The Crevice

“I will kill him. I will kill them all!”

Paul yelled as he barged into my office.

I looked up from my thick case file and saw him by the door. He looked unkempt and the strong stench of hard liquor suddenly filled the office. His eyes were red and distant. His hands were clenched into fists and his normally pleasant demeanor was contorted in an all consuming fury.

“Paul! Are you okay? What happened?”

I queried softly, fearing for the worst. He opened his mouth to explain but words failed him. Gasping, his knees bolted and he crumpled to the floor. 

I sprang up and rushed over to his side. Paul was visibly shaken. I closed the office door in the face of our secretary and the junior lawyers and tried to help him up. Paul was the last person to get upset over anything. So who could have upset him on a Tuesday morning?

“What happened? Please talk to me.”

He turned puffy eyes on me; 

“My brother- in-law...my wife...I...” he stuttered and broke down completely.  

Paul is the owner and principal partner of a large law firm, one of the best and biggest in town. He is a regular guy, with regular features. Not so tall, broad shoulders, a trim figure, a good dresser, very smooth, great swag and an above average sense of humor...
As a lawyer, he is meticulous, fast-thinking, ethical and courteous. He was among the best in his class, a great advocate, a friendly and wealthy young man. The wealth came when he lost his dad; a famous and wealthy entrepreneur, few years after he joined our firm. Somehow the news traveled far and wide and he became popular especially with the ladies. The office became plagued by an endless stream of beautiful and sophisticated single ladies who would give anything to be picked as his bride. Before long, Paul became a confirmed player. I enjoyed the drama. 

Our partnership was lucrative and strictly professional. His string of girl friends became endless. Paul was single and loving it until the day he announced;

“Nikky, I am in love with the best woman in town! She is simply awesome!”

Paul was elated, the office was thankful and after six months of the best courtship, of course I got all the juicy details, he wedded his awesome girl. The wedding made the front page of celebrity magazines. It was even on the national news.

After a year, their marriage was blessed with a son and Paul was the happiest man on earth. His wife was “an angel”. She was his dream come true, his life. Then something bizarre happened. Something I find very hard to narrate. Something that shattered all that love.