Hannibal - Thomas Harris [99]
“I think the woman Starling may have a lasting attachment to her father, an imago, that prevents her from easily forming sexual relationships and may incline her to Dr Lecter in some kind of transference, which in his perversity he would seize on at once. In this second letter he again encourages her to.contact him with a n personal ad, and he provides a code name.”
My Christ, the man went on! Restlessness and boredom were torture for Mason because he couldn't fidget “Right, fine, good, Doctor,” Mason interrupted. “Margot, open the window a little, I've got a new source on Lecter, Dr Doemling. Someone who knows both Starling and Lecter and saw then together, and he's been around Lecter more than anyone. I want you to talk to him.”
Krendler squirmed on the couch, his bowels beginning to stir as he saw where this was going.
Hannibal
Chapter 51
MASON SPOKE into his intercom and a tall figure came into the room. He was as muscular as Margot and dressed in whites.
“This is Barney,” Mason said. “He was in charge of the violent ward at the Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for six years when Lecter was there. Now he works for me.”
Barney preferred to stand in front of the aquarium with Margot, but Dr Doemling wanted him in the light. He took a place beside Krendler.
“Barney is it? Now, Barney, what is your professional training?”
“I have an LPN.”
“You're a licensed practical nurse? Good for you. Is that all?”
“I have a bachelor's degree in the humanities from the United States Correspondence College,” Barney said, expressionless. “And a certificate of attendance from the Cummins School of Mortuary Science. I'm qualified as a diener. I did that at night during nursing school.”
“You worked your way through LPN school as a morgue attendant?”
“Yes, removing bodies from crime scenes and assisting at autopsies.”
“Before that.”
“Marine Corps.”
“I see. And while you were working at the state hospital you saw Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter interacting - what I mean is, you saw them talking together?”
“It seemed to me they-”
“Let's start with just exactly what you saw, not what you thought about what you saw, can we do that?”
Mason interrupted. “He's smart enough to give his opinion. Barney, you know Clarice Starling.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Hannibal Lecter for six years.”
“Yes.”.“What was it between them?”
At first Krendler had trouble understanding Barney's high, rough voice, but it was Krendler who asked the pertinent question. “Did Lecter act differently in the Starling interviews, Barney?”
“Yes. Most of the time he didn't respond at all to visitors,” Barney said. “Sometimes he would open his eyes long enough to insult some academic who was trying to pick his brain. He made one visiting professor cry. He was tough with Starling, but he answered her more than most. He was interested in her. She intrigued him.”
“How?”
Barney shrugged. “He hardly ever got to see women. She's really good- looking-”
“I don't need your opinion on that,” Krendler said. “Is that all you know?”
Barney did not reply. He looked at Krendler as though the left and right hemispheres of Krendler's brain were two dogs stuck together.
Margot cracked another walnut.
“Go on, Barney,” Mason said.
“They were frank with one another. He's disarming that way. You have the feeling that he wouldn't deign to lie.”
“Wouldn't do what to lie?”
Krendler said.
“Deign,” Barney said.
“DEIGN,” Margot Verger said out of the dark. “To condescend. Or to stoop, Mr. Krendler.”
Barney went on. “Dr Lecter told her some unpleasant things about herself, and then some pleasant ones. She could face the bad things, and then enjoy the good more, knowing