Disclaimer: I don't own anything vaguely associated with the Dresden Files. Please, don't take this seriously. Thanks.
TURN COAT:
The True Death of Warden Donald Morgan
The summer sun was busy boiling the asphalt from Chicago's streets, the agony in my head had kept me horizontal for half a day, and some idiot was pounding on my apartment door.
I answered it and Morgan, half his face covered in blood, gasped, "The Wardens are coming. Hide me. Please."
His eyes rolled back into his skull and he collapsed.
Oh.
Super.
Up until that moment, I'd been laboring under the misapprehension that the splitting pain in my skull would be the worst thing to happen to me today.
"Hell's frickin' bells!" I blurted at Morgan's unconscious form. "You have got to be kidding me!" I was really, really tempted to slam the door and leave him lying there in a heap. He sure as hell deserved it.
I couldn't just stand there doing nothing, though. And I suddenly realized that this could be the opportunity of a lifetime. So I went back inside, grabbed my .44 revolver and put two rounds in the bastard's head. His body jerked once and then was still, a pool of blood creeping out from under his misshapen skull.
I retched when I saw the bits of brain that had splattered onto my bare feet. Coughing in disgust, I slammed the door and went back inside to pick up the telephone. There were two people I had to call straight away.
"Hello?"
"Murph, I need help. Morgan came to my apartment and tried to attack me just now." I tried my best to keep the grin out of my voice.
"God, Harry!" said Murphy in shock. I could hear her getting her things together. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," I sighed. "Murph…I killed him. I didn't even think, I - I just knocked him down with a quick spell and then put two rounds in his head. His body is still lying outside my door."
Murphy was silent for a moment. "Okay." I could the gears working in her head. "Okay. Are you hurt at all, Harry?"
"No. I took him out before he could…you know…"
"Was he armed with anything?" She spoke now in a calm voice one might use to sooth a scared animal. "Did he have anything on him besides, you know…a stick?"
What were the chances that Morgan had shown up here without more than a few knives and guns on him? Nadda.
"Yeah," he breathed. "Armed to the teeth."
I heard Murphy's quiet sigh of relief. As a police officer, it would have been mighty compromising for her to help me out if I had just shot a man twice in the head when he wasn't armed with anything people would take seriously - like, say magic, for instance.
"I'll be there a few minutes with Rawlins and a paramedic, Harry. Don't worry. Everything's gonna be fine. I promise."
"Karrin," I said. "Thanks."
After we hung up, I realized that I felt eyes on my back. I turned to find Mouse looking at me in a vaguely accusatory way.
"He had it coming, buddy," I said quietly. I meant to keep my voice calm and neutral but I failed miserably. "That jerk-off has hunted me since I was a kid. He's tried to find ways to kill me at every turn. And now that he's the one with his ass in the fire, I'm supposed to be the bigger man about it all? Puh-leese." Mouse didn't move. "Hey, how 'bout a hot dog, eh?" That got his attention. His tail went nuts and he joined me over by the icebox to start chowing down, silent accusations forgotten.
Heh. Dogs. Gotta love'em.
I went back over to the phone to make my second phone call. But then I paused. Should I really call Anastasia? Morgan used to be her apprentice, after all. I slowly set the phone back down, then picked it back up and started dialing after having a sudden thought.
"Hola."
"Carlos, it's me."
"Ooh. Very interesting, and mysterious way to start a phone conversation, Harry. What's up?"
"I just killed Donald Morgan."
He silent for a moment. "Okay, less mysterious, but no less interesting. Are you alright?" I thought it safe to play this one dumb.
"Are you even listening?" I yelled into the phone. "Morgan's dead! He just came here and tried to kill me and I - I - "
"Whoa, Harry - calm down, bro," said Ramirez. "It's fine. No one was allowed to tell you, but Morgan went traitor a day or so ago. I didn't really want to believe it, but..."
I let him hear me breathe a sigh a relief. "Hell's bells. Why couldn't anyone tell me? Were you trying to get me killed?"
"It was McCoy's orders," said Ramirez. "He figured that once you found out about Morgan, you'd - "
"Hat up and dish out some payback," I finished for him. "Makes sense."
"Yeah, well, he didn't count on it backfiring. I guess he never thought Morgan would come after you."
I sighed, rubbing my temples and trying to assuage the very real headache that was still stomping around like Godzilla inside my head.
"Hey, look man," said Ramirez, "I'm coming up there straight away, okay? I'll tell the others. We'll be there to get Morgan's body ASAP."
Dimly, I realized that I heard sirens off in the distance. "The police are already here, man. It looks like someone heard all the commotion Morgan and I were making with our...uh...big duel and everything."
Ramirez cursed resignedly. "Well, now that's gonna be a pain in the ass. I gotta call the captain. See you soon, Harry. And, hey - are you hurt at all? You're gonna be okay, right? You just took on probably the most dangerous Warden in the garrison."
"I'll live." I said heavily. "If he hadn't been wounded already, I wouldn't have stood a chance. Probably. Well, I don't know. I could have taken him if he was at full strength. Maybe. Look, I gotta go. Thanks, Ramirez."
I hung up, once more feeling accusatory doggy eyes on my back. "Mouse, buddy, how 'bout another hot dog?"
THE END