The Uninvited

een cordoned off. Some soldiers arestanding there, blocking my view.‘And you are, sir?’ asks one of them asI approach.‘Authorised staff,’ I say, brandishingmy ID.‘Good,’ she says briskly. ‘You canidentify your colleague for us, then.’She signals to the others to step back.When they move to the edges of thecorridor I see that there’s a body on thefloor, face down.It is male and it belongs to someonetall. I am totally unprepared for this. I putmy hand against the wall to steady myself.I recognise the high-quality leather shoes.The white hair. I start to rock.‘We’ll turn him over for you, sir. Areyou ready?’ Two soldiers reach down.