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“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 Blaine and Edwards Publishing 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, Washington, 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 hospital-supply house mail Graham a colostomy bag for old times’ sake.

9

Seven hundred m

iles to the southwest, in the cafeteria at Gateway Film Laboratory of St. Louis, Francis Dolarhyde was waiting for a hamburger. The entrées offered in the steam table were filmed over. He stood beside the cash register and sipped coffee from a paper cup.

A red-haired young woman wearing a laboratory smock came into the cafeteria and studied the candy machine. She looked at Francis Dolarhyde’s back several times and pursed her lips. Finally she walked over to him and said, “Mr. D.?”

Dolarhyde turned. He always wore red goggles outside the darkroom. She kept her eyes on the nosepiece of the goggles.

“Will you sit down with me a minute? I want to tell you something.”

“What can you tell me, Eileen?”