Saunière's Murder and the Initial Clues

The murder of Louvre curator Jacques Saunière sets off a chain of events involving a cryptic message, a pentacle, and the summoning of Robert Langdon.

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Prologue: The Murder

The Murder of Jacques Saunière The Attack and the Gate In the Louvre's Grand Gallery, curator Jacques Saunière is pursued by a massive albino, Silas. Saunière triggers a security gate by pulling a Caravaggio from the wall, trapping himself inside. Silas shoots him through the bars, leaving him with a fatal stomach wound. The Final Message Realizing he will die slowly, Saunière uses the last minutes to arrange his body in the shape of the Vitruvian Man, drawing a pentacle on his abdomen with his own blood. He also writes a cryptic message on the floor using a black-light pen, including a Fibonacci sequence and the lines "O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint!" and "P.S. Find Robert Langdon." This message is intended for his granddaughter, Sophie Neveu.

Langdon Summoned to the Louvre

Robert Langdon's Awakening The Hotel Ritz Professor Robert Langdon, in Paris for a lecture, is awakened by a phone call from the hotel concierge. A visitor insists on seeing him urgently. Soon, Lieutenant Jerome Collet of the DCPJ arrives and shows Langdon a Polaroid of Saunière's corpse, summoning him to the Louvre. First Encounter with Fache At the Louvre, Langdon meets Captain Bezu Fache, who treats him with suspicion. Fache reveals that Saunière arranged his own body and that Langdon's name was in Saunière's datebook. Langdon is led to the crime scene, where he sees the pentacle and the message on the floor.

The Fibonacci Code and the Black Light

Deciphering the Message The Numeric Sequence Fache and Langdon examine the numbers 13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5. Langdon recognizes them as a scrambled Fibonacci sequence, but Fache is more interested in the words "Draconian devil" and "lame saint." Fache believes this is an accusation against the killer. The Black Light Revelation Using a UV light, Fache reveals that Saunière used a black-light pen to write the message. The full message includes a circle around the body, completing the Vitruvian Man. Langdon interprets the pentacle and the nudity as references to the sacred feminine and Venus, but Fache remains skeptical, suspecting devil worship.

Sophie Neveu's Interruption

Sophie's Secret Message Agent Neveu Arrives Sophie Neveu, a DCPJ cryptographer, interrupts the scene, claiming to have deciphered the code. After a tense exchange with Fache, she gives Langdon a phone number, which turns out to be her own answering machine. The message warns Langdon that he is being framed and that Fache is watching him via a GPS tracking dot in his pocket. The Revelation of the Postscript Sophie shows Langdon a photograph of the complete message, which includes a fourth line: "P.S. Find Robert Langdon." She explains that P.S. stands for "Princesse Sophie," her grandfather's nickname for her. Saunière was her grandfather, and the message was for her, not an accusation. Sophie reveals that she believes Langdon is innocent and helps him escape.

Escape from the Louvre

The Bathroom Window Ruse Faking the Jump Sophie and Langdon are in the men's room. Sophie uses a bar of soap to embed the GPS tracking dot, then throws it out the window onto a passing truck. The police, seeing the dot move, assume Langdon has jumped. They chase the truck, allowing Sophie and Langdon to slip away. Hiding in the Grand Gallery As Fache rushes past, they hide behind a partition. When the alarm stops, Sophie leads Langdon to an emergency stairwell. They exit the museum, taking Sophie's SmartCar, and drive away, now fugitives.

Prologue

Midnight, after the murder

Early in the investigation

During the investigation

Immediately after Sophie's warning