The 22nd Secret (39 page)

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Authors: Randal Lanser

BOOK: The 22nd Secret
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Y
e
s, m
a
y
I
h
e
lp
y
ou
?


M
y
n
a
me

s Tom
W
a
lk
e
r.”
He
sho
w
e
d Ro
l
a
nd h
i
s
C
I
A id
e
nt
i
fi
c
a
t
i
on.

I
h
a
ve
a
mes
s
a
g
e f
r
om
y
o
u
r d
a
u
g
ht
e
r. M
a
y I
c
ome in
?


Y
e
s, pl
ea
s
e
do.
I
s th
e
re
something
w
r
o
n
g
?
S
h
e
’s ok
a
y
, isn’t s
h
e
?

Roland
turn
e
d
a
nd hol
l
e
r
e
d upst
a
irs.

Hilda,
the
re
’s a
m
a
n h
e
r
e
f
rom
the
C
I
A
a
bout
P
a
m
.

Tom w
a
tch
e
d
a
s
Hilda shu
f
fl
e
d downst
a
irs.

W
h
a
t happ
e
n
e
d?
I
s she o
k
a
y
?

Roland tu
r
n
e
d
a
round
to
f
a
c
e
Tom.
“S
he
w
a
s ju
s
t
h
e
re f
o
r a
w
ee
k

s
v
aca
t
i
o
n.
S
he
didn’t mention someone
f
rom the
C
I
A
w
ould
be
c
a
l
l
in
g
.


Your
d
a
u
g
h
t
e
r

s fi
n
e, Mrs. Kolle
r
, she
sent me
he
r
e
.
S
he
made
y
ou
a
vide
o
tape
that
I th
i
nk
y
ou shou
l
d w
a
tch
r
i
g
ht a
w
a
y
. Th
e
n
I
’ll t
r
y
to e
x
plain wh
a
t
I
c
a
n.
S
he
t
old
m
e
y
ou h
a
v
e
a VC
R
, but
i
f not
I
bro
u
g
ht
a
port
a
ble
.”


Y
e
s, i
t
’s ov
e
r t
h
e
r
e
. Ro
l
a
nd poin
t
e
d tow
a
rd the
t
e
levision.
Tom inse
r
ted the
tape
while the
K
ol
l
e
rs s
a
t down on
t
he
sofa.
R
oland
g
r
a
bb
e
d
the
re
mo
t
e
a
nd
tur
n
e
d on
the t
e
levisio
n
.


I
’ll w
a
it
outs
i
de
on the
por
c
h.
L
e
t
m
e
know
wh
e
n the t
a
pe
is ov
e
r
.

W
a
lker
stepp
e
d throu
g
h the
f
r
ont door to
the po
rc
h
. A
f
t
e
r a f
e
w
m
oments
P
a
m’s i
m
a
g
e
a
p
p
ea
r
e
d on t
h
e
sc
r
e
e
n.
S
he
sm
i
led
a
s she spok
e
.
Hilda s
a
t down n
e
x
t
t
o
R
oland
a
nd h
e
ld h
i
s ha
n
d.


Hi, Mom
a
nd D
a
d.
F
irst
of
a
l
l
,
I
’m ok
a
y
.
P
le
a
s
e,
trust
m
e
. Ev
e
r
y
th
i
ng

s
g
o
ing
to be fin
e
.”
S
he
w
a
s obvious
l
y
t
r
y
i
n
g
to
m
a
ke
h
e
r voi
c
e
sound upb
ea
t. “
T
he
m
a
n
who b
r
o
u
g
ht
y
ou th
i
s tap
e
, Tom
W
a
lke
r
,
I
kn
o
w him ve
r
y
w
e
l
l
. You
ca
n trust h
i
m
. H
e
’s
Ha
nk’s
boss.
W
h
a
tev
e
r
y
ou do, follow his
i
nstru
c
t
i
ons
e
x
ac
t
l
y
. This
i
s ve
r
y
i
m
port
a
nt. Do wh
a
te
v
e
r he
t
e
l
l
s
y
ou.”
P
a
m’s
f
a
c
e turn
e
d se
r
ious.

T
h
e
re’s
b
ee
n a
l
i
t
t
le p
r
oblem
h
e
r
e
a
t
L
os A
l
a
mos.
W
e
l
l
,
ac
tual
l
y
a
b
i
g
pro
b
l
e
m, a
se
c
u
r
i
t
y
l
e
a
k. Mr.
W
a
lker
th
i
nks
m
y
c
o
v
e
r

s
b
e
e
n p
e
n
e
tr
a
ted.
The
b
a
d
p
e
ople th
a
t we sometimes talk
e
d
a
bout
ma
y
know
who
I
a
m. T
h
a
t
m
ea
ns th
e
y
c
ould find
out who
y
ou
a
re
a
nd t
r
y
to
g
e
t
t
o me th
r
o
u
g
h
y
ou. D
o
n

t be s
c
a
r
e
d.
I

m
p
e
r
f
e
c
t
l
y
s
a
fe wh
e
r
e
I
a
m
a
nd b
e
l
i
e
ve
m
e
, if Tom’s th
e
re
with
y
ou,
y
o
u

re
more
t
h
a
n sa
f
e
.”
Pa
m’s
fac
e
t
u
rn
e
d sa
d
.

I
w
on’t be
a
ble to visit
y
o
u, or
y
ou
m
e
,
f
or
six
mon
t
hs
m
a
y
be
a
y
e
a
r. We
won

t ev
e
n be
a
ble to ta
l
k on the phon
e
.”

Hi
l
da
g
r
a
bb
e
d
for
a
Kl
e
e
n
e
x
a
nd b
e
g
a
n
c
r
y
i
n
g
.
R
oland
r
ubb
e
d h
e
r
f
o
r
ea
rm
to soothe h
e
r.


M
a
y
be
lo
n
g
e
r,
I
’m not
s
u
r
e
how lo
n
g
. Tom will s
ta
y
in
t
ou
c
h with
y
ou so
y
o
u know
I
’m ok
a
y
.
You

ll
h
a
ve
to
le
a
v
e
the
f
a
rm. Th
e
r
e
’s no
wa
y
y
ou
ca
n
b
e
sa
f
e
the
re
.

Roland
put h
i
s a
r
m
a
round
his wif
e
, who
w
a
t
c
h
e
d
h
e
r
d
a
u
g
hter
thro
u
gh h
e
r t
e
a
rs. Pam

s s
m
i
l
e
re
turn
e
d.
S
he
kn
e
w h
e
r mother
would be
c
r
y
i
ng
b
y
now
a
nd h
e
r
f
a
th
e
r
would be
in sho
c
k
a
t
t
he
idea
of l
ea
vi
n
g
his f
a
rm.

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