124 pages 4 hours read

Thomas Harris

The Silence Of The Lambs

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1988

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Chapters 8-11Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 8 Summary

Clarice follows Everett Yow to Split City Mini-Storage which holds Raspail’s Packard limousine. Clarice is happy to have an official FBI car and ID badge, even if temporarily. Raspail’s unit hasn’t been opened in five years, so the locks and door don’t open easily. Clarice lubricates the padlocks with car oil and cracks open the door with a car jack, impressing Yow with her resourcefulness.

Memories flash in Clarice’s mind as she works up the courage to enter the rat-infested unit. Inside, she peeks through the limousine’s curtain, spotting an album of Valentines next to some legs. She shuffles boxes around to access the front of the vehicle where she can get a better look from inside. Rather than a corpse, the body is a mannequin; where its plastic head should be there is a jar carrying a preserved human head. Clarice is exhilarated by her discovery. She calls the police and makes her way outside.

Clarice meets Jonetta Johnson’s news crew, who arrive at the crime scene before the police. She warns the crew to stay away from the unit, but Johnson distracts Clarice while the crew sneaks partway under the door. Infuriated they aren’t taking her seriously, Clarice traps the cameraman under the door and pounds dust into his face.