"V for Vengeance"
Chapter 2
Murphy followed me over to my apartment. Once inside I enabled the wards and took the brush downstairs to my lab. I cleaned the area where I was going to be working and then set on a pot of coffee and told Murphy to sit tight in the living room while I went to my bedroom to prepare for the spell.
I started with the ritual washing, cleaning my mind and body of any foreign influences. I cleared my mind as I dried and then meditated to clear my mind of everything except that which I was going to be doing with the model downstairs. When I had my mind focused and calm I pulled my robe over my head and headed downstairs.
Bob watched silently as I took a hair with an intact root from the brush and tied it around a crystal that was attached to a long thin silver chain. I stepped into my circle and willed it to life. I tied my desire to find the woman in the picture with the hair on the crystal and pushed the image and intention in my mind into the crystal creating a link from the hair to the crystal to the woman to whom the hair belonged. As I created the links I firmly bound them with my power and intentions and finally when everything was connected and balanced properly I mumbled a few words and felt the magic rush out of me and into the chain, hair and crystal and surround them and flow through them. Then I broke the circle and sent my spell to do my bidding.
I walked over to the pewter model I called Little Chicago and began to move the chain and crystal around the city. When I brought it near the Gold Coast section of the city I got a slight tug once or twice giving me a general idea where she was but then it was gone. The connection was either broken or blocked as the crystal swung freely at the end of the chain. The magic was still in place, I could feel it searching but it was as if the girl had simply vanished. I tried for another ten minutes, getting one slight tug but nothing substantial. She was in the Gold Coast area but was either shielded or magically hidden as the connection was so weak as to be nearly non-existent.
I pulled my will and intention back from the model and carried the crystal upstairs.
"She's somewhere in the Gold Coast area." I told her shaking my head.
"Then let's follow the crystal to her." Murphy got up and reached for her coat.
"It's not that simple. I'm not getting anything strong enough to really follow." I said rubbing my eyes as I was suddenly a little tired.
"What do you mean? You have her hair and a picture. Normally you can take me straight to someone with less than that." She said confused.
"I know Murph, something's different. It's like she's shielded or there isn't enough left of her for this to track." I said bleakly.
"You mean she's dead?" she asked.
"No, normally this spell would take me to someone dead or alive. Either she's shielded, magically hidden, or she's changed and isn't the same person who used the brush." I said floundering.
"So she's been traumatized or brainwashed?" she asked.
"Maybe, but at this point shielded makes more sense." I said. "Someone from the mystical side of town may have grabbed her and assumed that eventually you'd come to someone who could track her so they took precautions. It's the only answer that really makes sense." I said.
"But you did get a hit?" Murphy asked.
"Yeah I got a few small ones." I said.
"Since it's all we have to go on, why don't we drive around and see if getting closer to her gives you better results." Murphy offered.
"It couldn't hurt." I said with a grimace, worried that my spell wasn't working.
I went into my bedroom to change into something more appropriate for driving through the city while Murphy sat in the living room. As I was pulling my pants on I heard the front door open. I heard Molly and Lash laughing as they entered the apartment and the laughing quickly stopped.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the day? I thought you had a big case to work on." Lash said in an odd tone of voice.
"Harry had me come back here so he could work a tracking spell." Murphy said.
"You had to come back here all alone with Harry to do a spell?" Lash asked like it was an accusation.
"Yeah, we couldn't have him doing his hocus-pocus in the police station. Anyway he wanted to use the model down stairs to try to get an exact fix." Murphy said with irritation in her voice.
"Really? Then where is he?" Lash asked with anger in his voice.
"He's in the bedroom changing. He just finished his spell." Murphy said angry and confused.
"Was the spell the only thing he did, Officer Murphy?" Lash asked implying something inappropriate had happened. "We've been gone quite a while, a spell shouldn't take that long." She said.
"What exactly are you implying, Lash?" Murphy asked coldly.
"You know what I'm talking about. You can't stand to see Harry happy with someone else. You want him all for yourself." Lash spat angrily. "Tell me, how long have you wanted to seduce him? Now that he's with a real woman who loves him, you can't stand it can you?"
I really didn't like the way this was going, Lash sounded angrier than I had ever heard her. Murphy was an even headed cop but she doesn't stand for having her integrity impugned. If this continued, it wouldn't end well. I pulled on my shield bracelet and headed into the living room.
"Lash, calm down, there's a perfectly good explanation for this." Molly said evenly. "Think about it, what she's saying makes sense. I'm sure Harry would never do anything to hurt or betray you." Molly pleaded. "He's just not that kind of guy."
"What exactly do you know about being a real woman?" Murphy asked patronizingly. "You've only been a parasite inside 'Real Women' until a month ago and you can't handle it. You can't deal with being a human much less a 'Real Woman'. I suggest you think about your next words very carefully, Lash." Murphy saying her name like it was something putrid in her mouth.
"You dare threaten me, little woman?" Lash said. "Do you know why Harry has never been with you? It's because deep down inside of him he knows you aren't good enough for him. You don't have what it takes to stay with him when things get tough. You'd run away like you did to you last three husbands. You are a pathetic coward. You're promises mean nothing and he knows it." Lash said venomously.
As I stepped into the living room I could hear Bob through the open trap door at my side quietly chanting, "Cat Fight! Cat Fight!"
Murphy stood facing Lash, her face red with anger and her eyes cold and calculating as her hands hovered motionlessly at her hip near her sidearm, the tether unlatched. Lash stood in the kitchen with Molly wide eyed and pale behind her. Lash's face was twisted in anger and her eyes gave me the impression that she was barely holding her rage in check as she stared at the woman she saw as a rival for my affections. I quickly pushed will and power into the shield bracelet ready to put up a barrier between the two if needed and the way things were looking, it just might be needed sooner rather than later.
"That's ENOUGH!" I said firmly and coldly, loudly enough to make all three women flinch. "I will NOT have this behavior in MY HOUSE!" I said with absolute authority.
"Lash! Murphy! You are BOTH out of line! Murphy, my friend and current employer, is here on business and ONLY BUSINESS! I brought her here so we could follow up on the tracking spell, LIKE I ALWAYS DO." I scolded Lash firmly.
"Murphy, Lash, personal insults are beneath you both. Shame on you both. Lash IS a woman and she may be new to it but she's doing remarkably well considering the circumstances. Baiting her isn't helping. Murphy has been a friend of mine for MANY years and has NEVER run out on me even when it looked like we would both die. Her word is her bond and I'd bet my life on it." I said giving them botha another hard look.
Both women turned on me, each pointing fingers at the other and talking in fast angry voices. I raised my hands palm out one towards each of them and raised my voice.
"I expected better from you both. Now calm down and behave yourselves. If you can't do that then get the hell out of my house until you can. That goes for both of you." I said looking from one then to the other, my eyes unyielding to both as gave them each a hard look. Each woman stood motionless for a long moment, my words still hanging in the air. Even Bob was silent. After a moment of silence I lowered my voice and took a deep breath and tried to calm myself.
"Now, everyone just take a deep breath. Calm Down and let's deal with this like rational adults." I said in a calming voice.
There was a long moment while the women continued to shoot metaphorical daggers out of their eyes at each other. Finally Murphy shook her head and took a long deep breath and looked at the floor. "Harry, Lash, I'm sorry. Harry you are right I was out of line." She said grudgingly.
Lash simply broke down into uncontrollable sobs as Molly stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. Lash turned and hugged her, burying her face into Molly's shoulder sobbing. Molly gave me a confused and sheepish look. I just nodded and she continued to comfort Lash.
"Murphy, why don't you wait in the car while I get my shoes and a shirt?" I said diplomatically.
"Forget it Harry, you said it was a long shot anyway." Murphy said latching her holster. "Thanks for trying. I'll get some black and whites to start canvassing the area." Murphy said grabbing her coat and heading for the door. "I think you're needed here." She said tilting her head to Lash as she let herself out.
"Fine." I said shaking my head as she closed the door and left.
I went over and put my hand on Lash's shoulder. She pulled away from my touch and then straightened and turned to face me. Her hand was a blur as it streaked from her side and across my cheek, leaving a burning sting in its wake.
"How could you Harry?" she sobbed as she, then she wrapped her arms around me and buried her wet cheek on shoulder.
Molly simply stood there and looked at me blankly not understanding what was going on or why the sudden outburst. This was completely out of character for Lash, who was always up beat, even tempered and rational. Lash was the person I could count on to think before she acted or spoke in any situation. Now she was a slave to her emotions and they were volatile at best.
I motioned for Molly to take a seat in the living room. She gave me a look of protest but finally moved into the other room, instead of out the front door as she seemed to feel was more appropriate.
I simply held Lash in my arms and hugged her until the tears had run their course.
Finally Lash lifted her head, her eyes wet and red, her face tear streaked and pink with embarrassment.
"Harry, I'm so sorry. I don't know what has come over me." She said rubbing my red cheek.
"We all have an off day." I said with a kind smile.
"I must look a mess." She said sniffing and wiping her cheek with a teary chuckle.
"You look fine. Why don't you go wash your face and get cleaned up? I'll get dinner started." I said in a kind soft voice.
"Okay." She said sheepishly, wiping her other cheek. "Harry, I'm so sorry. I'll apologize to Murphy later. I don't know why I said all those horrible things to her, I was just so angry." She said as she turned towards the bedroom. She opened the door and stopped before going in and looked at me. "Do you hate me?" she asked her eyes welling up with tears.
"I could never hate you. We're good." I said with an encouraging smile.
"I will always love you Harry Dresden." She said, and then she stepped into the bedroom and pulled the door closed behind her.
Molly sat in the living room watching the interaction as if it were some sort of daytime TV show, hanging on every word and smiling at the end as Lash closed the door. Molly looked at me with a look of touching sadness mixed with satisfaction.
I motioned Molly over to me as I began to light the wood stove and turned on the water to cover the sound of our conversation. I explained to Molly what Murphy had suggested was the cause of Lash's sudden outbursts.
When I first suggested the idea Molly's face turned beet red as she insisted that every emotional outburst a woman had was not tied to her hormones. Then thinking about the things that had happened today, she agreed that there was a chance that Murphy was right.
As we were discussing how to proceed from here there was a scream and crash from the bedroom. Molly and I ran into the bedroom to see Lash lying on the floor unconscious, her body convulsing.
We tried to revive her but Lash's eyes had rolled back into her head and she wasn't waking up. Molly immediately called 911 and within minutes Murphy led an ambulance straight to my door with the siren blaring and lights flashing. Murphy had only been a few minutes away when the call had gone out so she took it upon herself to give the ambulance an escort.
"Harry what happened?" Murphy hurried to my side, inspecting me as if she assumed the ambulance was for me. Molly called for paramedics, who rushed to Lash's side in my room.
"I don't know she just collapsed and I couldn't revive her." I said worried and shaken.
"I thought she might have attacked you given how things were when I left." She said noting the red swollen bruise appearing on my cheek.
"She calmed down and went to wash her face and just collapsed." I said worried looking at my fidgeting hands.
Murphy took my face in her hands and gently lifted my face to look into hers. "Harry, she's going to be okay. She's tough. She's going to pull through this." Murphy said softly. Murphy supervised the paramedics as they loaded Lash onto a back board and then onto a gurney.
Once they had her loaded, in Murphy suggested it might be better for everyone concerned if Molly and I were to follow the ambulance and not try to ride with Lash, as the sensitive medical equipment may be needed in case of an emergency. Remembering my last outburst at Cook County Memorial Hospital, I decided that discretion was the better part of valor and agreed to follow in my car.
Murphy led the ambulance and me and Molly in the Blue Beetle to Cook County Medical Center. We found patient parking in the emergency lot and waited in the large waiting room. Murphy came out about ten minutes after we arrived and led us to a private waiting area and said that Lash was being seen by the doctors now and we should get an update as soon as they know anything.
After a while Michael and Charity showed up with concerned looks and plates of food. I don't know why, but Charity seems to think that food is necessary in a crisis. I first refused the plate but after smelling the delicious aroma for ten minutes I gave in and cleaned the plate. I hadn't eaten since breakfast and didn't know how hungry I was until I set the plate down. The funny thing is that it actually helped me feel calmer. Surrounded by my friends and their steadfast faith, I too began to believe that everything was going to be okay.
About an hour later the doctor came into the room. From what he said Lash's body was flooded with hormones including growth hormones in unusually large levels. He said that it was like her body was going through puberty in a week instead of the years that it normally takes. Also for a full grown woman, it was unusual for a lot of these things to be in her system, especially in large quantities. He asked what medicines, supplements or even energy drinks she had been taking and I honestly told them none. The doctor didn't say as much but the look on his face told me he was at a loss for what could cause such a thing. Then the doctor asked if it was possible that she was pregnant.
My mind reeled at the possibility. We had been careful but there were a few spontaneous moments that had taken place. It was a possibility and I got a look of shock and sadness mixed with excitement from Molly and a look of regret mixed with pain from Murphy when I said "Yes." To this revelation Charity gave Michael a knowing smile and he gave me a stern look, then a slight smile as he shook his head, as if to say, "Harry, Harry, Harry…"
The doctor told us that they would run a pregnancy test, and although he didn't know why she was in this condition, he had a course of treatment that should help to clear her system in a day or so. She was currently under sedation and they would be treating her in the ICU for now and if all went well she'd be moved to a private room about this time tomorrow. Michael and Charity offered to stay with her but I decided that I would stay in the family waiting area and wait for any word about a change in her condition.
Murphy, Michael and Charity all said their goodbyes and set out to tend to their daily responsibilities as Molly and I waited for any further word.
Molly and I sat in silence for a long time listening to the sounds of the hospital bustle and beep around us. Carts went by as people in white hurried about, in and out of the emergency room. I kept having a mental image of Lash lying in an empty emergency alcove alone and it bothered me. I knew that technically since I wasn't family that I couldn't be with her. Specifically because I was a wizard and in an emotional state my being there would be counterproductive to her getting better. However, it still bothered me.
What if she woke up confused or dazed, there would be no familiar or friendly face there to calm her. Sure the nurses and staff would attend to her and some of them weren't too jaded to actually be friendly, instead of sterile and professional. It just bothered me that when she woke up I may not be the one she saw as her vision cleared.
The next morning I awoke to the smell of food and coffee as Michael delivered two plates and a large thermos to Molly and I. Charity had anticipated the hospital food and having tasted their coffee decided to spare us that indignity.
Charity Carpenter was one hell of a woman and Michael was smart enough to know how lucky he was to have her. Charity was tall and had a nice figure and although she wasn't overtly beautiful, she was an attractive woman. However, over time I had come to find that her true, stunning beauty lie much deeper than what the eye can take in with a casual inventory of angles, curves and symmetry.
She was smart, wise, strong willed and tough. She was as strong and capable as any man I knew and honestly probably better than most in a fight. More than that Charity Carpenter loved her family with a passion and intensity that was unmatched by anyone I had ever known. Her faith was equal to her love and I pitied anyone who tried to do harm to any under her roof. To her family, she was kind yet firm, gentle yet strict and everything she did she did for them and out of love with a constant eye out for their best interests. Charity Carpenter was truly a lioness in church lady's clothing.
Although I wasn't part of their family, I may as well have been. They looked after me as if I was one of their own and I appreciated that. So as Molly and I ate our food and drank some of the fresh ground coffee, I couldn't help but think of the hands that had taken the time and care to make sure that our morning was a little brighter and we were taken care of.
I had to remember to thank Charity for this, but I knew she'd just brush me off and say it was nothing. However, being in that room, not knowing as she had been many times before when it was her husband lying unconscious in a cold, sterile room all alone, I knew she understood, it meant a lot.
We received updates throughout the day and about three, we were told that the treatment was working and that she'd be moved to a private room soon.
Murphy showed up as the doctor left.
"Harry, got a second?" Murphy asked when the doctor left.
"Sure, what do you need?" I asked as she sat in an arm chair next to me.
"We've had a hit on the girl." Murphy said. "She used an ATM machine in the Gold Coast area, you were right Harry. Also we have surveillance footage of her at her father's house. It looks like she stopped in to pick up some clothes and things. It's looking more like a runaway than a kidnapping." She finished.
"Well then, case closed." I said with a tired smile.
"The Chief still wants this treated like a missing person's case until we can find her and figure out what's going on." She finished.
"That and something odd happened. Someone snuck into the cooks room during the night and left her door ajar." Murphy said lowering her voice and giving me a worried look.
"So?" I asked.
"Harry, she had cut her hand the night before, probably should have had stitches, but treated it herself. Nothing was taken from the room, but this morning when I was trying to question her she was pretty out of it." Murphy said.
"Maybe she took some painkillers this morning or she started nipping at the cooking wine a little early." I offered.
"I can't put my finger on it Harry, but something's off on this one." Murphy said getting a faraway look in her eyes. She was trying to fit all the pieces together and they simply weren't fitting.
"How did she get to her father's house?" I asked as a new idea popped into my head.
"She drove, we have her jeep on a traffic camera coming and going." She said.
"Then you have a license plate for an APB." I said.
"We sent out the APB yesterday." Murphy said.
"If you can, ask her father if he has an extra set of keys to the jeep or if the jeep has been worked on lately." I said.
"If you can't track her, track her car. Is that it?" Murphy asked with a sly grin.
"That's exactly what I was thinking." I said.
"We tried with her Cell phone but she hasn't turned it on since the other day and her car doesn't have one of those GPS tracking devices. But if you can track it using the keys or a recently removed part, we're back in business." Murphy said connecting the dots with a triumphant smile.
"Let's hope so." I said with a weak smile.
"I'm on it." Murphy said smiling as she looked from me to Molly, then her face became more serious.
"How's Lash doing? I heard they were trying to stabilize her but haven't had any recent updates." Murphy said with a concerned look.
"She's doing better. They are moving her out of ICU to a private room right now. They said she's responding well to the treatment." I said with a smile.
"Harry, don't worry about this. You do what you have to do and I'll check in on you later." She said.
"Thanks, Murphy. When you get a piece of the car, let me know and we'll find her." I said.
"I don't know…" Murphy said, "Last time we were alone together it didn't go so well."
"I can do it Harry." Molly said from the far side of the room. She had been so quiet I had almost forgotten she was in the room. "I may not be as good as you are, but I can swing a tracking spell."
"Can she do it Harry?" Murphy asked looking from Molly to me hopefully.
"She's doing really well on her tracking spells. They aren't as strong or last as long as mine, but it should work." I said giving Molly a wink.
"Mr. Dresden?" The nurse at the door asked.
"That's me." I said giving her a wave.
"Your friend is has been moved. If you'll follow me I can take you to her." She said with a bright smile.
"So Molly are you okay helping Murphy?" I asked.
"Sure thing Boss!" Molly beamed at me and then at Murphy with puppy dog enthusiasm.
"I'll check up on you two later then." I said Murphy giving me a nod as I got up and gathered my things.
"No rough stuff and let me know the second you know anything." I said to them both firmly.
"You got it boss!" Molly said.
"You'll be the first to know." Murphy said shaking her head at me.
