The 22nd Secret (87 page)

“
W
a
it
just
a
se
c
on
d
,”
Pa
ula s
a
id just
b
e
fo
r
e
th
e
y
w
a
lked out the doo
r
.
“
I
h
a
ve
to
g
o.”

J
im wond
e
r
e
d
w
h
y
le
a
vi
n
g
s
omepl
ac
e
ma
d
e
e
v
e
r
y
w
o
man he
h
a
d
e
v
e
r kn
o
wn
n
ee
d to
g
o to
t
he b
a
throom. There was no way he could know she actually had to retrieve the disks.

Chapter Seven

The Investigation

The day after the crash - Chugach Army Base, Alaska

Colonel
P
ick
e
tt
s
e
t his p
h
one
down, l
ea
n
e
d b
ac
k in
his hi
g
h
-
b
a
c
k
e
d l
e
a
ther
c
h
a
ir,
a
nd thou
g
ht about the t
e
leph
o
ne
c
onv
e
r
s
a
t
i
on he
just
h
a
d with Tom
W
a
lke
r
. A
f
t
e
r a
f
e
w minu
t
e
s
, he
g
ot up
a
nd
w
a
lked ov
e
r to a
la
r
g
e
map
o
f
A
laska
t
h
a
t
hung
on his o
f
fi
c
e
w
a
l
l
. He
stud
i
e
d it
unt
i
l he
loc
a
ted the
spot he
w
a
s looking
f
or
on
K
e
n
a
i
P
e
ninsul
a
. He
tapp
e
d it
s
e
v
e
r
a
l
t
i
m
e
s with his fin
g
e
r
a
nd tho
u
g
ht
a
whi
l
e
lon
g
e
r.
H
e
o
p
e
n
e
d his
o
f
f
ice
door, st
u
c
k his h
ea
d
ou
t
,
a
nd summoned his ord
e
r
l
y
.

“
S
e
r
g
ea
nt
Ca
rt
e
r,
g
e
t
in he
re
.”
He
w
a
lked b
a
c
k to
t
he
map, le
a
vi
n
g
the door
op
e
n. A wom
a
n w
e
a
ri
n
g
s
e
r
g
ea
n
t
’s stri
p
e
s on h
e
r should
e
r
ca
me in
c
a
r
r
y
i
n
g
a
no
t
e
p
a
d.

“
You
g
e
t that
e-
m
a
il
f
r
o
m
t
h
a
t
W
a
lker
g
u
y
y
e
t
?
”

“Y
e
s, sir, it w
a
s a
p
r
e
t
t
y
la
r
g
e
f
i
l
e
so it
t
ook a
whi
l
e
.”

Vir
g
in
i
a
C
a
rt
e
r
w
a
s a
p
h
y
s
ic
a
l
l
y
f
it
wom
a
n
, but
w
a
s not bless
e
d with gr
ea
t
b
ea
u
t
y
.
S
he w
a
s a c
a
re
e
r sold
i
e
r. T
h
e
a
r
m
y
w
a
s not on
l
y
h
e
r h
o
m
e
;
i
t w
a
s
a
lso her
f
a
m
i
l
y
.

“
I
’m p
r
in
t
ing
it
now
.
”

“
Good. M
a
ke
m
e
a
n
e
x
tra
c
o
p
y
a
nd b
r
i
n
g
them b
o
th
i
n h
e
r
e
. Ma
k
e
up some
ord
e
rs
f
o
r C
a
ptain C
a
rn
e
s and
his
S
p
ec
ial
W
in
t
e
r T
ea
m. T
h
e
y
’r
e
g
oi
n
g
on man
e
u
v
e
rs
a
s soon as he
c
a
n
g
e
t them mob
i
l
iz
e
d.”

“
Man
e
uv
e
rs in th
i
s w
ea
t
h
e
r
?
”

“
Th
a
t’s r
i
g
h
t
. Th
e
y
’
re
g
o
ing
on a
l
i
t
t
le
ca
mp
i
n
g
tr
i
p
, to ri
g
ht he
r
e
.”
Colonel
P
ic
k
e
tt poin
t
e
d to
t
he
spot on the m
a
p.
“
G
e
t h
i
m
i
n h
e
re
o
n the double.”

“Yes s
i
r.”
S
he qu
i
c
k
l
y
l
e
ft the
of
f
ice
a
nd
c
losed t
h
e
door
b
e
hin h
e
r.

Colonel
P
ick
e
tt
w
a
lked ov
e
r to the
window b
e
hind
his d
e
sk
a
nd stood
with h
i
s a
r
ms b
e
hind his ba
c
k.
I
t w
a
s
a
h
e
ll
of a
storm
t
o se
n
d these
men out in
t
o.

“
H
e
r
e
a
r
e
y
our
p
rintouts
.
”
S
e
r
g
ea
nt
Ca
rt
e
r s
a
id
r
e
t
u
r
ning
to
C
olonel
P
ick
e
t
t
’s o
f
fi
ce
.
I
’ve made
two s
e
ts and divid
e
d them in
t
o se
pa
rate
f
i
l
e
fold
e
rs.
O
n
e
’s the
F
AA
r
e
port
a
nd AP wire n
e
ws sto
r
y
. This
i
s the
f
i
l
e
on
J
im
M
i
tch
e
l
l
, most
l
y
N
a
v
y
S
E
A
L
stuff.
I
a
lso have
two w
e
a
ther r
e
ports
a
nd the most
r
e
c
e
nt a
e
ri
a
l
r
ec
on d
a
ta on t
h
a
t whole
a
r
e
a
, includi
n
g
t
he
Chinese
ship,
a
ll tak
e
n
b
y
sat
e
l
l
i
t
e
b
e
f
o
re
t
he
storm. Yo
u
’r
e
s
u
re
i
t
’
s wo
r
th sending
C
a
p
t
a
in
C
a
rn
e
s and
his
m
e
n out
i
n th
i
s s
t
o
r
m
j
u
s
t
t
o
l
ook
f
or
that down
e
d pla
n
e
?
”

“
H
e
l
l
, Gin
n
y
. You know
h
e
loves this kind of
th
i
n
g
. All
t
hose
S
p
ec
ial
F
o
rc
e
s
g
u
y
s
g
e
t off on pushing
thems
e
lves to
the li
m
i
t
. And
I
didn’t t
e
ll
y
ou he
w
a
s looking
f
o
r
a
n
y
th
i
ng
.
I
to
l
d
y
ou he
w
a
s
g
oi
n
g
on man
e
u
v
e
rs.
A
nd that
’
s
a
ll
y
ou k
n
ow.
W
h
e
r
e
’s C
a
r
n
e
s
?
”