The 22nd Secret (41 page)

Roland shut off
the t
e
lev
i
si
o
n
g
ot up and op
e
n
e
d the
f
ront door
to
l
e
t Tom
i
n.
Tom w
a
lked ov
e
r to the
vi
d
e
o
r
e
c
o
r
d
e
r
a
nd
e
je
c
t
e
d the
t
a
p
e
. He
a
ssu
m
e
d f
r
om
t
h
e
fa
c
e
s of the
two p
e
ople sitt
i
ng
on the
c
o
u
c
h in f
r
ont of him the t
a
p
e
h
a
d pl
a
y
e
d
p
rop
e
r
l
y
.
“
Do
y
ou un
d
e
rst
a
nd wh
a
t
y
ou
h
a
ve
t
o do
?
”

The
Kolle
r
s nodd
e
d in u
n
iso
n
.

“
P
a
m
t
old
y
ou to do e
x
a
c
t
l
y
wh
a
t
I
tell
y
ou. You
u
nd
e
rst
a
nd th
i
s and
a
g
r
e
e
t
o i
t
?
”

“Y
e
s,
w
e
a
g
r
ee
,”
Roland
a
nsw
e
r
e
d.

“
I
know this must
be
v
e
r
y
h
a
rd
f
or
y
ou.
I
’m so
r
r
y
.
I w
a
nt
y
ou to
g
e
t up and
w
a
lk out
of h
e
re
with
m
e
now.
G
e
t
i
n
m
y
c
a
r.
I
’ll t
a
k
e
y
ou to a
mo
t
e
l
b
y
the
a
irp
o
r
t
. Y
o
u
’
ll
put on new
c
lo
t
h
e
s and
then
y
ou’ll
b
o
a
rd a
pri
v
a
te j
e
t. A l
i
mo wi
l
l
t
a
ke
y
ou to
y
our
ne
w hom
e
. Ma
r
ia is w
a
i
t
ing
f
o
r
y
ou the
re
.
”

“
J
ust
l
ea
ve
now?
I
c
a
n
’
t
e
v
e
n take
a
f
e
w thin
g
s w
i
th
m
e
?
”
Hilda
a
sked.

“
No.
W
h
e
n we
w
a
lk out
of h
e
re
t
h
e
y
’ll be
w
a
t
c
hin
g
.
I
t
c
a
n
’
t ap
p
ea
r
a
s th
o
u
g
h
y
ou
’
re le
a
ving for
g
ood.”

“
W
a
tching
how?
F
rom
w
h
e
r
e
?
”
Roland
a
sked.

“
Cle
a
r d
a
y
l
i
ke
th
i
s.
S
a
t
e
l
l
i
t
e
s wo
r
k
r
e
a
l
g
ood.
L
e
t
’s
g
o.
W
e
’ll t
a
lk
i
n the
ca
r.”

The
c
onsole
op
e
r
a
tor
st
u
died the s
a
tell
i
te vi
e
w of
the n
e
w
e
st addition
t
o the
wa
tch list, a b
eac
h house
in
M
a
l
i
bu. He
a
lso had on the
main
s
c
r
e
e
n t
h
e
si
g
ht pr
o
file.
An
a
g
e
nt w
a
s
a
lr
e
a
d
y
a
t the lo
ca
t
i
on
a
nd the two
p
e
ople she
would be
p
rot
ec
t
i
ng would
a
r
r
i
v
e
that
d
a
y
b
y
l
i
mo. He not
i
ce
d thr
e
e
p
e
ople
wa
l
king
down the
stairs
o
f the
fa
rmhouse
a
nd quick
l
y
c
h
a
n
g
e
d it
to h
i
s p
r
i
m
a
r
y
mon
i
tor. He
saw
the s
a
lesm
a
n
a
nd the t
w
o o
cc
up
a
nts
of
the
hou
s
e
g
e
t
i
n the
ca
r
a
nd d
r
ive o
f
f.

He
dial
e
d the
Y
e
l
l
ow
Pa
g
e
s
l
i
st
i
ng for
the
f
a
rm
e
quip
m
e
nt de
a
le
r
s
in n
e
a
r
b
y
towns.
Ron Ma
c
k wo
r
k
e
d
a
t one
o
f th
e
m
. He
noted this in
his
log
a
nd swit
c
h
e
d
b
ac
k to
stu
d
y
i
n
g
the M
a
l
i
bu p
r
o
f
i
l
e
.

Th
re
e
hou
r
s
l
a
ter
the
s
a
l
e
sman
’
s c
a
r
r
e
tur
n
e
d. The
op
e
r
a
tor
dia
l
e
d up the
f
ar
mhouse
on the m
a
in v
i
e
w
e
r.
T
h
e
c
a
r
stopp
e
d
a
nd the th
r
e
e
p
e
o
ple he
saw
g
e
t
i
n
e
a
rlier
g
ot ou
t
. The
sa
l
e
sman shook h
a
nds with the man
a
nd wom
a
n
,
g
ot ba
c
k
i
n his
ca
r,
a
nd
d
rove
o
f
f.
The
r
e
g
ul
a
r o
c
c
u
p
a
nts of
the house
w
a
t
c
h
e
d
a
s
he
dro
v
e
a
w
a
y
.
H
e
noted
th
i
s in
t
he
log
a
nd swit
c
h
e
d to
t
he
Malibu s
i
te just
a
s a limo pul
l
e
d up. The
driv
e
r o
p
e
n
e
d the d
o
or
a
nd two p
e
ople
g
ot o
u
t. The
op
e
r
a
t
or
z
oomed in to
g
e
t a
c
los
e
r
look. The
man
wa
s d
r
e
s
s
e
d in a
d
a
rk
suit
a
nd the
wom
a
n in an
a
t
t
r
a
c
t
i
ve
sui
t
. He
tho
u
g
h
t
t
he
face
s loo
k
e
d f
a
m
i
l
ia
r
a
nd logged th
e
ir
a
r
r
ival.
A
wee
k la
t
e
r
, a
n
e
w tr
ac
tor
w
a
s delive
r
e
d to
t
he
fa
r
m
. T
h
e
op
e
r
a
tor on
du
t
y
l
o
g
g
e
d
th
i
s in dut
i
ful
l
y
. Nothing si
g
nifi
ca
nt
e
v
e
r
h
a
pp
e
n
e
d
a
t
t
he
fa
rm.

The
Kolle
r
s
c
a
l
l
e
d their
f
ri
e
nds
f
r
om the Malibu
h
ouse
a
nd w
r
ote
l
e
t
t
e
rs
e
x
plaining dis
t
a
nt cousins f
r
om G
e
r
ma
n
y
h
a
d bo
u
g
ht
t
he
f
ar
m and Roland
a
nd Hilda
w
e
re
mov
i
n
g
to En
g
land to be
c
lose to
Pam
, who h
a
d just
rece
i
v
e
d
a
promotion
a
nd tr
a
ns
f
e
r
.
S
e
v
e
r
a
l v
i
si
t
s ba
c
k to
t
h
e
ir
f
ri
e
nds in
I
d
a
ho
made
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
s
ee
m
p
l
a
usib
l
e
. The
dis
t
a
nt cous
i
ns w
e
re
not
r
ea
l
l
y r
e
lat
e
d. Tom
W
a
lker
p
a
id
the two
K
ol
l
e
r st
a
n
d
-
i
n
s with dep
a
rtme
n
t funds.
Two lif
e
long memb
e
rs of
the now
d
e
f
u
n
c
t East
G
e
rm
a
n
r
e
si
s
ta
n
c
e
h
a
d their
d
re
a
ms of
l
i
ving
in
t
he
United
S
tat
e
s
c
ome t
r
u
e
.