There Will Be Fire

by Mark Von Kyling

  Howie continued, not giving Parminter a chance to talk. “I thought you were my friend. I thought that you were really going to back me up on this. And instead you go off and screw her. I know she’s hot, but it seems like you would keep your loyalties straight.”

  Howie’s voice was getting louder as he was talking and that he was growing redder in the face. Parminter also couldn’t help but notice that Howie smelled heavily of alcohol.

  “It isn’t like that, Howie. She’s not trying to take anything from you. You have to understand this.”

  Howie looked down. “Hell, I would fuck her, too.” Then he turned to Parminter. “But I’m not that fucking stupid.”

  Parminter was thrown for a loop. He wasn’t expecting this at all. He didn’t really even know how to react.

  “Howie, I think you’re paranoid. You’re going to get your inheritance from this. You’re going to get what is coming to you.”

  Howie started chuckling. “You just know everything, don’t you?”

  “I know that you’re being kind of ridiculous about this.”

  At that Howie stood up and started screaming. “They’re going to screw me out of everything! They’re going to take what’s mine and leave me with nothing! You were supposed to be my friend!”

  He went on and on like that and within minutes a policeman appeared. The noise had attracted them. Parminter was glad he had planned for this.

  “Is there a problem here?” the policeman asked.

  “No,” Parminter answered, hoping that Howie would take the hint and calm down. He was wrong.

  “Yes, there is a fucking problem. This piece of shit here who’s supposed to be my friend is screwing the bitch who’s trying to screw me out of my inheritance.”

  The policeman said something into his radio and squared up against Howie. It was obvious that he was preparing for a takedown. “Sir, I must ask you to watch your language. There are children present.”

  “Fuck the children,” Howie said. “Fuck them and fuck all you fucking assholes. I live in New York, motherfucker!”

  Howie then took a swing at the cop and the cop grabbed his arm and quickly took him down and cuffed him. As he was reading his rights, another policeman came up to assist.

  As he was being cuffed, Howie began to scream at Parminter. “You Judas! You fucking traitor! How much is she giving you?”

  The policeman looked at Parminter sympathetically as they frogmarched him to the squad car. The other policeman handed Parminter a card.

  “Here’s the info you need if you want to come get your friend.”

  “Thanks,” Parminter said.

  Howie was still screaming as they drove him away. Parminter just couldn’t understand how he could be so upset and so absolutely convinced that there was this vast plot against him. He almost wondered if a mental ward would be a better place for him.

  As he walked to his car, he looked up and noticed a familiar sight. It was the Mercedes. It was parked slightly up one of the side streets. Unlike before, however, someone was sitting in it. As soon as Parminter had come into view, the driver started his engine and before Parminter could get a closer look, the car had sped away. There was no way that he could catch it.

  He got into his own car and thought about driving to the police station to bail Howie out. But then he knew that Howie was still drunk and would only be combative. Some time in jail might do him some good and make him come to his senses. He would let him sober up before he got him out. Besides, he really needed to find out what was going on with that Mercedes.

  17

  Parminter drove across the bridge and parked. He went to the Copper Cistern and had a beer and some nachos. He was still a little overwhelmed by what had just happened. It was not a coincidence that that car had been there. It was either following him or investigating Howie. But how had the person driving it known that they were going to meet? Was his phone bugged? If so, why? It didn’t make sense.

  It had to be Howie. Parminter had only recently come into this situation. Howie had been into it since his mother had married Raoul’s father. That had to be it.

  But why had it followed him home that day? And why was it at Nicole’s building? If whoever was driving it was investigating Howie, wouldn’t it make sense that it would be parked at his hotel which was on the other side of the river?

  He decided to put it out of his mind. He had tried to get a good look at the driver but hadn’t been able to. He wasn’t really even able to tell if it was a male or female. Also the car had backed away from him so he couldn’t see the license plate. Whoever it was had had some training, he could tell that. This action alone proved that it there was a definite purpose in why it was there. He rationalized that whoever was tailing Howie was also probably trying to get information on the people with whom he was associating. Other than Robin, he hadn’t told anyone about the car because he hadn’t wanted to sound crazy. He decided to continue to keep it under his hat. At least for now.

  One thing about it though, Howie was definitely one disturbed bastard. Money could do that to some people. He had always known that Howie was a loose cannon, but he had never known that he was that crazy.

  But then as he thought about it, even in high school there had been signs. One time, this kid that was a couple of years younger than them had made fun of the fact that he had put on his polo shirt wrong side out. It was pretty funny looking because it was obvious that Howie had gotten dressed on the fly. High school is a place for odd little things like that to happen without real consequence aside from a little ribbing. They were standing in the hallway in front of their lockers when the kid had said it. The kid was only trying to fit into their crowd. It was obvious that he really liked them and had even told Parminter that he appreciated the fact that they didn’t make fun of him like everybody else did. In their school, it had been a custom for the upper classmen to torture the freshmen merely for the sheer fact of their age and that they could get away with it. Parminter’s group had refused to do it and as a result had made a lot of friends with the younger kids. So when then kid had needled Howie, it was thought that Howie would laugh it off and fix his shirt. What they had gotten was something entirely different. He had become angry. Very angry.

  “So you’re a fucking fashion expert, you little shit?” Howie had said, poking him in the chest.

  The kid had tried to stand up for himself but was speechless at Howie’s behavior.

  Parminter and the rest of his friends, including Ratledge, had thought that this was it, that this was as far as the situation would go. They were wrong.

  “We treated you little pricks good. We don’t make fun of you or anything and this is what you do?”

  The kid was stunned. He was even more stunned when Howie started screaming and pummeling him. It happened so fast that no one could stop him and by the time he was finished, the kid was lying on the floor with a collapsed lung. Parminter and his friends remained silent when the EMT’s came and hauled the kid away to the hospital. The school officials had grilled them over what had happened, but everyone who had seen it had feigned ignorance. Of course, no one had ratted Howie out. In fact, Howie never even apologized to the kid who, either out of misplaced loyalty or fear, never reported him. He was just happy to have survived. However, it was something that Parminter had bookmarked in his mind as an indicator of Howie’s craziness.

  After about two hours and after Parminter had long finished his nachos, he figured that enough time had passed to go the jail and bail Howie out.

  He paid his bill and walked around the corner to his car and drove the couple of minutes to the police station. He walked in and asked about Howie but was informed that he had already been bailed out.

  Parminter was surprised. He figured that Howie would still be sulking somewhere in a cell trying not to irritate the people in there who were actually criminals. He thanked the clerk and walked back out to his car. Before he could get there, he got a call. It was Ratledge.

&nb
sp; “Hey, John, just letting you know that you don’t have to worry about Howie, I came and got him out.”

  “I see. I’m at the jail now. They said that someone had come and gotten him. I didn’t figure it would be you.”

  There was a pause.

  “Why not? We’re old friends. He needed help and I helped him.” Then there was another pause. “You know that I would do the same for you.”

  “Sure, Ken.” Parminter said even though he wasn’t really sure this was true. He figured that if he ever got arrested, Ratledge would probably be the one pressing charges.

  “Anyway, if you need anything, let me know. I would let you talk to Howie, but he’s still pissed at you. We’re in my office so I don’t want him to start making a scene. It might scare the customers away. And the employees.” Ratledge chuckled.

  They said their farewells and hung up.

  Parminter had thought about bringing up Ratledge’s visit with Morris Fox the other night but had decided not to. That prick didn’t need to know everything he knew. He realized after speaking to him that he really did detest him. He had always overlooked his dislike of him and had blamed it on Ratledge’s dislike of him but decided that the feeling was mutual. He was just too sleazy and obsequiuous. He was fawning and insincere. There was just something off about him. It was no wonder that he was helping Howie out. He was obviously trying to get something out of him. Parminter wondered just how much he was involved in this whole situation.

  Parminter got back into his car and thought about going home. Then he thought about what Howie had said to him in the park about Nicole. What a jerk. Wasn’t there such thing as a gentleman anymore? Who was he to accuse him of anything? He was just a jealous asshole who most likely wanted in her pants but knew he would never be able to because he was such an offensive toad.

  “Screw Howie,” he said and drove across the bridge to her building.

  18

  After he had tried to spring Howie, Parminter had been greeted with open arms at Nicole’s condo. He hadn’t really expected her to be there when he had called but thought that since he was in the neighborhood, he might as well see her. The trip downtown shouldn’t be a total loss, he thought.

  She had already had just opened a bottle of wine and offered him a glass as soon as he walked in the door. He didn’t know if the wine was what was making her so amorous but he didn’t really care. He wasn’t going to overthink it and it wasn’t long before they were in the bedroom.

  Afterwards, he felt a little guilty about his appearance of betrayal to Howie, but not guilty enough not to have sex with Nicole again. He was about the id as far as this was concerned. He understood that he was a human and as a human such problems come with the territory. He wasn’t going to let any unnecessary feelings of misplaced loyalty guide him. He was doing nothing wrong and he was not going to let the ravings of a crazy man intrude on anything he wanted to do.

  They went out to the balcony and looked out across the river. It was beginning to get dark and the lights were starting to twinkle.

  “John, I’m so glad that you decided to stop by.”

  “Me too,” he said.

  She lit a cigarette. “I know they’re bad for me but they’re the perfect thing after sex, don’t you think?”

  He nodded. “It says that on the pack.”

  She offered him one.

  He refused. “I quit and I know that if I smoke that one I’ll start again.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes. Seriously.” He was right too. He had stopped smoking for eleven years once and was offered a Gaulouise at a party. He had never smoked one before and thought that it would be a long time before he ever got to France. It was just one, he had thought. What could it hurt? He didn’t stop again until eight years later.

  She turned to him and gave him a look that was a mix of both love and lust.

  “John, I really like you. I think under different circumstances we could have a real relationship.”

  Parminter had been expecting this. The letdown. It was inevitable. “I know. It’s the timing.”

  “I really loved Raoul, John. Don’t get me wrong. But we really have something, I think.”

  “It’s just not appropriate right now. You’re still grieving.” He was a little surprised that Nicole seemed to have such strong feelings for him. However, he marked it up to the stress of losing her husband in such a horrible way.

  She paused and looked at him. She had tears in her eyes. “I know.”

  Parminter looked at her. He didn’t know what to say.

  “I think it was fate that we met, John. It was God saying to me that I had been through enough and that he was going to make it right by me.”

  He didn’t respond immediately. He wasn’t sure about all that.

  “You believe in God, right, John?” she said before he could answer.

  He nodded a little uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure where this was going and did not particularly feel like getting into a religious discussion. In his experience, these usually led to talks of conversion and offers to go to church. While not a very religious man, he was certainly not an atheist who disbelieved or an agnostic who refused to take sides. He had always figured that it was best to err on the side of caution in such metaphysical matters. He just wanted to change the subject.

  “I do, too. That’s why I think that everything happens for a reason. My husband was burned alive. It was a terrible thing to happen and I miss him, but I’m under no great illusions about him. He could be a very mean person at times. It was also no secret that he cheated on me.”

  Parminter nodded. This explained why she was acting the way she was. He wasn’t surprised.

  “But you’re not like that.” She came closer to him. “As terrible as things have been, I try to look on the bright side. I’m trying to find at least one good thing in all this. I think that my life has worked out the way it has so that I could meet you John. Because if none of this had ever happened, we wouldn’t have become reacquainted the way we did. I mean who would have figured all those years ago when we had those classes together that we would meet again under these circumstances?”

  “I know. It is kind of weird.”

  She paused for a second. “I say we say to hell with all these people. I say that we have a relationship.”

  Parminter was a little shocked. He hadn’t expected this. “But what about Raoul?” he said, finally.

  “We don’t have to be very open about it to begin with out of respect to him. But we should see each other more. We should keep it low profile but we shouldn’t hide it.

  “But what about Howie? He knew about us.”

  “Screw Howie. He doesn’t know anything and it wouldn’t matter if he did. We’re not doing anything illegal.”

  She was right. Howie was just being the same old asshole he always was and trying to ruin things. He shouldn’t let it affect what his actions towards Nicole. He thought about what she said. It was a very inviting proposition and the very opposite of what he had been expecting from her when she had started speaking.

  “People who will talk about you will talk about you regardless of what you do,” he said at last.

  “That’s true. So what do you say?” She said smiling, her eyes.

  “I say sure. I would love to see you more.”

  With that, she pulled him back into the condo and into her bed. Despite his cynicism, he was really beginning to like her. This was completely against his nature. But for some reason, he just didn’t care. He guessed it was because it just felt right. And for once in his life, he wanted to do what felt right for him regardless of the red flag. Wasn’t he allowed to be happy? Wasn’t he allowed to do what he wanted? Even so, he also knew that he was going to have hell to pay with Howie. He would just have to deal with him when the time came.

  19

  Over the next few days, Parminter and Nicole began to spend more and more time together. While Nicole was itching to get out of town to somewhe
re like Miami or New York, she couldn’t because of all the details surrounding Raoul’s estate. Also, if they had gone out of town together, the gossip would have been horrible. The fact that she was in a relationship so soon after the death of her husband would have simply been too much for the upper echelons of society to handle. The Junior League would have definitely revoked Nicole’s membership over something like that. This is why it was imperative that they keep things quiet.

  Parminter on the other hand was quite pleased with the situation. He knew it was weird that he was essentially sleeping with a newly dead man’s wife, but he didn’t care. Regardless of how morbid it could be made to sound, oddly enough, it just felt right. This was the first time in a long string of dalliances that he had gotten this feeling. Also, after many of the stories that Nicole had told him regarding her relationship with Goldman, he could also understand her wanting to move on and get her life restarted on a happier note.

  Goldman, it appeared, had been a real bastard to her. Just like he had been to Howie and everybody else. The facade of their relationship was just that: a facade. It was a sham just like everything else. He couldn’t say that he was surprised. He had grown very jaded out in Hollywood and had begun to see relationships as mutual business arrangements rather than things that was built on love and mutual respect. He had seen absolute toads of men pick up and date beautiful women less than half their age simply for the fact that they had expensive cars and lots of money. He had also seen old rich women date much younger men simply for sex. Also, his relationship with his ex-wife had done nothing to help his attitude either. Because of the hurt that he had experienced with her, he hadn’t had anything other than friendships and purely sexual relationships with women since. This had a lot to do with his feelings towards Nicole. He knew that it might not go anywhere because they came from such different social circles, but it felt pretty good for the time being.

  One day, after they had spent most of day at the art museum and they were walking to one of the bistros situated on the side of the bluff, Nicole stopped him and grabbed his arm.