The 22nd Secret (50 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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S
he
w
a
s p
r
e
t
t
y
s
c
r
e
w
e
d
up in
t
he
h
ea
d
,”
H
e
n
r
y
c
ont
i
nu
e
d
.

P
rob
a
b
l
y
st
i
ll
is. Almost
h
a
d a
ment
a
l br
e
a
kdown
f
r
o
m all
t
he
str
e
ss. And me,
wh
a
t have
I
got out
of a
l
ife
d
e
voted to the United S
t
a
tes
G
ov
e
rnm
e
n
t
?
I
in
t
e
nd to
g
e
t a b
i
g
p
i
ec
e
of the
p
i
e. Th
a
t
i
s, if
the
r
e
is a pie.”

H
e
n
r
y
took anoth
e
r sip of
w
a
te
r
. Tino
a
nd Ben
w
e
re
si
l
e
nt.
I
t
w
a
s c
l
ea
r
H
e
n
r
y

s wo
r
ds w
e
re
a
ll
that matte
re
d.


Don

t fo
r
g
e
t
,
a
ll
th
i
s is
j
ust
t
a
lk wi
t
hout
P
a
t
t
y
.
A
nd we
ca
n
’t just
g
r
a
b h
e
r
a
nd take
h
e
r to
C
hina. She h
a
s to
g
o wil
l
in
g
l
y
.
S
he
h
a
s to w
a
nt
t
o
show
y
ou w
h
a
t she kno
w
s.
I
th
i
nk she
h
a
s to f
a
ll
in
l
ove
with
y
ou fi
r
st.
Th
e
n we
look f
o
r
a
n
a
n
gle, some
w
a
y
to convin
c
e
h
e
r to
g
o
to
C
hina
a
nd show
y
ou how to use
th
i
s te
c
hnolo
g
y
. Do
y
ou
th
i
nk
y
ou
ca
n
g
e
t
h
e
r to
f
a
ll
in
l
ove
with
y
ou? Th
e
n
a
t
l
ea
st
s
h
e
’ll trust
y
o
u
a
nd
w
a
nt
t
o be
with
y
o
u.”


And if
I
don

t
g
e
t
P
a
t
t
y
to
g
o to
C
hina
a
nd te
a
c
h
me
a
bout
t
hi
s
,
y
ou’
r
e
g
o
i
ng
to k
i
ll
m
e
,
r
i
g
ht
?

H
e
n
r
y
looked st
r
a
i
g
ht at
B
e
n
.

You
wa
nt
m
e
to
l
i
e
to
y
ou?
W
e
n
ee
d
P
a
t
t
y
a
nd
y
ou

re
the one
p
e
rson in
a
ll
of Chi
n
a
in
j
ust
t
he
r
i
g
ht spo
t
, with
j
ust
t
he
r
i
g
ht s
t
u
f
f, to get h
e
r
a
nd
e
x
plo
i
t h
e
r.
I
f this doesn

t
h
a
pp
en
, Tino
a
nd
I
will
not w
a
nt a
n
y
witnes
s
e
s. Th
a
t
m
ea
ns
y
ou.”

B
e
n s
w
a
l
l
ow
e
d h
a
rd. His mouth w
a
s d
r
y
.
He
sta
re
d
a
t Tino
a
nd b
ac
k
a
t H
e
n
r
y
.


Th
e
n
I
g
u
e
ss f
a
i
l
u
r
e
is
n
ot an option.
I
’ll
g
e
t
h
e
r
s
omeho
w
.”


Ok
a
y
, h
e
r
e
’s
wh
a
t w
e

r
e
g
oi
n
g
to do.
B
e
n
,
I
w
a
n
t
y
ou to cont
a
c
t
y
o
u
r p
e
o
ple.
Te
ll
them we
w
a
nt
t
h
e
m
t
o
a
g
r
e
e
to
sha
r
e
w
h
a
tev
e
r t
h
e
y
le
ar
n with
Tino’s p
e
ople.
T
h
a
t’s
a
ll
w
e

re
a
ski
n
g
.
I
’m s
u
re
th
e
y
’ll think
i
t’s a
g
ood
d
ea
l. T
r
y
to
g
e
t
P
a
t
t
y
to
t
a
ke
a
n in
t
e
r
e
st
i
n
y
o
u.
I
th
i
nk she
wil
l
.
W
e
’ll m
ee
t ba
c
k h
e
r
e
in
t
wo
wee
ks. T
h
a
t should g
i
ve
y
ou t
i
me to s
e
e
h
o
w thin
g
s a
r
e
g
oi
n
g b
e
tw
ee
n
y
ou
a
nd
P
a
t
t
y
.


S
ounds
g
ood,”
B
e
n
s
a
i
d
.


Oh,
a
nd one
m
o
re
th
i
n
g
.
Th
e
r
e
’s
a
sha
d
ow on Pa
t
t
y
.”
H
e
n
r
y
looked
a
t Tin
o
. He
w
a
s
l
y
i
n
g
a
nd th
e
y
both kn
e
w
i
t
.

I
w
a
sn’t
a
w
a
r
e
that
w
a
s
g
oing
to
h
a
pp
e
n.
I
t
h
ou
g
ht
I
would
b
e
the on
l
y
one
who k
n
e
w
w
h
e
r
e
she
wa
s
.
B
ut
it

s
g
onna
be
ok
a
y
.
I
g
ot
i
t under
c
ontrol.”
He
n
r
y
looked b
ac
k
a
t
B
e
n.

B
e
n
, be
c
a
r
e
ful
y
ou
don’t do
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
that
c
ould
m
a
k
e
th
i
s
g
u
y
susp
i
c
ious.
L
ike
g
e
t
t
i
n
g
one
of
y
o
u
r Chinese
p
e
ople to t
r
y
a
nd
c
o
n
ta
c
t he
r
. T
w
o
w
ee
k
s
.
Ok
a
y
with e
v
e
r
y
on
e
?

B
e
n
a
nd
Tino nodd
e
d.

H
e
n
r
y
c
a
l
l
e
d
P
a
m
f
r
om
t
he
ce
ll
on
his
c
om
m
e
r
c
i
a
l fli
g
ht ba
c
k to
N
e
w M
e
x
ico.
He
bri
e
f
e
d h
e
r on th
a
t
e
v
e
ni
n
g

s m
e
e
t
i
ng
a
nd t
h
e
y
discuss
e
d
str
a
t
eg
y
.

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