The 22nd Secret (27 page)

H
e
r th
e
si
s
,”
Hilda
s
a
id.
“W
e
should h
a
ve
known th
e
n.
W
e
let h
e
r
g
o too f
a
r, too
fa
st.”

S
he
buri
e
d h
e
r
f
a
c
e in h
e
r husb
a
nd’s
c
h
e
st.

“
B
e
ca
u
s
e
she
’
s not l
i
ke
o
ther
c
hi
l
d
re
n,
”
Roland s
a
id.
“S
he
n
e
v
e
r
h
a
s be
e
n.
W
e
h
a
ve
to
l
e
t h
e
r be
who s
h
e
is.
B
e
ca
u
se
we
love h
e
r,
w
e
l
e
t her
do these
th
i
n
g
s.
I
t’s not
a
n
y
o
n
e
’s
f
a
ult
she
’
s so a
d
v
a
n
ce
d
f
or
h
e
r ag
e
.
I
t’s just
t
he
w
a
y
it
is.
W
e
’ve
a
c
ce
pted it
i
n the p
a
s
t
.
W
e
h
a
ve
to a
c
ce
pt
i
t now.”
Roland h
u
g
g
e
d his
wif
e
.

“
Mr.
L
o,
a
r
e
y
ou invo
l
v
e
d in
t
his comput
e
r
re
s
e
ar
c
h
?
”
Roland
a
sked.

H
e
n
r
y
looked up
f
rom his
ma
g
a
z
ine.
“
C
a
ll
me
H
a
nk. Me?
No.”

“
Th
e
n w
h
y
a
re
y
ou
h
e
r
e
?
”

“
W
e
l
l
, Mr.
K
ol
l
e
r.
I
’m k
i
nd of
in
t
he
se
c
u
r
i
t
y
e
nd
of
a
ll
th
i
s.”

“
Th
e
n the
r
e
is da
n
g
e
r.
Y
ou
a
nd D
r
.
W
oolum
h
a
ve
bro
u
g
ht
t
his da
n
g
e
r into our hom
e
,
a
ll
y
o
ur
talk
o
f the ma
f
ia
a
n
d spi
e
s.
I
f
y
ou would h
a
v
e
n
e
v
e
r
c
ome h
e
re
th
e
y
would h
a
ve
n
e
v
e
r known
a
bout
P
a
m.”

H
e
n
r
y
put h
i
s m
a
g
a
z
ine
down on the
c
o
f
f
e
e
tab
l
e
.
“
D
a
n
g
e
r
, h
e
r
e
, now -
in
t
he
l
i
ving room of
th
i
s f
a
rmhous
e
,
i
n the midd
l
e
of
I
d
a
h
o
?
Not r
ea
l
l
y
.
W
h
e
re
do
y
ou
t
hink
t
h
e
y
w
e
nt
?
”

“
P
rob
a
b
l
y
to
t
he
swing
o
n the hil
l
.”
Roland pointed tow
a
rd the
w
a
ll
b
e
hind h
i
m.

“
C
a
n
I
see
it
f
rom that
w
indow
?
”
H
e
n
r
y
w
a
lked
o
v
e
r to the
windo
w
.
H
e
looked out
a
nd s
a
w
H
ow
a
rd
a
nd
P
a
m s
i
t
t
ing t
o
g
e
ther
on
a
la
r
ge
s
wing
hu
n
g
f
rom a
b
i
g
tr
e
e
f
if
t
y
y
a
rds
f
rom the hous
e
. He
r
e
turn
e
d to h
i
s
spot on the
c
ou
c
h.

“
Th
e
n w
h
y
s
c
a
re us like this?
Roland
a
sked.
“T
e
ll
us our d
a
u
g
hter
is
i
n d
a
n
g
e
r. W
h
y
a
re
y
o
u so
c
o
n
ce
r
n
e
d if
y
ou
ca
n see
t
h
e
m
?
”

“
W
e
l
l
, look at it
th
i
s w
a
y
.
Sa
y
y
ou
w
e
re
a
t a
f
oot
b
a
ll
g
a
m
e
. You like
f
ootb
a
l
l
?
”

“
He
w
a
tch
e
s e
v
e
r
y
g
a
me
,
”
Hilda s
a
id, r
e
c
ov
e
ri
n
g
.
S
he
looked up
a
t H
e
n
r
y
.
“
E
x
c
use me
I must
look a
f
ri
g
ht.” She
w
e
nt upstairs
a
nd Roland
sat
down in her
c
h
a
ir.

“
You
’
r
e
a
t
t
his football game
a
nd
y
ou d
e
c
ide to k
i
dn
a
p som
e
on
e
, hold
t
h
e
m for
ra
nsom.
W
ho do
y
ou p
i
c
k, the b
ee
r b
o
y
o
r
J
ohn Elw
a
y
?
”

Roland
wa
s qui
e
t, as thou
g
h dumbfoun
d
e
d
b
y
the
qu
e
st
i
on.

“
L
ook,
M
r.
K
ol
l
e
r.
I
kn
o
w
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
the
r
e
is
to know
a
bout D
r
.
W
oolum
a
nd
I
’ve
r
ea
d the
f
i
l
e
on
y
o
u
r d
a
u
g
ht
e
r.
I
’d s
a
y
w
h
a
t we
h
a
v
e
o
u
t
t
h
e
re
si
t
t
i
ng
und
e
r t
h
a
t
t
r
e
e
a
re
the two most i
m
port
a
nt people
on th
i
s pl
a
n
e
t. At
L
os
Al
a
mo
s
, we
h
a
ve
a
whole
a
r
m
y
to prot
ec
t
t
h
e
m. Th
e
y
’
re that v
a
luabl
e
, b
e
l
i
e
ve
m
e
.
B
ut he
r
e
on th
i
s f
a
rm,
o
n th
i
s
b
ea
ut
i
ful d
a
y
,
h
e
re in
I
d
a
ho,
I
c
a
n h
a
ndle
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
that
c
o
m
e
s up. Hon
e
st
l
y
, if th
a
t
w
e
re
m
y
d
a
u
g
h
t
e
r,
I
’d
be
a
ski
n
g
t
he
qu
e
st
i
on.
J
ust how
g
ood
a
re
y
ou
a
t wh
a
t
y
ou
d
o
, H
a
nk
?
”