The Leap

5-Burial

November 1976

    "Look down for me," Sayuri told the model. We were on the set of a science fiction space odyssey we'd been commissioned on. Our studio was the highest in demand for Hollywood since winning an Oscar for make-up effects two years ago. I might be a bit biased but I was sure we'd be in the running for another.
    "Jack I've got this. Can you see to the blood spatter on extras one through three? The director will need them sooner than we thought."

    "Right." We shot for another six hours before the director called it quits for the night; an exhausting but productive day for Skyfall Studios.

    "What's next on the agenda?" I asked when we got back home.

    "Jason's picking up the kids from soccer in an hour and we need to feed the ravenous animals when they get here. Oh," Sayuri's voice got quiet, "this came in the mail. It's from Brady."

    Since we'd won the Oscar I'd been getting phone calls and letters from him saying that ditching me and the kids was the biggest mistake he'd ever made. My money situation was much better now, leaps and bounds better than when the two of us were together even, no doubt that money was what had him reaching out. He'd quit his job as a dentist before he left me, drained my bank accounts and ran up more debts than I would have ever been able to pay honestly. I'd thrown the letters away, erased all the messages from the machine, and only called him back once to tell him to leave me and the kids alone. He'd cussed me out and tried to guilt me into coming back into ours lives before I hung up on him.

    "Toss it." I tied up my hair and went searching through the cabinets for something quick and easy to make for dinner. "Spaghetti and breadsticks?"

    "Tossed." Sayuri turned on the radio and grabbed a pot from the cabinet. "Jack there's something I've been meaning to bring up."

    "What is it?"

    "Jason and I are thinking it's time for us to get our own place."

    "Why? We have plenty of space. I know I didn't like him at first but he's really grown on me. And you know I'm sorry about what happened at the wedding. I didn't mean to spill my champagne on his tux."

    "It's not that. Jacqueline, I'm pregnant. It's twins and I was going to tell you sooner. Jason surprised me by already buying a house."

    "Sayuri that's great." I hugged my friend and wiped away the tears that sprang from eyes. They were half happiness and half sadness.

    "I've been so worried about telling you. I was so afraid you'd be disappointed."

    "Hardly. Where's the house I'd love to help get the nursery ready."

    Her eyes brightened. "Actually it's right next door. We got the place for a steal."

    Dinner that night was a joyful affair until we heard the radio broadcast. We always kept the radio on through dinner. It was a habit from the times when we couldn't afford cable. As we were cleaning up the music was broken by a special news bulletin.

    "Some of you may remember the mysterious hijacker that jumped from Northwest Orient flight 305 and seemingly disappeared without a trace. With the time that has elapsed since the crime the statutes of limitations are about to expire. This means that after a given time should the man come to be known as D.B. Cooper ever come into police custody he cannot be prosecuted for his crime of air piracy. Today a grand jury returned an indictment in absentia against the man known as D.B. Cooper for air piracy. This indictment ensures that should the man known as D.B. Cooper be apprehended at any time in the future he can be prosecuted for this crime."

    It took two hours for Sayuri and me to get a call from Mr. Webb. I was surprised it took so long. I expected he would demand we repay the four hundred thousand dollars he'd given us, which was something we could now do with all the success Skyfall Studios brought us. Instead he surprised us with a plan.

    "I've become pretty fond of you ladies and in light of recent developments I think there's something we need to do. I don't want to go to jail for knowing about this and I don't want the two of you to end up there either. Here's what I purpose, I have a membership in Tena Bar, Washington at a country club that sits on the Columbia River it's not far from where they think you jumped. I think we should bury a small portion of the money there for someone to find."

    "What good would that do?" I asked.

    "Hopefully it will convince people that you died during the jump."

    "It could work," Sayuri said.

    "Let's do it."

Six months later.

    "Mom look at this!" I turned to wave at my kids playing in the water. Sayuri and Jason were down the beach a bit burying five thousand eight hundred dollars of Cooper cash with Mr. Webb. I watched as my kids took turns trying to do handstands in the current. Those crazy twins would be the death of me someday.

    As the burial party came down the beach I took a moment to think about where my own future was headed. Sayuri and Jason were about to welcome their own set of twins into the world, my kids would soon be off to college, one for law and the other for make-up effects. Where did that leave me?

    The image of Rome popped into my mind. A short vacation there would be good me for me. I'd always wanted to go there but the timing was never right. Rome sounded good and I would be back in time for Sayuri to have her babies.

    To Rome I would go and the sky was the limit after that.