Angel's Sojourn: Hannibal x Reader x Will

Chapter 10. Avgolemono

Huddled together in the darkening alleyway you and Will pour over Charlotte's lengthy autopsy report, heads bent together in silent collaboration. It isn't long before you both spot something strange in the seemingly random lists of numbers and percentages.

What might have looked like a fat load of mumbo jumbo to anyone else makes perfect sense to you and Will, and he nods in agreement when you point out an abnormality. Firstly, and perhaps most obvious, her list of topical injuries, a head laceration and one cut on her right thigh that measured about an inch deep and five inches long. You also both instantly recognize the signs of internal and external bleeding, but that's a given of course, as you had seen so in the pictures, yet something about the numbers don't add up. When you voice your concern for Charlotte's unaccounted for liter of blood, Will agrees promptly and you read on, listing percentages and lab statements out loud for him to hear.

Another strange curiosity that you and Will notice after the second read through is the apparent lack of COD- the space where her cause of death should have been listed was left blank, and you both look at each other curiously, watching ideas and theories swirl together behind the others eyes.

"What are you thinking?" He asks and you smile, feeling a bit victorious that he was the first to ask.

"Well, it's entirely possible we're on the same page about this..." You trail off but he nods to get you to continue.

"Go on." He says and you chuckle while tucking a lock of hair behind your ear, nervous to share your findings with Will, on the off chance that you could be way off base.

"I could be wrong..." You say and he rolls his eyes, making you smile sheepishly. "Well, my first guess is that she's arrhythmic." He raises an eyebrow at this and you continue, pointing to a single spot among her toxicology results. "See this here? Her blood tests detected trace amounts of Lidocaine- it's a medicine used to treat irregular heartbeats." You had noticed the drugs appearance right away, but hadn't known if Will even knew what it was. You think he seems confused, and your suspicions are confirmed when he asks if it's the same thing you get at the dentists office, before getting a tooth pulled- a valid question, because yes, it is. Though no amount of topical lidocaine would show up on a blood test, so it must be an oral medication, one she takes when symptoms flare up.

"Wouldn't we have seen it among the medications she brought with her? She had others in her suitcase." He asks and you raise a finger, delighted to have found the answer before him.

"Not necessarily. Lidocaine is a take-as-needed drug, it relieves symptoms fast with little side effects. She'd need it as close as possible. If she was traveling with it, which she must have been, I'd say she'd have put it in her carry-on." A smile gradually spreads across Wills face as he realizes that you're right.

"In her purse." He finishes, and you nod your head vigorously, unable to contain your excitement at having come full circle. You now had two solid reasons to suspect a missing bag for Charlotte, and little more than instinct to suggest that it might be with her killer.

"Exactly!" He sees your eyes brighten with excitement and returns the look in kind, a charming smile taking over his face that had previously been drawn in heavy concentration.

"So you think the killer could have the purse?" He asks and you shrug, looking over your shoulder, back the way you had come, towards the brilliance of the open sky and afternoon activity of downtown Baltimore.

"It's possible. We'll have to check the whole area. She could have dropped it." He nods and crosses his arms.

"If that's the case, it's gotta be around here somewhere." You agree enthusiastically and the two of you soon begin searching the immediate area, walking the length of the alley, eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. You return not long after, empty handed and a bit discouraged. The feeling doesn't last long however, and upon noticing a rusty and decrepit looking fire escape with its ladder stuck on the second floor, you nudge Will who instantly agrees that it's a better lead than none. In any case, all avenues have to be explored, in the slight chance that your transgressor could have left a piece of evidence behind.