COPS Stormfront

by Yygriega

A warlock, Hank Mitchell, keeps tampering with time in an effort to unmake Harry Dresden before he can save the world but fate keeps setting Harry back on course. In this story Harry is actually a cop, just like his twin sister.

C.O.P.S.

STORMFRONT

Chapter One

"Harry, you're adopted." Dad said to me when I finally stopped crying. He had picked me up from school after I got suspended for blowing up a kid's desk. Kids could be cruel. This one told me I was so different from my other siblings because my mother was a tramp. It wasn't hard to guess that I had been adopted, my big sister was only a few months older than me, and while the family was full of blonds and gingers, I had nearly black hair and brown eyes.

"I figured." I grumbled. Dad laughed.

"Yeah, you're a smart kid. You do me proud son, and you are my son. Not by blood sure but in every other sense, you are and I love you." I smiled weakly at him. It was good to hear and I believed every syllable but… "But why did you blow up that boy's desk?" Dad asked in a more annoyed and pained tone. Not a surprised tone. He didn't ask how.

"It wasn't on purpose. I was just mad and I wanted something bad to happen to him, then the top just popped off and hit him." We sat in silence in the skylark for a while then he shifted in his seat and looked at me.

"Harry, you got to understand what a special kid you are. You can't lose your temper like your sister." He sighed then pulled out of the parking lot but instead of taking me home or to work with him, he took me to a duplex that looked like it belonged in California. The yard was completely void of any plants or decorations, adding despair to the environment. As we came up to one of the front doors, I felt a chill. Dad knocked 'shave and a hair cut' the door swung open immediately and a chubby man, younger than Dad but not by a lot answered.

"Jack Murphy. How can I help you?" He asked as if he already knew and knew he wouldn't like the answer.

"Hey Morty. I came to ask if you knew anyone who tutor youngsters in how to use magic… real magic." Morty started shaking like a Chihuahua.

"Why you asking? Little Karrie isn't…" he looked around "a practitioner, is she?"

"Not my daughter, the boy. Harry?" Dad made a gesture for me to come forward. "This is Morty. He use to be a cop but he sees dead people. He might be able to help you figure what you got out." Dad said in his kindest voice.

"I can tell the c-council about him. They'll check him out, send him to a mentor." Morty said. When he mentioned the council he seemed a little scared and half whispered it. He made a call and left a message then we waited with him until there was a knock at the door. I was playing with a crystal ball and the noise startled me into nearly dropping it.

"Mortimer Lindquist, this is the Wizard Council. We received your notice of a new magical talent and have come to investigate." The voice was firm and commanding. I did not want to cross it. There was a slight southern drawl to it, but every word was severely enunciated. Morty opened the door but just stood to the side looking at them. "My name is Justin, this is Ebenezer." He introduced himself and his partner. Morty invited them into the parlor then introduced me.

They did a lot of weird tests, like making me hold a bit of quartz on a string over a map while I focused on a certain person. I chose my sister Karen. She was tougher than me, and smarter, and looked like a doll. The quartz started swinging more one direction than the other. I was told to go on about her. That was easy. She's my favorite sibling. "When some bullies (who were also girls) started pantsing me at lunch break, I started wearing suspenders. Karen showed up behind them one day and put mud in the back of their shorts. It didn't smell entirely like innocent old mud. Maybe there were some fecal samples from one of the neighborhood dogs mixed in there too. I had wondered why she insisted on bringing a bucket and gloves to school all that week." The quartz snapped off the strap and impaled the map right on the school. I stopped laughing and stared.

The wizard known as Ebenezer stood and said, "We will discuss the results with the council and get in touch once we find a suitable mentor." He sounded a bit like Sean Connery.

"Nonsense, why don't I just tutor the boy?" Justin asked.

"It's up to the council. You are an invoker, he needs someone learned in thaumaturgy." Ebenezer retorted.

"My little Elaine is so board and lonely, it would be nice to take in another apprentice." Justin complained.

"Up to the Council, you got a possum in your ear, boy?" Ebenezer asked. I laughed a little. The old man winked. "We will return with the decision." Dad put his address on the back of his card and handed it to him, and Ebenezer and Dad shook hands. Justin left without a word.

"Don't think you aren't in trouble for blowing up a desk and getting suspended." Dad said pointing authoritatively at me.

Chapter Two

"Harry! Harry, get up!" I felt myself pulled out of bed to the floor then a moment later I heard blankets and pillows rustling. I felt them brush over my head then heard them get thrown against the bedroom door. Next I heard was the window breaking and the bedroom door creak and shudder. Small strong hands grabbed me under my armpits and pulled me to the window. I had been covered in sweat, and the brisk autumn air was bracing compared to the heat of the inside of the house.

I soon got my bearings. The house was ablaze! Karen was shoving me toward the window while smoke was pouring in from under the door through the pile of pillows and blankets she stuffed in the crack. "Mom! Lisa!" I said, pulling away to go further into the house.

"Harry, no! Gas… the fire…" Karen was just as groggy as me. She continued to pull me out the window against my will, but she had more weight than me so she won. I continued to struggle, knowing I'd never beaten her before and had no hope of changing things yet. She pulled me bodily through the hedges into the next yard where our neighbor was running out to help, still in curlers and a bathrobe over a nightgown. She was old but she sure as heck wasn't too old to leap out her front door and snatch us up. I heard her report that the firemen are already on the way then she helped Karen haul me away from our burning home.

"The poor kids. I heard it was arson. First the house was filled with gas so they wouldn't wake up, then the fire began at the back door, went down the hall, and into the parent's bed room." A woman in an expensive black dress and Sunday hat gossiped. That was what the fire marshal said but she had no right to talk about it like that. "And this wasn't a whole week after Colin had shot himself at his desk." She continued.

The other woman gasped then tisked. "The shame."

"Marion was found shielding the baby from the flames with her body, only when she died, her body suffocated the baby. The triplets got into the bathroom, stuffed towels in the door and turned on the shower, but they couldn't get the bathroom window open. One of them must have tried to shield the other two, he got awful burns before dying. The two left died of smoke inhalation they were alive when they were pulled out the house but too little too late..." she explained. The other woman made empathetic noises all the while, like they really cared. Karen squeezed my hand till it creaked under her grip then released it. She stood then walked out of the funeral home, and sat on the steps fighting not to cry.

"Harry, Karen, are you ready to get out of here?" Justin DuMorne asked from where he leaned, smoking on the side of the funeral parlor. I put my arm around my sister and she sniffled a bit, but gained a strong façade and strode defiantly to Justin's car.

"Breakfast is ready!" Karen's voice carried up the stairs into the attic bedroom I shared with Elaine. I had lived there with Elaine and Justin 2 years already. My how time flew by. I made my bed, then caught a glimpse of Elaine changing in the bathroom mirror through the cracked door. At 14 her body wasn't very developed but it was beautiful. I focused on cleaning up the bedroom, changing quickly, and gathering my homework and shoes.

When I got to the dining room, Justin was alone again, reading the news. He only had toast and coffee in front of him but our plates were loaded with delicious fruit eggies in a basket, and bacon, ham, and sausage on the side. A tall glass of water, a short glass of oj, and a short glass of milk sat in front of each of us too. I downed the milk in one gulp, then ate some, downed the oj, ate some, washed it all down with water. Magic lessons made a boy hungry. Elaine refilled my water from the pitcher, then continued to scarf down her breakfast in a similar fashion. The grandfather clock tolled the top of the hour so I sandwiched the remaining meat into the eggie in a basket, then took it along as Elaine and I walked to school together.

"What the hell is wrong with your sister?" Elaine asked.

"What do you mean?" I asked her defensively.

"She never wants to be around us. It's like she hates us or something." Elaine accused. All the dogs within earshot began barking viciously. I heard the near by puddle from last nights tropical storm begin to boil, then the dogs all began to whine. "Harry, calm down, I didn't mean to upset you."

"Well how would you feel if you were used as a Guiney pig by somebody? You wouldn't wanna be too available either." I suggested. It took a lot of convincing but eventually Justin had Karen volunteer to let us do spells on her. I hated the faces she'd make. It looked painful and there were times I thought I heard her crying at night but I couldn't ever find her room to console her.

"Justin told me the reason she doesn't share a room with us is because she's afraid. Like we're some monsters or something." Elaine complained. I stopped and thought about that. Karen hardly ever spoke to me any more. I'd almost forget her face if it weren't for the occasional human practice sessions.

"Karen's not the type to scare that easy."

"Maybe she blames you… you know, for your parents." Elaine said in an odd tone. It wasn't emotional in any way. I looked at her, disgusted then afraid. What if it was true? What if she really did blame me, fear me, or hate me? I'd die. I felt hollow in the center of my being. I wanted to cry or vomit or scream. No… no, my sister loves me because I love her and we're all we have left.

"You're wrong." I said, a little too roughly. "She's family."

"I heard she isn't. That's why she doesn't have powers. And why you two look so different."

"Her dad was investigating my dad's murder. When my mom died too, he adopted me. He felt it was the least he could do since he never solved my parent's murder." I explained. "But we are family regardless. Don't ever try to say otherwise again." I warned her before running the rest of the way to school.

"16 is a rough age; so many hormones, and new responsibilities, new liberties. It can be a lot to handle, Mr. DuMorne. I'm sure Harry's recent outburst wont be a force of habit." The counselor assured Justin. I saw some girls picking on Karen across the cafeteria. I hadn't noticed all year but my sister had the same lunch hour as me. She sat withered and stringy but still cute as a china doll at the wobbly half circle table by the trash cans in the cafeteria. Elaine and I always sat at the circular table close to the lunch line and all the popular kids. We weren't popular ourselves per say but fairly well liked all the same. Karen had been heavier, tougher, and more outgoing than me before our parent's death. She liked her hair short and wore dresses, but now Karen was tiny, maybe 80 pounds tops. Her hair went down to her waist, was brushed but not styled, she wore baggy shirts and skinny jeans most of the time and she looked tired all the time.

Some girls grabbed her food and tossed it in the trash then knocked her drink over so it'd spill on her. She didn't say or do anything, just froze and closed her eyes. I happened to be looking that way because Elaine was asking if the two girls were pretty. She liked to make me tell her all about how much prettier she was than other more popular girls. To me she was but that's beside the point. When they did that to Karen, I ran to them and grabbed one under her knee and by the hair, dropping her into one trash can and used the other girl to clean up the spill. Karen looked at me as if I was mad at her then ran away, forgetting her belongings.

I sat in the counselor's office by Justin and waited to be suspended… again. "Detention, for the next week should suffice. I would also like a two page essay on why a boy should never strike a girl." The soft-spoken man in a cardigan said, finally. He crossed his arms and leaned on the desk. "Another incident, or a breach in the detention rules, and you will be suspended and set back a year, Mister DuMorne." He said to me.

"Murphy." I answered. To his confused look I explained. "I'm Harry Murphy, not DuMorne." I looked at Justin, who might have been a bit hurt but he never officially adopted us so our names didn't change. "Those girls were bullying my sister. I agree, I should not have reacted the way I had, but…" I sighed. "When would you like that essay, sir?"

"You didn't seem so sick last night." I said, tugging my shoes on at the foot of Elaine's bed. She hit me with a pillow then settled back in bed.

"Shut up and go to school, you perv." She said. She didn't sound sick either. I climbed over the lump in the bed then yanked down the covers. Elaine was beautiful even with particularly messy hair and sleep in her eyes. I kissed her forehead, which didn't feel warm at all, then her nose, which wasn't runny, then her lips, which eagerly returned the gesture before she remembered she was allegedly ill. "No, you'll catch my cold!" she hit my arm and I laughed. I clomped down the stairs to the kitchen and saw Justin alone and only one setting at the table; Pancakes and bacon with water and milk. I scarfed it all down then reminded Justin I'd be home late because of detention.

On my walk to school, I read over the essay one last time before deciding it was good enough to turn in, then folded it up and shoved it in my back pocket. A mousey boy, a bit shorter than me ran up to me like he knew me and started walking in step with me, looking at me smiling. "Sup?" I asked.

"Oh, good morning, you're Harry right?" he asked, offering his hand. I shrugged, what the hell, then shook his hand, nodding. "I'm Walter. Karen and I usually walk together, but she didn't show. I hope she's well. We have a big match tonight."

"Match?" I asked. You don't wanna talk too much to a stranger. Walter never got that memo.

"Judo. Karen's our top boxer, in her weight class any way, and in the next higher class too since only the younger children are in HER weight class." He chuckled. "She ok?"

"Dunno." I answered.

"Wow, ok, strong silent type, tall dark and handsome too. Bet you got a pretty girlfriend. I kind of like Karen, but she's jumpy around people. I guess that's why she's so good at martial arts though, huh?" he prattled on. I wanted to ask him if he meant MY Karen, the tiny quiet little blond who cries in her sleep most nights, and just closes her eyes and lets people bully her. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Harry. See you later." Walter said with a bow of his head before ducking down a hallway full of lockers.

"Later." I responded, walking slowly down the hall to my first classroom. Karen hadn't showed but she wasn't around when I had breakfast. Maybe she came extra early to finish an assignment or something… she was never home so it was possible the judo nonsense had merit. I decided to run down a different hall and check the sports wall. It had group pictures of all our teams with the names of all the members. The clubs were posted in the same hall with less bravado. She was in the Judo picture… the kendo picture… ROTC picture… Volley Ball… Habitat for Humanity… school newspaper, student council, peer counseling, and there was an article in the newspaper about her community service work with the local cops. She was second runner up for valor dictorian because she missed too many days of school… missed school? Maybe she wasn't at school today either.

Elaine wasn't sick. I felt sick. Some terrible sensation like tarantulas climbing up the back of my neck came over me. I ran back to the house fast as I could, the moment I entered, I retched on the hardwood floor. A circle of charcoal surrounded an altar and Karen was naked, stretched backward over it, both her wrists cut lengthwise, pulsing streams of blood into a copper bowl. Elaine was naked, covered in coal marks, holding the knife. It wasn't stained with much blood so maybe the cuts weren't too deep. Justin was chanting inside the circle. I knew he couldn't stop or leave it. Elaine could. She tried to tell me everything was going to be all right but her tone was void of all feeling again.

I tore off my backpack and shirt then ripped it to tie up Karen's wounds. Karen just relaxed over the altar with her eyes and lips half open. Her lip twitched. I turned. Elaine lunged. Fortunately, I caught the knife hand by the wrist before she could get Karen or me with it and tossed Elaine aside careful not to disturb Justin or else there might be a backlash of magical energy. I bound the other wrist wound on my sister, then covered her up and carried her out of the circle. The bowl of her blood caught fire, the house began to shake, tipping the flaming blood over, and then the carpet caught fire.

Once my sister was out of the house I went back in. I hated fire and it made me feel sick, jittery, and weak. As I began to shut down, I began to understand, Elaine was under a spell. She was just enthralled by Justin so I had to snap her out of it and get her to safety. It didn't work out that way. Elaine had the bowl, knelt over the altar and Justin took one of her arms then sliced it open into the bowl, shouting in some foreign language he never taught me. She didn't lose a lot of blood but she collapsed. The blood caught flame again, and then something began to emerge. It's face was sharp and horrible, and it's body, being formed out of human blood, was disproportionate and rippled like there were things crawling under the surface. Soon it formed muscle, skin, bones, and claws. The house was still aflame and I'd have to get by a demon in order to save Elaine. The demon had to be taken care of, as well as his master.

I couldn't remember how I survived it all. I remembered bits and pieces, jumbled memories. I remember killing Justin, and panicking because Elaine and the demon were both gone. I took Karen to the hospital, lived on the streets for a couple of days. I held up a gas station with a paper bag for some food. The demon found me and killed innocent people before my eyes. They treated Karen like a suicide attempt. It looked like it I guess. Once she was discharged we thought we had nowhere to go until the white council grabbed me and tried me for the death of Justin DuMorne. Karen's testimony saved my life.

They sent us to be trained by Ebenezer McCoy, who I liked a lot more anyhow, and he lived on a farm, which was a lot of fun. Karen was cleaning out the chicken coop while I was cleaning the stables and as usual I was faster. Granted, all I had to do was rake up the hay and manure and pump water into their trough. Karen had to rake out the hay, scrub with soap and water, rinse well, and throw in fresh hay. She was in overalls with the legs cut and rolled into shorts. She looked adorable aside from when she crawled into the chicken coop on hands and knees to scrub. I had a clear view up the shorts. I turned away and decided to lay some hay for the horses, then maybe groom Aoife, the Irish wolf hound McCoy used as a sheep dog.

McCoy looked in on me, giving me a look then a nervous look back at Karen who was now scattering hay into the coop. this she was able to do without climbing in but she still had to bend over which was interesting to watch. He cleared his throat and was about to say something but a brand new Chevy pick up truck tore down the dirt driveway to the back of the house where the farm was situated.

"Morning, Mr. McCoy." A smiling young man beamed at us from where he stood half inside his truck.

"Jesse." McCoy grunted.

"Happy Birthday, Jesse." I said. "And its looking happier than most of mine for sure." I said jealously. Jesse Wilke was my first friend in Hogs Hollow Missouri. He had black hair but blue eyes. He had one of those faces that would be handsome but something was off that was hard to place. It was his face itself. It curved. Not a lot but when he turns a certain angle you can see it like a funhouse image of Adonis. He smiled his perfect smile at me then heard Karen closing the back wall of the chicken coop and latching it. She took off the gloves to wipe off her sweat and pick straw out of her hip length braided pigtails.

"Jealous!" he called me, then leaned on his truck in a cool pose for Karen's benefit. "You want the first ride, kiddo?" he asked her. He didn't know she was older than us. She was tiny and I'm telling you, she was cute as a baby doll. She had wide round hips a bubble butt and thick thighs, a tiny waist, narrow shoulders, slender neck, and she never did make it past five feet. She freckled in the sun bad, and her blond had bleached in the sun to a gold and copper color with strands of pale blond just on the top. The tank top under the overalls showed cleavage and mid drift that thankfully the overalls covered at most angles. She snorted with her cute little pug nose and grumbled happy birthday as she took the supplies back to the barn and disposed of the dirty hay. "Your sister is so hot."

"Its just the whole farmer's daughter fetish, you pervert." I told him. "Can I get a ride?"

"No way. Technology always fowls up in your presence, I'm not letting you near my baby girl!" he said finally dismounting the truck to throw his arm over my shoulder. He wasn't tall as I had become in the three years we had known each other, so his usual gestures had become ridiculous looking. "So the two of you are moving to Chicago I hear?"

"It was home before... We inherited a house. Karen did, any way. She said she was moving back as soon as she turned 19… which is in a month so…"

"She's 19? She looks 12!"

"Which makes your infatuation with her all the creepier."

"I was exaggerating. I knew she was our general age but…" he waived dismissively then something dawned on him. He's kind of slow. "And I've been calling her kid and squirt, no wonder she doesn't give me the time of day." Jesse said slapping his forehead. "Hey… To celebrate, a bunch of folks are going to Bonhomme to party by the creek. You and Karen should come." He suggested. I looked to McCoy with my brows raised and he waived his hand.

"You youngans are gonna do what you want anyway, why ask an old fool his opinion any how?" he grumbled. He never actually gave me permission to do anything but he tended to make it clear I could do them. "Just watch out for your sister if she feels up to joining. Now git. You'll miss graduation, and I bought the damn robes, I intend to watch you parade around in 'em."

I showered quick, dressed quicker, and jumped in the tail of the truck Karen climbed in after me. She thankfully dawned some jeans and work boots with a shirt that said 'I'm not clumsy its just the floor hates me, the tables and chairs are bullies, and the wall gets in the way!' Her hair was put up in Lea buns, if only Lea had her freckles, and I happened to be wearing a shirt with Luke and Lea Skywalker which said 'Looking for love in Alderon places.'

Graduation went off without a hitch. I was worried something would blow up in proximity to me but no such luck. After pictures were taken, diplomas were framed, and college grants were awarded, we were whisked off to a creek party. There was plenty of under age drinking as one might suspect. Maybe some weed, who's to tell, but most importantly there was nudity. Georgia Summer THE sexiest girl in school was drunk as can be and wanted to prove she didn't have falsies by stripping down. After that some other girls needed attention and gladly followed the trend. Karen sat on a towel fully dressed, nursing her beer. I'd seen her pour some out on the dirt a couple times but I was honestly too preoccupied with Georgia's beautiful tan.

Lacy Overton was suspected of harboring an attraction to me so when I spotted her by the cooler of beer, I made a point to be close by and topless. A perk in good hard farm-work was a good hard physique. The two of us got chatting then making out, then I gave a glance back to check on Karen and she was gone, beer can on the ground. Drunk and revved up as I was, I snapped out of it and started calling Karen and looking everywhere. I snuck away from the crowd, drew a line around me in the dirt then took a charm I had around my neck and dangled It in front of me while I cast the spell. Once it was cast, I broke the circle and followed the charm on the strap of thin leather toward the road…

Karen was strolling a leisurely pace toward the farm. She had at some point acquired a bottle of water, likely at the tackle shop near where we were gathered since I'm sure no one there was planning to drink anything but beer. I was running full sprint so I slowed down to catch up to her. "You should have told me you were headed home." I scolded her.

"I'll be fine. Go enjoy the party." She suggested in a comforting tone.

"Lets stop somewhere and have McCoy come get us. It's a five mile walk from here." I suggested.

"I'll be fine. Go on back there." She repeated. "I just… all that underage drinking and… drugs." She whispered. "and the nudity." She said with eyes wide. "God I wish I had a body like that though." She said sheepishly then chuckled. I thought about that. Our dad, Colin Murphy was a cop. He was clear on right and wrong, with no ecceptions but I strayed hadn't i? I killed my mentor and first love and a demon. And now I was drunk under age and… I noticed for the first time I was only wearing my jeans and no shoes or shirt. The pentacle necklace on a thin silver chain and the leather strap with bronze charm that Karen had a twin to were all I had on my chest. I buttoned my pants back up and Karen stopped to watch me.

"I should be heading home any how. I won't wanna be around when they all get busted." I excused myself.

"We should call McCoy to come get us then." She laughed and we cut through a field to get to 'the apple critter', a small shop that sold everything apple. They'd have a phone to use and their apple fritters were so delicious, McCoy wouldn't be able to yell at me for running around missing half my clothes.

Chapter Three

I finished reading a gripping mystery novel and sighed with a heavy heart, then tossed it rather unceremoniously into the small cardboard box marked 'dun' on the corner of my desk. A squat man, approaching his 50's with the excess weight in his gut to suggest he had some good times along the way sidled over to my desk with a note and slapped it onto the desk in front of me.

"Hey, Ron, what you got for me?" I asked.

"Your sister says you got a knack for missing persons cases. She wanted me to pass this one to you." I read the name, address, and blurb about the case and reported immediately to a cute little two-story house in a nice neighborhood. There were two young trees in the yard a minivan in the driveway and basketball hoop mounted on the garage and quite well worn. The neighborhood was nice for a picture but felt cold and eerie. There were no ambient sounds of nature, neighbors mowing their lawns, or neighbors having excited conversations. Black magic does that to a place. People start getting agitated, then depressed, then suspicious, then out. It took a couple of rings for someone to answer the door.

"Monica?" I asked. She was holding a ball of tissues to her nose but letting her naked face rain down tears. "I'm Sergeant Harry Murphy with Chicago Police. May I come in?" she nodded jerkily. "I came to look around, and ask questions that might help me find your husband. That's who you reported missing, right?"

"Yes. Thank you. Please have a seat." She led me to her kitchen that had a definite cow theme. I sat at a lovely dining table and noticed how immaculate the space was.

"When did your husband go missing?"

"Today. He was here when I went to pick up the kids but he left."

"Uhuh, and why do you think he is missing?"

"He wouldn't just… I mean he took some things… he had been getting into weird things lately, he bought tarot cards, magic books, dried scorpions…" she pronounced tarot like miss Cleo, and passed me one of the aforementioned scorpions. All the pieces were falling into place.

"What happened that started all this interest in the occult?" I asked, using the word skeptics use to categorize the magical community, Goths, and hobbyists.

"He was laid off from his job with Silver Co. it's a trading company. He use to locate goods and tell businesses where to spend their money."

"And he was downsized?" I took notes on a little notebook with a picture of my sister being woken by an adorable but injured kitten licking her face on the cover. It was so cute it usually defused most situations with its cuteness. She didn't notice but she stopped crying as bad.

"Yes."

"So he gets into magic and then leaves? Nothing else happened?" she thought about it. Something did happen but she had an image of her husband she was obviously trying to preserve. She shook her head. I nodded. "Okay. Are there any friends or family he might be in contact with?"

"No all his friends were coworkers and he doesn't get along with his family."

"Anywhere he might go to stay?"

"Yes. We have a lake house." She wrote the address.

"I might want to investigate the lake house, is that okay?"

"Yes of course." She took a key off her chain; it had a landscape painted on it.

"What kind of car does he drive?"

"A black Acura MDX. And here is a picture of my husband."

"May I keep this?"

"Yes, please."

"Okay, I think I have what I need. I will call with any developments or if I need more information. In the mean time, please don't hesitate to call CPD ask for me. I will do everything I can to find your husband." I passed her my card.

"Thank you."

When I got back to CPD I quickly tagged and bagged the creepy little scorpion husk, then started calling hospitals and the morgue. It took longer than one would think it ought because of my issues with phones. Some numbers I had to call multiple times. I went hunting for my sister to invite her to have lunch at Mac's, an old time pub. I found her in the break room 'negotiating' with Narcotics. Special Investigations had apparently stumbled onto a new drug craze and Narcotics wanted to take over the case. Karen was 'patiently explaining' to them where they could take the case and 'file it.'

I could always tell when someone was about to take a surprise nap by the set of my big sister's shoulders. As they went away from her ears she was getting more upset. I strolled on in and pretended she wasn't actively having a conversation. "Lieutenant Murphy, sir, you have a message, sir." I saluted while clicking my heels together. No one looked amused but cops have good poker faces, because I'm hilarious and that's the only possibility. She told them she wasn't giving them 'the 3eye case' and followed me out. "What's the message?"

"Wanna go to Mac's for lunch?"

"Sorry, I want to but can't. I'm working through lunch to track this new lead."

"The 3 eye thing?" I asked using physical air quotes.

"Yeah, all those weird junkies that blew up that abandoned apartment claimed to see it collapse in a psychic vision, and figured, hey it's gonna go down eventually. One of them came down from the high and said he got a new drug that comes in test tubes and looks and tastes almost like absinthe only you get a real strong trip for almost 24 hours, and some people say they get psychic visions. Narcotics heard 'new drug' and came running."

"Want something? Chocolate cupcake with frosting and little pink sprinkles? Because I saw some at the bakery and now I want one."

"My mind is telling my no, but my tummy… my tummy is telling me yeah!" she said with a grin. I went to the bakery catty corner from the precinct and got a half dozen variously topped chocolate cupcakes, making sure there were little pink sprinkles on at least one.

After lunch I drove out to the Sells family lake house and snooped around. It looked inhabited, but there was no sign of Victor. I knocked on the door then let myself in. there were boxes from amazon and eBay with different items, a sturdy box from the liquor store, and a chemistry set on a nearby table. I walked around the house, noting the upstairs had a second living area that was accessible from the sliding glass door in back. It had furniture moved to the sides to make space but nothing was there. There wasn't an aura of black magic. Maybe he wasn't here after all.

I took pictures and went back to HQ. Clocked out and went the hell home. When I opened my back door my big grey tomcat Mister shoulder blocked me, nearly toppling me over on his way out the door. He had a wag in his tail that bore all the brag of a man about to get laid. About time some one of this household had. And along that thought, I had about an hour or so before my sister got home. Time to unwind.

Karen got back extra late; I was in my lab, or rather, the shed out back, when I heard her pull in on the Harley. My lab was an old but sturdy wooden shed with double doors, a window on the front left, a thing that looked like a metal saddle for the garden hose mounted at hand level on the right of the front, a concrete foundation, sturdy vaulted ceiling. It was a nice little shack. Grandpa Murphy built it for all his hobbies. He built in a table that wrapped around the back wall to the left wall and an island, then shelves and pegboard to hang tools along the right wall. There was a coat rack and Mom said the kids would pretend it was a little house so that's when he added the window complete with flower box. The porch was added at that time too.

I decorated a bit by adding a couch/bed, rug, 3 foot diameter tri-metal summoning circle, a tapestry, some additional shelves, a star wars poster, and a massive map of Chicago with lay lines marked with highlighter and color coded. Out of necessity, an old Arthurian chandelier lighted it; an iron circle with round candle dishes spaced evenly on it. This one had 5. I also had a number of old oil lamps. The lock on the second door didn't work so well so I boarded it shut permanently.

Karen came straight to the lab with a six-pack of Mac's Alaskan ale, and served me one and opened one for herself. We clinked bottles then had a swig before conversation could start. "No beer for me?" A skull on the table next to Karen asked. Karen rolled her eyes and put a beer next to Bob though he couldn't drink it.

"There, you big baby. Happy?" she asked.

"Certainly, milady." She clinked it then downed the rest before opening the next. "I love a girl who can drink. Less inhibitions." Bob wiggled his eyebrows at me.

"That bad a day huh? Still with the 3eye?" I asked.

"Yep. Things get worse. This new drug isn't from Marcone, which means an up-and-comer is about to start a territory dispute if I don't book them soon."

"Rough." I added to the conversation.

"You don't know the half of it. So what's brewing?"

"Escape potion." I told her.

"Love potion." Bob cheerfully replied at the same time. She arched a golden brow and the smug corner of her mouth.

"Bob wanted me to make it, doesn't mean I'll use it."

"And use of one may obligate use of the other." She snarked at me. "Say, Bob, you think its possible to make a drug or potion to give vanillas the sight?"

"Possible, yes, but highly difficult."

"How? Maybe I can pool some suspects based off the requirements, assuming of course that's what this is."

"What will you pay me?"

"Bob. Bob. You are the most intelligent and powerful being I have ever met. The only thing that is more impressive than your wit and cunning is your charm. How can I possibly offer any prize worthy of a spirit such as yourself?"

"Oh you're good. I want you to drink the love potion." He said frankly.

"NO" I protested. That would go over well.

"Take me for a ride-along. 24 hours." Bob negotiated.

"I remain in control, you just watch." Karen said.

"And feel, taste, and hear, yes?" Bob specified.

"Hmm, deal" she agreed. Bob chortled cheerily. Thunder crashed nearby, making us all jump then look at Bob.

"It wasn't me." He said defensively. We traded a look of skepticism. "Well first off, one would have to be a wizard to pull off the energy requirements. There are very few ways to achieve an effective potion at all with anything less. The next thing is access. It would require some rather abstract ingredients so access to magic markets. Thirdly, the potion would need to be made inside a circle because it will involve constant energy input."

"So what's the difference between what Harry makes and this guy's?"

"For starters, Harry. He is in the top 40 most powerful wizards in the WORLD meaning there are only about 39 mortal wizards in the world who can kick his butt. Next to consider is that his potions bring out what's already in the person drinking. This sight potion is imposing something from the wizard onto the mortal. He has to use the sight, imprint it into the intention of the potion, and then make it go. Very time and energy consuming."

"Can't they use one of those magic vending machines?" she asked.

"A spell from a book? That would involve outsourcing from the Nevernever, and is possible but dangerous. Hopefully they have the sense not to try it." Bob nodded.

"Okay, Bob you deserve it, come inside me." Karen said before recognizing the double meaning.

"I love a girl who drinks." Bob's eye lights floated out of the skull then into Karen's eye sockets. She covered her eyes then a second later blinked them open, and played with her boobs.

"BOB!" I protested.

"Nah, it's still me. But you gotta give the guy props some times." She smiled playfully as she took a swig. "I'll start asking around to see if there are any creepy newcomers in town." Karen jotted notes down then slapped the book on the table and downed the rest. "First, I'll let Neez know there's a talent in town who's giving plain folks the sight."

"You just miss talking to the old coot." I grumbled, pouring the potions into their respective bottles. "I'm going to check out this Victor sells missing person after this. Want to join me? I could use Bob's expertise."

Karen thought about it then asked what Bob got out of it. I went into my backpack and pulled out a porn Magazine. Karen snarled at it and shook her head then her demeanor became cheery and snatched the mag from my hands. "What are we waiting for, lets go!"

We felt a bit odd sneaking up on a house after hours and off the clock. The family lake house had a sort of energy at night of lust, violence, and fear. When I scanned it with my sight, it was made real by visions of purple light slithering over the surface. Victor's car was in the driveway, accompanied by next year's Eclipse ahead of production, a black Mercedes SLK-55, a limo, and a viper. I shook my head. Victor had some rich company over. Karen, being daddy's little girl was of course admiring the cars.

"Yeah, but he's obviously compensating for something." Bob added. "So how do you explain Harry's Blue Beetle?" Karen replied looking back down the driveway at where we parked it. It wasn't visible but she could picture it. I shushed them and led them around to the blind spot on the side of the house and Karen's demeanor became different. You wouldn't think she could but the pasty blond melded into the shadow effortlessly and made little to no noise despite the gravel. I had to use magic to achieve such a thing.

We came to a window just above my height. I stood on my toes and peered in then crouched again. I saw the interior with my sight; lusty, evil crawling things, eager to feed off the power inside and in turn fuel the emotions that created it. I turned to my sister where she crouched and was blinded by the vision of a fiery angel with a sword of pure light at her side. I closed the sight and rubbed my eyes. It wasn't them that perceived the vision but it was something to cope. I looked back at the slightly lighter patch of shadow and nodded toward the deck, and made a photographing gesture with my hands.

The light patch of shadow seemed to nod then pass me up the stairs light as a ninja and snapped a few photos and came back down. She was paler than usual and didn't make any motions or gestures or any form of communication, she just proceeded to the car. Once inside I asked her what happened. She still didn't want to speak. The silence was stifling. Suddenly she began to giggle uncontrollably and say oh at random, and then she slapped my arm rather hard, then chortled in a manor that couldn't have been her. It must have been Bob laughing all along.

"Bob? What happened?"

"What didn't happen? That guy Victor is into some strange sports! Oh and thaumaturgy. It looks like your boy was using an orgy to power his spell."

"That's thaumaturgy?"

"Sure, sure. Just like as above so below, as below so above." Karen nodded at me with a grin. Then Bob cocked her head to the side and frowned. "He looked like he was using a book so he's no wizard, but I wouldn't put it past him to be a practitioner." "He was plenty creepy though." Karen added. "And did you see that girl's tan lines? She was a tigress! A beautiful wild animal." Bob added. "Cut it out. I'll probably be thinking of that scene for weeks. 6 guys and 3 women only combine in so many ways. I feel violated." My sister shivered. It wasn't necessarily the thought. It was cold and the rain drenched us in our black clothes. At a stoplight I jumped out the car and grabbed a towel from my trunk (in the front of the car) to pass her. "Thanks" she said. "such a gentleman" Bob chortled.

As I pulled up to the house I could feel something was off. Bob too. Bob took the shed while I checked the house; nothing stolen, no wards down. Bob reported that the shed was violated but nothing seemed to be missing or tampered with. They were weakened by the rain so whoever came in barely felt more than a little resistance. "Karen, remember you can kick him out. If it's at night he can just find his skull from wherever… if its day he will burn to death."

"He's fine. I don't appreciate some things, but a deal is a deal. We can develop the film tomorrow. I need a bath." "Oh goodie!" "Don't make this weird!"

"Yeah, don't make voluntary possession by a century old perverted air spirit weird Bob."

"Goodnight Harry." "Goodnight, Harry" Bob and Karen bid me.

Chapter Four

The next day was enlightening. I brought the pictures to Monica; I couldn't help but notice as she acted surprised but didn't look it. "Okay Monica, what aren't you telling me? When exactly did Victor pick up magic?" Monica fidgeted with making tea, though I respectfully declined her offer for some. She took a while to answer.

"He was never a bad man, sergeant. He was worried about providing for us, my family can be… judgmental, and they never approved of Victor. He worked so hard, day and night; to give me as much as they could have… it would make him so frustrated. Some times he would lose his temper. But there were good times too. I thought maybe if we had children…" she looked to her stupid cow clock for reassurance then back down at the mesh egg on a chain she was spooning far too much tea into. "Billy was 4 when Victor started reading those books. He became obsessed with magic. He put locks on the attic and would hole up in it for hours. When he lost his job things got worse. When he got mad things would fly off the walls or catch fire. I would hear him up in the attic, talking to things. He would scream at us for no reason or start laughing uncontrollably."

"You never confronted him?" I got pretty upset myself, but when I got worked up things exploded. Then again I knew self-discipline from DuMorne, McCoy, and Tilly, the martial arts teacher who taught Karen and me when we came back to Chicago.

"No, God forgive me." She began to cry. I put a hand on her arm then finished making the tea for her to sit down with a cup, then sat across from her. "I had become so use to being quiet. Sometimes he would become so furious and he realized-"

"That he could touch other people's emotions too."

"And he noticed lust worked better than anger."

"Worked better for what?" she curled up tight and bit her lip. She stayed silent, embarrassed and afraid. When I moved to touch her arm she flinched. I wasn't getting any more out of her any more.

"Please understand he wasn't always bad. Sometimes I thought it was over, like I got my husband back. He found the Beckets, and started doing rituals at the lake house. They were old money, and had a grudge against Marcone. The other women are prostitutes and those men there are just some thugs."

"Thank you for your cooperation." I said in a hurry to leave and wash away the crazy.

I got back to HQ where City Police Commissioner Howard Fairweather was harassing my sister. His favorite thing to do between football seasons was give my sister impossible cases then yell at her for not solving them the next day. An optimistic man would think that was a compliment to her ability that he was so confident that she would solve it so quickly and be crestfallen if she hadn't. But we all knew it was because she arrested John Marcone but his lawyer won then threatened to sue if Karen wasn't reprimanded accordingly. She was transferred to SI with me. Through incredible skill, dedication, and a lot of awards and recommendations, she was put in charge before the end of the month. He didn't like that at all.

As I strolled by I heard him mention narcotics and rolled my eyes. "Oh please, it took 6 months for Narcotics to bust the old Varsity Club owners for drug trafficking and they knew who it was." Karen argued. "If we assume all the recent strange public disturbances were because of this new drug then it's only been around for a couple weeks. And I'm a lot closer to the answer now than a day ago. I've already compiled a suspect pool, and I would be out questioning suspects right now if you weren't wasting my time." Fairweather turned bright red.

"Listen here, you bitch, you think you can fool me, but I know what you're up to."

"What am I up to? 5 feet give or take an inch?" that was Bob. "Good clean police work?" that was Karen.

"Trying to brown nose an show off to take my job. How many people did you fuck to get all those awards and accommodations?" Surprisingly that didn't upset my sister any more than she already was.

"I just want to clean up all the crime that you let off the hook because they grease your palm a little. I don't care what desk or door they give me, you wont see me sitting on my ass behind them unless its paperwork day." Karen argued. Fairweather saw me at the door then brushed past.

"That's what were doing now? Arguing with commissioners?" I asked.

"Bob started it, but he won't say anything because I recorded the conversation. She lifted a microphone from the desk and I backed away like she held up a live snake. She closed the door in my face and I assume she powered everything down then came back out. "He called me the c word Harry… and a slut and a bull dyke. Calling me by my best feature then saying I sleep around with guys then saying I sleep around with women. Then saying I'm only a good cop to steal his job? Does he understand the words that come out of his mouth?"

"Maybe he was just going down the list of what to say to get sexual harassment charges." I suggested. "Well get this, Victor Sells is trying to make something. That's what the rituals are for additionally, his wife knew all along. She didn't give me any more than that. Oh yeah I need you and your computer skills to look up the Becket family. Marcone wronged them somehow, and now they are in with Sells."

"Karen." Ron Carmichael said as he rushed over with a file mostly full of photos.

"Damn." She swore with a smile. "Okay, I'll do this background check, then I got a stake out." She said as if it was a hot date. "We might have found a 3eye supplier." "Oh goodie" Bob chortled grinning widely.

"Greg and Helen Becket. Their daughter was shot during a gang war between the former mafia kingpin and some of Vargassi's men. Marcone never shot anybody, but was part of it." Karen recited from the file. She passed it to me and grabbed her jacket. "Do me a favor and bring some of Mac's fine cooking over when you get off work, please? And one beer. Just one." She made the bout to cry face at the notion of only drinking one beer but she was a professional.

"Absolutely." I nodded as she left me at my desk. Time to talk to some people. The folks I could make out from the photos. Tommy Tom, troubleshooter for Gentleman John Marcone, and Linda Randall, arrested for half the sex related offenses in the book. There was a blond left, most likely the other working lady Monica mentioned. And Linda had worked for Bianca, so two guesses whom the other girl worked for.

I felt a lot safer visiting Bianca in the daytime. She was a red court vampire, a creature of the night. Well it could have gone better. If I hadn't had the amulet my biological mother left me, I wouldn't have gotten out alive, or human. But now I had Linda and her friend Jennifer Stanton's contact information. I tried to contact Jenifer but she did not answer, then I called Linda with no luck again. I clocked out and stopped by Mac's before bringing a six-pack of his brown ale and three of his steak sandwiches to my big sis and her partner.

I had changed into blue jeans and a shirt that said 'Easter is canceled, we found the body.' and wore my favorite converse sneakers. They were the only shoes as long as my feet without being too wide. I passed each of them a beer and a sandwich then put my feet up on the center console, reaching the radio with my feet. I scooted back a bit so Carmichael could fix it. "Sorry."

"So, boss, Victor's house guests turned out to be working gals from Bianca's Velvet room, and the young looking gentleman was Tommy Tom. Maybe you can get on the computer to find out who the other guy was."

"Maybe." Karen said watching our orgy photo mystery man pull up in his early release Eclipse and drop off what looked like a cardboard box from the liquor store. He shook hands with a beefy looking brute and left without taking any money. The brute went back into the run down apartment with the box.

"Speak of the devil. Who's that?" I asked taking a bite then recording license plate numbers.

"Herbert Orson Caine: mugger, rapist, extortionist, and suspected drug dealer. He runs this apartment at the behest of a rich property owner." Karen explained, as she remained vigilant.

"He so rich, this place wouldn't look so crappy." Carmichael said with a disgusted tone.

"Well how are you gonna get rich if you spend it all?" Sis answered.

"Go ahead and scram Ron. I got this for a while." I offered Carmichael. He eyed me then my car then I passed him the keys to the Blue Beetle and he got out and took my car back to the precinct. "Bob, time's up."

"Awe."

"Go home, get back in your skull."

"Fine." "It was fun having a copilot actually. He's smart and knowledgeable too. Not just about magic." Karen said without looking at me. She called in the tags from the Mercedes now that Carmichael wasn't in the car, and returned "Mathew Lawrence, bodyguard for John Marcone. Fascinating." Thunder boomed and purple electricity slithered between clouds. I watched a couple looking at a sticky note stumble up to the building and verify it was it. They went inside so I got out and followed. I went up every floor looking for them until I came to the seventh. It was an awkward angle but I watched them pass the brute, Caine, a wad of cash then they each received test tubes of glowing bluish green liquid.

"Shit." I turned on my old battered radio and called "10-31, seventh floor. Couple bought 3eye." For Karen to back me up however she saw fit. I shut it off and jammed it in my back pocket then strode out of the stairway with my hands in my pockets and smiled and nodded to the couple that stashed their vials in the woman's purse. I went straight for Cain and knocked on the door. He peeked out while I looked shifty as possible, hoping he hadn't taken the stuff. Who knows how would have I looked to him? He opened the door and asked me what I wanted. "I heard you had something new I had to try."

"Who told you that?"

"Linda Randall." I threw the name out just because it was on my mind, no real reason.

"Nice little piece, ain't she? Not my type. I like the chase, you know?" he said. I figure he meant he didn't like them willing. The bastard.

"You can't pay for a legitimate chase." I tried not to show my contempt. He passed held up the vial and I fished into my back pocket.

"Money first big guy."

"I got it. I got it." I said, then I whipped out my cuffs and tugged his arm one way then spun him around me the other way letting myself be taken down onto him. I landed, knee on spine and wrestled his hand into position to cuff. He tried to fight so I twisted a little then wrestled the other arm to the back. He wasn't letting me put the cuffs on right so I gave up all that and just slapped them on. If he wanted a little comfort he could behave and ask the backup to fix them. I used my hand on his forehead and arm under an armpit to pull him into a kneeling position and advised him to lean back on me to stand up. He told me to go fuck myself. "Sure, but I'll wait till after I arrest you, thanks." I explained to him his rights and the charges then asked him if he understood, then I brought him down to be put in a squad car.

The crime lab showed up in minutes. I was asked a lot of questions; gratefully I slipped one of the vials into my pocket before the circus. When I got home I brought the stuff to Bob and noted the connection between Sells and the 3 eye. The Beckets and Sells must have met while Sells was working. They connected from their mutual hate for Marcone. But Bianca said Jenifer quit a long time ago, that she fell in love and Linda got a second job. Sells couldn't have met them as prostitutes. The two gangsters was the biggest quandary. How did Sells acquire two men so close to Marcone?

"Well, that's fairly obvious, he's a plant." Karen said as she entered the shed. "Tommy Tom was there to finger out who did it, then kill the competition."

"What makes you say that?"

"Caine was only charging 50 bucks a pop for each vial. Analysis showed a list of ingredients putting the value of it at 13 point something. Meaning at 37 bucks profit and I bet you Cain jacked it up by maybe half, at 15 bucks profit, he wasn't about to buy off any body from Marcone. There were only about 400 vials in the case, counting the two sold, the one Caine took, and the one you stole."

"Sorry sis." I said sheepishly half was in a small saucepan over a Bunsen burner while the rest was in the vial floating around in front of Bob. "But now we know the cases are connected."

"Give me more on Sells." My sister and I exchanged our notes until we were so tired we barely felt like leaving the shed, mostly because it had begun to pour outside. I pulled the folding bed out of the couch and took the bagged bedding set out from under a table. She helped me make the bed and hung her jacket by the door before rushing under the covers shivering. She jerked at the sound of the thunder.

"Awe is big sister scared of thunder?" I laughed.

"Just got an intense feeling like something awful is happening."

"Me too. But it could just be the storm… or normal Chicago crap." I got a sheet for myself, pushed her pile of blankets to her side and lay down.

"Normal. That would be great." She grumbled. There were pillowcases but no pillows so I fell asleep without.

Chapter Five

I woke up with a pillow, but it wasn't morning.

A few minutes until sunrise Karen's phone began ringing the song 'riding dirty' by Weird Al. I grumbled for her to grow up but she took her thigh from under my head then smothered me with it as she pulled her phone out the coat hanging by the bed and answered it. I escaped with my life but she put me in a leg lock while she calmly spoke on the phone. I felt my drool on her leg and got embarrassed. It was really warm there too. Strangling or not I wanted to go back to sleep in them. Once the call was over she gave me a flex that nearly doubled the size of the thigh muscles then let me go. "There was a double murder at the Madison Hotel last night."

"Hey sis, you still put your legs all over people in your sleep."

"So?"

"I hope you find a leg man some day. He'll love it." She snorted, we folded everything up into the couch, and then we changed, I into uniform, and Karen into a nice brown and burgundy lady suit. She brushed her hair while I drove. The scene was grim.

"The looooove suite." Carmichael dubbed it as he briefed us on the scene on our way up. He gave us some time to look around before speaking again. "What do you think Mister Man?"

"There are panties under the table, snapped clean off."

"Kinky."

"Not as kinky as how I woke up this morning." I grumbled as I found sleep in my eye.

"shut up!" Sis snapped from where she was standing by the bedroom door, closed, waiting for me to go in.

"I'll save you a bucket." Carmichael said solemnly as I moved toward the room.

I entered the room and started screaming in terror… in my head. On the outside I was calm, collected, looking at every detail of the room and the two bodies. Karen gave me a little time alone with the scene before entering as well. "So? What killed them?"

"Really good sex?" I suggested. Carmichael snorted, Karen fought a wolfish grin, but lost, so I laughed a little too. Bad idea. Carmichael saw my face and passed me the bucket in time for me to snag it, drop to my knees and vomit uncontrollably. Karen waited for a bit then left the room and came back with a hot wet towel and warm glass of water in each hand, and a bottle of water under an arm. Not to sound weak but I puke a lot. Weak constitution I guess. If I'm in a lot of pain, really disturbed or duh, sick, my body's first reaction is evacuate. Karen had been nursing me back to health since we could remember so we figured out a good puke recovery system. Hot water to rinse and gulp down to settle the stomach, and cold water because who drinks water hot? The towel was a nice gesture, since I couldn't use the bathroom without compromising potential evidence.

"All right Harry lets have it. What do you see happening here?"

"Black magic." I replied. Carmichael scoffed. I scowled up from my bucket, cleaned up then took everything and my bucket the hell out of the room. Karen took everything back and shoved it in Carmichael's arms then gave him the scram look. He scowled and skulked off to dispose of my puke. Heh. "Well they did the romantic rendezvous thing, danced a bit, and went to the bedroom, and then someone used thaumaturgy to rip their hearts out like voodoo. But they would have to be close to both victims, and a super powerful sorcerer to pull it off. I don't think even I could do this kind of thing without killing myself. The victims look kind of familiar."

"Jenifer Stanton and Tommy Tom." She said. I thought about it and recognized it. Jen had just cut her hair and dyed it light brown. Karen eyed the door, and then looked around the room looking sicker by the second. "Lets get out of here." I nodded emphatically then followed her out. She gave a go-ahead nod to the forensics team and though they gave her disapproving looks as she passed, they obeyed without a word. One of them caught me glaring at him as he gave my sister a particularly nasty look. I joined her in waiting for the elevator.

"You look tired." I said in a whisper.

"I am." She answered. We got into the elevator in silence then she relaxed a bit. "We could have prevented this. And those guys look at us like were kooks."

"How were we to know they were going to die? We cant even be sure who killed them yet." I thought about the kook bit. "Its sad but there's no way short of a crazy preternatural phenomena happening before their eyes that will make them believe us about these things. We just gotta build a thicker skin about it."

"They did this to Dad too. And Mort."

"Yeah, I remember. Sorry I was learning to be crazy while you had to go through… all that..." I said in a low voice.

"Those ass holes locked him up, sent him to a psych ward, then fired him. He had to fight to get retirement. No one is going to believe some creep kidnapper was crawling on walls and spitting caustic phlegm at innocent bystanders, and all those witnesses were too scared to say shit, they just let dad take the heat."

"That's why you lie on all the reports. Make them look normal. So what do you want me to do here boss?"

"Check out the spell. Figure out if this was Sells, Marcone, or Bianca's work. I'll to regular police work, meet you in the middle. Don't talk to Marcone or Bianca yet."

"Hell no. I barely got out alive last time." I said. She thumbed the 1st floor button to open the doors. I said thanks and ditched the elevator and bolted into the fresh Chicago air, and a big red haired linebacker in a nice suit.

"Pardon me sir." "Get in the car." "I like to walk, good for my heart." "Not getting into the car will be bad for your legs." The man growled. The sound was just like Cujo from the movie. The car in question rolled down its rear window and a man peeked out. "Mister Hendricks, please, be more polite. Sergeant Murphy, may we have a word please? I'll give you a lift back to the police station." I sighed and got in the car. "How could I refuse a ride from Gentleman John Marcone?"

I took note of a couple of things, first Marcone was more a handsome older neighbor than a mob boss, and two, our good friend Mr. Lawrence was in the car. I eyed the gimpy looking man and he seemed to catch on that I knew something about him. "Sergeant Murphy, I understand the local authorities have assigned you and your sister to the murder of my associate."

"They throw the occasional tidbit my way. What's it to you?" I asked trying to sound board.

"I want you to quit. I intend to handle his murder in-house, and I'd like you and your little sister to stay out of it." I don't take kindly to folks talking that way to me or about Murphy.

"Were twins; she's the older one actually. People always assume I'm joking and laugh when I say that." Not Marcone. "You know as well as I do, I have no say so in how cases are dealt with. Why don't you make an offer to Fairweather? He would be all over himself to please you Marcone." I drawled. "Hey gimpy, been to any crazy parties lately?" I asked Lawrence. He looked frightened for a sec then scowled at me.

"And if I pay? Double your salary say." Marcone looked unaffected.

"No." I growled.

"Integrity. I admire that in an adversary. And I could use a man with your talents." Marcone played it cool so I tried to.

"It's not going to happen. You take too many shots to the head?" I replied. Marcone scowled then relaxed his face.

"A little advice Sergeant Murphy?" he asked

"Long as you don't charge for it." I drawled in better control of myself now.

"No this advice comes free. You should be more polite-" he began. I heard this one.

"Costs you nothing, and you can get anything with it. Yeah, my dad use to tell me that." I rolled my eyes.

"Never stuck, did it?" he shook his head. "I won't push, but I would appreciate it. And do be careful, Sergeant Murphy." Marcone warned me as non-threatening a mob boss could make the phrase. He left me at CPD so I rushed to my desk and called my sis with the info I just got off Marcone. I hung up then started writing my observations down before I forgot or corrupted them.

"Hello Harry." A sultry voice murmured from behind me at my lopsided old desk. I turned to watch Susan Rodriguez sit on the corner of my desk and cross her long tanned legs. I wiped the drool discretely from my mouth and continued the paperwork.

"How are you Susan?"

"Quite well, now. I wish you had gone to Missouri with me, it was quite the show."

"I saw the commercial. It'll be sure to boost record sales and web traffic." I said as I stood and pulled my uniform pant legs down. When I sat my pants would become capris. It was embarrassing but I was the better part of 7 feet so it came with the territory. Susan murmured a sexy laugh.

"Man, you and your sister are a paranormal phenomena on your own. One is short and stocky and the other is tall and lanky."

"My sister isn't stocky, she just never takes off the Kevlar. Once she forgot to take it off until she was bout to take a shower… the next morning." I said. Susan laughed.

"You live together?"

"We'd been roommates for 20 years already, why mess with a good thing?"

"Privacy… dating..." Susan came close to me, "Sex." then a computer nearby shorted out. There was a reason I was exiled to my corner of the office floor: no electronics. Carmichael kicked his desk then scowled at me. I cleared my desk and grabbed my cover and left before the Tech guys came and assaulted me.

"I heard you found a new drug 3eye, and took out two suppliers while I was gone." She persisted with her sneaky interview by way of casual sounding conversation until the bottom of the stairs where we bumped into my sister. "Karen."

"Susan. You aren't trying to use your feminine wiles to manipulate my brother again are you?" my big sis always overprotective. Susan was right about us being odd but she didn't know we weren't related. There was a study on fraternal and identical twins that showed they had an unconscious secret language they developed from just being together every waking moment of development. She was born on summer's solstice, and I was born on autumn's but growing up together from the day I was born we had the same thing. But the knowledge that we weren't blood relatives would make our living arrangement seem weirder if you ask me. I mean, we grew up together, but over a four year chunk of our lives we saw each other a collective 15 days. During those years I was learning magic and Karen was doing everything from martial arts to volunteering at the police station just to keep from coming home to an abusive manipulative wizard foster parent and his nasty hurtful magic experiments. Not to mention the two kids being taught by him. We both changed a lot in those 4 years. We clung to the fact that we were raised together, but we grew apart. There was no helping the mild fear of me that she carried with her since then, or the awkward over-consciousness of each other.

"Jealous that your little brother is so popular while you aren't" Susan suggested.

"I'm in charge. I'm not supposed to be popular. By the way, sergeant, I brought your clown car back, its in visitor parking."

"Thanks, boss." I said with a grin.

"That's right. I'm the boss." She said with a dazzling smile. I wish I were cute like my sister. She had big blue eyes mine were brown, golden curls while my hair was brown, a pert little nose while mine was long and hawkish. I guess I was attractive though. Susan seemed interested in me. Karen got into the elevator and went up. She stuck out her tong to the side and snarled while crossing her eyes the last second so Susan and I were the only ones to spot the hideous monster face. We stifled our laughter until we made it outside.

"You two are so cute." Susan said. "How does that work? I thought family couldn't work the same precinct."

"She promised to bully me and make life hell, so they let it go." I shrugged.

"Say, Harry… what are you doing Saturday night?"

"Hopefully not a stakeout. I sit in for guys who have love lives some times… next time I should sit in on the date and not the stakeout." I said pensively. She laughed. It did interesting things to her chest.

"Why don't you and I go out for dinner Saturday?"

"Oh yeah?" I thought about it. This wasn't a clever ploy to extract information through my libido was it? Because, if it was it would work. "Sure. What time?"

"9? And dress up. I want to see you in something other than black on black." She eyed me as she turned and left with an added swish in her hips. "Not that it doesn't look good on you; what woman can resist a man in uniform?" I sighed happily as I hopped in the car and headed home to work in my lab. After beating the concept to death I understood how powerful of magic this spell was and how it wasn't going to be done lightly. To take a break I decided to contact Linda Randall.

"Beckets' this is Linda." She answered.

"Oh? Linda Randall?" she answered the phone Becket, she must be their maid, or driver, or something. Things were clicking now.

"Mhmm, who's this?" oh did her voice sound delicious. It made me blush, thinking of the photos we developed.

"Harry Murphy, I'm investigating the disappearance of a businessman named Victor Sells, I was told you may have seen him after the disappearance. Might I ask you a few questions?" she paused.

"No." she hung up. That's fine; I heard the airport announcement in the background. I went to O'Hare.

I parked then went to the payphones by the waiting cars and dialed Linda again. She picked up but when I said it was me she hung up. That was still fine; I saw which car she was in. I strode over to her window then knocked on it. She eyed my uniform then smiled and came out. "Harry, I presume." She lit a cigarette then tossed the lighter into the car. "I like a guy who just won't quit." She eyes my pants for an uncomfortable amount of time then cocked her head to the side and looked up to my face. "look I can't talk about it here okay? I don't want to be seen with a cop either."

"I get it, I get it. Look." I wrote my number and address on the back of my card, passed it to her then put my hands up in retreat. If you do wish to talk you can contact me this way. The sooner the safer. Two of your associates are already dead. I don't want anyone else harmed."

"Who. What are you talking about?"

"Tommy Tom and Jenifer Randal." She gasped and held her stomach.

"How?"

"Black magic." I said shrugging. "I can protect you." She scoffed. I tipped my hat and left her. It was rude but I didn't want to risk someone seeing us together just in case.

Chapter Six

Sis didn't come home on time, which didn't alert me since she had a murder, a new drug and a mob boss to worry about. I decided to head back to the lake house and chat with some informants, aka dewdrop fairies. While around I found a film canister and the fairy told me about the sports and pizza. Fairies love pizza. Morgan, a warden of the white council was around investigating me apparently but I got away since he didn't have a case. I figured if my sis called the council about black magic they would come gunning for me. We cops do the same thing. If there's a crime we look at repeat offenders first. If only wizards did arrests and trials. We sure as hell did executions.

When I got home my hairs stood on end. I took a look around the yard, shield bracelet (a trinket I made with protective charms on a chain around my wrist) at the ready, but honestly I was not prepared for the attack I got. A baseball bat nailed me on the back of my knees then the back of my head, and then the attacker warned me in a gruff voice to mind my own business.

My sister had been curled up on the couch with a towel around her head in the CPD shirt she stole from our father and wore as pajamas since age 8. It was worn so thin that despite being black it was nearly see through and the front came half way to her knees, though the back barely came low enough to maintain decency. She wore yoga pants to compensate. She was fast asleep with her documents neatly piled on the coffee table and a notebook filled with notes. When I came in she awoke in time to catch me in my fall.

"Who did this to you?" Karen asked as she supported me to my room. She kicked the door open and flopped me onto the bed. The phone rang by my ear so I grabbed it and growled into it. "Give me the phone, Harry!"

"'Lo?" I answered

"Harry Murphy?" a voice purred.

"That's me."

"Its Linda. May I come over? I'm scared." She really did sound scared as opposed to the sex kitten she sounded like the last time we spoke.

"Um… I think its fine now." I answered. Karen lifted an eyebrow then shook her head and stripped my uniform of me and tucked me in.

"Thank you. I'll be there in half an hour."

"Who's coming?" Karen asked.

I hung up and giggled "Linda Randall." She checked me for a concussion, gave me painkillers and water then put a cold wet towel on my neck. She checked my head for a temperature while carefully avoiding the goose egg. The towel came undone so she took it off revealing a punkie hair cut with the front still about an inch longer than her shoulders fading to nearly finger length in the back, and dyed dark brown. "Who are you?" I asked. She smirked, touching the new style then looked upset again.

"I'll get that son of a bitch when you get a chance to tell me who it was." She cupped my face with both hot rough little hands and put her forehead against mine.

"Sis. Remember all the times you played nurse and gave me soup and OJ? And did all this?" I weakly gestured at the cool compress and glass of water on the table. She smiled, kissed my forehead and left my room. "I think we should get you a costume."

"You would, pervert." She responded. I heard her bustling about in her room and blearily recognized her passing by to check on me on her way to answer a soft knock on the door. She had blue jeans and a white tank top and her milky skin and blue eyes looked pretty nice with the dark hair. She really looked like she could be my baby sister like that.

"Um, is this Harry Murphy's house?" Linda's velvety voice vibrated to my ears.

"You Linda?" Karen's voice sounded about 10 years younger than she was.

"Yes." Linda purred, giving my scrambled brain all kinds of interesting thoughts.

"Please." Karen didn't invite her in and I doubt she made any more a gesture than stepping out the doorway. I could hear rain pattering against the window and spattering outside through the open door, then the distant rumble of thunder.

"STORMS!" I jumped up too fast then fell back down with a thud. I heard my sister swear then run to the room to put me back in bed. Linda stood in the doorframe in a bright red low cut shirt and denim short shorts with black strappy heels. Her hair was a little frizzy from the humidity and had a crease from the bun she had to wear for work but elsewise waived sensually around her face. She smiled with her heavy eyeliner and ruby red lips, looking me over. I had a two pack from just working and practicing with my sister, and not much fat from my ridiculous metabolism that was likely a wizard thing because I'd never seen a heavy wizard. All in all, I doubt she disapproved.

In my tighty whities I had a certain… any way, Karen grabbed a black shirt and black jeans from the foot of my bed and threw them in my lap which I quickly dawned and stuffed my feet in my convers sneakers then came out yawning to sit with Linda in the living room. She was looking at the case files and shook her head. We always made the real case first then made the official report when it was all solved so she was reading things like black magic, suspected use of demonic power and lust batteries.

"I think the storms are supplementing the spells as well, aren't they?" I asked Linda

"Yes. This is ridiculous, why do you believe in any of this?"

"I'm a wizard."

"Named Harry? So who are you, Hermione?" she asked Karen as Karen passed her a cup of tea from a tray with antique teapot and modern big round teacups.

"I'm Ron." Karen corrected her as she smiled at me passing me my cup of tea. Karen had too many varieties but they were all really good. This one was peppermint, one of my favorites. She made a big pitcher of it with a can of peaches and brown as well as white sugar in it during the hot part of summer. There was a boy who mowed everyone's lawn who she would bring some to when she brought out his pay. Mom would somehow add cucumber to her big pitcher of peppermint tea but it didn't make it gross as that sounds.

"Oh, you're his big sister." To our surprised faces she smirked. "I got a big sis. She's my best friend and bully, and she would do anything for me but also beat me up if I ever disappointed her. And I would do the same for her."

"Monica." I whispered. Linda looked surprised. "I get it. Victor met the Beckets through you."

"I quit my job and got one as a driver so I had more regular hours. That way I could watch the kids while…"

"But Monica didn't want to do it any more so you switched, and then you brought in the Beckets." She nodded. "So how did he meet Marcone's guys?"

"My ex. I brought her in on it too. She brought in her new man, and the beckets had an inside guy they brought along."

"Lawrence." Karen frowned and looked into her cup all curled up on the couch beside me.

"You're free to stay here miss Randall. I put up wards that protect everyone inside from outside magic like tracking spells and other thaumaturgy. Stay in my bed, I'll stay in my lab."

"To hell you will. I'll stay in the lab. You got targeted too. It was probably Marcone sending a thug to threaten you."

I shook m head slowly. "You treat him like a normal Mafioso. He's above sending messages like that. He warns you then you die. No I bet Lawrence did it on his own. I let him know that I knew this morning remember?"

Linda groaned. "Oh god that's why. Victor said I was trying to sabotage the operation talking to the cops. I mean I had sent a photographer and the idiot ordered pizza delivery but there was no way they could have linked him to the cops or me. I just wanted some dirt to blackmail him into letting Monica go. She wanted a divorce ever since he made the 3eye." Linda shivered then sipped more tea.

I thought of the canister of film from the lake house and giggled into my cup, still a little loopy then cleared my throat. "Okay, stay here. I'll be back. I gotta get some things from the lab that might help. He he." I stopped myself from bursting into giggles again. "Karen can we get a warrant for Sells on what we got?"

"Possibly. I'll call it in and finish up my official report and email it in. don't come in my room for a while."

"Because that would be weird." I replied with another cut off giggle.

"Is he okay?" Linda asked frightfully.

"Mildly concussed and all that magic seems to scramble the brain." Karen made a spinning motion with a finger pointed at her head. I returned with Bob, some charms, a copper wire circle that I curled in like a car window screen, and some candles. Karen and I cleared out the living room so we could put the copper circle on the floor and placed the candles around it.

"What's that supposed to be?"

"A panic room." Karen answered. "Harry can put you in it to protect you from anything the house isn't strong enough to." Karen gathered her notes and vanished into her room with the door shut

"Inevitably the power will go out. That's what the candles are for. I wreck electronics." I explained to Linda as I refreshed her tea.

"The charms?"

"If you go through the door without one you'll essentially be tazed from all sides. Karen was in the door frame when you came in so it didn't try but if she was a foot one way or the other you would still be unconscious and out in the rain right now." I explained as I plucked a wayward hair from her head and tied it onto the charm, poured some will into it and tied the leather strap onto her arm. "I better go get your sister too."

"She isn't involved. Besides Victor would never…" She spared a glance up at the ceiling trying not to cry. "Why am I still like this? He was the one who killed Jenifer and Tom." She looked at her tea as she sipped it. "Thank you."

"It's my job." I smiled at her. She leaned in and before I knew it we were on the floor where I was kneeling to tie the charm on her. Linda's kiss was more than passionate; it was practiced and explorative, searching for a compatible kiss with my habitual one. We found a middle ground and breathed heavily into it so we didn't have to stop. I held her head and tasted the peppermint on her breath and she ran her hands up my abs and chest to my neck and back down. We were facing each other on our knees kissing, not knowing what else to do, nor wanting to end it. I trailed my hands down her narrow back and felt the soft skin tight fabric, noting a complete lack of bra, which I wanted to explore further.

I almost tore her shirt off, but realized we were in the living room. I broke off the kiss then stood up, helping her stand. "Go get some sleep."

"Join me?"

"Uh… maybe later." I answered. Really I was about to dive right in but there was work to do. Karen came out of her room the same time I was closing my door. "Luck?"

"Well I did it, we won't know till morning. Guess who already has a warrant we can pursue in the mean time?"

"Gimpy?"

"If that means Lawrence, then yes." She shot me that defiant dazzling smile and we threw on our coats. They both were black canvas though mine was a duster with a mantle that came down to my elbows, and hers was more like a thin pea coat that was extra long and narrow. She clipped her bangs back out of her face and grabbed her own keys. "he should be at the new Varsity club tonight." She said crossing the car for the driver's side.

When we got there we went in like pros. I made the doors fly off the hinges outward shielding Karen and me from them, and then made the rain into fog that rolled into the club from outside. "Showboat." I heard my sister mumble. As I entered I pointedly melted the jukebox inward on it's self and caused the light bulbs to explode with angry sparks.

"Little pig, little pig, let me in!" I said loud and darkly. Karen began evacuating people behind me and I smote my staff on the ground and produced a blue light that seemed to eliminate most colors from the room, making us look like a heavily inked comic more than reality. Once the bystanders were gone Karen did the legal announcements, I simplified things.

"Lawrence; you thought you could hook up with a sorcerer and muscle your own boss out of the drug trafficking business, beat me with a bat, then worse of all, kill Jenifer Stanton and Tommy Tom?" I laid it all out in front of Marcone. "You probably realized Tommy was going to finger you as the 3eye mole." I finished. He tried to deny it and escape at the same time. "Ventas adferte!" I shouted calling a wind to tear Gimpy away from Marcone and his possible escape and to my feet. "Ducite eum!" Gimpy snapped into the final prone position with wrists back to back with each other behind his back so Karen could easily cuff him then pull him to his feet and drag him out.

"Marcone regarded the entire transaction with his cold money colored eyes then sighed. "You have a singular manor of accomplishing things." He steepled his fingers "we seem to share a common enemy."

"We'll get him…" I began to say, but it didn't hurt to get a little insurance. "His name is Victor Sells. He has been manufacturing the 3eye and Lawrence had been sabotaging your drug supplies then replacing them with 3 eye."

"Indeed. My plant in the university apartments told me you arrested Caine before she could take him out. You know he will just be freed in a matter of time."

"Everyone deserves the chance to learn from their mistakes." I shrugged.

"Well, it seems the Varsity has seen it's last crowd." He said as he stood and prepared to exit. "It's unfortunate you chose such a public forum for your arrest. However much I respect you, I can not allow this infringement to go unreconciled." He said as he left. Gulp.

While processing Gimpy, I felt a tickle on my neck like something was about to attack me. It led me to the SI office. Karen went in, gun drawn, slow and quiet. The officers on duty were startled but when my desk drawer began to rattle they quickly drew on it too. It exploded outward letting the scorpion, now the size of a small house cat, out to skitter around the office. We wouldn't be able to shoot the thing. I shot it with the force of my ring as it lunged for a nearby officer, a cute young one named O'Toole who's uncle was also in SI but only Karen and I knew they were related. By the time it lunged for me I realized it had become bigger than Mister, who could pass as a small mountain lion. Karen took a shot once I fell backward, nailing it center mass, but not killing it. Green mucus leaked instead of blood, leaving a trail to where it hid.

We all fanned out and closed in on it, but when it hopped onto the desk showing it had yet again doubled in size we retreated one at a time until it was just the scorpion and me with Karen in the doorway beckoning me to make a move. Against her pleas I focused on the scorpion and conjured fire within him. He became enraged by the pain and lunged for me. Karen shot it 3 times in the head causing it to erupt with chunks of exoskeleton and green pudding all over the office.

Chapter Seven

Needless to say we had a lot of damage control and cleaning to do. Afterwards Karen stayed at the precinct while I went home. When I got to the house I noticed Linda had left but I was sure she went to her sister's. It's what I would do in her situation. I called her to make sure, her end of the line was a little fuzzy but she said she was fine. I showered then flopped into my bed closing my eyes for what felt like a second then awoke to the phone ringing by my ear again. "Muff what," I said, half my face immobilized by the pillow.

"So Gimpy is in his cell all alone last night and the video camera shorts out a while. Next thing you know he's on the floor, heart puree all over the bars and ceiling." My sister told me on the other end.

"You kidding me?"

"Best part; I'm taking the heat since there are 4 unaccounted discharges and no assailant's body. Only other dead anything on the same floor was Gimpy."

"That's messed up. Are they arresting you? Need me to do anything?"

"Nothing that bad yet. There's no proof and everyone is telling the same story. I need you to get some shut eye, check on that warrant on Sells, and then catch the bastard."

"So quick and decisive. Victor knows were onto him. Its gotta be." I grumbled back loudly. I rolled out of bed wearing my Murphy family reunion shirt from this year's reunion. It was black with a green rubbery print saying Clan Murphy Annual across the top then 'brave and hospitable' across the bottom with a shield under a medieval helmet on a grinning skull with a plume of scrolling curling feathers from behind the helmet. On the shield were dueling serpents and 3 crossed spears pointing at each serpent and the third pointing up. Gauntlets and femurs flanked the bottom of the shield. I got the general impression of a 90s death metal band looking at it, but admittedly it did look cool.

"Could be. That's why we got to move now. Well I'll be home soon. Who knows if I'll still be a cop when I get there." There was a wave of power that washed over me as the sun set. There wasn't much time. The sky rumbled from the storm that approached, and I felt even more dread of impending doom. Thunder struck loud, then the sound of rain drowned out a farther thunderclap.

"I'm headed to the lab. Good luck." I told her. She groaned then hung up. As I closed the Lab door behind me I heard a popping sound similar to throwing ice on hot oil. The wall to my lab melted then I got a view of a thing that only generally resembled a man, but he crouched down and spat another coat of acid on the wall, melting what remained away so he could impose himself against the threshold. I jumped into the circle and hoped my coat, warded to shrug off magic and bullets, would also deflect corrosive demon spit. I grabbed the bottle of escape potion from the table and downed it thinking of somewhere far away. The creature pressed against the barrier and eased into the shed. I closed the circle so he couldn't attack then I stood like an idiot with my eyes closed for a minute before realizing it wasn't going to work.

Normally I would panic, but I felt good. I felt clear. I raised my hand, broke the circle then blew the monster into the back wall of the house. I shielded myself and moved into the house. It stood just outside the door waiting. The threshold on the old Murphy house was far more formidable than the little shed. Bob whistled from behind me wearing the impression of a grin. "So YOU took the love potion?"

"LOVE!? Bob!"

"Don't blame me."

"I don't get it, what happened to the escape potion? Oh crap. The break in the other night. Oh crap… I gotta restrain myself." I ran to my sister's room and raided it for her spare cuffs and keys. I threw the keys away from myself and began to cuff myself to the bed. Then there was a scream and a pounding on the front door. Crap what day was today? What time was it? Then I heard the door scratch then open then my sister's voice urging Susan into the house before slamming the door.

"Harry? Oh god he's not in his room. The lab was destroyed. Harry?"

"I'm in here but don't come in." I answered. She opened the door and cocked her head to the side.

"Why are you chained to my bed?" she looked so cute in her long coat, black retro waist pencil skirt, and pearl blouse that she kept hanging in her office in case she suddenly had to look good for something. With her new hairstyle hanging over one eye, frizzy and messed up, she somehow managed sexy and adorable without being creepy.

"I always liked your hair a little messed up. I want to mess it up more." I said lifting my hips off the bed.

"What are you talking about?" she demanded, eyes still a bit wide from panic.

"Don't come any closer, I don't know what I'll do to you." I growled.

"Why? What happened?"

I licked my lips and pushed by hips in the air with my head craning back like it hurt to sit still. "I took the love potion,"

"I get it." Karen said combing her hair with her fingers. She blushed then came to the bed. "Susan is here, but there's a demon outside. He spat something at us that burned Susan's arm. It melted my hedges. What if he spits on the house?"

"The wards will protect us until sunrise, so you have me all night with no distractions." I struggled to get closer to her and looked her in the eyes, unafraid of a soul gaze. Karen was my first soul gaze. I'll never forget the angel I saw in the vision, or the fiery warrior of purity I saw with my sight; so pure and clean… "I want to make you filthy."

"We need to go Harry." She demanded. "The burn on Susan's arm looks bad. She might be in shock."

"Damn it." I did some breathing exercises I figured would calm me down. I've been at odds against my libido for years. After some focus I recited "Resera" unlocking the cuffs. I was so relieved to be free I wanted to celebrate. I grabbed Karen and pulled her into the bed with me, moving my body up and down hers. Kissing her neck, then the hand she blocked my face with.

"Holy Mjolnir. Is that your?" she looked down at the bulge I had pressed against her thigh. She squirmed to get away from me then ran to the living room where I followed after her, skipping. Susan was on the floor with a cold wet towel pressed against her forearm in a little black dress that showed a lot of leg and back. The long sleeve was dissolved and spattered with holes as well as the side of the dress, showing that she wasn't wearing anything underneath. Damn near cornered, Karen went to Susan's side then put on her sweetest most seductive voice. "Harry. Susan and I are ready, but that demon outside might interrupt. If you get rid of him there won't be any more distractions. The three of us can have a real good time." Karen said from Susan's side.

Bob's eyes grew large and he jerked his gaze back to me from being fixed on Susan. He nodded emphatically. I concurred. "Okay, ladies. Get good and ready for me. It won't take long at all." I dashed boldly out the back door to the water hose and turned it on, then brought the head to the sidewalk behind the house from kitchen to shed. The walkway would quickly flood then the demon would be grounded by it. Only he wasn't coming close to me. Crap. I got impatient; there were two sexy ladies on my living room floor playing with each other waiting for me to join. The thought gave me strength. I shut the water off and he crept closer to me. I felt the electricity in the air and faced the demon, he spat at me, I dodged effortlessly, and then spotted my staff in the wreckage of my shed. I grabbed it then raised it to channel the storm's energy. Just as the creature came within reach I called "Fulmino" and grabbed his face collecting a lightning bolt and channeling it into him.

The next thing I recall was my sister fussing over bringing me inside and arguing with Morgan who was insisting the demon was summoned by me to kill him. Then I recall Karen grabbing the keys and Susan then leaving. Bob chortled away. "Not even a kiss goodbye. Some thank you would have been nice. Oh. I bet you're still feeling it huh?"

"I think the lightning helped." I groaned from the floor.

"Oh. Then I guess you won't want to know about Karen in the bath. Hmm? When I possessed her?"

"Yes, I would." I said perking up a bit. I found out a few interesting things about Karen that I think I would have rushed to explore had it been five minutes earlier but now I was regaining clarity. Susan probably won't talk to me ever again. Once I got the cogs rolling again I figured it was imperative I struck now. Linda and her sister could be the next targets. I hopped in the blue beetle and tore out after Victor's house. I didn't bother being sneaky this time; I wanted him to know I was there. "You pays your money, you takes your chances." I went around to the back and blew the sliding glass window out just like at the varsity. Wind kicked up as I entered.

A dead rabbit, heart gouged out with a spoon, lay on the table before Victor, a familiar pillow case tied around it's body. The spell to remove me must have failed since I never had the chance to use the pillowcase. Another thing the intruder had stolen. In the circle beside him, the Beckets writhed together almost oblivious to their surroundings. The wind I kicked up continued to knock over odds and ends and lamps, and made my duster flap like batman's cape.

"You!" Victor bellowed in a pretty good villain impression.

"ME!" I retorted, a manic little grin spreading across my face. I plucked a framed photo of the Sells family; mom, dad, daughter, and little brother, out of the torrent of knickknacks swirling around the room, and threw it at the 'Manage a trouble,' breaking the circle and letting the power scatter into the air. Victor and I were thrown away from the building energies, and the copulating couple exploded apart from each other, and went rolling the other direction.

"You bastard!" Victor screamed as he lifted a fireball in his hand and threw it at me. I lifted my arm and muttered a spell to deflect the fireball and looked over to see the Beckets flee. Sells was too focused on slinging fire at me, lighting his own house up around himself. I ran for him, and tackled him to the ground then kneed him in the junk. He hissed, "scorpis-scorpis-scorpis!" and the dried husks of scorpions from a cracked open bone tube on the floor began to move, and free themselves from the debris.

I scuttled away into the kitchen and hid, but after a short breath, the growing brown scorpions found me. I was sweating from the irrational fear of fire I'd harbored since I was 11. Fire and demons are kind of emotional triggers for me. I half jumped out my skin when a broom fell on me, then laughed at myself. "pulitas, pulitas!" I said to the broom, half shaking it like it was supposed to do something and I was mad that it hadn't, but then it shook all on it's own, and began to sweep when I let it go. It swept the scorpions down to the bottom floor. Victor shot it with a fireball, and its splinters joined the cyclone of wind and energy in the house

"Cute trick Sergeant Murphy, but pathetic. There is no way for you to survive this."

"What the fire? That's the first thing us real wizards learn. Takes maybe a week or two, then we move on." I figured he felt pretty awesome slinging magic around. His lack of family might have been pretty powerful too, but they weren't around to teach him, he learned from a book. He thought he was special.

"Who's the real wizard here? Who's cowering in a kitchen while the other has all the cards? You're nothing Sergeant Murphy. A loser! Look around you! You're in the jungle, now. Survival of the fittest!"

"Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks!" I interrupted his monologue. "The white council knows what you've done, Vick. You DO know about the white Council right? You want to do whatever you like, but there are laws, even for wizards, and you broke the first law of magic! They're coming for ya Vick."

"You're lying!"

"Maybe. But I told John Marcone all about you too. He didn't appreciate what you did to Tommy and Gimpy."

"You son of a bitch!" He screamed at me. I threw my head back and laughed realizing the ceiling was cracking. "Kalshazzak," he began to chant. Thunder seemed to crack inside the room with us, and the air filled with the smell of brimstone. "Kalshazzak," he repeated, raising his voice, then he turned to "kalshazzak," he began to snicker. "See? Only the strong survive! And the weak are torn to pieces!" he screamed but he was the weak one.

"Kalshazzak, kalshazzak," I said as the toad demon approached me. He stopped cold then turned his eyes on Victor.

"What are you doing? Kill him!" Victor screamed at the toad demon, but it licked its lips and moved toward him. Victor went pale and ran for the door, but I used my wind spell to throw the door shut in Victor's face. He reeled then looked at me.

"You really are naive. The fourth law forbids the binding of any creature to your will. So I broke your hold on him." He was visibly afraid. I nodded at him. "It's free. And it looks hungry." The Demon howled in pleasure. I heard the sirens, saw the flashing lights, and watched the Toad demon kill Victor. It occurred to me only when the man was gone that I should have left too. I looked around for my escape then back at the Toad Demon. Fuck it.

I leapt through a nearby window and rolled away from the crumbling building then went to the squad cars. Out of the house, exploded the toad demon. He landed atop one of the squad cars then bellowed a frightening howl. He grabbed the nearest cop and spat his acidic vomit onto him then tossed him aside. Bullets were flying but nothing seemed to hurt him. The next cop he grabbed was Karen still in the skirt. She had come shortly after the local cops to help and she brought a powder that seemed to neutralize the acid, saving the cop's life if not his face. But in her haste to help she neglected a rule of demon's behavior. 'Women and children first.' With a plethora of choices in victims a demon goes for the master first then children, and then women, followed by the men. The skirt slowed her down too.

He licked her neck, causing the flesh of her throat to turn angry red and swell and he laughed. He lifted her by the waist with the arm he grabbed her with then slammed her onto the hood of the nearest car. Demons like to play with their food. I used lightning before; I figured that would be most effective now. I channeled energy from the earth, then the static in the clouds responded, and when the two energies met, I became part of their power- I became lightning, not literally, but I controlled it, directed it, and sent it into the toad demon, making it explode into ectoplasm.

Karen came to claim me after I explained things seven times to the local authorities. It was still raining and I was getting soaked. She brought me hot coffee and sat with me until the local law let us go. After everything was over we wrote our reports, my sis didn't get fired, and Susan got an exclusive from the Murphy twins who saved the day and busted the 3eye syndicate. I haggled a second try at a date out of Susan, and it went exceptionally well. She wrote a story about the whole experience called 'My Date with a Demon.'

Morgan stopped by to let me know he witnessed the whole thing and reported my actions to the council. They lifted the doom of Damocles so I was a free man. The Beckets did time for public nudity. I decided maybe I should move out of my sister's house so I moved into an old boarding house's basement with a sub basement as a lab. It was nice too because Susan was over a lot more now. When there's something strange in your neighborhood, if something really does go bump in the night, I'll be there to bump it back.

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