Red Dragon

The forth and final section of the novel Red Dragon, written by the author Thomas Harris, is yet again another 113 pages long and covers the story up to the last page of 454. The summary for chapters 35 to 55 including the chilling conclusion of this story is the following.

The section picks up right where it left off last time. The Federal Bureau of Investigation was working hard over time to track down evidence. A package came in the mail from FedEx containing a cassette tape, which ended up helping them out considerably. It was the voice of Freddie Lounds. The case unit gathered to listen all around a table. The Red Dragon had forced Freddie into reading a paper he wrote, explaining how great he really was. Freddie had said how he wrote lies about the Dragon but now wanted to serve him in return. Also how the killer would be more merciful to him than he will be to Special Agent Will Graham. Then a pause followed by the screaming from Freddie Lounds as the Red Dragon tortured him.

The evidence unit examined the tape after hearing it. They came up with no partial fingerprints the tape was clean, and as well the certain fact that the voice had been repeating dictation.

A letter in the mail came for Will Graham the following day at work. It was from Hannibal Lecter, simply writing to him regarding the case. Lecter wanted to know how the research was coming and how come they haven’t had any chats for a while. When Will read it he was brought back to his painful past as Hannibal wrote about the serial killer Garret Jacob Hobbs, discovered and shot to death during the course of his arrest. Lecter compared the two killers and the fact it could be easy to catch this one, simply if he just returned in to the same state of mind he was once in. Will had a flashback to his childhood. His mother past when he was still young, all he had was his father growing up. His father was a mechanic for boat motors. He took jobs anywhere he could find them. Will was always the new boy at school. He moved around practically every year. He was a shy, quiet but well-mannered boy. Very respectful around others, his age or older.

Later that evening, Will went through evidence and stayed for a long time after everyone else had left. He noticed there had been a movie projector on the Leeds’ personal belongings list. He didn’t remember anything about that similar to the Jacobi’s owning anything in that nature. However, he did remember when he examined through their house for evidence, he noticed there was a case full of homemade movies. Will telephoned Byron Metcalf, the Jacobi’s family attorney, and asked him to fax him another copy of their insurance papers and legal will. Fifteen minutes later Will looked over the list the insurance papers and found quotes for a Chinon Pacific Movie Projector. This wasn’t left at the house though when Will went through it. He wondered if perhaps the killer had fenced it. He thought he had a lead. Then Mr. Metcalf informed him right after that Mr. Jacobi’s son Niles Jacobi, from his first marriage, had taken the movie projector, along with other personal belongings when he was permitted to look through the house for old possessions he left behind when he went to university.

Then the writing takes a haunting turn as the next chapters begin. In to the abandoned Dolarhyde nursing home, up the stairs we walk as we begin to hear distant noises. It’s the voice of the late Grandma Dolarhyde, taunting her little grandson. We enter the room to see Francis Dolarhyde there working out, he’s lifting two-hundred and eighty pounds of iron weights above his chest as he does reps. A mask covers face. He’s trying to fight the voices in his head, but he just can’t. He stands up as the weights fall to the floor. He walks over to the shelf were the dentures belonging to his late grandmother lie. He puts them in and lifts up enough of the pantyhose stretched over his face to see his mouth. There, hanging on the wall is the framed picture of his grandma Dolarhyde. She’s talking to him her voice is the voice of the Red Dragon, telling him he is weak. The voice tells him he must change the next family by the next full moon. He must kill the Sherman’s. A family he has been scouting out for quite some time. The voice goes on to tell him he must take care of Reba as well. However he doesn’t want to. He refuses to. The Red Dragon yells at him, calls him cruel names and insults until Francis begins to feel weak and vulnerable again. Francis tries to tell her, Reba’s okay, she’s nice. He wants to keep her, just this once. He doesn’t want to giver her to the Dragon. The Red Dragon is telling him he has to prepare, he has to become bigger, stronger and healthier. The voice is telling Francis to add weight to the bar, but he has never lifted past two hundred and eighty. The voice is yelling at him. Dolarhyde puts