فصل 29

CHAPTER 29

Dr. Chilton and three well-pressed Tennessee state troopers stood close together on the windy tarmac at sunrise, raising their voices over a wash of radio traffic from the open door of the Grumman Gulfstream and from the ambulance idling beside the airplane.

The trooper captain in charge handed Dr. Chilton a pen. The papers blew over the end of the clipboard and the policeman had to smooth them down.

“Can’t we do this in the air?” Chilton asked.

“Sir, we have to do the documentation at the moment of physical transfer. That’s my instructions.” The copilot finished clamping the ramp over the airplane steps. “Okay,” he called.

The troopers gathered with Dr. Chilton at the back of the ambulance. When he opened the back doors, they tensed as though they expected something to jump out.

Dr. Hannibal Lecter stood upright on his hand truck, wrapped in canvas webbing and wearing his hockey mask. He was relieving his bladder while Barney held the urinal.

One of the troopers snorted. The other two looked away.

“Sorry,” Barney said to Dr. Lecter, and closed the doors again.

“That’s all right, Barney,” Dr. Lecter said. “I’m quite finished, thank you.” Barney rearranged Lecter’s clothing and rolled him to the back of the ambulance.

“Barney?”

“Yes, Dr. Lecter?”

“You’ve been decent to me for a long time. Thank you.” “You’re welcome.”

“Next time Sammie’s at himself, would you say good-bye for me?” “Sure.”

“Good-bye, Barney.”

The big orderly pushed open the doors and called to the troopers. “You want to catch the bottom there, fellows? Take it on both sides. We’ll set him on the ground. Easy.” Barney rolled Dr. Lecter up the ramp and into the airplane. Three seats had been removed on the craft’s right side. The copilot lashed the hand truck to the seat brackets in the floor.

“He’s gonna fly laying down?” one trooper asked. “Has he got rubber britches on?” “You’ll just have to hold your water to Memphis, buddy ruff,” the other trooper said.

“Doctor Chilton, could I speak to you?” Barney said.

They stood outside the airplane while the wind made little twisters of dust and trash around them.

“These fellows don’t know anything,” Barney said.

“I’ll have some help on the other end—experienced psychiatric orderlies. He’s their responsibility now.” “You think they’ll treat him all right? You know how he is—you have to threaten him with boredom. That’s all he’s afraid of. Slapping him around’s no good.” “I’d never allow that, Barney.”

“You’ll be there when they question him?”

“Yes.” And you won’t, Chilton added privately.

“I could get him settled on the other end and be back here just a couple of hours behind my shift,” Barney said.

“He’s not your job anymore, Barney. I’ll be there. I’ll show them how to manage him, every step.” “They better pay attention,” Barney said. “He will.”