Free Origin by Dan Brown

diplomat,” Langdon said, wincing. “You
do
know that sometimes honesty is not the best policy?”
    Kirsch waved his hand dismissively. “My thoughts on religion are widely publicized. I thought they would appreciate the transparency. Nonetheless, after that, I presented my work to them, explaining in detail what I had discovered and how it changed everything. I even took out my phone and showed them some video that I admit is quite startling. They were speechless.”
    “They must have said
something
,” Langdon prompted, feeling even more curious to know what Kirsch possibly could have discovered.
    “I was hoping for a conversation, but the Christian cleric silenced the other two before they could say a word. He urged me to reconsider making the information public. I told him I would think about it for the next month.”
    “But you’re going public
tonight
.”
    “I know. I told them my announcement was still several weeks away so they wouldn’t panic or try to interfere.”
    “And when they find out about tonight’s presentation?” Langdon asked.
    “They will not be amused.
One
of them in particular.” Kirsch locked eyes with Langdon. “The cleric who convened our meeting was Bishop Antonio Valdespino. Do you know of him?”
    Langdon tensed. “From Madrid?”
    Kirsch nodded. “One and the same.”
    Probably not the ideal audience for Edmond’s radical atheism
, Langdon thought. Valdespino was a powerful figure in the Spanish Catholic Church, known for his deeply conservative views and strong influence over the king of Spain.
    “He was host of the parliament this year,” Kirsch said, “and therefore the one I spoke to about arranging a meeting. He offered to come personally, and I asked him to bring representatives from Islam and Judaism.”
    The lights overhead faded again.
    Kirsch sighed heavily, lowering his voice further. “Robert, the reason I wanted to speak to you before my presentation is that I need your advice. I need to know if you believe that Bishop Valdespino is dangerous.”
    “Dangerous?” Langdon said. “In what way?”
    “What I showed him threatens his world, and I want to know if you think I’m in any physical danger from him.”
    Langdon immediately shook his head. “No, impossible. I’m not sure what you said to him, but Valdespino is a pillar of Spanish Catholicism, and his ties to the Spanish royal family make him extremely
influential
… but he’s a priest, not a hit man. He wields political power. He may preach a sermon against you, but I would find it very hard to believe that you are in any physical danger from him.”
    Kirsch looked unconvinced. “You should have seen the way he looked at me as I left Montserrat.”
    “You sat in that monastery’s sacrosanct library and told a bishop that his entire belief system is delusional!” Langdon exclaimed. “Did you expect him to serve you tea and cake?”
    “No,” Edmond admitted, “but I also didn’t expect him to leave me a threatening voice mail after our meeting.”
    “Bishop Valdespino called you?”
    Kirsch reached into his leather jacket and pulled out an unusually large smartphone. It had a bright turquoise case adorned with a repeating hexagonal pattern, which Langdon recognized as a famous tiled pattern designed by the modernist Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí.
    “Have a listen,” Kirsch said, pressing a few buttons and holding up the phone. An elderly man’s voice crackled tersely out of the speaker, his tone severe and dead serious:
    Mr. Kirsch, this is Bishop Antonio Valdespino. As you know, I found our meeting this morning profoundly disturbing—as did my two colleagues.
I urge you to call me immediately so we can discuss this further, and I can again warn you of the dangers of going public with this information. If you do not call, be advised that my colleagues and I will consider
a preemptive announcement to share your discoveries, reframe them, discredit them, and attempt to reverse the