Robert Langdon, #1
Angels & Demons
by Dan Brown
Contents
76
Overview
Chinita Macri becomes the focus of Vatican security after recording the murdered cardinal in St. Peter’s Square. She protects the evidence by hiding the real cassette and replacing it with a blank, but the Swiss Guard seizes her camera and detains her.
Gunther Glick unexpectedly rescues the crucial footage by stealing the hidden tape from Macri before the guards can find it. The chapter shifts the murder from a private investigation toward a potentially public media revelation.
Summary
Chinita Macri flees across St. Peter’s Square after filming the shocking discovery of the murdered man. Believing the footage may prove Gunther Glick’s mysterious caller was telling the truth, Macri tries to reach the BBC van while sensing that unseen pursuers are closing in.
A young, military-looking man spots Macri, radios her position, and moves toward her. Macri turns back into the crowd, removes the recorded cassette from the camera, hides it under her belt beneath her coat, and loads a blank tape into the camera as a decoy.
Near the BBC van, two Swiss Guards block Macri’s path and demand the film. Macri invokes her status as a BBC videographer and claims press protections, but the guards assert Vatican authority, reveal a weapon, seize the camera, and begin escorting Macri away.
Macri fears the guards will search her and discover the hidden cassette. Before that can happen, someone reaches under Macri’s coat and pulls the tape free; Macri turns and sees Gunther Glick, who winks and disappears back into the crowd with the real footage.
Who Appears
- Chinita MacriBBC camerawoman who hides the real footage and resists Swiss Guard seizure.
- Gunther GlickBBC reporter who secretly retrieves Macri’s hidden cassette and escapes into the crowd.
- Swiss Guard lieutenantVatican security officer who orders Macri to surrender her film and detains her.
- Swiss GuardsSecurity personnel pursuing Macri and confiscating her camera under Vatican authority.