Chapter 20
“I want to look at the photos one more time.” Ruth studied the side angle of Tristan Keller’s plane, on full display courtesy of Lucy’s projection screen. “I’m no gun expert, but this looks like a pretty big hole.”
“It is. There are several factors coming into play—diameter of the bullet, the velocity, angle at discharge, not to mention range.” Lucy went into a detailed explanation about the various factors until Liz’s head swam. “What does all of this mean?” she finally interrupted.
“In layman’s terms, it means a pretty big gun discharged a large bullet and left a big hole in the plane,” Ruth summarized. “Maybe Keller heard shots being fired. He tried to fly out of a local hunter’s firing range and instead flew right into it.”
Lucy picked up. “He knew his plane got hit. He lost control and ended up in the field.”
“In your professional opinion, what kind of gun was used?” Gloria braced herself for the answer, almost positive she already knew what her friend was going to say.
“If I had to guess, it was a hunting rifle.”
Liz popped out of her chair and started to pace. “A hunting rifle similar to the half dozen or more Floyd owns.”
“And other area farmers, possibly even Ivan Gregware,” Gloria pointed out. “There’s no smoking gun.”
“Just a smoldering one with characteristics similar to the ones my husband owns.” Liz placed her hands on her cheeks. “This is not going to end well. I can feel it in my bones.”
“Gloria is right,” Rose said. “It’s deer hunting season. I bet almost all of your neighbors own rifles.”
“We have our work cut out for us this time,” Dot sighed. “What’s the next step? Interrogate everyone who lives within a twenty-mile radius?”
While the others talked, Lucy grew quiet, studying the plane still projected on the screen.
“What’s on your mind, Lucy?” Liz asked.
“Something about this is rattling around in the back of my brain.”
“A clue?” Gloria asked.
“I think so. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to figure out what it is.” Lucy briefly closed her eyes. “I’ll have to think about it.”
“In the meantime.” Margaret grabbed the remote. “It’s time to kick back and enjoy the Gloria and Margaret Adventure Show.”
“You get it ready to roll and I’ll be right back.” Lucy ran out of the classroom and returned with small bags of freshly popped popcorn. She handed one to each of them. “Feel free to grab a Coke from the fridge.”
The friends settled in and grew quiet while Margaret, with Lucy’s help, began playing her skydiving adventure first.
“Hold up.” Gloria shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth and sprang from her chair. “Go back about ten seconds.”
“Why?” Dot asked.
“Vlad, the instructor, is checking Margaret out.”
“He is not,” Margaret gasped.
Lucy slid the bar back and replayed the part where Vlad was hooking the front of his skydiving gear to the back of Margaret’s. He gave her a sly side smile. His hand hovered over her bottom for a few seconds, and then he finished attaching the harness.
Ruth laughed out loud. “Good eye, Gloria. Vlad had a hovering hand.”
“Good grief. If I had known what he was doing, I would’ve insisted he unhook us and give me my money back.”
“Vlad had the hots for Margaret,” Rose sang.
“Still has the hots for her,” Dot corrected.
Finally, they reached the part where the couple prepared to jump. Her face lit up, her eyes bright as they leapt from the plane. “Geronimo!”
A second camera picked up, and it almost made Liz dizzy watching them plunge toward earth. The second, larger parachute opened, and the couple floated the rest of the way down.
“Bravo!” Ruth scrambled to her feet and started clapping. “Your jump was picture-perfect.”
“Thanks. Now it’s Gloria’s turn.” Lucy fiddled with the recording. Seconds later, Gloria and her instructor appeared.
“Look at my face,” Gloria said. “You can see I’m clearly traumatized.”
“You do look a little pale,” Liz agreed.
“My hands are shaking.”
“Poor thing.” Rose gave her a quick hug. “I can only imagine what you were thinking.”
“About how much it was going to hurt if the parachute didn’t open and I hit the ground.” Gloria tapped the screen. “This is the exact moment where I almost backed out.”
The others grew quiet, watching their friend reluctantly approach the jump door, her eyes wide, licking her lips and casting a wistful gaze behind her.
The audio grew muffled for a moment and whatever Tom said to Gloria was garbled.
“I think we missed something good,” Liz said.
Lucy pressed the pause button. “Do you remember what he said?”
“He was reminding me to lift my knees before we touched down. I was probably telling him I would be unconscious by then.”
Dot playfully nudged her arm. “You’re braver than me. I never would have agreed to it to begin with.”
“Liz owes me one. Big time.”
“And I already have an idea in mind about how to reward you for your bravery,” Liz primly replied.
Lucy hit the play button at the precise moment Tom and Gloria jumped. The scene cut to the aerial view.
“Liiiiiizzzzz!” Gloria’s shrill screams echoed through the speakers and didn’t stop for several long seconds.
Liz winced and covered her ears. “That is loud.”
Finally, her screaming ended. It was replaced by heavy breathing.
The open field appeared. Tom reminded Gloria to lift her legs. The camera bounced around before coming into focus again and everything became crystal clear.
As soon as Tom unhooked them, Gloria dropped to her knees and kissed the ground. “Thank you, God.”
Tom helped her to her feet and gave her a hug. “You did it, Gloria.”
The recording ended, and the friends clapped again, all giving Gloria a hearty whack on the back to congratulate her.
“Never again,” she vowed. “Skydiving was a one and done for this gal.”
“I would try it again,” Margaret said.
“We’ll go together.” Lucy clasped her hands. “Who wants to go with us?”
It was a unanimous “no” except for Ruth, who said she might consider it.
The friends started cleaning up. Everyone except for Lucy, who stared at the blank screen, the same thoughtful expression on her face.
Gloria tapped her on the shoulder. “Have you figured out what’s been bouncing around in your head?”
“Maybe. I’ll need to see the flight log from that morning again.” Lucy waited for Liz to return from the bathroom. “Can you log onto the radar app, the one you were using when Keller’s plane was shot down?”
“Sure. I’ll need to borrow a laptop.”
Working together, Lucy and Liz logged on and tracked down Tristan Keller’s flight. Once again, they cast it on the screen. The women gathered around, quietly watching as his plane appeared.
It circled once, circled again in a wide loop and then… blip …it disappeared.
“Play it one more time,” Lucy said. “Pause it when you get to the point right before it disappears.”
Liz did as her friend asked, replaying the recording and pausing seconds before the plane dropped off the screen.
“That’s it,” Lucy said excitedly. “Guys, I think I finally found our first big clue.”