Page 23 of The Secret of Secrets

“Sir,” Langdon said quietly. “Are you implying the fire alarm and nightmare were…some kind of publicity stunt?”

Janáček smirked and took a long pull on his cigarette. “After thirty-eight years of investigative work, Professor, I thought I had seen everything. But now, in your social media world, I’m continually shocked what people will do for media coverage…to go ‘viral,’ as you Americans love to say. Your plan was ingenious, actually, surprisingly safe and easy to pull off.”

“How can you say planting a bomb would be safe?!” Langdon demanded.

Harris had fallen silent.

“You ensured it was safe,” Janáček repeated. “The bomb we found was quite small and placed in a basement location where it would have done minimal damage. You called in an anonymous tip to be sure the explosive was discovered before anybody got hurt.”

The police dogs in the lobby…

“By the way,” Janáček added, “the crown of spikes was a nice touch—very memorable and hard to miss on security tapes.”

Langdon felt slightly nauseous. “Sir, nothing could be further from the truth.”

“If you believe that,” the captain said, “then perhaps you don’t know the truth. Perhaps you don’t know Katherine Solomon as well as you think. Perhaps she did all this behind your back and used you as an unwitting accessory.”

Langdon refused to dignify his words with a response.

“I’m quite skilled at discovering the truth, Professor,” Janáček said flatly, “which is why I am eager to hear Ms. Solomon’s version of the story. If, in fact, she had a dream that came true, then perhaps she is innocent. But that would mean that Katherine Solomon can see the future, which would make her very special indeed. Is she that special, Mr. Langdon?”

The sarcasm in the man’s voice left little doubt that Langdon and Katherine were now fighting an uphill battle. Guilty until proven innocent.

“Which leads me to my final question,” Janáček said. “Where is Ms. Solomon right now?”

“Meeting a colleague,” Langdon replied tersely.

“Who?”

“The Czech neuroscientist I mentioned—Dr. Gessner.”

“And the two women are meeting at Dr. Gessner’s lab?”

Langdon was startled the officer would know that.

“Relax,” Janáček said. He held up a note. “I took this from your bedroom along with both your passports.”

It was the note Katherine had left. Janáček had merely been testing him.

“What time is the meeting?”

“Eight a.m.,” Langdon replied.

Janáček checked his watch. “Which is in a few minutes. Where is this lab?”

Langdon had learned last night that Gessner’s lab was located in a secure Prague landmark—Crucifix Bastion—a small medieval fortification that had been renovated into an ultramodern research facility four kilometers from the city center. “I’ll call Katherine,” he offered, suspecting she would not want to be interrogated in front of Gessner. “I’m sure she will come back immed—”

“Where is the lab?!” Janáček exploded, pushing past Harris and stopping inches from Langdon’s face. “I will arrest you this instant, Professor, and your consulate will need weeks to cut through the red tape.”

Langdon stood his ground. “I’d like to speak privately with Mr. Harris.”

“Last chance,” Janáček snapped. “Where is the lab?”

There was a long silence, and the voice that spoke next felt like a knife in Langdon’s back.

“Crucifix Bastion,” Harris said flatly. “Four kilometers from here.”

Chapter 13