‘Do you know who Melvin Stone is?’ she asked Ted when they reunited inside the lobby. The uniform outside had mentioned several key witnesses, and the old dog walker was one of them.
‘He’s the one with the dog,’ Ted said, pointing to a man in the restaurant who stood out, not just because he had a beautiful golden lab next to him, but he didn’t fit in with the corporate types.
‘The dog?’
‘He couldn’t take it all the way back home, he was in the middle of a five-mile walk, so he kept it here.’
‘Do we know his story?’
‘He lives locally. Ex-military. Astute. Talkative. Full of unsolicited theories. He has a disabled wife at home who he takes care of.’
‘That’s very thorough,’ Kelly said, not completely surprised her father had learnt so much in such a short time.
‘He’s a talker; he told his story to the guy on the door.’
‘Has he checked on her?’
Ted shrugged.
‘That’s all I need.’
‘A spousal check?’
‘No, another military expert in my life.’
Ted smiled at her. Her ex, Johnny, was an army man.
‘He’s very particular about what he saw,’ Ted said.
‘I want to talk to the woman who recorded it,’ Kelly said.
‘Dear me,’ Ted said.
‘I know, I’d love to have been from yours and Mum’s generation,’ she said.
The mention of Wendy made her father wistful and she touched his hand.
‘Is that what you think is on his phone?’ Ted asked.
She’d tried to fill him in on some of the details.
‘No, that’s something else. Apparently, the deceased was watching a podcaster called Clem Allins when he fell; apparently he’s a big deal to these people.’
‘That’s odd. Do you buy it?’
‘Well, I certainly think it’s an unusual choice just before you jump to your death.’
‘Well, if there’s one thing medical science agrees upon, it’s that no one knows what goes through the mind of somebody intent on that behaviour. It’s a mystery.’
‘Worth checking out though.’
Ted agreed.
‘Have you been up there?’ she asked.
‘I had a wander. It would be pretty hard to accidentally fall over the edge. Take a look for yourself.’
Kelly headed to the staircase and walked around the blue dome. She peeked inside and found the man alone, as he’d died, twisted and bloodied. Only experience allowed her to decipher where his body parts were in relation to his terrible wounds. It had been a violent and sudden fall. Police tape still sealed off the area where he’d landed. She went back to her father.
