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How had Jack failed to see it? The Ripper had been standing in front of him the whole time, and the man hadn't seen him. These thoughts ran through his head on an endless loop as he looked around the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Dr. Chilton had called Jack several hours ago, babbling much too fast to actually make out anything the man was saying. The panicked tone and small periods with the mantra of, "ohgodohgodohgod," being whimpered repeatedly gave Jack a fairly good idea of what had just happened. It wasn't the first time he had received a phone call like that recently.
The first had been Freddie Lounds, although she managed to hold herself together much better than Chilton. Jack still wasn't sure how she'd managed to get his number. She had called one day prior and spoke to Jack in a rushed whisper. She was demanding that the police be brought to Hannibal Lecter's home immediately. Jack told her that an officer was coming around, but it was to arrest her for breaking and entering. He became concerned when instead of becoming upset or trying to argue with him, Freddie just sighed in relief. She began to tell Jack how she had found human remains in Hannibal's refrigerator, and that the man was currently searching for whoever had picked his lock. At first Jack didn't believe her, but then he heard a door open and a sudden shriek from Freddie. The line went dead shortly after. He got an anonymous call about an officer down on Lecter's property a few minutes later.
Jack knew the moment he stepped over the gutted police officer at the steps of Doctor Lecter's home that he had found the Ripper. Gun raised, he swept through every room in the building with his team, only to find room after room empty. They did manage to find Freddy Lounds, who was trying in vain to stop herself from bleeding out onto the carpet. The next few hours became a blur of police tape and flashing lights The EMTs that arrived were amazed that stab wounds were all nonlethal. Looking back, Jack saw that she was left alive intentionally so that Hannibal would have more time to escape.
Jack made his way towards Chilton's office to see if he could help make sense of the situation. Shortly after the call from Chilton, the automated alarm system at the Penitentiary was set off. Someone had let loose many of the institutes most dangerous inmates. Officers and guards were swarming all over the place, trying to round up any escapees that may still be hiding in the building.
Chilton was wrapped in a shock blanket when Jack finally managed to get into his office. It looked like he had barricaded himself in by shoving all his furniture against the door. It had only been half cleared away, so anyone wishing to get inside had to shove the door until enough space was created to move. Seeing Jack approach, he quickly waved away one of the men hovering around him, probably a lawyer. "Thank God you're here! I thought I'd have to deal with all of this by myself."
"What exactly is 'all this?'" Jack was willing to bet he already knew who was to blame, but needed confirmation first.
Chilton got a bit red in the face at Jack's apparent lack of concern. "I thought that you'd be a bit more upset about the death of at least fourteen men. We had a breakout and I almost died. A little sympathy would be nice."
Jack did not have the time to put up with this crap. Slamming his hands onto the man's shoulders, he let out a small part of the frustration that had been building over the past day. "Now you listen to me. I know how many men died, and I know that that number may well rise as we continue to search the building. But that is not why I am here. I need you to look at your fancy security cameras so we can see who let everyone out. I am not here to hold your hand, and I don't care about how upset you are. Do you understand?"
Dr. Chilton remained mercifully silent as he nodded at Jack. He retrieved a set of keys and slowly started walking towards the main security station. He had yet to fully recover from having his organs made into a gift basket for the Ripper. Two bodies covered by plastic sheets greeted the pair when they arrived at the room. Whoever had murdered the two guards had taken the keys with them. No one had been able to enter the room yet because of this.
Jack had expected to find a new gruesome crime scene behind the door, but the room didn't look as if it had been disturbed at all by the day's events. After entering in several passcodes, Chilton set the timer to view events at the time of the breakout. Static filled the screen. Jack wanted to punch someone. He settled for ramming a fist into the wall and cursing.
"Wait, we may still be able to find out who did this." Chilton offered in an attempt to calm the man.
"How would we do that?"
"The only way to turn off the feed is to enter a command to do so from here. So, whoever murdered the guards would have been seen entering the room first." He then set the feed to the camera just outside the door and began to rewind the footage. Eventually, the screen changed to show a well dressed man removing two dead bodies from the office. Letting the footage run forward again, Hannibal sent the camera a smug smile before taking a pair of keys and promptly disabling the cameras.
"That son of a bitch!" Jack hit the wall yet again as Chilton looked utterly lost. Jack had suspected that Lecter was behind the problems here, but he couldn't think of a reason why. He stayed like that for a while, fist on the wall, mind racing until it made sense. "Will Graham." It was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Excuse me?" Dr. Chilton was still trying to catch up with what had happened, but Jack was already gone. There were still several patients unaccounted for, and the incident had occurred in the same area where Will was being kept. Jack was practically sprinting by the time he reached the secure wing. He shoved his way through paramedics looking for signs of life among the half dozen guards littering the hallway and made a beeline for where Will's cell was.
After finally reaching the cell, Jack let out another string of curses. Sitting on the center of the small cot was a severed arm. Images of Miriam flashed through Jack's head as he entered the small room. It sat quietly on top of Will's Pillow, giving it an air of exaggerated purpose. Jack stared down at the limb and discovered there was a letter in its hand. Elegant curving script addressed it to Agent Jack Crawford. Jack ignored the slight tremor that ran through his body as he opened the letter and read.
Dear Jack,
You have no doubt learned of my activities as the Ripper at this point. I wish I could know what your face looked like as the realization took place. Did you feel shame? Embarrassment? Anger? Perhaps all these and more? The thought of your pain will warm my heart during the long journey I am embarking on. If we had more time to talk, I would tell you of Miriam's final moments. The look as the light left her eyes was a wondrous thing to behold. It was a shame to have to rid the world of such a bright young mind, but her death was needed so I could remain free. Fortunately, the guilt of her death is not my burden to bear. No, she was sacrificed in your name. She was just one of the countless lives offered up by Agent Jack Crawford for the greater good.
She did not go to waste though, that would have been a terrible disservice to her memory. No, Miriam was saved until the time came for the Ripper to make his reappearance. Her arm announced it publicly, and the meal made from her announced it privately. You ate her. The young woman you had so hoped to find alive at the end of your chase turned into a meal to comfort you. She was not the first human that I fed you, and she was far from the last. I almost felt that you were eating too much human meat, but you enjoyed it so. Who was I to take such a pleasure away?
Now that I am unable to offer my services to the FBI, I feel it is time for me to travel again. But, I will not be going alone. William shall be accompanying me. Of all the unintentional favors and gifts you have given me over our time together, bringing Will Graham into my life was your greatest gift. I had long ago given into the idea that I was meant to go through this world alone when you introduced me to the one person who was able to see me as I truly am and understand. I could never leave the man behind now that we both know one another so well.
Taking William along for my trip will do wonders for the man's health. He has been languishing in a cell for crimes he did not commit for far too long. Will was so close to seeing what I truly was when you shot him all those months ago. He had already learned that I was the copycat killer and, if given more time, would no doubt have learned of my other identity as well. Instead, he got a bullet from the man he was told to trust and a dismissal by all those he considered friends and allies.
I realize that the challenges before me are great where Will is concerned. The man is much like the strays he is so fond of. Rejected and betrayed by the world and left to fend for himself. The past will no doubt make him very slow to trust, but I am a patient man. Just as Will manages to earn the love of his pets, I believe that I can get good Will to see why all this was necessary and come to trust me yet again. He just requires a gentle touch and time.
Rest assured, I do not intend to let this stray go.
Regards,
Doctor Hannibal Lecter