Campfire Part 2

Chapter 2

Sheri sat her tray down on the table Ashley selected in the back corner of the crowded café. It was almost noon, and the local Albuquerque chain store next to main campus always filled up for lunch. They slid into the booth and cleared off their trays placing their assigned numbers on the edge of the table, so they were easy for the waiters to see. 

“Okay what is all this crap about DB Cooper?” Sheri sucked on the straw in her large iced tea.

“So…you know Jacob is from South Africa, right?”

Sheri nodded. She had only talked with him a couple of times, but she liked his accent. Sheri had to work hard to mask her jealousy when it came to Jacob. Sheri knew she didn’t really want a boyfriend, but she hated it that Ashley was dating someone.

“Do you know why he came back to the states?”

“Seriously Ash, are we playing twenty questions or are you going to tell me why you got it in your head that DB Cooper is Robert Cooper? I only have about an hour left.” Sheri Gilbert and Ashley Mason had been best friends since they met in first grade. Sheri’s family had just moved back to Albuquerque, where her mother’s family lived, after her dad left them, and she didn’t have any friends. Ashley had moved from across town to a new school and didn’t know anyone either. After the teacher made them color a calendar together to display September’s school activities, they were instant friends. Sheri usually liked that it took Ashley forever to tell a story, but she didn’t have time for it today.

“Shhh…” Ashley hushed her friend. “Fine, I’ll just tell the story but chill out someone will hear you.” She looked around to see if anyone had noticed Sheri’s rant. “Okay, so…Jacob’s father moved the family to South Africa for a business opportunity after Jake’s mom died when he was, I think like, four, and he grew up there. About a year ago, his dad gave him a package. Apparently, it was mailed to him sometime in 2004 from his grandpa—Robert Cooper,” Ashley said the name slowly emphasizing every syllable. “He was Jacob’s mom’s dad, but Jake had never really met him. I guess he saw him once when he was really little, but Jake says he doesn’t remember him. Anyway, Jake had no idea he was dead because his dad put the package away until…” Ashley stopped suddenly as the waiter approached the table with their food. 

A tall skinny kid sat their salads on the table and asked, “how’s everything look?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s good,” Ashley snapped at him, and he walked away.

“So…where was I? Oh…so his dad gave Jacob the package when he turned eighteen. Turns out, it was a letter with his grandpa’s will and a safety deposit box key. You see, Robert Cooper died in 2004. And in the letter he describes how he was DB Cooper—the infamous hijacker, DB Cooper.” Again she spoke slowly to make her point. “Apparently, the key is for a safety deposit box in a bank in Seattle. Jake thinks the money DB Cooper stole back in the seventies is in that box.”

Sheri put down her fork. “Wait. No wait. Are you kidding? And he believes it’s all for real? Why did he tell you about it? I mean…why hasn’t he gone to get the money? How do…” 

“Hold on, hold on. I guess he hasn’t got around to getting the money yet. He just got back to the states this summer, and he went to work for his uncle as soon as he arrived. I think he told me because the secret was driving him crazy. Besides he trusts me,” Ashley shrugged. “He says he wants to go to Seattle on Christmas break, and he asked me to go with him.”

“Ashley, this sounds…well…like bullshit to me,” Sheri had resumed eating. “Too many people have made claims about DB Cooper.”

Ashley finally started to eat her salad. “According to Jake everything his grandpa said made sense. It all adds up.”

“Did Jake’s dad know anything about it? And what makes him think there would be any money left? It’s been over forty years.”

“I don’t think he told his dad what was in the letter. Jake didn’t mention it. But Jake said the letter explained how DB didn’t spend any of the money because he was too afraid of getting caught,” Ashley laughed. “That’s a little funny since the man wasn’t afraid of jumping out of an airplane to get the money in the first place. I guess he was more afraid of jail than a ten thousand foot jump.”

“Still…there’s no proof. I think it’s crap.” Sheri leaned back in the booth and kicked her feet up on Ashley’s bench.

“Maybe it is, but…what if it’s true? If we could get a hold of that key, we’d be rich.”

This time it was Sheri who laughed. “Rich? Really, you know it was only two hundred thousand dollars minus the money that kid found in 1980. That was almost six grand. Besides how do you think we’re going to get the key?”

Ashley leaned in and motioned for Sheri to do the same. “So…I was thinking maybe we could take Jake camping, and maybe three of us go camping but only two of us come home.”

Sheri frowned, “Are you serious? Ashley! You can’t do that.” Sheri looked at Ashley to see if she was joking. Seeing nothing, she went on, “you want to kill your boyfriend for two hundred grand? That’s crazy. You can’t do that. Besides, I thought you liked him.”

“Would you be quiet?” Ashley scolded and looked around the room, and then she shrugged. “You’ve done worse for less.” Ashley winked at her friend.

Sheri stared at Ashley and then just shook her head. “You’re serious.”

“Come on Sher. Let’s just talk about it. I mean for fun,” Ashley said trying to lighten the mood. “Maybe there’s a story in it for you. Let’s get together tonight and come up with a plan. You’re good at stuff like this.”

”I can’t tonight. You know Tuesday is Drew’s night,” Sheri said.

“See Drew another time? You see him every week.”

“No Tuesday is Drew’s night. Besides this is messed up, Ash. Even if it’s true wouldn’t it be better for the truth to come out. Maybe being a part of solving this crime is better than the money.” Sheri scooted across the booth to leave.

“Don’t get all private detective, mystery writer on me. Okay tomorrow after your last class, we talk. Maybe there’s a way we can turn a little bit of cash into a lot of cash. Ralph is really good a poker you know.”

“What? Seriously? That’s how you turn a little cash in to no cash. Your brother just plays those stupid online poker games. You know he’s not really good at poker.” Sheri looked down at Ashley in the booth. “I got to run.”

“Think about it Sheri. This could be a good thing, and it would be easy for you.” Ashley grabbed Sheri’s hand and squeezed.

Sheri pulled away and rushed out of the restaurant, the heels of her riding boots clicking on the sidewalk. She was going to be late for her class. Sheri looked up and down Central Avenue for traffic and jogged across the street. She couldn’t stop running Ashley’s last comment through her head. Sheri wondered if Ashley was threatening her to get her to participate in some stupid scheme her and her useless thug of a brother came up with. Ashley was the only person who knew what happened in sixth grade.