had just refused her orders : ''Doctor Lecter, I believe that you are not in the position to discuss anything. Don't force me to use my gun.'' The Colt 45. was still aimed on Lecter.
He spoke again : ''It seems to me, agent Starling, that you haven't understood me. I will not leave this bed and even if you use your weapon, which appears not very probable to me, I would not move.''
Clarice saw that the doctor was serious. Anger invades her again and the young woman lost her temper.
''Now that's enough. I don't allow you to contradict my orders or to doubt my capacity to shoot you. I won't repeat it. I want to see you up facing the wall immediately.'' To punctuate her speech, she lowered the hammer of her Colt.
Hannibal didn't really believe that she was going to shoot but he didn't want to take any risk. Clarice was an unexpected woman, an aspect of her personality he appreciated. He raised one hand as a sign of appeasing.
''I will do what you want Clarice but I would like to add something before...'' He cleared his voice and continued : ''I just wanted that you assure me of some facts. It's you who asked me to get up, isn't it ? And I agreed to cooperate only when you threatened me with your weapon ?''
The questions destabilized the young woman. ''Yes, it's true.''
''Good... You don't deny either that I initially refused to obey to your orders ?''
Clarice started to be impatient. ''No, I don't deny it, but what does that mean doctor ?''
''If something annoying happened, you have to know that I only obeyed to the orders you gave me, special agent Starling.''
Hannibal withdrew the sheets that covered him and stood upright beside the bed. If Clarice had not understood the meaning of all these questions, she understood it fully now. The surprise was so great that she couldn't make a movement any more. The hand which held her gun began to tremble then lowered slowly.
Hannibal Lecter, one of the most wanted criminals of the FBI, was standing upright completely naked in front of Clarice who didn't know where to look. She didn't manage to explain her reaction, why did it touched her so deeply ? It was not the first time that she saw a man without clothing. She was terribly embarrassed, but her eyes couldn't detached themselves from the doctor's body. His lips, the grey hair on his chest, muscles of his arms, the elegance of his legs and...
Why had she looked there ? ''Because it's where all the women look...'' she thought. Clarice shook her head. She could not stay here, she had to leave this room immediately. Without saying a word, she left the room towards the stairs. She wanted to be alone, she wanted to forget... no, she had to forget what she had seen.
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To be continued...
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Lecter-in-love.