SUBLIME, Hannibal Lecter

͙⁺˚*･ (03. conversation between friends)

'I PAY ATTENTION TO THINGS THAT MOST PEOPLE IGNORE'

CHIPPEWA NATIONAL FOREST, MINNESOTA.

GARRET JACOB HOBBS' CABIN

Sloane opened the car door of Jack Crawford's vehicle, which had brought both her and Will. Her shoes sank slightly into the damp ground. The air was thick with the scent of wood and moisture.

Ahead of them, nestled among the trees, stood Garret Hobbs' cabin—small, isolated, its wooden planks darkened by time and rain. The forensic team was moving around the structure, taking photographs and collecting samples.

She sensed a presence beside her—Will Graham had caught up and was handing her a pair of sterile gloves. She took them with a slight nod in acknowledgment.

Jack, standing in front of them, led them inside the cabin. He watched them silently, concern evident in his eyes. He didn't want to say anything to either of them because he knew they wouldn't appreciate it, but he wanted both of them to see Dr. Lecter for a therapy session.

He had known Sloane since she was twenty-six when she first started working with them, and now she was thirty-two. He considered her almost like a daughter and worried about her. Over the years, he had always noticed her cold, detached demeanor, as if nothing could touch her.

The fact that she had reacted with such indifference to Hobbs' murder and that he had heard from the nurses that she had spent a lot of time in Abigail's hospital room made him uneasy.

Winters and Will scanned the surroundings, illuminating the space with their flashlights. The room was filled with stuffed animals—wolves, deer, elk.

They continued moving, heading upstairs. But when their eyes landed on what was in front of them, they were left speechless. Deer antlers filled the entire room—some mounted on the walls, others on the floor, and some even attached to the ceiling.

"Could be a permanent installation in your 'Evil Minds Museum,'" Will joked, glancing at Jack.

"Well, what we learn about Garret Jacob Hobbs will help us catch the next one like him. There's still seven bodies unaccounted for," Crawford replied, looking at both of them.

Sloane met his gaze. "Yeah, well, he was eating them."

"Had to be some parts he wasn't eating," Jack countered.

"Not necessarily," Will said, pointing his flashlight at Crawford.

"All right, what if Hobbs wasn't eating alone?" the man proposed. "It's a lot of work—disappearing these girls, butchering them, and then not leaving a shred of anything other than what's in this room."