McAnally’s Pubcast – A Dresden Files Podcast

This episode covers Chapters 18, 19, and 20. Dresden revisits Linda’s to make a discovery, and reacquaints himself with his former Client Monica Sells.

Storm Front Chapter 18 Summary

Feeling just a tad overwhelmed, and despairing about just how long he has before some mysterious warlock punches his ticket, Harry once again finds himself wandering the lonely, quiet, dangerous streets of Chicago in the wee hours. He contemplates some of his personal backstory, which provides some nice insight for the readers, and eventually finds himself back at Linda Randall’s apartment. Ignoring the police tape, he enters and takes another look around. Eventually, and mostly by chance, he comes across another film canister, identical to the one he found at the Sells’ lakehouse, only this one has a used roll of film still inside. Pumped over his find, Harry is filled with a renewed sense of purpose and pulls up his bootstraps in anticipation of getting some forward momentum going again on this case, when he hears a key in the door.

Storm Front Chapter 19 Summary

Excited at the potential of getting a break in the case, Harry gathers himself to leave Linda’s apartment with the roll of film he just discovered, but instead surprises none other than the photographer of said film, himself, hoping to sneak in and recover his pictures. Harry bluffs the guy into thinking he’s with the cops in some official investigating capacity, and gets Donny Wise to spill the beans about what’s on the film. Seems Linda hired Donny to take some pics out at Victor Sells’ place on the lake. Live-action sports pics, as Toot would put it! Once Harry has gotten what he can out of Mr. Wise, he torches the film to prevent Donny from getting into, or causing, any more trouble with it, and sends him on his way – spooked, but none the worse for wear. Harry starts to think there may have been an ulterior motive behind why he was pointed at the lakehouse at the beginning of this whole mess, and decides he needs to revisit Monica Sells and have a little chat about her missing husband.

Storm Front Chapter 20 Summary

Harry rolls up to Monica Sells’ place, a cute little house with a cute little yard in what was probably a cute little neighbourhood. Now it is a rather deserted-looking wasteland with little birdsong on the tree-lined street, no dogs barking anywhere, and ‘For Sale’ signs looming everywhere. Harry pounds persistently on the door until Monica finally, begrudgingly, appears. The woman is dressed plainly, without makeup, and blanches further when she sees Dresden. She tries to shut the door on him, but he blocks her and pushes in anyway, surprising them both a little. Monica grabs a taser, but Dresden hexes it down and Monica deflates a little in panic and astonishment. Before he can avoid it, Dresden finds himself engaging in a Soulgaze with Monica and he learns more than he wanted to about the poor woman. With the storm growing in the heavens, and yet another sword hanging over his head, Harry begs for some help, and when Monica’s two kids poke their heads out to check if their mom is ok, Monica shoos them away and finally relents and agrees to tell Harry everything she knows. Even though, in her words, “there’s nothing anyone can do, now.”.