124 pages 4 hours read

Thomas Harris

The Silence Of The Lambs

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1988

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Chapters 12-18

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 12 Summary

Clarice and Crawford arrive at Potter’s Funeral Home to look at the body of Buffalo Bill’s latest victim, Kimberly Emberg. Clarice sits in the backseat of the deputy’s car, distanced from the conversation and forgotten when the deputy and Crawford exit the vehicle. In the funeral home, Crawford again leaves her out in the hall when he speaks to the deputy and coroner. The deputy informs Crawford that the local police didn’t call the FBI in for help, but Crawford convinces him to let them see the body before the Criminal Investigation Section (CIS).

Under the coroner’s supervision, Clarice and Crawford set up their forensic equipment as policemen wander around the room. Clarice reverts to her West Virginian accent to gain the men’s respect, and they leave when she asks. Clarice and Crawford begin photographing and fingerprinting the body. Kimberly’s wounds are like the other victims’, but Buffalo Bill also scalped her, shot her in the chest, and cut two triangles of skin from her back. The girl’s manicuring suggests that she was from a big city.

A funeral assistant, Lamar, helps Clarice photograph the girl’s teeth. Clarice finds a bug cocoon lodged in Kimberly’s throat, which she takes for evidence. Lamar tells them extra information about the men who found the body and about a possible cause for her burn.

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By Thomas Harris

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Red Dragon

Thomas Harris