Chapter Twenty- Three: Unexpected guest

Eddie's car comes to a stop on the street across from Starling. Surprisingly it isn't Eddie who steps from the car. Starling stands up and brushes herself off as he approaches.

"Mr. Graham. How very nice to see you again." Ashley says extending her hand.

"Same to you Ms. Starling. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing ok. Today's the first day I've been here since she died. I haven't had the courage until today."

"It's beautiful here." Graham says observing the hills and trees surrounding the cemetery.

"It was hard finding a plot, Mom hadn't reserved anything yet."Starling sighs tucking her hands in her pockets.

"Well you arraigned everything beautifully Ms. Starling."

"Thank you Mr. Graham. Please I insist call me Ashley."

"Alright Ashley but I insist, call me Will." He smiled.

"OK Will. How have you been?"

"I've been just fine. Although, I'm a bit worried about you."

"About me? I'm fine."

"Can we talk somewhere? I haven't seen you in a year, I'd like to talk."

"Sure. There's a diner right across the cemetery."

"Are you sure you're done here?"

"Oh yes. I'm sure. I can always come back."

"Let's go." Will says walking Starling to the car.

"Where is Eddie anyway."

"He made a run down to Quantico. He asked me to look after you for a little while."

"OK that's cool."

They both get into the car.

"I was really surprised to see you here."

"Well I thought I'd come to see you."

"Eddie was worried about me huh? He asked you to come talk to me because he knew I'd listen to you."

"Yes. Your bodyguard asked me to come see you.. He's very worried about you. He said you were getting really wrapped up in finding Lecter."

"I can't believe him. He went through my personal stuff." She twists her head in disgust. "Yeah your right I'm getting wrapped up. Dr. Lecter is the one who knew my mother better than anyone else. When the feds catch wind of him, they'll just kill him. They don't care about me, they don't care about anyone. When they kill Dr. Lecter all of my mother's memories go with him."

"Lots of people knew your mother. You could talk to them. And you have your own memories of Clarice."

"No one. Not even me knew my mother like Dr. Lecter. He knew my mother personally, physiologically, physically. I didn't get to know her that well. I guess you wouldn't be able to understand."

Graham doesn't say a word until they are both seated in a dinner booth and the waitress has taken their drink orders.

"Ashley. I'm not going to talk down you. You're a lot more intelligent, mature and sophisticated than people your age. Lecter is dangerous. I've got and eight inch scar on my stomach from a knife that he gutted me with. See my face? That's from a bullet from Francis Dolarhyde a serial killer Lecter set loose on my family. He's killed over twenty people. I can't even stomach the number of people he's eaten. He's sadistic, he's dangerous, he's unpredictable, and he's never going to stop. Lecter won't think twice about killing you if you get too close. He kills anyone he feels threatened by, you've heard about the men he killed in Florence. They got to close to his trail and he killed them. You have to promise to be careful. Don't go after Lecter. You have to promise me you won't."

"I promise I'll be careful. And I promise I won't go after Lecter." Starling says holding Graham's uneasy stare. "Of course I'm going to be careful. And I'm not going after Lecter, he was coming after me." She quietly thinks to herself.

"How has this past year gone?"

"Well the first couple of months after my mom's death I stayed with Ardelia. I didn't go to school, Ardelia had me home schooled. It was a blur for a couple of months. Then I started to read stuff about my mom. I mean I had already been reading lots of forensic books before my mom died. She got me really interested in it. But I started to read about Hannibal Lecter. There are so many books about him. I used to rent them from the library near Ardelia's apartment. My mom had talked insistently about him. I knew she had spent three years in Buenos Aries with him. I knew the FBI had forced her to come back and gave her a deadline to recapture Lecter. I knew Lecter's life backwards and forwards. But I realized I didn't know my mom. Hannibal Lecter knows my mom. Then he escaped from prison. That was six months ago. The FBI moved me to protective custody and continued my home schooling. I didn't want to bother Ardelia with moving all the way up to where I am now so I told her to stay in her apartment she just had to check up on me every decade." Ashley smiles knowing Ardelia checks up on her all the time. "I've been loosely trying to find him ever since."

"Have you had any contact with him?"

"Just at his trial. I saw him. Never talked to him."

"But no contact since?"

"No contact since."

"You have to be careful Starling. Keep an open eye all the time. Have you ever entertained the possibility that he might come after you?"

"I've thought about it. Will, I really don't believe he'd hurt me though. He was in love with my mother. Why would he hurt me?"

"Be careful Starling." Is all Graham says.

"I'm always careful."

"Thank you."

"Is Molly with you?"

"Yes, she's out shopping right now. We decided to spend a week up here so she could visit with her family."

"That's cool. Do you need to pick her up? It's getting kinda late for Sunday. Five o'clock. I don't mind as long as you'll drop me off at the cabin."

"As long as you don't mind. I'm sure she'd like to see you."

"Let's go."