The 22nd Secret (102 page)

The
storm had m
a
de
the
a
l
t
e
rn
a
t
i
ve
r
oute to Mitc
h
e
l
l
’s un
e
x
p
ec
ted
l
y
di
f
fi
c
u
l
t
.
B
i
l
l r
a
dioed
a
h
ea
d to Mi
t
c
h
e
l
l as he
a
ppr
o
ac
h
e
d t
h
e
lod
g
e
a
t
4:15
to get his
c
o
a
t and
g
loves
a
nd w
a
it out f
r
ont for
them so th
e
y
would not w
a
s
t
e
a
n
y
m
o
r
e
t
i
me.
W
a
lker
c
l
i
mb
e
d
in
t
o the b
ac
k
s
ea
t and s
a
t betw
ee
n N
i
e
mer
a
nd
Gon
z
o wh
e
n
J
im
g
ot
i
n.

“
W
hich
w
a
y
?
”
B
i
l
l ask
e
d
a
s he
g
unn
e
d the
e
n
g
ine
h
ea
di
n
g
to
t
he
w
e
st,
t
ow
a
rd the
c
r
a
sh si
t
e.

“
Due
w
e
s
t
. The
other
si
d
e
of Colu
m
bine m
ea
do
ws
,”
J
im
a
nsw
e
r
e
d.

“
Th
a
t’s
W
a
lke
r
,
a
nd Ma
r
k Niemer
a
nd
B
i
l
l Gon
z
o with
t
he
F
A
A
.”
B
i
l
l said
g
e
sturi
n
g tow
a
rd the
thr
e
e
men in
t
he
b
ac
k s
e
a
t.

“
Tom
W
a
lke
r
.”
Tom
e
x
tend
e
d his h
a
nd
a
nd sho
o
k Mitch
e
l
l
’s.
“
How
f
a
r a
r
e
we
a
w
a
y f
r
om
t
he
c
r
a
sh
?
”
The
w
ea
ther
h
a
d
c
le
a
r
e
d
a
nd
a
s the men
d
r
ove
to
w
a
rd the
w
e
st
t
h
e
y
c
ould s
e
e the s
e
t
t
ing
sun fill
the
w
e
ste
r
n s
k
y
with
a
n or
a
n
ge
g
low.

“
At th
i
s spe
e
d a
h
a
lf ho
u
r, m
a
y
b
e
a
l
i
t
t
le long
e
r,”
J
i
m said. “
W
e
’ll h
a
ve
to w
a
lk
t
he
last hund
re
d
y
a
rds
o
r so. The
tr
ee
s
a
r
e
too th
i
c
k for
th
i
s c
a
t.” Th
e
y
p
a
ssed
w
i
t
h
out det
ec
t
i
ng
t
h
e
two white
f
i
g
u
r
e
s hidd
e
n in
t
he
snow
a
nd tr
e
e
s ju
s
t w
e
st of the
L
o
d
g
e
.

“
Crow
to
S
tr
a
y
D
o
g
. Ov
e
r,”
one
of t
h
e
tw
e
lve s
e
n
t
ri
e
s that
g
u
a
rd
e
d t
h
e
te
a
m’s
ca
mp whisp
e
r
e
d in
t
o his r
a
dio.

“
S
tr
a
y
D
o
g
. Ov
e
r.”
C
a
r
n
e
s ans
w
e
r
e
d.
“
Gu
e
sts
c
om
i
n
g
i
n
. Ov
e
r
.
”

“
Co
p
y
that. O
v
e
r
a
nd ou
t
.”

“
W
h
e
re
did
y
ou fi
r
st
s
e
e
the pl
a
n
e
?
”
W
a
lker
a
sked.

“
About h
e
r
e
.
I
t flew
o
v
e
r
rea
l
l
ow.
T
h
e
n
I
th
i
nk m
a
y
b
e
the
e
n
g
i
n
e
c
ut ou
t
,
I
’
m not
sur
e
, but
t
h
e
y
c
ouldn’t
c
le
a
r the
tr
ee
s on the
top of t
h
a
t ri
d
g
e
.
”
J
im
poin
t
e
d
a
h
e
a
d to
t
he
tr
ee
s b
a
c
kl
i
t
b
y
the s
e
t
t
i
n
g
sun.
J
im
re
to
l
d most of his sto
r
y
b
y
the ti
m
e
th
e
y
r
e
a
c
h
e
d C
a
rn
e
s
’
s b
a
s
e
ca
mp of four
v
e
hicl
e
s,
wh
e
r
e
the
me
a
dow
e
n
d
e
d
a
nd the
t
r
ee-
l
i
n
e
d
ri
d
ge
that b
r
o
u
ght down the small plane
b
e
g
a
n.

C
a
rn
e
s
g
re
e
ted the
men
a
nd th
e
y
e
x
c
h
a
ng
e
d h
a
nd
s
h
a
k
e
s. He
a
nd
B
i
l
l
a
c
kn
o
wl
e
dg
e
d their
ac
qu
a
in
t
a
n
c
e
b
e
fo
r
e
C
a
r
n
e
s said
“
th
i
s w
a
y
,”
a
nd l
e
d them up the h
i
ll
through the t
ree
s alo
n
g a w
e
l
l
-
trodd
e
n p
a
th
t
h
r
o
u
gh the sno
w
. At the top of
the hil
l
, th
e
y
saw
the
p
a
t
h
c
ut
t
h
r
ou
g
h the
t
r
e
e
s
b
y
the pl
a
n
e
now so
f
te
n
e
d f
r
om
t
he
w
a
y
Mitch
e
ll
h
a
d r
e
memb
e
r
e
d it
b
y
s
e
v
e
r
a
l
f
ee
t of snow.
A
t the b
a
se
of the
hi
l
l
i
n the
small
c
le
a
ri
n
g
w
e
re
th
r
e
e
A
r
m
y
m
e
ss
t
e
nts
s
e
t up
i
n a
r
ow l
e
n
g
thwise ov
e
r the
c
r
a
sh s
i
te.