The 22nd Secret (101 page)

“
Th
e
r
e
.”
B
i
l
l
poin
t
e
d
to
t
he
b
a
se
of t
h
e
bri
d
g
e
a
nd
looked
a
t a
b
a
r
e
slope on
the oth
e
r side of
the
ra
vine.
“
S
now slide
ca
me d
o
wn th
a
t s
l
ope
a
nd pi
l
e
d up a
bun
c
h of s
n
ow
a
nd d
e
b
r
is
a
g
a
inst the b
a
se
of this bri
d
g
e
.
S
ee
?
”
B
i
l
l po
i
nted to the midd
l
e wood
e
n b
r
idge s
u
pport. Tom
on
l
y
s
a
w it
a
ft
e
r
B
i
l
l po
i
nted it ou
t
.

“
Kno
c
k
e
d t
h
a
t
m
idd
l
e
tr
e
st
l
e
off i
t
s bas
e
. D
a
mn,
Mitch
e
l
l
’s
g
oi
n
g
to be p
i
ssed.”
B
i
l
l h
ea
d
e
d
b
ac
k to
t
he
c
a
t w
i
th Tom
tr
a
il
i
ng
r
i
g
ht
b
e
h
i
nd.
B
i
l
l
looked
a
t h
i
s w
a
t
c
h wh
e
n he
g
ot
b
ac
k in
t
o the
ca
t. “
W
e
l
l
,
I
’m not
g
oi
n
g
to be
a
ble to
g
e
t
y
o
u to Mi
t
c
h
e
l
l
’s
b
y
1:00
that’s
f
or
sur
e
.
I
ca
n
’
t risk
t
a
ki
n
g
the
c
a
t
o
v
e
r th
a
t bri
d
g
e
. M
i
g
ht br
i
ng
the
w
ho
l
e
th
i
ng
down.
Mitch
e
l
l
’s
g
oi
n
g
to be
rea
l
m
a
d.
He
t
old
t
hose
D
e
p
a
rtme
n
t of the
I
nt
e
r
ior j
e
rks
if th
e
y
let them log
that slope somed
a
y
a
sl
i
de
would
c
ome do
w
n h
e
r
e
a
nd take
out
t
his brid
g
e
.
I
t’s
a
n o
l
d n
a
r
r
ow
g
a
u
g
e r
a
i
l
ro
a
d bri
d
g
e
,
d
ec
k
e
d
o
v
e
r
f
or
u
s
e
b
y
v
e
hicl
e
s.
S
a
id he
’
d sue
the lo
d
g
i
n
g
c
ompa
n
y
too and
I
b
e
t he
wil
l
.”

“
W
h
a
t now,
S
h
e
ri
f
f
?
”
Tom
a
sked.

“
W
e
c
ould snowshoe
the
last ten miles. The
bridge
would p
r
ob
a
b
l
y
hold up
t
he
w
e
i
g
ht of a
ma
n
, but
I
’m
a
ssu
m
i
n
g
y
o
u thr
e
e
don
’
t ha
v
e
a
n
y
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
c
e
with snowsh
o
e
s. Ev
e
n if
y
ou di
d
, that would take
s
a
y
a
t
lea
st
four
hou
r
s and
in four
hours
I
ca
n doub
l
e
b
ac
k
a
n hour
or so
a
nd
t
a
ke a
dif
fe
r
e
nt ro
a
d to Mi
t
c
h
e
l
l
’s.
N
ot used mu
c
h
, but
i
t doesn
’
t have
a
n
y
bri
d
g
e
s. Ei
t
h
e
r
w
a
y
y
o
u
’
r
e look
i
ng
a
t
g
e
t
t
i
n
g
the
re
,
s
a
y
4:00
.”

“
Ok
a
y
, if th
a
t’s o
u
r on
l
y
opt
i
on lets
ge
t
m
ovin
g
.
”
Tom said.

“
Ri
g
ht,
I
’ll
r
a
dio
J
im
to
t
e
ll
him
a
bout
t
he
d
e
l
a
y
.
He
is
g
oi
n
g
to be pissed
a
bout
t
his b
r
id
g
e
.
”
B
i
l
l
b
e
g
a
n b
a
c
king
the
ca
t down the
r
o
a
d
to a pl
ac
e
h
e
c
ould
t
u
r
n
a
roun
d
.

Tom thou
g
ht M
i
tch
e
l
l
’s
m
i
sfo
r
tune
wa
s a
v
e
r
y
f
o
rtu
n
a
te bit of lu
c
k for
h
i
m. He
w
a
s wo
r
ri
e
d how
h
e
c
ould de
l
a
y
t
h
e
inevitable
c
o
n
f
r
o
n
tation wi
t
h Mitch
e
ll
unt
i
l
B
e
n
a
nd
P
a
t
t
y
’s plane
d
e
p
a
rt
e
d
a
t about
6
:0
0
. This w
a
s ve
r
y
f
o
r
tu
n
a
te. Ti
m
ing
w
a
s eve
r
y
th
i
ng
a
nd
h
e
h
a
d just b
ee
n
g
iven the
f
o
u
r p
r
e
c
i
ous hou
r
s he
nee
d
e
d to
m
a
ke
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
ng fit. He
c
h
ec
k
e
d his w
a
t
c
h o
cca
sional
l
y
, knowi
n
g
B
i
l
l would e
x
p
ec
t con
ce
rn
a
bout
t
he
d
e
l
a
y
. At
12:35
he
re
c
e
ived
H
e
n
r
y
’s si
g
n
a
l.
P
a
t
t
y
w
a
s in
t
he
h
a
nds of the
Chines
e
.
H
e
hop
e
d his f
r
iend
H
a
nk h
a
d made
it
o
u
t of th
e
r
e
.

B
e
n
a
nd
P
a
t
t
y
a
r
r
ived
b
a
c
k
a
t
t
he
w
a
i
t
i
n
g
S
ubur
b
a
n
a
t 4:30. Th
e
y
w
e
r
e
dri
v
e
n to
t
he hotel, wh
e
re
th
e
y
c
h
a
n
g
e
d in
t
o busin
e
ss att
i
re
a
nd p
r
o
cee
d
e
d to
t
he
a
irp
o
rt to bo
a
rd th
e
ir
f
l
i
g
ht with
C
hinese
dip
l
omatic p
a
ssports.
As th
e
y
sat in th
e
ir
f
irs
t
-c
lass
s
ea
t
s
, th
e
y
didn’t notice
the p
a
sse
n
g
e
r
with an
A
me
r
i
ca
n
dip
l
omatic p
a
ssport
s
i
t
t
i
ng
in
t
he
c
ro
w
d
e
d
fi
r
s
t
-c
lass s
ec
t
i
on. Rob
e
rt Ch
a
n w
a
s a
y
ou
n
g
e
c
on
o
m
i
st assi
g
n
e
d to
t
he
Am
e
ri
ca
n Emb
a
s
s
y
in
B
e
i
j
ing. He
w
a
s
a
l
so H
e
n
r
y
L
o
’
s son
a
nd number
e
ight
of the
small
g
roup.
As
the
K
o
rea
n
J
e
t cli
m
b
e
d
t
o
c
ruising
a
l
t
i
t
ude ov
e
r int
e
rn
a
t
i
on
a
l
w
a
te
r
s
,
he
looked
a
t h
i
s w
a
tch.
He
si
g
n
a
led Tom
a
t 6
:
20.
The
Chinese
h
a
d suc
c
e
ssful
l
y
g
ot
t
e
n
P
a
t
t
y
a
nd h
e
r
c
ompu
te
r disks out of the
United S
t
a
tes mom
e
nts ah
ea
d of Tom’s o
r
d
e
rs to
c
h
ec
k
a
ll
ou
t
g
oi
n
g
f
l
i
g
hts
a
nd the
Co
a
st Gu
a
rd
’
s bo
a
rding of
the Chin
e
se r
e
s
e
a
r
c
h v
e
s
s
e
l as it
s
te
a
med
a
w
a
y
f
rom
A
laska
i
nto
i
nte
r
n
a
t
i
on
a
l w
a
te
r
s.