Robert Langdon, #2
The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
Contents
CHAPTER 9
Overview
Sophie Neveu interrupts Fache's interrogation of Langdon, claiming she has cracked Saunière's numeric code but first maneuvering Langdon into making a supposed embassy call. Her intervention reveals that she is secretly trying to communicate with Langdon beyond Fache's hearing.
The chapter shifts the power dynamic: Langdon is no longer merely being questioned by Fache, and Sophie's warning confirms that Fache's investigation places Langdon in danger. Her coded deception sets up an alliance and suggests Saunière's message has consequences beyond a simple murder inquiry.
Summary
Bezu Fache has turned off his cell phone to keep Robert Langdon's questioning uninterrupted, but an agent uses the phone's radio feature to contact him. The agent reports that a cryptographer from the DCPJ Cryptography Department has arrived, suggesting that Saunière's coded message may have been deciphered.
Fache orders the cryptographer to wait, but the agent identifies her as Sophie Neveu and says she is already entering the gallery. Fache privately resents Sophie, viewing her as an unwanted, politically imposed presence in the police force, despite her training and determination.
Sophie approaches Langdon directly, introduces herself, and then tells Fache she has deciphered the numeric code. Before explaining it, however, Sophie says she has an urgent message for Langdon from the U.S. Embassy, allegedly passed through DCPJ after the embassy contacted Langdon's hotel.
Fache is suspicious but allows Langdon to use his secure phone after Sophie gives Langdon a Paris number and extension. While Fache pulls Sophie aside to reprimand her, Langdon dials the number and discovers it leads not to the embassy, but to Sophie's own answering machine.
Sophie silently signals Langdon not to question the deception. Langdon enters the code she provided, accesses her messages, and hears Sophie's recorded warning: he must not react, because he is in immediate danger and must follow her instructions closely.
Who Appears
- Sophie NeveuDCPJ cryptographer who interrupts Fache and covertly warns Langdon through a staged phone message.
- Robert Langdonsymbologist under interrogation who follows Sophie's strange instructions and learns he is in danger.
- Bezu Fachepolice captain angered by Sophie's interruption and suspicious of her embassy-message explanation.
- Colletagent monitoring the operation who reports Sophie's arrival over Fache's radio-enabled phone.