A few weeks ago I was followed into an office-building elevator by a well-dressed young man carrying a briefcase. He looked very sharp. Very buttoned-down. Wearing gold wire-frame glasses, he was of medium height and build with neatly trimmed brown hair and, I would guess, in his mid-20s. Typical junior executive material. There was nothing about him that seemed unusual. Nothing at all to indicate what was about to take place.

The elevator had only one control panel, and I excused myself as I leaned over to his side of the car and pushed the button for the 10th floor. He pushed the button for the 15th. The doors of the elevator closed and we began to ascend. Employing typical Toronto elevator etiquette, I stood staring up at the row of floor numbers above the doors while I purposely ignoring my fellow passenger. Then it happen...

10th 15th 20s ago alon ascend astonish attack avert aw back began best big big-citi briefcas brought brown build bundl burden burst busi button buttoned-down buy car carri caus caution certain child citi close coffe combin conscious contain continu control could cours cri crumbl crush cup curs damn dear depress despair didn die diseas disturb doctor done door dread dress drop elev embarrass emot employ endless etiquett even ever excus execut extent eye face fear feel fellow financi floor follow forward found frame friend gasp get given glass go gold gone guess guilt hair hallway hand happen haunt head heav height hold hope human ignor ill incid incur indic insecur insid job junior keep know laid lash lean leav left let life like listen ll loneli long longer look m make man manic marit materi medium meet mental met mid mid-20s might mind mix moment neat need never next nois noth number offic office-build okay one onto opportun overwhelm pain panel passeng past pat peopl perhap physic place possibl prayer problem proper pull purpos push rage reach reaction read reason recent regret right risk row sad said say search second see seem self self-consci sens shame sharp shoulder side slap sob somehow someon someth son sorri sorrow split stare step still stood stop strain stream success sudden suicid sure take taken talk tear tell thing think thrown time told toronto toward trim turn typic unabl uncertainti unload unusu visit wait wall want wash wear week weep well well-dress wife wind wire wire-fram without woe wonder wood wood-panel word world would wrong young