The Silence of the Lambs

Back at Quantico, Starling attends a lecture on money laundering and does her best to pay attention. However, she can’t stop thinking about the various news broadcasts being run about her nationwide. She worries that the news footage of her fighting with the news crew overshadows any good she has done for her case and career. She even fears she might get kicked out of Quantico.

In the middle of the lecture, Brigham shows up and asks Starling to join him in the hallway. When she does, Brigham tells her to get her field gear because she is going on a trip with Crawford to West Virginia. Apparently, some hunters found a corpse that looked like it could be one of Buffalo Bill’s victims. Once Starling has her gear, Brigham drives her to the Quantico airstrip. On the way there, he compliments her on her excellent work in Baltimore. He also says that Crawford thinks she did solid work, too, though he would never say so out loud.

Brigham also tells Starling about Bella’s terminal illness. He thinks it is important for her to know, though he warns her never to bring it up around Crawford. Doing so will only make matters worse. After, Brigham gives Starling some advice about shooting her gun in the field. Though he hopes she will never do it, he urges her to remember her training. He says she is a talented shooter who is capable of using her weapon if necessary. 

Finally, Starling and Brigham pull up to the plane she and Crawford are taking to West Virginia. It is a small twin-engine plane that looks rather old. Brigham promises that, while it might look old, it is mechanically sound. Brigham and Starling say their goodbyes, and then Starling climbs into the plane where Crawford is waiting. Immediately, Crawford hands her a case file labeled “BUFFALO BILL” and orders her to start reading.