The 22nd Secret (80 page)

“
Th
a
t’s not
g
ood. You s
a
id
t
he
ladi
e
s footp
r
in
t
s w
e
nt a
w
a
y
f
rom the
c
r
a
sh
si
t
e.
I
n whi
c
h dir
ec
t
i
on?
Ov
e
r
.
”

“
W
e
s
t
, the s
a
me di
rec
t
i
o
n the pl
a
ne
w
a
s
h
ea
di
n
g
.
Ov
e
r
.
”

“
J
ust
t
he ladi
e
s
?
You su
r
e
the
r
e
w
a
s on
l
y
one
set
of
prints?
Ov
e
r
.
”

“
Th
a
t’s r
i
g
ht
j
ust one.
O
v
e
r.”

“
Do
e
sn’t that s
e
e
m s
t
r
a
n
g
e
to
y
ou?
Th
a
t a
w
oman
who h
a
d just
b
ee
n thro
u
g
h som
e
th
i
n
g l
i
ke
that would just w
a
lk off
in
t
o the
w
oods
b
y
h
e
r
s
e
lf?
Did
y
ou f
o
l
l
ow h
e
r
tr
a
i
l
, look for
h
e
r,
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
l
i
ke
tha
t
?
Ov
e
r.”

“
Y
ea
h,
o
f
c
our
s
e
I
di
d
,
b
ut
t
he
dir
ec
t
i
on she
w
a
s
h
ea
di
n
g
w
a
s p
r
e
t
t
y
d
e
nse
f
o
re
st and ro
c
k
y
.
I
c
ould
n
’t g
e
t
t
h
r
o
u
g
h the
r
e
with
m
y
sn
ow
mob
i
le.
I
t
r
ac
k
e
d
h
e
r on
f
oot but
I
h
a
d to
t
u
r
n
a
round
b
e
f
o
re
I
ca
u
g
ht
u
p with he
r
.
I
t w
a
s
g
e
t
t
ing da
r
k
a
nd the storm
w
a
s
g
e
t
t
i
n
g
b
a
d
. O
v
e
r.”

“
A
n
y
th
i
n
g
out
t
h
e
r
e
that
y
o
u know
o
f she
c
ould
h
a
ve
b
e
e
n h
ea
di
n
g
f
o
r?
Y
ou s
a
w no oth
e
r tr
ac
ks, l
i
ke
she m
e
t so
me
one
or som
e
one
h
e
lped
h
e
r
?
Ov
e
r.”

“No nothin
g
. O
v
e
r
.
”

Tom’s
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
c
e
a
s an
i
nv
e
st
i
g
a
tor told him
if he
c
ont
i
nu
e
d th
i
s l
i
ne
of q
ue
st
i
oning
J
im would r
e
a
l
iz
e that he
w
a
s
on to h
i
m
, so he
b
ac
k
e
d
o
f
f. “I
w
a
nt
y
ou to
g
uide
me
a
nd
m
y
m
e
n to the
c
r
a
sh si
t
e
. T
h
e
soon
e
st
I
c
a
n
g
e
t
t
h
e
r
e
will
be
sometime tomor
r
ow
a
ft
e
r
1 pm. Th
a
t’s if noth
i
ng
g
o
e
s w
r
o
n
g
a
nd
t
he
w
ea
t
h
e
r
c
ont
i
nu
e
s to
i
mprov
e
.”
This w
a
s the
p
a
rt he
hop
e
d
P
a
t
t
y would h
ea
r.
“
I
w
a
nt
y
ou
t
o be
r
e
ady
a
t 1 pm
t
omo
r
ro
w
. Your
f
ri
e
n
d
, the sh
e
ri
f
f, will
be
with us, this
ok
a
y
with
y
ou?
Ov
e
r.”

“
The
w
e
a
the
r
’s sti
l
l
g
oing
to be p
r
e
t
t
y
b
a
d but
I
’ll
be
rea
d
y
a
t
1 pm. Ov
e
r
.
”

“
I
’d like
to
t
a
lk
m
o
r
e
t
o
mor
r
ow but
f
or
now th
a
n
ks for
y
our tim
e
, Mr. Mit
c
h
e
l
l
. Your info
r
mation has b
ee
n in
v
a
luabl
e
.
I
’m
g
oi
n
g
to ha
n
g
up
n
ow, s
h
e
ri
f
f. T
h
a
nk
y
o
u
.
I
’ll
s
e
e
y
ou to
m
o
r
row
mornin
g
.
”
B
i
l
l
a
nd
J
im
h
ea
rd a
c
l
i
c
k i
n
dic
a
t
i
ng
W
a
lker
h
a
d hu
n
g
up.

P
a
m p
i
c
k
e
d up the si
g
n
a
l
, but wh
a
t d
i
d it
me
a
n?
S
he
w
a
s
a
w
a
r
e
that
Tom kn
e
w she wouldn
’
t
j
ust w
a
lk off
l
i
ke
tha
t
. He
kn
e
w th
e
y
w
e
r
e
a
hund
re
d m
i
les
f
rom the Chines
e
.

“
How
a
bout
t
h
a
t
?
”
B
i
l
l ask
e
d.
P
a
m d
i
dn’t
rea
l
iz
e
he
w
a
s s
t
i
l
l
on the line.
“W
h
a
t do
y
ou th
i
nk he
me
a
nt
b
y
‘n
a
t
i
o
n
a
l se
c
u
r
i
t
y
is
s
u
e
s’?
Th
a
t woman mus
t
’
ve
known
t
h
e
re
w
a
s so
m
e
one
out the
r
e
w
a
i
t
i
n
g
f
or
h
e
r.
Y
o
u
’
re
pro
b
a
b
l
y
l
u
c
k
y
y
ou
didn’t
ca
tch up to h
e
r,
g
o
t
y
our
a
ss k
i
l
l
e
d or somethin
g
.
I
g
ot
t
o
g
e
t b
a
c
k to wo
r
k
.
S
e
e
y
ou to
m
o
r
row. Ov
e
r.”

“
T
e
n
-
fo
u
r.
S
e
e
y
ou to
m
o
r
row. Ov
e
r
a
nd out.”

J
i
m s
l
ow
l
y
s
e
t
t
he
m
i
c
r
o
phone
down. Paula
h
a
d
w
a
lked ov
e
r to him
w
h
e
n
Tom
h
a
d hung up, w
a
i
t
ing
f
o
r
J
im
a
nd
B
i
l
l
t
o finis
h
.
S
he
w
ra
pp
e
d h
e
r
a
rms
a
round
J
i
m
’s
wa
is
t
, h
e
ld h
i
m
t
i
g
ht
l
y
,
a
nd laid h
e
r he
a
d on his
c
h
e
st.
J
im
w
ra
pp
e
d his
a
rms
a
round
P
a
ula
’
s shou
l
d
e
rs. T
h
e
y
stood quiet
l
y
, d
r
a
wing
st
r
e
n
g
th
a
nd s
ec
u
r
i
t
y
f
rom
e
a
c
h
o
ther
f
or
se
v
e
r
a
l
m
inu
t
e
s.