The 22nd Secret (118 page)

“Thank you, Tom. Thank you for everything you’ve done for Pam and for me. Thank you, and I won’t let you or anyone one else down. I’ll take good care of Pam and you’re coming to the wedding. We won’t take no for an answer.”

Tom laughed as he shook Jim’s hand. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

“And you,” he said, turning to Bill. “You’ll be my best man.” He suddenly turned and jogged back to the lodge, leaving Tom laughing and Bill speechless with his mouth open.

“Well, I guess that means it’s time for us to leave, partner.” Tom patted Bill on the back and walked around the plane. He pulled himself into the cabin and sat down.

Bill watched his friend disappear behind the door before he got in the plane. He knew he was right when he said this was a strange day. He wondered how much stranger the day could get.

“How do you like your steak?” Bill asked, “and what do you mean,
partner
?” He started the plane to let the engine warm up for takeoff.

“I’ll make you another bet,” Tom said above the sound of the idling engine. “Next time you see your friend Jim, he’s going to sell me his lodge. I’m retiring from government service and I think I’d like to run a place like this. Only thing is I’d need a partner to help me run it, someone who knows the area. Teach me about the fishing, that sort of thing. I figure you’d like to be my partner. I put up the money, you guide the fishing parties. What do you think partner?”

Tom opened his attaché case and set a blue file down on Bill’s lap. The label read:
Security Clearance
,
William Keller
,
Level 21 Technologies
He was right. This day was getting stranger and stranger. “You a bit confused, Bill?”

Bill looked at Tom with a bewildered look. “Just a bit.”

“I’ll explain what’s going on as we fly back to Bear Breath. Trust me, it’ll make sense eventually, sort of, anyway. You got a family? Kids and a wife, right?”

“That’s right.”

“If we’re going to be partners I’d like to meet your wife. It’s been a long time since I’ve been around family. How about inviting me over to your house for that steak?”

“I’ll have to ask my wife, just a second.” Bill picked up the radio microphone and set the receiver frequency to the receiver at his house. His wife answered quickly, as though she was standing by the radio for him to call.

“We have a guest for dinner,” Bill said.

“You can’t mean Walker,” a voice came over the radio.

“I do mean Walker, and he can hear you.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“I’m going to stop by the store and pick up a few T-bones. You need fries?”

“Oh, Bill honey. We can’t afford that. I’ve already got hamburger out. I was planning spaghetti. I can make that stretch for one more. Will that be okay?"

“Spaghetti’s fine.” Tom said with a chuckle.

“Spaghetti’s fine. We’ll be there in a couple of hours.” Bill replaced the microphone and began to taxi the plane into position for takeoff.

“I’m going to assume this day is going to get even stranger before it’s over,” Bill said as the plane lifted off and Walker began to explain.

Chapter Ten

Intimacy

J
i
m rush
e
d in
t
o the lod
g
e
a
nd s
e
t
P
a
m’s suitc
a
se
d
ow
n
,
c
los
i
ng
the do
o
r behind h
i
m. He
h
ea
rd the
e
n
g
ine of
B
i
l
l’s plane
sta
r
t as he
ca
l
l
e
d
o
u
t
.

“
P
a
m
?
”

He
looked
a
r
o
und the m
a
in r
o
om of the
lodge, but she
w
a
s nowh
e
re
to be
f
o
und.

“
P
a
m, wh
e
re
a
r
e
y
ou
?
”

He
w
a
lk
e
d o
v
e
r to the
st
a
ir
s
, th
i
nking
she mi
g
ht h
a
ve
g
o
n
e
up the
r
e
.
F
o
r a mo
m
e
n
t
, Jim f
e
a
r
e
d
a
ll
of this
m
i
g
ht
h
a
ve
b
e
e
n a
d
r
ea
m
.
B
ut he
c
ould
st
i
ll
h
ea
r
B
i
l
l’s pl
a
ne w
a
rmi
n
g
u
p
. Th
a
t w
a
sn’t a
d
r
ea
m.

“
P
a
m
y
ou up th
e
r
e
?
” he
y
e
l
l
e
d up t
h
e
stairs.

“
Ov
e
r
h
e
r
e
,
J
i
m
.
I
’m in the
ki
t
c
h
e
n.”

J
i
m
t
u
r
n
e
d to s
e
e
P
a
m s
t
a
nding
in
t
he
op
e
ni
n
g
to
t
he
din
i
ng
r
oom. T
h
e
re
w
a
s no w
a
y
a human mind could poss
i
b
l
y
re
t
a
in
t
he
memo
r
y
of
h
e
r b
e
a
u
t
y
.
I
n just
the
f
e
w moments b
e
tw
ee
n wh
e
n he
h
a
d
s
ee
n
h
e
r st
a
nding
on the po
r
c
h
a
nd
n
o
w
, standing
ac
ross the
r
oo
m
, he
h
a
d fo
r
g
ot
t
e
n the image
of her b
ea
u
t
y
.
Ev
e
r
y
t
i
me he
saw
h
e
r it
w
a
s a new b
r
e
a
th
t
a
king
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
.
S
he
w
a
s sm
i
l
i
n
g
, the h
a
ppiness
a
n
d
e
x
hi
l
a
r
a
t
i
on she
fe
lt
b
e
a
med f
r
om
h
e
r b
e
a
ut
i
ful
ma
g
i
c
a
l
e
y
e
s.

“
I
’m sta
r
vi
n
g
,”
s
h
e
said.
“
I
h
a
v
e
n
’t h
a
d
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
t
o
ea
t s
i
n
c
e
b
r
ea
k
f
a
st and
I
w
a
s too wo
r
ri
e
d to r
e
a
l
l
y
ea
t a
n
y
t
hing
then.
I
’m
m
a
king
us
some
B
L
T
s
.”

“
G
r
e
a
t
,
I
’ll t
a
ke
two
a
nd
some
c
hips.
I
’ll be
r
i
g
ht
t
h
e
re
to help
y
o
u
.
I
’m
g
o
i
ng
dow
n
stairs
a
nd turn up the
heat.”

“Good id
ea
,
”
she c
a
l
l
e
d
out
t
o him
a
s he
wa
lked
downstai
r
s
.
“
B
ui
l
d up the
f
ire.
I
t’s too
c
hi
l
l
y
in he
r
e
f
or
me to t
a
ke
m
y
c
lo
t
h
e
s of
f
.”
J
im
looked b
ac
k
a
nd she
c
a
u
ght h
i
s
e
y
e
s.
H
e sudd
e
n
l
y
f
e
lt
the p
a
ss
i
o
n
a
te d
e
sire
t
h
a
t
h
a
d
g
ro
w
n
with
i
n
h
e
r
ov
e
r
the
p
a
st
y
ea
r. She
disap
p
ea
r
e
d in
t
o the din
i
ng
r
oo
m
, le
a
ving
J
im
standing
quiet
l
y
a
lone with
the thou
g
ht
o
f h
e
r.

J
i
m r
eca
l
l
e
d the h
u
ge
bl
a
z
e
he
h
a
d made
the n
i
g
ht
he
a
nd
P
a
m w
e
re
snowb
o
und while he pi
l
e
d wood on the
f
ir
e
.