The 22nd Secret (52 page)

S
he
r
a
ised the
w
indow
a
nd d
r
ove
off,
l
ea
vi
n
g
B
e
n st
a
nding
the
r
e
with h
i
s books
pi
l
e
d
a
t his f
ee
t. The
r
e
st of B
e
n
’
s l
i
fe
p
a
ssed in
f
ront of
h
i
s
e
y
e
s;
m
ost
i
mport
a
nt scientist
in
C
hina, m
a
y
b
e
the
w
o
r
ld,
P
a
t
t
y
a
s his own p
e
rson
a
l p
l
a
y
m
a
te.
I
t w
a
s
a
ll
so e
a
s
y
, or
w
a
s he th
a
t
g
oo
d
?
B
e
n d
e
c
ided it
w
a
s the
l
a
t
t
e
r.
H
e
r
a
ised his fist
in
t
he
a
ir
a
nd quick
l
y
lo
w
e
re
d it
.
“
Y
e
s,”
h
e
said, sm
i
l
i
ng
to h
i
mself.

Th
e
ir
d
a
te
w
a
s un
e
v
e
n
t
f
u
l.
P
a
t
t
y
s
u
gg
e
sted
th
e
y
l
e
a
ve
B
e
n
’
s Hon
d
a
a
t
P
a
t
t
y
’s.
B
e
n
would d
r
ive th
e
m
i
n h
e
r
M
e
r
c
e
d
e
s. D
r
iv
i
ng
t
h
e
pow
e
r
f
ul
e
x
p
e
nsive spo
r
ts c
a
r
b
a
l
l
oon
e
d
B
e
n
’
s
e
g
o.
B
e
n did
m
ost of the t
a
lk
i
n
g
,
a
s he
ha
d
e
a
c
h t
i
me he
s
a
w h
e
r
.
P
a
m’s m
i
nd silent
l
y
wo
r
k
e
d on bui
l
ding
B
e
n
’
s
c
onfid
e
n
c
e
a
nd
f
e
e
l
i
n
g
s of dominan
c
e
ov
e
r
h
e
r.
I
t w
a
s
ea
s
y
to p
l
a
nt
t
hou
g
hts
i
nto h
i
s ov
e
r
l
y
c
on
f
ident m
i
nd.

A
f
ter
their
d
a
te,
B
e
n
w
a
lked Pat
t
y
to
t
he
door
o
f
h
e
r
a
p
a
rtme
n
t.
S
he
unloc
k
e
d the door
a
nd turn
e
d to f
a
c
e
hi
m
.

“
Th
a
nk
y
ou,
B
e
n,”
s
h
e
s
a
id, ho
l
ding
out her
h
a
nd.
“
I
h
a
d a
wond
e
r
ful ti
m
e
.”

B
e
n
i
g
no
r
e
d the h
a
nd
a
n
d
g
e
nt
l
y
h
e
ld
P
a
t
t
y
’s
c
hi
n
.
S
he
c
losed h
e
r
e
y
e
s and
a
l
l
ow
e
d him to d
i
r
e
c
t
t
he
posit
i
on of
h
e
r h
e
a
d
a
nd kiss he
r
.
I
t
w
a
s
a
modest
kis
s
. He
tried
to
l
ook h
e
r str
a
i
g
ht in
t
he
e
y
e
s
wh
e
n
h
e
f
in
i
shed, but she
w
a
s too
e
m
b
a
r
ra
s
s
e
d
a
nd turn
e
d
a
w
a
y
to ent
e
r the
doo
r
.
P
a
m de
c
ided she
w
a
nted
to
s
e
e
B
e
n to
m
o
r
row
a
nd
using
h
e
r mind m
a
d
e
him
a
sk h
e
r.

“
P
a
t
t
y
,
I
’
d l
i
ke
to see
y
ou
a
g
a
in.
C
a
n we
g
o
for
a
ride
a
lo
n
g
H
i
g
hw
a
y
101 in
y
our
ca
r to
m
o
r
row
a
ft
e
rnoo
n
?
”
T
he
wo
r
ds
flo
w
e
d out of Ben
’
s mouth.
He
c
onsid
e
red it
insp
i
r
a
t
i
on but f
e
lt
w
e
ird
w
hi
l
e
h
e
a
ske
d
.
I
t
w
a
s as tho
u
g
h he
lost
c
ontrol a
r
ound h
e
r,
w
hi
c
h he
h
a
d n
e
v
e
r
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
d
a
round
a
w
o
man.

“
I
’d love
t
o
.”
P
a
m s
t
ood
in
t
he
doo
r
w
a
y
sm
i
l
i
n
g
.
S
he
kis
s
e
d
B
e
n on the
c
h
ee
k
a
nd
g
r
e
w
e
mba
r
r
a
ssed.
S
he
rush
e
d
in
t
o h
e
r
a
p
a
rtme
n
t
,
c
los
i
ng
the do
o
r b
e
hind he
r
.
T
h
e
y
w
e
r
e
insep
a
r
a
ble f
r
om
t
h
a
t
m
oment on.

The
e-
mail
f
rom the sh
a
d
ow
wa
s ma
r
k
e
d u
r
g
e
nt.
P
a
t
t
y
h
a
d
b
ee
n obs
e
rv
e
d
d
a
t
i
ng
the Chinese
male
f
or
a
l
m
ost
t
wo
wee
ks.
I
t
w
a
s obvious to
a
n
y
o
n
e
who s
a
w th
e
m
t
o
g
e
ther
t
h
e
re w
a
s something
spe
c
i
a
l
g
oi
n
g on.
T
h
e
y
s
p
e
nt
m
ost of their
d
a
y
s
t
o
g
e
the
r
.
The
s
h
a
dow u
r
g
e
nt
l
y r
e
qu
e
sted f
u
rth
e
r ins
t
ru
c
t
ion
s
. He
w
a
s
c
e
rt
a
in
th
i
s w
a
s a ve
r
y
se
r
ious b
r
ea
c
h of
na
t
i
on
a
l se
c
u
r
i
t
y
. At the l
ea
st,
he
n
e
e
d
e
d to
know if
H
e
n
r
y
L
o h
a
d
c
h
ec
k
e
d
to
m
a
ke
su
r
e
h
e
w
a
s not invo
l
v
e
d in
e
spion
a
ge
or the
Chine
s
e
m
i
ss
i
le p
r
o
g
r
a
m
?