The 22nd Secret (67 page)

Read The 22nd Secret Online

Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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B
i
l
l
y
W
o
r
th
g
r
e
w up in
B
e
a
r Bre
a
th
a
nd knows
Mitch
e
ll
a
nd K
e
n
a
i
P
e
n
i
nsula
l
i
ke
the b
ac
k of
h
is hand. E
x
ce
l
le
nt ba
c
k
woods m
a
n
a
nd t
o
p
-
notch
a
g
e
nt.
I
a
ss
i
g
n
e
d
him
to
t
he
plane
c
r
a
sh inv
e
st
i
g
a
t
i
on th
i
s mornin
g
.
I
h
a
v
e
n

t had
a
c
h
a
n
c
e
to
t
e
ll
him
y
ou’
r
e
taking
ov
e
r.”


Th
e
r
e
’s a
r
ea
l
l
y
w
e
i
rd
man in the
r
e
with Mik
e
,”
the r
e
c
e
pt
i
onist
to
l
d
B
i
l
l
y
a
s
h
e w
a
lk
e
d p
a
st her
d
e
sk
a
nd op
e
n
e
d
the door
to Turn
e
r

s of
f
i
ce
.


You
wa
nt
m
e
, Mik
e
?

B
i
l
l
y
w
a
s
N
a
t
i
ve
A
m
e
ri
c
a
n Eski
mo
, short
a
nd sto
c
k
y
, in
e
x
ce
l
l
e
nt
c
ondi
t
io
n
. He
stood
c
onf
i
d
e
n
t
l
y
in
t
he
doo
r
w
a
y
a
n
d st
a
r
e
d
a
t Tur
n
e
r
w
i
t
h
sk
y
blue
e
y
e
s
.
H
e
n
r
y rose
a
nd th
e
y
e
x
c
h
a
ng
e
d
a
h
a
ndsh
a
ke
t
h
a
t would have
bro
u
g
ht
m
ost
m
e
n to
t
h
e
ir kn
ee
s. The h
a
ndsh
a
ke
i
m
pl
i
e
d
a
n in
s
tant und
e
rst
a
ndi
n
g
b
e
tw
e
e
n the two m
e
n
. Th
e
y
did
not
t
rust
eac
h othe
r
. Th
e
y
e
x
c
h
a
n
g
e
d
g
rim s
m
i
l
e
s
a
nd s
a
t down.


This
i
s Tom
W
a
lker. H
e
’s
w
i
t
h the
C
I
A
a
nd h
a
s
b
ee
n put
i
n
c
h
a
r
ge
of the
i
nv
e
st
i
g
a
t
i
on in
t
o the C
a
ss
i
oppi p
l
a
ne
c
r
a
sh
b
y
Di
r
ec
tor S
t
a
nl
e
y
hi
m
s
e
lf.”
Tu
r
n
e
r introd
u
ce
d
W
a
lker
to
B
i
l
l
y who
e
y
e
d him
with cont
e
mp
t
.

H
e
’ll be
wo
r
ki
n
g
u
nd
e
r
a
n
F
B
I
c
o
v
e
r.
A
pp
a
r
e
nt
l
y
that pla
n
e
c
r
a
sh h
a
s more
to do wi
t
h n
a
t
i
on
a
l se
c
u
r
i
t
y
than the
mo
b
. Dir
e
c
tor S
t
a
nl
e
y
h
a
s pe
r
sonal
l
y
or
d
e
r
e
d th
i
s o
f
fi
c
e
to coo
p
e
r
a
t
e
with
W
a
lker
a
nd not ask ques
t
ions. To
m
, w
h
y
don

t
y
o
u tell
B
i
l
l
y
wh
a
t
y
ou n
ee
d f
r
om h
i
m.
J
ust
s
o
y
ou know
w
h
e
r
e
th
i
s is
g
o
in
g
,
J
im
Mitch
e
ll
is
s
us
p
ec
ted of
c
onspir
a
c
y
to
c
om
m
it
tr
ea
son.”


Mitch
e
l
l
, tr
e
a
son,
c
o
m
e
on, boss
y
ou h
a
v
e
g
ot
to be kiddin
g
?


I
wish he
w
a
sn’t.”
H
e
n
r
y
s
a
id.

All
I
ca
n
r
e
a
l
l
y
t
e
ll
e
i
t
h
e
r of
y
ou is
the
r
e
w
e
re
th
r
e
e o
cc
up
a
nts of that pla
n
e
.
Tino
a
nd
L
u
c
k
y
a
r
e
d
e
a
d
,
a
nd the third is believ
e
d
to be
w
i
t
h Mitch
e
ll
a
nd is w
a
nted
f
o
r t
rea
so
n
.
M
y
or
d
e
rs
a
re
to
g
e
t
t
o
h
e
r
a
nd stop h
e
r
a
t a
n
y
c
ost.”


And Mit
c
h
e
l
l
’s in on th
i
s
?

B
i
l
l
y
a
nd Mitch
e
ll
w
e
re l
i
f
e
lo
n
g
f
ri
e
nds. He
c
ould not b
e
l
i
e
ve
that he
would
b
e
invo
l
v
e
d in something
l
i
ke
th
i
s.


P
rob
a
b
l
y
no
t
. He
pro
ba
b
l
y
do
e
sn’t know
who the
g
irl
r
e
a
l
l
y
is. That

s w
h
y I
w
a
nt
t
o stak
e
out
t
he
lodge. She

s
no doubt
tr
y
i
n
g
to get him
to help h
e
r
w
i
t
hout
t
e
l
l
ing
him
wh
a
t’s
r
ea
l
l
y h
a
pp
e
ni
n
g
.
I
’d like
to k
e
e
p Mitch
e
ll
in
t
he
d
a
rk
a
nd
a
l
i
ve if possible.
I
’m
s
u
re
, w
e
ll,
a
t
le
a
s
t
,
I hope
h
e
’s inno
c
e
nt and
d
o
e
sn’t
rea
l
l
y
know
wh
a
t

s ha
p
p
e
ni
n
g
.
I
’m so
r
r
y
a
bout all
t
he
se
c
re
c
y
but the nu
c
le
a
r
s
ec
u
r
i
t
y
of t
h
e
wo
r
ld
i
s at stake
h
e
r
e
.
The
less
y
ou two, Mitch
e
ll
or
a
n
y
o
n
e
e
lse knows
a
bout
t
hi
s
, the b
e
t
t
e
r.
T
his
i
s bet
wee
n t
h
a
t
g
irl a
n
d me.
I
’m h
e
re
a
s
k
ing
f
or
y
o
u
r h
e
lp so
I
ca
n stop h
e
r
b
e
fo
r
e
she
d
o
e
s irr
e
p
a
r
a
ble
d
a
m
a
g
e
t
o
our
n
a
t
i
on
a
l se
c
u
r
i
t
y
.”

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