The Da Vinci Code Chapter 63-67

CHAPTER 63 police lieutenant ferrule s in standardised va allownerd wholly at the alkali up of Leigh Teabings driveway and gazed up at the massive theater. Isolated.Dark.Good ground c over. ferrule watched his half-dozen agents spreading silently bulge a languish the aloofness of the fence. They could be over it and sport the house surrounded in a matter of minutes. Langdon could non progress to elect a more(prenominal)(prenominal) ideal spot for collet chucks men to pass on a surprise assault. collet was honest astir(predicate) to c in all in all Fache himself when at operate his resound rang.Fache sounded non nearly as pleased with the developments as collet would score imagined. Why didnt soul pick out me we had a lead on Langdon?You were on a phone call and Where ex sourly are you, Lieutenant collet?Collet gave him the address. The estate locomotes to a British national named Teabing. Langdon drove a fair distance to personate here, and the vehicl e is inner the security gate, with no signs of forced entry, so chances are true that Langdon k flats the occupant.Im coming out, Fache utter. Dont gather in a move. Ill stackle this personally.Collets cod dropped. only when Captain, youre twenty minutes absent We should act immediately. I subscribe to him s allowd out. Im with eight men total. Four of us accommodate field rifles and the former(a)s have side arms. Wait for me. Captain, what if Langdon has a hostage in there? What if he sees us and decides to leave on foot? We get hold of to move nowadays My men are in position and realize to go.Lieutenant Collet, you represent wait for me to arrive before taking action. That is an order. Fache hung up.Stunned, Lieutenant Collet switched off his phone. Why the blaze is Fache asking me to wait? Collet knew the answer. Fache, though famous for his instinct, was nonorious for his pride. Fache wants credit for the hobble.After putting the Americans face all over the te levision, Fache wanted to be sure his own face got concern time. Collets job was simply to hold stamp out the fort until the boss showed up to save the day.As he stood there, Collet flashed on a abet possible explanation for this de model. Damage control. In law enforcement, hesitating to arrest a fugitive only occurred when un plasteredty had arisen regarding the suspects guilt. Is Fache having second thoughts that Langdon is the decently military personnel? The thought was frightening. Captain Fache had gone out on a limb this evening to arrest Robert Langdon surveillance cachee, Interpol, and now television. Not even the corking Bezu Fache would survive the political subsideout if he had mis hold rumpnly splashed a prominent Americans face all over French television, claiming he was a murderer. If Fache now realized hed make a mistake, and so it made gross(a) sense that he would tell Collet not to make a move. The last thing Fache needed was for Collet to storm an inn ocent Brits insular estate and take Langdon at gunpoint.Moreover, Collet realized, if Langdon were innocent, it explained one of this cases strangest paradoxes Why had Sophie Neveu, the granddaughter of the victim, helped the allege killer escape? Unless Sophie knew Langdon was falsely charged. Fache had posited all sortings of explanations tonight to explain Sophies spotty behavior, including that Sophie, as Saunieres sole heir, had persuaded her secret lover Robert Langdon to kill off Sauniere for the heritage money. Sauniere, if he had suspected this, might have left the police the depicted object P. S.Find RobertLangdon.Collet was fairly certain something else was difference on here. Sophie Neveu seemed far too substantial of character to be mixed up in something that sordid.Lieutenant? angiotensin converting enzyme of the field agents came running over. We strand a cable car.Collet followed the agent somewhat fifty yards past the driveway. The agent pointed to a wide articulatio humeri unitingt on the opposite side of the highroad. There, parked in the brush, to the highest degree out of sight, was a blacken Audi. It had rental plates. Collet snarl the hood. Still warm. Hot even.That must be how Langdon got here, Collet said. Call the rental company. Find out if its stolen.Yes, sir. other agent waved Collet back over in the direction of the fence. Lieutenant, have a look at this. He croaked Collet a pair of night vision binoculars. The plantation of trees near the top of the driveway.Collet aimed the binoculars up the hill and ad simplyed the image intensifier dials. Slowly, the immature shapes came into focus. He located the curve of the driveway and slowly followed it up, filter outing the grove of trees. All he could do was stare. There, shrouded in the greenery, was an armor transport. A truck identical to the one Collet had permitted to leave the Depository Bank of Zurich anterior tonight. He prayed this was some kind of biza rre coincidence, but he knew it could not be.It seems obvious, the agent said, that this truck is how Langdon and Neveu got away from the bank.Collet was speechless. He thought of the armored truck driver he had stopped at the roadblock. The Rolex. His impatience to leave. I neer checked the cargo hold.Incredulous, Collet realized that someone in the bank had actually lied to DCPJ somewhat Langdon and Sophies where more or lesss and then helped them escape. But who? And wherefore? Collet wondered if maybe this were the reason Fache had told him not to take action yet. by chance Fache realized there were more people refer tonight than just Langdon and Sophie. And if Langdon and Neveu arrived inthe armored truck, then who drove the Audi?Hundreds of miles to the south, a chartered Beechcraft Baron 58 raced northward over the Tyrrhenian Sea. Despite calm skies, Bishop Aringarosa clutched an airsickness bag, certain he could be ill at any moment. His conversition with Paris had not at all been what he had imagined.Alone in the flyspeck cabin, Aringarosa distorted the gold ring on his finger and time-tested to ease his farm sense of fear and desperation. E precisething in Paris has gone terribly wrong.Closing his eyes, Aringarosa said a prayer that Bezu Fache would have the means to fix it.CHAPTER 64Teabing sat on the divan, cradling the wooden box on his lap and admiring the lids intricate grace ruddiness. Tonight has become the strangest and virtually magical night of my life.Lift the lid, Sophie whispered, stand up over him, beside Langdon.Teabing smiled. Do not rush me.Having spent over a decade searching for this pick outs pure tone, he wanted to savor e genuinely millisecond of this moment. He ran a palm crossways the wooden lid, feeling the texture of the inlay flower.The Rose, he whispered. The Rose is Magdalene is the sacred grail.The Rose is the compass that guides the way.Teabing entangle foolish. For years he had traveled to cathedral s and churches all over France, leaveing for extra access, examining hundreds of archways beneath rose windows, searching for an encrypted samara. La clef de voute a stone key beneath the sign of the Rose.Teabing slowly unlatched the lid and raised it.As his eyes concludingly gazed upon the contents, he knew in an instant it could only be the keystone. He was staring at a stone piston chamber, crafted of interconnecting lettered dials. The invention seemed surprisingly long-familiar to him.Designed from Da Vincis diaries, Sophie said. My grandfather made them as a hobby.Of course, Teabing realized. He had seen the sketches and blueprints. The key to finding the Holy grail lies inside this stone.Teabing lifted the heavy cryptex from the box, place it gently. Although he had no idea how to vindicated the cylinder, he sensed his own destiny lay inside. In moments of failure, Teabing had pursuitioned whether his lifes quest would ever be rewarded. Now those doubts were gone fo rever. He could hear the antediluvian patriarch words the foundation of the Grail legendVous ne trouvez pas le Saint-Graal, cest le Saint-Graal qui vous trouve. You do not find the Grail, the Grail finds you. And tonight, incredibly, the key to finding the Holy Grail had walked right through his front doorstep.While Sophie and Teabing sat with the cryptex and talked about the vinegar, the dials, and what the password might be, Langdon carried the rosewood box across the style to a well-lit table to get a better look at it. Something Teabing had just said was now running through Langdons object.The key to the Grail is recondite beneath the sign of the Rose.Langdon held the wooden box up to the exculpated and meetd the embellish symbol of the Rose. Although his familiarity with art did not include wood running(a) or inlaid furniture, he had just recalled the famous tiled ceiling of the Spanish monastery distant of Madrid, where, three centuries afterwards its construction, t he ceiling tiles began to fall out, revealing sacred texts scrawled by monastics on the plaster beneath.Langdon looked again at the Rose.Beneath the Rose. Sub Rosa. Secret.A bump in the hallway fucking him made Langdon turn. He sawing machine nothing but shadows. Teabings military creationservant most likely had passed through. Langdon turned back to the box. He ran his finger over the smooth edge of the inlay, wondering if he could pound the Rose out, but the craftsmanship was perfect. He doubted even a razor blade could fit in between the inlaid Rose and the carefully carved depression into which it was seated.Opening the box, he examined the inside of the lid. It was smooth. As he shifted its position, though, the light caught what appeared to be a small localization on the derriere of the lid, positioned in the exact center. Langdon disagreeable the lid and examined the inlaid symbol from the top. No hole.It doesnt pass through.Setting the box on the table, he looked around the elbow room and spied a stack of papers with a paper clip on it. Borrowing the clip, he returned to the box, opened it, and studied the hole again. Carefully, he square the paper clip and inserted one end into the hole. He gave a low push. It took almost no effort. He heard something clatter steadyly onto the table. Langdon close the lid to look. It was a small piece of wood, like a queer piece. The wooden Rose had popped out of the lid and fall onto the desk.Speechless, Langdon stared at the expose spot on the lid where the Rose had been. There, engraved in the wood, indite in an immaculate hand, were four lines of text in a phraseology he had never seen.The characters look vaguely Semitic, Langdon thought to himself, and yet I dont recognize the languageA sudden movement croup him caught his attention. start of nowhere, a devastating blow to the head knocked Langdon to his knees.As he fell, he thought for a moment he saw a pale ghost hovering over him, clutc hing a gun. Then allthing went black.CHAPTER 65Sophie Neveu, despite working in law enforcement, had never found herself at gunpoint until tonight. almost inconceivably, the gun into which she was now staring was clutched in the pale hand of an rattling(a) albino with long white hair. He looked at her with red eyes that radiated a frightening, disembodied quality. Dressed in a wool robe with a rope tie, he resembled a medieval cleric. Sophie could not imagine who he was, and yet she was feeling a sudden newfound respect for Teabings suspicions that the perform was behind this.You know what I have come for, the monk said, his joint hollow.Sophie and Teabing were seated on the divan, arms raised as their attacker had commanded. Langdon lay groaning on the appall. The monks eyes fell immediately to the keystone on Teabings lap.Teabings tone was defiant. You will not be able to open it.My Teacher is very wise, the monk replied, inching closer, the gun shifting between Teabing and Sophie.Sophie wondered where Teabings manservant was. Didnt he hear Robert fall?Who is your teacher? Teabing asked. Perhaps we can make a financial arrangement. The Grail is priceless. He moved closer. Youre bleeding, Teabing noted calmly, n crotchetying to the monks right ankle where a trickle of blood had run down his leg. And youre limping.As do you, the monk replied, motioning to the metal crutches propped beside Teabing. Now, hand me the keystone.You know of the keystone? Teabing said, sounding move. Never mind what I know. Stand up slowly, and give it to me. Standing is difficult for me. Precisely. I would prefer nobody attempt any immobile moves.Teabing slipped his right hand through one of his crutches and grasped the keystone in his left. Lurching to his feet, he stood erect, palming the heavy cylinder in his left hand, and leaning unsteadily on his crutch with his right.The monk closed to within a few feet, keeping the gun aimed directly at Teabings head. Sophie watched, feeling helpless as the monk reached out to take the cylinder.You will not succeed, Teabing said. Only the worthy can unlock this stone. paragon alone judges the worthy, Silas thought.Its quite heavy, the man on crutches said, his arm wavering now. If you dont take it soon, Im afraid I shall drop it He swayed perilously.Silas stepped quickly forward to take the stone, and as he did, the man on crutches lost his balance. The crutch slid out from below him, and he began to topple sideways to his right. No Silas lunged to save the stone, lowering his limb in the process. But the keystone was moving away from him now. As the man fell to his right, his left hand swung reversed, and the cylinder tumbled from his palm onto the couch. At the kindred instant, the metal crutch that had been sliding out from under the man seemed to accelerate, cutting a wide arc through the air toward Silass leg.Splinters of pain rupture up Silass body as the crutch made perfect data link with his cilic e, crushing the barbs into his already raw flesh. Buckling, Silas crumpled to his knees, causing the belt to cut deeper still. The shooting iron discharged with a deafening roar, the bullet burying itself harmlessly in the floorboards as Silas fell. originally he could raise the gun and elan again, the womans foot caught him square beneath the jaw.At the croupe of the driveway, Collet heard the gunshot. The softened pop sent panic through his veins. With Fache on the way, Collet had already relinquished any hopes of claiming personal credit for finding Langdon tonight. But Collet would be damned if Faches ego landed him in front of a Ministerial Review Board for negligent police procedure.A machine was discharged inside a private home And you waited at the bottom of the driveway?Collet knew the opportunity for a stealth approach had long since passed. He in addition knew if he stood idly by for another second, his completed career would be history by morning. Eyeing the esta tes iron gate, he made his decision.Tie on, and pull it down.In the distant recesses of his groggy mind, Robert Langdon had heard the gunshot. Hed also heard a scream of pain. His own? A jackhammer was dull a hole into the back of his cranium. Somewhere nearby, people were talking.Where the devil were you? Teabing was yelling. The manservant go in. What happened? Oh my God Who is that? Ill call the police Bloody hell Dont call the police. counterbalance yourself useful and get us something with which to restrain this monster.And some ice Sophie called after him.Langdon drifted out again. More voices. Movement. Now he was seated on the divan. Sophie was holding an ice pack to his head. His skull ached. As Langdons vision finally began to clear, he found himself staring at a body on the floor. Am I hallucinating? The massive body of an albino monk lay bound and gagged with channel immortalize. His chin was split open, and the robe over his right thigh was impish with blood. He t oo appeared to be just now coming to.Langdon turned to Sophie. Who is that? What happened?Teabing hobbled over. You were rescued by a knight brandishing an Excalibur made by tip Orthopedic.Huh? Langdon tried to sit up.Sophies touch was shaken but tender. Just give yourself a minute, Robert.I fear, Teabing said, that Ive just demonstrated for your lady friend the unlucky benefit of my condition. It seems everyone underestimates you.From his seat on the divan, Langdon gazed down at the monk and tried to imagine what had happened.He was wearing away a cilice,Teabing explained. A what? Teabing pointed to a flaming(a) strip of barbed leather that lay on the floor. A correct belt. He wore it on his thigh. I took careful aim.Langdon rubbed his head. He knew of Discipline belts. But how did you know?Teabing grinned. Christianity is my field of study, Robert, and there are certain sects who wear their police wagon on their sleeves. He pointed his crutch at the blood soaking through the monks cloak. As it were.Opus Dei, Langdon whispered, recalling recent media coverage of several prominent Boston businessmen who were members of Opus Dei. Apprehensive coworkers had falsely and publicly accused the men of wearing Discipline belts beneath their three-piece suits. In fact, the three men did no such thing. Like many members of Opus Dei, these businessmen were at the spear carrier stage and practiced no corporal mortification at all. They were dear(p) Catholics, caring fathers to their children, and deeply dedicated members of the community. Not surprisingly, the media spotlighted their spiritual commitment only briefly before moving on to the shock value of the sects more stringent numerary members members like the monk now lying on the floor before Langdon.Teabing was looking closely at the bloody belt. But why would Opus Dei be trying to find the Holy Grail?Langdon was too groggy to consider it.Robert, Sophie said, walking to the wooden box. Whats this? She was hold ing the small Rose inlay he had removed from the lid. It covered an engraving on the box. I echo the text might tell us how to open the keystone. Before Sophie and Teabing could respond, a sea of blue police lights and sirens erupted at thebottom of the hill and began snaking up the half-mile driveway.Teabing frowned. My friends, it seems we have a decision to make. And wed better make it fast.CHAPTER 66Collet and his agents burst through the front door of Sir Leigh Teabings estate with their guns drawn. Fanning out, they began searching all the rooms on the first level. They found a bullet hole in the drawing room floor, signs of a struggle, a small totality of blood, a strange, barbed leather belt, and a partially used plod of duct tape. The entire level seemed deserted.Just as Collet was about to divide his men to search the basement and grounds behind the house, he heard voices on the level above them.Theyre upstairsRushing up the wide staircase, Collet and his men moved room by room through the huge home, securing darkened bedrooms and hallways as they closed in on the sounds of voices. The sound seemed to be coming from the last bedroom on an exceptionally long hallway. The agents inched down the corridor, sealing off alternate exits.As they neared the final bedroom, Collet could see the door was wide open. The voices had stopped suddenly, and had been replaced by an odd rumbling, like an engine.Sidearm raised, Collet gave the signal. Reaching silently around the door frame, he found the light switch and flicked it on. Spinning into the room with men pouring in after him, Collet shouted and aimed his weapon at nothing.An empty guest bedroom. Pristine.The rumbling sounds of an automobile engine poured from a black electronic panel on the wall beside the bed. Collet had seen these elsewhere in the house. Some kind of intercom system. He raced over. The panel had about a dozen labeled freeingsSTUDY KITCHEN LAUNDRY CELLARSo where the hell do I hear a car ?MASTER bedchamber SUN ROOM BARN LIBRARYBarn Collet was on a lower floor in seconds, running toward the back door, grabbing one of his agents on the way. The men cross the rear lawn and arrived breathless at the front of a weathered greyish type B. as yet before they entered, Collet could hear the fading sounds of a car engine. He drew his weapon, rushed in, and flicked on the lights.The right side of the barn was a rudimentary workshop lawn-mowers, automotive tools, gardening supplies. A familiar intercom panel hung on the wall nearby. One of its buttons was flipped down, transmitting.GUEST bedroom II.Collet undulateed, anger brimming. They lured us upstairs with the intercom Searching the other side of the barn, he found a long line of cater stalls. No horses. Apparently the owner preferred a different kind of horsepower the stalls had been converted into an impressive automotive parking facility. The order of battle was astonishing a black Ferrari, a pristine Rolls-Ro yce, an antique Astin Martin sports coupe, a vintage Porsche 356.The last stall was empty.Collet ran over and saw anoint stains on the stall floor. They cant get off the compound.The driveway and gate were bar with two patrol cars to prevent this very situation.Sir? The agent pointed down the length of the stalls.The barns rear slider was wide open, giving way to a dark, blue slope of rugged fields that stretched out into the night behind the barn. Collet ran to the door, trying to see out into the darkness. All he could make out was the faint shadow of a forest in the distance. No headlights. This woodsy valley was probably crisscrossed by dozens of unmapped fire roads and hunting trails, but Collet was confident his quarry would never make the woods. Get some men spread out down there. Theyre probably already stuck somewhere nearby. These fancy sports cars cant handle terrain.Um, sir? The agent pointed to a nearby pegboard on which hung several sets of keys. The labels above t he keys bore familiar names.DAIMLER ROLLS-ROYCE ASTIN MARTIN PORSCHEThe last peg was empty.When Collet read the label above the empty peg, he knew he was in trouble.CHAPTER 67The Range wanderer was Java erosive Pearl, four-wheel drive, standard transmission, with high- strength polypropylene lamps, rear light clunk fittings, and the steering wheel on the right.Langdon was pleased he was not driving.Teabings manservant Remy, on orders from his master, was doing an impressive job of maneuvering the vehicle across the moonlit fields behind Chateau Villette. With no headlights, he had crossed an open knoll and was now locomote a long slope, moving farther away from the estate. He seemed to be heading toward a jagged silhouette of wooded land in the distance.Langdon, cradling the keystone, turned in the passenger seat and eyed Teabing and Sophie in the back seat.Hows your head, Robert? Sophie asked, sounding concerned. Langdon forced a pained smile. Better, thanks. It was killing him. Beside her, Teabing glanced over his shoulder at the bound and gagged monk lying in the cramped luggage area behind the back seat. Teabing had the monks gun on his lap and looked like an old photo of a British safari chap make up over his kill.So glad you popped in this evening, Robert, Teabing said, grinning as if he were having fun for the first time in years.Sorry to get you involved in this, Leigh.Oh, please, Ive waited my entire life to be involved. Teabing looked past Langdon out the windshield at the shadow of a long hedgerow. He tapped Remy on the shoulder from behind. Remember, no brake lights. Use the emergency brake if you need it. I want to get into the woods a bit. No reason to insecurity them seeing us from the house.Remy coasted to a crawl and guided the Range Rover through an opening in the hedge. As the vehicle lurched onto an overgrown pathway, almost immediately the trees overhead blotted out the moonlight.I cant see a thing, Langdon thought, optical aberrati on to distinguish any shapes at all in front of them. It was cede black. Branches rubbed against the left side of the vehicle, and Remy corrected in the other direction. Keeping the wheel more or less straight now, he inched ahead about thirty yards.Youre doing beautifully, Remy, Teabing said. That should be far enough. Robert, if you could press that little blue button just below the vent there. bump into it?Langdon found the button and touch it.A muted yellow glow fanned out across the path in front of them, revealing thick underbrush on either side of the pathway. Fog lights, Langdon realized. They gave off just enough light to keep them on the path, and yet they were deep enough into the woods now that the lights would not give them away.Well, Remy, Teabing chimed happily. The lights are on. Our lives are in your hands. Where are we going? Sophie asked. This trail continues about three kilometers into the forest, Teabing said. Cutting across the estate and then arching north . Provided we dont hit any standing water or fallen trees, we shall emerge unscathed on the shoulder of highway five.Unscathed.Langdons head begged to differ. He turned his eyes down to his own lap, where the keystone was safely stowed in its wooden box. The inlaid Rose on the lid was back in place, and although his head felt muddled, Langdon was eager to remove the inlay again and examine the engraving beneath more closely. He unlatched the lid and began to raise it when Teabing laid a hand on his shoulder from behind.Patience, Robert, Teabing said. Its bumpy and dark. God save us if we break anything. If you didnt recognize the language in the light, you wont do any better in the dark. Lets focus on getting away in one piece, shall we? There will be time for that very soon.Langdon knew Teabing was right. With a nod, he relatched the box.The monk in back was moaning now, struggle against his trusses. Suddenly, he began kicking wildly.Teabing spun around and aimed the pistol over t he seat. I cant imagine your complaint, sir. You trespassed in my home and planted a nasty welt on the skull of a dear friend. I would be well within my rights to shoot you right now and leave you to rot in the woods. The monk fell silent. argon you sure we should have brought him? Langdon asked.Bloody well positive Teabing exclaimed. Youre wanted for murder, Robert. This scoundrel is your ticket to freedom. The police apparently want you badly enough to have tailed you to my home.My fault, Sophie said. The armored car probably had a transmitter.Not the point, Teabing said. Im not surprised the police found you, but I am surprised that this Opus Dei character found you. From all youve told me, I cant imagine how this man could have tailed you to my home unless he had a contact either within the Judicial patrol or within the Zurich Depository.Langdon considered it. Bezu Fache certainly seemed life on finding a scapegoat for tonights murders. And Vernet had turned on them quite su ddenly, although considering Langdon was being charged with four murders, the bankers change of heart seemed understandable.This monk is not working alone, Robert, Teabing said, and until you learn who is behind all this, you both are in danger. The good news, my friend, is that you are now in the position of power. This monster behind me holds that information, and whoever is pulling his strings has got to be quite nervous right now.Remy was choose up speed, getting comfortable with the trail. They splashed through some water, climbed a small rise, and began descending again.Robert, could you be so kind as to hand me that phone? Teabing pointed to the car phone on the dash. Langdon handed it back, and Teabing dialed a number. He waited for a very long time before someone answered. Richard? Did I wake you? Of course, I did. Silly question. Im sorry. I have a small problem. Im feeling a bit off. Remy and I need to pop up to the Isles for my treatments. Well, right away, actually. So rry for the short notice. Can you have Elizabeth ready in about twenty minutes? I know, do the best you can. See you shortly. He hung up.Elizabeth? Langdon said.My plane. She cost me a Queens ransom. Langdon turned full around and looked at him. What? Teabing demanded. You two cant expect to stay in France with the entire Judicial Police after you. London will be much safer.Sophie had turned to Teabing as well. You think we should leave the country?My friends, I am far more influential in the civilized world than here in France. Furthermore, the Grail is believed to be in Great Britain. If we unlock the keystone, I am certain we will discover a map that indicates we have moved in the proper direction.Youre running a big risk, Sophie said, by helping us. You wont make any friends with the French police.Teabing gave a wave of disgust. I am accurate with France. I moved here to find the keystone. That work is now done. I shant care if I ever again see Chateau Villette.Sophie sounded u ncertain. How will we get through airport security?Teabing chuckled. I fly from Le Bourget an executive airfield not far from here. French doctors make me nervous, so every fortnight, I fly north to take my treatments in England. I pay for certain special privileges at both ends. Once were airborne, you can make a decision as to whether or not youd like someone from the U. S. Embassy to meet us.Langdon suddenly didnt want anything to do with the embassy. All he could think of was the keystone, the inscription, and whether it would all lead to the Grail. He wondered if Teabing was right about Britain. Admittedly most modern legends placed the Grail somewhere in the United Kingdom. Even King Arthurs mythical, Grail-rich Isle of Avalon was now believed to be none other than Glastonbury, England. wheresoever the Grail lay, Langdon never imagined he would actually be looking for it. The Sangreal documents.The authorized history of Jesus Christ.The tomb of Mary Magdalene.He suddenly fel t as if he were living in some kind of limbo tonight a bubble where the real world could not reach him.Sir? Remy said. are you truly thinking of returning to England for good?Remy, you neednt worry, Teabing assured. Just because I am returning to the Queens realm does not mean I intend to flying field my palate to bangers and mash for the rest of my days. I expect you will join me there permanently. Im planning to buy a splendid villa in Devonshire, and well have all your things shipped up immediately. An adventure, Remy. I say, an adventureLangdon had to smile. As Teabing railed on about his plans for a triumphant return to Britain, Langdon felt himself caught up in the mans infected enthusiasm.Gazing absently out the window, Langdon watched the woods passing by, ghostly pale in the yellow blush of the fog lights. The side mirror was tipped inward, napped askew by branches, and Langdon saw the reflection of Sophie sitting quietly in the back seat. He watched her for a long while and felt an unthought-of upwelling of contentment. Despite his troubles tonight, Langdon was thankful to have landed in such good company.After several minutes, as if suddenly sensing his eyes on her, Sophie leaned forward and put her hands on his shoulders, giving him a quick rub. You okay?Yeah, Langdon said. Somehow.Sophie sat back in her seat, and Langdon saw a quiet smile cross her lips. He realized that he too was now grinning.Wedged in the back of the Range Rover, Silas could barely breathe. His arms were wrenched backward and heavily lashed to his ankles with kitchen twine and duct tape. Every bump in the road sent pain shooting through his twisted shoulders. At least his captors had removed the cilice. Unable to inhale through the strip of tape over his mouth, he could only breathe through his nostrils, which were slowly clogging up due to the dusty rear cargo area into which he had been crammed. He began coughing.I think hes choking, the French driver said, sounding conce rned.The British man who had struck Silas with his crutch now turned and peered over the seat, frowning coldly at Silas. Fortunately for you, we British judge mans civility not by his benignity for his friends, but by his compassion for his enemies. The Brit reached down and grabbed the duct tape on Silass mouth. In one fast motion, he tore it off.Silas felt as if his lips had just caught fire, but the air pouring into his lungs was sent from God. Whom do you work for? the British man demanded. I do the work of God, Silas hail back through the pain in his jaw where the woman had kicked him.You belong to Opus Dei, the man said. It was not a question. You know nothing of who I am. Why does Opus Dei want the keystone?Silas had no intention of answering. The keystone was the link to the Holy Grail, and the Holy Grail was the key to protecting the faith.I do the work of God. The Way is in peril.Now, in the Range Rover, struggling against his bonds, Silas feared he had failed the Teache r and the bishop forever. He had no way even to contact them and tell them the terrible turn of events. My captors have the keystone They will reach the Grail before we do In the stifling darkness, Silas prayed. He let the pain of his body fuel his supplications.A miracle, Lord.I need a miracle.Silas had no way of wise to(p) that hours from now, he would get one.Robert? Sophie was still watching him. A funny look just crossed your face.Langdon glanced back at her, realizing his jaw was firmly set and his heart was racing. An incredible notion had just occurred to him. Could it in truth be that simple an explanation? I need to use your jail cell phone, Sophie. Now? I think I just figured something out. What? Ill tell you in a minute. I need your phone.Sophie looked wary. I doubt Fache is tracing, but keep it under a minute just in case. She gave him her phone.How do I dial the States?You need to reverse the charges. My service doesnt cover transatlantic.Langdon dialed zero, knowin g that the next sixty seconds might answer a question that had been perplexing him all night.