The 22nd Secret (119 page)

“
Come
a
nd
g
e
t
it,”
P
a
m
s
a
id
a
fe
w minu
t
e
s la
t
e
r,
s
e
t
t
ing
the pl
a
tes do
w
n on
the g
a
me table
th
e
y
h
a
d us
e
d to
e
a
t
those
fe
w m
e
a
ls
to
g
e
t
h
e
r
last
y
e
a
r.
“
You
wa
nt a
b
ee
r
?
” she
a
sked, w
a
lking
to
w
a
rd the
b
a
r.

“
Ah, no thanks
I
h
a
d two
with
W
a
lker.
I
’ll h
a
ve
b
ot
t
led w
a
te
r
.”

P
a
m sudd
e
n
l
y
stopp
e
d
a
n
d turn
e
d
,
ca
tchi
n
g
J
im
s
t
a
rin
g
.

“
J
i
m
, I
know
wh
a
t
y
ou
ar
e
th
i
nking.
W
h
e
n
I
said
c
ome
a
nd
g
e
t
i
t,
I
me
a
nt
t
he s
a
ndwi
c
h
e
s.
B
ut
i
f
y
ou th
i
nk
I
m
e
a
n
t
…w
e
l
l
,
I
’m
more
than
r
e
a
d
y
.”
S
he
u
n
but
t
on
e
d h
e
r shi
r
t slow
l
y
.

“
No, no, let’s
e
a
t.
I
me
a
n
,
f
irst
t
h
a
t
i
s.”

“
Ok
a
y
, if
y
ou insis
t
.”
Pa
m s
t
opp
e
d
a
s she unbuttoned the
last butto
n
, just
b
e
fo
r
e
s
h
e would h
a
ve
pul
l
e
d h
e
r s
h
irttails out of h
e
r p
a
nts.
J
i
m
h
a
d trouble d
u
ri
n
g
lunch k
ee
pi
n
g
his
e
y
e
s o
f
f of
P
a
m’s
e
x
posed
c
l
e
a
v
a
g
e
. E
v
e
r
y
t
i
me she
m
ov
e
d
, he
tried
with no s
u
cce
ss
t
o
c
a
tch a
g
la
n
c
e of
wh
a
t w
a
s hidd
e
n just
out of vi
e
w
.
P
a
m enj
o
y
e
d the
a
t
t
e
nt
i
on
to h
e
r
c
h
e
s
t
,
a
nd f
e
lt
inc
r
e
a
sin
g
l
y
a
rous
e
d while s
h
e
a
te.

“
You
’
r
e
g
o
r
g
e
ou
s
,
”
J
im
s
a
i
d
, sta
r
ing
a
t
P
a
m as she
took
t
he
f
irst b
i
te of
h
e
r
s
a
ndwi
c
h.
S
he
g
i
g
g
led a
l
i
t
t
le
w
h
e
n
some m
a
y
on
n
a
ise squish
e
d
out of the
san
d
wi
c
h
o
nto
t
he
c
o
r
n
e
r
o
f h
e
r mou
t
h.

“
I
ca
n
’t b
e
l
i
e
ve
th
i
s is
r
e
a
l
l
y
h
a
p
p
e
ni
n
g
.
I
r
e
me
m
b
e
r sit
t
ing
h
e
r
e
e
a
t
i
ng
b
re
a
k
fa
st with
y
o
u, wishi
n
g I
w
a
s luc
k
y
e
nou
g
h to
h
a
ve
a
wom
a
n l
i
ke
y
o
u
,
a
nd t
h
a
t w
a
s
wh
e
n
I
tho
u
g
ht
y
ou w
e
re
just
plain old
P
a
ula.
I
ca
n
’
t
b
e
l
i
e
ve
y
ou
’
re
w
h
a
t
W
a
lker
said
y
ou
a
r
e
.”

P
a
m sw
a
l
l
ow
e
d the bite
of
san
d
wi
c
h she
h
a
d b
ee
n
c
h
e
wi
n
g
, pick
e
d up
a
c
hip
a
nd popp
e
d it
in her
mou
t
h.
“
I
’m su
r
e
wh
a
tev
e
r
h
e
t
o
ld
y
ou is
t
he
trut
h
. You think
j
ust be
ca
use
I
’m a
wo
m
a
n
, I
ca
n
’
t
b
e
a
ll
of those
th
i
n
g
s,
l
i
ke
the sma
r
t
e
st
s
c
ientist
i
n the
w
o
r
l
d
?
You
t
hink
j
ust be
ca
use
I
’m a
g
ood look
i
n
g
, s
e
x
y
y
o
u
ng
wom
a
n
,
I
c
ouldn’t
g
o
to
C
hina
a
nd
e
nd the use
of
c
ompu
t
e
rs
f
o
r murd
er
?
I
s t
h
a
t wh
a
t’s
re
a
l
l
y
bothe
r
i
n
g
y
ou,
J
i
m
?
Ask me
a
n
y
th
i
ng
y
ou
w
a
nt.”

“
No,
I
’m su
r
e
y
ou did all of those thin
g
s.
I
just
c
a
n
’
t believe
a
n
y
o
n
e
p
e
rs
o
n
ca
n be
a
s p
e
r
f
e
c
t as
y
ou
a
r
e
.
I
ca
n
’
t
b
e
l
i
e
ve
y
ou’
r
e
g
oi
n
g
to
m
a
r
r
y
me
a
nd
I
ca
n
’t b
e
l
i
e
ve how mu
c
h
I
love
y
o
u.”
J
i
m
’s voi
c
e
g
rew
s
o
f
ter.
“
W
h
a
t w
a
s it
l
i
k
e
,
P
a
m
?
”

“
W
h
a
t w
a
s wh
a
t
l
ike?
Y
ou me
a
n Ch
i
n
a
?
I
t
w
a
s sc
a
r
y
.
H
e
l
l
, it
w
a
s fu
c
ki
n
g te
r
ri
f
y
i
n
g
.
J
i
m
,
y
o
u h
a
v
e
no idea
wh
a
t
i
t's
l
ike to l
i
ve
m
onth a
f
ter
mon
t
h knowing
that
a
t a
n
y
mo
m
e
nt
C
hinese s
ec
u
r
i
t
y
c
ould
j
ust w
a
lk
up to
y
ou
a
nd ki
l
l
y
ou.
N
o qu
e
st
i
ons
a
sked,
no tri
a
ls, no one
to ev
e
n
ca
r
e
.
E
x
ce
pt a h
a
nd f
u
ll
o
f p
e
ople
a
nd
m
y
p
a
r
e
nt
s
,
a
nd none
of th
e
m would
h
a
ve
e
v
e
r kn
o
wn wh
a
t r
ea
l
l
y
h
a
p
p
e
n
e
d to
me.”