Evolution

Chapter1

Clarice sat at her favourite small cafe sipping her coffee and waiting for her sandwich.

Not only was it within easy walking distance from the office, it had the most fantastic coffee.

"Is there someone called Starling here?" one of the waitresses called and Clarice gets up and goes over to the phone, very surprised.

"Yeah, that's me" she tells the waitress as she passes her.

"You've got a phone call" the waitress informs her jabbing her thumb back over her shoulder in passing.

"Starling" Clarice answers with a small frown.

"Well, I see congratulations are in order"

"Dr Lecter" Clarice exclaims in surprise before she could stop herself. Fortunately, the waitress had moved on and showed no sign that she had heard. Dr Lecter however had heard the surprise in her voice plainly and grinned widely.

"Though I hear you've been shot. Not too serious I hope?"

"No, just a scratch really. The bullet barely grazed my arm." Clarice glances down at the bandage on her upper arm ruefully.

"You do realise that it is theoretically possible to arrest a suspect without being shot yourself? Your training should hopefully have covered something to that effect"

"OH ha ha" she says.

"I can practically hear the eyeroll Special Agent Starling. It's not very polite, you know. Tell me, has Jacky-boy put you on his team or is he still prevaricating?"

Clarice winces despite herself. She wasn't in the BSU like she wanted. She was however on the VICAP task-force, but she knew it was only because Senator Marin had applied pressure to get her assigned. Be that as it may, she didn't plan to waste her chance or look a gifted horse in the mouth so she had thrown herself heart and soul into the job. She sensed a lot of resistance from her fellow agents when she was first assigned, but over the last few months she had been working longer and harder than any of them and she had felt a distinct shift in the attitude of most of them. If not out-right acceptance, then at least a grudging respect, and that she could work with. She and one of the other young agents, Agent Rodriguez, were running down a lead on a high-profile case they were working on. It had been Clarice who had wanted to check it out, and Rodriguez had humoured her and it had led to the arrest of the suspect and they closed the case. In the ensuing gunfight a bullet had grazed Clarice's upper left arm. She had not even been aware that it had happened until Rodrigues had pointed it out to her. The press was still keeping an annoyingly close eye on Clarice and they were very quick to jump onto a story of her getting shot while arresting a suspect on a high-profile case.

"No, I'm at VICAP at the moment"

"Well, I'm sure it is becoming harder and harder for Jacky-boy to refuse you a spot. You do still owe me an answer my dear. Tell me, how are you sleeping these days?"

Clarice had known that they would be getting round to this topic the moment she had heard his voice, and knew there wasn't much point in trying to avoid answering him

"They were quiet for a while, right after"

"I see. Like Sisyphus then. Well, I'll let you get back to your lunch. Take care now. Ta-ta"

He had hung-up before Clarice could say goodbye and she stood listening to the disconnect tune for a moment before placing the phone back on the receiver. She would have to report the conversation to Mr Crawford but she was really not looking forward to it. Not only was she sure they wouldn't be able to trace his call to anywhere near his actual location, she didn't think Mr Crawford would take a very laid-back approach to an escaped serial killer randomly knowing where she was going to be. She herself didn't feel even the least bit apprehensive. In fact, it was very pleasant talking to him again and it is that realization speeds her steps to Crawford's office.

Once she reached his office however, she wished that she had waited a bit as Paul Krendler was talking to Jack Crawford in his office. Krendler had never forgiven Clarice for solving the Buffalo Bill case before him and had been on a not-so-subtle vendetta against her ever since.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir" Clarice tells Crawford, glancing at Krendler "I can come back some other time"

"No not at all. Mr Krendler was just leaving"

"Did you manage to get yourself shot again Starling" Krendler sneers, not bothering his leering glance down her legs.

"Nothing so exciting I'm afraid" she replies, she knows she really shouldn't but her mouth runs ahead "Just came to report that Dr Lecter phoned me at the café on Pine Street"

Once back in her office, she really regrets not waiting till Krendler had left. No doubt the whole bureau knew by now. Mr Crawford had sent agents to the diner to go see if they could tract the call, and to interview the staff to find out if someone had been calling to talk to her on other occasions when she might not have been there. Clarice could have told him not to bother, but knew that her confidence in the matter would just unsettle Mr Crawford more. As it was, he was insisting that she change all of her routines immediately. She was equally insistent that she wasn't going to do that. She wasn't going to let Dr Lecter dictate her life. She could have added, but for once had the sense not to, that since he found her so easily one time, it shouldn't be difficult for him to do so a second time. When some of her colleagues came back from lunch, she could see from the looks they were giving her, that they knew about the call already. Clarice had the distinct feeling that she had lost some of the ground she had so laboriously gained and she felt the unfairness keenly.

The next couple of months passed by without major incident. The VICAP taskforce was successful in closing a few more high-profile cases. Clarice was starting to feel as if she had regained some of the ground she had lost after her phone call with Dr Lecter. She would ruthlessly supress any feelings of resentment towards her colleagues as soon as she became aware of feeling them but surface they did.

Clarice was surprised to get a call from Mr Crawford late one afternoon while she was slogging through a mountain of paperwork.

"Starling"

"Can you come to my office Starling? There is something I need you to see"

Walking over to Mr Crawford's office, Clarice was sure she knew about whom this was going to be about.

"Look at this Starling. Tell me what you see" said Jack Crawford as he placed a series of crime scene photos in front of her.

The photos showed a severely mutilated body with the abdomen and torso slashed open and the face cut up beyond all recognition.

"The heart, liver and pancreas had been removed" he explained.

Clarice looked at the photos for a long time before looking up to meet Crawford's eye.

"It's not Dr Lecter. It's too frenzied and disorganised. Plus, he would have posed the body in some way, not just discarded it as was done here"

"He could be deliberately trying to change his MO to through us off"

"This would offend his sense of artistry, I think. It's not him"

"I tend to agree Starling. It doesn't feel like him. But we are going to pursue it as if it is. We are sending a team up to Illinois tomorrow"

We are sending a team, so you are not sending me

Clarice frowns as she picks up the nearest photo

"Won't that misdirect the investigation away from the real unsub?" Clarice questions.

"Of course, we will keep an open mind. But we also received this in the mail today" saying this he reached into his desk drawer and removed two sheets of paper in evidence bags. The first was a charcoal drawer of her holding a lamb in front of her bare chest. The second was a hand written letter.

My dearest Clarice

Your career seems to be in an upward trajectory. Long may it continue. If it should fail, know that it would be due to the jealousy of your esteemed colleagues and outside influences, not due to any negligence or lacking on your side. I'll follow your career with eager anticipation.

Faithfully your

Hannibal Lecter MD

"I'm going to order a tail for you"

Clarice barely managed to keep irritation in check.

"That won't help anything, if Lecter really want to get to someone, a couple of extra agents won't stand in his way"

It was clear that Crawford had already closed the topic as he started collecting the photos off his desk.

"Be that as it may. They will be outside the duplex tonight"

"Thank you, sir," is all Clarice felt safe to say.

Clarice felt really exhausted by the time she got to the duplex the following evening. The previous night she had slept very poorly, not that she often truly slept well. The lambs have indeed been making a slow but steady comeback in her dreams, along with a dark basement. No prizes for guessing where that comes from. Ardelia was on a training course up in New York and she had the place to herself. When the phone rang, she was sure it was going to be Ardelia.

"Starling"

"Good evening, Clarice"

"Dr Lecter" she answered a bit exasperatedly

"My, but you do not sound to please to hear from me. Have I offended you? More than usual that is"

"You have to stop this. It isn't save"

When he stayed silent, she rushed on

"We were told today not to bring you in, but to shoot to kill if we were to encounter you"

"Ah, I see. So, you are not to arrest me then?"

"We are not even to try"

"May I ask what has brought this change in attitude?"

"There is a new killer in Illinois that they think is you"

His soft derisive snort is all the confirmation she ever needed that it wasn't him.

"Between that and the letter you sent them, has made the hunt for you heat up again"

"I see" he answers softly "Would you shoot me?"

"I don't want to shoot you"

"Would you arrest me then?"

Clarice was quiet before answering

"I don't want to arrest you either"

"Thank you, Clarice. Thank you" Clarice could not quite place the emotions in his voice, but he resumed a much more business-like aspect "Tell me about this villain of Illinois of yours"

"His not mine. I'm not on the case. Mr Crawford just showed me some of the crime-scene photos"

"I see" was his only reply and Clarice could almost swear she heard disapproval in his voice

"The victim had his heart, liver and pancreas removed, that's why they are linking it with you. Or trying to"

"Good choices"

"Nope. No. Definitely not. You do not get to make that joke"

"I'm sorry Agent Starling. I did not mean to offend" now she could identify the mirth in his voice

"Right. Of course not" she tried but failed to keep the smile out of her voice.

"Well, as titillating as our talks always are, I'm afraid I need to run. You have a good evening now Agent Starling"

"You too, good night, Dr Lecter"
"Goodnight Clarice"

Clarice reflected on how much better she felt after her conversation with Dr Lecter than before.