Robert Langdon, #2
The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Contents
CHAPTER 59
Overview
Bishop Aringarosa, secretly en route from Rome to Paris, receives what he believes is the Teacher’s urgent callback but instead reaches the French Judicial Police. The mistake exposes a dangerous shift in his situation: the authorities now have his attention and may connect him to the night’s crimes. The chapter also reveals that Aringarosa has been operating outside his stated schedule and is carrying something important enough to require a private flight.
Summary
At Opus Dei headquarters on Lexington Avenue in New York, the male receptionist is surprised when Bishop Aringarosa calls in sounding anxious. Aringarosa asks whether any messages have arrived, and the receptionist reports an urgent call from about half an hour earlier.
The receptionist gives Aringarosa the callback number, noting that its prefix is French and that the caller said it was critical Aringarosa make contact immediately. Aringarosa says he has been waiting for the call and hangs up quickly, leaving the receptionist puzzled by the poor phone connection and by the bishop’s strange behavior in recent months.
Aringarosa is actually in a Fiat near Rome’s Ciampino Charter Airport, not in New York as his schedule suggests. He assumes his cell phone failed to receive the Teacher’s call and interprets the message as a promising sign that events in Paris have gone well.
Preparing to fly to France before dawn, Aringarosa reflects that he is using a chartered plane because commercial travel is impractical at this hour and because of the contents of his briefcase. When he dials the French number, however, a woman answers at the Direction Centrale Police Judiciaire.
Aringarosa hesitates but gives his name when pressed. After a wait, a gruff, concerned man comes on the line and tells the bishop that they have much to discuss, revealing that Aringarosa has not reached the Teacher but the French Judicial Police.
Who Appears
- Bishop Manuel AringarosaOpus Dei bishop secretly traveling from Rome to Paris; expects the Teacher but reaches police.
- The TeacherUnseen caller Aringarosa expects to contact; associated with the Paris operation.
- Opus Dei receptionistNew York headquarters staffer who relays Aringarosa’s urgent French phone message.
- French Judicial Police officialGruff man who takes Aringarosa’s call and says they have much to discuss.
- Female police operatorAnswers Aringarosa’s callback at the Direction Centrale Police Judiciaire.