The Gardens were quite green despite the season, with few flowers still blossoming as bushes and evergreen trees offered some colour to the plain white building. Abigail walked weak-legged, supported by Hannibal and Will.
The two men took their time, allowing her to lead them at her own pace as they, along with Rana, explained things to the young girl. The female agent walked side by side with Will, eyes never leaving Abigail.
"I'm sorry we couldn't save your mother. We did everything we could, but she was already gone." Will confessed, his voice sincere and not hiding his sympathy for her.
Tears stung Abigail's eyes, threatening to spill, but don't. "I know. I saw him kill her."
This made the trio exchange a look but it was Rana, who spoke next. "You saw it?" she asked him.
The girl gave a faint nod of her head. "It was sort of like seeing it"
"There was no vocabulary for your mind to articulate the violence. " Hannibal commented.
"Didn't seem real. He was loving right up until the second he wasn't. He kept telling me he was sorry and to just hold still. He was going to make it all go away...he promised...he showed..." her words trailed off, not sure how to explain that he showed her those yellow eyes of his, whenever he made a promise.
Like the promise that she would get the very same and that she was lucky. She was still unsure if she saw the others having those eyes as well or if it was just in the moment. She was too conscious to ask, afraid of being labelled as crazy.
Will spoke after a moment of silence, snapping her from her trail of thought. "There was plenty wrong with your father, Abigail, but there's nothing wrong with you. You said he was loving. I believe it. That's what you brought out in him."
The girl shook her head slightly. "It's not all I brought out in him"
Another silent exchange of looks before it was Hannibal, who decided to ask the most important question. "Did he tell you about the young women he murdered?"
Abigail went silent and the trio understood, now it was not the right time to ask them. Rana's eyes softened and she spoke next, her voice suddenly being a lot softer. "You don't have to answer that right now if you don't want to" This brought some comfort in the girl.
However, Hannibal, despite enjoying seeing this difference, had to speak once again; being the only one with the power to speak the hard truth. Rana and Will, let their personal feelings get in the way, obviously relating to her one way or another, something that didn't go unnoticed by him.
"But we will have to ask you those questions eventually."
"I'm going to be messed up, aren't I? I'm worried about nightmares."
Rana's voice came next, once again having this motherly and comforting tone that none of the two men had her capable of. "We'll help you with the nightmares. I promise you"
Will gave a nod. "There's no such thing as getting used to what you experienced. It bothers me a lot. I can only imagine how it bothers you when I see it over and over in my mind...I worry about nightmares, too."
"Do you have nightmares about killing my dad?"
"Sometimes it's hard for me to dream about much else. "
"Killing somebody, even if you have to do it, it feels that bad?" she asked him,
"Ugliest thing in the world" Will said and then Abigail looked at Rana.
"It depends... is not easy, not at first and you often justify it in your mind, to ease the guilt...but deep down, it's not a nice feeling and you will be often reminded of it whether you like it or not" she spoke, speaking, to Hannibal's surprise, almost with full honesty.
He expected her to lie just like Will did, but she didn't. Not fully at least. It gave him a far clearer image of her in his mind, making his interest in her peak even more. There were already parts he wanted to learn about her, unfolding like a Christmas present. She was a Wolfskin, killing was in their blood and he knew it would be impossible for someone like her not to take a liking to it.
He simply had to bring it up to the surface and make her accept it, accept her true nature. With Will, it was easier because he was being exposed to so many new things that stressed his mentality and threatened to break his mind...but Rana... was moulded and perfected by the same conditions. Forming walls and towers to keep everything inside, but always having them ready to use when she truly needed them.
She was a much more complicated puzzle, for she was too aware of him and his intentions. Good thing that Hannibal loved a challenge.
After the walk, Abigail had to return to the hospital room for medication and rest. Rana promised that once out, she would take her for food whenever she wanted, something that might come sooner considering Abigail asked herself to return home.
Rana had stayed back to show the official signed paper, ensuring that the personnel of the Hospital would only let certain clarified individuals see Abigail and keep Freddie away from the girl. Problem was, as she worked to keep the red she-devil away from the girl, the devil had tried to pick on Will.
In the moment of frustration, Will uttered something that he shouldn't have and the very same evening, it was all over her little blog. Something that Jack noticed and was far from happy about it.
Like a kid in the principal's office, Will sat across from Jack with his head slightly lowered. Hannibal and Alana were by each side of his, slightly concerned by everything but they weren't the only ones. Rana, as per usual, by Jack's side, also felt the tension in the room rising as Jack read out loud the very same piece of a sentence that Will had told Freddie.
"It's not very smart to piss off a guy who thinks about killing people for a living...Know what else isn't very smart?" Will remained silent, not meeting Jack's piercing gaze. The man turned to Rana, not happy either. "Where were you when this happened? I sent you there, also to ensure he stayed out of trouble" Rana's jaw tensed, never liking to be scolded for something she had no control over. Yes, when she screwed things up, she accepted but at that moment, it was not up to her hand. Jack was furious, however, and he targeted one by one the people responsible for the article, like Hannibal. "You were there with him and you let those words come out of his mouth."
"I trust Will to speak for himself." Hannibal simply said, only making his anger flare more. Something he knew and he enjoyed it, for he refused to be put down by a weak little human.
"You shouldn't"
Finally, Alana spoke up, trying to ease the thick tension existing in the room. "I'm just happy the story wasn't about Abigail Hobbs."
Jack took a breath. "Then it's a victory. Does Abigail Hobbs want to go home? Let's take Abigail Hobbs home."
The female psychiatrist as per usual disagreed with him. It made one wonder whether she ever agreed with Jack on a topic. "What Abigail wants and what she needs are two different things. Taking her out of a controlled environment would be reckless."
"You said she was practical."
Will, at last, spoke up. "That could just mean she has a dissociative disorder.
Alana gave a nod. "You take her home, she may experience intense emotions, and respond aggressively. Or re-enact some aspect of the traumatic event without even realizing it"
Suddenly, Jack was left outnumbered and he turned to one of the two last people that could back him up. Specifically, to the only man in the room whose opinion seemed to outweigh everyone else's. " Doctor Lecter?"
"Doctor Bloom is right, but there is a scenario where revisiting the trauma event could help Abigail heal and prevent a denial," Hannibal said, trying not to fully take a side and hide his true intentions, all while using his extensive knowledge and current observations related to Abigail and her situation.
Eventually, the man turned to Rana. While she was not an expert in human psychology, she had good instincts about people and she was more than observant about them. Her opinion was often considered by Jack who at that very moment, he needed her to be by his side once again.
"I think it is worth a shot. She wished to and could potentially help her. Worse case, we pull her out before things escalate" she said after remaining quiet for a few moments and finding a way to phrase her thoughts.
She didn't truly want Abigail back there, since it was quite a traumatic experience for her. However, a part of her agreed with Hannibal. Deep down, Rana related to the girl and her situation...and she had also been faced with such an option when she was younger.
The female agent reacted positively and it simply helped her but Abigail was not her...No... she was a teenager, who perhaps could be like her and who had already been old enough to understand more things than one would expect.
In the end, she decided to play it safe with her words, although partially she knew what Jack would choose.
And indeed, the man did not bother to hide it either. "We have a difference of opinion, therefore I'm choosing the opinion that best serves my agenda."
"Will killed her father to save her life. If she sees Will as her saviour and he doesn't meet her expectations, she could transfer rage toward her father onto him." Alana argued back, to no one's surprise.
Her words, however, did make Rana have second thoughts about it all. Although, if Abigail were to snap at Will, it would not be something extreme for Will was more than a simple human. If the girl proved not to be one either, then Will could still handle her...right?
Jack thought for a moment. "He'll deal with it...I want to know if Will's right about our Copy Cat"
Will frowned his eyebrows. "That the Copy Cat called the Hobbs's house before the murders?"
Jack simply gave a nod but the female psychiatrist was not about to go down, just yet, "We have no way of knowing what's waiting for her when she goes home."
"This is why agent Stones will escort Hannibal and Will to the location," Jack said, making Alana look at him betrayed. She opened her mouth to say something, but he interrupted her. "I know and I respect your expertise on the topic, Dr Bloom. However, I prefer a non-biased agent of mine to be there, for precaution"
With a rented, our heroes and Abigail made their way to the Hobbs Residency. Hannibal was the one driving, having Will as his co-pilot while the two females sat at the back of the car. Eventually arriving at their destination, they all stepped out of the car only to notice the 8-foot tall letters scrawled across the front of the house, graffiti style, the word...
CANNIBALS.
Trying to ignore it, they all head towards the house. Will and Hannibal walked first but Abigail started to trail back as she stared at the faded rust-coloured stain on the front step, where her mother died, her eyes brimming with tears but not overflowing.
"I was sort of expecting a body outline in chalk or tape." She said, earning their attention.
Rana, walked to stand next to Abigail, her presence somehow offering a sense of comfort and protection. "They only do that if you're still alive and taken to the hospital before they finish the crime scene" there was silence, Abigail staring for far too long. Rana's hand gently brushed hers, her tone once again changing to this soft motherly one. "Want to say any final words?"
To her surprise, Abigail gave the faintest nod and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Goodbye, mom"
The two females remained there for a moment longer, being watched from afar by a satisfied Hannibal. Just as he expected, those two were already warming up to one another. Rana might appear strict but she naturally gave the feeling of protection and she had this strong empathy, relating to Abigail in a much deeper way than anyone else.
Abigail, on the other hand, was a daughter that had lost both parents and was left alone against the cold world. While Alana could prove like a good older sister, the girl needed a stronger and more motherly figure to hang to. One to confide in, even something more than she wouldn't to others...and Rana fit that role perfectly.
Inside the house, Abigail and Rana walked first with the two males following suit right behind them. They were led to the kitchen and the teenage girl lingered in the doorway. The room was more or less scrubbed, thoroughly gone over by cleaners.
She eventually took a few steps inside, noticing all the family pictures on the refrigerator have been turned around. "They turned all the pictures over." She pointed out.
Rana, who had given some space to the girl, gave a nod. "Crime scene cleaners will do that. Do not worry about it, no one truly touched them"
The girl did not say anything else but noticed a familiar spot on the floor, a faint discolouration as memories resurfaced in her mind. "They did a really good job. Is that where all my blood was?"
Will had moved closer to her, ensuring she was okay. "Yes."
She wrapped her head around that. "You do this all the time? Go places and think about killing?"
"Too often."
"So you pretended to be my dad?"
"And people like your dad."
The conversation continued, Abigail's tone becoming more hostile subconsciously as if picking up how hard it was for Will to answer those questions, yet he kept trying...for her sake.
"...Maybe even because I killed him."
"No wonder you have nightmares."
This seemed to make Rana's patience, temporarily run out. She had been inspecting the house, ensuring they were alone but always keeping an eye on the girl and Will. She understood where that passive anger came from but Will was trying to help and Abigail failed to see that.
"Abigail," she said, the usual sternness hearable in her voice.
Before things could escalate, Hannibal decided to once again interfere like the good Samaritan he was and help. "We should discuss your nightmare. "
This made Abigail curious as Rana moved to stand next to Hannibal, both with their back straight as they looked at her. It was odd how similar and yet how different those two were from their body language to their choice of clothing.
Rana spoke next. "The attacks on you and your mother were different. Desperate. Your dad knew he was out of time. Someone told him we were coming."
"The man on the phone?"
Will nodded. "It was a blocked call. Did you recognize his voice?"
Rana waited, although she did not expect and she was not surprised when Abigail finally answered. "I had never heard it before. "
She, instead, decided to focus on something else. "Was there anybody new in your father's life? Someone you met or someone he talked about"
The girl shook her head in denial, answering that Rana sort of expected but truly did not want to hear. Always listening to her heartbeat, it was clear to Rana that Abigail was not lying so far. Truth be told, she hadn't lied once in their presence.
"He may have been contacted by another serial killer, a copycat" Will added, trying to make her understand.
"Someone who's still out there?"
The female agent gave a simple nod as an answer to her question.
After more exploring of the house, our heroes decided to grab a bucket and some scrubs and start working on washing off the Graffiti.
While they were busy scrubbing, the teenager was standing not so far away from them, watching, thinking and asking.
"Can you catch somebody's crazy?" she asked, making the trio exchange a look.
To the men and mostly Hannibal's surprise, it was Rana that spoke. "Folie a deux."
"What?" the teenager exclaimed confused.
Hannibal had stopped scrubbing, his full attention and interest on the female not far away from him that had said a few words with almost a full French accent. And what she said next, only intrigued him more as the female agent showed she had a more sophisticated and cultured side that one would not have her capable of.
"A French psychiatric term. "Madness shared by two." She said as she kept scrubbing but then came to a halt once she felt that penetrating stare of Hannibal. She turned her head to look at him, seeing he was studying her and she faintly picked up that she had surprised him. The corner of her lips curved up slightly to a small smirk. "Not such a handywoman, ain't that right?" she said and returned to work.
Hannibal cleared his throat, regaining his composure as he felt the tiniest beat of adrenaline and excitement in his body. Rana had just passively challenged him and won that round, which he was pleased for she started to slightly accept him more and did not truly consider him as a threat. However, it was still clear that they had a long way to go.
He decided to help shed some light on what Rana said, noticing Abigail waiting for an answer. "One can not be delusional if the belief in question is accepted as ordinary by others in that person's culture or subculture. Or family"
Immediately, Abigail went to the defensive. "My dad didn't seem delusional. He was a perfectionist. After he skinned a deer, he would pluck the loose hair. Most people use a torch. Dad would remove all the hair by hand. He wanted to make sure he got every one of them."
This drew Will's interest. "Your dad left almost no evidence."
However, the girl was not a fool. "Is that why you let me come home? To find evidence?"
Hannibal spoke next. "It was one of many considerations"
It was hard for the trio to truly understand what the girl was thinking or wanting. Her face was hard to read and nothing on her indicated what was going on inside her mind. "Are we going to re-enact the crime?" something sparked inside her as she looked at Rana and Will, being side by side. "You be my dad. You be my mom" and then she turned to Hannibal. "And you be the man on the phone"
Uncharacteristically, Hannibal was caught off guard by that. More so by Abigail's steely nonchalant stare that followed.
Rana left the scrub down and stood up, deciding to fully face Abigail, the others following suit. The woman let out a heavy sigh. "Look, Abigail. One of the reasons, the main reasons why we wanted you to come home to help you leave home behind"
Her words, seem to work through her and suddenly, Abigail was a little more cooperative. Perhaps, as Alana had pointed out, it was simply because she had gained more information, and thus was more willing to give some back.
"You are not going to find any of those girls, you know."
"Why do you say that?" Will asked her.
"He'd honour every part of them. Made plumbers putty out of elk bones. At least that's what he told us. You know, to seal threads. Whatever bones were left of those girls are probably holding pipes together. "
"Where did he make this putty?" It was Hannibal's turn to ask.
"At the cabin. I can show you."
This was quite good, it was a very big step and Rana knew Jack would be happy to hear it She was too for the faster they closed that case, the faster the teenage girl could return to her normal life and find some peace.
The female agent noticed someone approaching the house. "Abigail... there's someone here." She said, and the girl followed her direction, only to spot her friend Marissa heading their way.
