Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter 1)

“Fairly rotten.”

“The news said the FBI didn’t have any protection for the reporter.”

“He was supposed to be with Crawford by the time the Tooth Fairy got the paper.”

“The news is calling him the Dragon now.”

“That’s what he calls himself.”

“Will, there’s something . . . I want to take Willy and leave here.”

“And go where?”

“His grandparents’. They haven’t seen him in a while, they’d like to see him.”

“Oh, um-hmm.”

Willy’s father’s parents had a ranch on the Oregon coast.

“I

t’s creepy here. I know it’s supposed to be safe—but we’re not sleeping a whole lot. Maybe the shooting lessons spooked me, I don’t know.”

“I’m sorry, Molly.” I wish I could tell you how sorry.

“I’ll miss you. We both will.”

So she had made up her mind.

“When are you going?”

“In the morning.”

“What about the shop?”

“Evelyn wants to take it. I’ll underwrite the fall stuff with the wholesalers, just for the interest, and she can keep what she makes.”

“The dogs?”

“I asked her to call the county, Will. I’m sorry, but maybe somebody will take some of them.”

“Molly, I—”

“If staying here I could keep something bad from happening to you, I’d stay. But you can’t save anybody, Will, I’m not helping you here. With us up there, you can just think about taking care of yourself. I’m not carrying this damned pistol the rest of my life, Will.”

“Maybe you can get down to Oakland and watch the A’s.” Didn’t mean to say that. Oh boy, this silence is getting pretty long.

“Well, look, I’ll call you,” she said, “or I guess you’ll have to call me up there.”

Graham felt something tearing. He felt short of breath.

“Let me get the office to make the arrangements. Have you made a reservation already?”

“I didn’t use my name. I thought maybe the newspapers . . .”

“Good. Good. Let me get somebody to see you off. You wouldn’t have to board through the gate, and you’d get out of Washington absolutely clean. Can I do that? Let me do that. What time does the plane go?”

“Nine-forty. American 118.”