The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris [71]
Senator Martin went in looking good. Her navy suit breathed power. She had put some starch in Gossage too.
Dr. Hannibal Lecter sat alone in the middle of the room in a stout oak armchair bolted to the floor. A blanket covered his straitjacket and leg restraints and concealed the fact that he was chained to the chair. But he still wore the hockey mask that kept him from biting.
Why? the Senator wondered--- the idea had been to permit Dr. Lecter some dignity in an office setting. Sen?ator Martin gave Chilton a look and turned to Gossage for papers.
Chilton went behind Dr. Lecter and, with a glance at the camera, undid the straps and removed the mask with a flourish.
“Senator Martin, meet Dr. Hannibal Lecter.”
Seeing what Dr. Chilton had done for showmanship frightened Senator Martin as much as anything that had happened since her daughter disappeared. Any confidence she might have had in Chilton's judgment was replaced with the cold fear that he was a fool.
She'd have to wing it.
A lock of Dr. Lecter's hair fell between his maroon eyes. He was as pale as the mask. Senator Martin and Hannibal Lecter considered each other, one extremely bright and the other not measurable by any means known to man.
Dr. Chilton returned to his desk, looked around at everyone, and began:
“Dr. Lecter has indicated to me, Senator, that he wants to contribute to the investigation some special knowledge, in return for considerations regarding the conditions of his confinement.”
Senator Martin held up a document. “Dr. Lecter, this is an affidavit which I'll now sign. It says I'll help you. Want to read it?”
She thought he wasn't going to reply and turned to the desk to sign, when he said:
“I won't waste your time and Catherine's time bar?gaining for petty privileges. Career climbers have wasted enough already. Let me help you now, and I'll trust you to help me when it's over.”
“You can count on it. Brian?”
Gossage raised his pad.
“Buffalo Bill's name is William Rubin. He goes by Billy Rubin. He was referred to me in April or May 1975, by my patient Benjamin Raspail. He said he lived in Philadelphia, I can't remember an address, but he was staying with Raspail in Baltimore.”
“Where are your records?” Major Bachman broke in.
“My records were destroyed by court order shortly after---”
“What did he look like?” Major Bachman said.
“Do you mind, Major? Senator Martin, the only---”
“Give me an age and a physical description, anything else you can remember,” Major Bachman said.
Dr. Lecter simply went away. He thought about something else--- Géricault's anatomical studies for The Raft of the Medusa---and if he heard the questions that followed, he didn't show it.
When Senator Martin regained his attention, they were alone in the room. She had Gossage's pad.
Dr. Lecter's eyes focused on her. “That flag smells like cigars,” he said.-“Did you nurse Catherine?”
“Pardon me? Did I...”
“Did you breastfeed her?”
“Yes.”
“Thirsty work, isn't it...?”
When her pupils darkened, Dr. Lecter took a single sip of her pain and found it exquisite. That was enough? for today. He went on: “William Rubin is about six feet one, and would be thirtyfive years old now. He's strongly built--- about one hundred ninety pounds when I knew him and he's gained since then, I expect. He has brown hair and pale blue eyes. Give them that much; and then we'll go on.”
“Yes, I'll do that,” Senator Martin said. She passed her notes out the door.
“I only saw him once. He made another appoint?ment, but he never came again.”
“Why do you think he's Buffalo Bill?”
“He was murdering people then, and doing some similar things with them, anatomically. He said he wanted some help to stop, but actually he just wanted to schmooze about it. To rap.”
“And you didn't--- he was sure you wouldn't turn him in?”
“He didn't think I would, and he likes to take chances. I had honored the confidences of his friend Raspail.”
“Raspail knew he was doing this?