Attention: The characters depicted in this story are not my own. I have simply borrowed them from Dan Brown and will return them as soon as I am finished with them.
Authors note: The characters used in this piece are originally from The Da Vinci Code. For details on the background of the characters please read The Da Vinci Code before reading this.
Immaculate Deception
Chapter One
Professor Robert Langdon was bristling with anticipation as he stepped out of the taxi in front of The National Library of Wales at Llandovery. The library was quite an imposing structure standing well lit on a hill against the backdrop of the darkened night sky. As the cool spring breeze blew it reminded him of all that he had been through the same time last year. With all of the media interviews, lectures, and seminars on top of his already busy teaching schedule Robert had been quite busy. He hadn't had nearly as much time as he would have liked to fully research all that he had learned from his adventures nearly a year ago, and now there was possibly an even more meaningful discovery than his last.
A friend and colleague, Peter Hogan, warden at the National Library of Wales at Llandovery College, had called the night before telling of a discovery he had made in the bowels of the schools library. The library, long famous for its extensive collection of historical documents used in researching ancestry, may have yielded its biggest secret yet. While he searched through old archives, taking an inventory, Peter had stumbled upon an ancient text entitled The Genealogy of Jesus Christ. According to Peter, the book contained the bloodlines of all of the characters from the bible, including that of Mary Magdalene and Jesus of Nazareth. This would prove not only that Jesus was married but that he had descendants as well. Not sure of the validity of the text, and not wanting to embarrass himself or the college if it turned out to be a fake, Peter had phoned Robert for his assistance in verifying the authenticity of the text and possibly deciphering some of the vast information contained within.
"Robert, it's been too long," Peter yelled as he made his way down the library steps to meet his old friend. He could barely contain his excitement about his discovery, and had been pacing all day waiting for his friend's arrival. "I'm sorry to bother you at the end of a semester like this but I wanted a second opinion before I alerted the media."
"Nonsense, you know I'm always up for an adventure," Robert quipped as the two embraced. "Besides, I would much rather spend my time learning something new than answering the same questions semester after semester from skeptical students."
As the two men made their way up the library steps they caught up on old times. Robert did most of the talking, answering Peters questions about being a newly wed. Robert was more than happy to talk about his life with Sophie, after all the two had nearly everything in common. They had married in the Rosslyn Chapel in Edinbugh, Scotland, where Sophie's Grandmother was the curator and the head of the Rosslyn Trust.
It was a small ceremony, mainly close friends and family, and Peter had been there of course. Sophie now worked as an assistant professor of cryptology at Harvard and did freelance work for the Judicial Police in Paris where she had got her start. In fact she was in Paris right now working on a case.
The warmth of the library greeted the two as they made their way inside. The smell of old parchments filled the air.
"It's been quite a while since I was here last," Robert whispered as he thought of the research work he did here as a graduate student at Harvard on Celtic religions and their belief in the sacred feminine.
Peter led the way to his office as they navigated through the cramped spaces between the bookshelves.
"My office is just ahead," Peter relayed as they made the final turn to the row of offices at the back of the library.
"I was trying to take an inventory of the older books in our special collection when I discovered that there was a gap in the call numbers, I went looking for it-," Peter abruptly stopped speaking and rushed towards his office door.
"What is it?" Robert questioned as he quickly came along side Peter.
Robert knew the answer to his own question before Peter could speak. The window on the door to Peter's office was smashed out and the door was ajar.
"It's gone," Peter gasped as he quickly tore through the stacks of paper and books on his cluttered desk. "I left it sitting right here when I went to greet you, and I locked the door when I left."
As the two men looked on in disbelief, the still silence of the room was shattered by the ringing of Roberts's cell phone. Robert removed the phone from his pocket and saw his wife's name on the caller ID. Roberts's stomach filled with butterflies; he knew that something wasn't right.
"Robert, I have terrible news," Sophie stammered emotionally. "I just received a call from Scotland, Grand-mere and my brother have been in an accident they were rushed to the hospital! I am on a flight to Edinburgh now. Can you meet me at the hospital?"
"Of course, I will leave right away. Are you alright dear?"
"No, I'm not sure what I would do if I lost them only one year after I had found them," Sophie replied barely able to get the words out. "Be careful driving Robert. I love you, and I'll see you there."
As Robert hung up the phone he felt sick. The only remaining family Sophie had in the world was her grandmother, who she affectionately called grand-mere after her French upbringing, and her brother. Now they were involved in a car crash the same way her parents had died in what was widely believed to have been a murder by the Catholic Church to end the bloodline. On top of that a manuscript that potentially could prove that Jesus had descendants had just been stolen before its discovery had been announced.
As he slowly pieced it all together Robert was overcome with a shear sense of terror. Sophie was the last in her bloodline, the only direct descendant of Jesus of Nazareth, and she was on her way to Edinburgh where the remnants of her family may have just been murdered. He couldn't bear to think of what or who may be waiting for Sophie in Scotland.
"My God, I have to get to Edinburgh," Robert gasped as he stared fearfully at Peter.