The 22nd Secret (23 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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Ho
wa
rd
a
nd H
e
n
r
y
w
e
r
e
in
I
d
a
ho to
a
dd number
7
to
t
h
e
ir
g
roup.
T
h
e
se
da
n turn
e
d off the
r
o
a
d
a
t
t
he
Koll
e
r po
t
a
to f
a
rm
a
nd sl
o
w
l
y
a
p
p
r
o
ac
h
e
d the tw
o
-
sto
r
y
wh
i
te
fa
rmhouse
with a r
e
d b
a
rn.
Roland
Koller
op
e
n
e
d the door
a
nd inv
i
ted the
two men into
t
he
r
oo
m
. He
shook h
a
nds with
eac
h
a
nd in
t
rod
u
ce
d
his wife. The
Kolle
r
s in
s
p
ec
ted their
identifi
c
a
t
i
on, whi
c
h
c
ould have b
ee
n f
a
k
e
d for
a
ll
th
e
y
k
n
e
w
.

 


W
ould
y
ou
a
ll
l
i
ke
some
lemon
a
de
?

Hilda
K
ol
l
e
r
a
ske
d
.


Y
e
s, thank
y
ou
,

H
e
n
r
y
a
nsw
e
r
e
d
.
S
he
turn
e
d
a
n
d
le
f
t for
the kitch
e
n
a
nd
Roland s
a
t down on his
c
h
a
ir, oppo
s
i
t
e
the
c
ou
c
h. Ho
w
a
rd
a
n
d H
e
n
r
y
took
t
he
hint
a
n
d sat do
w
n
. A mo
m
e
nt of
a
wk
w
a
rd silen
c
e f
e
ll
o
v
e
r th
e
m as
Roland
e
y
e
d
his
g
u
e
st
s
.


As
w
e
mentioned in the
letter
a
nd our
tel
e
phone
c
onv
e
rs
a
t
i
o
n
,”
D
r.
W
oolum
said.

W
e hop
e
d to
t
a
lk wi
t
h
y
our
d
a
u
g
h
t
e
r
,
P
a
mel
a
.
I
s s
h
e
h
e
r
e
?


Y
e
s, she is.”
Roland
a
n
s
w
e
r
e
d
a
s his wife
r
e
turn
e
d with
a
tr
a
y
a
nd b
e
g
a
n
s
e
rving
e
v
e
r
y
on
e
.

B
ut
m
y
wi
f
e
a
nd
I
would l
i
ke
to
t
a
lk wi
t
h
y
ou
a
l
o
ne
fi
r
st. Our
d
a
u
g
h
t
e
r is on
l
y s
e
v
e
nte
e
n
a
nd, w
e
l
l
, we
know she
is
s
p
ec
ial
a
nd
s
omed
a
y
som
e
th
i
ng
l
i
ke
t
hi
s
–”


W
e

r
e
c
on
c
e
rn
e
d
a
bout
h
e
r
g
oing a
w
a
y
,

Hilda
i
nte
r
rupt
e
d. “
S
h
e
’s our
o
n
l
y
c
hi
l
d.”


I
’m
D
r.
Ho
wa
rd Wool
u
m
. As
I
e
x
plain
e
d in
t
he
letter,
y
our
da
u
g
h
t
e
r h
a
s
b
ee
n sel
e
c
ted to pa
r
t
i
c
ipate
a
s
a
n in
t
e
rn
th
i
s su
m
mer
in a sp
ec
ial
p
r
ogr
a
m of the
u
t
m
ost
i
mport
a
n
c
e
to
t
he United S
t
a
tes
G
ov
e
rnm
e
nt. On
l
y
ten v
e
r
y
spe
c
i
a
l
y
o
u
n
g
p
e
op
l
e
f
rom thro
u
g
hout
t
he
c
ount
r
y h
a
ve
b
e
e
n sel
ec
t
e
d. This
i
s quite
a
n honor
f
or
y
our
d
a
u
g
h
t
e
r. She
will
p
a
rti
c
ipate
in ve
r
y i
m
port
a
nt and
a
dv
a
n
c
e
d
c
ompu
t
e
r
re
s
ea
r
c
h. To be
to
t
a
l
l
y
hon
e
st with
y
ou,
I
b
e
l
i
e
ve
y
our d
a
u
g
h
t
e
r is the b
e
st
y
ou
n
g
m
i
nd in
t
his field
in
t
he
c
ount
r
y
.
S
h
e
could have
a
brilliant
f
uture
in r
e
s
e
a
r
c
h.”


W
e
know
a
ll
a
bout our
d
a
u
g
h
t
e
r

s e
x
ce
pt
i
on
a
l
a
bi
l
i
t
ies
a
nd
a
re
hono
re
d
b
y
y
o
ur inv
i
tation.” Rol
a
nd spoke
with con
c
e
rn in his vo
i
ce
.

B
ut
m
y
wife
a
nd
I
fe
e
l, w
e
l
l
, she
ha
s m
i
ssed so much
a
lr
ea
d
y
.
I
m
e
a
n a
n
o
rm
a
l
c
hi
l
d h
e
r a
g
e
would
b
e
d
a
t
i
ng
h
i
gh s
c
hool b
o
y
s and th
i
nking
a
bout
t
he
prom.
S
h
e

s had
none
of t
h
e
se
oppo
r
tun
i
t
i
e
s
.
F
or
the l
a
s
t four
y
e
a
rs s
h
e

s b
e
e
n
a
w
a
y
a
t
c
ol
le
g
e
w
h
e
re
s
h
e
w
a
s t
o
o
y
ou
n
g
t
o fit in. Don

t get me
w
ro
n
g
,
w
e

re
v
e
r
y
p
roud
of
h
e
r s
c
holastic
ac
hie
v
e
ments
a
nd
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
.
But she

s
h
a
d no l
i
fe
outs
i
de
of s
c
hool. And h
e
r mothe
r
, w
e
ll
wh
e
n do
e
s she
g
e
t
h
e
r litt
l
e
g
irl b
a
c
k
?
H
e
r mother
a
nd
I
w
a
nted h
e
r to st
a
y
with us.
C
ol
l
e
ge
c
ould w
a
it
she
wa
s on
l
y
f
ourt
ee
n.
S
he
h
a
d no
f
r
ie
n
ds.
S
he
w
a
s al
w
a
y
s
a
h
e
a
d of
e
v
e
r
y
o
n
e
e
lse. All she
h
a
d w
a
s h
e
r bo
o
k
s.
S
he
on
l
y
w
a
n
t
e
d to
g
o
to school th
a
t’s
a
ll
she
e
v
e
r
r
e
a
l
l
y
ca
r
e
d
a
bout.
S
h
e
’s v
e
r
y
c
om
p
e
t
i
t
i
ve
that w
a
y
.
S
o h
e
r mother
a
nd
I
let
h
e
r
g
o.
A
c
tual
l
y
,
we
w
e
re
r
e
l
i
e
v
e
d wh
e
n h
e
r m
a
s
t
e
r

s thesis
w
a
s r
e
j
e
c
ted.
W
e
hop
e
d
s
he
would
c
ome home
f
o
r
a
fe
w
y
e
a
rs th
e
n r
e
turn to school if she
w
a
nted.
T
o be
p
e
r
f
e
c
t
l
y
ho
n
e
st with
y
ou, D
r
.
W
ool
u
m,
P
a
m w
a
s quite surp
r
ised to r
e
ce
ive
y
our
inv
i
tati
o
n
a
ft
e
r she
f
a
i
l
e
d to r
ece
ive
h
e
r m
a
st
e
r

s.
W
e
fee
l
i
t
m
i
g
ht be b
e
st for
P
a
m
t
o hold off
on
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
e
lse
for
a
while.”

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