The 22nd Secret (28 page)

“
W
e
l
l
, how
g
ood
a
re
y
o
u
?
”

H
e
n
r
y
’s
e
y
e
s
h
a
rd
e
n
e
d
a
nd he
gr
e
w sti
l
l. Ten
s
ec
onds p
a
ssed this w
a
y
,
s
e
nding
a
c
hi
l
l up Roland
’
s ba
c
k.
“
T
h
e
b
e
s
t
,”
he
said. The
two
m
e
n sat
a
nd sta
re
d
a
t e
a
c
h oth
e
r.

“
I
’m so
e
mb
a
r
ra
s
s
e
d
, M
r
.
L
o,”
s
a
id Hi
l
d
a
, w
a
lk
i
n
g
downstai
r
s.
S
he
h
a
d stopp
e
d
c
r
y
i
n
g
a
nd h
a
d fi
x
e
d h
e
r ma
k
e
u
p a
l
i
t
t
l
e
.
“
C
a
r
r
y
i
n
g
on l
i
ke
tha
t
, ple
a
se
fo
r
g
ive
m
e
.”

“
C
a
ll
me
Ha
nk, it’s p
e
r
fe
c
t
l
y
und
e
rst
a
nd
a
ble
.
”
H
e
n
r
y
sm
i
led but his
e
y
e
s
r
e
main
e
d tr
a
ined on Rol
a
nd, unw
a
v
e
rin
g
.
“
I
h
a
ve
a
so
n
.
I
c
a
n i
m
a
g
i
n
e
ra
is
i
n
g
a
d
a
u
g
hter
l
i
ke
P
a
m
m
ust be a
rea
l
c
h
a
l
l
e
n
g
e
.
”

“
W
ould
y
ou l
i
ke
some
more
lemon
a
d
e
?
”
she
a
sk
e
d.

“
I
’d love
so
m
e
.
”
H
e
n
r
y
h
a
nd
e
d his
g
lass to Hi
l
d
a
, b
rea
ki
n
g
his
e
y
e
l
o
c
k with
R
oland.
“
B
e
st
l
e
mo
n
a
de
I
’
ve
e
v
e
r
h
a
d. Not too sw
ee
t
.
S
ome p
e
ople m
a
k
e
it
too sw
ee
t.”
He
n
r
y
g
ot up
a
nd w
a
lked ov
e
r to the
window to
c
h
ec
k on
P
a
m and
Ho
wa
rd.

Roland
c
ont
i
nu
e
d to sta
re
, blank
f
a
ce
d,
a
t
t
he
spot
w
e
re H
e
n
r
y
h
a
d b
ee
n si
t
t
i
n
g
.
I
n that mo
m
e
nt he r
e
a
l
iz
e
d he
h
a
d b
ee
n
f
a
c
e
to f
a
c
e
with
a
v
e
r
y
d
a
n
g
e
rous m
a
n,
e
x
p
e
rt
l
y
t
r
a
ined
a
nd d
ea
d
l
y
s
e
rious.
H
e
won
d
e
r
e
d i
f
, l
i
ke
in
t
he
mov
i
e
s
, he
h
a
d a
l
ic
e
nse to kill. He
pro
ba
b
l
y
h
a
d a
g
un und
e
r his ja
c
k
e
t.
R
o
l
a
nd Koller
made
up his
m
i
nd in
t
h
a
t same
mo
m
e
nt
t
h
e
se
men
we
r
e ri
g
ht. Th
e
re
w
e
re
ot
h
e
r
men like th
e
s
e
, men
w
ho
didn’t wo
r
k for
the
U
ni
te
d
S
tat
e
s
g
ov
e
rnm
e
n
t.
P
a
m had to
g
o with
t
h
e
m
. Hilda
w
ould c
r
y
, but
t
his w
a
s the b
e
st
t
hing for
P
a
m. M
a
y
b
e
,
a
s th
e
y s
a
id, she
c
ould
m
a
ke
a
r
e
a
l cont
r
ibu
t
ion
t
o mankind. Roland
a
lw
a
y
s kn
e
w
s
omed
a
y
she
w
ould.
S
he
w
a
s ju
s
t
t
oo
g
ifted
n
ot
t
o le
a
ve
h
e
r m
a
rk som
e
how.
T
he
on
l
y
qu
e
s
t
i
on
Roland h
a
d w
a
s
P
a
m’s mast
e
r
’
s thesis.
W
h
y
would th
e
y
b
e
so inte
r
e
sted in her
now?

Ho
wa
rd k
n
e
w he
h
a
d to
t
a
lk qu
i
c
k
l
y
w
h
e
n th
e
y
w
a
lked outsid
e
.
P
a
m w
a
s
t
oo sm
a
rt to be le
f
t
t
o dr
a
w h
e
r o
w
n
c
o
n
c
lus
i
ons.
“
I
t
’s b
ea
ut
i
ful
h
e
r
e
, won
d
e
r
f
ul s
c
e
n
e
r
y
.
You
’
re
v
e
r
y
luc
k
y
to h
a
ve
such
c
a
ri
n
g
p
a
r
e
nts,
P
a
m.”
H
ow
a
rd
c
losed t
h
e
f
ront door
b
e
hind
t
h
e
m. He
took a d
e
e
p b
rea
th. “
A
h, s
m
e
ll
that
f
r
e
sh ai
r
.”

“
W
ho
a
re
y
ou?
Your
n
a
me
’
s not Ho
wa
rd Wool
u
m. You
’
re
l
y
i
n
g
a
bout
t
h
a
t
,
a
n
d that other
g
u
y
,
that
’
s not his r
ea
l name
e
i
t
h
e
r.
H
e
s
ca
re
s me.
W
h
e
n h
e
’s not
e
y
e
-
r
a
ping
m
e,
I
’m us
e
d to
t
h
a
t
. H
e
’s s
c
a
r
y
, vio
le
nt. Two thin
g
s that a
r
e
the t
r
uth,
t
he
job and both of
y
ou
a
re f
r
om
t
he
g
ov
e
rnm
e
nt at
L
os Ala
m
os.”

Ho
wa
rd look
e
d
a
t
t
he
g
i
r
l wi
t
h stunn
e
d
a
ma
z
e
ment.
S
he
w
a
s s
t
i
l
l
l
ooking
str
a
i
g
ht
a
h
ea
d
,
a
void
i
ng
e
y
e
c
ont
a
c
t.
“
F
a
ntasti
c
,
y
ou
g
ot all
t
h
a
t
t
h
rou
g
h
y
o
u
r p
s
y
c
hic
a
bi
l
i
t
ie
s
,
y
our
ES
P
. Your file s
a
id
y
ou
r
a
ted
w
a
y
a
bove
a
n
y
one
e
v
e
r t
e
s
t
e
d
b
ut
t
his
i
s b
e
y
ond t
h
a
t.
I
t
’s sup
e
rn
a
tu
r
a
l.”