The 22nd Secret (73 page)

J
i
m set the
tr
a
y
on the
t
a
bl
e
. He
filled one
o
f the
mu
g
s and
slow
l
y
b
a
c
k
e
d
in
t
o the
ste
a
m
y b
a
throom.
L
i
k
e
a
ll
the
r
o
oms
i
n the lod
g
e
he
k
n
e
w this one
w
e
l
l
. He
b
a
c
k
e
d ov
e
r to the
tub and h
a
nd
e
d the
c
o
f
f
e
e
down
t
o
P
a
ula.

“
S
it
down.
W
e
’ll t
a
lk
.
”

“
I
bro
u
g
ht anoth
e
r mu
g
.
L
e
t
m
e
g
e
t so
m
e
c
o
f
fee
f
irs
t
.
I
wo
n
’t look.”
He
tr
i
e
d
to c
a
tch
a p
ee
k thro
u
g
h the mir
r
o
r,
but
i
t w
a
s fogg
e
d up. He
r
e
turn
e
d
b
ac
ki
n
g
in wi
t
h his
m
ug
a
nd st
a
rt
e
d to sit
on the toi
l
e
t wi
t
h his
b
ac
k to
P
a
ula.

“
H
a
nd me the
s
h
a
mpoo be
f
o
r
e
y
ou sit down
.
”
P
a
ula
’
s voi
c
e
s
e
e
med
r
e
la
x
e
d.
B
y
c
ompa
r
ison,
J
im
w
a
s an
x
ious
with anticip
a
t
i
on.
“
I
’m
g
oi
n
g
to
l
ie h
e
r
e
a
nd
s
o
a
k with
t
he
hot w
a
ter
r
unni
n
g
a
nd l
i
sten to
y
ou tell
m
e
a
bout
y
our
s
e
lf.
H
ow did a
b
ac
kwoo
d
s s
t
ud l
i
ke
y
ou
e
nd up h
e
re
in
t
he
p
e
r
f
e
c
t set
t
ing
f
or
m
e
to
t
a
ke
a
b
a
th
?
”

J
i
m could h
ea
r Pa
u
la sp
la
shing
a
round
in
t
he
tub
a
s he
spok
e
.

“
I
w
a
s b
o
rn in
De
nv
er
,
g
r
e
w up th
e
re with
m
y
p
a
rents and two siste
r
s, both older
than me. I
g
u
e
ss
I
’m
a
bout as
a
v
e
rage
a
s t
h
e
y
c
ome.”

“
A
n
y
g
ir
l
f
r
iends
?
”
P
a
ula
a
sked
a
s she
s
e
t
t
led do
w
n to so
a
k
a
ft
e
r
b
a
th
i
ng
h
e
rs
e
lf.

“
Y
ea
h, p
l
e
n
t
y
.
”

“
How
a
bout now
?
”
P
a
ula
c
losed h
e
r
e
y
e
s to allow
the hot w
a
ter
a
nd
J
i
m
’s voi
c
e
to he
a
l h
e
r so
r
e
bo
d
y
.

“
Y
e
s,
w
e
ll
a
t
l
ea
st un
t
il
y
e
ste
r
d
a
y
a
ft
e
rnoon
wh
e
n
I
met
y
ou,
I
did.”

“
W
e
ll
that mak
e
s us ev
e
n
, but
y
ou sti
l
l c
a
n
’
t
l
ook
.
”

“
M
y
Un
c
le Ch
a
rlie
b
ui
l
t
t
his p
l
ac
e
a
ft
e
r
re
turni
n
g f
r
om
W
o
r
ld
W
a
r
I
I
.
S
ta
r
t
i
ng
wh
e
n
I w
a
s ju
s
t a kid,
I
ca
me up
h
e
re
e
v
e
r
y
summe
r
.
W
h
e
n
I
w
a
s l
i
t
t
le
I
j
u
st k
i
nd
o
f did some
c
hor
e
s
a
nd pl
a
y
e
d
a
roun
d
.
M
y
f
r
iend,
B
i
l
l, who
’
s the sh
e
r
iff
now, w
a
s
m
y
b
e
st
f
ri
e
n
d
.
W
e
spe
n
t ev
e
r
y sum
m
e
r to
g
e
t
h
e
r
g
ro
w
i
n
g
up.
W
h
e
n
I
w
a
s in
hi
g
h
sch
o
ol,
I
wo
r
k
e
d
ful
l
-
t
i
me
e
v
e
r
y
summer
a
nd
g
ot paid.
I
’
ve
done
e
v
e
r
y
job
i
n th
i
s pl
ac
e
f
rom
c
o
ok to
m
a
id.
M
y
p
a
r
e
n
t
s’
died in a
ca
r
a
c
c
ident
m
y
f
r
e
shman
y
e
a
r
a
t
the
Univ
e
rsi
t
y
o
f Color
a
do.
A
f
ter
that
I
kind of
m
a
de
th
i
s
m
y
p
e
rm
a
n
e
nt r
e
siden
c
e
while
I
w
a
s in coll
e
ge
a
nd then t
h
e
N
a
v
y
.”

“
I
’m so
r
r
y
a
bout
y
our fo
l
ks,
J
i
m
.
B
oth
m
ine
a
re
st
i
ll
a
l
i
v
e
.
”
S
he
p
a
used,
th
i
nking
a
bout h
e
r p
a
r
e
nts for
a
mo
m
e
n
t
. “
W
h
a
t’d
y
ou do in
t
he
N
a
v
y
?
”

P
a
m
found
that
J
i
m
’s st
r
ong
p
r
e
s
e
n
c
e
w
a
s
a
s he
a
l
ing
to
P
a
ula
’
s bo
d
y
a
s t
h
e
w
a
rm
w
a
te
r
. The
more
she
r
e
la
x
e
d, the mo
r
e
c
omf
o
rt
a
ble she
f
e
l
t
.
S
he f
e
lt
it
f
rom the
f
irst
m
o
m
e
nt s
h
e
met
J
i
m
, she
h
a
d
a
n ov
e
r
wh
e
l
m
i
ng
a
t
t
ra
c
t
i
on to h
im
. The
i
m
p
re
ss
i
on w
a
s so p
o
w
e
r
f
ul
P
a
m w
a
s h
a
ving
trouble
c
ontrolling
h
e
r tho
u
g
hts. At that mo
m
e
nt she d
ec
ided s
h
e
w
ould allow
J
i
m
t
o dom
i
n
a
te h
e
r,
a
t
le
a
st for
the n
e
x
t f
e
w d
a
y
s.
F
o
r the
f
irst
t
i
m
e
in her
l
i
fe
she
would
let h
e
rs
e
lf lose
c
ontrol. The
f
ee
l
i
n
g made
h
e
r
f
e
e
l s
e
c
u
r
e
, pr
o
te
c
te
d
,
a
nd
v
e
r
y
f
e
m
i
nine.