Q: What was the atmosphere in the building when Fache was showing you the crime scene?
of ways to convince Fache that I didn’t commit the crime. But the man had brought me all the way here and had a placed a tracking chip on me, he must have been dead set on his opinion.
A: Fache was the type of guy who would put you in awkward moment of silences. I felt safe beside a very respected member of the CDPD (Central Directorate Judicial Police). The rooms were gleaming in way that made you feel like you were in a spy movie. It had like a spooky kind of glow to it.
Q: Sophie told you that she and her grandfather were both in danger and her grandfather died. Why would you go with her if you knew she was in danger? Wouldn’t that put you in danger too?
Q: Can you describe your relationship with Inspector Fache? A: In fact before the investigation I haven’t had met him. I had read about him in the paper a couple of times, about his high profile arrests and unique way of bringing criminals to justice. As I spent more and more time with him at the crime scene, I started to grow less fond of him. He always wanted things to go his way, and he was a very persistent man. Then once Sophie told me about his plans, I felt a strong hatred towards the man: for his ignorance and stupidly for blaming me for the crime!
Q: After accepting the invitation to come to France to take part in the investigation, Sophie told you that Fache was accusing you of the murder. What made you believe Sophie’s revelation? A: The tracking chip that was in my pocket made me realize that Sophie was telling the truth. I thought in my head why would they track me if they knew I was innocent?
A: The US embassy was only 2 miles away. Then I would be free. It felt like I was in one of those movies where you break out of prison. I needed a moment of action in my life, considering that my entire life was all around academics. Also I did not want to go to jail and the embassy was a safe heaven and both of us would be safe there. We both wouldn’t have been safe in the museum.
Q: Using your knowledge of symbols you were able to determine that the code was related to the Mona Lisa. What specific clue broke the code that Jacques Sauneire left before he died? A: I had written many papers about Leonardo Da Vinci and the symbols embedded in his work. The sign that the curator wrote was related to Leonardo’s famous drawing: the Vitruvian Man. So I immediately thought if the symbol is from Leonardo’s drawing, the code that he left behind might be too. Also at the time I had believed that the Mona Lisa had a much deeper meaning than just a well-known painting. So in my head I thought that these two might be related.
Q: How did you feel when Sophie told you that Fache was looking to arrest you for the crime? A: When she first told me the news I though that she was playing a joke on me. I had felt so betrayed and fooled. I had never been fooled this badly ever in my life. I also felt very defensive because I did not commit the crime. I was thinking in my mind
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