Robert Langdon, #2
The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Contents
CHAPTER 14
Overview
Fache waits for Langdon to emerge from the Louvre men's room while relying on the GPS tracker to confirm Langdon's location. The chapter reveals Fache's professional desperation and his plan to confront Langdon with Saunière's written accusation.
A call from the Cryptology Department about Sophie interrupts Fache's confidence, implying that Sophie's warning to Langdon may have created a serious complication for the police investigation.
Summary
Captain Fache returns to the Louvre command post and immediately asks Lieutenant Collet where Robert Langdon is. Collet reports that Langdon is still in the men's room, where the GPS tracker continues to show small movements.
Fache worries that Langdon may have discovered the surveillance, but Collet argues that if Langdon had found the tracking dot, he would have removed it and fled. Fache reluctantly decides to keep waiting, because letting Langdon return on his own would preserve the illusion that Langdon is not under observation.
Collet notices that Fache is unusually tense and personally invested in the case. Collet reflects that Fache badly needs a dramatic success because his aggressive methods, costly technology purchases, and conflicts with foreign embassies have damaged his reputation.
Fache still believes the investigation is under control despite Sophie Neveu's interruption. Fache has not yet confronted Langdon with the fact that Saunière wrote "P.S. Find Robert Langdon" on the floor, and Fache expects Langdon's reaction to reveal important information.
The chapter ends when a DCPJ agent tells Fache that the director of the Cryptology Department is calling about Sophie. The agent says something is not right, suggesting Sophie's actions may be more consequential than Fache assumed.
Who Appears
- Bezu FachePolice captain monitoring Langdon; anxious for a decisive arrest to protect his career.
- Lieutenant ColletDCPJ officer overseeing the GPS tracker and observing Fache's unusual intensity.
- Robert LangdonSuspect being tracked in the men's room, unaware Fache plans another confrontation.
- Sophie NeveuCryptologist whose earlier interruption now prompts a troubling call to Fache.
- DCPJ agentUnnamed officer who alerts Fache to the Cryptology Department's urgent call.