CHAPTER SEVEN: THINGS NO CIVILIAN SHOULD EVER SEE

Murphy watched, perplexed, as Harry took a meandering path through downtown Chicago. Eventually his path became decisive. "The voices finally tell you where we're going?" She panted, exhausted from the two hour walk.

"They aren't voices, Murphy," Harry cried in exasperation. She'd been hounding him the whole time, asking him why he needed the dog and pony act and why he didn't just tell her where they were going.

"It's just too bad the voices didn't tell you to take the car," Murphy groaned. She was smart enough to not wear heels on the job, but she was wearing a nice pair of loafers, and they weren't made for hours of hard walking.

"You didn't have to come you know." Harry grumbled, stopping for a moment. He told himself it was so she could rest, but the moment they stopped his body thanked him.

"Where are the...where is your little thingy telling you to go now?" Murphy looked down at Harry's hand. She really hated her job sometimes. Why couldn't she work homicide, or vice, hell, even traffic would have been better than this. She straightened herself up. It was just the pain talking. "Let's get this over with."

"That house there." Harry pointed up toward a nice, high end number complete with picket fence and a great big oak tree in the front yard.

"Nice." Murphy admired it, wondering what it would be like to be raising her daughter in a house like that instead of the small fixer upper she was currently living in. She thought her ex must have a house like that. Anna did go on and on about her room and how her step-mom let her decorated it any way she wanted.

"Murph?" Harry waved his hand in front of Murphy's face. "You still with me?"

"Of course." Murphy pushed past him, and pushed away any thoughts about her daughter. This was not the time or the place for that. "Let's go."

"Right." Harry looked concerned. "Uh, shouldn't we have some kind of plan?"

"I have some kind of gun, and some kind of badge. That's my plan." She pushed him behind her. "Stay behind me and follow my lead."

"Uh, Murph...I don't think..." Harry didn't have a chance to voice his concern. Murphy was down the walkway and knocking on the door before he could get the words out.

No one answered so she knocked again. "This is Lt. Murphy, Chicago police. I need to ask you a few questions." She took out her badge and held it at the ready. These upper middle class types liked to see prove when you said you were a cop with questions. They were a suspicious lot.

Still no one opened the door. "Murphy, I don't think these are the kind of people who are going to open up and answer questions." Harry could feel the magic surrounding the house. This was not a good idea.

"Harry, back up." Murphy might have been small, but she packed a hell of a kick. The door flew open with the force of her years of kick boxing classes. "Looks like the doors open." She smiled sheepishly at Harry. "Let's go."

"Murph..." Harry grabbed her arm, but she was in the house before he got a strong enough grip to stop her. "Why do I even bother?" He followed her in, his hand firmly wrapped around his rod.

"Hello?" Murphy called into the room.

"Shhh." Harry shushed her frantically.

He let his senses travel through the house. Wizards had a way of listening to things that most people wouldn't normally here. It wasn't magic, just a talent for deep concentration.

"I don't..." he threw his hand over her mouth.

"Someone's here," he whispered to her.

Murphy cocked her gun.

"Not that kind of someone." Harry explained.

"What do you mean not that kind of someone?" Murphy was trying very hard to keep her voice down, but it wasn't easy.

"Let me take the lead this time, okay?" Harry pulled out his rod, a small, intricately carved bit of wood. It was his traveling rod, which he kept on him at all times. It wasn't as strong as he would have liked, but a grown man carrying around a big staff, or in Harry's case a hockey stick, wasn't always the best option for staying inconspicuous.

"Oh, sure, gotta protect the little woman." She started batting her eyes sarcastically. "Oh, Harry, you're my knight in..." she stopped short. A pair of eyes were glaring at her, and they weren't Harry's. Harry was too busy hanging upside down to glare at her.

"What the hell?" Murphy nearly dropped her gun, but she was a professional, and years of training had taught her to tighten her grip when in shock, not loosen it. She felt the reassuring metal in her hand.

"Hello Miss Murphy." A cold voice cooed from behind the violent red eyes.

"That's Lieutenant Murphy to you slime ball. Now let him down." She pointed her gun into the darkness that made up the man's face.

He simply laughed. "She's a feisty one."

"Should we kill her boss?" A sniveling little man came out from behind the other. He was small and hunched over and twitchy, like an overgrown rat.

"Harry?" Murphy looked up at Harry who was struggling to break free of whatever unseen force was hanging him in the air. "This would be a nice time for you to rescue me, since you're so into that sort of thing."

"I'll get right on that." Harry groaned as something hit him hard in the stomach.

"Our dear Mr. Dresden can't help you now my dear." A long, skeletal finger ran under Murphy's chin and she shivered as all the warmth she'd ever felt fled from her body.

Murphy pulled the trigger. It was instinct. She knew, deep down, that it would do no good, but she had to at least try.

The tall, skeletal man staggered back, and Harry fell to the floor, but before Harry could get to his feet, the man had regrouped, and sent Murphy flying across the room.

"Don't touch her!" Harry made it to his feet and was holding his rod out decisively. He concentrated all his energy, all his anger and all his fear into the rod, and a flash of fire shot out the end.

Murphy cried out. She'd never seen him do anything like that before. Suddenly she wondered if maybe he wasn't making it all up.

"Run Murphy!" Harry was struggling to hold onto the rod, which was still shooting out a steady stream of fire.

A high, shrill cackle filled the air. Harry knew he only had seconds to get out of this. As soon as he lowered his rod, they would both be after him. He glanced quickly over his shoulder and saw Murphy headed out the door.

One last bolt shot out of the rod and Harry turned and started running.

"Should we get him?" The twitchy, nervous voice asked.

"No. Let him go. He is of no importance to me right now." The total lack of any humanity in the voice sent a shiver down Harry's spine.

"What...the...hell...was...that?" Murphy was breathing hard. She had run until her legs threatened to give out under her. Her side ached, and her chest burned with each breath.

"I'm not sure." Harry knew he had to find out. Whatever that was, it meant business, and that business might not have included Harry at the moment, but it probably would eventually.

"Great." Murphy was too tired and scared to say anything more.

"But I might know someone who does." Harry suddenly brightened. He looked around them. They were in a public park, hidden in a clump of bushes. "Call for pizza."

"What?" Murphy stared at him in dumbfounded amazement. "How can you even think of..."

"It's not for me. Call for delivery here."

"And where exactly is here?" Murphy didn't reach for her cell phone.

Harry got up and looked for a street sign. "Corner of Maple and Chestnut. Order a small pepperoni pizza." She wasn't moving. "NOW!"

"Harry..."

"Please. It's important."

Murphy made the call and informed him they had a twenty minute wait. "Do you really think we should stick around here? What if they..."

"They're not coming after us." He knew this. He wasn't sure how he knew, but he knew. They were safe, for now."

"Fine." Murphy adjusted herself into a more comfortable position and waited for the pizza. "I'm a little hungry anyway."

"It's not for you either."

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