Chapter 37 Chapter Thirty-Five

Gare Saint-Lachale is like any other European train station, a gated hole filled with suspects - homeless people holding cardboards, sleepy students on backpacks Listen up MP3s, and groups of baggage handlers in blue uniforms smoking cigarettes. Sophie looked up at the huge train time board.The black-and-white form keeps refreshing.When the latest information was displayed on the form, Langdon looked up the available trains.At the top of the form it says: Lili - Express - 3:06 "I wish it had left sooner," said Sophie, "but that's the first train to Lili." Open early? Langdon checks his watch—2:59A. M.The bus was about to leave in seven minutes, but they hadn't bought a ticket yet.Sophie led Langdon to the ticket window and said, "Buy two tickets with your credit card."

"I thought the use of the credit card would lead to a police pursuit—" "Not bad at all." Langdon had decided not to be clever with Sophie Neveu.He bought two tickets to Lili with his Visa card and gave them to Sophie. Sophie led Langdon to the platform.The familiar time chime sounded on the platform, and the closed-circuit broadcaster announced the news that the express bound for Lili was about to depart.Sixteen railroad tracks lay before them.Next to platform 3 on the far right, the express bound for Lili is puffing out steam, ready to depart.Sophie, however, took Langdon's arm and led him in the opposite direction.They hurried through a side corridor, passed an all-night restaurant, and finally exited the station by a side door onto a quiet street on the west side of the station.

A taxi is waiting at the door. The driver saw Sophie and turned on his headlights. Sophie hopped into the back seat of the car, and Langdon got in after him. As the taxi left the station, Sophie took out the newly purchased tickets and tore them to pieces. Langdon exclaimed, seventy dollars was well spent. The taxi began to drive steadily and monotonously on the Rue Clichy, and Langdon felt that they had really escaped pursuit.Through the window on the right he could see Montmartre and the beautiful cupola of the Sacré-Coeur.The flickering police lights broke the beautiful picture, and several police cars were heading in the opposite direction.

Sophie and Langdon ducked until the sirens faded away.Sophie just told the driver to take them out of town.Seeing her purse her lips, Langdon knew she was considering her next move. Langdon held up the cross-shaped key to the window and looked at it again, trying to find the mark of the place of origin.The street lamps cast a flickering light into the car, but Langdon saw nothing but the Priory logo. "It doesn't make sense," he said finally. "why?" "Your grandfather managed to leave you the key, but you don't know what the key is for." "Yes."

"Are you sure he didn't leave any other message behind the painting?" "I checked and found this. The key was embedded in the picture frame. I saw the pattern on it, put it in my pocket, and then we left the exhibition hall." Langdon wrinkled Frowning, looking at the triangular key point.He squinted again at the edge of the key handle.Still nothing. "I think the key has been cleaned recently." "why?" "It smelled like it had been wiped with alcohol." Sophie turned her head: "I'm sorry, what did you say?" "It smells like it's been scrubbed with detergent." Langdon put the key up to his nose and sniffed. "The other side is stronger." He turned the key over. "Yes, it smells of alcohol, like it's been scrubbed with detergent or—" Langdon paused.

"Or what?" Langdon turned the key in the light, studying the wider side of the cross.There's something shiny on it... like it's been wet. "Did you look carefully at the back of the spoon before putting it in your pocket?" "What? Didn't look carefully. Too much haste." Langdon turned to Sophie. "Are you still wearing the UV light?" Sophie reached into her pocket and pulled out the UV lamp.Langdon took the light, flipped on the switch, and shone the wide side of the cross on the back of the key. Under the irradiation of ultraviolet light, the words on the back of the key immediately appeared.The writing was hastily written, but still legible.

24 Hawkes Street Address! Grandfather left an address! "Where is it?" Langdon asked. Sophie didn't know either.She turned to the driver, leaned forward and asked excitedly, "Do you know Hawkes Street?" The driver thought for a while and nodded.He told Sophie that the street was near the tennis courts in the western suburbs of Paris.Sophie told him to drive there immediately. "The fastest way is through the Bois de Boulogne," the driver asked in French. "Is that all right?" Sophie frowned.She could think of other moves to take that pesky route, but she didn't want to be picky tonight. "Okay." We can surprise this American visitor.

She looked at the key again, wondering what they were going to find at 24 Hawkes Street.A church? The headquarters of the Priory? She recalled the secret ceremony she witnessed in the underground cave ten years ago, and sighed long. "Robert, I have a lot to tell you." She paused, looking at Langdon.At this point the taxi started heading west. "But first, please tell me everything you know about the Priory of Mount Sion."