Robert Langdon, #2
The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Contents
CHAPTER 82
Overview
Teabing deciphers the poem’s first line and directs the group toward the Temple Church near Fleet Street, where Templar tombs may hold the missing-orb clue needed to open the smaller cryptex. The escape from Biggin Hill has made Langdon and Sophie temporarily invisible to the police, giving them a narrow advantage. In a quieter exchange, Sophie and Langdon confront the larger stakes of the Sangreal: whether truth should be revealed if it could destabilize faith.
Summary
In Teabing’s limousine, Langdon presses Teabing about why they are heading toward Fleet Street and whether a crypt there could contain the knight’s tomb named in the poem. Sophie unwraps the vellum from the portable black cryptex; they have left the rosewood box and larger cryptex locked in the plane’s strongbox to travel more discreetly.
Langdon rereads the verse and concludes that it points to a London knight whose work angered the Church, whose tomb should have an orb, and whose clue somehow refers to Mary Magdalene as the Rose who bore Jesus’s bloodline. However, Langdon cannot identify the knight or the location, and the idea of seeking a missing orb leaves him uncertain.
Teabing guides Langdon and Sophie through the first line, arguing that “a Pope interred” should mean a knight killed by a pope rather than buried by one. He connects the clue to the Knights Templar and identifies the likely site as the Temple Church, hidden near Fleet Street on Inner Temple Lane. Teabing explains that the church is round and Templar-built, and says they must inspect its ten tombs for the absent orb that may reveal the five-letter password to the smaller cryptex.
When Rémy admits he is unsure how to reach Fleet Street, Teabing leaves the rear compartment to direct him. In the brief privacy, Sophie tells Langdon that no one knows they are in England, meaning Teabing’s airport deception has bought them time. Langdon worries that Fache may still pursue him relentlessly, either out of overzealousness or possible complicity, because the evidence against Langdon now appears strong.
Sophie thanks Langdon for helping her follow Saunière’s wishes and says the night has made her feel closer to her grandfather. As London appears through the dawn drizzle, Sophie asks what should be done if they find the Sangreal documents. Langdon refuses to decide for her but explains that, while he opposes destroying historical evidence, revealing documents that could overturn literal religious beliefs might harm people who depend on those beliefs; Sophie challenges him, and Langdon frames faith as meaningful metaphor rather than provable fact.
Who Appears
- Robert LangdonStudies the cryptex poem, worries about Fache, and discusses faith and the Sangreal with Sophie.
- Sophie NeveuCarries the black cryptex, trusts Langdon, and questions whether the Sangreal documents should be revealed.
- Leigh TeabingDeciphers the clue as pointing to Temple Church and directs the limousine toward Fleet Street.
- Rémy LegaludecDrives the limousine but needs Teabing’s help navigating toward Fleet Street.