Page 77 of Heartbeat

Shirley clapped her hands in delight. “Oh, honey! How exciting!”

Sean glanced at Amalie. “No secrets in the family,” he said softly.

Amalie sighed.

“What’s going on?” Shirley asked.

“Entangled revelations I’m still trying to absorb, but I’ll give you the cheat-sheet answers. When I turned eighteen, I entered my DNA into Ancestry.com because I wanted to know where I came from. A few days ago, I got a notice from Ancestry that there was a hit on my family tree. Long story short, I found my father.”

“Oh, honey, is this good news for you? Have you spoken to him?”

“Yes. He contacted me via Zoom last night. His name is Wolfgang Outen, but his call was also a warning. As it happens, he is one of the men reported to have died in the chopper crash. Only he’s not dead, he’s alive, and the crash was meant to kill him. It’s a fluke he wasn’t on the flight.”

Shirley gasped. “What on earth?”

Sean could tell Amalie had said all that she could handle.

“It’s a mess, Mom. Bottom line…they suspect his wife. The feds know Wolf Outen is alive, but he’s in hiding while they continue to work the case. The wife thinks Wolf is dead but found out Amalie exists, and Wolf is worried Amalie could be his wife’s next target.”

Shirley’s eyes widened. “Oh my God! Why?”

“Outen is a very wealthy man. He’s convinced his wife tried to kill him for his money. She won’t want to share with an heir.”

Shirley just kept shaking her head. “How could she not know about a daughter?”

“Because he didn’t know either,” Amalie said. “Like Sean said, there’s a world of ugly behind this story, and an answer to why I wound up in foster care to go with it. But the scary part is that his wife showed up at my open house, introduced herself under a different name, and after speaking to my father last night, we all realized her real identity. She already has me in her sights.”

“You come here! We’ll protect you,” Shirley said.

“No, Mom. It’s the same thing Aaron told you when Dani’s stalker found her. We don’t bring trouble to you. We’re handling it. Outen is handling it. This morning the FBI announced Wolfgang Outen was still alive, and once the wife hears that, hurting Amalie will gain her nothing.”

Shirley nodded. “Okay. Understood. I’m so sorry this happened but, sweetheart, you have to trust you’re no longer alone in the world. We’ve got your back, and it sounds as if your father does as well.”

Amalie’s defeat was in her voice. “Thank you for understanding. I’m still struggling with all of it, and I didn’t want you to be angry that Sean has been drawn into all of this through his association with me.”

“Associationis hardly the word for intending to marry you,” he muttered.

Shirley’s eyes widened, and then she clapped her hands.

“Best news ever!” she cried.

“Even after I tell you we’re kind of hoping to live here on the mountain with you?” Sean said.

Shirley gasped. “Are you serious? You would do that?”

“But only if you didn’t mind,” Amalie said.

“Oh, honey! I just lied.Thisis the best news ever! Having this house come to life again, and with a new generation of Popes, is a gift!”

“I’ll still work in town,” Amalie said.

“And I’ll still be here,” Sean said. “But for now, I need to move a couple of computers down to her office so I can keep up with work and keep an eye on her at the same time. Also, everything we just told you is between the three of us for now. Not even Aaron and Wiley are aware of any facet of the chopper investigation, and it has to stay that way.”

“I’ll say nothing about any of this. Not even about the two of you. That’s your announcement to make. Just know I’m here for you, and I’m on your side,” Shirley said.

“Thanks, Mom,” Sean said.

“Yes, thank you, Shirley,” Amalie added.

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