‘On my way.’
The traffic’s bad and by the time Matthew turns the corner into Lakes Lane, there’s not only all the expected police activity – cordons and uniformed presence – but ominously two satellite TV trucks.
As he turns off the ignition, a new call comes in. Amanda at the university press office.
‘Sorry to intrude, Matthew. But you said if I needed a return favour?’
‘Shoot. But you’ll need to be quick. Crisis here.’
‘I’m getting media calls about Gemma Hartley. Or rather her boyfriend. Suicide attempt. I’m saying nothing, obviously, but do you know what the hell’s going on? I’m just going in to see the chancellor. Can you help?’
‘At the scene right now. Can’t talk, Amanda. I’ll ring you back later. You know the drill. Say nothing to the media, please. Although—’ He lets out a breath as the camera crew get out of the van directly in front of him. ‘—you may want to switch on your TV.’
He hangs up and marches to the barrier, showing his ID to the PC who checks on his radio before letting him through. He’s quickly met by one of Mel’s sergeants who leads the way to the car park’s main stairwell.
‘He’s on the roof. Six floors up. You can’t see this side but on the other side, he’s got quite an audience in the office block opposite. We’re working on getting that cleared. He’s got a banner and loudhailer. Oh, and he’s been in contact with the media.’
‘So I see.’
‘Mel’s up there already but she’s waiting for you. So I’m guessing you’re our official negotiator then?’
Matthew feels a surge of surprise; it hadn’t occurred to him that Mel would cast him in this role. Sure, he did a course once. Sure he’s had a lucky break here and there but the police normally use their own people. Also – the media wouldn’t normally dream of covering a suicide attempt. What the hell’s going on here?
His mind’s suddenly in overdrive, shooting back in time. To that conference centre. The course.
You need to separate yourself from the team on the ground, especially the police. You need to connect with the target. Just you two.
Don’t be a part of ‘them’。
At the top of the stairwell, he finds Mel barking instructions into her mobile. She hangs up on seeing him.
‘I need to approach him from the other side. Away from your team.’
‘Why?’
‘Trust me, Mel. Can I get round?’
She glances about. ‘There’s a route round there. You can skirt the top floor and approach from the west.’
‘Comms?’
‘No need. He can hear you fine. Be warned, he has a loudhailer. Small crowd. We’re moving people back.’
‘And the TV crews?’
‘I’ve spoken to the newsrooms. Warned that if they go live, it could trigger him jumping. Strictly between us, my gut says he’s doing this for the coverage and is unlikely to jump. But no way can we assume I’m right. We play this by the book, assuming he’s one hundred per cent serious. Understood?’
‘Of course.’
‘For now TV coverage is running edited footage only. We’ll see if that holds. He emailed widely so in theory he invited the media.’
‘Right. Let’s see if he’ll listen.’
Matthew sets off, sweeping around the row of cars on the western side of the top floor. He moves quietly from pillar to pillar. As he nears the front of the other side of the car park, he sees Alex, sitting on the concrete outer wall. There’s some kind of banner spread out, with bricks positioned on the wall to keep it in place. It’s hanging over the edge so Matthew can’t see what it says. Alex has a loudhailer.
‘Hey there, Alex. Hello. My name’s Matthew and I’m here to see what I can do to help you. So what’s all this about? What’s it you want today?’
‘You police?’ Alex swings his head, his eyes glaring.
‘No, I’m not. But the police are here so I can pass on messages to them if you like.’
Alex turns his head back to the front. ‘I have nothing to say to the police.’
‘Fine. That’s absolutely fine. So what’s going on, Alex? It’s very windy up here. You look cold.’
Alex frowns. He moves his shoulders as if he’s only just registered how cold he is.
‘Would you like a blanket? A coffee. Shall I ask for that? Keep you a bit warmer and a bit more comfortable while we talk?’