Storm Front

On Friday morning, Murphy calls Harry, demanding updates and warning Harry that his only role is to investigate the magical aspects of the case. She forbids him from getting involved further or speaking to witnesses. Harry promises to behave, but that night, he goes to The Velvet Room to see Bianca.

He has never met her but knows her by reputation, so he goes in armed with a handkerchief filled with sunlight and a silver pentacle charm that belonged to his mother. Bianca is beautiful and alluring, and Harry treats her with gallantry, holding a chair for her. However, when he mentions Jennifer, Bianca flies into a rage, and her beautiful exterior melts away to reveal the true vampire beneath: an ugly creature with leathery skin and bat wings. Harry flings open the handkerchief, releasing a burst of sunlight that burns holes into her wings and skin. Then, he lifts his silver pentacle, which functions like a more stereotypical cross, warding the vampire away.

Bianca accuses Harry of killing Jennifer, and he insists on his innocence, stating that he only wants to ask some questions. He offers to put the pentacle away if she calms down. Cautiously, they both sit, and Bianca changes back into a beautiful woman. Bianca does not know who killed Jennifer or Tommy. She admits that Jennifer was a favorite of Tommy’s; Bianca sent Jennifer to Tommy that night because he was celebrating. She also recalls another escort named Linda Randall, who was friends with Jennifer. The two often visited Tommy together. However, Linda left and now works as a driver for a wealthy couple. Bianca gives Harry Linda’s phone number and then orders him to leave. Harry has never before questioned the White Council’s uneasy peace treaty with the vampire court, but he now thinks that Bianca and her ilk might be too dangerous to be left unchecked.

After leaving The Velvet Room, Harry calls Linda, but she immediately hangs up the phone, so Harry tracks her to the airport, where she is waiting to pick up her employers in a limo. He walks up to the limo, startling Linda, and then asks her about Jennifer and Tommy. Linda describes their sexual activities, trying to unsettle him, but he can tell that beneath her bravado, she is nervous. She explains that Jennifer had asked her to join them on the night they died, but Linda was working and had to decline. Harry suspects that she knows more but is too afraid to say. He presses her for more information, but her employers, Mr. and Mrs. Beckitt, appear, and Harry is struck by the numb expression on Mrs. Beckitt’s face. Harry hands Linda his card and leaves.

Harry is unsure of his next move in Murphy’s murder case, as his only remaining lead is to try to figure out the death magic that the murderer used, and he is still avoiding this due to the White Council’s scrutiny. Instead, he turns his attention back to the case of Monica’s missing husband. Recalling Toot-toot’s information, he finds the pizza place near Victor’s lake house and speaks to the driver who delivered a pizza to the house. The driver remarks that Harry is the second person to ask about the delivery to the house on Wednesday night. He is afraid and swears not to say a word about what he saw. When Harry presses him, the driver admits to seeing an orgy in the house, as well as an unknown man outside a balcony taking photos.

Harry deduces that Victor must be having sex parties in his lake house. He still suspects that Victor’s disappearance is due to a midlife crisis and has nothing to do with magic, but he decides to keep investigating to be sure. He heads to his apartment, but when he reaches the door, a man with a baseball bat attacks him from behind, striking him in the back of the head. The attacker warns him to stop “sticking [his nose] where it doesn’t belong” and then runs (137). Harry drags himself into his apartment, shaken and angry. He suspects that Marcone sent the attacker, but he is not sure of this. Ignoring his head injury, he retrieves his revolver and puts it in his jacket pocket. He then goes down to his workroom to figure out how to make someone’s heart explode.

It takes Harry all night to work out how the death magic is done. On Saturday morning, he goes to the police station to tell Murphy what he has learned. While he waits in the hallway at the station for Murphy to meet with him, he sees two officers dragging a man to the cells. The man is high and is fighting them with unnatural strength. A moment later, the man breaks free, and Harry moves to stop him from escaping. The man looks at Harry and screams, “I see you, wizard! I see the things that follow, those who walk before and He Who Walks Behind!” (144). The officers rush to grab the man and drag him away, explaining that the man is addicted to ThreeEye.

Harry is shocked by the man’s words. Years before, he survived an attack from a magical hit man called He Who Walks Behind. Though Harry survived, the hunter’s mark still lies upon him, and those with the third sight can see it. He had not believed that ThreeEye gave normal humans the ability to use magical sight, but now he wonders if the rumors are true. Before he can think about this further, Murphy appears and leads him to her office.

He tells her what he has learned about the case, explaining that someone used thaumaturgy to magically connect Jennifer’s and Tommy’s hair or nail clippings to a symbolic animal sacrifice. Then, the murderer used an enormous amount of magic to transfer the animal’s death to the human victims as well. However, the amount of power necessary for such a feat is staggering; Harry admits that although he would have enough power to do it, he would probably kill himself in the attempt. He does not know who else might have this level of power. Murphy and Harry consider the implications. Harry speculates that the murders were intended to be a message to Johnny Marcone. Murphy agrees, remarking that Marcone is in a turf war against the ThreeEye suppliers. Then, Murphy demands that Harry make a list of everyone he knows who might have the magical skills to perform the spell, but he refuses to reveal every magical acquaintance in the city. Due to the lingering effects of his head injury, he suddenly feels nauseous, throws up, and collapses.

Harry wakes up to find himself on the floor of Murphy’s office. Murphy says that he has a concussion and asks who hit him. He avoids the question and tries to stand but immediately falls. Murphy drives him to his apartment and helps him lie down on the couch. His phone rings, and he groggily answers it. On the phone, Linda says that she has information for him and asks to see him at nine o’clock that evening. Harry has the nagging feeling that he has forgotten something important.

He thinks about Monica’s case and decides to call her. However, she pretends not to know who he is and says that she no longer requires any services before hanging up on him. Confused, he lies down. Murphy helps him out of his shoes and coat, gives him medication, and covers him with a blanket. She leaves, and Harry falls asleep.

Harry wakes up to the sound of thunder and recalls that there was a massive thunderstorm on Wednesday night as well. Because storms contain an enormous amount of energy that a wizard can tap into, he considers the possibility that the killer used the storm to fuel the murder spell. If so, the killer could potentially strike again tonight.

Someone knocks on his door, and he opens it to find Susan standing in the rain with an umbrella protecting her expensive dress. He suddenly remembers that he was supposed to have a date with her tonight. He also recalls that he is supposed to meet Linda at nine o’clock. Embarrassed, he invites Susan in while he takes a quick shower. While in the shower, he hears another knock on the door. Terrified that Susan might encounter Linda, Harry leaps out of the shower with just a towel and runs out into the living room, but as Susan opens the door, he senses something dangerous and shouts.

A toad-like demon bursts through the door. Harry yells for Susan to hide in his workroom, and his towel falls as he calls for his staff. The demon attacks, and Harry blocks it with a combination of the staff and some wind magic. He yells at Susan to find the escape potion in the sports bottle and drink it. She does so, but moments later, she climbs back up the stairs with his gun in her hand. She shoots several times, but bullets have no effect on the demon.

Harry pulls her back into the sub-basement as the demon follows. His workroom features a protective circle carved into the floor, and he dives into it. When the demon attacks, the circle keeps it at bay. Meanwhile, Susan clings to him and offers to have sex with him as they wait to die. Horrified, Harry stares at her. From his skull, Bob explains that Susan drank the love potion instead of the escape potion.

Delirious under the love spell’s influence, Susan kisses Harry. At the same time, the demon bashes against the protective circle. Harry orders Bob to give him the escape potion, which requires him to allow Bob to leave the skull. Bob bargains for 24 hours of freedom in exchange. Desperate, Harry agrees. Bob leaves the skull and tosses Harry the escape potion before vanishing in a puff of orange lights.

Harry forces Susan to drink part of the potion and then drinks some himself. With a nauseous wrench, they fly apart and reconstitute on the street outside the apartment. Susan collapses as the escape potion negates the worst of the love potion, but they are not out of danger yet. A shadowy figure appears, taunting Harry. The shadow explains that he called the demon and needs Harry to die. Harry uses magic to tear the shadow illusion apart. The figure screams with fury as it fades.

Then, the demon attacks again, and Harry is too weak and dizzy from his head injury to stop it. He could run, but he would not be able to carry Susan as well, so he stands and faces the demon, knowing that he is about to die. Lightning flashes again, and he has an idea. Using himself as a conduit, he draws on the lightning, which burns through him and strikes the demon. It disappears in a flash of blue fire.

Susan sits up, confused. Harry laughingly asks her for a second date. Then, out of nowhere, Morgan appears and accuses Harry of summoning the demon. Refusing to listen to Harry’s explanation, Morgan announces that the White Council will arrive on Monday to carry out Harry’s death sentence. As Morgan disappears again, Harry sees police cars approaching.