“I have the situation under control.”
“Apparently not.”
“Father,” Langdon interrupted, taking out the crumpled fax and handing it to the camerlegno, “please.”
Commander Olivetti stepped forward, trying to intervene. “Father, please do not trouble your thoughts with-”
The camerlegno took the fax, ignoring Olivetti for a long moment. He looked at the image of the murdered Leonardo Vetra and drew a startled breath. “What is this?”
“That is my father,” Vittoria said, her voice wavering. “He was a priest and a man of science. He was murdered last night.”
The camerlegno’s face softened instantly. He looked up at her. “My dear child. I’m so sorry.” He crossed himself and looked again at the fax, his eyes seeming to pool with waves of abhorrence. “Who would . . . and this burn on his . . .” The camerlegno paused, squinting closer at the image.
“It says Illuminati,” Langdon said. “No doubt you are familiar with the name.”
An odd look came across the camerlegno’s face. “I have heard the name, yes, but . . .”
“The Illuminati murdered Leonardo Vetra so they could steal a new technology he was-”
“Signore,” Olivetti interjected. “This is absurd. The Illuminati? This is clearly some sort of elaborate hoax.”
The camerlegno seemed to ponder Olivetti’s words. Then he turned and contemplated Langdon so fully that Langdon felt the air leave his lungs. “Mr. Langdon, I have spent my life in the Catholic Church. I am familiar with the Illuminati lore . . . and the legend of the brandings. And yet I must warn you, I am a man of the present tense. Christianity has enough real enemies without resurrecting ghosts.”
“The symbol is authentic,” Langdon said, a little too defensively he thought. He reached over and rotated the fax for the camerlegno.
The camerlegno fell silent when he saw the symmetry.
“Even modern computers,” Langdon added, “have been unable to forge a symmetrical ambigram of this word.”
The camerlegno folded his hands and said nothing for a long time. “The Illuminati are dead,” he finally said. “Long ago. That is historical fact.”
Langdon nodded. “Yesterday, I would have agreed with you.”
“Yesterday?”
“Before today’s chain of events. I believe the Illuminati have resurfaced to make good on an ancient pact.”
“Forgive me. My history is rusty. What ancient pact is this?”
Langdon took a deep breath. “The destruction of Vatican City.”
“Destroy Vatican City?” The camerlegno looked less frightened than confused. “But that would be impossible.”
Vittoria shook her head. “I’m afraid we have some more bad news.”
40
Is this true?” the camerlegno demanded, looking amazed as he turned from Vittoria to Olivetti.
“Signore,” Olivetti assured, “I’ll admit there is some sort of device here. It is visible on one of our security monitors, but as for Ms. Vetra’s claims as to the power of this substance, I cannot possibly-”
“Wait a minute,” the camerlegno said. “You can see this thing?”
“Yes, signore. On wireless camera #86.”
“Then why haven’t you recovered it?” The camerlegno’s voice echoed anger now.
“Very difficult, signore.” Olivetti stood straight as he explained the situation.
The camerlegno listened, and Vittoria sensed his growing concern. “Are you certain it is inside Vatican City?” the camerlegno asked. “Maybe someone took the camera out and is transmitting from somewhere else.”
“Impossible,” Olivetti said. “Our external walls are shielded electronically to protect our internal communications. This signal can only be coming from the inside or we would not be receiving it.”
“And I assume,” he said, “that you are now looking for this missing camera with all available resources?”