The 22nd Secret (100 page)

“
Come on,
P
a
t
t
y
.
W
e
’ve
g
ot a pl
a
n
e
to c
a
t
c
h in
A
n
c
hora
g
e
.
We
’ve
g
ot
t
o
h
u
r
r
y
.”
B
e
n h
e
ld
P
a
t
t
y
a
round
t
h
e
sh
o
ulder
a
s th
e
y
r
a
n tow
a
rd
t
he
ca
t
. Th
e
y
str
u
g
g
l
e
d to s
ta
y
b
a
l
a
n
ce
d
a
s th
e
y l
i
ft
e
d their
le
g
s h
i
g
h
a
b
o
ve
the d
ee
p sn
o
w
w
i
t
h
e
a
c
h st
e
p. The
driv
e
r h
a
d
got
t
e
n in and sta
r
ted the
ca
t wh
e
n
h
e
saw
them
r
u
nning
tow
a
rd i
t
. He
a
c
ce
l
e
r
a
ted
a
s soon as th
e
y
w
e
re
sa
f
e
l
y
ins
i
d
e
.
P
a
t
t
y looked out the
w
indow
a
t
H
e
n
r
y
f
ac
i
n
g
the two
re
maining
Chines
e
.
S
he
tu
r
n
e
d h
e
r he
a
d
a
w
a
y.

“
You look wo
r
ri
e
d
,
”
said
B
e
n.
“
I
s eve
r
y
th
i
ng
o
k
a
y
?
”

“
The
last f
e
w d
a
y
s ha
v
e
b
ee
n ho
r
ribl
e
.
B
e
n
,
y
ou
d
on’t know
wh
a
t
I
’
v
e b
ee
n throu
g
h
.
”

S
he
laid h
e
r h
e
a
d on his
s
houlder
a
nd he
put h
i
s a
r
m a
r
ound h
e
r
a
nd h
e
ld h
e
r
c
lose.
“
I
’
ll
be
ok
a
y
. At le
a
st
I
’m
w
i
t
h
y
ou n
o
w."

“
I
know
w
h
a
t
y
ou
n
ee
d
,
”
B
e
n said
g
iv
i
n
g
P
a
t
t
y
a
s
qu
ee
z
e
.
“
You
’
ll
f
ee
l bet
t
e
r toni
g
ht.”

S
he
kn
e
w he
w
a
s talking
a
bout s
e
x
. The
thou
g
ht repulsed h
e
r.

H
e
n
r
y
stood mo
t
ion
l
e
ss
l
y
ten
y
a
rds
a
w
a
y
f
rom t
h
e
two Chinese
men
a
s
B
e
n
a
nd
P
a
t
t
y
’s
ca
t d
i
s
a
pp
e
a
r
e
d in
t
o the
f
o
re
st. He
w
a
i
t
e
d with h
i
s ha
n
ds in the big
po
c
k
e
ts
of
his p
a
rka
f
o
r the sl
i
g
htest mov
e
ment. Th
e
y
w
a
i
t
e
d for
him
to
t
u
r
n
a
nd w
a
lk ba
c
k to h
i
s c
a
t.
The
stando
f
f
e
nd
e
d wh
e
n one
of t
h
e
Chinese
men g
a
ve
i
n
. As he
r
e
a
c
h
e
d in
t
o his
c
o
a
t
, H
e
n
r
y
p
ul
l
e
d his h
a
nds out of his po
c
k
e
ts
a
nd r
a
ised his
nine
-
mi
l
l
i
met
e
r in his ri
g
ht hand.
H
e
ste
a
died it
with
his
le
f
t and pulled the t
r
ig
g
e
r
, hi
t
t
i
ng
the m
a
n in
t
he
m
i
ddle of
his fo
re
h
ea
d
. At
a
l
m
ost
t
he
same
ins
t
a
n
t
, the oth
e
r Chinese
man h
a
d pul
l
e
d
his p
i
stol
out f
r
om under
his co
a
t and l
e
v
e
led it at
H
e
n
r
y
’s
c
h
e
st. H
e
n
r
y turn
e
d,
a
i
m
e
d,
a
nd
g
ot o
f
f
a
nother
shot dir
e
c
t
l
y
a
t
the
ce
nter
o
f the
other
m
a
n
’
s fo
r
e
h
ea
d
a
t
t
he s
a
me inst
a
nt
t
he
Chinese
h
a
d
g
ot h
i
s shot
of
f
. All
t
h
re
e
men
f
e
ll
b
ac
k
w
a
rds
f
r
om
t
he
f
o
r
c
e
of
the bul
l
e
ts
si
m
ul
t
a
n
e
ous
l
y
.
T
he
e
nt
i
re
seq
u
e
n
c
e
took no
m
o
r
e
than a
s
e
c
ond.
H
e
n
r
y
h
e
ld on
t
o
c
ons
c
iousn
e
ss
l
ong
e
no
u
g
h to pr
a
y
for
P
a
m
’
s su
c
ce
s
s
. He
died
a
s the snow
fe
ll
on his mo
t
ion
l
e
ss op
e
n
e
y
e
s.

B
i
l
l brou
g
ht
t
he
ca
t
t
o a
s
top
j
ust be
f
o
r
e
c
rossi
n
g
a
short b
r
idge ov
e
r
a
d
ee
p
r
a
vine.

“
W
h
a
t’s w
r
o
n
g
?
”
Tom
a
sked.

“
I
’m
g
oi
n
g
to ch
e
c
k
t
his brid
g
e
b
e
fo
r
e
we
c
ross it
.
”
B
i
l
l said
a
s he
g
ot out
o
f the
ca
t. Tom
g
ot out
a
ft
e
r him
a
nd f
o
l
l
ow
e
d him
to
t
he
e
d
g
e
of
t
he
ra
vine.
“
D
a
mn
l
ook
a
t
tha
t
,”
he
s
a
id ov
e
r the sound of
the idl
i
ng
ca
t.

“
W
h
a
t
?
”
Tom
a
sked.