Skydive (2 page)

Buck’s voice droned on, but Jesse’s attention was elsewhere. He was watching a girl with a blond ponytail approaching the edge of the training field.

Jesse moved through the small group of students to meet her. “So you decided to come after all?”

Robin shrugged. “I guess that depends on how you look at it. Let’s just say it was decided for me. Sorry I’m late.”

“That’s okay. Buck usually takes the new people on a tour and lets them ask questions before he signs them up anyway.”

Buck finished his lecture, dismissed the class, and walked over. “Hi, Robin. Glad you could make it.” He looked at his watch. “Jesse, I’ve got an important shipment due in about now. Would you do me a favor and show Robin around the place? I’ll be back just as soon as I look at the invoices.”

“Sure,” Jesse said. “I’ll take her over to the hangar and let her check out the planes.”

Robin unzipped the canvas handbag she was carrying and took out a thirty-five-millimeter camera. “Would you mind if I took some pictures? Photography is my hobby and I could get some incredible pictures here.”

Jesse shrugged. “I guess not.” He led the way across the field to a large arch-shaped metal building.

Robin used her zoom lens to take a picture of a small passenger plane that had just landed on the runway. She continued to snap pictures as the passengers disembarked. Two well-dressed men and a woman, all Hispanic, hurried down the steps. Through her lens Robin saw the pilot following. He was talking in a loud voice to one of the men and gesturing wildly. He looked in Robin’s direction and quickly ushered the passengers inside a nearby building.

“Here’s where we keep the planes the jumpers use most often,” Jesse said, continuing the tour. He opened the door of the hangar, moved to the first plane, and touched the wing strut. “Buck’s using this one to give a special demonstration on Saturday. If you’re interested you could probably get a lot of good pictures from the landing zone.”

Robin walked around the plane. “Do you ever go up? In one of these small planes, I mean?”

“Every chance I get. Buck lets me spot the jumpers and check their gear before they hop and pop. It’s good experience.”

“Hop and pop?” Robin looked confused.

“You know. Step out of the airplane and pull the rip cord.”

“Oh.” Robin snapped a picture of Jesse standing
in front of the plane. “You really like the idea of all this, don’t you?”

“What? Skydiving? You bet. Someday I’m going to be the best there is.” Jesse blushed. “I guess that sounds a lot like bragging.”

“No. At least you know what you want. I do too.” She held up the camera. “But nobody cares. My father decides what he thinks will be good for me, and right now it’s conquering my fear of heights.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about, Robin. Buck won’t take you up in a plane until you’re ready.”

“That’ll be never in my case.”

“Don’t be so sure. When we get through with you, you might just change your mind and become a skydiving freak like the rest of us crazies.”

“What’s going on in here?” A deep, rough voice echoed across the hangar.

Jesse waited while an angry-looking young man in a pilot’s jumpsuit made his way over to them.

“Nothing’s going on, Pete. Buck asked me to show one of his new students around. Do you have a problem with that?”

“What’s with the camera?” The man glared at Robin.

She recognized him as the pilot of the plane she had just photographed.

“It’s no big deal, Pete. She just likes to take pictures.” Jesse took her arm. “Come on, Robin. I’ll show you the training hangar.”

She followed him out the door and across a well-worn dirt trail to another building. “Who was that guy?”

“That was Peter Reeves. He’s one of the pilots. I don’t know what got into him. He’s usually friendlier.” Jesse pushed open the door and stepped inside. “This is the training hangar. Buck has done his best to simulate everything about jumping in here. See that harness?” He pointed to some webbing hanging from the high ceiling. “You can practice body position and free-fall technique while pretending to be falling through the air.”

“Falling?” Robin groaned. “If you only knew how much I hate that word.”

“Okay, Robin, when I tap your leg, arch your body and jump backward. When you hit the mattress, remember to bend your knees.” Buck stood in the doorway of a make-believe wooden airplane, encouraging his new student. “That was a great landing. You’re looking like a pro. Move on to the next station.”

Robin stood up and stepped off the mattress. The next station was the simulated free fall. Jesse was helping a redheaded boy step out of the harness.

“You’re next, Robin.”

“I still don’t think I’m ready for this one yet, Jesse.” Robin chewed nervously on the inside of
her lip and looked up at the pulley near the top of the hangar.

“Whatever you say. Pete’s giving a talk on the static line over in that corner. Maybe you’d like to catch the end of it?”

Robin nodded and walked across the room. Pete seemed to have completely forgotten the incident in the hangar on Tuesday. He flashed Robin a brilliant smile and explained in detail that the static line was designed to pull the cord for first-time jumpers in case they were jittery and forgot what they were supposed to be doing.

When the lecture was over, Pete sat down in the empty chair beside her. “I want to apologize for my behavior the other day, young lady. I had just come off a long flight and was pretty short on rest. I hope there’s no hard feelings.”

“No problem, Mr. Reeves.” Robin stood. “I understand.”

“By the way, have you developed those pictures yet?”

“What?” Robin looked puzzled.

“You know. The pictures you took of the planes and the airfield. I was just wondering how they came out.”

“Oh, those. No, I’m afraid I haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

“Well, I hope they turn out.” The young pilot gave her a polite nod and moved down the corridor to the office area.

“Is he still giving you a bad time?” Jesse had seen the two talking and inched over. “If he is, all I have to do is say the word to Buck and—”

Robin shook her head. “He was apologizing. Turns out he had just finished a long flight that day and he was tired and cranky.” She twisted the end of her ponytail. “Is it okay if I use the phone? I need to call the chauffeur to come and pick me up.”

“Why don’t you let Buck and me take you home? We’re about finished up here, and besides, we have to go to town anyway to pick up some supplies.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Let’s go get your stuff from the locker, and by the time we get back, Buck will be ready to leave.”

Robin started down the hall. “Does everyone get this kind of special treatment here at the club? Or am I just lucky?”

Jesse could feel his face getting hot. He was glad it was dark in the corridor. “We try to keep all our customers happy.”

Robin laughed and stepped into the locker room.

She stopped. Her locker was standing open and the contents of her canvas shoulder bag had been dumped on the floor, along with the remnants of her broken padlock.

“Oh no! Look at my camera.” Robin dropped to her knees and picked up some of the black pieces of the shattered zoom lens.

Jesse examined the locker. “Someone just busted in. Was anything taken?”

“No, I don’t think so. It’s just my camera—”

“Don’t worry,” Jesse said soothingly. “Buck will straighten it all out tomorrow. The club can take some of their dues money and buy you a new camera.” Robin sat down on the floor and stared at the pile of broken equipment. “I wonder.…” She opened the back of the camera.

The film was gone.

Robin’s mind whirled. Only one person had been interested in her pictures—Pete Reeves.

“Jesse, I don’t think this was an accident.” She showed him the empty camera. “Whoever did this was after something.”

“That’s crazy. Who would want your film? You hardly know anybody at the club.”

Robin quickly scooped the pile of broken pieces into her handbag. “I could be wrong, Jesse. But Pete was awfully interested in whether or not I had developed those pictures I took of him on the runway a couple of days ago.”

Jesse rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Now that you mention it, he did seem kind of upset about your having a camera that day.”

“I have an idea.” Robin grabbed his arm. “Is there any way we can check on Pete’s flight schedule on Tuesday? If we knew where he went and who his passengers were, maybe we’d know why he didn’t want his picture taken.”

“It’ll be a snap to check the logbook for his assignment. But I can tell you right now that there weren’t any passengers. Pete flies transport. He doesn’t carry people.”

Robin stared at him. “But I saw them getting off the plane. Two men and a woman.”

“Are you sure? Maybe it was a couple of flight inspectors or some of the safety crew. There are always strange people coming and going out here.”

Robin shook her head. “They were passengers. I could tell by the way they were dressed. That has to be the answer. Pete was carrying some people he didn’t want us to know about. So he busted up my camera and took the film to make sure we couldn’t identify them.”

“I don’t know.” Jesse paused. “That’s a pretty tall accusation with no proof. If you just had those pictures …”

Robin folded her arms. “Who says I don’t?”

The ride into town was quiet. Buck tried several times to get a conversation started, but Jesse and Robin were both preoccupied. Buck finally gave up.

They were turning up Robin’s street when Jesse broke the silence. “Buck, how well do you know Pete?”

“Not all that well, I guess. He’s only been working for me about six months. But he comes highly recommended, and from what I’ve seen, he’s a good pilot. Why do you ask?”

“Here’s my stop,” Robin said, and pointed to a large two-story brick house with a circular driveway. “Jesse, would you like to come in with me?
I’d really like to show you those pictures we were talking about earlier. Rodney can drive you home later.”

Jesse looked at Buck for permission.

Buck shrugged. “It’s okay with me. As long as you call your mom and let her know where you are.”

“Thanks for the ride home, Mr. Sellman,” Robin said.

“Anytime.”

They waved goodbye and Robin led the way up the sidewalk to the front steps. She took out a key and opened the door. Almost like magic, a small woman in a maid’s uniform appeared.

“Good afternoon, Miss Robin.”

“Hi, Irma. This is my friend Jesse from the skydiving club.”

The woman nodded. “May I get you or your guest anything, miss?”

“No thanks. We’ll call if we change our minds.” Robin waited for the maid to leave and turned to Jesse. “Like I told you before, the roll of film stolen from my camera
today
was brand new. The one from Tuesday is in my darkroom. It won’t take us long to develop it. Then maybe we can see what’s so important about it.”