McAnally’s Pubcast – A Dresden Files Podcast

In Today’s episode we discuss Chapters 15, 16 and 17. Harry loses his lead to murder, gets a really bad haircut, and crashes a Varsity Party.

Storm Front Chapter 15 Summary:

Turns out that the cops coming across Harry and Susan was not completely random, as Murph had dispatched the officers to collect the wayward wizard, anyway. Seems Linda Randall’s night was rescheduled without her consent, and Harry is treated to another spectacularly gruesome crime scene. Murphy seems out of sorts (separate for the tableau surrounding them), and after a perfunctory update Murph hauls Dresden off to the side and asks him if he knows the victim’s employers, the Beckitt’s? Apparently the Beckitt’s have some beef with Marcone concerning the untimely death of their little girl some years back. Dresden evades giving any direct answers, and Murphy eventually produces the business card that Harry gave to Linda. Harry tries to dance quickly to avoid having to admit that he defied Murphy’s explicit demand that he stay away from Bianca and muck up the waters of SI’s investigation, but Murph ain’t buying tickets to that show, and eventually dismisses Dresden with disgust, telling him to show up at the station tomorrow to answer some questions, and logs Harry’s business card into evidence.

Storm Front Chapter 16 Summary:

With his thoughts and feeling in turmoil, Dresden departs Linda Randall’s place and begins to aimlessly wander the city in an attempt to think through the issues at hand and start coming up with some damn solutions. Preoccupied as he is, Harry is caught completely unawares when a thug slams into him, knocks the wind out of him, and proceeds to snip off a chunk of Harry’s hair before running off again. Harry immediately panics knowing that a fresh lock of hair could be used directly against him in any number of spells, not the least of which might rip out his heart. Harry grapples futilely with the man in an attempt to retrieve the cutting, but is foiled and the goon escapes to a waiting car. Desperate, Dresden realizes that he has some of the assailant’s skin under his fingernails from the fight, and quickly performs a little spell of his own to track down the ruffian, whom he has since recognised as one of Marcone’s men from their encounter at the Madison.

Storm Front Chapter 17 Summary:

Harry’s cab arrives, and by virtue of sniffing out his cologne, Dresden tracks Gimpy Lawrence to the Varsity, a popular hangout for the college crowd. Done with being pushed around and intimidated, Dresden blows the doors off of the place and storms in with raised staff and dramatically swirling coat. Unamused, Marcone empties the club and addresses Harry’s concerns. Gimpy freaks the fuck out, fails to talk his way clear, draws a gun and is promptly dispatched by Mr. Hendrick’s, Marcone’s personal enforcer. The conclusion is reached that Gimpy Lawrence was ‘double-dipping’ and had since passed off the hair he had swiped from Dresden to an unknown third party. Harry beseeches Marcone for some help, since they now share a common enemy, but Marcone is rather displeased by Harry’s very public defiance, and explains how Harry has, therefore, made himself known as a very public enemy. Marcone does condescend to give him the slightest tidbit of information, then politely tells Dresden to get lost, and that it would be wise for Harry to never again darken his door. Or blast it off its hinges. Whatever.