The Silence of the Lambs [antikvár]

Chapter One Behavioral science, the FBI section that deals with serial murder, is on the bottom floor of the Academy building at Quantico, half-buried in the earth. Clarice Starling reached it flushed after a fast walk from Hogan's Alley on the firing range. She had grass in her hair and grass stains on her FBI Academy windbreaker from diving to the ground under fire in an arrest problem on the range. No one was in the outer office, so she fluffed briefly by her reflection in the glass doors. She knew she could look all right without primping. Her hands smelled of gunsmoke, but there was no time to wash - Section Chief Crawford's summons had said now. She found Jack Crawford alone in the cluttered suite of offices. He was standing at someone else's desk talking on the telephone and she had a chance to look him over for the first time in a year. What she saw disturbed her. Normally, Crawford looked like a fit, middle-aged engineer who might have paid his way through college playing baseball - a crafty catcher, tough when he blocked the plate. Now he was thin, his shirt collar was too big, and he had dark puffs under his reddened eyes. Everyone who could read the papers knew Behavioral Science section was catching hell. Starling hoped Crawford wasn't on the juice. That seemed most unhkely here. Crawford ended his telephone conversation with a sharp 'No.' He took her file from under his arm and opened it. 'Starling, Clarice M., good morning,' he said. 'Hello.' Her smile was only polite. 'Nothing's wrong. I hope the call didn't spook you.' 'No.' Not totally true, Starling thought. 'Your instructors tell me you're doing well, top quarter of the class.' 'I hope so, they haven't posted anything.' 'I ask them from time to time.'