Red Dragon Page 0,58

though, when you asked me to give you a study on him, I refused."

"That was Petersen, upstairs, wanted the study."

"You were the one who asked for it. No matter, if I ever did anything on Graham, if there were ever anything that might be of therapeutic benefit to others, I'd abstract it in a form that would be totally unrecognizable. If I ever do anything in a scholarly way, it'll only be published posthumously."

"After you or after Graham?"

Dr. Bloom didn't answer.

"One thing I've noticed - I'm curious about this: you're never alone in a room with Graham, are you? You're smooth about it, but you're never one-on-one with him. Why's that? Do you think he's psychic, is that it?"

"No. He's an eideteker - he has a remarkable visual memory - but I don't think he's psychic. He wouldn't let Duke test him - that doesn't mean anything, though. He hates to be prodded and poked. So do I."

"But-"

"Will wants to think of this as purely an intellectual exercise, and in the narrow definition of forensics, that's what it is. He's good at that, but there are other people just as good, I imagine."

"Not many," Crawford said.

"What he has in addition is pure empathy and projection," Dr. Bloom said. "He can assume your point of view, or mine - and maybe some other points of view that scare and sicken him. It's an uncomfortable gift, Jack. Perception's a tool that's pointed on both ends."

"Why aren't you ever alone with him?"

"Because I have some professional curiosity about him and he'd pick that up in a hurry. He's fast."

"If he caught you peeking, he'd snatch down the shades."

"An unpleasant analogy, but accurate, yes. You've had sufficient revenge now, Jack. We can get to the point. Let's make it short. I don't feel very well."

"A psychosomatic manifestation, probably," Crawford said. "Actually it's my gall bladder. What do you want?"

"I have a medium where I can speak to the Tooth Fairy."

"The Tattler ," Dr. Bloom said.

"Right. Do you think there's any way to push him in a self-destructive way by what we say to him?"

"Push him toward suicide?"

"Suicide would suit me fine."

"I doubt it. In certain kinds of mental illness that might be possible. Here, I doubt it. If he were self-destructive, he wouldn't be so careful. He wouldn't protect himself so well. If he were a classic paranoid schizophrenic, you might be able to influence him to blow up and become visible. You might even get him to hurt himself. I wouldn't help you though." Suicide was Bloom's mortal enemy.

"No, I suppose you wouldn't," Crawford said. "Could we enrage him?"

"Why do you want to know? To what purpose?"

"Let me ask you this: could we enrage him and focus his attention?"

"He's already fixed on Graham as his adversary, and you know it. Don't fool around. You've decided to stick Graham's neck out, haven't you?"

"I think I have to do it. It's that or he gets his feet sticky on the twenty-fifth. Help me."

"I'm not sure you know what you're asking."

"Advice - that's what I'm asking."

"I don't mean from me," Dr. Bloom said. "What you're asking from Graham. I don't want you to misinterpret this, and normally I wouldn't say it, but you ought to know: what do you think one of Will's strongest drives is?"

Crawford shook his head. "It's fear, Jack. The man deals with a huge amount of fear." "Because he got hurt?"

"No, not entirely. Fear comes with imagination, it's a penalty, it's the price of imagination."

Crawford stared at his blunt hands folded on his stomach. He reddened. It was embarrassing to talk about it. "Sure. It's what you don't ever mention on the big boys' side of the playground, right? Don't worry about telling me he's afraid. I won't think he's not a 'stand-up guy.' I'm not a total asshole, Doctor."

"I never thought you were, Jack."

"I wouldn't put him out there if I couldn't cover him. Okay, if I couldn't cover him eighty percent. He's not bad himself, Not the best, but he's quick. Will you help us stir up the Tooth Fairy, Doctor? A lot of people are dead."

"Only if Graham knows the entire risk ahead of time and assumes it voluntarily. I have to hear him say that."

"I'm like you, Doctor. I never bullshit him. No more than we all bullshit each other."

* * *

Crawford found Graham in the small workroom near Zeller's lab which he had commandeered and filled with photographs and personal papers belonging to the victims.

Crawford waited