The 22nd Secret (125 page)

I
t
w
a
s s
i
x
hou
r
s lat
e
r.
J
im
a
nd
P
a
m
h
a
d slept the
p
e
ace
ful sl
e
e
p of lov
e
rs
a
f
t
e
r ho
u
rs of lovem
a
kin
g
.

“
Th
e
r
e
she is.”
A whis
p
e
r
c
a
me
f
r
om
t
he
s
n
ow, n
e
a
r some
tr
e
e
s
, 100
y
a
rds
a
w
a
y
f
rom the lod
g
e
.

“
Ma
n
, look at that
a
s
s
,”
a
nother
whisp
e
r
ca
me
f
r
o
m
t
he
same
a
r
e
a
of sno
w
.
The
two memb
e
rs of
C
a
r
n
e
s’s sp
e
c
ial te
a
m w
e
re
so thoro
u
g
h
l
y
c
a
moufl
a
g
e
d in
t
he
snow
a
nd tr
ee
s t
h
a
t
e
v
e
n the
most
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
d soldier
would h
a
ve
ste
p
p
e
d on them b
e
fo
r
e
r
e
a
l
iz
ing
th
e
y
w
e
re
th
e
r
e
.

“
Ma
n
,
I
wish sh
e
’d tu
r
n
a
round.
S
e
r
g
e
a
nt
P
ie
rc
e
s
a
id he
g
ot a
g
ood look at
h
e
r
y
e
ste
r
d
a
y wh
e
n she
w
a
s on the
po
r
c
h with Mi
t
c
h
e
l
l
.
S
a
id
s
he
looked ju
s
t
l
ike Pat
t
y
L
a
w
re
n
ce
.
H
e
said she w
a
s dro
p-
d
ea
d
g
o
r
g
e
ous
a
nd just about ju
m
p
e
d Mitch
e
l
l
’s bone
r
i
g
ht
t
h
e
re on the po
rc
h.”

“
W
e
l
l
, that’s it,”
whisp
e
r
e
d the oth
e
r voi
c
e
. “
S
h
e
’
s in
t
h
e
re
with Mi
t
c
h
e
l
l
. Th
a
t’s wh
e
r
e h
e
’s
g
ot h
i
s
plan
e
s.
W
h
a
t do
y
ou th
i
n
k? T
h
e
y
g
oi
n
g to do
i
t on
t
he
win
g
?
”

“
W
h
a
t
m
a
k
e
s
y
ou th
i
nk
t
h
e
y
’
re
doi
n
g
it
a
t all
?
”

“
Come on, man,
y
ou ki
d
din
g
?
Ev
e
r
y
one
kn
o
ws
Mitch
e
ll
spe
n
t one h
e
ll
of a
hot n
i
g
ht up h
e
re
snowbound
w
i
t
h
P
a
tt
y
L
a
w
r
e
n
ce
.
W
e
w
e
re
d
e
pl
o
y
e
d h
e
r
e
a
w
ee
k
a
g
o
a
nd to
l
d to
k
ee
p
a
n
e
y
e
on the pl
a
ce
, p
r
e
v
e
nt
a
n
y
o
n
e
f
rom
g
e
t
t
ing
c
lo
s
e
. Th
e
n
,
y
e
st
e
rd
a
y
W
a
lk
e
r sho
w
s up h
e
re with a
P
a
t
t
y
L
a
w
re
n
c
e
loo
k-
a
l
i
k
e
.
S
he
ju
m
ps all over
Mitch
e
l
l
,
acc
o
r
di
n
g
to
P
ie
rc
e
, t
h
e
n sp
e
nds the ni
g
ht.
I
don
’
t know how
or
w
h
y
, but
t
h
a
t’s
P
a
t
t
y
L
a
w
r
e
n
c
e
a
nd
I
’ll b
e
t
y
ou
$50 Mitch
e
ll
f
u
c
k
e
d h
e
r b
ra
ins out all n
i
g
ht.”

“
K
ee
p
y
o
u
r mon
e
y
.
L
e
t
’
s
k
ee
p
a
n
e
y
e
on that bui
l
ding. M
a
y
be
we
c
a
n see
s
omething
in the
w
indows.”

J
i
m
a
w
a
k
e
n
e
d
b
e
fo
r
e
Pa
m
a
nd g
e
nt
l
y
kis
s
e
d
h
e
r
f
o
re
h
ea
d.
He to
l
d h
e
r
h
e
w
a
s
g
oing
out to
t
he
h
a
ng
a
r
to wo
r
k on
his p
l
a
n
e
.
W
h
e
n she
a
w
o
ke
he
w
a
n
t
e
d h
e
r to m
a
k
e
him
thr
e
e
e
gg s
a
ndwi
c
h
e
s and
jo
i
n him
the
re
.
P
a
m k
i
ssed him b
a
c
k
, s
a
id she
w
ould
i
n a
fe
w minu
t
e
s
,
a
nd r
o
l
l
e
d ov
er
, tug
g
i
n
g
the b
l
a
nk
e
t
ov
e
r h
e
r shoul
d
e
r.

J
i
m had b
ee
n in
t
he
h
a
n
g
a
r
f
or
two ho
u
rs b
e
f
o
re
P
a
m
jo
i
n
e
d hi
m
,
ca
r
r
y
i
n
g
t
he s
a
ndwi
c
h
e
s. T
h
e
re
w
e
r
e
two plan
e
s
. One
w
a
s the
b
ig
C
e
ssna C
a
r
a
v
a
n
Amphib
i
a
n
J
i
m used to tr
a
nsport
g
u
e
sts
to and
f
r
om
Be
a
r Br
e
a
th.
I
t
w
a
s
e
quipped
w
i
t
h pontoons for
use
o
n the l
a
ke wh
e
n it
w
a
sn’t
f
roz
e
n.
T
he
other
w
a
s
a
b
e
a
ut
i
ful S
t
inson R
e
l
i
a
nt
S
R
-
9. J
i
m had
re
moved the
c
owling
a
nd w
a
s w
o
rking
on the spotl
e
ss
L
y
c
om
i
ng
R
-
680
r
a
dial
e
n
g
ine.