The 22nd Secret (97 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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The
two men
g
ot out
of the
v
e
hicle
a
nd b
e
nt over
a
s th
e
y
slow
l
y
h
ea
d
e
d t
o
w
a
rd
t
he
b
e
nd in
t
he
r
o
a
d using
t
h
e
f
o
re
st as
c
ov
e
r.


Th
e
r
e
, s
e
e
the smo
k
e
?

B
i
l
l
y
h
e
ld his
a
rm out to stop H
e
n
r
y
’s
f
o
r
w
a
rd
p
r
o
g
r
e
s
s
. He poin
t
e
d tow
a
rd smoke
f
r
om
t
he
ca
bin s
t
ove
a
bove
the t
ree
s
100
y
a
rds
f
u
r
t
h
e
r do
w
n the
r
o
a
d than he
thou
g
ht.


L
e
t’s
c
ont
i
nue
on
foot
so we
don

t spook th
e
m
,”
H
e
n
r
y
s
u
g
g
e
sted.
W
h
e
n
t
h
e
y
g
ot
c
lose
e
nou
g
h to
s
e
e
the
c
a
bi
n
, th
e
y
k
n
e
lt
down
a
nd
c
o
n
c
ea
led th
e
mselv
e
s
b
e
hind
some tr
ee
s.


I
don

t see
t
h
e
snowm
o
bi
le
,”
H
e
n
r
y
whisp
e
r
e
d.
“Th
a
t
t
he
on
l
y
doo
r
?


Don

t know, but prob
a
b
l
y
.”
J
ust
t
h
e
n
B
i
l
l
y
f
e
lt
the mu
zz
le of
H
e
n
r
y

s nin
e
-
m
i
l
l
i
m
e
ter flush
a
g
a
inst
his n
ec
k.


W
h
a
t
t
he
f
u
c
k
?

B
i
l
l
y
f
r
o
z
e
. He
kn
e
w his fi
r
st
i
mpr
e
ss
i
on w
a
s r
i
g
h
t
. H
e
n
r
y
w
a
s not to be
trusted.


B
i
l
l
y
,
y
o
u

r
e
a
f
ine
y
o
u
ng
man
a
nd a
skil
l
e
d
a
g
e
nt. Don

t
m
a
ke
me kill
y
ou. Don

t do
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
dumb. Trust m
e
. One
w
r
o
n
g
move
a
nd
y
ou’
r
e
d
e
a
d. You und
e
rst
a
n
d
?


I
und
e
rst
a
nd.
W
h
a
t
do
y
ou w
a
nt
?


L
e
t’s w
a
lk o
v
e
r to th
a
t
c
a
bin. Nice
a
nd slow. R
e
memb
e
r
,
B
i
l
l
y
.
I
l
i
ke
y
o
u
.
I
do
n
’t w
a
nt to see
y
o
u ki
l
led, but
i
f
I
h
a
ve
to
I
wil
l
.”


You

r
e
not
C
I
A
a
r
e
y
o
u
?

B
i
l
l
y
a
s
k
e
d
a
s th
e
y
st
a
rt
e
d for
the
ca
bin. H
e
n
r
y

s s
i
len
c
e
w
a
s
a
ll
the
a
nsw
e
r
h
e
n
e
e
d
e
d.

B
i
l
l
y
op
e
n
e
d the door
to
the
ca
bin.
P
a
t
t
y
w
a
s s
i
t
t
ing
a
t
t
he
t
a
ble d
r
ink
i
n
g
a
c
up of
J
i
m
’s
c
o
f
fe
e
.
S
he
ju
m
p
e
d
a
nd
g
a
sped.


W
ho
a
re
y
ou
?
” she
a
sk
e
d.


G
e
t
i
n the
re
,

H
e
n
r
y
sa
i
d
,
a
s
B
i
l
l
y
w
a
lked into
t
h
e
ca
bin
in f
r
ont of
H
e
n
r
y
.


H
e
n
r
y
,
I
a
m
g
lad to s
e
e
y
o
u.”
P
a
t
t
y
sm
i
led
a
nd
re
la
x
e
d.


H
e
n
r
y
,
who the
h
e
ll
is H
e
n
r
y
?

B
i
l
l
y
a
ske
d
,
a
s
he
turn
e
d to
l
ook
a
t
t
he
man he
kn
e
w
a
s Tom
W
a
lke
r
.


S
hut up and sit down on one
of those b
e
ds
.

H
e
n
r
y
k
e
pt
t
he
g
un poin
t
e
d
a
t
B
i
l
l
y
.

You ok
a
y
?

h
e
a
sked
P
a
t
t
y
.


Y
e
s, fin
e
.
W
h
a
t’s
h
a
pp
e
nin
g
?
W
h
e
r
e
’s T
o
m
?


C
a
r
e
ful
w
h
a
t
y
ou s
a
y
ar
ound
B
i
l
l
y
h
e
r
e
.
H
e
’s
w
i
t
h the F
BI
. Ni
c
e
ki
d
, so far he
knows noth
i
n
g
.
L
e
t’s k
e
e
p it
th
a
t w
a
y
.

H
e
n
r
y
r
e
ac
h
e
d in
t
o his po
c
k
e
t and pulled out a
c
ouple of
pi
l
ls.


B
i
l
l
y
,
I
don

t w
a
nt
t
o t
i
e
y
ou up in
c
a
se
no one
c
o
mes looking
f
or
y
ou
for
a
while
a
nd
I don’t w
a
nt
t
o shoot
y
o
u
.
S
o w
h
y
don

t
y
ou ta
k
e
these
sle
e
pi
n
g
pi
l
ls.”


Y
ea
h
ri
g
ht
,

B
i
l
l
y
b
r
us
h
e
d
o
f
f the
r
e
qu
e
s
t
.


L
ook, kid
i
f
I
w
a
nted to
ki
l
l
y
ou
I
would h
a
ve
d
o
ne
it
out
t
h
e
re
on the
r
o
a
d.”

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