The 22nd Secret (40 page)

“
I
bo
u
g
ht us t
h
e
most
wond
e
r
f
ul house
r
i
g
ht on
t
h
e
b
e
a
c
h in M
a
l
i
b
u
,”
she
s
a
id.
“
I
h
a
d it ful
l
y
f
u
r
nis
h
e
d
a
nd
I
h
a
v
e
a
br
a
nd
n
e
w M
e
r
c
e
d
e
s
the
r
e
w
a
i
t
i
n
g
f
or
y
ou.
I
e
v
e
n
g
ot bo
t
h of
y
ou some n
e
w
c
lo
t
h
e
s. Mon
e
y
is no p
r
oble
m
.
J
ust
t
a
lk wi
t
h To
m
. He
h
a
s eve
r
y
t
hi
n
g
a
r
r
a
n
g
e
d.”

P
a
m
sm
i
led but h
e
r p
a
r
e
n
ts could see
the hu
r
t
i
n h
e
r
e
y
e
s. Th
e
s
e
w
e
re
not
e
a
s
y
th
i
n
g
s for
P
a
m
t
o
a
sk of h
e
r par
e
nt
s
.
“
You h
a
ve
to
le
a
ve
tod
a
y
with Mr. W
a
lke
r
.
Don
’
t
t
a
ke
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
. Don
’
t wo
r
r
y
a
bout
t
he
f
a
rm,
D
a
d, or
a
ll
y
our p
r
ec
i
ous thin
g
s,
Mo
m
. Tom h
a
s a
r
r
a
n
g
e
d f
o
r a
ni
c
e
c
ouple,
a
bout
y
our ag
e
s,
to w
a
tch
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
unt
i
l
th
i
s is
a
ll
ov
e
r
w
i
t
h. Th
e
y
’r
e
with
t
he
C
I
A. T
r
ust
me; noth
i
ng
will
h
a
pp
e
n to a
n
y
of o
u
r thi
n
g
s
.”

P
a
m
t
ook a
d
ee
p bre
a
th
a
nd h
e
ld ba
c
k h
e
r
te
a
rs.

“
Tom will handle
a
ll
the
d
e
tail
s
.
B
e
su
r
e
a
nd do
e
x
ac
t
l
y
a
s he t
e
l
l
s
y
ou. B
e
sides Tom the
r
e
will
be
on
l
y
one
o
t
h
e
r p
e
rson
y
ou
ca
n trust.
H
e
r n
a
me is
M
a
ria
G
a
r
c
i
a
.
S
h
e
’ll be
y
our m
a
id
a
t
t
he
house
in M
a
l
i
b
u
.
S
h
e
’s
w
i
t
h the
C
I
A
a
nd is
a
tr
a
in
e
d bo
d
y
gu
a
rd.
I
’
v
e
met h
e
r.
S
h
e
’s v
e
r
y nice
a
nd ma
k
e
s wond
e
rf
ul T
e
x
-
Me
x
. T
r
ust no o
n
e
e
lse, not e
ve
n
H
a
nk or
Ho
wa
rd
.
”

T
ea
rs b
e
g
a
n to roll
down
P
a
m’s
c
h
ee
ks.
T
h
e
y
led
Hilda to
c
r
y
with r
e
n
e
w
e
d vi
g
o
r
,
a
nd a lone t
ea
r
f
e
ll
down Roland
’
s ch
e
e
k.

“
I
f
m
y
wo
r
k
w
e
r
e
not so vi
t
a
l
l
y
i
m
port
a
nt
to
t
he
c
ount
r
y
,
I
would not ask
y
ou to
m
a
ke these
sa
c
r
i
fi
ce
s.
I
would just qu
i
t and
c
ome home
a
nd st
a
y
with
y
ou two
f
o
r
e
v
e
r.
God,
I
wish
I
c
ould, but
t
h
e
re
a
re
a
lot
of
p
e
ople
c
ount
i
n
g
on w
h
a
t
I
do
for
the
n
e
x
t
y
e
a
r.
S
o
I
r
e
a
l
l
y
n
ee
d
y
ou two to suppo
r
t
m
e
.
I
wo
n
’t be
a
ble to
g
o on if
I
d
o
n
’
t know
y
ou two
a
re
s
a
f
e
.
I
f
T
om
t
e
l
l
s me
y
ou h
a
v
e
n
’
t
m
ov
e
d to M
a
l
i
b
u
, then
I
’ll quit and
e
v
e
r
y
t
hing
a
lot
of p
e
op
l
e
h
a
ve
wo
r
k
e
d
a
l
o
n
g
t
i
me for
will
be
los
t
,
a
nd then
the
g
o
v
e
rnm
e
nt won
’
t
p
r
ote
c
t
m
e
a
n
y
more
a
nd
I
won
’
t be
a
ble to
g
o home
e
v
e
r.
I
t
would be
t
oo d
a
ng
e
rous
f
o
r
a
ll
of
u
s.
P
le
a
s
e
,
I
b
e
g
y
ou do
w
h
a
t Tom tells
y
ou. Do it
now.
G
o with h
im
. Do
e
x
ac
t
l
y
a
s he
s
a
y
s.
I
’ll t
r
y
to send
y
ou
a
tape
l
i
ke
t
his ev
e
r
y
on
c
e
in
a
while so
y
ou’ll
know
I
’
m ok
a
y
.
I
lo
v
e
y
ou both ve
r
y
much.
I
’m s
o
r
r
y
th
i
s had
to happ
e
n.”

P
a
m’s i
m
a
g
e
w
a
s
r
e
pla
c
e
d with
t
e
levision snow. The
Kolle
r
s sat the
r
e
f
or
a
fe
w minu
t
e
s in sho
c
k.
F
inal
l
y
,
Hilda
p
ul
l
e
d h
e
rs
e
lf t
o
g
e
th
e
r
e
n
o
u
g
h to sp
e
a
k.

“
W
h
a
t a
r
e
w
e
g
o
i
ng
to
d
o, Ro
l
?
”

“
Do
w
e
h
a
ve
a
c
hoic
e
?
I
f
we
don
’
t
g
o with
t
his
M
r. W
a
lke
r
,
P
a
m wi
l
l nev
e
r
be
a
ble to s
e
e
us
a
g
a
in.
S
h
e
’ll be a
f
u
g
i
t
iv
e
, hid
i
ng f
r
om e
v
e
r
y
o
ne
b
e
c
a
use
w
e
would
n
’t do this.
I
’ll
g
e
t Mr.
W
a
lke
r
.”