North American detective: From scoundrel to god among men

Chapter 24 Lecter's Psychological Test

We must find out who Dr. Lecter's friend is.

Otherwise, before they catch the person, they might get betrayed by the FBI.

Titus, preoccupied with his own thoughts, sought out Starling.

Starling's best friend, Adelea Map, a healthy Black woman, teased Titus as he approached:

"Your great partner is here to see you!"

Starling rolled her eyes at her, and Mapuchetus nodded before striding away.

"Special Agent Starling Clarisse!"

"Yes, it's me! What's wrong?"

Titus looked at Starling with a serious expression.

Starling looked puzzled and subconsciously brushed her hair back, trying to look neat and capable. To be honest, she was a little nervous.

Just as Starling was about to ask again, Titus spoke up:

"How's it like being a special agent?"

Starling breathed a sigh of relief and glared at Titus with annoyance:

"It feels really good, finally on par with someone."

Titus smiled slightly and said:

"There is a top-secret mission that requires Agent Clarice's cooperation."

"I would be delighted."

"Hunter of Hannibal Lecter."

As soon as Titus finished speaking, Starling's smile vanished abruptly. She looked at Titus seriously, her eyes brimming with emotion, as if asking: What? I captured Hannibal?

In response, Titus nodded firmly.

Starling took a deep breath, mentally prepared herself, and nodded earnestly to Titanus.

She thought, Dr. Lecter is terrible, but I, Starling, am no less so, am I? Besides, it's not like I haven't had contact with Lecter before. It's just that he likes to eat people. And there's Titus, who's the real deal. Starling, you can do it!

Thus, the cannibal hunting duo was formed. Little did they know that they would embark on a bloody and treacherous journey to the ends of the earth.

The duo decided through discussion that the first step in tracking down Lecter would be to examine his belongings.

According to the case file, Lecter escaped after being transferred to the hands of a senator, and was guarded by local police.

Lecter cut off the guard's skin and stuck it on his face. He lay at the crime scene pretending to be dead. The doctor took him to the emergency room as an injured person. Meanwhile, the real guard was dressed in his prison uniform and left in the elevator shaft to attract the police's attention. In the end, he successfully escaped by deceiving everyone.

According to on-site investigation, the tool he used to escape was a pencil...

Titus took a deep breath. It seemed the senator didn't take his words seriously. How could a senator at the pinnacle of power care about a mere rookie agent?

He clicked his tongue in annoyance. The Hannibal escape incident resulted in a total of five victims.

The FBI then located the hijacked ambulance near Interstate A, while Lecter seemed to have vanished without a trace.

When Tytus and his companion arrived at C Street in Chicago's South Side, they discovered that Barney, Lecter's former black guard, was secretly reselling Lecter's belongings.

Barney's residence was located there, and the two knocked on the door.

Barney, the Black man, opened the door, paused for a moment, and said nervously:

"Detective, just to be on the safe side, could you please not read out my rights?"

(The FBI informs suspects of their right to remain silent before making an arrest.)

Starling smiled slightly and said:

"I did not announce Milan's rights, and Barney is unaware of his rights."

"We're here to find something belonging to Dr. Lecter."

Barney hesitated for a moment and said:

"Please come in."

The three of them went inside.

Starling asked:

"You were the longest-serving guard over Lecter. How did you manage to keep him from harming you?"

Barney replied:

"Be polite."

"Be polite? Will being polite stop Lecter from eating people?"

Barney nodded and said:

"Mr. Lecter prefers to eat rude people."

Stalin continued:

"We recently discovered that someone is reselling Mr. Lecter's collection of paintings."

"That has nothing to do with me."

"The seller's signature is Lauren Morris, does that sound familiar? That's the name on your job application and graduation application."

"Who is she to you?"

"Perhaps I can retrieve that painting for you."

Titus drew his sidearm and walked behind Barney.

"Great, perhaps we can offer you a deal you can't refuse."

He pressed the pistol against the back of Barney's head. Barney's slippery attitude infuriated him, and he wasn't going to waste any more time there.

"Calm down, detective, I'm not a bad person."

"Are you saying I'm pointing a gun at innocent people?"

"That's not what I meant."

Barney started sweating, and Starling whispered a warning to him:

"Don't be impulsive, Titus."

Titus pressed the gun even harder, the muzzle digging into the soft flesh of his neck.

He questioned in a stern voice:

"Then tell me who the bad guy is?"

"Chilton, Chilton is definitely a bad guy!"

Barney said quickly:

"Every time you guys talk to Hannibal, Chilton secretly records it."

Titus asked:

"Do you have the videotape?"

Barney nodded, and Titus put his gun away.

"Bring it here."

After getting the videotape, the two left Barney's house, both breathing a sigh of relief.

"I genuinely thought you were going to shoot!"

"It's just a matter of playing the good cop and the bad cop; a little trick to improve the efficiency of handling cases."

As far as Tytus knew, there was a police officer named Gordon in Gotham next door who had faster interrogation techniques.

The two rushed back to the FBI to listen to the tape. As the video recorder slowly rotated inside, Hannibal's distinctive voice rang out again.

"Go find yourself."

"Lost little lambs~"

……

"I've been here for a long time, and I know they won't let me out alive. All I want is a prison away from Chilton, a window, a tree, a view, or even a drop of water."

……

"Everyone has desires. What do you think Buffalo Bill was after?"

"To become a woman?"

"So, Titan, what is it that you covet, and why do you covet it?"

……

There was a knock on the office door, and someone told Titus that there was a package for him. Titus got up and left, while Stalin pressed his earpiece to continue listening.

She tried to find Hannibal's whereabouts from these clues, even the slightest hint.

She took out the tape and skillfully inserted it into the next tray.

After the video recorder whirred to life, the sound of conversation returned to Stalin's ears:

"Barney, do you know what I think of those two agents from earlier in the day?"

"I'm all ears, Dr. Lecter."

"Do you know what a 'flying bird' is, Barney?"

"They take off high and quickly, then flip over and fall to the ground just as rapidly. There are two types of flipping birds: shallow flip and deep flip."

"Those who do a shallow roll are just going through the motions, while those who do a deep roll will tumble all the way to the bottom."

"Starling is a deep-flipped bird."

"If what you say is true, then Titus also looks like the deep translation type."

"No, you're wrong. Titus won't fall into the ground... he'll fall into hell."

The videotape was silent for a moment, then Lecter's voice rang out again, tinged with regret:

"He couldn't control his emotions when he first met someone like me. He... has a pair of compassionate eyes."