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Red Dragon (2002)
Baltimore, Md 1980
''Think to yourself that every day is your last... ''the hour to which you do not look forward... ''will come as a welcome surprise. ''As for me... ''when you want a good laugh... ''you will find me, in a fine state... ''fat and sleek... ''a true hog of Epicurus' herd.'' And we find you cribbing lines from Horace, as well. Well done, John. l must say, Hannibal... speaking for the rest of the herd... l'm sorry, for the Symphony Board... that these little soirees of yours... are always the highlight of our year. -Just so. -You're too kind. l do feel guilty enjoying tonight when a musician is... still listed as a missing person. Yes, poor fellow. Shall l confess something wicked? l can't help feeling the tiniest bit...relieved. lt sounds awful, l know. But, let's face it, so does the man's playing. Hannibal, confess. What is this divine-looking amuse-bouche? lf l tell you... l'm afraid you won't even try it. -Bon apptit. -Bon apptit. Special Agent Graham. What an unexpected pleasure. l'm sorry to bother you again, Dr. Lecter. l know it's late. lt's no bother. We're both night owls, l think. -Come in, please. -Thank you. Let me take your coat. What's on your mind? We've been on the wrong track this whole time. You and l. Our whole profile's wrong. We've been looking for someone with a crazy grudge... and some kind of anatomical knowledge. Decertified doctors, med school dropouts... laid-off mortuary workers-- From the precision of the cuts, and his choice of souvenirs. That's where we're off-target. He's not collecting body parts. -Then why keep them? -He's not. He's eating them. No, listen. We were at Molly's parents' for New Year's... and her dad was showing my son, Josh... how to carve a roasted chicken. He said, ''The tenderest part of the chicken is the oysters... ''on either side of the back.'' l had never heard that expression before, ''oysters.'' Then suddenly l had a flash of the third victim... Darcy Taylor. She was missing flesh from her back. And then it hit me. Liver, kidney, tongue, thymus. Every single victim lost some body part used in cooking. Have you shared this with the Bureau? No, l needed to see you first. But l'm right. l know l'm right. l'm starting to be able to think like this one. Yeah, it's fascinating. You know, l'd always suspected as much. You are an eidetiker. l'm not psychic, Doctor. No, this is different. More akin to artistic imagination. You can assume the emotional point of view of others... even those that might scare or sicken you. lt's a troubling gift, l should think. How l'd love to get you on my couch. Something still doesn't make sense to me. You're the best forensic psychiatrist l know... and somehow, in all our time together... this possibility never occurred to you. l am only human, Will. Perhaps l made a mistake. You don't strike me as a man who makes very many mistakes. Now l'm sorry to think l might... no longer enjoy your full confidence. No, l didn't say that. l don't know what l'm saying. l'm very, very tired. l almost had it. lt'll come to you. Why don't you come back in the morning? l'll clear some time on my schedule and... then we can get started in revising our profile. -Sound good? -Yeah. Rest here, and l'll get your coat. Won't be a tick. Don't move. You're in shock now. l don't want you to feel any pain. ln a moment you'll begin to be light-headed. Then drowsy. Don't resist. lt's so gentle. Like slipping into a warm bath. l regret it came to this, Will. But every game must have its ending. Remarkable boy. l do admire your courage. l think l'll eat your heart. Marathon, Fl Several Years Later Hey, Dad. Someone's here. Hey. You've got a beautiful setup here, Will. Yeah, it's good. -You know why l'm here? -Yeah, l can guess. How much do you know? Just what was in the Miami Herald and the Times. Two families killed a month apart in their homes. Birmingham and Atlanta. The circumstances were similar. Not similar. The same. What have you kept out of the papers? He smashes mirrors and uses the pieces. Wears latex gloves, so we've got no prints. Size 1 1 shoe. He's not too comfortable with locks. Pried open a patio door in Birmingham... used a glass cutter in Atlanta. And his blood's AB positive. -Somebody hurt him? -Nope. We typed him from semen and saliva. He's a secretor. Tell me something, Will. You knew what this was. Did you ever consider picking up the phone and giving me a call? You've got all the people you need. You've got Dortmund at Harvard. You got Bloom in Chicago. l've got you down here fixing boat motors? Yeah, l like fixing boat motors. l wouldn't be very useful to you. l don't think about it anymore. Really? The last two we had, you caught. By doing what you and the other guys are doing. That's not entirely true. lt's the way you think. Come on. There's been a lot of bullshit about the way l think. l've got technicians to examine evidence... but you've got that other thing. lmagination. Projection. Whatever. -l know you don't like it. -You wouldn't like it, either. This freak killed the Jacobis in Birmingham... on Saturday night, February 25. Full moon. He killed the Leeds family in Atlanta... a few nights ago, March 28. One day short of a lunar month. lf we're lucky, we may have a little over three weeks... before he does it again. Will, do you respect my judgment? Of course. l think we have a better chance to catch him fast if you help. Go to Atlanta and look. Just look. Then help me brief the locals. That's it. Crawford has the whole damn government. Why does he need you? He just wants me to look at some evidence, Molly. Give him another point of view. lt's a few days, a week maybe, and l'll be right back. -And you believed that? -Yes. These kinds of cases come up very rarely... and l've had experience. Yes, you have. You're paid up, Will. All of us. Even Josh. There's a chance l could help them save some lives. How do l say no to that? This one will never see me or know my name. l'll just help them find him. The cops will take him down, not me. l'll be in the back of the pack, Molly, l promise. Never in your life. -l know you. -Come on. Come here. l love you. -See you in a few days. -Okay. l'll call you tonight. Bye, Dad! Leeds House, Atlanta, Ga Where's the dog? No one heard barking. There's nothing about it in the case file. The intruder enters in the dark and cuts Charles Leeds' throat. He shoots Valerie Leeds in the stomach as she's rising... disabling her but not killing her. He leaves her to watch her husband die... then turns and goes down the hall. The children were.... The children were still in bed when they were shot... which might indicate that he used a silencer. He dragged the bodies into the master bedroom, but why? They were already dead and none of them got the same... extra attention as Mrs. Leeds. Small pieces of mirror were inserted... in the orbital sockets of the victims. This occurred post-mortem. Why did you put mirrors in their eyes? The pieces of mirror are to make their eyes look alive! He wanted an audience. He wanted them all lined up... watching him when he touched her. When he touched her. Touched. Talcum powder. There was talcum powder. ''Mrs. Leeds had traces of talcum on her right inner thigh. ''A complete search of the home... ''led to no such matching talcum in the house.'' You took your gloves off, didn't you? You son of a bitch! You took your gloves off, touched her... with your bare hand and wiped her down. But when the gloves were off, did you open her eyes? Crawford. Are the Leeds' bodies still at the morgue? Who's good with latent prints here? Atlanta P.D. They've already printed the bodies. Not the bodies. Tell them to check the eyes. Mrs. Leeds' eyes. Even her corneas. l think he took his gloves off. l think he had to touch her. Jesus, Will. Gentlemen. Ladies. This is what the subject's teeth look like. The impressions came from bite marks on Mrs. Leeds. This degree of crookedness... plus the groove in this central incisor... makes his bite signature unique. Fuckin' shark. Knock it off! We're grateful to have the FBl. They have a lot of expertise in this area. ln particular, lnvestigator Graham does. That right, Jack? Yes, sir. Anything you want to add, Mr. Graham? Why don't you come on up to the front, please? -That's the guy. -Was he? Yeah, that's the guy who arrested Lecter. l thought he retired. The son of a bitch just about gutted him. Mrs. Leeds and Mrs. Jacobi were the primary targets. The others were killed just to complete his fantasy. l know that might be hard to accept given what you saw... but this was not random. This wasn't some killing frenzy. He was never out of control. These attacks were organized, the women carefully chosen. We don't know how he's choosing them, or why. They lived in different states and never met. But there is some connection. There's some common factor, and that's the key. Find out what that is, and we'll save lives. 'Cause this one is gonna go on and on... until we get smart or we get lucky. He won't stop. -Why not? -Because it makes him God. Would you give that up? You asked about the dog. Last night a vet called us. Leeds and his oldest boy brought the dog in... the afternoon before they were killed. Had a puncture wound to its abdomen. The vet had to put it down. Was it wearing a collar with the address on it? No. -Did the Jacobis have a dog? -No dog. They found a litter box in the basement... cat droppings in it, no cat. lf the cat was attacked, the Jacobis may have buried it. Ask Birmingham to check that backyard. And tell them to use a methane probe, it's faster. Yeah. lt's for you. Crawford. Carl, you're the light of my life. Would it hold up in court? Okay. Great work. They found a print on Mrs. Leeds' eye. Partial thumb. Besides that, there's nothing else to tell you. Thank you for your time. l can't answer more questions. Will Graham! Remember me? Freddy Lounds. l covered the Lecter case for the Tattler. -Did the paperback. -Yeah, l remember. When did they bring you in? What've you got? You think the Tooth Fairy will be bigger than Lecter? l mean, he's already beaten Lecter's score-- You write lying shit, and the Tattler is an asswipe! You stay away from me. Get away, Lounds. How about an exclusive? Sorry about that. That guy snuck into the hospital and took those pictures of me. Remember? With the tubes hanging out of me? Forget that prick. Give yourself some credit. When we catch the Tooth Fairy... that print plus his teeth will burn him. You did that, Will. That evidence was there, Jack. -lt was there for anyone to see. -But nobody else did. All l'm sayin' is, that was very good work. No, good work would be seeing it all the way through... and catching the guy. And l can't do that. l did what you asked me to do. l'm going home. l don't even have any idea who this guy is. What l just gave them was broad strokes. He's got no face to me. That's what you said about Garrett Hobbs, remember? -And you figured him out. -No, l didn't. -You didn't? -No, l was stuck on Hobbs. l had help. From Lecter. Yeah. Jack, don't play games with me. Don't do it. Just tell me what's on your mind. l'm saying maybe we've got a resource we should look into. ls that what this was about? Did you just want to ask me that all along? Don't get mad at me. l'm just doing my job. lf you know a better shortcut, let me know it. lf you think there's any chance he'll talk to me... l'll go myself. lf you can't handle it, God knows l'd understand that. As a research subject, Lecter has proven most disappointing. He's simply impenetrable to psychological testing. Rorschach, Thematic Apperception. He folds them into origami. As you see. So you can imagine the stir your little visit... is causing among my staff, Mr. Graham. lf you'd care to share some insights-- Dr. Chilton, l'm sorry, l've got a 4:17 flight back to Atlanta. Of course. Tell me, when you saw Lecter's murders... their style, so to speak... were you able, perhaps, to reconstruct his fantasies? And, if so, did you jot down any impressions? No. Let me be frank, Mr. Graham. The first analysis of Lecter will be a publisher's wet dream. l'd give you full credit, of course. Damn it, man. You must have some advice. You caught him. What was your trick? l let him kill me. That's the same atrocious aftershave you wore in court. l keep getting it for Christmas. Christmas, yes. Did you get my card? l got it, thank you. So nice of the Bureau's crime lab to forward that. They wouldn't give me your home address. Dr. Bloom sent me your article on surgical addiction... in the Journal of Forensic Psychiatry. And? Very interesting, even to a layman. You say you're a layman. But it was you who caught me. Wasn't it, Will? -Do you know how you did it? -l got lucky. l don't think you believe that. lt's in the transcript. What does it matter now? lt doesn't matter to me, Will. l need your advice, Dr. Lecter. Birmingham and Atlanta. You want to know how he's choosing them, don't you? l thought you'd have ideas. l want you to tell me them. Why should l? There are things you don't have. Research materials. Maybe even computer access. l'd speak to the Chief of Staff. Yes, Dr. Chilton. Gruesome, isn't he? He fumbles at your head like a freshman pulling at panties. lf you recall, Will... our last collaboration ended rather messily. You'd get to see the file on this case. -And there's another reason. -l'm all ears. l thought you might enjoy the challenge. Find out if you're smarter than the person l'm looking for. Then, by implication, you think you're smarter than l am... since it was you who caught me. l know l'm not smarter than you. Then how did you catch me? You had disadvantages. What disadvantages? You're insane. You're very tanned, Will. And your hands are so rough. Not like a cop's hands anymore. And that shaving lotion is something a child would select. Has a little ship on the bottle, does it not? And how is young Josh and the lovely Molly? They're always in my thoughts, you know. You will not persuade me with appeals... to my intellectual vanity. l don't think l'll persuade you at all. You'll either do it or you won't. -ls that the case file? -Yes. With photos? Let me keep them, and l might consider it. No. Do you dream much, Will? Goodbye, Dr. Lecter. You haven't threatened to take away my books yet! Give me the file, then! And l'll tell you what l think. l'll need one hour. And privacy. Just like old times, Will? -This is a very shy boy, Will. l'd love to meet him. Have you considered that he is disfigured... or that he may believe he is disfigured? Yeah, the mirrors. Notice he smashes all the mirrors... not just enough to get the pieces he wants. And, of course, those shards in their eyes... so he can see himself there. That's interesting. No, it's not. You thought of it before. l had considered it. -What about the women? -Dead? Mere puppets. You need to see them living, the way they caught his eye. That's impossible. Almost. Not quite. What were the yards like? Big backyards, fenced, some hedges. Why? Because if this pilgrim... feels a special relationship with the moon... he might like to go outside and look at it. You ever seen blood in the moonlight? lt appears quite black. lf one were nude, say, it'd be better to have... outdoor privacy for that sort of thing. You think the yards are a factor when he selects victims? Yes. And there will be more of them, of course. Victims. You'll be wanting lots of these little chinwags... -l take it. -l might not have time. l do. l have oodles. l need your opinion now. Then here's one: You stink of fear under that cheap lotion. You stink of fear, Will, but you're not a coward! You fear me, but still you came here. You fear this shy boy, yet still you seek him out. Don't you understand, Will? You caught me because we're very much alike. Without our imaginations... we'd be like all those other poor dullards. Fear is the price of our instrument. But l can help you bear it. -You getting his face? -Yeah. Okay, you got it? All right, let's get the fuck out of here. Sure you're okay? Yeah, l'm okay. What do you think he meant by ''see them living''? l don't know, maybe nothing. lt's hard to separate his bullshit. But l'm gonna make another pass at the Leeds' house. All right, Duchess, doll. That's it. Show me what you can do. Who's that? Get them, Duchess. Get them, Duch! Go get them! Go get them, girl! Okay. And action! Charles! What are you doing? Hey, gang. You crazy man. How is everybody doing? Just home from the store. -Hi, Daddy. -That's my girl. -Hi, Daddy. -Hi, honey. Billy? Hi, Dad. -And sweetie? l am not ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille. What do you think? Get closer. Get closer. Little closer. l think we'd better put these kids to bed early tonight. They seem tired. Don't you think? Here we are at the pool party. What are you doing? Stop it! You stop it! l'm telling my mother on you. Now l get my kiss? -All right, you want a kiss? -l want one. The romantic kind. Jacobi House, Birmingham, Al Won't nobody get in through here again. l'll guaran-damn-tee it. Why didn't he break in down there? lt's more hidden. Hell, that door's got deadbolts. Reckon he was in too big a hurry. No, this one doesn't hurry. You sat right here, didn't you? You watched the children bury the cat. And then you waited for dark. You're proud. You had to sign your work. Grandma? Grandma? l'm sorry. l've never seen a child as dirty and disgusting as you. Look at you! You're soaking wet. Get out of my bed. -No. -Go back to your room. You're hurting me! Shut up, you filthy little beast! l should have put you in an orphanage, grandson or not. Grandma, don't hurt me. You're hurting me! lnto the bathroom! Take off your nightshirt, and wipe yourself off. Hurry up! Now give me my scissors from the medicine chest. Please, no! Take that filthy thing in your hand. Stretch it out. No, Grandma. -Now! -Please! Look down. Do you want me to cut it off? Do you? No, Grandma! l pledge you my word, Francis... if you ever make your bed dirty again... l'll cut it off. Do you understand? l'll be a good boy. l promise. Good morning, Will. So nice of you to visit again. He carved this on a tree near the Jacobi house. With a Buck knife. The same one later used on Charles Leeds. Yes. Take a walk with me. He had a second tool, too. A bolt cutter. He used that to clear his view. But? l don't think that's what he brought it for. lt's too heavy. Too awkward. And he had to carry it a long way. And what do we make of that symbol? Asian Studies at Langley... identified it as a Chinese character. lt appears on a mah-jong piece. -lt marks the Red Dragon. -Red Dragon. Correct. This boy begins to interest me. We don't know what greater meaning the symbol might have-- Do you like my little exercise cage, Will? My so-called lawyer is always nagging Dr. Chilton... for better accommodations. l don't know which is the greater fool. Perhaps if you could offer some insight into-- ''A robin redbreast in a cage Puts all heaven in a rage'' Ever been a redbreast, Will? Of course you have. l'm allowed 30 minutes in here, once a week. Get to the point. He meant to use the bolt cutter to enter the house... but he didn't. lnstead he broke in through the patio doors. The noise woke Jacobi, and he had to shoot him on the stairs. That wasn't planned. lt was sloppy. And that's not like him. We mustn't judge too harshly, Will. lt was his first time. Have you never felt a sudden rush of panic? Yeah, that's the fear we talked about. lt takes experience to master it. You sensed who l was... back when l was committing what you call my ''crimes.'' Yes. So you were hurt not by a fault in your perception... or your instincts... but because you failed to act on them until it was too late. -You could say that. -But you're wiser now. lmagine what you would do, Will, if you could go back in time. Put two in your head before you could palm that stiletto. Very good, Will. You know, l believe we're making progress. And that's what our pilgrim is doing. He is refining his methods. He is evolving. The case file mentioned videos of the Leeds family. -l'd like to see those. -No. -Why not? -lt would be obscene. You don't make it easy, do you? Still, one aims to please. l'll call you if l think of anything else. Would you perhaps like to leave me your home number? -That's the end of our session. -For now. lt was only his first time. Already in Atlanta he did much better. Rest assured, my dear Will... this one will give you plenty of exercise. My love to Molly and Josh, goodbye. Go to the back of the cell, Dr. Lecter. Face the wall. lf you turn around before the lock snaps... you'll get a dart. - Understood? -Yes. You got ten minutes to talk to your lawyer. -Starting now. -Thanks so much, Barney. Hello, Dr. Lecter? l have those documents you requested me-- ''Robes, Robespierre, Robin. ''Robin, call for.... Robin, fainting.... ''Redbreast in a cage.'' 406.9. ''A robin redbreast in a cage Puts all heaven in a rage'' Yes, that's it. William Blake. Auguries of lnnocence. Think you got it? Yeah, we should have. We have some books of Blake's paintings, too. -Want to see them? -Yeah. Thanks. Psychology Department... University of Chicago. Dr. Bloom's office. Hi. This is Bob Greer at Blaine and Edwards Publishing. Dr. Bloom asked me to send The Psychiatrist and the Law... to Will Graham. His assistant was supposed to give me... the address and phone number, but, darn it, she never did. l'm just a temp. Linda will be in on Monday. l have to catch FedEx in about five minutes. l hate to bother Dr. Bloom about it... because he told Linda to send it... and l don't want to get her into trouble. lt's right there in the Rolodex, or whatever. l'll dance at your wedding if you read it to me. l don't know. l'm really not supposed to. Be a darling and flip that old rascal... l won't take up any more of your time. Graham, Will. All right. Just a minute. ''Gibson, Gordon, Graham. '' lt doesn't give a home address. What does it have, dear? ''FBl, 935 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C. '' -Yeah? -And let's see. Here it is. ''P.O. Box 3680, Marathon, Florida. '' -Marathon. -Yes. That's fine. You're an angel. l'm Francis Dolarhyde. l've come for the package of infrared. Right. Put your back against the door and come... forward three steps till you feel tile under your feet. And there's a stool just on the left. Same Mr. D who's head of Tech Services, am l right? l'm Reba McClane. Just a second more and l will get you some light. Okay, here we go. So, what do you need the lR for? lt's for the zoo. They want to photograph the nocturnal animals. That's great. l love animals. l got to warn you, though. This stuff is pretty sensitive. lt can be mean to handle. But l guess l don't need to tell you that. Hey, Reba. Oh, Mr. D. Whoa! l'm not interrupting anything, am l? No, Ralph. lt's starting to spritz outside. l'll give you a lift home? You ride a motorcycle. How's that gonna help me with the rain? l thought maybe we'd stop off someplace... have ourselves a little sundowner. -l've already got a ride. -lt's cool. That's cool. No problemo. lf there's anything l hate worse than pity, it's fake pity. Especially from a walking hard-on like Ralph Mandy. -Sorry. -l have no pity. Ride with me! Thanks, but l take the bus all the time. Mandy is a fool. Ride with me... for my pleasure. You want to come in? l'll fix us a drink. -Maybe another time. -l will come in. When is the zoo project? -Maybe next week. They'll call. -l love zoos. ln fact one of my earliest memories is seeing a cougar... when l was about five. l didn't lose my sight till l was seven. Diphtheria. Could you hand me that knife? l've always tried to hang on to what that cougar looked like. But by now, to tell the truth, what l see in my head... is probably not in the least bit like a cougar. lt's more like a donkey or a goat. You know, sometimes l'm not so sure l really saw him. Maybe he's just something l dreamed up. You okay? You don't say much, do you? No, l guess not. Let's talk about something and get it out of the way, okay? l can hear that you've had... some kind of soft palate repair. But l understand you fine because you speak very well. lf you don't want to talk to me, that's cool. But l hope that you will, because... l know what it's like to have people... always thinking that you're different. That's good. May l touch your face? l want to know if you're smiling or frowning. l want to know whether l should just shut up or not. Take my word that l'm smiling. l have to go. lf l offended you, l didn't mean to. No. F.B.l. Headquarters, Washington, D.C. l don't know what they were like. lt'd help if l could see some of their personal effects. Diaries, letters. Do you have those things? l sure do. l mean, other than... one or two little keepsakes Niles Jacobi got. That would be Mr. Jacobi's surviving son by his first wife? Yes. As their executor, l keep all that stuff in the office... along with some of the smaller valuables, till after probate. But the Birmingham P.D.'s been all through it. Could you pack those things and ship them up to me? l hate to ask. l know it's a pain in the ass. Hell... probate judge is an old golfing buddy of mine. Son, just tell me you're gonna nail that son of a bitch. We're doing our best. Hey, thanks, Mr. Metcalf. A note hidden in Lecter's cell. Sounds like a fan letter. Might've been mailed by the Tooth Fairy. He wants Lecter's approval. He's curious about you. He's asking questions. l've scrambled a chopper. Does Lecter know we have the note? Not yet. lt was found in a routine cleanup. They don't open his mail? Need a warrant. X-rays only. -Where's Lecter? -The holding cage. Can he see his cell? No. But he's been there almost half an hour. He'll soon start to wonder what's wrong. We got to buy time, Jack. -Dr. Chilton. -Yes? Call your building superintendent... or engineer, whoever's in charge. Tell him to pull the circuit breakers on Lecter's hall. Have the super walk down the hall past the cell... carrying tools. He'll be in a hurry, pissed off, too busy to answer questions. And don't forget: Don't touch the note, okay? Graham's on his way. Listen up! We've got a note coming in on the fly... possibly from the Tooth Fairy. Number One Priority. lt has to go back to Lecter's cell within the hour... unmarked. We'll need Hair and Fiber, Latent Prints, then Documents. l'll walk it through myself. Let's go, people! My dear Dr. Lecter.: l wanted to tell you... l'm delighted... that you've taken an interest in me. And when l learned ofyour vast correspondence, l thought.: ''Dare l?'' Of course l do. l don't believe you'll tell them who l am. Besides, what particular body l currently occupy is trivial. The important thing is what l am becoming. l know that you alone can understand this transformation. l have some things l'd love to show you. lf circumstances permit, l hope we can correspond. l have admired you for years and have... a complete collection of your press notices. Actually, l think of them as unfair reviews. As unfair as mine. They do like to sling demeaning nicknames, don't they? ''The Tooth Fairy. '' What could be more inappropriate? lt would shame me for you to read that, if l didn't know... you had suffered the same distortions in the press. l'm fed up with this bloody stupid building! Every day something breaking. l swear they ought to tear the whole fucking place down. -How much longer do we have? -Ten minutes, max. lnstructions for answering... were probably in the section Lecter tore out. Why not just throw the whole note away? lt was full of compliments. He couldn't bear to part with them. Now we can mash just a little. You're so sly. But so am l. Aniline dyes and colored inks are transparent to infrared. These could be the tips of ''T's'' here and here. On the end, that's a ''P, '' or possibly an ''R. '' Maybe this is where he's telling Lecter how to answer him. There's only one way to carry on a conversation... that's one-way blind. Publication. Wait a minute. We know this guy reads the Tattler. That's in his note, right? The Tooth Fairy, they made that up. Three ''T's'' and an ''R'' in ''Tattler.'' How do you communicate through a tabloid? -You got what? News stories. -Personals. Maybe he wants Lecter to answer him through the personals? -That could be it. -We need proofs of the pages... before the next Tattler's published! l'm on it! lnvestigator Graham interests me. Not your standard gumshoe, is he? More alert. Purposeful looking. You should have taught him not to meddle. Forgive the stationery. l chose it because it'll dissolve very quickly... ifyou should have to swallow it. lf l hear from you, next time l might send you something wet. Until then, dear Doctor... l remain your most... avid fan. The Tattler got an ad order signed 666... Baltimore postmark on the envelope. lt's set to run this afternoon. Chicago field office is sending the text through now. -''Dear Pilgrim.'' -That's it. Lecter called him a pilgrim when we talked. ''You honor me. You're very beautiful.'' Christ! ''l offer 100 prayers for your safety. ''Find help in John 6:22, 8:16... ''9:1, Luke 1 :7.'' -Code. -Has to be. We've got 19 minutes to get in a message if we can break this. The Tattler can't hold its presses any longer. lt's simple. They only needed cover against casual readers. -l'm thinking it's a book code. -Code? The first numeral... ''100 prayers,'' may be the page number. The numbers after could be line and letter. But what book? -Bible? -No, he's got ''Galatians 15:2.'' lt has only six chapters. Same with ''Jonah 6:8.'' lt has four chapters. He wasn't using a Bible. Then the Tooth Fairy named the book to use. He specified it in his note, in the part Lecter tore out. lt would appear so. What about sweating Lecter? ln a mental hospital... -l would think drugs-- -No. They tried sodium amytal on him three years ago, to find out... where he buried the Princeton student. He gave them a recipe for dip. lf we sweat him, we lose the connection. lf the Tooth Fairy picked the book... he knew Lecter would have it in his cell. -Can we get a list of his books? -From Chilton, maybe. No! Wait! Rankin and Willingham, when they tossed his cell... took Polaroids so they could put everything back in place. Ask them to meet me with pictures of his bookshelves! -Where? -The Library! l'm leery of letting Lecter's message run... without knowing what it says. l say let this one run. We keep working on the code. At least it'll encourage the Fairy to contact him again. What if it encourages him to do something besides write? l don't like this any better than you. But it's our best shot. National Tattler Building, Chicago, ll Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Oh, my God! Hello? Jack, it's Lloyd Bowman. l solved the code. You need to know what it says right now. Okay, Lloyd. lt says, ''Graham home, Marathon, Florida. ''Save yourself. Kill them all.'' -Yeah? -Bowman just broke the code. -What does it say? -l'll tell you in a second. Now, listen to me. Everything is okay. l've taken care of it. Stay on the phone when l tell you. Tell me now. Lecter gave the bastard your home address. Wait. Mom? Head down, ma'am. ls he after you now? No, Lecter just suggested it to him. l hate this, Molly. l'm sorry. -lt's a sick feeling. -l know it is. But you'll be safe here. Crawford's brother owns this place. No one in the world knows you're here. l'd just as soon not talk about Crawford. -What are you using as bait? -Sometimes l use worms. You like those? Beneath the yellow folder... you'll find your latest rejection slip... from the archives. lt was brought to me by mistake with some of my archives mail. l'm afraid l opened it without looking. Sorry. l think we'll remove Dr. Lecter's toilet seat. Atlanta P.D. nailed him. He had a fake Bureau lD... and was trying to get the Leeds family autopsy photos. lt's a Federal beef, so Atlanta kicked him back to us. Personally... l'd like nothing better than to see the dirt sandwich... pulling five at Leavenworth. But maybe there's a better way to handle this. Yeah? What's that? l think we ought to give him a story. The Tooth Fairy's ugly... and he's impotent with members of the opposite sex. Also, he sexually molests his male victims. While they're alive? Sorry, l can't go into those details. But we do also speculate... that he's the product of an incestuous home. No wonder the creep's such a loser, right? That's a tip we got from Dr. Lecter, by the way. So it's true that Lecter's helping with your investigation? Yes, it's true. The Doctor was offended a bottom-feeding lowlife like... the Tooth Fairy would consider himself in the same league. Okay, tell me about this place you got here. Will, your little Washington hideaway. This is an apartment l'm borrowing... till this creep goes down in flames. l keep copies of the evidence so l can work on it at night. Make sure you can read the name on that building. Yeah. All right, l got enough. Just remember, l scratch your back, you scratch mine. lf my story draws the Fairy in an attack on Graham... and you nail the scumbag, l get an exclusive. Fuck you, Lounds. When we see the story, we'll consider what to do... about your sealed indictment. All right, it was a pleasure doing business with you, chumps. l feel like l need a shower. You okay with this? Better he comes after me than Molly and Josh. So, yeah, l'm okay with it. l wish we had something better... but there's only ten days till the next full moon. We've got to rattle his cage. We'll stake out this apartment, put snipers on the rooftops. You'll have a moving box tail, on the street, wherever you go. You'll wear the Kevlar at all times. No exceptions. You again? Come back at 4:00 a.m. when l open, all right? Hey, l told you! What? You told me what? Fucking dickhead! ls that your fucking name on the sign? Where am l? What am l doing here? Atoning, Mr. Lounds. l haven't seen your face. l couldn't possibly identify you. l work for the National Tattler. lt would pay... a big reward for me. l mean, a half a million... or a million, maybe. Do you know who l am, Mr. Lounds? No. And l don't want to know. You know, believe me. According to you, l'm a vicious, perverted sexual failure... a ''bottom-feeding lowlife''... who's about to ''go down in flames.'' l think you know now, don't you? Yes. Do you understand what l'm doing, Mr. Lounds? No. But l would like to. l really want to understand... and then all my readers could understand, too. l am not a man. l began as one... but each being that l change makes me... more than a man... as you will witness. l don't need to see you. No. But you must, Mr. Lounds. You're a reporter. You're here to report. Open your eyes and look at me. No. lf you won't open them... l'll staple your eyelids to your forehead. No! Open your eyes! Oh, my dear God Jesus! Oh, God! Do you want to know what l am? More than anything. l was afraid to ask. Do you see now? Yeah, l see. Oh, God. Mrs. Jacobi in human form. -Do you see? -Yes. Mrs. Leeds in human form. -Do you see? -Yes. -Mrs. Jacobi changing. -Oh, my God. Mrs. Leeds changing. Do you see? Mrs. Jacobi reborn. Do you see? Mrs. Leeds reborn. -Do you see? -Please, no. No? No what? Not me. Why did you write lies, Mr. Lounds? Graham told me to lie. lt wasn't me. -Will you tell the truth now? -Yes! About me? -My work? -Oh, yes. My becoming? Yeah. l am the Dragon, and you call me insane! You are privy to a great becoming... and you recognize nothing. You are an ant in the afterbirth. lt is in your nature to do one thing correctly. Before me, you rightly tremble. But fear is not what you owe me, Mr. Lounds. You owe me awe. Read. That's all, Mr. Lounds. You did very well. Will you let me go now? Soon. There's one more way l can help you to better understand. l want to understand. l do. And l'm really gonna be fair... from now on. You know that. Hello? Oh, God, no! l have had a great privilege. l have seen with... wonder and awe the strength of the Great Red Dragon. He has helped me to understand his splendor... and now l want to serve him. He knows you made me lie, Will Graham. Because l was forced to lie... he will be more merciful to me than to you. Hello? Oh, God, no! We can let this tie us up in knots... or we can learn from it. Maybe even use it to catch the bastard. He had to have a van or panel truck... to move Lounds around in that big old wheelchair. Go on. He had to already have the wheelchair... or know where to get one fast. lt's an antique, not something you'd find in the house. Does it strike anybody that he set this up in a hurry? The Tattler comes off the press Monday night. By Tuesday morning he's in Chicago, snatching Lounds. He either lives in the Chicago area... or he's within a driving radius of... call it six hours. Find out in this area where the Tattler was available... for early distribution Monday night. Start with airports, all-night newsstands. Maybe a newsie remembers an odd customer. Lloyd, this cassette, enhance the audio. Maybe you can pick up something in the background. That wheelchair... l want the maker, date, possible sources. Graham and l will coordinate from Chicago. Let's hustle. Look, there's not gonna be any answers in Chicago, Jack. Okay? l mean, Lounds, that was a bonus. That was a chance to show off. lt doesn't even fit his pattern. The Leeds and the Jacobis are what he needs. l think l should go back to Baltimore. After what he tried to pull? Lecter picked up on something in the missing part of the note. Not a name, but something, enough to narrow the search. Even if he did, he won't tell you. Not unless l can offer him something. Congratulations. That was most artistic, the way you disposed of Mr. Lounds. Your cell looks bigger with no books in it. Does it? l hadn't noticed. Oh, you will. l have other resources. Tell me, Will. Did you enjoy it? Your first murder? Of course you did. Why shouldn't it feel good? lt does to God. Why, only last week in Texas, he dropped a church roof... on the heads of 34 of his worshippers... as they were groveling through a hymn. He wouldn't begrudge you one journalist. Put me next to him, Doctor. You and some SWAT team? Oh, Will. Where's the fun in that? He'll have to take his chances, too. A roof can fall on anybody. But not on Molly and Josh, l take it. Not yet, anyway. First he kills the pet, then the family. Freddy was your pet. They're safe now. No one will ever be safe around you, Will. Clever work on his note, by the way. And that blackout was an especially nice touch. What else was in that note, Doctor? Put me next to him! That's what you want, isn't it? To help him succeed where you failed? Twice? Give him a chance to kill me. Go on, then. Seduce me with your wares. Full restoration of your privileges. Plus computer access to the AMA archives. One hour a week under supervision, of course... but it's a one-time offer. lt expires the minute l walk out of here. Bit measly, don't you think? Turn it down, then. See what terms you get from Chilton. Are these threats, William? l'm waiting, Doctor. Or maybe you've got nothing left to sell. A little sample, then. Why not? -Seen the Blake, have you? -Yes. No, you've looked but not seen. Transformation is the key. The man-dragon... his ugliness transformed by power. Look for a military record with combat training. Look for extensive tattooing... and corrective surgery, most likely to the face. Come on, l'm past that already and you know it. Give me what l need. How is he choosing the women? l've already suggested how. The answer was in front of you. -You looked but didn't see. -Bullshit! No riddles! Just tell me. No! lt's your turn. l asked you before for a small courtesy... and you responded rudely. Before l tell you anything more... you will make certain arrangements for me. What kind of arrangements? Oh, nothing much. Shall we say dinner and a show? You ready to tell me what kind of outing this is? Nope. You're just full of surprises, aren't you, D? Yep. He's about six feet away. Can you smell him? Yeah. Now, he's a little noisy, but he's sedated, l assure you. Doctor Hassler's about to fix his broken tooth. Glad you could come, Ms. McClane. We appreciate the infrared film, by the way. Two more steps. l'll put your left hand on the edge of the table. Now, he's right in front of you. Take your time. -D? -l'm here. You go ahead. Here. Why don't you try this? Nine steps from the front door to the clock... and three more to this room. Sorry. Force of habit. That beautiful tiger, this house, this music.... l don't think anybody knows you at all, D. Everybody wonders about you, though. Especially the women. What do they want to know? They find you... very mysterious and interesting. Did they tell you how l look? They said that you have a remarkable body. That you're very sensitive about your face but you shouldn't be. Oh, and... they asked me if... you are as strong as you look. And? l said l didn't know. Where the hell are you, D? Here you are. Do you want to know what l think about it? Now, would you show me where the bathroom is? l have to do a little work. -lf l'm keeping you from work... -No. -...l'll go. -l want you to be here. l do. lt's just a tape l need to watch. lt won't take long. -Do you need to hear it, too? -No. May l keep the music? What's it about? Some people l'm going to meet. So then... it's what? lt's a corporate promo? Some kind of homework? lt's homework. Yeah. That's a good idea. lt's so important to be prepared. My God, are you ever! No. l won't give her to you. No. Please, just for a little while. No... she's nice. She's okay. l had a really terrific time last night. But this morning you seem like a different person. -ls something wrong? -l have to go now. -l have to go away. -Where? On a trip. -When will l see you again? -Reba, you have to get out. Now. Dear Mr. Graham.: Here are the Jacobis' personal effects, as discussed. l hope these things might help you. Good hunting. Byron Metcalf. How many more times are we going to watch this? ''See them living,'' he said, ''right in front of you.'' lt's something about these home movies. Lecter keeps saying, ''You looked, but didn't see.'' Lecter says a lot of things. Sad damn thing. But we already knew that. We can't afford to let Lecter waste our-- No. Again. Your dissertation must be nearly finished, Mr. Crane. Nearly. lt's nice to be able to connect a face with a name... after all our correspondence. But, you know, you don't look like l imagined you looked. What did you think l looked like? Different. Thank you. Right there! There. That's what he wanted the bolt cutter for. To cut that padlock and go in through the basement. But that's a different door. l don't get it. The one l saw was flush steel with deadbolts. Jacobi had a new door installed. Beginning of January, l think. lt's in here somewhere. Think he cased the house with the old door? He brought the bolt cutter, didn't he? He was sure he'd need it. Why case it two months in advance and not check it? l don't know. He was ready with the bolt cutter... like at the Leeds' house. There he was ready with a glass cutter. He must've seen the glass when he walked in the neighborhood. No. You can't see that door from the yard. There's a porch lattice in the way. Jack, he knew the inside of the houses. Remarkable, isn't it? Two hundred years old. Yet so fresh. So vivid. He almost looks alive, doesn't he? We've just gotten a report here from the.... Do you still have the Jacobis' check stubs... and credit card statements? We're looking for any kind of service call or purchase... that might've required a stranger... to enter the house. -A repairman, delivery guy. -Anybody in the house. -Yeah. -We checked. l know we checked that... but now we got to go back to before January. -Last year's purchase orders. -Yeah. -No collar. -But please hurry. lt's urgent. No collar. -Metcalf says-- -No collar. The dog had no collar in a neighborhood of dogs... but he knew which was theirs. Same with the Jacobis' cat. No collar, but he knew. He knew about the padlock. He knew about the pane of glass. He knew the layout. He knew how to get in. Every goddamn thing he needed to know was on this.... Oh, Jesus. ls Metcalf still on the phone? Give it! Byron, it's Graham. You said Niles Jacobi took a few keepsakes. Do you have a list? Yeah, right here. l need to know if something he took was a home video. A full-length VHS tape, compiled from shorter tapes. -l see one videotape. -Yes? But it says, ''Meet the Jacobis. '' lt's Chromalux. We just got a fax. An incident at the Brooklyn Museum. A guy attacked two employees, and get this... ate the Blake painting. What? That's him. lt's got to be. lf that painting meant so much to him, why destroy it? And why didn't he kill those two women at the museum? They both got a good look at him. Maybe he's trying to stop. Mr. Crawford, all you've got is a hunch. l've got 382 employees, and they've got a union. l can't just turn you loose on their files. Not without a court order. There are privacy issues. The company's exposure. One of the employees has already killed 1 1 people... that we know of. lf he gets away tonight... what's the company's exposure on that? -l'll get our lawyers here-- -We don't have time for that. Listen! We're looking for a white male, -right-handed with brown hair. -No-- Listen! Please. He's strong. He's possibly a bodybuilder. He might have some kind of facial disfigurement. He drives a van or a panel truck. That sounds like Mr. D. Oh, my God. Who's Mr. D? Francis Dolarhyde, Manager of Technical Services. What does he do exactly? He maintains the equipment for tape transfers. Would he have access to people's home videotapes? He has access to every tape that comes through here. Thanks for dinner, and thanks for letting me vent. Look, no problemo. Reba, listen, l know it's not my place to say this.... Go on. Well, if Dolarhyde is really as moody as you say he is... maybe you ought to keep some distance. l mean, what do you really know about the guy? l appreciate your concern, Ralph. Really. And l promise l'll give it some thought. -Hey, have a great vacation. -Thanks. -See you in a week. -Good night. -l had a great time. -Good night. Good night! Ralph, just 'cause l'm feeling vulnerable-- Wake up. You wandered around in the house while l was asleep, didn't you? What? The other night, did you find something odd? Did you take it and show it to somebody? Did you do that? D? What is it? What's happening? -Sit still or he'll hear us! -Who will? He's upstairs. He wants you, Reba. l thought he was gone, but now he's back. D, you're scaring me. l didn't want to give you to him. l did a thing for you today so he couldn't have you. l was wrong. You made me weak and then you hurt me. No. No, you can't have her! Please don't let him have me. You won't. l'm for you. You like me. l know you like me. Take me with you. Take you with me? Yes. Put out your hand. Feel this. That's a shotgun. A 1 2-gauge magnum. Do you know what it'll do? l wish l could have trusted you. l wanted to trust you. You felt so good! So did you. -Please don't hurt me now. -lt's all over for me. -Where are you? -l can't leave you to him. Do you know what he'll do? He'll bite you to death. He'll hurt you so bad! l can't let that happen. -lt's better if you go with me. -Yes, God, get us out of here! -l'll shoot you and then myself. -Oh, no. -l have to shoot you. -No.... l can't do it. D! Three steps to the clock. From the clock to the door, nine more. Oh, God. What is that? What the hell is that? That's the place. Goddamn it! All units, that's his house that's burning. FBl! Francis Dolarhyde! Where is he? He's in there. He is dead. You know that? He shot himself in the face. l put my hand in it. He set fire to the house. He was on the floor, and l-- You all right? That's all l need. l'd like to come back before l leave town. -See how you're doing. -Sure, why not? Who could resist a charmer like me? You know, whatever part of him was still human... was only kept alive because of you. You probably saved some lives. You didn't draw a freak. Okay? You drew a man with a freak on his back. l should have known. No, sometimes you don't. Trust me, l've been there. Listen to me. There was plenty wrong with Dolarhyde... but there's nothing wrong with you. Except your hair. Your hair is a train wreck. Can we please do something about that? For next time, maybe? Please? That would be nice. -Thank you. -Just get some rest. You're gonna be fine. Dr. Voss, please call Pharmacy 4421. We found this in his safe. Thought you might want to take the first look. You've earned it. When l read hisjournal, it was sad. lt was just so sad. l couldn't help feeling sorry for him. He wasn't born a monster. This guy was made one through years of abuse. -Hey. -Hey, Dad, can we make s'mores? -S'mores? -Yeah, s'mores. -Yeah, you're on. -All right. -Go look in the pantry. -Okay. Crawford. Those remains you found in the rubble. -They're not Dolarhyde's. -What are you talking about? -His damn dentures were there. -But not his bones. Wrong DNA. Then whose are they? Saint Louis P.D. is looking for... a Chromalux employee named Ralph Mandy. He should be on vacation, so nobody missed him for a week. -What is taking him so long? -Are you kidding? lt takes him 20 minutes to get out of bed in the morning. Yeah, but now l have a serious marshmallow jones. Josh, what are you doing? We can't come to the phone. You know the deal. Wait for the beep. lt's Jack. lt's Dolarhyde. He's still alive. l'm scrambling everything that rolls or flies... but they'll take time to arrive. Will? Christ, Will, where are you? Drop it. Do it now, gumshoe. Your son is about to change. Then your wife. You can watch. Then l'll take care of you. Look at you. l've never seen a child as disgusting as you! You pissed your pants? How dare you! You dirty little beast. You want me to cut it off? Want me to do that, you little freak? You want me to cut it off? Do you? Don't cry at me, you little faggot! Apologize! Say, ''l'm sorry, Daddy! l'm a dirty little beast. ''l'm a freak.'' Say it! -No. -Say it! -Dad! -Say it, or l will cut it off! ''l'm a dirty little beast. ''Freak! Harelip! ''And no one will ever love me. '' Josh, run! Run! Get down! You okay? -Josh? -Mom? Will? Where are you guys? l thought l heard some kind of.... Will? Molly, get down! Will! Shoot.... What? Shoot him. Shoot him. Mommy? My dear Will.: You must be healed by now. On the outside, at least. l hope you're not too ugly. What a collection of scars you have! Never forget who gave you the best of them. And be grateful. Our scars have the power to remind us the past was real. We live in a primitive time, don't we, Will? Neither savage nor wise. Half measures are the curse of it. A rational society would either kill me or put me to some use. Do you dream much, Will? l think of you often. Your old friend, Hannibal Lecter. Hannibal? There's someone here to see you. Wants to ask a few questions. l said you'd probably refuse. A young woman. Says she's from the FBl. Though she's far too pretty, if you ask me. l'll tell her you said no. What is her name? |
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