Page 16 of Heartbeat

Sean grinned. “Probably the better plan. Thanks.”

He went one direction, while Shirley went another. He was still taking off his clothes when she laid the bath towel on the washer and left him to it.

While Sean’s homecoming was fairly calm, the same could not be said for the parents bringing their children home from the school. Even the ones who had not been injured in any way were traumatized and shaken. Some couldn’t stop crying. Many didn’t want to go to school again, and the ones who’d been taken to the hospital for oxygen treatments were sent home with their cuts stitched and bandaged, afraid to close their eyes.

It was understood that the elementary school would be shut down for a considerable period of time to repair and replace that which had been damaged or broken, and the crash site cleared of all debris. But the horror of the day slowly morphed into gratitude and relief.

Michael Devon, the co-owner and manager of Hotel Devon, was on his way down the hall to the conferenceroom to meet his dad, Marshall, when the crash occurred.

He was on the fourth floor with a bird’s-eye view of Jubilee when he happened to glance out the wall of windows and saw a burning chopper falling from the sky. It fell out of sight, and then seconds later, a ball of fire and smoke shot up into the air, and he knew the helicopter had hit the ground.

He knew Wolfgang Outen was due in for the meeting and had yet to arrive. Horrified, he immediately called the police chief, Sonny Warren, on his cell phone to alert him to possible identities.

Sonny saw the caller ID and answered, even as he was running out the door.

“Hello.”

“Chief, I know this is a hell of a time for a phone call, but I was on the fourth floor of the hotel when I saw a chopper falling. It was on fire before it crashed. And I might know who was onboard. Wolfgang Outen is one of the hotel’s investors. There’s a board meeting scheduled for one o’clock today, and he’s not here.”

“Thanks, Michael. I’m sorry for whoever it is, but you’ve given us a head start on possible identification.”

Sonny disconnected, and then so did Michael, but he was sick to his stomach, and after Outen failed to show, he delivered the ugly news to the waiting board members.

A tentative identification of both victims came late in the day, when a pilot and chopper were reported missing after losing contact. The chopper belonged to a Zander Sutton, a commercial pilot out of Miami. He’d filed a flight plan early the same morning, bound for Jubilee, Kentucky, with one other soul on board—a man named Wolfgang Outen.

Their identities were assumed, but authorities would have to wait for DNA results for definitive confirmation. However, coupled with the flight plan and Michael Devon’s report of a missing man, it was evidence enough to notify the next of kin.

Fiona Outen left the office a little early to avoid the Friday nightmare of weekend traffic and was already home having a cocktail by the pool when the housekeeper came out of the home, flanked by two men in dark suits.

“Mrs. Outen, these gentlemen asked to speak to you.”

Fiona set her drink aside and stood. “Thank you, Dee. Gentlemen, how can I help you?”

“Mrs. Outen, we’re from the NTSB. We’re sorry to tell you, but there was a chopper crash just outside of Jubilee, Kentucky, a short distance from an elementary school. Your husband and the pilot were listed as the sole passengers, and there were no survivors.”

Fiona staggered in disbelief. “No! No, please no! This can’t be happening,” she cried, and then burst into tears.

“Maybe it’s best if you come inside,” they said, and led her back into the house, sobbing and stumbling as she went.

They got her settled in the living room, and after a few minutes of hysteria, she finally pulled herself together enough to hear them out.

“I don’t know what to ask. What happened? Oh my God, I can’t believe this is real,” she wailed, and set off a fresh set of tears.

One of the men began to speak.

“We don’t have details, but there were reports from witnesses on the ground that the plane exploded in midair. It was already burning before it hit the ground.”

Fiona gasped. “You said it crashed near a school? Please tell me the children weren’t hurt.”

“The explosion damaged the building. Some of the children didn’t get evacuated in time, but their injuries seem to be minor.”

Fiona covered her face and leaned forward, rocking where she sat. “Thank God.” Then she looked up at them with tear-filled eyes. “Would he have suffered? Would he have been alive when it was on fire? I can’t bear to think that he suffered.”

“We’ll have more answers after the autopsies. We’re so sorry for your loss. Is there anyone we can call to come be with you at this time?”

Fiona shuddered. “I’ll make the calls, and I have Miss Dee.” Then another thought occurred. “How will I claim his body? I don’t know what to do.”

“You will be contacted in due course.”

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