GREG AND CANDICE HAD DISCOVERED the true face of their enemy. Now they would try to get to know him in depth, to be on equal terms. The only thing they could do to expand their knowledge was to rummage through the esoteric books that were in the house, or perhaps delve into the pages that credible Internet users had posted on the Internet: Gregory Evans dedicated himself to investigating on his own, in the office library, while Alissa chose to remain in front of the monitor.
They then learned that the origin of Freemasonry was still quite uncertain. There were those who claimed that it was a brotherhood of masons and potters, created at the dawn of the Middle Ages, whose members met in guilds or lodges, and who carefully guarded the secret of the art of construction. Others claimed that Freemasonry emerged after the dissolution of the Order of the Temple.
And the boldest believed that its roots went back to the time of King Solomon, or even earlier, but the truth is that no one knew for sure when and for what purpose the Masonic lodge had emerged.
Since it was already late, they decided to postpone the investigation for another time. Candice had to get up early and Gregory still had many hours of study left before he had to go to bed, if he really wanted to satisfy Geovanna.
With their minds clouded by the excessive reading, smoking and drinking they had had throughout the night, they went to the hall, arms around each other's waists, very close together. After opening the door, Gregory Evans remembered Candice's words about the transcription of the manuscript and her promise to help him.
— Are you going to teach me how to decipher the document or do I have to ask you please?
— All you have to do is kiss me — she replied sweetly, her arms around his neck.
The detective didn't hesitate to ask. His hands held his former lover's chin as he was about to kiss her slowly, but he moved away at the last second and kissed her cheek. He then regretted not having taken advantage of the opportunity to enjoy a night of unbridled love with her.
— That's not fair.
— That's what we have for today, I would never betray your cousin, you know that.
— Hmm... I think that wouldn't be a bad idea... — Candice smiled cheekily — So, I'll tell you... — before making a funny pout and adding — ... you'll find the solution to the cryptogram in Poe...
When she realized that he didn't show any reaction, she exclaimed irritably:
— For God's sake, Greg! Don't be so narrow-minded! Didn't you read The Gold Bug?
— Hmm... yes, when I was little... — he admitted, despite having the complete works of the American writer in the living room library. He closed his eyes and for a moment he went back to his childhood and clearly remembered each page of the book. — The advantages of having hyperthymesia.
He nodded:
— Okay... it will be a great help to you. In an hour, check your e-mail. I will send you from my house a calculation of the frequencies of the most used letters in Spanish. You will need it.
— Is that all? — Gregory Evans asked with a half-smile.
He still did not understand anything.
— Tomorrow afternoon, I will come to see you... In the meantime, do not leave here, I will tell you what is happening at work.
— Behave yourself. I do not want Geovanna to suspect that I told you everything.
— Don't worry — she answered seriously.
— Don't exaggerate... — he objected.
Candice was not a good actress and they might find out something if she talked too much.
— Act like the rest of your colleagues and forget about me for a few days.
— Okay, I'll stay out of it... — she approached him to try to kiss him again and failed again — But you won't be able to make me forget you.
CANDICE WENT TO THE ELEVATOR. She pressed the button automatically, almost unconsciously. While she waited, she turned to look at Greg. He was at the door, holding back his last words. Finally, they came out of his mouth.
— Be careful — he warned. — From this moment on, you're just another piece in the game.
— I know — she replied, as the elevator doors opened — ..., but now it's my turn to move the piece.
She waved before leaving, a gesture that Greg returned. Then he went back into the apartment and went straight to the living room. After searching for some time among the volumes of fantasy and horror literature, he found what he was looking for. He opened it without wasting time and searched the pages for a sentence or passage that would serve as a reference for his investigation.
Finally, he found what he was looking for on the last pages. Captain Kidd's cryptogram seemed familiar to him. It reminded him a lot of Viana's, although this one was much longer and more complicated, and written in a way that was written in a way that was very similar to the original. He went back to the beginning.
Poe's narrative had so caught his attention that he felt like the anonymous protagonist of the story. Candice, in this case, could have passed for William Legrand, the cryptography expert. There was a passage in The Gold Bug that made him think:
"... I consider it very doubtful whether a human mind could create a riddle of this kind, which another human mind could not solve if it applied itself properly."
It was a very logical thought, from Poe's point of view, but there was a great gulf between that and sharing his criteria.
By the time he had finished remembering the story in its entirety, he had learned everything he needed to begin transcribing the Toledo parchment. In theory it seemed easy, although putting it into practice took time. It was a matter of replacing the various symbols with letters of the alphabet, with a higher frequency index: that and a little imagination. Candice had promised to send him a calculation of percentages.