moment to take a phone call, but now she returned to Langdon. Professor, am I keeping you from something? No, maam, Langdon said, pulling his sleeve down over his w canada goose kids atch. Im just extremely concerned about Peter. I can understand, but I assure you the best thing you ca canada goose kids n do to help Peter is to help me understand the mind-set of his captor. Langdon was not so sure, but he sensed he was not going anywhere until the OS director got the information she desired. A moment ago, Sato said, you suggested this Rotunda is somehow sacred to the idea of these Ancient Mysteries? Yes, maam. Explain that to me. Langdon knew he would have to choose his words sparingly. He had taught for entire semesters on the mystical symbolism of Washington, D.C., and there was an almost inexhaustible list of mystical
pocket and extended it outward, driving it hard into the mans chest. There was a flash of blue light, the sharp sizzle of the stun-gun discharge, and a gasp of pain as one million volts of electricity coursed through Peter Solomons body. His eyes went wide, and he slumped motionless in his chair. Malakh stood up now, towering over the man, salivating like a lion about to consume his injured prey. Solomon was gasping, straining to b canada goose kids reathe. Malakh saw fear in his victims eyes and wondered how many people had ever seen the great Peter Solomon cower. Malakh savored the scene for several long seconds. He took a sip of tea, waiting for the man to catch canada goose kids his breath. Solomon was twitching, attempting to speak. Wh-why? he finally managed. Why do you think? Malakh demanded. Solomon looked truly
Hispanic officer from the X-ray machine earlier tonight. Officer Nu.ez, the African American man said. Not a word. Follow me. The guard looked uneasy but obeyed with canada goose kids out question. Who is this guy? The three of them hurried toward the southeast corner of the visitor center, where they arrived at a small foyer and a set of heavy doors blocked with orange pylons. The doors were sealed with masking tape, apparently to keep the dust of whatever was happening beyond out of the visitor center. The man reached up and peeled off the tape on th canada goose kids e door. Then he flipped through his key ring as he spoke to the guard. Our friend Chief Anderson is in the subbasement. He may be injured. Youll want to check on him. Yes, sir. Nu.ez looked as baffled as he did alarmed. Most important, you did not see us. The
where canada goose kids Langdon had told her he was headed. The terrifying revelation of Dr. Abaddons true identity had changed everything. Katherine had no idea what to believe anymore. All she knew for certain was that the same man who had killed her mother and nephew all those years ago had now captured her brother and had come to kill her. Who is this madman? What does he want? The only answer she could come up with made no sense. A pyramid? Equally confusing was why this man had come to her lab tonight. If he wanted to hurt her, why hadnt he done so in the privacy of his own home earlier today? Why go to the trouble of sending a text me canada goose kids ssage and risk breaking into her lab? Unexpectedly, the fireworks in her rearview mirror grew brighter, the initial flash followed by an unexpected sighta blazing orange
had written earlier from the Masonic cipher. Right now, this grid is meaningless. He spread the paper out on the desk. Katherine eyed the grid. Definitely meaningless. But Dürer will transform it. And how might he do that? Linguistic alchemy. Langdon motioned to the computer screen. Look carefully. Hidden in this masterpiece is something that will make sense of our sixteen letters. He waited. Do you see it yet? Look for canada goose kids the number 1514. Katherine was in no mood to play classroom. Rob canada goose kids ert, I see nothingan orb, a ladder, a knife, a polyhedron, a scale? I give up. Look! There in the background. Carved into that building behind the angel? Beneath the bell? Dürer engraved a square that is full of numbers. Katherine now saw the square that contained numbers, among them 1514. Katherine, that
that led into an administrativ canada goose kids e annex. They moved down a short hallway to an office door bearing a brass nameplate: THE REVEREND DR. COLIN GALLOWAY CATHEDRAL DEAN Galloway opened the door and turned on the lights, apparently accustomed to remembering this courtesy for his guests. He ushered them in and closed the door. The deans off canada goose kids ice was small but elegant, with high bookshelves, a desk, a carved armoire, and a private bathroom. On the walls hung sixteenth-century tapestries and several religious paintings. The old dean motioned to the two leather chairs directly opposite his desk. Langdon sat with Katherine and felt grateful finally to set his heavy shoulder bag on the floor at his feet. Sanctuary and answers, Langdon thought, settling into the comfortable chair. The aged man shuffled
clearly been jarred from the canada goose kids top of the pyramid and was now bouncing around in the bottom of his bag. Fearing it might get damaged, he fished around inside until he found it. It was still warm, but the glowing text had now faded and disappeared, returning canada goose kids to its original engraving: The secret hides within The Order. As Langdon was about to place the capstone in a side pocket, he noticed its elegant surface was covered with tiny white gobs of something. Puzzled, he tried to wipe them off, but they were stuck on and hard to the touch . . . like plastic. What in the world? He could now see that the surface of the stone pyramid itself was also covered with the little white dots. Langdon used his fingernail and picked one off, rolling it between his fingers. Wax? he blurted. Katherine glanced
arm, steadying it. Katherine couldnt see what he was doing, but Peter apparently could, and h canada goose kids e again started bucking wildly. Katherine felt a sudden, sharp pinch in the crook of her right elbow, and an eerie warmth ran down around it. Peter was making anguished, strangled sounds and trying in canada goose kids vain to get out of the heavy chair. Katherine felt a cold numbness spreading through her forearm and fingertips below the elbow. When the man stepped aside, Katherine saw why her brother was so horrified. The tattooed man had inserted a medical needle into her vein, as if she were giving blood. The needle, however, was not attached to a tube. Instead, her blood was now flowing freely out of it . . . running down her elbow, forearm, and onto the stone table. A human hourglass, the man said, turning to