could see the storm clouds gathering fast.
Chief Trent Anderson was holding an ice pack to his head while another officer was tending to Sato’s bruises. Both of them were standing with the video surveillance team, reviewing digital playback files in an attempt to locate Langdon and Bellamy.
«Check the playback on every hallway and exit,» Sato demanded. «I want to know where they went!»
Nuсez felt ill as he looked on. He knew it would be only a matter of minutes before they found the right video clip and learned the truth.
Nuсez felt like he would throw up. Making up his mind, he motioned discreetly to Chief Anderson. «A word, Chief?»
«What is it?» Anderson followed Nuсez into the hall.
«Chief, I made a bad mistake,» Nuсez said, breaking a sweat. «I’m sorry, and I’m resigning.»
«I beg your pardon?»
Nuсez swallowed hard. «Earlier, I saw Langdon and Architect Bellamy in the visitor center on their way out of the building.»
«What?!» Anderson bellowed. «Why didn’t you say something?!»
«The Architect told me not to say a word.»
«You work for
Nuсez handed Anderson the key that the Architect had given him.
«What is this?» Anderson demanded.
«a key to the new tunnel under independence avenue. architect bellamy had it. that’s how they escaped.»
Anderson stared down at the key, speechless.
Sato poked her head out into the hallway, eyes probing. «What’s going on out here?»
Nuсez felt himself go pale. Anderson was still holding the key, and Sato clearly had seen it. As the hideous little woman drew near, Nuсez improvised as best as he could, hoping to protect his chief. «I found a key on the floor in the subbasement. I was just asking Chief Anderson if he knew what it might go to.»
Sato arrived, eyeing the key. «And does the chief know?»
Nuсez glanced up at Anderson, who was clearly weighing all his options before speaking. Finally, the chief shook his head. «Not offhand. I’d have to check the — »
«Don’t bother,» Sato said. «This key unlocks a tunnel off the visitor center.»
«Really?» Anderson said. «How do you know that?»
«We just found the surveillance clip. Officer Nuсez here helped Langdon and Bellamy escape and then relocked that tunnel door behind them. Bellamy gave Nuсez that key.»
Anderson turned to Nuсez with a flare of anger. «Is this true?!»
Nuсez nodded vigorously, doing his best to play along. «I’m sorry, sir. The Architect told me not to tell a soul!»
«I don’t give a damn
«Shut up, Trent,» Sato snapped. «You’re both lousy liars. Save it for your CIA inquisition.» She snatched the Architect’s tunnel key from Anderson. «You’re done here.»
CHAPTER 49
Robert Langdon hung up his cell phone, feeling increasingly worried.
Bellamy sat beside Langdon at the reading-room desk. He, too, had just made a call, his to an individual he claimed could offer them sanctuary — a safe place to hide. Unfortunately, this person was not answering either, and so Bellamy had left an urgent message, telling him to call Langdon’s cell phone right away.
«I’ll keep trying,» he said to Langdon, «but for the moment, we’re on our own. And we need to discuss a plan for this pyramid.»
Langdon had expected a modicum of sanity from the Architect of the Capitol, but now it seemed Warren Bellamy was no more rational than the madman claiming Peter was in purgatory. Bellamy was insisting this stone pyramid was, in fact, the Masonic Pyramid of legend.
«Mr. Bellamy,» Langdon said politely, «this idea that there exists some kind of ancient knowledge that can imbue men with great power. . I simply can’t take it seriously.»
Bellamy’s eyes looked both disappointed and earnest, making Langdon’s skepticism all the more awkward. «Yes, Professor, I had imagined you might feel this way, but I suppose I should not be surprised. You are an outsider looking in. There exist certain Masonic realities that you will perceive as myth because you are not properly initiated and prepared to understand them.»
Now Langdon felt patronized.
«No?» Bellamy ran a finger across the Masonic cipher on the stone. «It looks to me like it fits the description perfectly. A stone pyramid with a shining metal capstone, which, according to Sato’s X-ray, is exactly what Peter entrusted to you.» Bellamy picked up the little cube-shaped package, weighing it in his hand.
«This stone pyramid is less than a foot tall,» Langdon countered. «Every version of the story I’ve ever heard describes the Masonic Pyramid as enormous.»
Bellamy had clearly anticipated this point. «As you know, the legend speaks of a pyramid rising so high that God Himself can reach out and touch it.»
«Exactly.»
«I can see your dilemma, Professor. However, both the Ancient Mysteries and Masonic philosophy celebrate the potentiality of God within each of us. Symbolically speaking, one could claim that anything within reach of an enlightened man. . is within reach of God.»
Langdon felt unswayed by the wordplay.
«Even the Bible concurs,» Bellamy said. «If we accept, as Genesis tells us, that ‘God created man in his own image,’ then we
«I’m sorry, but I don’t know any Christians who consider themselves God’s
«Of course not,» Bellamy said, his tone hardening. «Because most Christians want it both ways. They want to be able to proudly declare they are believers in the Bible and yet simply ignore those parts they find too difficult or too inconvenient to believe.»
Langdon made no response.
«Anyhow,» Bellamy said, «the Masonic Pyramid’s age-old description as being tall enough to be touched by God. . this has long led to misinterpretations about its size. Conveniently, it keeps academics like yourself insisting the pyramid is a legend, and nobody searches for it.»
