Read Under Suspicion - The Legend of D.B. Cooper Page 15

What’s he doing? Buck thought as he watched the plane line up on the clearing. I’m sure he saw me. Standing up in the saddle, he waved both arms frantically and yelled. “This is the wrong clearing! It’s the next one up!!!” As if expecting Rick to hear him. It was no use. The plane didn’t waver from its path. In desperation, Buck looked quickly behind him, then in front for a way to escape. Kicking his mule hard, he started moving forward, but not fast enough.

  “There’s no escape,” Rick laughed, watching Buck’s feeble attempted at evading the inevitable. “Ah, what the heck! I’ll probably never get this chance again. Let’s see if I can knock him off his mule.”

  “You’re doing this on purpose?!” Buck yelled angrily when he realized he wasn’t going to make it. Stopping his mule, he again stood in the saddle, and lifting his fist towards the plane, he shook it angrily. “You big Jerk!” he shouted as it was almost upon him.

  Rick fought the cross wind, crabbing his plane, and skidding though the air slightly sideways towards his target. “Almost…just about there…Now!” Rick flipped a switch on the control pad. Then, like a thousand times before, he heard the back end of the plane open up as he lifted the nose, spilling water into the clearing.

  In one last defiant gesture, Buck yelled at the wave of water coming at him. “YOU SON-OF-A—”

  Swoosh!

  “Bull’s-eye!” Rick banked hard and looked back. As the mist cleared, he saw Buck rolling around on the ground covered with mud. The mules were running and kicking in all directions. Rick laughed uncontrollably with satisfaction.

  “I’ll get you fly boy!” Buck swore angrily and struggled to his feet to wipe the mud from his eyes, just in time to see the plane disappear down the valley. “I’m going to kick your butt!”