Red Dragon

Posing as a researcher, Dolarhyde visits the Brooklyn Museum to see the Blake painting. He is armed with a gun, a knife, and chloroform. Outside, he calls Reba from a public phone. He wants to talk to her and see her. Entering the museum, Dolarhyde signs himself in under a false name. He is shown into the viewing room by Paula Harper. In a hallway, he spots a portrait of George Washington which looks “like Grandmother” (372). He feels suddenly small and scared. He overcomes his panic and follows Paula “through thickets of fear” (372). At a worktable, she lays out the painting in front of him. The painting is smaller than he had imagined. He studies the “powerful” (374) painting. Dolarhyde knocks Paula unconscious and places the chloroform rag over her face. Another museum employee enters to discover Dolarhyde eating the painting. The employee runs, locks herself in a room, and calls for help. Dolarhyde leaves the museum, gun in hand. As he passes the reception desk, the telephone rings. Dolarhyde exits the museum quickly and hides. He changes clothes and abandons his weapons. Pretending to be a jogger, he watches the police cars rushing past him.