Chapter 6: Confessions
Jack was pacing his office. He wondered if Clarice knew yet, wondered how much Will had told her. He hoped that Clarice would understand and forgive. But he didn't expect her to. He knew he had to wait, wait for the phone call he knew would come.
One question kept on nagging at Will's mind. Why Hannibal opened up to her. He had to know.
"Clarice, seriously how did you do it? Tell me what happened. If we're going to continue with this, I have to know."
"He wanted his freedom, and he knew I was the key out." She replied, guardedly.
"It wasn't that simple, I know. What did you bargain?"
Damn, she thought. How did he know?
"At first, a better mental facility."
"And later?" he prompted. Clarice noted that he had adopted her speech patterns. It gave their conversations a definite back and forth rhthym.Weird.
"Information."
"About what?"
"My personal life. Listen Will, I'm really tired. I'll talk to you in the morning, okay?" Clarice managed to croak out a yawn.
"I will find out you know," Will said, knowing that she was faking.
Clarice just kept on walking.
Damn, I was so close! Why is she here if she isn't willing to talk about what we really need to discuss? But Will realized that even if Clarice wasn't here to gather information, he would still be glad that she was around. There was something about her that made him want to know her.
CWHCWHCWHCWH
Clarice went into her room and flopped onto her bed. She was actually was starting to like Will. Until he had started to interrogate her for useless information.
She sighed. This is what she came here for. Information. But she thought that she would be on the recieving end, not the one airing out her dirty closet.
That night, she dreamt of the lambs again.
CWHCWHCWHCWH
Will did not fall asleep immedietely. He was forced to listen about five rounds of Hannibal's perceptions before he fell into a fitfull sleep. For the first time in a month, Will dreamt.
In his dream , he was walking down a stone wall corridor. It was vaguely familiar, and Will got the distinct feeling that he didn't want to be there. At the end of the hall was a cell, closed for with a glass pane. Through it Will could see a man. As the man turned to face Will he recognized him. It was Will. And reflected in the glass, he could see the image of someone else. Hannibal.
And in his head, he could hear someone saying You caught me because we are just alike.
Will woke up drenched in sweat.
Chapter Seven
When Clarice woke up, the first thing she heared was
I know how quickly the boys found you...
No, she thought, this isn't happening!
Do you think he imagines scenarios, transactions, fucking you?
I can do this, just stay calm.
But her thoughts of being calm soon melted away.
Was your father a coal miner?
That's it.
Did he stink of the lamp?
She had to get out.
She put on her jacket and ran out the door.
CWHCWHCWHCWH
It didn't take Will long to figure out that she was gone. He found her at the park.
"This reminds me of my hometown." She surprised him by saying.
"Where did you grow up?" He asked.
"West Virginia."
Will wondered how anywhere in Maine reminded her of West Virginia, but he decided to let that one pass.
"Why did you leave? The house I mean." he added hastily.
Clarice didn't want him to know that she frequently had panic attacks. They were lasting souvenirs from her time with Lecter. They were getting more frequent after her being fired.
''I had to get out." Was her cryptic response.
"But why?" He persisted.
Why does he have to be so nosy? Clarice thought. But knowing he was only trying to help she gave him an honest answer.
"I had a nightmare. " She admitted.
"So did I" he murmured.
"What about?" she asked, truly interested.
"You first."
She relented. "Lambs."
"Like Little Bo Peep's?"
In spite of herself, she smiled. "No, Mary's."
Will felt that the information portion of their conversation was over, so they sat in silence for awhile. When they finally arrived at the cottage, it was 6:00.
Again, Will cooked breakfast, though this time without burning it. Wggs and bacon, waffles and orange juice. He also slid some vegetarian bacon on his plate.
"Are you a vegetarian or do you just like the taste?" Clarice asked, wrinkling her nose.
Will laughed, a deep rich laugh one would not expect from a man who looked so old beyond his years.
"Yes, I am a vegetarian." he replied.
"Why?" she continued, realizing she was being nosy. "I mean, spiritual reasons, moral or taste, what?"
"Actually, one day I woke up and I no longer wanted to eat meat." he confessed.
"When?"
Will leaned back in his chair and thought really hard. Even though he had never thought about it, he knew exactly when it happened. "Right after I caught him."
Clarice didn't even have to ask.