Jerry coasted into the parking lot and came to a stop next to the car that was already parked there. He recognized it immediately and muttered, “Oh, no. Anyone but them.”
He weighed his options and came up with only one—he had to get Elliott Cooper to drive him back into town right away. Jerry slid out of the car and ran over to the picnic table where his customers sat enjoying their meal.
“Well, Elliott and Gloria,” Jerry said in his insincere voice. “What a pleasure to see you both. Out enjoying that new car, I see. Isn’t it a dream to drive?”
I looked up from my sandwich at the man who’d financially raped me hours earlier. “Yeah,” I said casually, “It’s okay.” I turned back to Gloria and continued with my sandwich.
“Listen, Mr. Cooper, er, uh, Elliott,” Jerry said, “I seem to be having some mechanical problems with the car you traded in and I need to get back to the lot right away. Do you think you could drive me there?”
I contained my anger and pointed to the seat across from where I sat. “Won’t you join us, Jerry?” I said with a sarcastic twinge in my voice.
“Normally I’d love to,” Jerry said anxiously, “But I have to get back to the lot right away. About that ride...”
“Sure thing, Jerry,” I said. “Just as soon as we finish our dinner. Shouldn’t take more than half an hour or so. You might as well have a sandwich while you’re waiting.”
“You don’t understand,” Jerry said. “I need to get back right now. It’s very important. Please, Elliott.”
I looked into Gloria’s eyes while I spoke to Jerry. “Jerry, I promised Gloria this picnic and I can’t break that promise. You understand about promises, don’t you?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Jerry said impatiently. “Look, maybe I could just borrow your car for a few minutes. I’ll be back before you finish your dinner. What do you say?”
I looked at Gloria and the two of us shook our heads in unison. “I don’t think so, Jerry,” I said. “My business insurance only covers the two of us. That would be putting all of us in an awkward situation if you were to damage my new car. No, I’m afraid that just won’t do.”
Jerry looked at his watch. If he left now he could still make it back to the lot in time to finalize the deal he needed to put him over the top and win that European vacation. “Okay,” he said, reaching into his pocket and retrieving his five thousand dollar vacation roll. “Here’s a hundred bucks to drive me back to the lot right now.” Jerry peeled off one of the bills and laid it on the table in front of me.
I looked up at Jerry and smiled. “Jerry,” I said, “It’s not about the money. I said I’d drive you back when we’re finished here. Now if you’ll just be patient I’ll...”
Jerry peeled off two more bills and laid them down on top of the first one. “Three hundred,” he said. “Will that do it?”
I ignored Jerry and his money for a few seconds, looked Gloria and then back at Jerry. “Well,” I said, and started to get up. Jerry smiled a wide smile. A second later I sat back down. “No, it just wouldn’t be right. I promised Gloria a picnic and, well, you know how it is with promises.”
Jerry’s smile dropped off his face. “Look,” Jerry said. “What do you want? Five hundred? A grand? What?”
I smiled a sly smile and stood up. I walked Jerry over to where my new car sat and pointed to it. “Tell you what, Jerry,” I said. “I couldn’t help noticing that you had your eye on this new sports coupe,” I said, turning my head away slightly but still looking at Jerry from the corners of my eyes the way a fox eyes a chicken. “That’s a smart move. You know this model is so popular they just can’t keep them in stock. Or so I’ve been told.”
A look of disbelief fell over Jerry’s face. The shoe was on the other foot now and he didn’t like the feeling of being on the receiving end.
“Yes,” I continued in my salesman voice, “This model is so popular that some dealers are actually charging more than the window sticker.” I looked back and forth as if to see if anyone could overhear our conversation. “But you know, just between you and me, I think I can put you in this baby for a lot less. And that’s a promise, Jerry.”
I looked over at my old car and then back at Jerry. I crooked my index finger and motioned Jerry to lean in closer. “Now take that model you drove up in, for example,” I said. “I noticed the exhaust was leaking and the rear tires look like they could go any time now. You gotta ask yourself if you want to put yourself at risk like that.”
“Now wait just a minute, Elliott,” Jerry said.
I held my palms up, thumbs touching and framed Jerry’s face in them. I moved the frame over to the new car. “It’s you, Jerry. I can see you now tooling down the highway with your sales manager by your side. I can just imagine your boss’s face when you pull onto the lot in this.”
Time was running out and Jerry had to act fast. “Okay, Elliott, what do you want?”
I looked at Gloria, who was still enjoying her sandwich. I looked back at Jerry. “Wait right here,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”
I ran back to the picnic table and bent over to confer with Gloria. A few seconds later I stood next to Jerry again with a piece of paper with some figures on it. I handed it to Jerry.
“My manager, I mean my partner there, says we can put you into this baby for only this much,” I said, pointing to the bottom line on the paper.
Jerry looked back at Gloria, who’d just turned in her seat to smile and wave at him. Jerry turned back to me and grimaced. His options had run out. Jerry held out the whole roll of bills. I quickly relieved him of the entire five thousand dollars as I exchanged keys with Jerry and patted him on the back. In a cloud of dust and a squeal of tires, Jerry was down the road and gone.
“How’d he take it,” Gloria asked.
“He drove a hard bargain, but I think we can live with it,” I said.
“That’s quite a technique you’ve got there, dear,” Gloria said, counting the hundred dollar bills as she laid each one on the table.
“Hey,” I replied, “I just took a passage from the bible.”
55 - Come Fly With Me
“Come on, Elliott,” Gloria said impatiently. “We have to get going or we’ll miss our plane. The San Francisco Police Department is not going to wait for you playing your games. We need their help on this case, so let’s get a move on, mister.”
I clicked a few more keys, slid the mouse this way and that and made a few more mental notes before powering down my office computer. The last light of the monitor faded away as I rose from my chair and turned off the lights to my office. I walked over to our coat rack, where Gloria waited, coat in hand with two bags packed for our business trip to San Francisco. She had that look on her face that told me I’d better get moving without further delay.
What was it about Gloria Campbell that made me feel like a bad puppy? When you think about it, I’m her boss. I hired her less than two years ago to help out with my private investigations business while Dad was recovering from his heart attack. She has a strong personality and was not shy about trying to keep me in line almost from the start.
We rode the elevator to the lobby and headed out the back door to the parking lot behind our building. I packed our bags into the trunk of Gloria’s car and slid in behind the wheel. Gloria’s coat sleeve was pushed back up her arm as she sat there examining her watch in an exaggerated gesture.
“I know, I know,” I said in my defense. “We’re going. Don’t you worry. We’ll get there with time to spare.” I backed out of the parking space and drove out onto the street. “We’ll be there before you know it.”
It took us a little better than forty-five minutes to drive to the airport, find a parking space and carry our bags to the check-in counter. I must have looked bored and Gloria took the opportunity to get in one more dig.
“It’s only one day,” she said. “I’m sure you can do without that damned computer for one lousy day. You think you can make it that long?”
&nb
sp; “You make it sound like I live for that PC,” I said. “I don’t spend that much time on it.”
“Oh no,” Gloria shot back. “You’re on it every spare minute and sometimes our clients are left waiting until you get to that next level of whatever stupid game you’re playing. Don’t you ever feel like taking a walk or reading a book or watching television?”
“I do those thing,” I said. “I do all those things.”
“When?” Gloria said. “When was the last time you took a walk?”
I thought for a moment. “Last night. I walked quite a way, now didn’t I?”
“If you’re talking about your major hike from the mall parking lot to the computer store…” she said sarcastically.
“Well,” I said, “The lot was full and I couldn’t find a close parking spot. I’d say that qualifies.”
“Look,” Gloria said. “You’re thirty-two, not sixteen. Just forget about your computer until tomorrow and then you can barricade yourself in your office, if you like. Now can we just get through this trip like normal people?”
“Sure,” I said, all the while wondering if I’d gotten any e-mail since we left the office an hour ago.
We boarded our plane and found our seats in section B, just two rows back from first class. We stowed our carry-ons in the compartment above us and Gloria slid in next to the window while I took my seat on the aisle. Within six or seven minutes the plane began taxiing down the runway. The roar of the engines increased as the nose of the plane pointed skyward. I could hear the sound of the landing gears retracting.
Gloria stared out the window and jabbed me with her elbow. “Look at that,” she said. “Look how small the houses look.”
I quickly glanced out the window before returning my attentions to the cockpit, which lay a mere twenty feet in front of me. I could see the pilot of this small, charter prop plane. He was pulling back on the yoke and talking to the tower on his headset. He twisted a few dials on the instrument panel before leveling off the plane and reaching for a microphone.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the voice on the intercom said. “Welcome to flight 602 non-stop to San Francisco. I’m your captain, Captain Walters. Our flight time will be approximately one hour and fifty-five minutes and we’ll be cruising at an altitude of about four thousand feet. Your stewardess, Miss Hastings, will be with you shortly to take your drink orders. Relax and thanks for flying Trans-California Airways.”
It was an early morning flight and there were only eight people on the plane including Gloria and me.
“The drink service shouldn’t take long,” I said, looking out the window past Gloria. “Hell, she could carry all the drinks she needs on one tray. Zip, zip, zip and she’s done. I don’t know how they can make any money on a flight with only eight people. That wouldn’t even pay for the gas.”
“So what,” Gloria said. “The fewer the people the more personalized the service.”
Gloria and I each ordered a Pepsi. Mine sat on the pulled down tray in front of me while Gloria nervously sipped at hers. I was busy watching the activity in the cockpit. It looked fascinating. What a responsibility it must be to pilot a plane like this one. I sat back and reached into the inside pocket of my coat and produced my pocket organizer. It was about the size of half a pack of cigarettes with a flip top. I pushed the button that released the cover to reveal a miniature LCD screen of three lines. I pressed a few buttons to view my phone numbers, memos and a tiny calculator. Pressing each of the buttons produced a high-pitched beep.
Gloria turned sharply toward me. “Do you have to keep beeping that thing?” she said. “Can’t you just put in back in your pocket and sit there? We’ll be in San Francisco in a little more than an hour. Think you can do without your electronic gadgets that long?”
I didn’t answer her. I silently snapped the pocket organizer closed and returned it to my pocket. I folded my arms across my chest and pretended to take a nap. Gloria returned to staring out the window. The next hour dragged by since I didn’t have my computer to keep me occupied.
I’d almost nodded off for real when a familiar voice came back on the intercom. “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Walters again. We’ll be starting our descent in a few minutes. Please buckle your seat belts and…”
The voice trailed off in a wheezing gasp. I could hear coughing and sputtering coming from the cockpit. I leaned to the right and looked ahead. From behind me I could hear the stewardess running up the aisle. I pulled my head back in just as she passed my seat. She stopped alongside the captain and I could see her shaking his shoulder. He didn’t seem to respond. She shook him a little more and then pressed two fingers into his neck. A few seconds later she quickly stepped back and screamed.
The plane’s nose dropped slightly and the engine sound became higher pitched. The stewardess grabbed the intercom with a shaking hand and spoke. “Is there a pilot on board?” she said frantically. Her voice shook along with her hand. “Anyone? Has anyone here had flight experience? We need someone up here right now who can fly this plane. Please!” The mike fell from her hands and she dropped to her knees.
Ahead of me, the four seat first-class section was empty. I looked back up the aisle. Behind me sat a mother and her two children. Across from her there was an old couple, perhaps in there eighties, hugging one another. Behind them there sat a middle-aged man with dark glasses and a red-tipped cane. There didn’t seem to be any likely candidates in our group.
Gloria gripped my arm and squeezed. Terror filled her eyes but she was at a loss for words. I pulled myself away from her grip and stood. I looked back at Gloria once more and headed for the cockpit. The captain’s face was mostly blue, as were his fingernails. The edges of his lips were white and waxy. I helped the stewardess to her feet and the two of us extracted the pilot from his chair and laid him on the floor of the cockpit. I took my place behind the yoke and examined the instrument panel. Everything was where I remembered it to be. I pulled back on the yoke and the nose of the plane lifted and leveled out.
Gloria had left her seat and was now standing beside me, pulling on my arm. “What do you think you’re doing?” she almost screamed. “You can’t fly a plane.” There was desperation in her voice now.
I looked at the stewardess. “Would you take her back to her seat, please? I don’t need any more distractions.” Gloria hesitated a few seconds before leaving with the stewardess.
The stewardess pulled a reluctant Gloria back down the aisle and buckled her back into her seat before returning to the cockpit. “You sure you know what you’re doing?” she asked.
“Sure, Miss Hastings.” I said confidently.
“It’s Debbie,” she said.
“It’s all right, Debbie,” I said. “I could do this in my sleep. Done it a thousand times before. Hell, I could land this plane upside down if I had to.”
The stewardess’s eyes widened as she licked her dry lips.
“But I’ll keep it right side up this time,” I assured her. I smiled and patted her on her shoulder. “Just keep the passengers calm and we’ll get through this fine.”
“I hope you know what you’re doing,” she said as she returned to the cabin.
“Me, too,” I said under my breath.
I slipped the headphones over my ears and adjusted the microphone that stuck out in front of my lips. I found the transducer knob and twisted, looking for a setting with some noise. I twisted until I heard a voice.
“San Francisco tower, this is flight 602. Come in please,” I said, trying to sound in control.
A voice on the other end said, “Who is this?”
“San Francisco tower,” I repeated. “This is Trans-California flight 602 from Los Angeles to San Francisco. Come in please.”
“Trans-California 602 this is San Francisco tower,” came the answer through my earphones.
I sighed and wiped my brow. I took a deep breath before continuing. “San Francisco tower, we’ve lost the pilot. I think it’s a heart attack. Can yo
u help us in?”
I could hear an undertone in the conversation on the other end for a second or two before the voice came back on the air. “Trans-California 602, who’s flying the plane? Identify yourself, please.”
“My name is Elliott Cooper,” I heard myself say. “We have eight passengers and one crew member beside the pilot.”
I jerked my head to the left and yelled back into the cabin. “Debbie,” I said, “I’ve got the tower on the line.” The words were no sooner out of my mouth when I heard a sickening ripping sound. I turned back to the instrument panel and saw the jack to my headset dangling from the transducer. The ripped wire hung down several inches. The rest of the wire dangled from my headset. “Oh shit,” I said out loud to no one in particular.
The radio was a blur of crackling noises and squeals. I turned the set off just as Debbie returned to the cockpit. I held the headset up to her. “Looks like we’re on our own now,” I said, pulling the useless headphones from my head and tossing them on the floor.
Debbie looked me in the eye. “Can you do it?” she said. “Can you land this plane?”
“I’m going to give it my best shot,” I said and looked ahead of me. Several miles in the distance I could see the strobe lights that lined the runway. They beckoned me on as I ran through the steps in my mind. “All right, Elliott,” I told myself, “Concentrate. You can do it.”
“Keep the runway in your visual path,” I thought. “That’s it. Now full flaps down.” I pulled on the lever marked ‘flaps’ and the plane rose in the air slightly. “Reduce power to forty percent.” I pulled back on the throttle to just below the halfway mark. “Okay, landing gear down.” The lever marked ‘landing gear’ pulled easily and I could hear the wheel locking into place. “Elevators one third up.” I set the elevators accordingly and continued with my mental checklist.
“Runway centered,” I said softly. I agreed it was centered and moved down my mental list. The plane slowly dropped. I could see the altimeter dial spinning counter clockwise. Seven hundred feet, six hundred, five hundred. I held the yoke firmly in both hands. And pulled back on the throttle a little more. Two hundred feet. One hundred. Fifty feet and dropping. I gritted my teeth and braced myself for impact.
The Complete Cooper Collection (All 97 Stories) Page 173