فصل هشتم

CHAPTER 8

Dr. Hannibal Lecter lay on his cot with the cell lights down after Graham left him. Several hours passed.

For a while he had textures; the weave of the pillowcase against his hands clasped behind his head, the smooth membrane that lined his cheek.

Then he had odors and let his mind play over them. Some were real, some were not. They had put Clorox in the drains; semen. They were serving chili down the hall; sweatshifened khaki. Graham would not give him his home telephone number; the bitter green smell of cut cocklebur and teaweed.

Lecter sat up. The man might have been civil. His thoughts had the warm brass smell of an electric clock.

Lecter blinked several times, and his eyebrows rose. He turned up the lights and wrote a note to Chilton asking for a telephone to call his counsel.

Lecter was entitled by law to speak with his lawyer in privacy and he hadn’t abused the right. Since Chilton would never allow him to go to the telephone, the telephone was brought to him.

Two guards brought it, unrolling a long cord from the telephone jack at their desk. One of the guards had the keys. The other held a can of Mace.

“Go to the back of the cell, Dr. Lecter. Face the wall. If you turn around or approach the barrier before you hear the lock snap, I’ll Mace you in the face. Understand?” “Yes indeed,” Lecter said. “Thank you so much for bringing the telephone.” He had to reach through the nylon net to dial. Chicago information gave him numbers for the University of Chicago Department of Psychiatry and Dr. Alan Bloom’s office number. He dialed the psy?chiatry department switchboard.

“I’m trying to reach Dr. Alan Bloom.”

“I’m not sure he’s in today, but I’ll connect you.”

“Just a second, I’m supposed to know his secretary’s name and I’m embarrassed to say I’ve forgotten it.” “Linda King. Just a moment.”

“Thank you.”

The telephone rang eight times before it was picked up.

“Linda King’s desk.”

“Hi, Linda?”

“Linda doesn’t come in on Saturday.”

Dr. Lecter had counted on that. “Maybe you could help me, if you don’t mind. This is Bob Greer at Blame and Edwards Publish?ing Company. Dr. Bloom asked me to send a copy of the Overholser book, The Psychiatrist and the Law, to Will Graham, and Linda was supposed to send me the address and phone number, but she never did.” “I’m just a graduate assistant, she’ll be in on Mon-”

“I have to catch Federal Express with it in about five minutes, and I hate to bother Dr. Bloom about it at home because he told Linda to send it and I don’t want to get her in hot water. It’s right there in her Rolodex or whatever. I’ll dance at your wedding if you’ll read it to me.” “She doesn’t have a Rolodex.”

“How about a Call Caddy with the slide on the side?”

“Yes.”

“Be a darling and slide that rascal and I won’t take up any more of your time.” “What was the name?”

“Graham. Will Graham.”

“All right, his home number is 305 JL5-7002.”

“I’m supposed to mail it to his house.”

“It doesn’t give the address of his house.”

“What does it have?”

“Federal Bureau of Investigation, Tenth and Pennsylvania, Wash?ington, D.C. Oh, and Post Office Box 3680, Marathon, Florida.” “That’s fine, you’re an angel.”

“You’re welcome.”

Lecter felt much better. He thought he might surprise Graham with a call sometime, or if the man couldn’t be civil, he might have a hospitalsupply house mail Graham a colostomy bag for old times’ sake.