Chapter 55 Chapter Fifty-Four

The FBI paper is that the farther west you go the more active people are about it.Starling's ID card might just cause a Washington civil servant to raise one eyebrow in boredom to Stacy, the Franklin insurance agency in Belvedere, Ohio.In the hands of Huberka's boss, he paid great attention to it, and he was engrossed in it.He took Stacey Huberka off the bench himself, answered the phone himself, and offered to give Starling his little unmolested list for their conversation. Stacey, Huberka had a round face with fine down, and stood five foot four in high heels.She wore a winged haircut, sprayed with glitter to form multicolored beads, and imitated Sheppono's movement, flicking the hair that covered her face to the shield.Whenever Starling was not facing her, she measured Starling up and down.

"Stasi - can I call you Stasi?" "certainly." "I want you to tell me, Stacey, how do you think this matter could have happened to Frederica Baimel—where might this person have finally targeted Frederica?" "I'm so freaked out! Flayed, what a hell, did you see her? They say she's like a rag, like someone let the breath out of something—" “Stacy, did she mention Chi.”Brother or someone from Calumet City? " Calumet City.The clock above Stacey Huberka's head made Starling anxious.If the hostage rescue team arrives in forty minutes, they're still ten minutes away from landing.Whether they've got a solid address or not, that's your own business.

"Chicago?" Stacey said. "No. We were in a Thanksgiving parade in Chicago once." "when?" "In eighth grade. When was that?—nine years ago. The brass band went for a bit, then back in the car." "What were you thinking when she first disappeared last spring?" I really don't know. " "Remember where you were when you first found out about this? When did you get the news? What did you think at the time?" "The night before she was gone, Skip and I went to the show, and then we went to Mr. Todd's for a drink, and Pam's, Pam-Maravisi, came in and said Frederica was missing, s Kip said Houdini couldn't knock Frederica out of his wits. Then he had to tell everyone who Houdini was, and he was always showing off how much he knew, and we didn't do much. I thought she was just mad at her dad. Did you see that house of hers? Is that a graveyard? I mean, wherever she is now, I know you saw that house and she had that look on her face Yuan Guang's. Do you want to run away?"

"Did it ever occur to you that she might run off with someone? Did anyone ever pop into your head—even if it was a wrong guess?" "Skipe said maybe she got herself a fat man. But no, she never had one. She had a boyfriend once, but that was like old times. He I used to be in the brass band when I was in 10th grade, I said 'boyfriend' but they just talked and laughed and did homework together like a few girls, but he was a bit of a sissy, wearing a Greek fisherman's hat that little hat. Skip thinks he's, you know, gay. Going out with a gay and she's just a joke. But he died in a car accident with his sister, and she never No one else."

"What do you think she went out and didn't come back?" "Pam thinks some 'Sun Sun Unification Church' might have got her, I don't know, it scares me every time I think about it. I never go out at night again without Skip, I told him, I said Ouhou, buddy, as soon as the sun goes down, we'll go out." "Did you ever hear her mention someone named Jaime Gumm? Or John Grant?" "Yo - no." "Do you think she has a friend that you don't know about? Are there times when you don't see her between days?" "No. If she had a man, I'd know, trust me. She never had a man."

"Do you think it's just possible, let's say, that she might have a friend that she hasn't mentioned?" "Why won't she tell?" "Maybe you're afraid of being made fun of?" "Are you making fun of us? What are you talking about? Because of that one time? I was talking about that sissy kid in middle school?" Stacey blushed. "No. We will never hurt Hers. I just mentioned it together. She didn't... After her death, everyone seemed to be very lenient to her." "Have you ever worked with Frederica, Stacy?" “Me and her and Pam Malawisi and Jarontan Askudu used to work at the bargain center during the summers in middle school. Then Pam and I went up to Richard’s to see if we could Keep it up, the clothes there are beautiful, they hired me and then they hired Pam, so Pam said to Frederica come on they need another girl and here she is, but Balding Mrs.—the manager of new product planning and development, right?—she said, 'Well, Frederica, we want this guy, you know, who people can appreciate, and people come into the store and say I Want to look like her and you can give them ideas on how to dress like that and all that kind of stuff. If you can get yourself to lose weight, I'll tell you to come here right away See me,' she said, 'but if you want to take some of the clothes we're making right now, I can give you a try, and I'll tell Mrs. Lippmann.' Mrs. Bolding used this With a sweet voice, it turns out she's a shrew, though I didn't know it at first."

"So Frederica remade that Richard's shop where you work?" "It hurt her feelings, but of course she did it anyway. She changed all the old Mrs. Lippmann's clothes. It was her business and she couldn't do most of it, so Frederica did it for her." She changed clothes for the old Mrs. Lippmann. Mrs. Lippmann also sewed and made clothes for everyone. After Mrs. Lippmann retired, she didn’t want to do it when she was a child, and Frederica So that's how she sewed for everybody from now on. That's all she does. She'll come and see me and Pam, and we'll have lunch at Pam's house and watch 'The Young and the Restless', and she always Take something on your lap and do it there from start to finish."

"Has Frederica ever been in the store, taking measurements or something? Has she ever met a customer or a wholesaler?" "Sometimes, not much. I don't work every day." "Does Mrs. Bolding work every day? Would she know?" "I reckon it will." "Did Frederica mention doing sewing for a company called Mr. Leather in Chicago or Calumet, maybe lining furs or something?" "I don't know. Mrs. Lippmann may know." "Have you ever seen the 'Mr. Leather' brand? Has it been sold in Richard's shop? Or has it been sold in one of the boutiques?"

"No." "Do you know where Mrs. Lippmann is? I want to talk to her." "She died. She retired to Florida and died there, Frederica said. I never really got to know her, and sometimes Frederica had a load of clothes to get, and Skye and I Just drive up there and pick her up. Maybe you can talk to her family or someone, and I'll write the address down for you." What Starling wanted was news from Calumet, so it was all extremely tedious.Forty minutes are up.The hostage rescue team should be on the ground.She moved her body so that she didn't have to look at the clock, and then continued to ask questions.

"Stacy, where did Frederica get her clothes? Those oversized 'Juno' workout clothes, those undershirts, where did she get them?" "She pretty much makes everything herself. I reckon she buys undershirts at Richard's, you know, and everybody starts wearing fat stuff that hangs down like that over tights? At that time, many places sold this kind of thing. Because she sewed clothes for Richard's shop, she could get a discount there." "Has she ever shopped at a store that sells oversized clothing?" "We'd go in everywhere, you know. We'd go to the 'special' store, where she'd find ideas on, you know, how to dress a big body."

"Did anyone come up and pester you around the oversized clothes store? Or did Frederica feel someone's eyes on her?" Stacey looked up at the ceiling for a moment, shaking her head. "Stacy, have any transvestites ever come into Richard's? Or men who come to buy plus-size clothes? Have you ever come across one?" "No. Skip and I saw a few at one time in Columbus." "Was Frederica with you then?" "Certainly not. We seem to be going for the weekend." "Would you please write down all the places that sell oversized clothes that you and Frederica have been to? Do you think you can remember each one?" "Just here, or here with Columbus?" "Here and Columbus. And Richard's. I'd like to speak to Mrs. Bolding." "Okay. Nice job as an FBI agent, isn't it?" "I think so." "You can travel around, right? I mean, you can go to places better than this." "Sometimes yes." "You have to look good every day, right?" "Er, yes. You've got to try to look serious about doing something." "How did you get in and become an FBI agent?" "College first, Stasi." "That's a lot of money to pay." "Yes. But sometimes there are grants and scholarships to help tide you over. Shall I send you something?" "Okay. I was just thinking how happy Frederica was for me when I got the job, she was really thrilled - she'd never had a real office job — she thinks it's a good job. It's a — jammed file folder, Barry Manilow blaring on the speaker all day — and she thinks it's a good job. What does she know, chubby Girl." Stacey Huberka had tears in her eyes.She opened her eyes wide and threw her head back so as not to have to draw them all over again. "Can you list those places for me now?" "I'd better go to my desk to do it. I have a word processor, and I need to find a phone book." She raised her head, guided by the ceiling, and walked out. It was the phone that tickled Starling.As soon as Stacie-Huberka was out of the cubicle, Starling called Washington for pay to find out what was going on.