iancaldwell&dustinthomason.theruleoffour-第37部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　Paul　finds　the　set　of　boxes　he's　been　searching　for；　then　lifts　one　from　the　stack　and　places　it　on　the　shelf　before　him。　A　note　taped　to　the　side；　written　in　a　sloppy　hand；　says　MAPS：　ROME。　He　takes　the　top　off　and　carries　the　box　to　the　small　open　space　near　the　entrance。　From　another　shelf　he　produces　a　slide　projector；　which　he　plugs　into　a　wall　socket　near　the　ground。　Finally；　with　the　flick　of　a　switch；　a　blurry　image　appears　on　the　opposite　wall。　Paul　adjusts　the　focus　until　it　sharpens　into　position。
　〃Okay；〃　I　say。　〃Now　tell　me　what　we're　doing　here。〃
　〃What　if　Richard　was　right？〃　he　says。　〃What　if　Vincent　stole　the　diary　from　him　thirty　years　ago？〃
　〃He　probably　did。　What　does　it　matter　now？〃
　Paul　brings　me　up　to　speed。　〃Imagine　you're　in　Vincent's　position。　Richard　keeps　telling　you　the　diary　is　the　only　way　to　understand　the　Hypnerotomachia。　You　think　he's　blowing　smoke；　just　a　college　kid　with　an　art　history　degree。　Then　someone　else　shows　up。　Another　scholar。〃
　Paul　says　it　with　a　certain　respect。　I　gather　he's　referring　to　my　father。
　〃Suddenly　you're　the　odd　man　out。　Both　of　them　say　the　diary　is　the　answer。　But　you've　painted　yourself　into　a　corner。　You've　told　Richard　the　diary　is　useless；　that　the　portmaster　was　a　charlatan。　And　more　than　anything；　you　hate　being　wrong。　What　do　you　do　now？〃
　Paul　is　trying　to　convince　me　of　a　possibility　I've　never　had　trouble　accepting：　that　Vincent　Taft　is　a　thief。
　〃I　get　it；〃　I　say。　〃Go　on。〃
　〃So　you　somehow　steal　the　diary。　But　you　can't　make　anything　of　it；　because　you've　been　looking　at　the　Hypnerotomachia　all　wrong。　Without　the　ciphered　messages　from　Francesco；　you　don't　know　what　to　do　with　the　diary。　What　then？〃
　〃I　don't　know。〃
　〃You're　not　going　to　throw　it　away；〃　he　says；　ignoring　me；　〃just　because　you　don't　understand　it。〃
　I　nod　my　agreement。
　〃So　you　keep　it。　Somewhere　safe。　Maybe　the　lockbox　in　your　office。〃
　〃Or　in　your　house。〃
　〃Right。　Then；　years　later；　this　kid　es　along；　and　he　and　his　friend　start　making　progress　on　the　Hypnerotomachia。　More　than　you　expected。　In　fact；　more　than　you　made　in　your　prime。　He　starts　finding　the　messages　from　Francesco。〃
　〃You　start　thinking　the　diary　might　be　useful　after　all。〃
　〃Exactly。〃
　〃And　you　don't　tell　the　kid　about　it；　because　then　he　would　know　you　stole　it。〃
　〃But；〃　Paul　continues；　arriving　at　his　point；　〃say　one　day　someone　found　it。〃
　〃Bill。〃
　Paul　nods。　〃He　was　always　in　Vincent's　office；　at　Vincent's　house；　helping　with　all　the　little　projects　Vincent　made　him　do。　And　he　knew　what　the　diary　meant。　If　he'd　found　it；　he　wouldn't　have　just　put　it　back。〃
　〃He　would've　brought　it　to　you。〃
　〃Right。　And　we　turned　around　and　showed　it　to　Richard。　Then　Richard　confronted　Vincent　at　the　lecture。〃
　I'm　skeptical。　〃But　wouldn't　Taft　have　realized　it　was　gone　before　that？〃
　〃Of　course。　He　had　to　know　Bill　took　it。　But　what　do　you　think　his　reaction　was　when　he　realized　Richard　knew　about　it　too？　The　first　thing　on　his　mind　would've　been　to　go　find　Bill。〃
　Now　I　understand。　〃You　think　he　went　to　Stein's　office　after　the　lecture。〃
　〃Was　Vincent　at　the　reception？〃
　I　take　it　as　a　rhetorical　question　until　I　remember　Paul　wasn't　there；　he'd　already　left　to　find　Stein。
　〃Not　that　I　saw。〃
　〃There's　a　hallway　connecting　Dickinson　and　the　auditorium；〃　he　says。　〃Vincent　didn't　even　have　to　leave　the　building　to　get　there。〃
　Paul　lets　it　sink　in。　The　possibility　drifts　through　my　thoughts　clumsily；　tethered　to　a　thousand　other　details。　〃You　really　think　Taft　killed　him？〃　I　ask。　A　strange　silhouette　forms　from　the　shadows　of　the　room；　Epp　Lang　burying　a　dog　beneath　a　tree。
　Paul　stares　at　the　black　contours　projected　on　the　wall。　〃I　think　he's　capable　of　it。〃
　〃Out　of　anger？〃
　〃I　don't　know。〃　But　he　already　seems　to　have　been　through　all　of　the　scenarios　in　his　mind。　〃Listen；〃　he　says；　〃when　I　was　waiting　for　Bill　at　the　Institute；　I　started　reading　the　diary　more　carefully；　looking　for　every　mention　of　Francesco。〃
　He　flips　it　open　and　inside　the　front　cover　is　a　page　of　notes　he's　made　on　Institute　stationery。
　〃I　found　the　entry　where　the　portmaster　records　the　set　of　directions　the　thief　copied　from　Francesco's　papers。　Genovese　says　they　were　written　on　an　empty　scrap　of　paper；　and　must've　formed　some　kind　of　nautical　route；　something　about　the　path　Francesco's　ship　took。　The　portmaster　tried　to　figure　out　where　the　cargo　must've　e　from　by　working　backward　from　Genoa。〃
　When　Paul　unfolds　the　stationery；　I　can　see　a　pattern　of　arrows　drawn　near　a　pass。
　〃These　are　the　directions。　They're　in　Latin。　They　say：　Four　south；　ten　east；　two　north；　six　west。　Then　they　say　De　Stadio。〃
　〃What's　De　Stadio？〃
　Paul　smiles。　〃I　think　that's　the　key。　The　portmaster　took　it　to　his　cousin；　who　told　him　De　Stadio　was　the　scale　that　went　with　the　directions。　It　can　be　translated　'Of　Stadia；'　meaning　the　directions　are　measured　in　stadia。〃
　〃I　don't　get　it。〃
　〃The　stadium　is　a　unit　of　measurement　from　the　ancient　world；　based　on　the　length　of　a　footrace　in　the　Greek　Olympics。　That's　where　we　get　our　modern　word。　About　six　hundred　feet　is　one　stadium；　so　there　are　between　eight　and　ten　stadia　in　a　mile。〃
　〃So　four　south　means　four　stadia　south。〃
　〃Then　ten　east；　two　north；　and　six　west。　It's　all　four　directions。　Does　it　remind　you　of　something？〃
　It　does：　in　his　final　riddle；　Colonna　referred　to　what　he　called　a　Rule　of　Four；　a　device　that　would　lead　readers　to　his　secret　crypt。　But　we　gave　up　on　finding　it　when　the　text　itself　failed　to　produce　anything　remotely　geographical。
　〃You　think　that's　it？　Those　four　directions？〃
　Paul　nods。　〃But　the　portmaster　was　looking　for　something　on　a　much　bigger　scale；　a　voyage　of　hundreds　and　hundreds　of　miles。　If　Francesco's　directions　are　in　stadia；　then　the　ship　couldn't　have　originated　in　France　or　the　Netherlands。　It　must've　started　its　trip　about　half　a　mile　southeast　of　Genoa。　The　portmaster　knew　that　couldn't　be　right。〃
　I　can　see　Paul's　giddiness；　thinking　he's　done　the　portmaster　one　better。　〃You're　saying　the　directions　were　meant　for　something　else。〃
　He　hardly　pauses。　〃De　Stadio　doesn't　just　have　to　mean　'Of　Stadia。'　De　could　also　mean　'from。'　〃
　He　looks　at　me　expectantly；　but　the　beauty　of　this　new　translation　is　lost　on　me。
　〃Maybe　the　measurements　aren't　just　of　stadia；　or　measured　in　those　units；〃　he　says。　〃Maybe　they're　also　taken　from　a　stadium。　A　stadium　could　be　the　starting　point。　De　Stadio　could　have　a　double　meaning…you　follow　the　directions　from　a　physical　stadium　building；　in　stadia　units。〃
　The　map　of　Rome　projected　on　the　wall　is　ing　into　focus。　The　city　is　littered　with　ancient　arenas。　Colonna　would've　known　it　better　than　any　city　in　the　world。
　〃It　solves　the　scale　problem　the　portmaster　had；〃　Paul　continues。　〃You　can't　measure　the　distance　between　countries　in　a　few　stadia。　But　you　can　measure　the　distance　across　a　city　that　way。　Pliny　says　the　circumference　of　the　Roman　city　walls　in　A。D。　75　was　about　thirteen　miles。　The　entire　city　was　maybe　twenty…five　or　thirty　stadia　across。〃
　〃You　think　that　will　lead　us　to　the　crypt？〃　I　ask。
　〃Francesco　talks　about　building　where　no　one　can　see。　He　doesn't　want　anyone　to　know　what's　inside　it。　This　may　be　the　only　way　to　find　the　location。〃
　Months　of　speculation　return　to　me。　We　spent　many　nights　wondering　why　Colonna　would　build　his　crypt　out　in　the　Roman　forests；　hidden　from　his　family　and　friends；　but　Paul　and　I　never　agreed　about　our　conclusions。
　〃What　if　the　crypt　is　more　than　we　thought？〃　he　says。　〃What　if　the　location　is　the　secret？〃
　〃Then　what's　inside　it？〃　I　say；　reviving　the　question。
　Paul's　demeanor　changes　to　frustration。　〃I　don't　know；　Tom。　I　still　haven't　figured　it　out。〃
　〃I'm　just　saying；　don't　you　think　Colonna　would've…〃
　〃Told　us　what　was　in　the　crypt？　Of　course。　But　the　entire　second　half　of　the　book　depends　on　the　last　cipher；　and　I　can't　solve　it。　Not　alone。　So　this　diary　is　it。　Okay？〃
　I　back　off。
　〃So　all　we　have　to　do；〃　Paul　goes　on；　〃is　look　at　a　few　of　these　maps。　We　start　at　the　major　stadium　areas…the　Coliseum；　the　Circus　Maximus；　and　so　on…and　move　four　stadia　south；　ten　east；　two　north；　and