“I thought I understood his darkness, even accepted it. I was ready to welcome his saw to my head.” Will kissed Molly’s temple, the exact spot on his own head where Hannibal had cut him. He felt himself flush. “This was before Mason Verger started laying out his plans, what he was going to do with us. Hannibal never stopped smiling, such a patronizing, indulgent smile. Nothing Mason threatened to do to us bothered him. Hannibal was like the devil, watching a child play with his pitchfork.”
A shudder ran through his entire body as if something, some invisible creature threatened to rip through his skin and start racing around the room. The stag. It was almost always the stag when it wasn’t the stag man.
“You were there when Hannibal Lecter killed Mason Verger. You might be the reason Hannibal killed him.” Molly reached up to touch his scar. “Strange what was mentioned and what wasn’t at Hannibal Lecter’s trial.”
“Jack and Alana warned me to say as little as possible. They were convinced both Agent Purnell and Ms. Vega were looking for an excuse to lock me away again.” Will felt another shudder ripple through him. “Hannibal himself left out large parts of the story.”
“You must have seen him again after he was arrested.” Molly lowered her hand. “You saw him in court. You testified for both the prosecution and the defense.”
“I’d already said goodbye to Hannibal.” Will closed his eyes, only to see Hannibal’s own, dark and gleaming. Within them was reflected Alana Bloom’s stern face, stripped of most its softness.
“We are the keepers of many keys which unlock doors we’d rather not open.” Hannibal had spoken in a very soft voice to Alana. Had he known that Will could hear him? “Act as keeper, Alana. See to it Will Graham does not open the door you closed, even if he convinced you to accept the keys.”
Alana hadn’t nodded or smiled but Will sensed she’d cooperate in this arrangement even if he didn’t know all the details. He could guess some of them. He knew Hannibal only too well, how Hannibal liked to mentor others in mischief or murder. Margot had always wanted to kill her brother and Alana had been getting quite desperate when he’d seen her at Muskrat Farms.
“This is my fault.” For a moment he looked down to see Alana looking up at him with bobbed hair and a pensive face, wearing a suit like armor. She now matched Margot Verger in her almost defensive looking attire. No, not defensive. Aggressive. “What I said to you at Muskrat Farm, whatever Hannibal persuaded you to do-“
“Shh.” She placed a finger on his lips. “You know nothing of what happened to Mason Verger, you were innocent of any involvement in his death. Stay innocent in this matter, Will.”
“You always saw innocence in me, even goodness.” On impulse, he kissed her fingers. “I’m sorry I disappointed you, Alana.”
The sorrow in her face was perhaps as great as he’d felt when he said the same words to Hannibal. “Goodbye, Will.”
I’m so sorry, Alana. I knew you cared, that you had feelings for me. I didn’t know you loved me. I should have. I couldn’t have hurt you so badly if you didn’t.
Once again, Will saw Hannibal kneeling in the snow, gazing at him. His chest ached. He returned to the present, to Molly. He couldn’t drift away into memories. He’d made a commitment to here and her.
They were going to find out how honest and honorable Will Graham truly was. Both to Molly and to himself.