Authors: Randal Lanser

The 22nd Secret (6 page)

BOOK: The 22nd Secret

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K
e
nt’s h
e
a
rt s
a
nk
a
nd
h
e
f
e
lt
b
ea
ds of s
w
ea
t
on his
f
o
re
h
e
a
d.
He
h
a
d no
c
h
o
ice
but
t
o
c
ome
f
o
r
w
a
rd
w
i
t
h w
h
a
t he kn
e
w
. The
soo
n
e
r
h
e
did
t
he
b
e
t
t
e
r it would be
f
or
hi
m
.

“
I
g
u
e
ss no
t
.
I
g
u
e
ss
I
c
a
n
’
t
g
e
t
i
n
a
n
y
m
o
re
trou
b
l
e
.”

W
a
lker
push
e
d a
but
t
on
on the
ca
ssette
r
ec
o
rd
e
r
n
e
x
t
t
o his phon
e
.
“
Ok
a
y
,
K
e
n
t
.
S
ta
r
t ov
e
r
w
i
t
h
y
our
na
me.
J
ust r
e
la
x
. You’
r
e
doi
n
g
the
ri
g
ht
t
hin
g
.
You’
r
e
doing
y
our job
.
”

W
a
lker
l
i
sten
e
d while the
ca
ssette
r
e
c
o
rd
e
d w
h
a
t
K
e
nt witness
e
d ov
e
r the l
a
st f
e
w mon
t
hs – the
sto
r
y
of C
h
e
n
W
e
n
B
in and Pat
t
y
L
a
w
re
n
c
e
’s
r
oma
n
c
e
,
a
nd
H
e
n
r
y
L
o
’
s disapp
ea
r
a
n
ce
.
W
h
e
n
K
e
nt
finished
W
a
lker
turn
e
d off
the
r
e
c
o
r
d
e
r
.

“
Don
’
t b
l
a
me
y
our
s
e
l
f
,
s
on. Reporting
it
to
m
e
w
a
s the
r
i
g
ht
t
hing
to do.
I
t
sounds
l
ike wh
e
n we
ca
tch up to
L
o
h
e
’s
g
oing
to
h
a
ve
some
e
x
plaining
to do.
I
w
a
nt
y
o
u to k
e
e
p
a
n
e
y
e
out for
L
o, the
g
ir
l
,
a
nd th
i
s
Chinese
n
a
t
i
on
a
l
y
ou
m
e
nt
i
on
e
d.
L
e
t
’s hope
a
ll
t
h
is c
a
n be
e
x
plain
e
d in some w
a
y
other
than
a
d
e
f
e
c
t
i
on.
W
h
a
t nu
m
b
e
r c
a
n
I
r
e
a
c
h
y
ou
a
t
?
”

Tom look
e
d up to s
e
e
B
e
t
t
y
standing
in
t
he
do
o
r
c
onn
ec
t
i
ng
t
h
e
ir o
f
fi
c
e
s
a
n
d sm
i
l
i
ng
a
s he
pr
e
ten
d
e
d to w
r
i
t
e
d
o
wn the
numbe
r
.
“
I
’ll k
e
e
p in
t
ou
c
h
,”
he
s
a
id as
h
e
hung
up
t
he
pho
n
e.
“
W
h
a
t
?
”
He
a
sked
B
e
t
t
y
,
sm
i
l
i
n
g
.

“
Th
a
t w
a
s ni
c
e
, the
w
a
y
y
o
u h
a
nd
l
e
d that.
P
oor
k
id
m
ust be s
ca
r
e
d to d
e
a
t
h
.”
B
e
t
t
y w
a
lked ov
e
r to
a
la
r
ge
s
a
fe
a
nd pul
l
e
d
a
n
a
t
t
ac
h
é
c
a
se
ou
t
.
“
I
g
u
e
ss we
g
ot
s
ome
w
o
r
k to d
o
,”
she s
a
id w
a
lk
i
ng
b
ac
k to h
e
r
o
f
fi
ce
.

Tom pi
c
k
e
d up the phone
a
nd dial
e
d
a
n
e
x
tension.

“
This
i
s Tom
W
a
lker.
I
n
ee
d to sp
ea
k
with Dir
ec
t
o
r
J
ohnson.”
Th
e
re
w
a
s
a
b
r
ief
p
a
use while
T
om
l
is
t
e
n
e
d,
“
Y
e
s
, in
t
e
r
r
upt h
i
m
.
I
t’s
v
e
r
y
i
mport
a
nt.”
Tom tapp
e
d
h
is desk with a p
e
n while he
w
a
i
t
e
d to be
c
o
nn
ec
ted.
“
Dir
e
c
t
o
r
J
ohn
s
o
n
. This
i
s Tom
W
a
lke
r
. I
h
a
ve
just
b
ec
o
m
e
a
w
a
r
e
of a
poss
i
ble
d
e
fe
c
t
i
on of
a
L
os
Al
a
mos
s
c
ientist
t
o the
Chines
e
.”

“
Oh
r
e
a
l
l
y
,
I
ca
n
’t talk now,”
J
ohnson said, mask
i
ng
his co
n
ce
rn
f
r
om
t
he
o
f
fi
c
e
f
ull
of Con
g
r
e
ss
m
e
n in
t
he
ro
om
.
“
You
g
ot
a
n
a
me
?
”

W
a
lker
a
bsent
l
y
shuf
f
led
some p
a
p
e
rs.
“
An inte
r
n
a
t
L
os A
l
a
mo
s
, a
y
ou
n
g
g
irl n
a
m
e
d
–
” he
sm
i
led
a
s he shu
f
fl
e
d
some more
p
a
p
e
r
s
, kno
w
ing
he
w
a
s build
i
ng
the
s
uspe
n
s
e
.
“
H
e
re
it
i
s
. N
a
m
e’
s
P
a
t
t
y
L
a
w
r
e
n
c
e
.
”

Dir
e
c
tor
J
ohnson shot up
in h
i
s ch
a
ir.
“
Come
a
g
a
i
n
?
W
h
a
t
w
a
s that nam
e
?
”
A
fe
w of
t
h
e Con
g
r
e
ss
m
e
n
n
e
a
r him tu
r
n
e
d to
l
ook
a
t h
i
m.