Near the end of chapter seven, Myrtle Wilson is struck and killed by Gatsby's car as it passes through the Valley of Ashes on the way to East Egg from Manhattan. Michaelis, the coffee shop owner, is the first to reach her after the impact. It is later determined that he had been feeling concerned about George Wilson's unusual behavior and proclamation that he and Myrtle would be moving soon. Wilson is inconsolable in the wake of the accident and doesn't respond to attempts to comfort him.
In chapter eight Nick discloses that Michaelis and a number of men stayed with George until dawn. Around 3:00 a.m., George Wilson becomes more focused and tells Michaelis that he knows Myrtle was running toward a man when she was "murdered" and that he has a way of finding out who did it.
Michaelis and the other men who sit with George Wilson through the night are clearly concerned that George is wild with grief and may intend to do harm to himself or someone else.
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