Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d Organization: The Committee To Thwart Spam Approved: X-Moderator-Contact: Eli the Bearded X-Story-Submission: From: Rhettxxoo@aol.com Subject: "Southern Hospitality" by Rhett Dreams, 7/10 [mf, crime drama] SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY by Rhett Dreams (c. 1996) Chapter Six (cont.) Trent heard about the Jackson bust Sunday morning,=20 when Ward Price called him at home and read him the short=20 article that had appeared in the Sunday paper. The tone of his=20 voice told the sheriff that his partner was close to panic. It was=20 hard to imagine an illegal cut-up shop maintaining customer=20 records, not for that part of their business, and he told Price=20 this. Trent hid his own growing concern and spoke calmly and=20 evenly to his partner, telling him they had no choice but to ride=20 it out.=20 When he hung up, he thought about his own situation.=20 Unlike the Price brothers, who he suspected had much of their=20 wealth tied up in their home, business, and their large fishing=20 boat, his wealth was very liquid. He had almost $150,000 in his=20 local bank accounts and the $320,000 waiting in his secret=20 account in the Cayman Islands. On the other hand, if he took=20 off when it wasn't necessary, he'd lose the pension money from=20 the Bureau. His capital alone wasn't nearly enough to live on.=20 Trent was always one to plan ahead, and he had two=20 perfect sets of forged identity papers for when and if he had to=20 bail out. He still believed it unlikely that the investigation of the=20 Jackson operation would lead to the Price brothers, and it was=20 extremely unlikely that they'd pick up the Prices without his=20 advanced knowledge as County Sheriff.=20 All the same, he reviewed his escape plan and then=20 thought about Celeste. He'd grow attached to the black girl,=20 especially lately. She'd grown more submissive with every=20 passing day, often initiating the action herself. He knew he=20 couldn't take her with him if he did have to bolt, and decided to=20 put aside another $5,000 for her.=20 "Celeste," he called, and she came in from the kitchen=20 where she was fixing lunch.=20 "Yes, masser," she said, her eyes registering hope that=20 he'd want to fuck her.=20 "C'mer, Celeste... sit. And none of that "masser" stuff, for=20 now."=20 She sat in the chair as directed and he explained that=20 he'd put aside some money should she ever decide to move on.=20 She began to object but waved it aside. He reminded her that=20 he was a cop and there was always the chance of him being=20 shot or something. He told her that she should take the cash in=20 the cupboard, pack her things, and take a cab to Rosie's. He=20 knew that sex was this girl's most marketable skill and that=20 she'd be well treated by Rosie.=20 "Here's her address, and I'll write a note of introduction,"=20 he said. "Both will be in the metal tin in the cabinet over the=20 fridge. You understand what I'm saying? Anything happens to=20 be, you should take the money, it's yours, and go to Rosie's.=20 You can decide to keep going, on your own, or stay there, after=20 talking to Rosie. Okay?"=20 "Yeah, sure," she said.=20 With that out of the way, he sat back and looked at the=20 girl, letting his glance take in the breasts under the thin cotton=20 dress, and the rest of her body. Celeste noticed the change in=20 him and her face took on an expectant look.=20 "You wanna fuck your nasty nigger girl, masser?"=20 His eyes returned her face, and he felt his cock stiffen in=20 his pants. He reached down and unbuckled his belt, his eyes=20 on the girl's thick lips.=20 "No, but I would like to see those nigger lips wrapped=20 around my cock."=20 Sheriff Trent sat back and relaxed while the girl whipped=20 off her dress and knelt between his legs, searching for his cock=20 in his pants. He let her suck him for almost ten minutes, until=20 he was set to explode. When he was ready he pushed her off=20 him and took a hold of his cock, pumping it through his orgasm=20 and sending thick ropes of cum all over the young girl's face=20 and breasts.=20 =20 - o -=20 =20 All hell broke lose Monday morning. Myers and Starling=20 got to the office early and outlined the briefing they would=20 shortly give to the whole team. Quinn had flown back down the=20 night before and they expected him and the same five other=20 agents to join then at eight o'clock in the "War Room".=20 "It's for you, Clarice," said Myers after answering his=20 phone. "Jack Crawford."=20 "Starling here," she said into the phone.=20 "I've got Congressman Walters on the line as well, Agent=20 Starling," said her boss, his tone telling her that she wouldn't be=20 pleased by this call.=20 "Hello, Congressman," she said, warily.=20 "I've got bad news, Agent Starling." He proceeded to tell=20 her now his wife got ambushed by a reporter the day before,=20 who had somehow uncovered the kinky sex angle on the=20 deaths of Debbie Walters and Henry Burns, and was writing an=20 article for Monday's paper. The Congressman admitted that=20 he'd briefed his wife on what Starling and told him, that the=20 earlier conclusion drawn from the evidence may not be correct.=20 His wife, wanting to protect her daughter's reputation, told the=20 reporter that the FBI was investigating a series of missing=20 person cases, all involving expensive cars, and believed that=20 her daughter's case might be linked to them. She told the=20 reporter that her daughter most certainly would not have=20 voluntarily engaged in the acts that preceded her death.=20 The Congressman then read her the front page article=20 that appeared in the morning edition of the Birmingham paper.=20 It couldnt have been worse. The enterprising reporter had=20 taken what he'd learned from Mrs. Walters and somehow linked=20 it to the Jackson bust, quoting unnamed sources in the Jackson=20 police department. Clarice Starling's name was mentioned as=20 the FBI agent in charge of the investigation, and the report=20 added a couple of paragraphs about her solving the two year=20 old "Buffalo Bill" case.=20 Myers had been watching her during the call, and saw=20 her face reflect concern and then become very pale.=20 "I couldn't be sorrier," concluded Congressman Walters.=20 "Normally I wouldn't share anything sensitive with Harriet, but=20 this thing has to do with our daughter, and the circumstances=20 of her death have been eating her up. Quite plainly, I just=20 screwed up."=20 "I understand, Congressman," said Clarice.=20 "What this means, Starling," said Jack Crawford, "Is your=20 timetable just got pushed up. The story will be picked up by the=20 wire services and it will be everywhere by tomorrow. The=20 perps will do all they can to cover their tracks and may just take=20 off and run, now that they know how close you are."=20 =20 - o -=20 =20 While Starling and Myers briefed the team on the latest=20 findings, Sheriff Trent was in his office, hand writing a note to=20 Rosie that explained, as best he knew, Celeste's background=20 and his belief that the girl would be a welcome addition to=20 Rosie's stable.=20 "Hey, Sheriff." He raised his head to see that one of his=20 deputies had opened his door and stuck his head in.=20 "Remember that Walters girl, the Congressman's daughter?=20 You had us checking all the gas stations in the area to see if=20 anyone remembered her or the kid who supposedly killed her."=20 "Yeah," said Trent, keeping his voice even. "What about=20 her?"=20 "I heard on the radio coming in, that the Feds believe her=20 case is linked to a dozen MPs and some sort of car theft ring."=20 "No shit?" Trent waved him in, his mouth suddenly dry.=20 "Yeah. Front-page article in the Birmingham paper,=20 quoting the Congressman's wife. Seems the Feds and the=20 Staties busted a cut-up shop in Jackson over the weekend and=20 found something."=20 Trent got the deputy out of his office as quickly as=20 possible, then turned his radio on and tuned it to an all-news=20 station. The report was repeated ten minutes later. Fighting=20 down his panic, he thought about the news and what it meant.=20 They must have found some records in the Jackson operation=20 that identified the specific cars that the Price brothers had sold=20 to them, which meant that someone in the Bureau was still hard=20 at work investigating the missing people of the past year or so.=20 The radio report mentioned the name of Clarice Starling, and=20 referred to the "Buffalo Bill" case she solved.=20 This Starling bitch couldn=92t possibly have his partners=20 identified, he reasoned, or they would have picked them up by=20 now. He thought about how he'd manage the investigation if it=20 was his case and decided that it might be just a matter of days=20 before the Feds began checking on tow truck operators. Maybe=20 sooner. The stolen cars could have been driven up to Jackson=20 but that would be risky. The Price brothers would be=20 questioned closely and Trent thought it likely that his partners=20 would fuck it up.=20 He was under no illusions about his partners. If they=20 were picked up they would very quickly strike a deal and give=20 them his name. The Price's would claim that they had no role=20 in the abductions or the deaths, and were only involved in the=20 sale of the stolen cars. They would readily accept any deal that=20 involved less jail time in exchange for their testimony against=20 him. He, on the other hand, had nothing to trade.=20 He would be fucked.=20 He looked at the letter on his desk, to Rosie, and=20 decided right then that he'd have to leave. He would call his=20 brother at the bank and then go downtown to clear out=20 accounts, drive to N'Orleans and buy a ticket to New York=20 under one of his fake ID's. In New York he'd buy a ticket to=20 Miami and from there to the Cayman Islands. Eventually, they'd=20 discover his involvement and find his car at the N'Orleans=20 airport. A thorough investigation of all flights and passengers=20 out of there, looking closely at anyone who paid cash for a=20 ticket, might lead them to a few dozen names, one of which=20 would be his alias. But it would but it would be impossible to=20 trace him further, especially if he landed at Kennedy and took a=20 cab or two over to Newark for the next leg of his journey, and=20 used a second name.=20 Resolved, he called his brother.=20 "There's just no way, Paul," said the banker when he got=20 him on the line. "You've got a little over $152,000 in your=20 accounts. We don't keep that much cash on hand. This is a=20 small rural bank, bro. I can give you some cash and the rest in=20 travelers cheques, or a bank check. Or I can order the cash=20 from the Federal Reserve, but were talking Wednesday=20 morning if I do it today. What's the hurry?"=20 Trent made up an excuse for needing the money and=20 told him to order the cash. When he hung up, his palms were=20 sweating.=20 "God fucking dammit," he muttered. It hadn't occurred to=20 him that it would take days to get his cash or he would have=20 kept more of it stashed at home.=20 Trent paced back and forth in his office and found it=20 difficult to think as clearly as was usually the case. He realized=20 that he was doing himself no good and that he felt trapped. He=20 needed to calm down, relax, and calmly examine his options.=20 Being here in the office, facing constant interruptions, wasn't=20 going to help him. And he dreaded getting a call from Ward or=20 Sam Price after they hear the same news report.=20 He placed a call home, to Celeste, then collected his=20 stuff and left. He told his secretary that he was going home=20 sick and the woman, seeing his pale face, had no trouble=20 believing him ill.=20 =20 - o -=20 =20 Frank Trent pressed the intercom button that connected=20 him to his private secretary in the outer office.=20 "Yes, Mr. Trent?"=20 "Could you reschedule the asset review meeting for later=20 this week. I have to tend to a family emergency."=20 After she acknowledged his directive he placed a call to=20 the Federal Reserve and ordered Paul's cash delivered. Then=20 he sat back in his chair and closed his eyes, deep in thought.=20 He felt sure that Paul was preparing to flee for some reason.=20 Knowing his brother as well as he did, he knew he could=20 assume it was for a good reason. It followed that when and if=20 the authorities discovered the scope of Paul's activities, they=20 would search for partners. The investigation would certainly=20 attempt to trace the money flow, and he knew that the Bureau=20 and the Treasury Department would immediately investigate=20 him. It wouldn't take long before theyd discover how he'd=20 laundered Paul's cash and his own share of the gains. That=20 would lead them to his other laundering activities, and he'd be=20 lucky to spend only five years in prison.=20 Frank Trent had secured, through Paul, his own sets of=20 forged identity papers. Unlike Paul, however, Frank had placed=20 most of his personal wealth in high-grade diamonds that were=20 easy to transport and reasonably liquid. The rest was in an off-=20 shore account that he had set up even more carefully than=20 Paul's, so he could wire the funds to or from just about any=20 bank on the planet. He could leave at any moment, and go just=20 about anyplace.=20 He left his office and used the public phone in a coffee=20 shop to make a few calls and set up his escape.=20 - o - Myers, Starling, Quinn and the other five agents had=20 been crowded into the small conference room for an hour now.=20 Myers had briefed everyone on the Jackson bust. Alternating=20 between the large map showing the likely routes and the exhibit=20 on the wall that summarized the information they'd culled from=20 the journal, he succinctly reviewed each case. The excitement=20 in the room was palatable at this breakthrough. It dimmed=20 somewhat when Starling made her report on the=20 Congressman's screw-up, the newspaper article, and urgency=20 this placed on their efforts.=20 "I believe we need to nail this one quickly, before the=20 perps shut down and run, probably out of the country."=20 Agent Susan James then reviewed a second large map=20 that she had posted earlier, showing in greater detail the gulf coast=20 from Pensacola to N'Orleans. She had highlighted several rural=20 highways that might be candidates for travelers to take. They=20 debated for few minutes before choosing three as the most=20 likely routes.=20 "Being thorough has got to take a back seat for now,"=20 said Myers. "We need to move quickly, and we'll start with=20 those three. If we come up empty we'll expand the search."=20 They discussed a few more details, then assigned=20 teams. Quinn and another agent would stay here and=20 coordinate based on reports from the field. They would also be=20 checking criminal records of residents in these areas, looking=20 for anyone with the initials PB, and would check for a match on=20 owners/operators of any gas station, restaurant and towing=20 operation.=20 Myers assigned himself and Starling to check the route=20 he believed most likely, a two-lane highway through the rural=20 Jackson county in the southeast corner of Mississippi. They=20 took his Explorer, and he used a portable police flasher to make=20 his way through N'Orleans traffic to Interstate 10 and then sped=20 east at nearly eighty miles per hour.=20 =20 - o -=20 =20 "Oh... Oh... Oh," mewed the young black girl as Paul=20 Trent drove his long cock into her ass. She'd received his=20 phone call ten minutes before, telling her that he was coming=20 back home and that she'd better be ready. She stripped and=20 fingered her cunt until it was good and juicy, then got the tube=20 of K-Y jelly from the bedroom and lubricated her ass.=20 When Trent entered the house after parking his cruiser=20 in the garage, he found his ward kneeling on the living room=20 floor, her head and shoulders resting on the rug, her meaty=20 black ass stuck invitingly in the air. He kicked off his boots and=20 stripped quickly and before a minute had passed since his=20 arrival he was driving his cock into her tight ass.=20 His strokes were hard and fast from the beginning, unlike=20 his usual practice when he took her this way, of starting slowly=20 to allow her time to get used to his cock. The girl sensed his=20 mood and remained silent, knowing that he was merely using=20 her body and didn't want the usual banter. She groaned=20 audibly through the pain of his hard brutal strokes, hoping it=20 would fade and the pleasure would come.=20 In Trent's mind he wasn't fucking Celeste but was=20 instead sodomizing the woman who he knew was tracking him.=20 The face in his mind's eye was blurry, indistinct, except the=20 mouth of his Special Agent Clarice Starling was twisted in=20 agony, screaming, crying, begging him to stop. He fucked=20 harder in response to her cries and slapped the agent's ass,=20 again and again, as he raped her ass.=20 Celeste's cries were anything but imaginary but they=20 didn't penetrate the fog in his brain. He had never before struck=20 the girl, and was now slapping her hard, driving his cock into=20 her bowels as never before. Desperate and scared, Celeste=20 reached back and fingered her sex, hoping that she could=20 lesson the pain of this brutal treatment. As she rubbed the=20 erect nub frantically, the sensations from her clit slowly began=20 to compete with the painful signals coming from her ravaged=20 canal and battered cheeks.=20 When he came a few minutes later, blasting his cum=20 deep in her ass, she came as well, her release triggered as=20 much from the relief she felt that this would soon end as from=20 the action of her fingers on her clit.=20 "God... Damn... Fucking... Bitch... Whore," she heard=20 him mutter between clenched teeth as his cock emptied into her=20 bowels.=20 =20 - o -=20 =20 Five minutes later, Trent was sitting still nude on the=20 sofa, his mind now very clear and focused as he reviewed his=20 options.=20 Celeste had left the room shortly after he pulled his=20 spent cock from her ass, walking unsteadily to the bathroom in=20 the back of the house. As she cleaned herself with a=20 washcloth, she was relieved to find no sign of blood from her=20 still-dilated hole, only a mixture of his cum and the K-Y jelly she=20 had greased herself with before his arrival. After finishing with=20 herself, she got a second washcloth and ran it under the hot=20 water and squeezed it out before returning to Trent.=20 "I have three options," thought Trent to himself as the girl=20 knelt between his knees and cleaned his cock. "First, I could=20 wait it out, and hope the Feds don't find the connection to the=20 Price brothers. Collect my cash on Wednesday morning and=20 head to N'Orleans and go from there." A man who disliked=20 inaction and relying on luck, he quickly rejected this option.=20 He thought through his second option---get what cash he=20 could from the bank and leave immediately. His brother had=20 said that they could give him $40,000 of his funds in cash=20 today. That would be the smart thing to do, but these funds=20 were the result of over twenty years of legitimate saving, of=20 denying himself expensive vacations and fancy cars, and it=20 pained him to leave over $110,000 of his money behind.=20 The third option was risky but appealed to him the longer=20 he thought about it. If Ward and Sam Price were to disappear,=20 that would give him the extra time to get his money and to tie=20 up loose ends. He thought about and rejected several ideas=20 before settling on the best solution to his problem. His mind=20 sorted through each detail, each step of what he was going to=20 do.=20 Celeste had finished cleaning his cock, and looked up=20 into the Trent's face, concerned. She knew from his distant=20 expression and the set of his face that he was thinking about=20 something other than her, something very important. She=20 recalled his conversation of the other day, when he had told her=20 of the money and instructed her to go to this woman, Rosie.=20 She knew from his comments that the woman was someone he=20 trusted, but she didn't want to leave, not even after he'd fucked=20 her so brutally. She got up curled her body to fit on the sofa,=20 her head resting on Trents lap.=20 Trent's finger played idly with the girl's kinky black hair=20 as the thought through the last details of his plan. Then he=20 went over it again, from the beginning, looking for problems,=20 finding a few, then altering the plan to address them. In the end=20 he had what he believed was a workable plan, one that would=20 get rid of the Price brothers in a way that would appear like they=20 had fled. It was important over these next two or three days=20 that the Feds spend there energies looking for the known=20 fugitives and not for any accomplices they might have had.=20 "I'm going to miss you, Celeste," he said after a while.=20 "Do I have to go, masser?" he heard her ask.=20 "I'm afraid so. I have to... leave and I can't take you with=20 me."=20 They talked for another five minutes. He firmly but gently=20 overrode the young girl's objections, and patiently reviewed=20 again how she should take the $10,000 and go to Rosie's and=20 start a new life.=20 "But I like being your nigger girl," she said, but now her=20 tone was resigned.=20 He felt his cock begin to revive, and so did she. She=20 shifted her body and brought her mouth to his cock, sucking the=20 growing shaft deep into her mouth, practicing her new skill at taking him into her throat.=20 "This will be our last time, nigger girl," he said gently,=20 running his hand over her body while she bobbed her head up=20 and down, each time taking him all the way into her throat, her=20 thick lips pressing against the base.=20 "How would you like it to be?" he asked.=20 She pulled her mouth off his cock and straddled him,=20 angling her sex over her slick rod, lowering herself into his lap.=20 She rode her white master through her orgasm and then=20 allowed herself a minute to recover. She then pulled herself off=20 his long rod and turned around, holding her black cheeks apart=20 as she lowered herself again. Trent positioned his cock at her=20 anus and moaned in pleasure as the girl slowly impaled herself=20 on his shaft. His hands gripped her breasts, helping her move=20 up and down as she fucked her ass on his shaft. She came a=20 few minutes later when she felt, for the last time, Sheriff Paul=20 Trent's cock erupt in her body. Chapter Seven=20 =20 Sam Price took the call from the Trent shortly after ten=20 that morning, about fifteen minutes before Myers and Starling=20 exited the Interstate and stopped at the first gas station they=20 found, forty miles west of Price Brother's Service and Towing.=20 He was instantly on edge when he heard the tone of his=20 partners voice. Normally the Sheriff was maddeningly calm but=20 this time he was clearly distressed.=20 "Yeah, okay Trent," he said in response to the Sheriff s=20 urgent request that he and his brother meet him at their house=20 up the hill. "But what is it that's so important?"=20 "I'll tell you and Ward when I see you. Ten minutes."=20 The phone went dead. Sam told his mechanic to watch for=20 customers and before leaving the station for home. He found=20 his brother eating breakfast, and told him of Trent's call and=20 imminent arrival.=20 "We'll hear him out," said the elder brother, turning and=20 retrieving a gun from a drawer behind him, and placing it in his=20 lap under the table. "But we know Trent killed ol' Tom and I=20 want to be ready."=20 Trent arrived a few minutes later, and Sam let him in. He=20 refused Ward's offer of coffee and sat down at the table,=20 starting immediately.=20 "Those fuck-ups in Jackson must have kept records," he=20 said, putting just the right amount of fear in his voice. He=20 wanted his partners scared. "Something that tied each of your=20 delivers together or to the people we snatched."=20 "Shit!" said Sam. Ward Price just stared at his partner=20 while his hand slid into his lap and gripped the gun.=20 "The Feds have to be searching this area, maybe=20 Harrison county as well, but they're sure to investigate you=20 guys, and we don't know what they have."=20 "What would you suggest we do, Trent?" asked Ward=20 Price, rapidly losing his calm.=20 "I'm getting the fuck outta here," he said, his voice=20 strained. "I'd suggest you two do the same."=20 Ward Price rubbed his free hand across the rubble on=20 his chin, thinking fast. They had some money, almost=20 $120,000, in cash hidden in their basement. Another thirty G's=20 in the bank. That wouldn't take them far, he knew, but if Trent=20 himself was bailing out that meant that things were getting bad=20 very quickly.=20 "We could take the boat," his brother said.=20 "And go where?" said Trent, disguising his pleasure.=20 "Mexico," said Ward. "We could take some extra gas=20 and make it all the way to Corpus Christi... refuel and be in=20 Mexican waters in two days. I know a guy in Tampico who=20 would help us, maybe get us new IDs and help us set up=20 something new."=20 "What about you, Sheriff?" asked Sam.=20 "I figure Canada's my best bet," he lied. "Soon as I leave=20 here I'm headin' to N'Orleans to catch a flight to Chicago, and=20 from there to Montreal... maybe the Maritimes. I'm sure as shit=20 not waiting around for the Feds."=20 "Sam, go down to the bank and git our money, all of it.=20 I'll pack the, um, other stuff we'll need and we will leave for the=20 marina in forty minutes."=20 Trent shook their hands, wished them luck, and left. He=20 dropped his cruiser off at home and took his pick-up truck,=20 already loaded with the supplies he needed for the next part of=20 his plan, and drove to the marina. He carried a large satchel as=20 he strolled down the long pier until he reached the berth that=20 held the thirty-eight foot ship owned by his partners. He'd been=20 out fishing with Ward and Sam several times, and knew where=20 they hid the extra key to the cabin. He let himself in and went to=20 work. He made his way down and aft, into the rear-most=20 compartment of the vessel. The first portion of plastic=20 explosive, about the size of a paperback book, was placed as=20 far as he could reach through the access panel into the engine=20 compartment, and was stuck to the outside wall. He set the=20 timer at four hours, then waited for the second hand of his=20 watch to reach the top before pressing the switch that activated=20 the bomb.=20 The second charge was much smaller, the size of a=20 matchbox, and this one he placed behind the radio in the=20 bridge. He checked his watch and set the second timer to 3:55,=20 and waited for the second hand to sweep around before=20 activating the device.=20 He had decided against a single, larger amount of=20 plastique, because he didn't want the ship to blow into=20 thousands of pieces of debris. The floating remains might be=20 discovered by the Coast Guard and they would likely conclude=20 that someone had rigged the ship to explode. This would=20 quickly lead the Bureau back to the question of accomplices.=20 Instead, when the smaller charges he had used went off,=20 within seconds of one another, the water would rush into the=20 stern of the ship, and the heavy twin diesels would quickly take=20 the ship down to the bottom of the gulf. The radio would be=20 disabled, of course, and within a minute or so the Price=20 brothers, and their ship, would be buried under two or three=20 hundred feet of water.=20 Trent left the boat fourteen minutes after arriving, locked=20 the cabin and walked purposely down the long pier toward his=20 truck.=20 He didn't notice the eyes that followed his retreat. On=20 another boat, berthed across the pier from the Price ship, stood=20 a fiftyish man, his face and hairless skull deeply tanned from=20 the sun. The intense, intelligent eyes that followed the Sheriff s=20 form noticed that the satchel was swinging easier now in the=20 lawman's hand, much lighter than it was on his walk up the pier.=20 Fifteen minutes earlier, Dr. Hannibal Lecter had noticed=20 the lawman before he'd come a hundred feet up the pier. He=20 continued what he was doing, kneeling and polishing the brass=20 railing, his eyes watching him stroll closer, his hand tightening=20 on the knife in his free hand. He felt sure that he wasn't the=20 lawman's target---if they ever traced him they'd come for him=20 with an army---but he felt more comfortable knowing that the=20 finely-honed six inches of steel was ready.=20 His eyes noticed the patch of the lawman's arm, near the=20 shoulder, and his eyes caught the words "Sheriff" and "Jackson=20 County". After the sheriff had entered the other ship, Lecter=20 went inside his cabin and watched through binoculars at the=20 ship sixty feet away. The sheriff went below for several=20 minutes before returning to the bridge. Lecter watched him=20 approach the wheel and then duck out of sight for a minute or=20 two. Then his head reappeared, he left the bridge, locked the=20 door, and returned the key to it's original hiding place.=20 Five minutes after Trent had gone, Lecter entered the=20 cabin and found, a few minutes later, the strange calling card=20 that the sheriff had left. He noted the time remaining on the=20 bomb and they went below to search the lower cabins.=20 "Could this one be yours, Clarice Starling?" he asked=20 himself, recalling the news item that mentioned her name and=20 the case she was working.=20 -- Story Submission: Newsgroup FAQ: Archive site: (Not pretty yet)