Adam sat on the steps of the hotel, gulping in the fresh air, having just thrown up in a bush to the side of the entrance, narrowly missing the stone mane of the proud lion.
He’d never been good with anything squeamish. Once, he’d driven an ex-girlfriend to hospital whose appendix was about to burst. He reluctantly went with her into the treatment room and noticed too late as they inserted a needle into a vein in her arm. A single drop of blood fell and spread onto the bedsheet, blossoming like red petals. To his shame, he’d made his excuses and ran to the bathroom, throwing up on the tiled floor as soon as he’d got through the door.
The relationship didn’t last long after that.
A drop of blood was one thing. A dead body was something new altogether.
Adam would never forget the glassy eyes or the translucent skin or the smell that TV shows never managed to capture accurately. No one ever threw up after discovering a body either.
He thought back to his actions, and, despite shivering at the thought, was quietly proud of himself. He’d made sure that Danny was definitely dead and had managed to hold it together until he had phoned the police. He’d taken control of a pretty messed up situation, and that counted for something.
COLIN SAT BY his friend’s side, trying to console him.
He couldn’t imagine finding a dead body, let alone the body of someone you considered a friend.
An annoying friend.
A friend most people had had some sort of altercation with at some stage, but a friend all the same.
This kind of thing didn’t happen to people like them.
In the distance, he heard sirens. If Adam hadn’t been the one to find the body, they both would have been excited to be in the midst of a real-life investigation. As it was, there was nothing to look forward to.
What was supposed to be a celebratory weekend where two friends joined together in matrimony had quickly turned to a nightmare. As well as the horror of a dead friend, it also meant that the wedding was probably off, causing Sam and Emily to be out of pocket to the tune of thousands.
Well, the Campbell family, but potato potato.
Colin shook his head at how unfair life could be.
ADAM LOOKED UP as the sirens grew closer. He could see them beyond the hedgerow, turning slowly into the hotel’s sweeping driveway.
A police car emerged from the tree lined approach, gravel spitting from under the tyres as the brakes were applied. An ambulance followed close behind. They stopped close to the elaborate water fountain, the blue lights stopped flashing and two police officers emerged from the car who looked like they’d rather be elsewhere got out. Two paramedics followed suit, busying themselves in the back of the ambulance, gathering the necessary equipment.
Gravel crunched underfoot as they made their way across the front of the building, surveying the impressive building with minimum appreciation. One wore a short sleeved shirt with aviator sunglasses perched on his nose. He clearly thought he was too cool for school.
The other was ginger and hunched and look like he’d been bullied at school so had taken the job solely for the power it would bestow upon him. Adam quickly formed a dislike for both of them.
‘We believe there’s been a bit of bother, lads,’ Sunglasses said with a smirk.
‘My friend has died,’ Adam replied.
‘Shame,’ Ginger said, though clearly, he couldn’t care less.
‘Why is there only two of you?’ Adam asked. ‘Shouldn’t there be CSIs and the coroner?’
Both of the police officers laughed at him.
‘You watch too much TV, son,’ Sunglasses scoffed, walking past them and up the steps towards the foyer of the hotel. Ginger followed, as did the paramedics.
As soon as they were out of sight, Adam and Colin got up and walked around the back of the hotel. Since Danny’s room was on the ground floor, they figured they could watch the police go about their business through the window, as long as they did it covertly.
They carefully took their positions, one on either side of the window. They heard the heavy door creak open inside and listened to the man from reception tell the police and paramedics that they were short staffed. Ginger excused him with a grunt and he left the room, slamming the door closed.
Colin stole a glance inside.
The two police officers stood with their backs to the window, observing the body, while the paramedics performed a series of checks. After a few minutes, they spoke, though their deep voices didn’t carry quite so well and Colin had trouble understanding them.
Adam watched as the paramedics repacked their things and left the room while the police officers performed a cursory glance around the room and then made for the door again. He looked at his watch. They hadn’t even been in the room for ten minutes.
As Danny’s door closed, Adam and Colin sprinted to the front of the building and retook their places on the steps just as the ambulance was pulling away. A few minutes later, the police officers reappeared.
‘We’ve just spoken to the fella who is getting married and he told us that you were the one who discovered the body,’ Ginger said to Adam, who confirmed the rumour with a nod of his head.
‘Do I need to give a statement or anything?’
Again, the policemen laughed.
‘No, son. Statements are only needed if the death is classed as suspicious. This one isn’t. I’m afraid to say your pal had a bit too much to drink and sadly passed away by choking on his own vomit, according to the paramedics.’
‘But, the state of the room…’ Adam started.
‘Aye, he was a messy boy, wasn’t he?’
Adam stared at them, incredulous at what he was hearing.
‘You’re not even going to investigate it?’
‘We just have. Haven’t you been listening?’
‘But…’
‘Listen to us and listen well, young man. Believe it or not, we know what we’re doing. Even though we owe you no explanation, here is one anyway. Last night, a bunch of young twenty-somethings were let off the leash at a swanky hotel with cheap booze. Your pal had too much and died as a result. Now, it’s tragic, but, as you know, it’s the Twelfth weekend and we have bigger fish to fry.’
Adam couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
‘Is that the reason why you two aren’t doing your job properly?’ he said, standing up. ‘Are you annoyed that you’re missing the marching bands and were sent to the countryside on a jolly?’
Sunglasses took a step closer.
‘Now, listen here you, ye wee prick, that’s enough. One more word and this will not end well for you.’
Ginger took a step forward too, as if to underline the point.
Colin smiled disarmingly at the policemen and led Adam up the steps.
‘We’ve spoken to the lad at reception and we’ll arrange for the body to be moved later today,’ Ginger shouted after them. ‘As you said, all our best men are busy with the nasty Orangemen today.’
The police officers strode to their car and gunned the engine, taking off down the driveway at pace, leaving nothing but a bad taste in Adam’s mouth.
Adam threw himself onto the bed and fought back the tears. Tears of injustice. Tears for his friend who wasn’t getting a fair hearing.
‘There’s no way Danny died from drinking too much,’ Adam said, piquing Colin’s attention.
‘He could drink most of us under the table, that’s for sure.’
‘And, when I spoke to him not long before he stormed out, he seemed grand.’
Colin raised an eyebrow.
‘Are you thinking there was foul play involved?’
Adam didn’t know if he was being ridiculous. Surely no one here; his friends, anyone in this stately home, could be capable of murder, could they?
‘It couldn’t hurt to ask around, I guess,’ Adam said. ‘The police have made their minds up and we’ve got a day with nothing to do.’
‘Are you saying what I think your saying?’
‘That’s right,’ Adam nodded, standing up. ‘Our Sherlock marathon is cancelled.’