The 22nd Secret (60 page)

“
W
h
a
t’s th
i
s all
a
bou
t
?
”
P
a
t
t
y
a
sked
hold
i
n
g
up t
h
e
e
mp
t
y
bo
t
t
l
e
.

“
Got it
in
C
hinatown l
a
st n
i
g
ht.
I
g
u
e
ss
I
g
ot
a
l
i
t
t
le
c
r
a
z
y
with
m
y
f
r
iend
s
.
I
’m l
u
c
k
y
I made
it
home. Sure
a
s h
e
ll
re
g
re
t
t
ing
it
tod
a
y
.
”

P
a
t
t
y
sat on the
c
h
a
ir op
p
osi
t
e
hi
m
.

“
L
ook,
P
a
t
t
y
.
I
’m
re
a
l
l
y
s
ic
k
. M
a
y
b
e
y
ou should
go.”
B
e
n did not
w
a
nt
to
t
ry
a
nd
d
ea
l with
P
a
t
t
y
a
nd his h
a
n
g
o
v
e
r
a
t
t
he
sa
m
e
t
i
me.
H
e
n
ee
d
e
d t
i
me to sort th
i
ngs ou
t
. The
whisk
e
y h
a
d
a
l
l
ow
e
d him
to b
l
o
c
k
out
t
he
i
m
a
g
e
o
f
He
n
r
y
’
s
g
un fi
r
i
n
g
a
t h
i
s he
a
d
,
b
ut on
l
y
while he
w
a
s p
a
ssed out.

“
H
a
ve
y
ou
ea
ten
a
n
y
t
h
ing
tod
a
y
?
”

“
No
r
e
a
l
l
y
,
P
a
t
t
y
. Th
a
t’s
ok
a
y
.
I
’d just puke it up.”

“
W
e
l
l
, w
e
’ll se
e
. You
g
ot
a
n
y
c
hick
e
n nood
l
e
soup
?
”
S
he
h
ea
d
e
d o
f
f to the
ki
t
c
h
e
n.
“
W
h
a
t
i
n the
w
o
r
ld poss
e
ssed
y
ou to do
t
h
a
t
t
o
y
o
u
r
s
e
lf
?
”
she
a
sked.
“
You
should be
a
shamed,
and
y
ou m
i
ssed
c
lass
.
”

Big fu
ck
ing deal as if
tha
t
’s going to mat
t
e
r in, how many
da
y
s I got?
The
i
mage
of H
e
n
r
y
poin
t
ing
that
g
un,
sm
i
l
i
ng,
a
nd pul
l
ing
the
t
rig
g
e
r
wa
s
a
ll
he
c
ould s
e
e.
W
h
e
n he
c
losed his
e
y
e
s,
h
e
c
ould almost
see
the bullet
c
ome out
a
nd str
a
i
g
ht at his h
e
a
d.
T
h
e
n the
m
other fuck
e
r did
i
t aga
i
n, son of a b
i
tch bastard.

“
S
it
up,”
P
a
t
t
y
said,
re
tu
r
ning
with a t
r
a
y
.
“
I
h
a
ve
some soup
a
nd a
S
p
r
i
t
e
f
or
y
ou.
I
f
y
ou
ea
t so
m
e
th
i
ng
y
o
u
’ll f
ee
l
b
e
t
t
e
r.”
P
a
t
t
y
set the
f
ood
on the
c
o
f
f
e
e
table
in
f
r
o
nt of
B
e
n,
s
a
t down n
e
x
t
t
o hi
m
,
a
nd took a s
i
p of
h
e
r Cok
e
.
B
e
n
w
a
s a
r
ipe mix
of whisk
e
y
, ur
i
ne
a
nd vom
i
t.

“
You
wa
nt
t
o
c
ome o
v
e
r
to
m
y
pla
c
e
f
or
dinn
e
r tomor
r
ow
?
”
she
a
sked.
“
I
’
l
l w
ea
r
y
our f
a
vorite
noth
i
n
g
.”

“
S
ounds
g
r
ea
t
,
”
B
e
n
s
a
id.
“
B
ut
l
e
t’s ta
k
e
a
dri
v
e
f
i
rst.
I
’ll c
o
me
b
y
y
o
u
r
pl
a
c
e
a
b
o
ut 3, ok
a
y
?
”
B
e
n did not
w
a
nt
to
tr
y
a
nd talk with
P
a
t
t
y
a
bout
t
his wh
e
n she
w
a
s
n
a
k
e
d.

S
he
r
ubb
e
d his b
ac
k
a
nd
he
l
a
y
on the
c
o
u
c
h.
S
he
w
a
s so unde
r
standi
n
g
, b
u
t he kn
e
w she would n
e
v
e
r un
d
e
rst
a
nd
t
his. He
h
a
d
n
o idea
h
o
w
something
so p
e
r
f
e
c
t
c
o
u
ld
g
o th
i
s bad
th
i
s f
a
st. He
tho
u
g
ht for
a
wh
i
le lon
g
e
r
a
nd tho
u
g
ht of
L
o
. T
h
a
t
w
a
s how.

“
L
is
t
e
n,
P
a
t
t
y
.
I
r
e
a
l
l
y
j
u
st w
a
nt
t
o l
i
e
dow
n
.
S
o
r
r
y
.
”

“Th
a
t’s ok
a
y
.
I
’ll see
y
ou
to
m
o
r
ro
w
.”

B
e
n dr
o
v
e
them to
t
he
G
o
lden
Ga
te
B
ri
d
g
e the
n
e
x
t a
f
te
r
noo
n
.
I
t
w
a
s chilly
in
S
a
n
F
r
a
n
c
isco in Nov
e
mb
e
r,
a
nd
P
a
t
t
y
w
o
re
a
s
w
ea
t
e
r
a
nd je
a
ns.
B
e
n h
a
d
d
ec
i
d
e
d to not
f
ol
l
ow H
e
n
r
y
’s
a
dvice
b
y
w
a
i
t
ing
to
t
e
ll
h
er
.
S
he
h
a
d the
ri
g
ht
t
o know
a
bout
t
his
a
s soon as possib
l
e
. Th
e
y
p
a
r
k
e
d
a
t
t
he
Gold
e
n G
a
te Pa
r
k
a
nd w
a
tc
h
e
d
the
r
ough bluste
r
y
fa
ll
b
a
y
w
a
te
r
s
for
a
f
e
w m
i
nutes.
B
e
n spoke ste
r
n
l
y
a
nd
P
a
t
t
y
l
i
sten
e
d in
t
he
p
a
sse
n
g
e
r s
ea
t
.