FOR THE RETURN JOURNEY, they split into two groups. Antonia, of her own free will, decided to accompany Sephy, so she wouldn't feel alone and also wanting to gradually get a feel for her character, hoping to understand the depth of the trust she had placed in her.
Colmenares was not at all happy about having to part ways with Antonia, not only because the cryptographer's presence was enough to put him in a good mood, but also because he believed it would be more prudent for the three of them to travel together, devising a plan before arriving in Madrid. Despite everything, Antonia insisted she couldn't leave the young woman alone. She thought she might do something crazy, like contact the police because she believed they were trying to trick her. To avoid surprises and unnecessary problems, they finally accepted the suggestion of traveling in pairs.
For Gregory Evans, it didn't matter. His only desire was to know if Candice and Umbert were okay as soon as possible; the rest was unimportant. However, traveling alone with the lawyer would allow him to question Antonia's life a little more deeply and determine her true role in the matter. The fact that Candice had decided this wasn't enough reason to put her in charge of the investigation, no, because, in reality, it was they — Candice, Monroe, and himself — who had deciphered the manuscript's enigma and found the secret chamber beneath the Vélez chapel. They were, perhaps, the only ones harmed so far, not counting, of course, the dead.
The credit was theirs. They wouldn't let anyone steal their moment of glory once they managed to unmask The Widow's Sons and bring them before the judge.
Perhaps that's why, as soon as they set off, he felt the need to be communicative with the person who would be his traveling companion for so many hours.
— Tell me, Nicolas... who is Antônia Sala really and why did Clarice hide from me that she was thinking of hiring a cryptographer while I was risking my life to protect Viana's reputation?
He was direct, no holds barred. His best weapon was the element of surprise, as he knew the lawyer liked to react to questions— lightning fast. He couldn't lie when he wasn't given time to think about his answer.
— What? Oh, yes... — he hesitated for a few seconds — ...I see you've already realized.
— We Americans are not as stupid as you Europeans believe we are.
— Well, actually, it's my fault — he admitted quietly. — When I heard about the mess you and Monroe had gotten into, I decided to call a friend who works at the Ministry of the Interior and ask him for a small favor. He wanted to put me in touch with a leading figure in the world of medieval cryptography and secret brotherhoods, taking advantage of her good relationship with the Minister of Culture. She recommended Antonia, a great friend of yours, author of several books on the history of Freemasonry and alchemy, and a participant in important debates and conferences in various cities around the world. Her resume is enviable, I assure you...
He clicked his tongue:
— ...Clarice had already asked Hijarrubia for the favor hours before I did, so I didn't object when she proposed that I be her replacement in the eyes of her colleagues in...
— Was her work at the auction house really a front? — he interrupted to clarify that point.
— In part... — Colmenares replied, — ...the intention was for her to take Viana's place until the day of the auction, and, on the other hand, she would professionally analyze Toledo's manuscript. It wasn't that she suspected Viana's method, or yours, which, in the end, must have been the same. I simply wanted to find a coherent meaning in the text's enigmatic phrases. Neither Antônia nor I had time to read it. However, as Clarice told us, it was an absurd codex that made no sense. She wanted to show it to us, but she was murdered before she had the opportunity. —
The detective still didn't understand.
— So, if your intentions were different... why did you allow me to carry out my plan to search beneath the Velez chapel?
— She needed to consider all possibilities — his interlocutor replied, without taking his eyes off the road. — So to speak, she thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to open another line of investigation. Antônia would have to analyze all the evidence you sent to make a credible scientific assessment. I don't want you to judge her poorly, especially now that she's dead. She never doubted your interpretation of the text, but she needed someone capable of explaining the meaning of those words to her... — He then turned his head to look him in the eye briefly. — ...what Clarice never knew is that you were on the right track. —
Gregory Evans was unable to offer any recriminations, though he felt somewhat disappointed. In any case, he tried to absorb the blow, downplaying its significance.
— All that strategy was for nothing. Those bastards have been smarter than us.
Having said that, he remained silent as he surveyed the surroundings of the Espinardo university campus ahead. Colmenares breathed a sigh of relief. Had he continued the interrogation, Evans might have extracted the truth: that Antonia worked for the National Intelligence Center. And that would have been a disaster. A few hours later, after eating at a cafeteria located at a gas station on the outskirts of Taracón, where they stopped for gas, they arrived in Madrid without further incident, except for a light rain lashing the windows.
It was almost eleven o'clock, and Antonia decided that everyone should return home and rest until the next day. She and young Sephy said goodbye to the men on Castellana Avenue, agreeing to meet again at the Hiperión office after lunch, taking advantage of the fact that some of the employees were on indefinite leave.