FOUND: A Hannigram Devil AU

13

    "Interesting that I'm here to help you with your job, and I've yet to see you working."
     Will's vacation was cut short by the murder of another girl in Minnesota. The news had shocked Will— he knew logically that Nicholas wasn't the Shrike, but he'd settled happily into the feeling that all of this was over. It was so far from over that Will decided he'd better get comfortable.
     "Yeah, well." Will shrugged. "It's an..interesting sight." He pulled the rental car up to the gravel driveway of the cabin, parking next to the police cars. A small crowd of FBI employees milled about outside. He flipped the car in park and leaned back, burying his face in his hands.
     "Are you alright?" Hannibal turned his head.
     "I don't really want to see another dead girl."
     "She won't haunt you. I've made sure of that."
     Will didn't have any doubts about that. "Still, it's a sight you can't fully erase."
     "You technically don't have to do anything. This isn't your place anymore. There's a reason you left."
     "There's a lot of reasons I left." Will popped open the door and climbed out of the car, making his way up to the front door of the cabin. Hannibal followed like a shadow.
     Jack didn't bother with introductions. "Same height, weight, age, you know the deal by now," he said, frowning. "It's the circumstances that are standing out to us. This is the Hobbs' cabin. It's under the father's name. The only reason we found her was because we had permission to search for information on Abigail."
     Will and Hannibal exchanged a confused glance. "But he didn't kill this girl?"
     "I wouldn't have you here if things were that cut and dry. Hobbs is gone— hasn't been seen by anyone since the vigil. This girl was killed recently. We would say that he was the killer and call it a day, but..we found a letter."
     "What kind of letter?"
     "I gave it to a guy in documents, but..hey, Z!" Jack called out to Zeller, who jogged over. He had a bulky camera slung around his neck. "Show them the pictures of the letter."
     Zeller pressed a few buttons on the camera's screen and handed it to Will. Hannibal leaned in, and they inspected the image carefully. It was poorer quality than they could have gotten in person, but they were able to read the contents and recognize a large splotch of blood on one of the corners.
To whoever finds this,
     You were so close!! The Shrike was right in your hands, and he flew away. I've taken off, but not before leaving a little gift for you. She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?
     The father of the Hobbs girl found me before you all could. Really goes to show that everyone you know is a suspect. On the off chance that you find him alive, I recommend you hire him. That won't happen, though— I have him, and he's not going to live long. Time is ticking!
     There will be more girls. So many fish in the sea!
     -The Minnesota Shrike
     Even Hannibal was perplexed into silence. The two of them stared at the letter with narrowed eyes, trying to decipher if any of it was even true. It was a clear display of mockery, but Will couldn't tell if it was from Hobbs himself or if it was truly another man.
     "We're sending it off to Documents," Jack said, seemingly reading Will's mind, "but based off of invitations to the vigil, the handwriting is nothing alike. I think the Shrike was at the vigil, and we let him slip through our fingers."
     "Still could have been a family member," Hannibal said. "We don't know much about Abigail's extended family relationships."
     "No, but we're going to look into it. Will, I want you to go in there and do what you do. The only thing that's been changed is the letter— it was fastened to her chest with a thumbtack. No prints. Neither of you touch anything." Jack shot an instructive look towards Hannibal.
     "Got it." Will strode off, heading into the cabin with determination. The curtains were all shut, making the inside a stark contrast from the bright morning outside. The smell of death was everywhere now, and out of the corner of his eye Will saw an intense look appear on Hannibal's face.
     "They leave the crime scene intact for you?"
     "Yep." He began to walk up the stairs. "I have to see it nice and fresh."
     There was only one room in the upstairs section of the cabin, a large attic that stretched across the width of the structure. The slanted roof created a crooked ceiling. At the forefront of it all, right in view as the men walked up the stairs, was a young girls hanging from the wall.
     Her arms were stuck out like she was being crucified. Her dark hair hung in front of her face, head slumped forward, and she was wearing nothing but her underwear and bra. She was impaled in the stomach, dangling from the wall on various white stag antlers. Blood stained her body, the antlers, and the floor. Will could do nothing but stare for a moment.
     "Will?"
     He sighed. "Just let me do this." He stepped forward, closer to the rotting stench. He closed his eyes.
     In his mind, a glowing pendulum swung, erasing the scene in front of him and replacing it with visions from the past. The girl disappeared from her spot on the wall; she now materialized in the middle of the room inspecting some sort of trinket. Will took a step towards her.
You are here because you want to be. I lured you here.
     The girl's mouth moved, making some kind of joke, followed by an awkward smile. Will heard none of it. Her light eyes and dark hair reminded him so much of his sister.
You are not golden, but you are close. You look so much like her.
     Will put his hand on the girl's shoulder. There was a flicker of fear in her eyes.
Normally I take the time to savor. I honor every part of you. But I don't have time. They're close.
     His other hand on her other shoulder. He squeezed. She flinched.
I wanted to be done, but you know too much. I'm leaving you as an artifact, a little prize for the police. This isn't about honor anymore. This is me showing off my skills. I'm bragging.
     Will lifted the girl off the ground by her arms. She was lean and light, easy to maneuver. Will slammed her body as hard as he could into the wall, letting the antlers do their job. They punctured skin, muscle, bone. Will relished the sound of her ribs cracking, savored the feeling of her blood on his skin. She shrieked until a small section pierced through her lung, causing a sound similar to a deflating balloon.
Anyone who gets too close must be taken out.
     But the small amount of screaming he did hear was enough. It echoed through his head, and suddenly they morphed into a more familiar sound, and her face contorted until it was Katie's face, Katie's screams, Katie's blood—
     Will gasped, his eyes popping open. He stood right in front of the wall of antlers, unsure as to when exactly he'd moved over there. He turned to find Hannibal watching him with his mouth hanging open slightly, some passionate emotion dancing in his eyes.
     "Fuck." Will tried to erase the image of Katie from his head. "It's Hobbs. It's Abigail's father."
"You know this? What about the letter."
"I'm sure of it. Letter is completely fake. HES trying to bring the attention away from himself while also mocking us. This girl trusted her killer— she and Abigail must have been friends. He lured her here to look through Abigail's stuff."
"But why?"
"She knew too much." Will took off towards the stairs, ready to tell Jack what he'd found, when Hannibal grabbed his wrist with freezing fingers.
     "You were right, Will. That was fascinating,"Hannibal breathed, more engaged than Will had ever seen him. He shook his head in amazement. "Absolutely fascinating."