The 22nd Secret (25 page)

“
D
a
d
d
y
,
I
h
ea
rd
y
ou
r
a
i
s
e
y
o
u
r voi
ce
.
I
s eve
r
y
th
i
n
g
ok
a
y
?
”
P
a
me
l
a
Koller
a
sked
f
r
om h
a
lfw
a
y
up the stai
r
s.
S
h
e
wo
r
e
suitable
f
a
rm
c
lo
t
hs, a
w
e
ste
r
n shirt
a
nd t
i
ght fitt
i
ng
blue j
ea
ns both fl
a
t
t
e
ring
h
e
r
y
ou
n
g p
e
r
f
e
c
t
l
y
p
ropo
r
t
i
on
e
d b
od
y
.
H
e
r lo
n
g
blond hair
w
a
s pulled b
ac
k in a po
n
y
tail
t
h
a
t hu
n
g
down
h
e
r b
a
c
k.
H
e
r
f
a
c
e
w
a
s
n
oth
i
ng
less than
g
o
r
g
e
ou
s
, but her
most strik
i
ng
f
e
a
ture
w
a
s her
e
y
e
s. T
h
e
y
w
e
re
noth
i
n
g
less than m
e
sme
r
i
z
in
g
.
H
ow
a
rd
a
nd
H
e
n
r
y stood
a
nd st
a
r
e
d
a
s s
h
e
c
ont
i
nu
e
d down the
stairs.
So th
i
s is
the li
t
t
le girl
w
ho
c
ame
up wi
t
h
L
eve
l
21 all
by
h
e
rself.
Ho
wa
rd
found
it
h
a
rd to b
e
l
i
e
ve.
H
e
r
y
outhful b
e
a
u
t
y
m
a
d
e
h
e
r look so innoc
e
nt.
S
he
h
a
d no id
e
a
the
f
ir
e
storm she
h
a
d
cr
ea
ted, th
a
t she
w
ould
h
a
v
e
to
l
ive
w
i
t
h for
the r
e
st of h
e
r li
f
e
.
S
he
c
oul
d
n
’
t have
s
e
e
n it
c
om
i
n
g
.

H
e
n
r
y
h
a
d
e
nt
i
r
e
l
y
dif
f
e
r
e
nt
t
hou
g
ht
s
, but he
wou
l
d
h
a
ve
to k
ee
p t
h
e
m
t
o hi
m
s
e
lf.
A
ft
e
r
a
l
l
, she
wa
s on
l
y
sev
e
nt
e
e
n. He
a
lso
w
a
s
g
lad to
k
now
e
x
ac
t
l
y
w
h
e
re
s
h
e
w
a
s. H
e
r
e
y
e
s da
n
ce
d b
e
tw
ee
n the two
m
e
n.
S
he
h
a
d tak
e
n
c
ontrol of the
r
oom
b
y
the ti
m
e
she
s
a
t on
t
he
e
nd table
n
e
x
t to her
mo
t
h
e
r.

“
P
a
m
y
ou
n
ee
dn’t be
p
a
rt
of this.”

“
No, d
a
d
d
y
I
h
a
ve
a
r
i
g
ht
to he
a
r
a
bout
m
y
c
o
n
fid
e
nt
i
a
l fil
e
. You think
y
ou
p
e
ople h
a
ve the
r
i
g
ht
t
o do th
i
s kind of
th
i
n
g
?
”
P
a
m ask
e
d
. H
e
r
e
y
e
s
p
e
n
e
t
r
a
ted
d
ee
p in
t
o Ho
wa
rd
’
s.

“
W
h
e
n it
prot
ec
ts our n
a
t
ional s
ec
u
r
i
t
y
in
t
e
r
e
st
s
,
y
ou
a
nd
y
o
u
r
fa
m
i
l
y
,
y
e
s
I think we
do.” Ho
war
d spoke
with con
v
iction
a
nd s
a
t ba
c
k down.
He
kn
e
w Pam would se
n
se
his r
eac
t
i
o
n
, so he spoke
with clin
i
ca
l
a
c
c
u
r
a
c
y
. He
p
a
used
f
o
r
a
n in
s
tan
t
, while H
e
n
r
y
r
ea
l
iz
e
d he
n
ee
d
e
d to stop sta
r
ing
a
t
P
a
m and sit
down.

“
P
a
m
,
I
’m hono
re
d to
me
e
t
y
ou.
I
’
m D
r
. H
o
w
a
rd
W
oolum
a
nd th
i
s is
Mr.
H
e
n
r
y
L
o. You know
f
rom
m
y
l
e
t
t
e
r
w
h
y
w
e
’
r
e
h
e
r
e
.
I
r
ea
l
l
y
n
ee
d
to sp
ea
k to
y
ou
a
lone, Pam. The
less
y
our p
a
r
e
nts know
a
bout
a
ll
th
i
s the b
e
t
t
e
r.”

“
W
h
a
tev
e
r
y
ou
w
a
nt
t
o
s
a
y
to
m
e
,
m
y
p
a
r
e
nts
c
a
n
h
ea
r.”

“
Ok
a
y
.
I
’ll
c
ut
to
t
he
c
h
a
se.”
He
r
e
turn
e
d
P
a
m’s
d
ir
ec
t s
t
a
r
e
,
th
i
nki
n
g
she
m
i
g
ht be sw
a
y
e
d
b
y
his
hon
e
s
t
y
a
n
d
ca
ndor.
“
W
e
’
re
not h
e
r
e
to
t
a
lk about
a
n in
t
e
rn
s
hip.
I
’
m
p
r
e
p
a
r
e
d to o
f
f
e
r
y
ou
a
p
e
r
m
a
n
e
nt p
o
si
t
ion wi
t
h our
re
s
ea
r
c
h
g
r
oup.
W
e
rec
o
g
ni
z
e
y
our
v
a
lue
a
nd
a
re o
f
f
e
ri
n
g
a
s
t
a
rting
s
a
la
r
y
of $200,000 a
y
e
a
r.”
H
o
w
a
rd
f
e
lt
the tension in
t
he
r
oom
ea
s
e
ins
t
a
nt
l
y
.

Hilda
re
a
c
h
e
d f
o
r a
Kl
ee
n
e
x
f
rom the b
o
x
on the
t
a
ble b
e
hind her
d
a
u
g
hte
r
,
who
c
ont
i
nu
e
d to sta
r
e
a
t Ho
w
a
rd
w
i
t
h th
o
se
p
e
n
e
t
r
a
t
i
ng
e
y
e
s. Ho
w
a
rd
fe
lt
he
w
a
s on a
roll, so he
quick
l
y sw
ee
ten
e
d t
h
e
of
f
e
r.
“
M
r
.
a
nd Mrs. Kolle
r
,
w
e
r
ec
o
g
ni
z
e
the t
re
mendous
s
a
c
ri
f
ice
y
o
u
’
r
e makin
g
, the
r
e
’s a
m
o
rtg
a
g
e
on th
i
s
f
a
rm. Th
a
t wi
l
l
be
tak
e
n
c
a
re
o
f
r
i
g
ht a
wa
y
.
”
Roland
fe
ll
b
a
c
k in h
i
s ch
a
ir.
H
i
l
da
b
e
g
a
n
d
a
bbing
the
t
ea
rs
a
w
a
y
fr
om
t
he
c
o
r
n
e
rs
o
f h
e
r
e
y
e
s.