The Da Vinci Code

Inside Château Villette, Fache and Collet coordinate their search, Fache irate about losing his suspects a second time. An agent approaches with a message from Vernet. He admits Langdon and Sophie were inside the bank— contrary to his previous account—and that they stole something from Sauniére’s safety deposit box. He agrees to cooperate if Fache will keep the bank out of his investigation. Meanwhile, the police find a contact number for Le Bourget Airfield and discover that Teabing, Langdon, and Sophie have fled in Teabing’s private plane.

Inside Teabing’s jet, Langdon studies the writing beneath the box’s rose inlay. To his consternation, neither he nor Teabing can identify the writing. However, Sophie understands at once. The script is written backwards, a favorite trick of her grandfather’s. Holding the lid up to the light, the words become easily legible.

Sophie copies down the inscription: “An ancient word of wisdom frees this scroll…and helps us keep her scatter’d family whole…a headstone praised by templars is the key…and atbash will reveal the truth to thee” (328). Langdon recognizes the meter as iambic pentameter, a meter with distinctly pagan connections. The poem is written in English, the preferred language for secret societies.