For several seconds, Langdon stared in wonder at the photograph of Saunière's postscript1. P.S. Find Robert Langdon. He felt as if the floor were tilting2 beneath his feet. Saunière left a postscript with my name on it? In his wildest dreams, Langdon could not fathom3 why.
"Now do you understand," Sophie said, her eyes urgent, "why Fache ordered you here tonight, and why you are his primary suspect?"
The only thing Langdon understood at the moment was why Fache had looked so smug when Langdon suggested Saunière would have accused his killer4 by name.
Find Robert Langdon.
"Why would Saunière write this?" Langdon demanded, his confusion now giving way to anger. "Why would I want to kill Jacques Saunière?"
"Fache has yet to uncover a motive5, but he has been recording6 his entire conversation with you tonight in hopes you might reveal one."
Langdon opened his mouth, but still no words came.
"He's fitted with a miniature microphone," Sophie explained. "It's connected to a transmitter in his pocket that radios the signal back to the command post."
"This is impossible," Langdon stammered7. "I have an alibi8. I went directly back to my hotel after my lecture. You can ask the hotel desk."
"Fache already did. His report shows you retrieving9 your room key from the concierge10 at about ten-thirty. Unfortunately, the time of the murder was closer to eleven. You easily could have left your hotel room unseen."
"This is insanity11! Fache has no evidence!"
Sophie's eyes widened as if to say: No evidence? "Mr. Langdon, your name is written on the floor beside the body, and Saunière's date book says you were with him at approximately the time of the murder." She paused. "Fache has more than enough evidence to take you into custody12 for questioning."
Langdon suddenly sensed that he needed a lawyer. "I didn't do this."
Sophie sighed. "This is not American television, Mr. Langdon. In France, the laws protect the police, not criminals. Unfortunately, in this case, there is also the media consideration. Jacques Saunière was a very prominent and well-loved figure in Paris, and his murder will be news in the morning. Fache will be under immediate13 pressure to make a statement, and he looks a lot better having a suspect in custody already. Whether or not you are guilty, you most certainly will be held by DCPJ until they can figure out what really happened."
Langdon felt like a caged animal. "Why are you telling me all this?"
"Because, Mr. Langdon, I believe you are innocent." Sophie looked away for a moment and then back into his eyes. "And also because it is partially14 my fault that you're in trouble."
"I'm sorry? It's your fault Saunière is trying to frame me?"
"Saunière wasn't trying to frame you. It was a mistake. That message on the floor was meant for me."
Langdon needed a minute to process that one. "I beg your pardon?"
"That message wasn't for the police. He wrote it for me. I think he was forced to do everything in such a hurry that he just didn't realize how it would look to the police." She paused. "The numbered code is meaningless. Saunière wrote it to make sure the investigation15 included cryptographers, ensuring that I would know as soon as possible what had happened to him."
Langdon felt himself losing touch fast. Whether or not Sophie Neveu had lost her mind was at this point up for grabs, but at least Langdon now understood why she was trying to help him. P.S. Find Robert Langdon. She apparently16 believed the curator had left her a cryptic17 postscript telling her to find Langdon. "But why do you think his message was for you?"
"The Vitruvian Man," she said flatly. "That particular sketch18 has always been my favorite Da Vinci work. Tonight he used it to catch my attention."
"Hold on. You're saying the curator knew your favorite piece of art?" She nodded. "I'm sorry. This is all coming out of order. Jacques Saunière and I..."
Sophie's voice caught, and Langdon heard a sudden melancholy19 there, a painful past, simmering just below the surface. Sophie and Jacques Saunière apparently had some kind of special relationship. Langdon studied the beautiful young woman before him, well aware that aging men in France often took young mistresses. Even so, Sophie Neveu as a "kept woman" somehow didn't seem to fit.
"We had a falling-out ten years ago," Sophie said, her voice a whisper now. "We've barely spoken since. Tonight, when Crypto got the call that he had been murdered, and I saw the images of his body and text on the floor, I realized he was trying to send me a message."
"Because of The Vitruvian Man?"
"Yes. And the letters P.S."
"Post Script?"
She shook her head. "P.S. are my initials."
"But your name is Sophie Neveu."
She looked away. "P.S. is the nickname he called me when I lived with him." She blushed. "It stood for Princesse Sophie"
Langdon had no response.
"Silly, I know," she said. "But it was years ago. When I was a little girl."
"You knew him when you were a little girl?"
"Quite well," she said, her eyes welling now with emotion. "Jacques Saunière was my grandfather."
兰登惊愕地看着有索尼埃附言的照片，半晌无语。附言：找到罗伯特。兰登。他感到脚下的地板在倾斜。索尼埃在附言中留下我的名字。任凭他怎么想象，兰登也弄不懂为什么。
"现在你明白为什么法希今晚把你叫到这儿，为什么你是首要嫌疑犯了吧？"
此刻，兰登唯一明白的，是为什么当兰登说索尼埃写下的应该是谋杀者的名字时，法希看起来是那么得意啦。
找到罗伯特。兰登。
"索尼埃为什么要这样写？"兰登问道。此时他的困惑已经变成了愤怒。"我为什么要杀雅克。索尼埃？"
"法希还没有找到作案动机，但他已经把今晚你们谈话的全部内容都录了音，他希望你能泄露出动机。"兰登张大了嘴，却说不出话来。
"他身上带着一个微型麦克风。"索菲解释说。"麦克风和他衣袋里的发射机相连接，发射机把无线电信号发回指挥部。""这不可能。"兰登结结巴巴地说。"我有不在场的证据，讲座过后我就立即回酒店了，你可以问酒店服务台。""法希已经询问过了。""他的报告表明你在大约十点半从门房那里取回你房间的钥匙。
不幸的是，谋杀的时间更接近十一点钟。你可以在别人看不到的情况下轻易地离开酒店。""胡说八道！法希没有证据！"
索菲的眼睛睁得老大，似乎在说：没有证据？"兰登先生，你的名字写在尸体旁的地板上，而且索尼埃的每日记事本上也说他大约是在谋杀发生的那段时间和您在一起。"她停了停。"法希有足够的证据拘留你，审问你。"
兰登突然意识到他需要一名律师。"我没干这事。"
索菲叹了一口气。"这不是美国电视，兰登先生。在法国，法律保护警察而不是犯人。
不幸的是，在这个案子中，还得考虑媒体。在巴黎，雅克。索尼埃是一位杰出的、深受爱戴的人物，他被谋杀的消息明天一早就会传开去。法希将在重压之下陈述案情。有一个嫌疑犯可拘押，他现在看起来好过多了。不管你是否有罪，你都肯定被中央司法警察拘押，一直到他们弄清事实真相。"兰登感觉自己像一只笼中兽。"你为什么给我讲这些？"
"因为，兰登先生，我相信你是无辜的。"索菲转过脸望着别处片刻后又看着他说："而且也部分是由于我的过错给你惹了这麻烦。""你说什么？索尼埃圈定我是你的过错？"
"索尼埃并不是要圈定你。这是个误会。地板上的那段文字是写给我看的。"
兰登花了好一段时间也没弄懂这句话的意思。"我没听懂！"
"那段文字并不是给警察看的，他是写给我的。我想他在匆忙中只能这么做，他根本没想到警察看到会怎么想。"她歇了口气。"那个数字密码没有意义。索尼埃那样写是想确保案件调查人员中会包括密码破译人员，确保我会尽快知道他出了什么事。"兰登感觉自己实在弄不明白其中复杂的关系，马上就糊涂了。姑且不论索菲。奈芙这会儿是不是真的疯了，但至少兰登明白为什么她在尽力帮助他。附言：找到兰登。她显然是相信馆长给她留下的一个秘密附言，告诉她去找兰登。"但为什么你认为那段文字是写给你的？"
"维特鲁威人。"她干脆地说。"那幅画是达。芬奇画作中我最喜欢的一幅，今晚他用它来引起我的注意。""停一下，你说馆长知道你最喜欢的艺术品是什么？"
她点点头。"对不起，一切都乱了套。雅克。索尼埃和我……"
索菲哽咽了，兰登听得出有一段伤感、痛苦的过去在她内心深处炙烤着她。索菲和雅克。索尼埃显然有某种特殊的关系。兰登又仔细打量了站在他面前的这个年轻女人。他非常清楚法国上了些年纪的男人经常找年轻的情人。即使是这样，索菲。奈芙看起来也不像是一个"被包养的女人"。
"我们十年前闹翻了。"索菲声音低得像耳语。"从那以后，我们几乎没说过话。今夜，密码破译部接到电话说他被谋杀了，我看了他的尸体的照片和地板上的文字，就意识到他在试图给我传达一个信息。""因为维特鲁威人？"
"是的，还有字母P.S."
"PostScript--附言？"
她摇摇头。"P.S 是我的名字的首字母。"
"但你的名字是索菲。奈芙--SophieNeveu."
她把脸转到一边。"P.S 是我和他住在一起时他给我起的绰号。"她红着脸说。"它代表Princess Sophie--索菲公主。"兰登默不做声。
"很傻的，我知道。"她说。"但那是多年以前的事了。我那时还是个小姑娘。"
"你还是个小姑娘时就认识他？"
"太熟悉他了。"她动了感情，泪水夺眶而出。"雅克。索尼埃是我祖父。"
收听单词发音 |
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postscript
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| n.附言，又及；(正文后的)补充说明 | |
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tilting
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| 倾斜，倾卸 | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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recording
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| n.录音，记录 | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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alibi
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| n.某人当时不在犯罪现场的申辩或证明；借口 | |
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retrieving
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| n.检索（过程），取还v.取回( retrieve的现在分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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concierge
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| n.管理员；门房 | |
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insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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cryptic
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| adj.秘密的，神秘的，含义模糊的 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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