Every Fire Wants to Kill

by David Krugler

About the Author: My story “Two Sharks Walk into a Bar” appeared in Mystery Magazine (September 2022) and will be re-issued this fall in The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2023. Another story, “Kit’s Pad,” will soon be published in EQMM. Pegasus Crime published my two novels, both World War II spy thrillers: The Dead Don’t Bleed and Rip the Angels from Heaven. Both received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly.

Excerpt

“Here,” Benton pointed.

Dapp pumped the handle of the 30-gallon barrel strapped to a dolly, raised the nozzle, and sprayed the mottled plaster. In undulating passes, he misted the wall, starting at the crown molding along the bedroom ceiling and finishing at the quarter round strip along the floor. Benton watched, arms crossed. Left hand aching from squeezing the pump handle, Dapp looked at the older man.

“Good?”

Benton grunted. “Quit paintin’. You gotta—”

“Butterfly it, I know.”

Benton glared, stormed off. Dapp followed, pushing the dolly. The next room had tall bay windows, a pocket door, and decorative scrollwork. Benton walked alongside the walls, studying them. He nimbly sidestepped the gash in the floor where the radiator had been ripped out, along with the steam pipes. When he finished circling the room, he shot Dapp a hard look.

“All right, Mr.-Know-It-All, get to it.” 

Don’t talk to me like that! Dapp checked his retort, fought his anger. The wire, he called it. Like a downed power line, flaring, whipping back and forth, sparks flying whenever someone wronged him. But berating Benton would backfire. For now, he had to tolerate the disrespect. Taking a deep breath, he wheeled the dolly to the broken floor. Keeping a light touch on the release, he sprayed into the hole, gently raising the nozzle to feather—or, as Benton liked to say, “butterfly”—the wall.

“Wings,” Benton ordered.

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