End of the Game

"It is a pleasantry to watch you sleep."

Clarice jumped and opened her eyes. She rose up out of bed and looked around her to find the motel room empty. She lay back in bed and closed her eyes, and vision of Dr. Lecter reading came to mind. He was sitting quietly, reading, at the Brushy Mountain State Prison…in his cage.

In the last twenty-four hours, Clarice had driven through Wyoming, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, and Arkansas, and she was tired. She figured she'd reach Memphis around one fifteen or so, and she could catch a few hours sleep before heading to Brushy Mountain in the morning.

The cage that had once occupied Dr. Hannibal Lecter was now located in the basement of the prison, amidst the mildew and the rats, and it wasn't a surprise when Clarice was told she'd have to go it alone.

She entered the place carefully, shining her small flashlight around the room. The cage was empty and was showing signs of rust, and Clarice scoffed. She wondered why she'd come here. There didn't seem to be any evidence of what she was searching for, so why this place? Why the cage?

After searching a while to no avail, Clarice headed back upstairs to speak with the officer at the front desk.

"All of his things were sent back to the Baltimore Hospital," the fat officer said. "Since that doctor…Dr. Chilton…got killed, I don't know where they would be. You'll have to check with them."

Clarice shook her head. She was beginning to tire of this cat and mouse game.

She sipped her coffee and picked at her breakfast as she thought. So many things had been sold, it was hard to tell what, if anything, was left, and where it would be. She wondered how Dr. Lecter had managed to get his drawings back to scatter them for her to find, and a thought occurred to her: Barney might still work in Baltimore.

"Yes, Barney Matthews."

The line buzzed softly as Clarice continued to wait.

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the secretary said, "but I have no record of a Barney Matthews."

"Thank you," Clarice said as she hung up the phone.

She stared blankly at the page in front of her and thought. Barney had left the United States, so where could Dr. Lecter have gotten his drawings?

"You could always say it was me…"

Clarice smiled to herself and the phone rang. She knew immediately who it was and found it odd that he could somehow read her mind.

"Hello, Clarice. I hope you're not too disappointed with me, as I had to let you ascertain things on your own."

"Where is Cordell, Dr. Lecter?" Clarice asked blatantly.

A pause, and she knew he was smiling.

"In my agreements with Cordell, Clarice, I cannot disclose his whereabouts to you; however," he said with a pause, "congratulations on that aspect of your discovery. I should inform you that Cordell's services are no longer needed, as your search for him would for him would prove to be rather daunting."

Clarice scoffed as she spoke.

"Where is the next painting?"

"You've confronted your past, Clarice," Hannibal said coolly, "but the road does not end there, does it?"

A beat, and then, "Ta-Ta, Clarice," and the line rang off.

It came to her in a dream that night, and when she awoke in a cold sweat she knew that there was only one more painting to find. She looked over at the clock on the nightstand table and saw that it was two o'clock. Without hesitation she was up and out of bed, thumbing through the phone book. She jotted the number of the airline on a scrap of paper, closed the book, and then lay down. She knew that sleep would not find her again.

"If anybody finds out I let you in here, I'm out of a job," the heavyset guard said as he unlocked the door.

"I know, and I appreciate this, Jake, I really do."

A few moments later she was inside her old office in the basement of the prestigious FBI basement. She saw it immediately, collected it, and left as quietly as she had arrived. She boarded the plane without even opening the package, knowing ahead of time where it would lead her.

The final painting, as she had expected, was the one she'd seen so long ago in Dr. Lecter's cell, of such vivid detail…

When she stepped off the plane into Venice she could feel his presence all around her, and she didn't like it. She wandered through the crowd, looking behind her constantly, and she hailed a cab as quickly as she could.

"Just go," Clarice told the driver as her cell phone rang.

"Listen very carefully, Clarice, and repeat these directions to the driver…"