The Templar legacy

ET IN ARCADIA EGO

"And in Arcadia I," Malone said, translating the Latin. "That makes no sense."

"Precisely," Claridon noted. "Which would lead one to conclude that the words are concealing something else."

Malone understood. "An anagram?"

"Quite common in Bigou's time. After all, it's doubtful Bigou would have left a message that easy to decipher."

"What about the words in the center?"

Claridon jotted them onto the pad.

" Reddis means 'to give back, to restore something previously taken.' But it's also Latin for 'Rennes.' Regis derives from rex, which is 'king.' Cella refers to a storeroom. Arcis stems from arx -a stronghold, fortress, citadel. A lot can be made of each, but together they make no sense. Then there's the arrow that connects p-s at the top with pr?-cum. I have no idea what the p-s means. The pr?-cum translates as 'pray to come.' "

"What is that symbol at the bottom?" Stephanie asked. "Looks like an octopus."

Claridon shook his head. "A spider, madame. But its significance escapes me."

"What about the other stone?" Malone asked.

"The left one stood upright over the grave and was the most visible. Remember, Bigou served Marie d'Hautpoul for many years. He was extraordinarily loyal to her and took two years to produce this headstone, yet almost every line in it contains an error. Masons of that day were prone to mistakes, but this many? No way the abbe would have allowed them to remain."

"So the errors are part of the message?" Malone asked.

"It would seem. Look here. Her name is wrong. She was not Marie de Negre d'Arles dame d'Haupoul. She was Marie de Negri d'Ables d'Hautpoul. Many of the other words are also truncated. Letters are raised and dropped for no reason. But look at the date."

Malone studied the Roman numerals.