The 22nd Secret (33 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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I
t
’s
a
l
m
ost d
i
nn
e
r tim
e
.
W
ould
y
ou
a
nd H
a
nk
l
i
k
e
to s
ta
y
for
dinne
r
?
W
a
i
t
, should
I
c
a
ll him
H
a
nk
?


His
c
lose
f
r
i
e
nds
ca
ll
h
i
m H
a
nk.
I
’m su
r
e
h
e
’ll
e
x
p
ec
t
y
ou
to.”


M
y
Mom
r
ea
l
l
y
l
i
k
e
s to cook.
I
t
will
make
both
m
y
p
a
r
e
nts f
e
e
l
m
o
r
e
a
t
e
a
s
e
.
W
e
ca
n
e
x
plain
a
bout how i
m
port
a
nt
m
y
wo
r
k
will
be
a
nd
that i
t
s
b
e
st kept se
c
r
e
t.”

P
a
m s
t
ood up
f
rom the s
w
in
g
,
a
bs
o
rbing
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
ng
a
t o
n
ce
.

I
’ll m
a
ke
l
o
ts of mon
e
y
a
nd
ca
n
c
ome to visit
a
ll
the ti
m
e
. T
a
ke
them on
v
aca
t
i
ons.
I
c
a
n tell
t
h
e
m
t
h
a
t
,
r
i
g
ht
?”


W
e
’d love
to s
t
a
y
f
or
d
i
nn
e
r.
I
th
i
nk i
t
’s a
wond
e
r
f
ul w
a
y
to
t
a
lk wi
t
h
y
o
u
r p
a
r
e
nts about
a
ll
th
i
s.
J
ust be
ca
r
e
ful
w
h
a
t
y
ou
s
a
y
. Don

t be
v
e
r
y
sp
e
c
ific
a
nd
d
o
n
’t m
e
nt
i
on the th
e
si
s
.
I
th
i
nk it
would be
wise
f
or
me
t
o take
a
n
y
c
op
i
e
s
y
ou
h
a
ve with
m
e
.”


I
’m su
r
e
y
o
u

r
e
r
i
g
ht a
b
out
t
h
a
t.
I
’ll f
i
g
u
r
e
out h
o
w
I
ca
n s
n
ea
k them to
y
o
u. As
fa
r
a
s lett
i
ng
som
e
th
i
ng
sl
i
p, if
y
o
u th
i
nk
I
’m s
a
y
i
n
g
the
w
r
o
n
g
th
i
ng
just
g
i
ve
me
a
quick thou
g
h
t
.
I

ll pick it up.

I

m sure
y
ou w
i
l
l
, Ho
w
ar
d thou
g
ht.


I
’m
g
oi
n
g
to surp
r
ise
y
ou
, D
r
.
W
oolu
m
.

M
a
y
b
e
y
o
u

ll
be
m
y
pro
t
é
g
é
.”

Ho
wa
rd l
a
u
g
h
e
d.

M
a
y
b
e
,”
he
said.
H
e
kn
e
w it w
a
s ve
r
y
poss
i
ble.


Come on.
L
e
t

s tell
m
y
d
a
d
I
’m
g
oi
n
g
to get him
a
n
e
w tr
uc
k
.

P
a
m r
a
n off
to
w
a
rd the
h
ouse.
Ho
wa
rd stood
wo
n
d
e
ring
h
o
w mu
c
h she
h
a
d le
a
rn
e
d during
the
c
onv
e
r
s
a
t
i
on. He
a
mb
l
e
d to
t
he
house,
g
r
a
te
f
ul she
w
a
s
r
ec
ruit
e
d to h
i
s s
i
d
e
. He wond
e
r
e
d if t
h
e
other
si
d
e
s
a
lso had p
e
ople like t
h
is.

 

A
wee
k la
t
e
r
He
n
r
y
r
e
t
u
r
n
e
d to
the
fa
rmhouse
in
a
nother
re
nted
ca
r.
He
lo
a
d
e
d the n
e
w lug
g
a
ge
P
a
m’s p
a
r
e
nts had bou
g
ht
h
e
r
a
s
a
g
oing
a
w
a
y
g
if
t
, while Pam h
u
g
g
e
d
h
e
r par
e
n
t
s
a
nd s
a
id
g
ood
b
y
e
. Hilda
K
ol
l
e
r
c
r
i
e
d
the
e
nt
i
re
t
i
me.
H
e
n
r
y
op
e
n
e
d the
c
a
r d
o
o
r
.
P
a
m Kol
l
e
r
c
l
i
mbed ins
i
d
e
,
P
a
t
t
y
L
a
w
r
e
n
c
e
s
a
t down.

 

Chapter Four

Berkeley

March, the year of the crash

 

H
e
n
r
y
L
o sur
v
e
y
e
d the
o
cc
up
a
nts of the
r
e
stau
r
a
n
t while
wa
lk
i
ng
up to
t
he
b
a
r. The r
e
stau
ra
nt
w
a
s popul
a
r
w
i
t
h loc
a
ls a
r
ound
S
a
n
F
ra
n
c
isco

s
C
hin
a
town.
I
t
w
a
s
o
f
ten us
e
d
b
y
the ma
f
ia
a
s ne
u
t
r
a
l
g
roun
d
.
Most
c
usto
m
e
rs p
a
id
l
i
t
t
l
e
a
t
t
e
nt
i
on to
t
he
la
r
g
e
C
hines
e-
Am
e
r
i
ca
n
man
a
s he sidled up to the b
ar
,
but
four
men
a
t one
tab
l
e
e
y
e
d him
c
a
ut
i
ous
l
y
.
T
he
table
w
a
s
in
t
he
f
a
r
c
o
r
n
e
r
o
f the
din
i
ng ro
om
. Th
e
re
w
e
re
th
r
e
e
e
mp
t
y
c
h
a
irs with
e
mp
t
y
din
n
e
r pl
a
tes, m
e
a
ning
t
h
a
t Tino h
a
d two men
w
i
t
h hi
m
. The
old
C
hinese
la
d
y
that tend
e
d the b
a
r no
d
d
e
d pol
i
te
l
y
w
h
e
n H
e
n
r
y
spoke
to h
e
r in Ch
i
n
e
s
e
.
S
he
e
s
c
o
rt
e
d him
down a
h
a
l
l
w
a
y
to one
o
f the
priv
a
te dini
n
g rooms.
S
he
op
e
n
e
d the
d
oor
a
nd H
e
n
r
y
bow
e
d.
H
e
w
a
lked in
a
nd s
h
e
c
los
e
d the doo
r
.
I
t w
a
s
a small
r
oom
j
ust b
i
g
e
nou
g
h f
o
r a
table
t
h
a
t sat fo
u
r
a
nd a
side tab
l
e
f
or
s
e
r
v
in
g
. Th
e
re
w
e
re
no windows. Two
t
i
n
y
w
a
ll
sco
nce
s
o
f
f
e
r
e
d dim
l
i
g
h
t
. The
shad
o
w
y
r
oom
h
a
d
mahog
a
n
y w
a
inscoting
a
nd bu
r
g
un
d
y
w
a
l
l
p
a
p
e
r, the
s
a
me d
é
c
or
it
h
a
d for
fi
f
t
y
y
ea
rs, m
a
y
b
e
longe
r
.

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