The 22nd Secret (48 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
6.3Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub

 

B
e
n
r
ea
d thro
u
g
h
P
a
m’s
t
h
e
sis
thr
e
e
more
t
i
mes b
e
fo
r
e
his
n
e
x
t
m
ee
t
i
ng
wi
t
h H
e
n
r
y
a
nd Tino. Th
e
y
a
te in the s
a
m
e
p
r
ivate
din
i
n
g
room
a
n
d w
a
i
t
e
d to b
e
g
in
t
h
e
ir
m
ee
t
i
ng
unt
i
l a
f
t
e
r the s
e
rv
e
rs
c
le
a
r
e
d the t
a
ble.


I
know
y
ou talk
e
d
with
P
a
t
t
y
. Ho
w
’d it
g
o
?

H
e
n
r
y
a
sked
B
e
n.


B
e
t
te
r th
a
n
y
ou led me
t
o b
e
l
i
e
v
e
.
I
’m
g
oi
n
g to s
i
t
b
y
h
e
r in
c
lass
a
g
a
in
t
o
mor
r
ow.
I
’m sure
w
e
’ll t
a
lk.”


And the
thesis. You
r
e
a
d i
t
?


S
ix
t
i
m
e
s.
I
st
i
ll
don

t r
e
a
l
l
y
und
e
rst
a
nd how it’s
supposed to
ac
tual
l
y
wo
r
k.
B
ut
I
c
a
n tell
y
ou th
i
s much.
I
f it
d
o
e
s wo
r
k
, i
t
’s just
l
ike
y
o
u to
l
d m
e
.
I
t could be
a
ll
ov
e
r
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
ng
e
v
e
r
y
w
h
e
r
e
.
And
y
ou’
r
e
ri
g
ht about som
e
th
i
n
g
e
l
s
e
.
W
e
didn’t h
a
ve
a
c
lue
of
the
e
x
is
t
e
n
c
e
of
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
l
i
ke
th
i
s. Th
a
n
k
s for
t
i
pping
m
e
.
I
t would
take
us
y
ea
rs to
ac
tual
l
y
make
som
e
th
i
ng
l
i
ke th
i
s wo
r
k. You s
a
y
y
ou
h
a
ve
th
i
s fi
g
u
r
e
d out and
wo
r
kin
g
.

H
e
n
r
y
sm
i
led.

You m
ea
n
I
won

t ne
e
d
m
y
g
un t
o
ni
g
ht and
I
do
n
’t n
ee
d to
ac
t
l
ike
T
ino h
e
re
a
nd
h
a
ve
som
e
o
n
e
r
ou
g
h up
y
our
f
a
m
i
l
y
.


H
e
y
,
w
a
tch it or
I
’ll h
a
v
e
to rough
y
ou
up,”
Tino
s
a
id,
l
a
u
g
hi
n
g.


No, just tell
m
e
.
I
w
a
nt
t
o h
ea
r it s
t
r
a
i
g
ht out
of
y
our mouth. You h
a
ve
th
i
s theo
r
y p
e
r
f
e
c
ted
a
nd
y
o
u
’ve
i
m
plem
e
nted it.”

H
e
n
r
y
fi
x
e
d B
e
n with
his
ste
e
l
-
e
y
e
d st
a
r
e
.

Y
e
s
,
w
e
h
a
ve
i
t
.
I
t wo
r
ks
a
nd
Pa
t
t
y
is
t
he p
e
rson th
a
t d
i
d i
t
.
S
h
e
’s our
e
x
p
e
rt.”


D
a
mn, e
v
e
r
y
th
i
ng w
e

v
e
a
c
c
omp
l
ished is us
e
less. You
ca
n pr
o
b
a
b
l
y
ov
e
rr
ide our
g
uida
n
c
e
s
y
stems, a
n
y
th
i
n
g
.”


Not p
r
ob
a
b
l
y
,
B
e
n, d
e
finite
l
y
. Your
p
e
ople mi
g
h
t as
we
ll
just
disass
e
mb
l
e
those w
ea
pons, b
e
ca
use
e
v
e
n
k
nowing
w
h
a
t
y
ou do n
o
w
; i
t
’ll t
a
ke
y
ou a
d
eca
d
e
t
o disable
i
t
. Op
e
n
a
nd shut
ca
s
e
. You stole
f
rom us
e
x
ac
t
l
y
wh
a
t
w
e
w
a
n
t
e
d
y
ou to st
e
a
l.
W
e
a
l
m
ost have
b
e
t
t
e
r
c
ontrol of
y
o
u
r
s
y
s
t
e
ms
t
h
a
n
y
ou
do.
B
ut
y
ou
g
e
t
t
he
g
irl
a
nd
y
ou h
a
v
e
it
f
i
g
u
r
e
d o
u
t
t
od
a
y
.
S
he
shows
y
o
u how to d
e
t
ec
t and d
i
s
a
ble this stuff
a
nd
y
ou’
r
e
a
g
re
a
t
m
a
n
. A h
e
ro of
t
he
p
e
ople.
H
e
l
l
,
y
ou m
a
y
e
v
e
n f
i
g
u
r
e
out how
to
t
a
ke
th
i
s to
t
he
n
e
x
t
l
e
v
e
l.
B
e
a
t us at our o
w
n
g
a
me.
I
t’s the
f
irst te
c
hnolo
g
y
w
a
r
o
f the
2
1st
ce
ntu
r
y
.


The
k
e
y
is
t
he
g
ir
l
,”
B
e
n said.

I
see
t
h
a
t now.
Y
ou
c
ould
g
ive us
a
ll
the
r
e
ports
a
nd files but
P
a
t
t
y
ca
n
c
h
a
n
g
e
o
u
r
le
a
rni
n
g
c
u
r
v
e
b
y
y
e
a
rs.
How
do we
g
e
t
h
e
r to
w
e
l
l
, d
e
f
e
c
t?
I
g
u
e
ss that’s
w
h
a
t she

d
b
e
doin
g
?

Other books

Down to a Soundless Sea by Thomas Steinbeck
Nell by Jeanette Baker
Red Sand by Cray, Ronan
Just Go by Dauphin, M.
Betrayed by Trust by Hogan, Hailey
The Summer the World Ended by Matthew S. Cox
Forever An Ex by Victoria Christopher Murray
Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Mint Cookie Murder by Leslie Langtry