Equal Time Point

by Harrison Jones

  The two feds gave each team member a business card and asked him to call if anything came to light. After leaving the room, they walked down the corridor, and Gene asked, “What are you thinking, Ed?”

  “I’m thinking something doesn’t add up here. I’m putting all my marbles on the dump valves being the problem, but I can’t see a scenario that would accidentally bypass all the failsafes. I’m thinking we should start looking at people, Gene. That’s what I’m good at.”

  “I tend to agree with you, but we still have to know what and how.”

  “Didn’t you tell me that Tri Con was making some personnel changes?”

  “I knew you would get back to that eventually.”

  “Like I said, people are what I’m good at. Shall we visit the personnel department and examine some files? We already have agents doing background checks on all the passengers.”

  “I’ll get the list of personnel we need to look at.”

  Todd Gray and his crew had lunch at the officer’s mess in Rota. Before going to his quarters to get some sleep, he decided to drop by the intelligence section and see if the film had revealed anything of value. He didn’t bother with official channels, but instead went straight to the petty officer who had analyzed the video. Entering the video shop was like walking onto a Star Trek movie set, and he was always amazed at what the Trekkies could do with a photo or video. He found the man he was looking for and said, “Rodriguez, you look like you haven’t seen the sun in years. Did anybody tell you that there is actually a real world out there? It doesn’t just exist on video.”

  “We have a documentary film that claims the same thing, Lieutenant, but it hasn’t been authenticated.”

  “Is it the one with the Loch Ness Monster in it?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “What have you got from Navy Eight?”

  “Was that you, Lieutenant?”

  “Yeah, what have you got?”

  “Let me put it up for you.”

  He ran the video in real time, and then slowed it down and stopped it.

  “This is the best frame I could find to enhance.”

  The frame enlarged and refocused several times.

  “You can see that it is definitely clothing, but the color is difficult to nail down because it’s wet. My guess is light gray or tan. I can’t be sure, but what you see just to the right appears to be an arm. I’d give it sixty/forty odds. Chances are better than even that you have filmed a human body, Lieutenant.”

  “Thanks for ruining my afternoon nap, Rodriguez.”

  Todd had to detour all the way around the room to avoid the Spanish-speaking civilian cleaning crew waxing the floor. He walked out into the fresh air and thought he should have dragged Rodriguez with him.

  Pattie and the families had listened to the afternoon briefings by company officials with great anticipation, but heard nothing of real significance. The worry and tension weighed heavily on everybody, and the question most discussed was why there had been no signal from the emergency locator beacon, which brought disastrous thoughts and more worry. During the last briefing, the company meteorologist had explained the characteristics of a warm front and a stationary front to them and described low ceilings and visibility. He anticipated at least another day before improvement would begin. It was reassuring, however, to know that the temperature in the area was moderate. With the weather conditions hampering the search, and no signal from the beacon, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Pattie had talked to her sister several times on her cell phone, and by late afternoon, was considering going home to rest. Jenny Kramer assured her that she was available to take care of anything that she needed. As she considered what she should do, the TV in the room announced a breaking news bulletin.

  Our coverage of the Tri Con disaster continues with late breaking and dramatic developments. News networks in Europe are now reporting, from unofficial sources, that bodies have been spotted floating in the waters of the search area. We know that US Navy aircraft are heading up the search and rescue efforts, and we are trying to get confirmation of these reports. We also are hearing that the search efforts may be suspended soon due to darkness.

  In other developments, we can report that the FBI is now involved in the investigation. The Atlanta field office has confirmed that they are taking part, but describes their role as a routine support function for local and state law enforcement. However, coupled with earlier eyewitness reports of the airplane exploding in mid-air, the possibility of terrorism cannot be discounted. The FBI would neither confirm nor deny that as a factor in their involvement.

  We, of course, will stay on top of this story. Stay tuned for more information as we get it.

  There was an eerie silence. It was as if all the air had been sucked from the room. Pattie sat down and stared at the floor, as did everyone else. It seemed that every time they were offered a bit of encouragement or optimism, it was immediately ripped away from them. This was the low point of the day. She could not bear to look into the grief-stricken faces of the others. Her pain and fear were compounded by theirs. She closed her eyes and prayed for Charlie, herself, and the other families of crewmembers and passengers. She prayed for a sign that all was not lost and for the strength to go on while being faced with such horrible circumstances.

  Someone touched her on the shoulder and spoke her name. Pattie opened her eyes and looked up at Colt Adams standing there, dressed in his captain’s uniform.

  “Pattie, I’m so sorry that Charlie was on that flight. It should have been me.”

  He sat down and put his arm around her. Pattie cried for a moment and then said, “Charlie was on that airplane for a reason. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “Thank you for saying that, Pattie. What are they telling you?”

  Pattie related what they had been told in the briefings and what they had heard on the news.

  “That’s all speculation and mostly crap. Let me tell you what the facts are, Pattie.”

  “No, I want you to tell everyone in this room what the facts are, and you can be honest because they’ve already been devastated.”

  “That’s exactly what I’ll do.”

  Colt walked to the door, closed it, and then strolled to the front of the room.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please give me your attention. My name is Colt Adams, and, as you can see, I am a Tri Con Captain. I just returned from Madrid on the same flight your crew would normally be on tomorrow, and I came straight here to support my dear friend, Pattie Wells. Charlie is one of my closest friends and the finest pilot I know. I would trust him with my life. Is everyone here a family member of the crew?”

  No one spoke. Colt turned to the hostess and said, “Who are you?”

  The girl appeared to be in her thirties and had curly auburn hair and dark eyes. She was probably thought of as cute rather than pretty, due to a pattern of freckles scattered across her cheeks and nose.

  She replied, “My name is Heather Navaro, and I’m the company hostess in charge of the room.”

  “Well, now you’re the sergeant at arms. Go outside and don’t let anybody in that door until I say so.”

  “I don’t know if I should do that.”

  “Honey, get out of here so I don’t have to use language normally reserved for imbeciles and idiots.”

  She went out the door, and Colt locked it.

  “Sorry about that folks. I have little tolerance for pettiness today. As I was saying, I would like to tell you what I know and hopefully dispel some of the rumors and misrepresentation that you have heard. Pattie just told me what the news is reporting so let’s start with that. Someone please turn off the idiot box back there.”

  Mr. Fowler walked over and turned off the TV.

  “The news media is in the business of making money. Let there be no doubt what their motivation is. They dramatize, misrepresent, and justify it by saying things like, ‘from unofficial sources.’ That means they heard it from some homeless guy begging
on the street. They end every bulletin with ‘stay tuned for more information.’ That’s because they want you to watch the next five minutes of commercials that makes the money for them. I assign no credibility to the news media, and less than none when aviation is involved. Now, I talked to the Navy officer in charge of the search, and he told me the ceiling and visibility were so bad they could see almost nothing. There have been no dead bodies found floating in the water. I repeat, there have been no dead bodies found floating in the water.

  “Next, the airplane did not explode and go down in flames. I repeat, the airplane did not explode and go down in flames. I talked personally with the Navy radioman who took the mayday call, and he read it to me verbatim. Is there someone here representing Tony Johnson?”

  Mr. and Mrs. Johnson raised their hands, and Mr. Johnson said, “We’re Tony’s parents.”

  “Pleasure to meet you both. Tony was the relief pilot on the flight and would have been operating the radios. The navy told me he was calm and totally in control. He reported fuel exhaustion as the problem and gave them a clear position report. I repeat again, the airplane did not explode and go down in flames.

  “Now, I don’t want to paint a rosy picture for you here. I can’t say exactly what happened, but I believe Charlie made a somewhat controlled landing despite the fuel problem and the weather. If anybody could do it, he could. I’m not going to stand up here and tell you everything is going to be fine. I don’t know what the survivability of the ditching was, but I’m betting a lot of people got out, and if they did, it was because of your crewmembers saving them. Now, I’m going to answer questions as long as you ask them. I know most of this crew, and I’m here as a friend. I’m not representing Tri Con or anybody else. I’m not worried about getting sued or fired. I’ll tell you what I do and do not know, and we can speculate about the rest.”

  Britt Fowler’s father said, “Thank you for coming, Captain Adams. One of the things that we are all concerned about is the fact that there has been no emergency signal to help locate them. Does that mean there was a catastrophic crash?”

  “Absolutely not, and call me Colt. The ELT is designed to withstand a crash, but it’s not indestructible. The transmitter is battery-operated and tested periodically. There has been more than one taken off the airplane for having a bad battery. There are several reasons why it might not send a signal.”

  Bertie Martin’s husband asked, “Are there enough life rafts on the airplane for all those people?”

  “Yes, sir. There are eight rafts, and they have a capacity of fifty people each. This flight only had a little over two hundred onboard. There are also life vests for everyone and plenty of extras if needed.”

  Someone else asked, “How long could they survive without food or water?”

  “I don’t know exactly, but it would be at least several days. Not only that, each raft contains a small amount of food and a kit to convert salt water to fresh water, so I don’t think that’s a concern at all right now.”

  The questions kept coming, and almost an hour passed before Colt opened the door and let the hostess back in. He apologized and asked if he might buy her dinner at a later date in order to make up for his rude behavior. She gave him her number.

  Colt explained that sunset came much earlier in the search area and that operations would not be suspended, but it might be a good time to get some rest and hope for better weather tomorrow. He promised to be in the family room early in order to be with them and explain whatever else might come up. Pattie could tell that he had provided a measure of hope for everyone, and his honesty had been refreshing and appreciated.

  She decided to take Colt’s advice and go home for the night. If anything happened, they would call her. She had been up most of the night and all day. Jenny Kramer offered to drive her home and stay with her as long as she wanted. Pattie was very concerned about Melissa Jenner because she had no relatives close by to stay with.

  “Melissa, I could use some company tonight if you would like to come to my place. I have a spare room, and I really don’t want to be alone.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a bother, but I don’t want to stay here all night, either.”

  “Of course I’m sure. You’d be doing me a big favor. Jenny will drive us, and we can have dinner together.”

  They said goodbye to everyone and agreed to meet back at Tri Con headquarters the next morning to resume the vigil. The ride home was slow in the afternoon rush, and Jenny turned the radio off to avoid the news. Colt’s speech had been on target about the news media, and no one cared to hear more of their sensationalism.

  When Jenny turned onto the street where Pattie and Charlie lived she said, “Oh no! Look at that.”

  There were three news vans parked in front of the house. Jenny drove on past and parked down the block. She said, “The company warned me about this, but I didn’t believe it would be a problem. Pattie, you can’t stay here, but we need to get some things for you. Do you have your car keys handy?”

  Pattie was petrified of the news people and did not want to confront them. Jenny took the car keys and told her and Melissa not to worry. She walked down the street and, by the time the media saw her and got out of their trucks, she had what she needed and was walking away. Two minutes later they pulled into the driveway as the garage door automatically opened. They entered and closed it. When they entered the house from the garage, the phone was ringing. Pattie rushed to answer it but stopped when Jenny grabbed her arm. “That’s going to be the vultures outside. If anyone important needs us, they’ll call the cell phone.”

  Pattie noticed the answering machine had twelve messages blinking. She pushed the button and the recorder played message after message from news organizations requesting interviews.

  “What’s wrong with those people? Don’t they know we’ve got problems enough without having to sneak into our own house and avoid our telephone?”

  “I’m sorry, Pattie. Get what you need, and I’ll take you and Melissa to a hotel on Tri Con’s tab. I need to make some phone calls and warn the other families.”

  Pattie grabbed a bag and began packing what she needed. The doorbell rang, and she could hear someone saying, “Mrs. Wells, we would just like to ask you a few questions, please.”

  Pattie didn’t know if she wanted to scream or cry. She had never been so angry in her life. Melissa calmed her down, and they loaded her bag in the car as Jenny finished her phone calls. When the garage door opened, the media was waiting with cameras and microphones. Jenny backed out without slowing, and Pattie pushed the button to close the door as they drove down the street.

  Jenny said, “Melissa, I’ve arranged for a police escort to take you to get your things. They’ll meet us at the hotel and take care of you. I’m sure you’ll encounter the same situation at your house.”

  “Thank you. Did you notice that one of the news vans is following us?”

  “Are you kidding me? These people are really sick.”

  Jenny sped around the next corner, quickly pulled into a strip mall, and stopped behind a delivery truck. The news van raced by, and she pulled out and went the opposite direction.

  At the hotel, Jenny went to the front desk and arranged the rooms while the two pilot’s wives waited in the lobby. When she gave them the keys, she said, “Tri Con has taken the entire eighth floor for crew families. There will be a security guy at the elevator all night. That should solve the problem for us. Melissa, we’ll wait for you to get your things and then have dinner together.”

  Jenny escorted Pattie to her room, where they would wait for Melissa to return. The window overlooked the airport, and they could see airplanes taking off and landing. Pattie looked down at the street to see if the news truck had followed them. The only trucks she saw were parked at the Cavu lounge.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Pam drifted between nightmare and reality all day and couldn’t decide which she preferred. Reality was the excruciating headache emanating f
rom the lump on the back of her head and the fever her body was now suffering from due to whatever illness she had been coming down with before the crash. The nightmares were muddled dreams of sitting in her folding seat by the two left door and hearing the screaming passengers as the airplane careened through the landing. She remembered assuming the crash position, the ceiling panels crashing down around her, and then nothing until she became conscious, lying on the floor of the raft. When she came to, not having any idea where she was, a small girl was applying damp cloths to her forehead. Pam’s first thought was that she was being attended to by a little angel, but then the girl shouted, “Mommy, she’s awake.”

  The girl’s mother applied more damp cloths, and Pam realized she had somehow escaped the crash. She looked around the raft, saw only a few people, and wondered if this was all that remained of the passengers and crew. She asked questions that she wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to and discovered that she had been saved by the family taking care of her. There was a middle-aged man and wife, two teenage sons, a younger son of about twelve, and the little girl. There was also an elderly Spanish couple who only spoke broken English: nine survivors from the two hundred and eight on board.

  They explained that when the airplane stopped, they moved forward to the exits only to find the one on the right side completely blocked by debris that they couldn’t move. When they cleared away the ceiling panels obscuring the other door, they found Pam underneath and unconscious. When the other panicked passengers saw the blocked exits, they all turned and ran to the rear. By the time the debris was cleared, they were the only people left in the area. The father and teenage sons had read the emergency escape cards in the seat backs and familiarized themselves with the door and slide raft. When they deployed the raft and loaded Pam, they checked once again for other passengers and discovered only the Spanish couple, then launched themselves. They watched the airplane sink and hadn’t seen or heard anything since.