章節 101: Chapter 101: The Fleur-de-lis Emblem
Not knowing he was being suspected, Professor Langdon seemed to relax a bit after exiting the elevator.
"You look very tense, Langdon," Fache commented.
Langdon's tension only increased at Fache's words, as if someone had just voiced the secret worry in his heart. He took a deep breath, shook his head, and remained silent.
Trying to divert Fache and William's attention, Langdon quickly asked, "This is the Grand Gallery. Is this where the body was found?"
Fache frowned and quickly asked, "How do you know that?"
Langdon replied lightly, "I recognized the wooden floor from the photos you showed me. My memory is pretty good. I wouldn't mistake it."
When Langdon saw Saunière's body, his expression turned to one of horror as he swallowed hard. "Oh my God."
Approaching the body quickly, Langdon observed it for a moment before saying, "The way Professor Saunière's body is positioned suggests the Vitruvian Man, one of Da Vinci's most famous sketches. But why the pentagram on his chest?"
Fache, hands behind his back, asked, "Does it have any special significance?"
Langdon was a bit speechless at Fache's ignorance and replied reluctantly, "Symbols can have different meanings in different contexts."
Fache, serious, said, "Professor, I brought you here to understand what this symbol means in this context."
"The pentagram is considered a pagan symbol by Christianity. It's an ancient symbol representing the goddess Venus, symbolizing the female half of all things. Historians refer to it as a symbol of sacred femininity," Langdon explained.
"So you're saying that Saunière drew a female symbol on his chest before he died. Why?" Fache questioned.
Langdon, at a loss, replied, "I don't know, Officer."
"Really?" Fache pressed.
"Of course. How would I know why Saunière did that? I can only tell you what I know. This isn't some prophetic vision from a devil," Langdon replied in exasperation.
Fache shone a UV flashlight on the floor, revealing some numbers and letters. "What do you think the deceased wrote as his last message?" he asked Langdon.
Langdon thought for a moment and replied, "Probably the killer's name."
"Exactly right," Fache said, looking more serious. Just as he was about to continue, a voice interrupted.
"Captain Fache, sorry to interrupt. I received photos from the scene and cracked the code. I believe Saunière wrote down the Fibonacci sequence on the floor. Headquarters sent me to understand the situation."
William and the others turned to see a police officer accompanied by a pretty woman approaching quickly. The woman handed Fache a document.
Fache took the document, looked it over, and nodded. "Alright, Officer Sophie, what do you want to know?"
Instead of responding to Fache, Sophie turned to Langdon. "Excuse me, Officer Fache, please wait. There's an urgent message for Professor Langdon from headquarters."
Smiling at Langdon, Sophie said, "I'm Sophie from the French Judicial Police Cryptology Department. The American Embassy called our headquarters. I'm sorry, but the embassy said this is a matter of life and death. Professor Langdon, you should answer this call now. Here's the embassy's phone number, and the code is the last three digits."
Langdon, puzzled, took the note. Hearing that it was a life-or-death matter, he quickly dialed the number and was surprised by the voice on the other end, "Professor Langdon, stay calm. I'm Sophie. Do as I say. You're in great danger. Do not tell Fache anything. He did not bring you here to help."
Fache, looking bewildered, glanced at Sophie and Langdon, then at William, who shrugged, indicating he knew nothing.
After briefing Sophie on the case, Fache shook hands with her, and she departed with a smile.
After Sophie left, Langdon stammered, "The embassy said a relative of mine was killed. I'm sorry, Officer. My mind is in turmoil. Can I use the restroom?"
Fache, hearing about Langdon's relative, saw his distressed state and nodded, pointing out the restroom's location.
"I'll go too. I happen to need to use the restroom as well," William said. When Langdon had received the call, William had used a silent amplification spell to hear it clearly. He suspected Langdon might try to escape, so he walked to Langdon's side with a smile. "Let's go, Professor."
Entering the restroom, they were surprised to find Sophie waiting there. Seeing William, Sophie didn't seem surprised and asked Langdon directly, "Did you receive Saunière's message?"
"What are you talking about? You must be mistaken. I was brought here for consultation. Why did you say I'm in danger?" Langdon asked, confused.
"No," Sophie said sternly. "You're under surveillance, Professor Langdon. Fache is a straightforward person. He likes to bring suspects to the scene and watch them react, hoping they reveal their guilt. At the scene, suspects often prove their own guilt."
"Suspect? Me?" Langdon asked, pointing to himself in shock.
"Yes, Langdon. Check your pockets," Sophie urged. "Quickly."
Langdon, skeptical, checked his pockets. His face turned pale when he found a small GPS tracker.
Sophie took the GPS tracker from Langdon and said, "This tracker can precisely locate anyone. It's to prevent you from escaping. As for you, William Devonshire," Sophie handed papers to both Langdon and William. The papers contained photos of the invisible words and numbers from the crime scene.
Sophie asked William, "When did Saunière contact you today?"
"I called Saunière this morning. He arranged to meet me at the Monika Café. After our meeting, he went to work, and we planned to meet again at 8 PM at the café," William replied.
"And you, Professor? What message did Saunière leave you? Fache hasn't looked for anyone else. He only contacted you and William. William has evidence clearing him of suspicion. Now you're the only one left. Tell me, what message did Saunière leave for you? We don't have much time, Professor Langdon," Sophie pressed.
Langdon, dumbfounded, asked, "Who are you?"
In a low, slightly sorrowful voice, Sophie said, "Saunière wrote the Fibonacci sequence to involve me in the case. He knew it would catch my attention as a cryptologist. Your name and William's initials, WDS, were written last to involve both of you. Professor Langdon, you're a symbologist. He must have wanted you to decipher a code. As for why he involved William, I don't know. So, Mr. Devonshire, can you explain why Saunière wanted you involved?"
Looking at the photo in his hand that indeed had both his and Langdon's names, William didn't need much time to figure out why Saunière involved him. First, to find the secret, and second, because Saunière knew William's strength could handle any danger during the search.
But William wasn't ready to trust Sophie just yet. "How can you prove you're also someone Saunière wanted involved? A sequence of numbers isn't enough to convince me, Sophie."
"PS. The PS on the photo refers to me. Saunière is my grandfather. When I was young, he used to call me Princess Sophie. The first letter of Princess is P, and the first letter of Sophie is S."
William and Langdon exchanged astonished glances. After a moment's thought, they both nodded. William stepped up to Langdon, grabbed his right hand, and inspected it carefully, even smelling his palm.
Langdon's hands were clean and soft, with no trace of gunpowder. After checking Langdon's left hand, William said, "Alright, I believe you for now, Professor. At least your hands don't look like those of someone who has fired a gun."
Suddenly, Langdon grabbed William's left hand, staring at the ring on William's little finger. "A fleur-de-lis emblem? How do you have this ring? Isn't the Priory of Sion a myth? William, who are you?"
Sophie also noticed the fleur-de-lis emblem ring on William's hand and exclaimed, "I've seen that ring before. Saunière had one just like it."
Staring at William, Sophie and Langdon were stunned. "So you and Saunière are both members of the Priory of Sion. This explains why he met with you and wanted you involved. My God, does this mean the Priory of Sion is real?"
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