The 22nd Secret (5 page)

Pam closed her eyes and pretended to sleep for the fifteen minutes until Jim got up and walked to the radio. He didn’t know how he’d explain all this to his friends. He knew Kim would be hurt and humiliated when it got out. It definitely would. Bear Breath was a small community. Everyone knew everyone’s business.

He sat down at the radio. He never thought anything like this could happen It was like he was living out a romantic fantasy. He didn’t care who they were or what Tino was to her or what they were going to sell to the Chinese. He wanted Paula and he knew he was going to get her. That was all that mattered now.

As Pamela Koller lay there listening to Jim report the crash, she knew within hours the CIA would know Patty Lawrence had mysteriously walked away from the crash. She hoped Tom would figure out where she was and manage with Hank’s help to get her to Otter Bay before the entire plan fell apart. But the thoughts that she fell asleep to were not of her mission to China, they were of Jim Mitchell. She wondered if this could all be true. Could she be falling in love so quickly with the irresistible man who had rescued her from the plane crash and was now telling his friend, Bill, about the footprints that led away from the crash?

The Anchorage airport was closed due to weather but the FAA tower was still manned by a skeleton crew. Alice Hudson was watching the storm in the airport lights when the phone rang.

“FAA tower Anchorage, Alice Hudson speaking.”

“Yeah, this is Bill Keller. Sheriff down at Bear Breath. Jim Mitchell at the White Bear Lodge just reported a downed plane to me.”

“Hold on. Let me get a report started.” A moment later she was back on the phone. “Let’s see. Date, Tuesday November 15th. Time, 8:38pm. What’s your name again?”

Chapter Two

Deception

November 15th, 2 pm Berkeley, California

W
h
e
n K
e
nt
B
r
a
dl
e
y
f
ina
l
l
y
tried
to
c
a
ll
his
s
up
e
rior
a
t
L
os Alamos, H
e
n
r
y
L
o,
he
found he
h
a
d not be
e
n to w
o
rk
f
or
ov
e
r a w
ee
k.
I
t
w
a
s a
p
p
a
r
e
nt
that wh
a
t
h
e
susp
e
c
ted m
i
g
ht
just
be tru
e
. K
e
nt d
i
sob
e
y
e
d
L
o
’
s dir
e
c
t ord
e
rs
a
nd pick
e
d up the phon
e
, dialing
t
h
e
G
e
o
r
ge H.
W
.
B
ush C
e
nter
f
or
I
n
t
e
l
l
i
g
e
n
c
e
in
L
a
n
g
l
e
y
, Vi
r
g
in
i
a
. His f
i
rst
a
ss
i
g
nment
a
nd
h
e
w
a
s
a
lr
ea
d
y
in
t
rouble up to h
i
s ne
c
k. The
Chinese
p
e
n
e
t
r
a
t
i
on of
L
os A
l
a
mos
w
a
s und
e
r
w
a
y
.
K
e
nt’s voice
qu
a
v
e
r
e
d
a
s he
e
x
plain
e
d who he
w
a
s
a
nd
a
sked
to sp
e
a
k to someone
a
bout
t
he
poss
i
ble
d
e
f
e
c
t
i
on of
a
L
os Al
a
mos nu
c
le
a
r
s
c
ientist
t
o Ch
i
n
a
.

Tom
W
a
lker
h
a
d b
ee
n
w
a
i
t
ing
f
or
a
si
g
n
a
l
a
nd a
t
e
lephone
c
a
l
l
. He
w
a
s T
h
e
D
e
pu
t
y Dir
e
c
tor of
Chine
s
e
Counter
I
ntell
i
g
e
n
c
e
, in h
i
s l
a
te fi
f
t
i
e
s gr
e
y
i
n
g
,
a
nd
n
e
a
ring
r
e
t
i
r
e
ment. O
v
e
r thir
t
y
y
e
a
rs in the
C
I
A h
a
d
h
a
rd
e
n
e
d him
in
t
o one
of
the
a
g
e
n
c
ies top op
e
ra
t
i
v
e
s.
He
kn
e
w the si
g
n
a
l f
r
om
Al
a
ska
w
ou
l
d
c
ome tomor
r
ow.
H
e
a
n
d
B
e
t
t
y
Mo
r
g
a
n, his
a
d
m
in
i
str
a
t
i
ve
a
ss
i
stant, would not
l
ea
ve
their
o
f
fi
ce
s until
th
e
y
r
e
c
e
ived t
h
a
t s
i
g
n
a
l.
H
e
c
ould on
l
y
hope
he
would
r
ece
ive the
ca
ll
f
rom
B
e
r
k
e
l
e
y
.
T
h
a
t c
a
ll
d
e
p
e
n
d
e
d on the
y
o
u
n
g
man
w
ho
h
a
d b
ee
n
a
ss
i
g
n
e
d to s
h
a
dow
P
a
t
t
y
.
How long would
i
t
take
for him to
f
igure it ou
t
? How
long un
t
il
he
h
a
d the n
e
r
v
e
to go o
v
e
r Han
k
’s h
e
ad?
Tom’s th
o
u
g
hts w
e
re
in
t
e
r
rupt
e
d
w
h
e
n
B
e
t
t
y
bu
zz
e
d the inte
rc
om and
a
nnou
n
ce
d
“
Th
e
r
e
’s a
y
ou
n
g
man on
the phone
s
a
y
s he
w
o
rks
f
or
H
e
n
r
y
L
o.
S
a
id he t
h
inks
t
h
e
r
e
’s b
ee
n a
d
e
fe
c
t
i
on. He
w
a
n
ts
t
o know if
a
nd how he
should report it.”

Tom sat up str
a
i
g
ht
i
n his
c
h
a
i
r
,
c
e
rt
a
in
the
g
a
m
e
w
a
s ab
o
ut
t
o b
e
g
in.
“
I
t’s
B
r
a
d
l
e
y
, isn’t i
t
?
”

“
He
sounds
r
ea
l ne
r
vou
s
.
B
e
e
a
s
y
on him
bo
s
s.”

Tom pi
c
k
e
d up the phon
e
.
“
Tom
W
a
lke
r
.”

The
voice
on the oth
e
r
e
n
d of the
l
i
ne
w
a
s shaki
n
g
.
“
Mr.
W
a
lke
r
,
m
y
n
a
me
i
s K
e
nt
B
r
a
d
l
e
y
.
I
wo
r
k
for
H
e
n
r
y
L
o
a
t
L
os
Al
a
mos and
w
e
l
l–”

“
One
m
i
nute, K
e
nt.
I
’
d l
i
ke
to r
ec
o
rd this conv
e
r
s
a
t
i
on. Do
y
ou m
i
nd
?
”