The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris [13]
“Lord have mercy.”
“Knocked the Fotomat booth slap off the blocks and the glass fell out. Fotomat fella come wandering out addled. Had to keep him out of the road.”
“Well I'll be. What happened to it then?”
“What happened to what?”
“'The car.”
“I told Buddy Sipper at the wrecking yard he could have it for fifty if he'd come get it. I expect he's parted it out.”
“Could you tell me what his telephone number is, Mr. Bardwell?”
“What do you want with Sipper? If anybody gets something out of it, it ought to be me.”
“I understand that, sir. I just do what they tell me till five o'clock, and they said find the car. Have you got that number, please?”
“I can't find my phone book. It's been gone a good while now. You know how it is with these grandbabies. Central ought to give it to you, it's Sipper Salvage.”
“Much oblige, Mr. Bardwell.”
The salvage yard confirmed that the automobile had Been stripped and pressed into a cube to be recycled. The foreman read Starling the vehicle serial number from his records.
Shit House Mouse, thought Starling, not entirely out of the accent. Dead end. Some Valentine.
Starling rested her head against the cold coin box in the telephone booth. Ardelia Mapp, her books on her hip, pecked on the door of the booth and handed in an Orange Crush.
“Much oblige, Ardelia. I got to make one more call. If I can get done with that in time, I'll catch up with you in the cafeteria, okay?”
“I was so in hopes you'd overcome that ghastly dia?lect,” Mapp said. “Books are available to help you. I never use the colorful patois of my housing project anymore. You come talking that mushmouth, people say you eat up with the dumbass, girl.” Mapp closed the phone booth door.
Starling felt she had to try for more information from Lecter. If she already had the appointment, maybe Crawford would let her return to the asylum. She di?aled Dr. Chilton's number, but she never got past his secretary.
“Dr. Chilton is with the coroner and the assistant district attorney,” the woman said. “He's already spo?ken to your supervisor and he has nothing to say to you. Goodbye.”
The Silence of the Lambsr
CHAPTER 7
“Your friend Miggs is dead,” Crawford said. “Did you tell me everything, Starling?” Crawford's tired face was as sensitive to signals as the dished ruff of an owl, and as free of mercy.
“How?” She felt numb and she had to handle it.
“Swallowed his tongue sometime before daylight. Letter suggested it to him, Chilton thinks. The over?night orderly -heard Lecter talking softly to Miggs. Lecter knew a lot about Miggs. He talked to him for a little while, but the overnight couldn't hear what Lecter said. Miggs was crying for a while, and then he stopped. Did you tell me everything, Starling?”
“Yes sir. Between the report and my memo, there's everything, almost verbatim.”
“Chilton called up to complain about you...” Crawford waited, and seemed pleased when she wouldn't ask. “I told him I found your behavior satis?factory. Chilton's trying to forestall a civil rights inves?tigation.”
“Will there be one?”
“Sure, if Miggs' family wants it. Civil Rights Divi?sion will do probably eight thousand this year. They'll be glad to add Miggs to the list.” Crawford studied her. “You okay?”
“I don't know how to feel about it.”
“You don't have to feel any particular way about it. Lecter did it to amuse himself. He knows they can't really touch him for it, so why not? Chilton takes his books and his toilet seat for a while is all, and he doesn't get any JellO.” Crawford laced his fingers over his stomach and compared his thumbs. “Lecter asked you about me, didn't he?”
“He asked if you were busy. I said yes.”
“That's all? You didn't leave out anything personal because I wouldn't want to see it?”
“No. He said you were a Stoic, but I put that in.”
“Yes, you did. Nothing else?”
“No, I didn't leave anything out. You don't think I traded some kind of gossip, and that's why he talked to me.”
“No.”
“I don't know anything personal about you, and if I did I wouldn't discuss it. If you've got a problem be?lieving that, let's