I was mentally going over what Steve had said the day before, and it didn’t add up. Usually, those who talk about suicide don’t actually do it. It’s more of a cry for help than anything else. People who really want to end their own lives don’t broadcast their intentions – that would only make people try to talk them out of it, and that’s the last thing that real suicide cases want. “There must be something else – something that pushes Steve over the edge,” I said to Niki as we lay in bed the next morning. We’d jumped back home the previous night after dinner, and I couldn’t help thinking of our next step. “Why d’you say that?” she asked. I explained my thoughts, and then she said something very interesting. “Well, perhaps we’ve stopped him doing it already.” “Come again?” “Well, when you talk about a problem and get it out of your system, that’s often the solution. That’s why psychologists get people to talk about what’s worrying them, isn’t it?”
