It had been a blistering day, and the temperature was still heady; Melvin wore scruffy shorts and a thin shirt. He pushedhis hand against the large glass door and went in, straightening his attire as he did because he was unused to such scenes of grandeur and looked out of place.
Inside, people darted this way and that. They appeared panicked.
Then he heard sirens.
Instinct made him look at his watch. It was five-fifteen in the afternoon. Years of being alert to danger had honed his skills and they were unshakeable. One never quite left the services. His days of volunteering in disaster zones were over. But now he must see if anyone needed his help. One heard all sorts of rumours now about mass stabbings – and worse – even in sleepy backwaters like theirs.
His brain was on high alert by the time he saw what was on the floor of the grand atrium. One fella was on the floor, trying his damnedest to save the poor sod. Others stood by and watched, as was human nature. Heroes were rare in this world. Melvin looked around and took in information from the scene. His chest felt calm, and he was glad he’d left the dog outside. Big, burly fellas who looked like guards kept an eye on two people who stood out from the rest. Melvin was too old to take them on these days, and anyway he wasn’t here to cause a spectacle. He was here to contain it. He nodded to them, and they acknowledged him.
People stared and he couldn’t help thinking how undignified a scene it was. The lobby was busy and getting fuller, as more people squeezed into the space to get a look at the mess on the floor.
A woman, a good-looking smart one with impressive jewellery hanging off her, stared at him and he almost greeted her like an old friend but thought better of it. She backed away and the moment was cut short by the noise behind him.
Paramedics stormed in, as if on drill for a war zone, and their boots on the lobby floor reminded him of soldiers. He glanced at his own muddy boots and tutted as he realised he was leaving tread marks.
He was pushed back by the ambulance staff carrying emergency equipment. Somebody administered CPR to the victim on the floor, who was surrounded by a pool of blood, which looked as though it had been wiped up hastily, while groups of people sobbed, held each other, and whispered about what might have happened.
Apparently, it was a suicide. Others said the bloke fell.
Melvin looked around and noticed the bodyguards had disappeared, along with the woman with the jewellery and the big guy in the cream suit.
Melvin looked at the body, then peered up at the atrium above and recalled another incident many years ago which never left him, and he thought how unlikely it was that a man would jump off the lip of a banister like that for drama, in front of as many witnesses as were here tonight, and for foul play not to be involved. But the victim might be an exhibitionist. He’d see it before. His head hurt suddenly, and it occurred to him that he might have been here just at the right moment. All around him, people were losing their heads, and Melvin’s heartrate didn’t go over ninety. He’d be valuable to the police when they arrived here eventually, as he knew they would. Until then, he’d take a seat and try to help as best he could.
He felt a tap on his arm and Melvin peered at the man who’d stopped him. He read his name badge.Lee Lovett, Conference and Banqueting Manager.
‘What are you looking at?’
Melvin looked around.
‘Did you see it happen?’ he asked Lee from banqueting.
The man nodded.
‘I’m sorry, it must have been awful.’
‘Who are you?’
‘Melvin Stone.’ He held out his hand but retracted it when he saw that Lee’s was covered in blood.
‘You tried to help?’ Melvin asked.
Lee nodded.
‘I was walking my dog. I heard a commotion.’
Lee Lovett nodded. Melvin could tell he was in shock, but he was holding it together well under the circumstances. Civilians didn’t normally have to deal with trauma on this scale. Melvin, on the other hand, was used to it.
‘There’s not much going on around here, is there? The noise travels.’
Lee nodded again.
‘You know him?’ Melvin asked.
They both peered towards where the man lay as the medics stopped CPR and called it. He was proclaimed deceased and they stood up, deflated they’d lost a soul. A woman screamed and Melvin saw that Lee looked at her oddly. It was the same woman he’d seen outside only moments ago. The woman whose name badge said “Sandy”.
The body language of Lee from conference and banqueting indicated that he cared about her and was affected by her pain. She fell dramatically to her knees and threw herself onto the dead guy. Melvin thought the behaviour rather over the top but understandable if the pair were a couple, which on further examination was highly unlikely because the woman was more Melvin’s age than the victim’s. The whole performance was rather uncomfortable. It was as if she was his mother.
Melvin watched Lee, who went to her and put his arms around her. The woman looked around and recognised the manager, then sank her head into his shoulder. As she did so, her eyes met Melvin’s, and he looked away. Perhaps it was embarrassmentthat Melvin read the signals between the older woman and the much younger manager, or maybe it was something else.
