Hello !
I finally had the courage to write a fiction. Since French is my mother tongue, please be gentle with my poor English. Good reading.
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Summary : Clarice is in pursuit of Doctor Lecter but she finds him in an unusual state...
Timeline : One year after Hannibal movie.
Disclaimer : Dr. Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling are the intellectual property of Thomas Harris. I'm just borrowing them.
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Chapter 1 : A old acquaintance
All was calm. Only the murmur of the wind in the leaves of a big poplar came from time to time to break this silence. The weather was already warm in this end of May and daylight just made its appearance.
When her alarm started to ring, it took a few seconds to Clarice before she remembered where she was. She stopped the ringing and she saw on her watch that it was six in the morning. She had fallen asleep in her car and her back was hurting. Even if the seats of her rented car were comfortable, nothing were better than a good bed.
She went out of the car and stretched with a sigh of relief. ''I'll have to wait to have a good night of sleep'', she thought. ''I have more urgent things to do today.'' Clarice had parked her car behind a thicket of trees not far from a large iron gate richly decorated. It was the fourth night she kept an eye on this entrance. She remained awake many hours to watch for the least movement but this night tiredness had won and she had fallen asleep.
While she ate a croissant accompanied by a cup of coffee kept hot in a thermos, Clarice thought of the various events which had led her to that point.
It was almost a year now since that night on Chesapeake Bay. She could remember all the details of this dark evening. Noises of the sea outside, Krendler who tasted his own brain, the voice of the man who had answered on the phone when she had composed the 911 and especially another voice, Doctor Lecter's which was still in her head.
''Would they have you back, you think ? The FBI ? Those people you despise almost as much as they despise you. Would they give you a medal, Clarice, do you think ? Would you have it professionally framed and hang it on your wall to look at and remind you of your courage and incorruptibility ? All you need for that, Clarice, is a mirror.''
''Tell me Clarice, would you ever say to me, stop ? If you loved me, you'd stop ?''
And the stolen kiss, the softness of the doctor's lips against hers... No no no, she didn't want to think of that, not now.
When the police had finally arrived, Hannibal Lecter was already far and he let the young woman face her doubts and her fears. The investigation that had followed these events had not proven anything on the possible culpability of Clarice and, six months later, she found once again her place in the FBI.
The first days, her work was not very exciting. She spent her time to classify administrative papers or going down to the archives to consult certain files which her superiors needed. Clarice started to wonder whether she was not going to change her job when Clint Pearsall, her former boss, ask her to come in his office on a January afternoon.
''Starling, I asked you to come because you are a major element for the FBI and the work you've done lately doesn't reflect your competence. You deserve much better...''
Clarice who sat opposite Pearsall wondered why he was suddenly concerned with her working conditions. ''I have to be on my guard, only God knows what he wants from me...''
Pearsall rose and went to look a few moments by the window then turned over towards Clarice and continued : ''I talked about you with director Noonan and we decided to give you a real work of special agent.''
''Mr Pearsall, I acknowledge I am a little surprised that you tell me from one day to the next that...''
''Let me finish Starling'', he said calmly, ''We chose you because you are the best for this work. No other agent has sufficiently knowledge on the subject compared with you and we know that you can conclude this operation.''
''Very well Sir, but tell me what I have to do.'' Clarice started to get impatient.
Pearsall sat down again and looked in her eyes : ''We want that you take again the Lecter file. After the death of Paul Krendler, there was a lot of agitation at the department of justice and they give us orders to do everything possible to find Doctor Lecter.''
Clarice didn't know what to say. She expected something suspicious from Pearsall but it was the worst thing she could imagine. As she didn't answer, Pearsall continued :
''I understand completely that the name of Lecter can remind you of bad memories but we need you on this case. I again place the office you occupied at the Behavioural Sciences Department at your disposal and if something miss, do not hesitate to make a request. The search for Hannibal Lecter is one of our priorities henceforth.''
It was as if all started again, as if Clarice was one year and half behind when she had agreed to take care of the file after the massacre of the fish market. She could not make such a decision now, it was necessary that she thought of it.
''It's an important decision,'' she finally said, ''and I'd like to have more time to think of it.''
''Of course, I understand. I leave you one week but not more.''
Now this last sentence made her smile. Three days later, she accepted the case and she found again the ''Hannibal house'' in Quantico. As her career did not seem to progress and her last days were devoted to administrative tasks, the advisability of working on a real file seemed very attractive... even if it concerned the only person with whom she would never want to deal again.
Clarice knew pertinently that by giving her again the Lecter file, the department of justice got rid of an embarrassing element. As they could not fire her for lack of proof, they had chosen a diverted means. If Starling made a mistake or if a new scandal like Chesapeake reproduced, it would be easy for them to stop her career. While being on Doctor Lecter's case, she was kept away from all other investigations.
All these practices nauseated the young woman but she knew that this file was her only chance to have an honourable place in the FBI. During months that followed, Clarice, often alone in her office, was going to be devoted to the search of Doctor Hannibal Lecter.
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To be continued...
Reviews are truly appreciated.
Lecter-in-love.