Feuer Frei Ch. 03

He approached the golf, and I could see he was not happy when he saw I was alone. He pulled open the passenger door and bending down he angrily asked through clenched teeth.

"What the fuck is going on? Where is your whore?"

I bit my tongue and fought against the urge to go beat the crap out of him.

"She wants you, she won't shut up about you. I am only doing this to try and save my marriage." I said, hoping he would accept my attempt at acting defeated, resigned to my fate. "But I don't trust you, and I won't have you in our house, besides if you came there you could be arrested."

"You're right, I hadn't thought about that" he answered.

"You getting in then?" I asked.

As he complied I noticed him again looking up the road, perhaps he wasn't as thick as I thought he was. He strapped on his seatbelt and I pulled away. As I suspected, another cars lights came on just after I passed it and pulled out some hundred yards behind me. I took a right turn and then the next right, the car followed, I took another right and pulled up, back outside his house.

"Okay get out." I demanded.

He made no attempt to move, and asked. "Why, what's going on?"

I shouted. "You know damn well why, Well fuck you and you can have her after we are divorced."

"Okay, you got me," he replied then asked. "what about if I call him off?"

"No." I replied, noting the implication there was only one occupant.

"You will be able to save your marriage." he said, trying to sound convincing.

I looked at the floor, both trying to look downcast and to hide the smile from my face. I said nothing but nodded my agreement.

I heard him get his phone out and call.

"Forget it Mate."

I couldn't hear the reply, but was happy with the verification that it was Mark.

"No, leave it tonight."

Another inaudible reply.

"Will try, but can't promise, see you tomorrow."

He hung up and I held my hand out.

"Give me your phone."

He looked puzzled but handed it to me, I turned it off and put it in my pocket. Marks car pulled away and I followed it to the end of the road, he turned one way and I turned the other.

I drove in random directions for a while, checking the rear view often. Once satisfied I was no longer being followed I drove up to the old barn. As I pulled into the old barn and Paul's car appeared in the headlights, the wanker started to get agitated.

"That's not your car, what going on?"

"Well Shaun old chap, do you think you can keep playing with people's lives and get away with it forever. It seems you really are as thick as pigshit." In the darkness I couldn't see his face, but I imagined it was red with anger. I got out of the car, I could hear him scrabbling at his seat belt.

I walked over to Paul's car and unlocked it. I took a blowtorch from the bag, after opening the door of the golf I stood back and lit the torch.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

I don't know whether it was just the blue white light from the flame, or whether the colour had totally drained from his face, but he looked like a ghost.

"Don't waste you're time with the seatbelt, it's broken, you need a screwdriver or something. I'm afraid your stuck there for the time being."

"You fucking bastard, I'll get you for this, you and your whore. You are going to suffer."

I pushed the flame near his face and his hands rose to protect himself. I dropped it to his groin. He was screaming in pain before he was able to knock me away. I repeated the exercise many times as he continued to scream and threaten me eventually he passed out and the smell of burning flesh overcame the smell of burning cotton.

I shut off the torch and once the nozzle had cooled I swapped it for a full petrol canister. I poured a gallon of petrol over the car, inside and out and got Paul's car ready to drive out, having second thoughts, both about what I had already done and what I had intended to do. I began to shake, I don't know if it was from shock or fear. I paused trying to pull myself together.

I was now horrified by my actions, I tried to turn Shaun's phone back on to call for an ambulance but my trembling hands would not allow it.

I heard a murmur as he regained consciousness, it took a minute or so before he was aware enough to start threatening again, this time the threats were not of violence and rape they were legal ones. I stopped fighting with his phone, I was getting nowhere. Trying to calm myself, I took a cigarette from the pack and lit my Zippo, I lit my fag and took a deep drag before I closed the lid of my lighter. I swear I didn't mean to, but I dropped the Zippo it fell from my trembling hands. Still burning, it fell into a small stream of petrol, perhaps if I had noticed I could have stamped out the flame, but my mind was set I wanted to get him help, I threw his phone to him then bent to pick my lighter up. It was then and only then that I noticed the flame growing longer as it spread from my lighter. I bent down and picked it up, I suppose it was adrenalin kicking in, but my trembling stopped. I snapped it shut and put it into my pocket, I looked back to the golf, the flames had reached the side and were now spreading in all directions. I knew then, even though I had second thoughts, I had succeeded in my plan. Although he was still breathing, Shaun was a dead man. Nothing I could do now would save him, I knew I had to get away, if I didn't keep to my plan others could be, and would be implicated. I dived into Paul's car and drove to meet him...

That was two years ago, I don't think anyone believed I had nothing to do with Shaun's death, but as simple as my alibi was; it was enough. I didn't have to worry about Debs going astray again, for some reason, nobody ever tried chatting her up anymore.