The 22nd Secret (128 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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J
i
m
g
r
a
b
b
e
d
P
a
m
b
y
t
h
e
h
a
ir on the
bac
k
o
f h
e
r
he
a
d
a
nd pul
l
e
d h
e
r
h
ea
d
b
ac
k
. He
p
l
ace
d h
e
r lips
a
g
a
inst
his and kissed h
e
r s
e
nsuous
l
y
.
W
h
e
n th
e
y
f
inal
l
y
r
e
l
e
nted, th
e
y
w
e
r
e
a
bsor
b
e
d with passion and didn’t w
a
nt
t
o
sto
p
.

You
a
l
m
ost done h
e
r
e
,

P
a
m ask
e
d
mo
t
ion
i
ng
to
t
he plan
e
?


All
I
h
a
ve
to do
i
s put the
c
owli
n
g
b
ac
k o
n
. T
h
a
t
won

t
t
a
ke
that lo
n
g
. Y
o
u
ca
n w
a
t
c
h if
y
o
u
w
a
nt.”

P
a
m w
a
tch
e
d
J
im
re
pl
a
c
e
the m
e
tal p
a
n
e
ls
t
h
a
t co
v
e
r
e
d the
e
n
g
in
e
,
a
ddi
n
g
t
he
f
inal pie
ce
s to
t
he
str
e
a
m
l
ined pu
zz
le of
his
sle
e
k,
c
ustom
blue S
R
-
9. Jim
wo
r
k
e
d quick
l
y
a
nd
e
f
f
ici
e
nt
l
y
, h
a
vi
n
g
do
n
e
th
i
s hundr
e
ds of ti
m
e
s
.
P
a
m
i
m
a
g
ined him
wo
r
ki
n
g n
a
k
e
d.
B
y
t
h
e
t
i
me he
finishe
d
, she
w
a
s re
a
d
y
f
o
r
J
i
m
.


H
e
r
e
th
e
y
c
ome
a
g
a
i
n
,”
whisp
e
r
e
d the voi
c
e
f
rom
the snow
a
nd tr
e
es.


Y
ea
h,
m
a
n,”
whisp
e
r
e
d
the oth
e
r. “
I
t’s
h
a
rd to te
l
l
, but she
sure
do
e
s look l
i
ke
those pictu
re
s of Pat
t
y
L
a
w
r
e
n
c
e
th
e
y
show
e
d
a
ll
ov
e
r
TV l
a
st
s
um
m
e
r
.”


I
don

t know.
I
ca
n

t
rememb
e
r th
a
t w
e
l
l
, n
e
v
e
r
p
a
id
m
u
c
h
a
t
t
e
n
t
ion.”


W
e
l
l
,
I
’m su
r
e
that’s h
e
r.”
Th
e
y
w
a
tch
e
d t
h
e
c
o
u
ple
e
nter
the lo
d
g
e
.
Th
e
r
e
w
e
r
e
thr
e
e te
a
ms of two men
a
ss
i
g
n
e
d to
obse
r
ve
the lo
d
g
e
.
The
re
st of C
a
rn
e
s

s unit
w
a
s dispe
r
s
e
d in
te
a
ms of
two to mon
i
tor
a
nd p
re
v
e
nt a
n
y
one
f
r
om app
r
o
ac
hi
n
g
the
c
ompound. T
h
e
te
a
ms would rot
a
te out ev
e
r
y
e
i
g
ht hours to
a
void f
a
t
i
g
u
e
.


I
’ll r
a
dio
B
i
ll
,”
J
im
said.

T
e
ll
him
to
m
a
ke
us a
r
e
s
e
rv
a
t
i
on
a
t
t
he
ho
t
e
l
, then
g
o up
a
nd show
e
r.”
J
im
hung
his c
o
a
t
up
a
nd w
a
lked o
v
e
r to
the
ra
dio.

P
a
m f
a
n
a
t
i
c
i
z
e
d
a
bout
J
i
m
w
a
lk
i
ng
a
w
a
y
f
rom h
er
, w
e
a
ring
on
l
y
the
l
ea
th
e
r pistol
b
e
lt
a
nd his boot
s
.

I
’ll p
ac
k
s
ome
c
lo
t
h
e
s for
us. A
n
y
t
hing
spe
c
i
a
l
y
ou
w
a
nt
t
o
tak
e
?


Y
ea
h,
m
y
blue sui
t
,
I
’m
taking
y
ou to d
i
nn
e
r
a
t
t
he
b
e
st r
e
sta
u
r
a
nt
i
n town
to
m
o
r
row ni
g
ht.
I
t’s in
t
he
hotel w
e

r
e
g
oi
n
g
to s
t
a
y
a
t
,
a
nd
I
wa
nt
t
o look
g
ood
e
no
u
gh to be
w
i
t
h
y
ou w
ea
ri
n
g
the
n
e
w d
r
e
ss
I

m b
u
y
i
n
g
y
ou.”


Ok
a
y
.
I
’ll
p
ac
k
y
ou a
w
hi
t
e
shirt to
o
, but
I
g
e
t
t
o
pick out
y
our tie
w
h
e
n
w
e

r
e
shoppi
n
g to
m
o
r
ro
w
.”
P
a
m
didn’t like
we
a
ring
d
r
e
sse
s
, but
s
he
would to p
l
ea
se
J
i
m
.
S
he
laid down in b
e
d
a
nd w
a
i
t
e
d f
o
r him
to
g
e
t
out of the
show
e
r.

 

J
i
m open
e
d the h
a
n
g
a
r
d
oors in
f
ront of
the S
t
inso
n
. He
str
a
pp
e
d t
h
e
luggage
down in the lug
g
a
ge
c
ompa
r
t
m
e
nt
a
n
d
g
ot
i
n on the pilo
t

s s
i
d
e
.
P
a
m had
a
lr
e
a
d
y
g
ot
te
n in on
t
he
other
side
a
nd w
a
s admiri
n
g
the
b
e
a
ut
i
ful
je
we
l
l
ike ins
t
rum
e
nts. The b
r
i
g
ht noond
a
y
s
unl
i
g
ht r
e
f
l
ec
t
i
n
g
off the snow
on the l
a
ke
ma
d
e
the polish
e
d
c
h
r
ome
d
e
tail
spa
r
kle. Pam s
a
t wi
t
h
e
x
c
i
t
e
d
a
nt
i
c
ipatio
n
, look
i
ng
out at the sno
w
-
c
ov
e
r
e
d la
k
e
a
s
J
im
p
re
p
a
r
e
d the pl
a
ne
f
o
r
f
l
i
g
ht.
H
e
s
e
t
c
ontrols and flipp
e
d switch
e
s in his rout
i
ne o
r
d
e
r.
T
he
b
i
g
p
rop
slow
l
y
b
e
g
a
n to
t
u
r
n
.
P
a
m could
fee
l
t
he
str
a
in of
the sta
r
ter
a
g
a
inst
the
c
old e
n
g
ine.
C
y
l
i
nd
e
rs ign
i
ted one
b
y
o
n
e.
S
udd
e
n
l
y
, in a bu
r
st of bl
a
c
k
e
x
h
a
ust
s
moke, the p
r
op
e
l
l
e
r blu
r
r
e
d up to sp
e
e
d.
The
pow
e
r
fu
l
, hi
g
h
l
y
m
o
difi
e
d
e
n
g
ine s
e
nt smooth r
h
y
th
m
ic vib
ra
t
i
o
ns th
r
ou
g
h the
e
nt
i
re
pla
ne
, shooting
up
P
a
m’s l
e
gs a
n
d throu
g
h
h
e
r bo
d
y
w
h
e
re
it
c
a
me in
c
o
nta
c
t wi
t
h the
c
omfo
r
tab
l
y
plush
le
a
th
e
r s
ea
t.
J
im
ea
s
e
d the th
r
ot
t
le
out just
e
nou
g
h to slow
l
y
t
a
x
i
out of the
h
a
ng
a
r.
T
h
e
s
un sp
a
rkl
e
d off
t
h
e
pol
i
shed
blue p
a
int
a
s
J
im push
e
d the th
r
ot
t
le in
a
nd
the pl
a
ne
sl
i
d down the
r
a
mp and out onto
t
he
smo
o
th
l
a
k
e
.
P
a
m ha
d
n

t flo
w
n in a sm
a
ll
plane
since
that
fa
t
e
ful
f
l
i
g
ht a
y
ea
r a
g
o
.
B
ut
t
he
e
x
c
i
t
e
ment of
si
t
t
i
ng
b
e
hind
t
he pow
e
r
f
ul
e
n
g
i
n
e
w
a
s no
t
hing
l
i
ke
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
she
f
e
l
t
i
n the
puddle
-
ju
m
p
e
r
Lu
c
k
y
r
e
nted.
J
im
g
ot out of
the pilo
t
’s
c
ompa
r
t
ment
a
nd
c
losed the
ha
n
g
a
r do
o
rs.
H
e
r
e
tur
n
e
d, sm
i
l
i
ng
pro
u
d
l
y
a
t her.
P
a
m f
a
sten
e
d h
e
r s
ea
t
b
e
lt
a
nd should
e
r h
a
r
n
e
s
s
,
c
o
p
y
i
n
g
J
i
m
’s mov
e
ments
a
s he
fa
ste
n
e
d
his.

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