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“Yes. Under suspicious circumstances. If we have other questions, we’ll be in touch.”
He disconnected. Glanced up at Bruner, who was still on the phone, and then called the lab.
“This is Detective Muncy, Homicide. Have you looked at the phone we found in Ellis Townley’s car yet?”
“Just a moment, sir,” the tech said, and began going through lab reports before coming back to the phone. “Ihave the log pulled off the phone, but nothing further at the moment that I can see.”
“Could you send that to me?” Muncy asked.
“Yes, sir, sending now,” the tech said. “Done. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“Have you had a chance to check Townley’s clothing for DNA yet?”
“It’s on the to-do list, but I’m not working on that aspect. I’ll check and let you know.”
“This case is turning into something more than a random murder. Put some wheels on those tests, will you?”
“Yeah, sure,” the tech said.
“Thanks,” Muncy said, and then heard his computer signaling incoming email and disconnected.
He opened the email, printed copies of the log for both himself and Bruner, then looked for the last number Townley had called. Finding out it was a burner phone was disappointing, but he needed to confirm something else before he jumped the gun between Townley’s presence in Jubilee and a chopper crash. So, he looked up the number for the Jubilee Police Department and the name of the police chief, and then made the call.
Chapter 5
Sonny Warren was hustling. A number of his officers were still on duty at the crash site, leaving him short on manpower. This morning at roll call he’d been forced to send officers out on patrol alone, and that made him antsy. And he’d just gotten word that the midair explosion was likely caused by a bomb, which would indicate murder, and the feds were on the way. He was on his way down the hall to his office when he heard his desk phone ringing and ran the last few yards to answer.
“Chief Warren.”
“Chief, I’m Detective Joe Muncy, Miami Homicide. Do you have a minute?”
Sonny sat, remembering Wolfgang Outen was from Miami and thinking the other shoe was about to fall.
“Yes. How can I help you?”
Muncy began explaining his case, mentioning the deceased’s name, the details of what happened, and why he was calling.
“Here’s the deal. We understand you had a helicopter crash yesterday around midday. Is that true?”
“Yes, it is,” Sonny said.
“And I was given to understand that a teacher witnessed the chopper explode in midair before it came down.”
“Yes, that’s true, as well.”
“Have you taken her statement? Do you have an exact timeline from when she saw the explosion to when it crashed?”
“We have one on file. Give me a sec to pull it up,” Sonny said, and swiveled his chair to the computer on his right and found the statement. “Yes, I have it here. Why?”
“What did she say about the times?” Muncy asked.
Sonny scanned the report. “Went out on the playground with class right after lunch, which would have been around twelve thirty. They’d been out there about fifteen minutes when a couple of boys started fussing. She was out in the middle of the playground dealing with that when she saw a chopper in the air, but thought nothing of it, because they come and go here frequently. She was on her way back into the building with the boys when she heard an explosion. She looked up and saw the tail of the chopper was missing, and the cockpit was on fire and spiraling. So that would have been between twelve forty-five and one. But the school secretary took her warning. She might have an exact time. They evacuated the school immediately afterward because the teacher feared the chopper was going to fall on the school or the school ground.”
“Do you have the secretary’s name and contact information?” Muncy asked.
Sonny frowned. “Give me a second to make a call,” he said, then grabbed his cell phone and called Principal Lowery.
Stephanie Lowery answered on the first ring.
