The 22nd Secret (34 page)

Tino sat f
a
c
i
n
g
the doo
r
.
A
y
ou
n
g
man
d
r
e
ssed in
a
bla
c
k suit
stood b
e
hind h
i
m and sl
i
g
ht
l
y
to h
i
s r
i
g
ht. Another
y
ou
n
g
man
a
p
p
ea
r
e
d
f
r
om
b
e
hind
the doo
r
, vi
s
ib
l
e
to H
e
n
r
y
on
l
y
a
ft
e
r the
old
l
a
d
y
c
losed
i
t.
A f
r
i
g
h
t
e
ning
si
l
e
n
c
e f
i
l
l
e
d the
r
oom.
E
ac
h man
w
a
s
a
rm
e
d
.
E
ac
h man
wa
s a
ki
ller.

“Mr.
Cassiopp
i
,”
H
e
n
r
y
s
a
id
“
I
tho
u
g
ht we
w
e
re
to
h
a
ve
a
pri
v
a
te m
ee
t
i
n
g
?
”
He
w
a
lked to
t
he
table
a
nd stood
a
cr
oss f
r
om wh
e
r
e
Tino sat.
The
man
standi
n
g
b
e
hind
the door
f
ol
l
ow
e
d
a
nd stood
fac
i
n
g
H
e
n
r
y
.

“
S
o
y
ou
’
r
e
H
e
n
r
y
L
o
,”
T
ino said. “
W
h
a
t’s in
t
he
bri
e
fc
a
se?
You
ca
r
r
y
i
n
g
a
g
un?
Ch
ec
k him
see
if he
h
a
s an
I
D,
F
r
a
nkie.
I
w
a
nt
t
o s
e
e
a
r
e
al
C
I
A
I
D.”

H
e
n
r
y
w
a
tch
e
d the m
a
n
n
e
x
t
t
o him
o
u
t of the
c
o
r
n
e
r of
his
e
y
e
.
He
r
ec
o
g
n
i
z
e
d the
a
r
r
o
g
a
nt s
m
i
l
e
on the
y
o
u
ng
man
’
s
f
a
c
e
f
or
wh
a
t
i
t w
a
s
. He
w
a
s a
c
o
c
k
y
l
i
t
t
le pun
k
.
S
o w
a
s the one
b
e
hind Tino. H
e
n
r
y
’
s pe
r
iphe
ra
l v
i
sion, str
e
n
g
t
h
,
a
nd
a
ma
z
ing
quick
n
e
ss
k
e
pt h
i
m alive during
his
y
outh
i
n Ch
i
natown, his
t
h
re
e
st
i
nts with
t
he Ma
r
ines in Vi
e
tna
m
,
a
nd tw
e
n
t
y
y
e
a
rs with
t
he
C
I
A. T
h
is wou
l
d be
ov
e
r befo
r
e
a
n
y
of
t
he
other
thr
e
e
men in the
room
r
e
a
l
iz
e
d it sta
r
te
d
.

H
e
n
r
y
slow
l
y
ra
ised t
h
e
b
r
ie
f
c
a
se
a
s if to s
e
t
i
t on
the t
a
ble.
T
he
th
r
e
e
oth
e
r m
e
n in
t
he room r
e
la
x
e
d,
a
ssu
m
ing
he
would turn to sub
m
it
t
o
F
r
a
nki
e
’s sh
a
k
e
d
o
wn.
H
e
n
r
y
w
a
tch
e
d
a
s t
h
e
e
y
e
s of
a
ll
thr
e
e
men fol
l
ow
e
d
the b
r
i
e
f
c
a
s
e
.
S
udd
e
n
l
y
,
H
e
n
r
y
th
r
e
w it d
i
re
c
t
l
y
a
t
t
he
f
a
c
e
of the man stan
d
ing
b
e
hind Ti
n
o.
W
i
t
h
the s
a
me mov
e
ment, H
e
n
r
y
fi
r
e
d a
fo
r
e
a
r
m
shiver
to
t
he nose
of the
g
rinni
n
g
man just to
his
l
e
ft.
B
y
the ti
m
e
the
man b
e
hind Tino
ca
u
g
ht
the b
r
ie
f
c
a
se ins
t
inctive
l
y
,
H
e
n
r
y
’
s r
i
ght hand
sl
i
pp
e
d in
t
he
le
f
t s
i
de
of
F
r
a
nkie
’
s j
a
c
k
e
t.
B
lood b
e
g
a
n to
pool
a
t
t
he
b
a
se
of
F
r
a
nkie
’
s
n
ostri
l
s.
His kn
ee
s b
e
g
a
n
t
o bu
c
kle.
He
n
r
y
’s
r
i
g
ht
h
a
nd
g
ra
bb
e
d t
h
e h
a
ndle of
the
g
un in
F
r
a
n
kie
’
s ja
c
k
e
t.
H
e
pul
l
e
d it
out at the s
a
me inst
a
nt he
r
a
ised his
l
e
ft h
a
nd to c
a
tch the
wild r
i
g
ht
h
a
nd
F
r
a
nk
i
e h
ea
v
e
d tow
a
r
d hi
m
. Tino
rose
f
rom his ch
a
ir
a
nd
w
e
nt for his
g
un. The
y
ou
n
g
man
b
e
hind Tino
thr
e
w the
br
i
e
f
ca
s
e
a
c
ross the
r
oo
m
,
s
lamm
i
ng
it
a
g
a
inst the side t
a
bl
e
. He
r
e
a
c
h
e
d b
e
hind h
i
s ba
c
k
in
t
o his w
a
is
t
b
a
nd
for
his
g
un.

Th
re
e
s
e
c
onds h
a
d
e
laps
e
d.
S
omebo
d
y
’s
w
o
rld
w
a
s ab
o
ut
t
o
c
ol
l
a
pse.
All
f
our m
e
n
f
r
o
z
e
. Tino
a
nd the m
a
n st
a
ndi
n
g
n
e
x
t
t
o him
g
ripp
e
d the
but
t
s of th
e
ir st
i
ll
hols
t
e
r
e
d
g
uns.
F
r
a
nkie
g
rim
a
ce
d.
H
e
n
r
y
’s l
e
ft h
a
nd
h
a
d a
f
irm
g
rip on the
man
’
s
b
r
ok
e
n r
i
g
ht hand.
H
e
n
r
y
’s r
i
g
ht hand h
e
ld
F
r
a
n
kie
’
s
g
un squ
ar
e
l
y
poin
t
e
d
a
t Tino’s
f
o
r
e
h
ea
d.

“
Nobo
d
y
move.”
H
e
n
r
y
whisp
e
r
e
d.
“
G
e
t
y
our
ha
n
d
s out wh
e
re I
ca
n s
e
e
t
h
e
m
.” He sque
e
z
e
d
F
r
a
nkie
’
s
h
a
n
d
.
The
sound of
c
r
ac
ki
n
g
b
on
e
s made
Tino’s
h
a
nds
t
in
g
le
a
s th
e
y
h
e
ld them p
a
lm
up in f
r
ont of th
e
m.
F
r
a
nkie
h
e
ld
the
w
rist atta
c
h
e
d to h
i
s c
a
ptu
r
e
d h
a
nd with h
i
s ot
h
e
r h
a
nd, squirming
a
g
a
inst
the p
a
in.