The morgue was frigid. A few lights were lit, casting the majority of the room in shadow. It left on with a sense of eeriness. Of wrongness. Dr. Chilton marched through the room, an air of pride and confidence about him. He stopped in front of one of the body lockers. With a flourish - as if he were presenting some kind of grand prize – Chilton opened the locker and pulled the body of the young nurse free. "Behold, the latest victim of The Chesapeake Ripper."
Beside Will, Dr. Lecter's body tensed ever so slightly. Frowning, Will turned to look at his companion. There was a glittering green to his eyes that no one but Will seemed to notice. When the doctor spoke, his voice was deeper, darker than normal. "She was killed by Dr. Abel Gideon?"
"Yes." Chilton preened under the older doctor's attention. "Yesterday morning, Abel faked a medical emergency. He was found by an orderly making their rounds, laying on the floor of his cell; blood leaking from his mouth. He was taken to the medical wing of the hospital. While Sarah here, was prepping the IV, Abel freed himself from his bindings.
"He attacked her from behind, choking her until she was unconscious. He then proceeded to rip her eyes out and impale her body with whatever medical equipment he could find. Faithfully recreating his last known kill – The Wound Man."
Will could practically hear Dr. Lecter grinding his teeth. Warmth flooded Will's body at the thought of seeing behind his lover's "I'm a perfectly normal person" person suit. His lover held a much darker side and it was reacting to what was happening right now. It was not happy. It was angry, violently so. Did it know who The Ripper really w—Oh! Oh no.
"Fedrick, please tell me that you reported the murder to the police."
Chilton waved his hand at Will dismissively. "We have the new head of the BAU right here, do we not?"
"I was not informed of any murder taking place here at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Nor have I investigated any such murder."
"I am informing you know Mr. Graham."
"A whole day after the murder had taken place. Tell me, Dr. Chilton; how did the body come to be here?"
"Oh, I had my orderlies bring her here after removing the medical equipment from her body."
"What about the scene of the murder?"
Chilton waved his hand in the air, as if the question did not matter. "My orderlies cleaned it all up."
"Oh, Fedrick." Alana closed her eyes, a hand pressed to her forehead as if her head hurt.
"Dr. Chilton, did you not consult on The Chesapeake Ripper case?" Dr. Lecter asked, his voice much calmer than before.
"I did indeed." Chilton's chest puffed up with pride.
"The Wound Man case only though, if my memory serves correct." Dr. Lecter stated, nearly smug.
Chilton deflated. "Yes." He perked up. "Well with that being the last murder of The Ripper, I was unable to lend out my expertise further."
"There were the older murders that you could have studied." Dr. Lecter's smile was nearly evil.
"Hannible, what are you saying?" Alana's face had paled. She knew what Hanible was saying, but was obviously hoping that she was wrong.
Chilton was frowning, catching on to the fact that he was not all was right in regards to himself.
"Psychic driving may be frowned upon in our field; however, that does not mean that it is not done." Dr. Lecter stated.
Chilton paled, caught. "I assure you, that I have done no such thing to any of my patients, let alone Abel."
"And yet, the sole Ripper case you consulted on is the one Dr. Gideon reenacted." Will grinned, smug satisfaction filling him.
"By the way, where is Dr. Abel Gideon?" Dr. Lecter asked.
Chilton swallowed, nearly choaking on the air he breathed in. "He uh, he escaped late last night."
Will bit back his laughter. "I'm sorry to say that given all the information you have willingly given us, Dr. Chilton; I have no choice but to arrest you." Will pulled out his handcuffs. "Dr. Fredrick Chilton, you are under arrest for failing to report a murder in your facility, for interfering with justice, interfering with a murder, hiding a murder, aiding in said murder and for said murder. You have the right to remain silent, anything that you say can and may be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one can be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights and charges as I have stated them to you?"
Chilton nodded. "Yes."
"Please turn around and place your hands behind your back, Dr. Chilton."
HANNIBAL AND WILL
It was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. Three angels knelt before a stone alter where a young man lay. The angels were all blond with varying lengths of hair. Each angel was dressed in golden silk gowns glittering with blood red jewels. Upon their backs, were heavy, white feathered wings. Upon closer inspection, one could see black and blood red feathers hidden among the white feathers. More white, red and black feathers were braided into the angels' hair.
The angels' hands were out stretched towards the alter and the man laying upon it. Offerings of grapes, pomegranates, meat, fish and their very own hearts lay in their hands. The man on the alter was nude but for the red silk draped over his groin. His hair was a riot of brunette curls around his head. His eyes lay closed, his lush lashes brushing gently against lightly tanned cheeks. He looked for all the world as if he was sleeping peacefully instead of stone-cold dead. Beneath his crossed arms was a small incision that had been neatly sewn back together.
Will closed his eyes, his heart beat slowing as he saw his golden pendulum swing. A dark room made of dirt and stone appeared. "The room is cold and dark. Plastic and metal hand from the ceiling. Lights snap on, causing the room to become even more frightening than it had been in the dark. Footsteps, light and sure. A face appears above me. I don't recognize it but I know that I have seen it somewhere before.
"The man before me is handsome, yet he is nothing more than a pig to me. He is vile and rude. A waste of space to this world. With his death he will be elevated above his former pig self. He will be beautiful. With his death, my message will be complete.
"I dress in protective items to prevent my clothing from being contaminated by the pig's blood. I pick up the scalpel. The pig is restrained and lightly sedated – so as to not spoil the meat. I slice easily into the pig's flesh. I pin open the flesh before taking up the -"
Bright light blinds Will, erasing the images playing behind his eyelids. Upset, Will opens his eyes to find none other than Freddie Lounds standing in front of him, camera in hand and a grin in on her face. Looking around, Will notes that they are standing right next to the crime scene. Frowning, he calls out: "Who let the press beyond the barrier?! Get them out before they contaminate the scene!"