The 22nd Secret (88 page)

“
H
e
r
e
’s the o
r
d
e
rs.
S
a
id
h
e
’d
g
e
t h
e
re
a
s soon
a
s
he
c
ould.” She
l
a
id
e
v
e
r
y
th
i
ng
on
h
is d
e
sk a
n
d slunk out of his
o
f
fi
c
e.
S
he
w
a
s used to
m
i
nding
h
e
r o
w
n busin
e
s
s,
whi
c
h w
a
s ess
e
nt
i
a
l to her
job des
c
ription.

P
ick
e
tt
pick
e
d up the
re
p
o
r
ts and b
e
g
a
n
r
e
a
di
n
g
.

C
a
ptain Tim C
a
rn
e
s ent
e
r
e
d Co
l
on
e
l
P
ick
e
t
t
’s out
e
r o
f
fi
c
e
a
f
e
w minu
t
e
s l
a
te
r
. He sto
m
p
e
d the snow
off
his
boots
a
nd b
r
ushed
more
snow o
f
f his h
ea
v
y
, m
i
l
i
ta
r
y
-
is
s
ue
a
r
c
t
i
c
p
a
rka. He
took
i
t
o
f
f
a
nd hu
n
g
it
on the
c
o
a
t r
a
c
k n
e
x
t
t
o the doo
r
.

“
Old man
wa
nts
t
o see
m
e
,
”
he
said to
S
e
r
g
ea
nt
C
a
rt
e
r.
“
W
h
a
t’s up
?
”

He
s
a
t on
t
he
e
d
ge
of h
e
r
d
e
sk
a
nd sm
i
led. Captain Ca
r
n
e
s w
a
s
a
h
a
ndso
m
e
e
x
trov
e
r
t
. He w
a
s known
a
mo
n
g
his f
r
i
e
nds
to be a
la
d
y
-
ki
l
le
r
.
S
e
r
g
ea
nt
Ca
rt
e
r
w
e
lcom
e
d
his fl
i
rtin
g
,
e
v
e
n thou
g
h she
k
n
e
w he
w
a
s
out of h
e
r l
e
a
g
u
e
.

“
I
don
’
t know
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
,”
she s
a
id cu
r
t
l
y
.
S
he
re
a
c
h
e
d
und
e
r C
a
ptain C
a
rnes for
a
sta
c
k
o
f p
a
p
e
rs she
didn’t
n
ee
d,
f
o
rc
ing
him
to
ju
m
p off
h
e
r d
e
sk.

“
P
ick
e
tt
in h
i
s of
f
ic
e
?”

“
W
a
i
t
ing
f
or
y
o
u
,
”
she
s
a
i
d
.
S
he
pla
ce
d the p
a
p
e
rs
b
ac
k on the
c
o
rn
e
r
o
f h
e
r
d
e
sk wh
e
r
e he
w
a
s s
i
t
t
in
g
.

C
a
ptain C
a
rn
e
s op
e
n
e
d the door
a
nd
e
nte
re
d Co
l
o
n
e
l
P
ick
e
t
t
’s o
f
fi
c
e
a
nd
s
a
lu
t
e
d
.

“
Y
e
s, sir. You
w
a
n
t
e
d to
talk with
m
e
.”

“
S
it
down, Tim.” P
i
c
k
e
tt
c
ont
i
nu
e
d to r
ea
d the
r
e
p
o
r
ts. He
c
h
e
c
k
e
d his
w
a
tch
a
nd s
a
w that it
w
a
s noon.
“
I
’ve
h
a
d two v
e
r
y
in
t
e
r
e
st
i
n
g
p
h
one
ca
l
l
s th
i
s
m
o
r
nin
g
.
T
he
f
irst f
r
om
G
e
n
e
r
a
l
P
a
rk
e
r
a
t
t
he
P
e
n
t
a
g
o
n
,
h
e
to
l
d me to mob
i
l
i
z
e
m
y
te
a
m A
S
AP. You h
ea
r
a
n
y
th
i
n
g
a
bout a sm
a
ll plane
g
oing
d
o
wn
y
e
ste
r
d
a
y
a
ft
e
rnoon
one
hund
r
e
d m
i
les
ea
st of the
c
o
a
st
n
ea
r
B
e
a
r
B
re
a
th
?
”

“
No, sir
I
h
a
d
a
d
a
te l
a
st
ni
g
ht
a
nd
w
e
l
l
…
a
h
…
I
h
a
v
e
n
’
t had ti
m
e
to ch
e
c
k the n
e
ws this mornin
g
.”

P
ick
e
tt
c
le
a
r
e
d th
i
s thro
a
t
.
“
H
e
r
e
’s
a
ll
the in
f
o
I
h
a
ve
on th
i
s.”
H
e
h
e
ld the
f
i
l
e
s ov
e
r his d
e
sk while
Tim stood u
p
, took
t
h
e
m and s
a
t ba
c
k
d
own.
“
You
c
a
n re
a
d th
e
m
l
a
te
r
. G
e
n
e
r
a
l
P
a
rk
e
r
a
lso
t
old
m
e
a
T
o
m
W
a
lker
with
t
he
C
I
A
would be
c
onta
c
t
i
n
g
me
t
o
g
ive me
t
h
e
d
e
tails.
W
a
lker
will be
in ch
a
r
ge
of
th
i
s entire
op
e
r
a
t
i
o
n
,
a
nd
y
ou
’
re
to
t
a
ke
y
o
u
r o
r
d
e
rs di
rec
t
l
y
f
rom hi
m
.
P
a
rk
e
r m
a
de
th
i
s p
a
rt v
e
r
y
c
l
e
a
r.
T
h
e
re
a
re
n
a
t
i
on
a
l se
c
u
r
i
t
y
is
s
u
e
s at
stake
h
e
r
e
a
nd
w
e n
ee
d to follow this
W
a
lker
with
t
he
C
I
A
’
s or
d
e
rs
to
t
he
lette
r
. No s
c
r
e
w
-
u
p
s or it’s
m
y
a
ss. T
h
a
t me
a
ns it’s
y
o
u
r
a
ss
t
oo.
Cle
a
r on this so f
a
r
, C
a
p
t
a
in.”

“
Y
e
s s
i
r.”
T
h
e
Colonel
’
s
ste
r
n tone
g
r
a
b
b
e
d his
a
t
t
e
nt
i
on.