Don't Burn The Heart, Lightly Grill It With Some Fava Beans.

Chapter 6: Zemblanity.

Jack Crawford sat in his home office. Heavy bags hanging under his eyes, and his crows feet deeper than they were weeks before. Though he had been taken off Alana's case, do to emotional involvement, he still kept a copy of her case file. He looked through the file for a thirteenths time, desperate to notice something he didn't before.
He had called Will before he got removed, a few times after too. Will never answered. Jack could practically see him looking at Jacks name on the screen before pressing ignore. Jack was, of course, angry at Will for this, but he understood non the less. Will already knew, for sure, but not the worst of it. And he knew he was better off that way.
Will had just been through hell with Hannibal and Verger, and though he hated to admit it, by Jack Crawford as well. Now Will was out of it, building a healthy home and mind, one could only imagine what seeing a woman he loved corpse that's just barely recognizable would do to him.

When Jack first saw her like that, the idea of Lecter breaking free briefly crossed his mind. She was naked, sitting upon a large dirty bolder in the woods. Scraps and scratches spaced down her pretzled legs. The worst was her eyes, plucked out with her fingers were sowed above her brow with wire, so her hands hung over her empty sockets. At least this way her corpse wouldn't have to see the grief that followed its demise.
A week and a half later, and the burning question was still unanswered: Who was the twisted fuck that did this?

--- A Few Days Later.

"Jack please, you know I can't share that information with you." Brian Zeller said into his phone. "Don't make this harder than it already is..."

"You know how much this is getting to me," Jack argued. "...Just give me something."

Brian sighed, making Jack hopeful that he convinced him. "She was dead before the killer started sewing her legs, if thats any comfort." He said. "Looks like she was strangled with the same wire he used on her legs too." He added.

"Any confessions?"

"About eighty. Non know any details."

Jack paused for a moment. "I have a theory."

"Don't leave me hanging, lets hear it."

"I think Hannibal worked some of his magic," Jack went on. "And found someone willing to kill for him."

"Through prison?"

"We've seen it before. Will tried it on Hannibal once."

"Yeah," Brian sighed. "But Will wasn't in a sealed glass cell with limited visitors."

"So, you don't think this has any connection to Hannibal?"

"Don't ask me," He said. "I'm only forensics. I can say that she likely wasn't killed by another cannibal, she's still has all her organs."

Jack paused. "Have you talked to Will?"

"I called him when it first happened...Figured it was better for him to hear it from someone he knew rather than the news." His voice softened when he spoke of his old friend.

"And you knew he wouldn't pick up for me, didn't you?"

"Did I make an ass of myself for asuming so?"

"Not this time."

Jack and Brian bid their goodbyes, knowing it'd be a long while until they could speak again. Or so they thought.
Later that night, Jack was home in bed, hoping for some sleep when his phone dinged with a message.

'Sorry that I have to tell you over text Jack, but we were just called in for another murder. Its Bedelia Du Maurier. Another person we knew. What the hell is going on here?' The message read.

Jack sank into his bed, heart and mind racing. The killer had gone too far, and Jack finally owned up to what he needed to do. He needed to get will back.