The 22nd Secret (7 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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I
w
a
nt a
c
omp
l
e
te
r
e
port
on th
i
s
b
y
to
m
o
r
row
m
o
rnin
g
,”
h
e
said.

B
e
in
m
y
o
f
fi
c
e
a
t
8
a
m sha
r
p.”


Y
e
s, sir
I
’ll w
o
rk
a
ll
night
if n
ece
ss
a
r
y
.
I
’ll
g
e
t e
v
e
r
y
th
i
n
g
I
ca
n on th
i
s.”

“Th
a
nk
y
ou. Good
b
y
e
.”
B
oth
m
e
n hu
n
g
u
p
.


You
g
ot
t
h
a
t r
e
port on
t
he
L
a
w
r
e
n
c
e
d
e
f
ec
t
i
on re
a
d
y
y
e
t?

Tom
a
sked
ton
g
u
e
-
in
-c
h
ee
k
a
s he s
a
t down in
t
he
c
h
a
ir just
to
t
he
le
f
t of
B
e
t
t
y

s desk.
H
e
spe
n
t as mu
c
h
t
i
me in th
i
s ch
a
ir
a
s in the one
in h
i
s own o
f
fi
ce
,
g
oi
n
g
ov
e
r the
pi
l
e
s
o
f r
e
s
e
a
r
c
h s
h
e
did for
h
i
m. The foun
da
t
i
on
of
e
spion
a
ge
w
a
s d
i
g
g
i
n
g
u
p the d
e
tailed
f
a
c
ts and
B
e
t
t
y
w
a
s the b
e
st ope
r
a
t
i
on
a
l assistant in
t
he
C
I
A.
H
e h
a
n
d
-
pick
e
d
h
e
r
f
ifte
e
n
y
e
a
rs
a
g
o to
h
a
n
d
le the
e
ndless bure
a
u
c
r
a
t
i
c p
a
p
e
r
wo
r
k
a
nd r
e
s
e
a
r
c
h p
a
rt of
his
j
ob.
S
he
c
ould d
i
g
up som
e
th
i
n
g
on
a
n
y
o
n
e
or
a
n
y
t
hi
n
g
.
S
he
w
a
s the b
e
st at wh
a
t she did, b
a
r
-
none
a
l
thou
g
h
she look
e
d l
i
ke
s
h
e
should be
hosting
h
e
r
o
wn
c
ooking
sh
o
w,
g
r
e
y
i
n
g
, sl
i
g
ht
l
y
plu
m
p
a
nd
a
l
m
ost alw
a
y
s s
m
i
l
ing.

B
e
t
t
y
c
losed the lid of t
h
e
a
t
t
ac
h
é
ca
s
e
, h
a
vi
n
g
a
d
d
e
d the Br
a
dl
e
y
t
r
a
nsc
r
i
p
t she h
a
d just
t
y
p
e
d. Ot
h
e
r th
a
n the t
ra
nsc
r
ip
t
, the
re
ports
a
nd
f
i
les h
a
d b
ee
n
methodi
c
a
l
l
y
g
a
t
h
e
r
e
d o
v
e
r the last f
e
w months in pr
e
p
a
r
a
t
i
on
for
th
i
s me
e
t
i
n
g
.
I
t
w
a
s a sl
a
m
dunk.


Th
e
r
e
y
ou
g
o
,”
she
s
a
id wi
t
h the s
a
me ton
g
u
e
-
in
-
c
h
ee
k tone.
I
t
’s
a
ll
r
e
a
d
y
.
Ho
w
’s th
a
t for
fa
st
?


Not b
a
d. How
a
bout some dinn
e
r?
O
r
d
e
r us up something
f
rom the
c
om
m
is
s
a
r
y
.
I
’m b
u
y
i
n
g
.”

B
e
t
t
y
stood, w
a
lked o
v
e
r
to
t
he
c
o
a
t r
a
c
k
,
a
nd put
on h
e
r
c
o
a
t.

I
f
ee
l
l
i
k
e
C
hinese.”
S
he h
e
ld out
h
e
r h
a
nd
a
nd
T
o
m r
eac
h
e
d in h
i
s po
c
k
e
t
a
nd
g
a
v
e
h
e
r
a
tw
e
n
t
y
.

Y
ou w
a
nt
t
he
usu
a
l
?

Emp
t
y
to
-
g
o
c
ontai
n
e
rs
a
nd
S
t
y
ro
f
o
a
m
bo
x
e
s w
e
r
e s
ca
t
t
e
r
e
d on Tom’s d
e
s
k
a
nd the
c
o
f
fee
table
in
f
ront of
the
c
ou
c
h.
B
e
t
t
y
w
a
s
a
sle
e
p on the
c
ou
c
h
a
nd Tom
h
a
d f
a
l
l
e
n
a
s
l
ee
p in h
i
s hi
g
h
-
b
a
c
k
e
d l
e
a
ther
c
h
a
ir
with h
i
s f
ee
t on h
i
s desk.
Y
ou
ca
n sl
e
e
p in a
c
h
a
i
r
with
y
our
f
ee
t on a d
e
sk just
s
o long
unt
i
l
y
o
u

re
a
w
a
k
e
n
e
d
b
y
y
our
o
wn bo
d
y
t
r
y
i
n
g
to c
h
a
n
g
e
posit
i
ons. At
5
a
m Tom’s bo
d
y
j
e
rk
e
d
a
nd
h
e
a
wok
e
.
He
sat u
p
, sho
o
k the sle
e
p f
r
om h
i
s h
e
a
d
,
a
nd looked
a
t h
i
s w
a
tch.
H
e
rose
quick
l
y
w
h
e
n he
saw
t
h
e
je
we
l
b
y
t
he
number
f
i
v
e
i
l
lu
m
inat
e
d.


B
e
t
t
y
,
g
e
t u
p
,

he
said.

H
a
nk

s s
i
g
n
a
l
e
d.”


W
h
a
t
?

B
e
t
t
y
loo
k
e
d u
p
,
e
y
e
s ba
r
e
l
y
op
e
n.


I
’m
g
oi
n
g
to
t
he
p
a
y
ph
o
ne
b
y
t
h
e
On
e
-
S
top. You w
a
nt
t
o
c
ome
?”

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