Chapter Twelve: Lecter's Apartment
Ashley unties the blindfold and looks around the apartment. Two suitcases sat in the corner one open laying on the floor, filled with papers and, Ashley noticed, a white towel. The apartment was completely furnished, Starling only hoped the previous owner had left peacefully and not rotting in the bathtub or worse, as a meal.
"Do you have a CD player?" Starling asks
"In the room to you right." Hannibal replies curious.
"Background noise for my phone call." She mentions.
Starling switches a local pop music station on, not a choice for her but a popular one amongst people her age. She dialed Eddie's phone number.
"Hi Eddie. Just calling to check in." Ashley says speaking loudly over the music.
"See you in an hour and a half." Eddie says.
"What did you say?" Starling questions turning the music up louder.
"Never mind. Have fun!" The agent says speaking loudly.
"Bye." Ashley says hanging up the cell phone and turning the music down and to a classical station.
"We should probably leave in a half an hour, that is if you're giving me a ride home."
"I'll drive you, don't be foolish."
"Vivaldi's Four Seasons." Ashley comments as a symphony plays over the radio.
"Very good. Did your mother ever take you a symphony or opera?"
"Once, but I don't remember it. She was so busy with work after they forced her to come back, my mom didn't have a whole lot of leisure time. I was surprised when the FBI put me up in a safe house and with a guard, even after they hated my mother so much."
"Little Starling, I'm afraid to tell you but I'm sure they didn't do it for your safety, they were probably trying to lure me."
"I've thought about that before, then I got really worried, I didn't want to be the bait for your undoing. I ended up reminding myself that you were smarter than that." Starling smiles
"Why didn't you want to be the bait of my undoing?"
"I know this sounds selfish but, I didn't want them to kill you before I had the chance to learn about my mother from you."
"What about after you learned about her? Would you care then? They'd certainty try to give me the needle."
"Yes I would care, my mother loved you. I don't care what you've done before. My mother cared about you, and you cared about her. I'd fight it. Even if I was the only one fighting it."
"Do you remember your father?"
"No I don't even remember what he looked like. From what I was told, he was murdered when I was three. My mom never showed me a picture of him. I don't know why though. I'd say I miss him, but I don't, I never knew him."