The Wick Effect

The Wick Effect

Detective Steve Kobayashi stared at the cardboard box on his desk. He knew what must be inside, the lap top computer from the home of Daniel Moore. The autopsy would surely say Daniel died from suffocation by breathing in hot ash. There was no doubt in his mind that Moore was the victim of a homicide.

He took out a pen knife from a drawer, cut the tape, and opened the box. The computer was clean, but that’s not the way he had found it in Daniel’s home. The thin film of ash covering it had been removed for analysis. That report wasn’t yet written. He wondered what it would say.

Taking the computer out, he turned it on and noticed the most recent file, Spontaneous Human Combustion or The Wick Effect. Staring at it, his mind played back the crime scene.

The carpet was covered in a thin layer of ash. What it had come from was a mystery, for there was no sign of a fire. Footprints were everywhere. One pair stood out. They led from the door to the body and to the top of Daniel Moore’s face. And, ended there. All other prints were identified as from the various people who had entered and left the room. The oddest thing was there were no prints of the killer leaving the room. That didn’t make sense.

Another thing about the prints that nagged his mind was their shape. Seeming to come from different pairs, they had no treads nor shape cut from a designer’s board.

Last, but not least, there were no signs of a struggle. It was as if Daniel had simply laid down on the floor and allowed someone to pour hot ash on his face and then stand on it.

He opened the file, included were two photos taken by Daniel. Taking a quick look at the photos, he then began to read.

It is thought that reported cases of spontaneous human combustion are caused by the wick effect, in which, clothing is the wick and fat is the fuel. Often the remains of the victim, usually a smoker, lead to the conclusion that they died (most likely by heart attack) while sitting and smoking. The lit cigarette falls upon their clothes which catches fire.The heat splits the skin, exposing subcutaneous fat, which the clothing absorbs thus becoming the wick. The fat then keeps the fire going, for several hours, like a smothering coal. Nearly all the body is burned to ashes while leaving the room nearly as it was.

There’s no conclusive evidence, however, that an external source causes the fire to start. Some say the spark is lit within the body.

This left me curious. Deciding to test if an external source could truly cause such an effect, I hunted for the appropriate person. The only problem I saw was gaining entry into their home and killing them without anyone’s knowledge. My height is average, I’m underweight, and not muscular, so someone old and weak would make killing them easier. I thought of befriending them and gaining their trust, but I knew I didn’t have that kind of patience. Then, I hit upon a plan that would take a couple of steps down that road.

I picked an old man, Chris Bond, who lived alone on the same block in a house once owned by his grandparents. Often, late in the afternoon, he walked to the shops toting a faded backpack. Sometimes, that backpack wasn’t enough to carry all his groceries.

I heard he used to be a hippy and a draft dodger who’d been arrested during a violent protest against the war in Nam. Now, just watching the days go by.

I offered to help him carry his groceries. When he declined my offer, I asked him if he would help me write a book about the protests during the Vietnam War. That hooked him.

The first day he invited me into his home, I strangled him, put him into his chair, and put a burning cigarette on his lap. Early next morning, I returned.

Peering through one of the windows, I saw no flames. The doorknob was very warm. When I opened the door, the air pushed against my face like marsh heat. I felt the stench of burnt blood, flesh, and entrails. I held my breath, but couldn’t avoid tasting it and gagged.

In front of me was a pile of ash. A pair of rubber sandals had melted, thus glueing two upright legs to the floor.

Kobayashi stopped and studied the pictures. The melted sandals! Their shape looked like they would match the prints the killer left. And, if they did, would it mean…what? That the killer took off the sandals, went to Daniel’s home, killed him while wearing the sandals, and returned here to put them back on those feet? He grunted in amazement at his own imagination.

He resumed reading.

The legs had been burnt to ashes halfway below the knees. Two black hands were inside craters they had formed within the ash. In the center of everything was the blackened metal frame of an armchair.

Despite the horrific scene, I pumped my fists in elation from pulling off a difficult test. Then, I took a couple of pics, and closed the door.

One more thing that’s consuming my thoughts.

There’s been cases where men have put themselves on fire and just sat unmoving as if they didn’t feel a thing. Everyone knows a burn is extremely painful. So, how is it possible for those burning men to just sit there? I just can’t believe it. I guess I’ll have to think of some way to find out.

Detective Steve Kobayashi heard the beep indicating a new email. It was from the coroner stating that Daniel Moore had died a very painful death as his lungs burned to ash. He again looked at the pictures Daniel Moore had taken. The hairs on the back of his neck rose as he considered a supernatural explanation. He wasn’t a superstitious man and neither was his boss. His report would have to reach a possible method the killer used in its conclusion.

Maybe, he would find it at Chris Bond’s home.

Yet, he doubted it, and felt he would never solve the case.

Word count is 1056. Prompt is fire and no demons.