Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 31 of Messed Up World. Thank you to those who have left reviews for this story. It really does mean a lot to me that you guys are loving this story. I hope that I continue to be able to write Hannibal. I do apologize if Hannibal is a little out of character, but I think that perhaps Hannibal would be different with his wife and child. I hope that this next chapter turns out well and I hope that you guys enjoy it. Without further ado Chapter 31. ENJOY!
Chapter 31
Beverly, Will, and Margarita walked up to the abandoned observatory. Jack stood back with the cars considering what they might find inside of the building.
"The last call was made to Jack's cell from a disposable phone traced here. Or within a 100 feet of here." Beverly said as they all looked at the building with a sense of dread.
"What was Miriam Lass looking into?" Will questioned as he looked over at Beverly wondering how much she actually knew. He knew that he couldn't ask Margarita because she hadn't been working there at that time.
"Medical records. If the Ripper was a surgeon, she thought he might have treated one of his victims."
"They retraced her steps?" Margarita questioned playing her part knowing that no one needed to know that the real Ripper was indeed a surgeon.
"The ones they could find. She made a jump somewhere they couldn't explain. You make those jumps."
"The evidence has to be there." Will said thinking as he looked up at the building.
"Every surgeon that came into contact with any of the Ripper victims has been thoroughly vetted and or currently under observation."
"Including Dr. Gideon."
Jack slowly approached them solemnly. "Dr. Gideon wasn't in my bedroom. The Chesapeake Ripper was." Jack took his phone out of his coat pocket. "That last call left something the others didn't. A phone number." Jack pressed the call button on it.
There was an uncomfortably long beat, and he was about to end the call, when a distant ringing could be heard.
Jack, Will, Margarita and the other FBI agents turned towards the observatory.
They went inside of the observatory. It was empty, neglected astronomy equipment and machines that repaired them laid dormant covered in dust.
The ring continued as they walked slowly towards the ring.
Jack began to slowly hesitating knowing what he might discover.
The ringing suddenly stopped.
He hardened his resolve and he saw under the telescope a hand holding a cellphone. Slightly discolored like recently graying pig flesh. It was a severed arm and nothing else. Next to the arm under the telescope was a sign with a simple note that read what do you see? Jack dropped his head taking a breath through his teeth.
HANNIBAL
Margarita actually was allowed to sit in on the talk that Hannibal and Jack were having to give some insight. She was rather surprised when Jack had asked her to join in to listen to the conversation. She sat in the chair biting her lower lip as she watched her husband sit on the edge of his desk studying Jack who was staring out the window at the city outside.
"What would be the benefit of making you believe your trainee was alive?" Hannibal questioned as he continued to gaze at Jack.
"Hope. The Ripper wanted to cloud my vision in the fog of hope." Jack said as he continued to look out at the city.
"It can sometimes be brave to allow yourself hope."
"Not the false kind." Jack said, looking away from the window. "I'm not here to talk about the Ripper. It was a mistake for me to come to you the other day, asking about my wife and her therapy."
"Not to worry. I won't discuss your visits with her anymore than I'll discuss her visits with you."
"Please don't."
"May I ask when your trainee disappeared, how long before you gave up hope?"
"Started the minute they told me she was missing. Gave up more every minute that passed after that."
"Don't give up hope for your wife. Not yet."
"Bella's accepted she's going to crash. Stage four cancer. Said herself there's no stage five."
Margarita pursed her lips together as she watched the two of them talking. She knew that Jack was having a hard time with this and then again he was also rather obsessed with the whole Ripper thing.
"She's lost hope. Which means you can't."
"You think I have control of that?"
"Take control."
"You keep trying to be my psychiatrist, Dr. Lecter."
"Because I believe you need one."
"That makes one of us."
"I'm sorry about your wife, Jack. I truly am. I believe the world is a better place with her in it. And I'm sorry about your trainee."
"Whatever the Ripper was doing, it worked. I thought she was alive. For a moment, anyway. I allowed myself to believe what I knew was impossible. I got played."
"Indulge me. Talk to me about her. What was her name?"
Margarita's eyes slowly slid over to her husband, her brow raising slightly. She knew deep inside of her chest she knew that Hannibal probably had something to do with Miriam Lass's disappearance and she wasn't about to admit that outloud.
"Miriam Lass." Jack said as he looked back out the window.
Margarita looked at her husband, seeing his lips quirked a little bit. She knew right then and there that Miriam probably came into Hannibal's office when she wasn't even with him at the time and snuck up on him and got too close to him and he had to react and it wasn't going to end well for the poor girl.
Hannibal looked over to his wife and saw the look on her face knowing she figured out he was the cause of Miriam's disappearance and he knew that she wouldn't tell Jack that he was the cause behind it because he knew that she would protect this family and protect him until the very end. He sometimes wondered since meeting his wife that she was slowly starting to lose herself and turn out more and more like him.
Margarita slowly got up to her feet and walked over to where Hannibal was. She put her hand carefully on his shoulder. "I'm going to go and check on Mischa to make sure that she's still asleep."
Hannibal looked up at his wife and nodded his head slowly. "Alright."
"I'll see you once you're done here with Jack. I think I'm going to turn in for the night."
Hannibal squeezed her hand softly. "I will see you soon."
Margarita looked over at Jack. "Have a good night Jack." She said softly to her boss.
"You too Margarita." Jack said softly bidding the younger woman a good night.
Margarita slowly left the room leaving the two men to talk to one another. Her lips quirked a little as she walked away. She knew that Hannibal wasn't going to have a hard time playing Jack like a fiddle. But then again neither did she since she had easily pulled the wool over Jack's eyes giving him no reason to not to trust her about the whole thing of the Chesapeake Ripper still being out there and knowing who they were not even alerting him that she knew exactly who they had been looking for and she kept it hidden. Her hands gripped lightly at her sides in fists. She wasn't about to let her husband be put into Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane to be studied by Dr. Chilton.
She walked up the stairs slowly and headed towards their daughter's room and slowly opened the door. She peaked her head into the room and saw that Mischa was sound asleep curled up underneath her blankets cuddled up with the bear that Hannibal had gotten for her. Margarita smiled a small smile before slowly closing the door. She turned to head towards the room she shared with Hannibal and opened the door. She slowly went inside taking a soft breath. So far everything was going according to plan and nothing would happen that was bad, at least as far as she could hope at that moment.
She slowly closed the door behind her as she slowly began to change into her night clothes. She took a soft breath as she changed into her night clothes and slowly went over to the hamper putting her dirty clothes into it. She then went over to the bed and rolled the blankets down as the door slowly opened revealing Hannibal. She looked over her shoulder at her husband. "Jack's torn up about Miriam missing?" She mused as her lips quirked a little as she crawled into the bed.
"It would seem so." Hannibal mused as he began to change his clothes.
"I wouldn't doubt it. She sounded like a promising trainee." Margarita mused softly as she watched Hannibal change his clothes. "And I know that you had something to do with her disappearing."
"She got too close."
Margarita hummed softly. "Of course she did. Anyone who finds you the Ripper is easily disposed of. Tell me Hannibal… you hid her arm in the observatory to wind Jack up?"
Hannibal turned to his wife, his lips quirking. "What do you think?" He questioned his eyes locking with hers.
"I think you are doing just that. Winding Jack up to make him obsessed with trying to find you. You know… that man isn't that smart to figure out it is you and you're right underneath his nose." She let out a soft chuckle as she looked at her husband. "You're going to drive the FBI insane."
"All except for you my dear."
Margarita gave him a cheeky smile. "Yes, everyone except me."
"What will you do if they figure it out?"
"Well, love, you know what would happen. I would kill to protect you and our family."
Hannibal came over to her and grasped her hands in his. "As much as I would want you to do that. I don't want you to get blood on your hands." He said, kissing her hands softly.
"Hannibal, I have blood on my hands anyway with helping you." She said looking up at him.
Hannibal hummed softly kissing the top of her head as he slowly got into bed with her. "Don't worry. No one will find out, and I promise that I will be careful and not be found out."
"I know Hannibal." She said softly looking up at him as she got closer to him.
"I would do anything to make sure that nothing happens to us."
Margarita nodded her head slowly knowing that was true. She took a soft breath as she rested her head against his chest. "I love you Hannibal."
"And I love you, Mar." He said softly stroking some of her blonde hair back.
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This is the end of Chapter 31. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I tried my best with trying to write this chapter out. I even added some extra scenes to make it better and of course help with the length of the chapter. What do you think of Hannibal not wanting Margarita to get blood on her hands? Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I am trying my best to keep Hannibal in character, but sometimes it does take a bit of time to get his character down. Reviews help me keep going when it comes to writing and it keeps my muse going. I will try to update on Friday. Until next time.
