فصل 82

Chapter 82

THE SMELL of a coal fire in the tack room of Mason’s barn and the resident smells of animals and men. Firelight on the trotting horse Fleet Shadow’s long skull, empty as Providence, watching it all in blinders.

Red coals in the farrier’s furnace flare and brighten with the hiss of the bellows as Carlo heats a strap of iron, already cherry-red.

Dr Hannibal Lecter hangs on the wall beneath the horse skull like a terrible altarpiece. His arms are outstretched straight from his shoulders on either side, well bound with rope to a single tree, a thick oak crosspiece from the pony cart harness.

The single tree runs across the doctor’s back like a yoke and is fastened to the wall with a shackle of Carlo’s manufacture. His legs do not reach the floor. His legs are bound over his trousers like roasts rolled and tied, with many spaced coils, each coil knotted. No chain or handcuffs are used nothing metal that would damage the teeth of the pigs and discourage them.

When the iron in the furnace reaches white heat, “Buonasera, Dottore.”

A crackle from the speaker on the TV monitor. The monitor lights and Mason’s face appears .

“Turn on the light over the camera,” Mason said. “Good evening, Dr Lector.”

The doctor opened his eyes for the first time.

Carlo thought sparks flew behind the fiend’s eyes, but it might have been a reflection of the fire. He crossed himself against the Evil Eye.

“Mason,” the doctor said to the camera. Behind Mason, Lector could see Margot’s silhouette, black against the aquarium. “Good evening, Margot,” his tone courteous now. “I’m glad to see you again.”

From the clarity of his speech, Dr Lector may have been awake for some time.

“Dr Lector,” came Margot’s hoarse voice.

Tommaso found the sun gun over the camera and turned it on.

The harsh light blinded them all for a second.

Mason in his rich radio tones: “Doctor, in about twenty minutes we’re going to give the pigs their first course, which will be your feet. After that we’ll have a little pajama party, you and I. You can wear shorties by then. Cordell’s going to keep you alive for a long time-“

Mason was saying something further, Margot leaning forward to see the scene in the barn.

Dr Lector looked into the monitor to be sure Margot was watching him. Then he whispered to Carlo, his metallic voice urgent in the kidnapper’s ear: “Your brother, Matteo, must smell worse than you by now. He shit when I cut him.”

Carlo reached to his back pocket and came out with the electric cattle prod. In the bright light of the TV camera, he whipped it across the side of Lector’s head. Holding the doctor’s hair with one hand, he pressed the button on the handle, holding the prod close in front of Lector’s face as the high-voltage current arced in a wicked line between the electrodes on the end.

“Fuck your mother,” he said and plunged it arcing into Dr Lector’s eye.

Dr Lector made no sound - the sound came from the speaker, Mason roaring as his breath permitted him, and Tommaso strained to pull Carlo away. Piero came down from the loft to help. They sat Carlo down in the cane chair. And held him.

“Blind him and there’s no money!” they screamed in both his ears at once.

Dr Lector adjusted the shades in his memory palace to relieve the terrible glare.

Ahhhhh. He leaned his face against the cool marble flank of Venus.

Dr Lector turned his face full to the camera and said clearly: “I’m not taking the chocolate, Mason.”

“Sumbitch is crazy. Well, we knew he was crazy,” said Deputy Sheriff Mogli. “But Carlo is too.”

“Go down there and get between them,” Mason said.

“You sure they got no guns?” Mogli said.

“You hired out to be tough, didn’t you? No. Just the tranquilizer gun.”

“Let me do it,” Margot said. “Keep from starting some macho crap between them.

The Italians respect their mamas. And Carlo knows I handle the money.”

“Walk the camera out and show me the pigs,” Mason said. “Dinner’s at eight!”

“I don’t have to stay for that,” Margot said. “Oh, yes you do,” Mason said.