The 22nd Secret (69 page)

H
e
n
r
y
w
a
tch
e
d
B
i
l
l
y
dri
v
e
the snow
ca
t
a
nd
a
sked
qu
e
st
i
ons, l
ea
rning
a
ll
he
c
ould about i
t
s op
e
r
a
t
i
on du
r
ing
the
l
ong
drive
to Mi
t
c
h
e
l
l
’s lod
g
e
. T
h
e
wind
a
nd
h
ea
v
y
snow
w
ould cov
e
r the t
rac
ks of the
ca
t
b
y
m
o
r
nin
g
.
F
our
h
ours
o
f the
trip w
e
re
c
onsum
e
d
b
y
the slow tedious drive f
r
om
B
e
a
r
B
r
ea
th
o
v
e
r t
h
e
b
ac
k r
o
a
ds to the old
r
a
i
l
ro
a
d tr
e
st
l
e
c
onv
e
rt
e
d
f
or
use
b
y
v
e
hicl
e
s ten m
i
les
f
rom the lod
g
e
.
B
i
ll
y
slow
e
d the
ca
t
t
o
a
c
rawl
a
s th
e
y
dro
v
e
ac
ross i
t
, b
a
r
e
l
y
a
ble to dis
t
in
g
uish
t
he
drop
off
o
n
eac
h side
in
t
he
bl
i
ndi
n
g
snow
a
nd d
a
rk
n
e
ss of
t
he
ni
g
ht.
J
ust as th
e
y
g
ot
t
o the oth
e
r sid
e
,
B
i
l
ly
gunn
e
d t
h
e
e
n
g
ine to
g
a
in spe
e
d up the hill
tow
a
rd the
lo
d
g
e
. A
g
rea
t ro
a
r
i
n
g
thunder
filled the
a
ir
a
nd shook the
c
a
t.

“
W
h
a
t
t
he
h
e
ll
w
a
s that
?
”
H
e
n
r
y
a
sked.

“
S
now slide,”
B
i
l
l
y
y
e
l
le
d ov
e
r
the
e
n
g
ine.
“
So
unds like it w
a
s ri
g
ht behi
n
d us.
W
e
'
ve b
ee
n luc
k
y
not
t
o run
in
t
o
a
n
y
so
f
a
r.
B
e
t
t
he
ro
a
d
’
s blo
c
k
e
d b
e
hind us no
w
.”

B
i
l
l
y
ki
l
led the
e
n
g
i
n
e
a
t
the top of
a
hi
l
l ove
r
look
i
ng
the lo
d
g
e
. E
x
ce
pt f
o
r
some smoke
c
om
i
ng
f
rom the main
c
h
i
m
n
e
y
the pl
a
c
e
w
a
s da
r
k
a
nd l
i
f
e
less. H
e
n
r
y
looked
a
t h
i
s w
a
tc
h
.
I
t r
e
a
d 9:25 p
m
. Th
e
y
h
a
d
made
e
x
ce
l
l
e
nt
t
i
m
e
. He
w
a
s
g
e
t
t
ing r
e
a
d
y
to
l
ook
a
t
t
he
lodge th
r
o
u
g
h his n
i
g
ht v
i
sion binocul
a
rs
w
h
e
n
B
i
l
l
y
spok
e
.
H
e
w
a
s al
r
e
a
d
y
look
i
ng
a
t
i
t
t
h
r
ou
g
h hi
s
.

“
Th
e
r
e
th
e
y
a
r
e
.”

“
W
h
e
r
e
?
”
H
e
n
r
y
a
sked
a
s he sn
a
pp
e
d his binocul
a
rs to his
e
y
e
s.

“
S
ec
ond sto
r
y
f
a
r
w
ind
o
w
. Mitch
e
ll
a
nd a
wom
an
, both nude, hug
g
i
n
g
ea
c
h othe
r
.”

“
Got i
t
, th
a
t’s h
er
. Th
a
t
’s
the
w
oman
w
e
’
r
e
a
ft
e
r
.
”
H
e
n
r
y
c
ont
i
nu
e
d to stu
d
y
the
f
i
g
u
r
e
s in the dist
a
nt window,
c
onf
i
rming
the
w
oman
w
a
s
Pa
t
t
y
.

“
Dig
t
h
e
bo
d
y
on that
c
h
i
c
k.
L
ooks like Mit
c
h
e
l
l
’s h
a
ving
f
un.
I
f th
a
t’s
h
e
r
,
le
t
’
s get on down th
e
re
a
n
d
g
r
a
b
h
e
r
.
”

H
e
n
r
y
l
o
w
e
r
e
d his bino
c
ula
r
s
, lett
i
ng
them h
a
n
g
f
rom the str
a
p
a
round
his
n
ec
k
. He
h
e
ld his w
a
tch b
e
tw
e
e
n his fin
g
e
rs to g
e
t a
g
ood look at
the ti
m
e
a
nd si
g
n
a
l
e
d T
o
m
that he
h
a
d made
c
onta
c
t wi
t
h
P
a
t
t
y
.
“
Th
a
t’s not
m
y
o
rd
e
rs.
W
e
’
r
e
g
oi
n
g
to w
a
it
r
i
g
ht he
r
e
un
t
il
the
g
irl m
a
k
e
s
h
e
r mov
e
.
W
e th
i
nk to
m
o
r
row
mornin
g
.
I
f not
we
’ll move
in
t
h
e
n
. You g
e
t so
m
e
re
s
t
.
I
’ll
t
a
ke
the
f
irst
w
a
tch.”

“
You
’
r
e
the boss.”

Chapter Six

Snowbound

The morning after the crash - White Bear Lake Lodge

P
a
m drift
e
d in
a
nd out of
s
e
m
i
-c
onsciousn
e
ss.
F
ra
g
ments
of
c
onsciousn
e
ss
slow
l
y
f
i
l
led h
e
r h
e
a
d.
Th
e
r
e
w
a
s the
w
a
rm
w
ool b
l
a
nk
e
t,
t
he
s
ound of
wood
c
r
ac
kl
i
n
g
in the
f
ir
e
, the smell of the old le
a
ther
c
o
u
c
h, the
wind h
o
wling
thro
u
g
h t
h
e
pine t
ree
s
,
a
nd those
st
r
ong
e
y
e
s.
J
i
m
’s pow
e
r
f
ul
a
rms hold
i
ng
h
e
r
c
lose
a
nd his
e
y
e
s co
n
n
ec
t
i
ng with he
r
s.
I
n a
s
p
l
i
t se
c
ond
a
t
t
he
c
r
a
sh si
t
e
P
a
m had
e
x
p
e
ri
e
n
ce
d
som
e
th
i
ng
e
nt
i
r
e
l
y
n
e
w.
S
he
ins
t
a
nt
l
y
s
e
nsed
the
pow
e
r.
I
t
w
a
sn’t me
re
l
y
a
p
h
y
si
c
a
l attr
ac
t
i
o
n
, thou
g
h that w
a
s
p
a
rt
of
i
t
.
I
t
w
a
s dif
f
icult for
P
a
m
t
o und
e
rst
a
nd.