Chapter 101: Iris Emblem
Unaware that he was a suspect, Professor Langdon looked a bit more composed as he stepped out of the elevator.
Fache asked, "You seem nervous, Langdon."
Fache's words made Langdon even more anxious, as if the captain had read his mind. His expression soured, and he simply took a deep breath and shook his head without speaking.
Upon entering the exhibition hall, Langdon hastily tried to divert Fache's and William's attention. "This is the Grand Gallery. So this is where you discovered the body."
Fache frowned. "You seem to know a lot."
Langdon replied with forced ease, "I recognized it from the photo you showed me. The parquet floor is identical. I have a good memory; I wouldn't mistake it."
When Langdon saw Saunière's body, his expression turned to one of shock, and he swallowed hard. "God..."
Moving closer to observe, Langdon remarked, "Professor Saunière's body is positioned like the Vitruvian Man, Da Vinci's most famous sketch. But why is there a pentagram drawn on his chest?"
Fache gestured toward it. "Does it have some special significance?"
Langdon was a bit speechless at Fache's ignorance. He said with a hint of exasperation, "Symbols have different meanings in different contexts."
Fache said solemnly, "Professor, I need you to tell me what this symbol means *here*."
"The pentagram is a pre-Christian symbol. It represents the goddess Venus and, by extension, the sacred feminine half of all things."
Fache asked, "Are you saying Saunière drew a female symbol on his chest before he died? Ha. Why?"
Langdon was exasperated. "I don't know, Captain."
"You don't?"
"Of course not. How could I know why Saunière did this? I can only tell you what I know. This is not a symbol of the devil."
Fache shone a UV flashlight on the floor, revealing text and numbers written in invisible ink. He said to Langdon, "What kind of information do you think a dying man would write?"
Langdon considered it. "Probably the name of his killer."
"Exactly," Fache said, his expression growing more severe. Just as he was about to say more, he heard a voice approach.
"Captain Fache, sorry to disturb you. I received the photos from the scene and cracked the code. I believe the numbers Saunière wrote on the floor are a scrambled Fibonacci sequence, so headquarters sent me to get the details."
William turned to see a police officer approaching quickly with a beautiful young woman, who handed a document to Fache.
Fache took the document from her and glanced at it. "Very well, Officer Neveu. What is it you want to know?"
Sophie ignored Fache's question and addressed Langdon directly. "My apologies, Captain Fache, please wait a moment. Headquarters has an urgent message for Professor Langdon."
The woman smiled at Langdon. "I'm Sophie Neveu, from the Judicial Police Cryptography Department. The American Embassy called our headquarters with an urgent, life-or-death message for you. This is the callback number they left. The passcode is the last three digits."
Langdon took the note, puzzled. Hearing that it was a matter of life and death, he quickly dialed the number.
The call connected, and a voice came through that took Langdon by surprise. "Professor Langdon, please remain calm. This is Sophie. Do exactly as I say. You are in very serious danger. Fache didn't bring you here to help."
Fache watched Sophie and Langdon with a stern expression, then glanced at William, who just shrugged as if he knew nothing.
After Fache explained some details of the case to Sophie, she smiled and shook his hand.
Once Sophie had walked away, Langdon said, "The embassy told me a relative of mine has been in a terrible accident. I'm sorry, Captain, my mind is a mess right now. May I use the restroom?"
Hearing that Langdon's relative was hurt and seeing his distressed state, Fache nodded with a hint of embarrassment and pointed him toward the restrooms.
"I'll go as well. I need to use the bathroom," William said, following him. As Langdon had answered the phone, William had cast an imperceptible listening spell on him.
He had heard everything Sophie said. He suspected Langdon might try to run, so he walked over with a smile and said, "Let's go, Professor."
When Langdon and William entered the restroom, they saw Sophie waiting for them. Seeing William come in as well, Sophie showed no surprise and addressed Langdon directly. "Did you receive a message from Saunière?"
"What are you talking about? You have the wrong person. I was invited here as a consultant. Why are you saying I'm in danger?" Langdon asked, confused.
"No," Sophie said sternly. "You are being monitored, Professor Langdon. Fache is a direct man. He brings suspects to the crime scene to watch their reactions. He believes it reveals their guilt."
Langdon asked in astonishment, pointing to himself, "A suspect? Me?"
"Yes, Langdon. You should check your pocket," Sophie said. "Hurry."
Disbelieving, Langdon felt his coat pocket. His face paled as he found a GPS tracker the size of a fingernail.
Sophie took the tracker from Langdon's hand. "A GPS locator. This ensures they can find you anywhere. It's to prevent you from escaping." She then took out a piece of paper and showed it to Langdon and William. It was a photo of the invisible ink message from the crime scene.
Sophie turned to William. "When did Saunière contact you today?"
"I called him this morning," William said. "He asked to meet me at the Café Monica. He had to go to work, so we agreed to meet there at 8 p.m."
"And you, Professor? What message did Saunière leave for you? Fache hasn't contacted anyone else; he only brought you and William here. William has an alibi that clears him, which leaves you as the primary suspect. Tell me what message Saunière left for you. We don't have much time, Professor Langdon," Sophie pressed.
Langdon was stunned. "Who are you?"
Hearing his question, Sophie's tone softened with a note of sadness. "Saunière deliberately wrote the Fibonacci sequence to ensure someone from the Cryptography Department—me—would be brought into the case. And he wrote your name and the initials 'WDS' for William Devonshire at the end to involve you both. Professor Langdon is a symbologist. He must have wanted you to crack a secret."
She looked at William. "As for why he wanted to involve you, I don't know. Mr. Devonshire, can you explain why Saunière would want you here?"
William looked at his and Langdon's names in the photo. It didn't take him long to figure out why Saunière had included him. First, to help find the secret. Second, Saunière knew of his formidable combat skills, which could be crucial in overcoming any dangers they might face.
But William wasn't so easily convinced by just a few lines of text.
"And how can you prove Saunière wanted you involved? I don't believe you, Sophie."
"P.S.," she said quietly. "The 'P.S.' in the photo is me. Jacques Saunière was my grandfather. He often called me Princess Sophie when I was a child."
William and Langdon exchanged surprised glances. After a moment's thought, William stepped over to Langdon, took his right hand, and examined it carefully before lifting the palm to his nose and sniffing.
Professor Langdon's hands were clean and soft. William couldn't smell any gunpowder residue. He checked Langdon's left hand as well before saying, "Alright, I'll tentatively trust you, Professor. At least your hands don't seem like those of someone who has fired a gun."
Suddenly, Langdon grabbed William's left hand, his eyes fixed on the ring on William's little finger. "The Fleur-de-lis... how do you have this ring? I thought the Priory of Sion was just a legend. William, who are you?"
Sophie also stared at the iris emblem on William's ring. "I've seen that ring before," she said urgently. "My grandfather had one just like it."
Sophie and Langdon looked at William in amazement. "So you and Saunière are both members of the Priory of Sion," Langdon breathed. "That explains why he wanted to see you and involve you in this. The Priory is real."
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