- Murphy's dad comes to town, bringing up old resentments, and when he starts interfering with her case of reformed criminals dying mysteriously, and Harry's participation in it, things go from bad to worse.
- Murphy and I were sharing a drink when she got a call. Former gang-banger Connor Reyes had been found drowned, miles from any body of water. That's odd, but Reyes also had a freshly burned brand on his chest beneath unscorched clothes. The brand looked like a modified pentagram, but neither Bob nor I recognized it.
Normally, this would mean I was working the case with Murphy, but there were complications. Murphy had been getting static from her bosses. Yeah, she was closing cases, but with the help of a wizard. Not kosher at the donut shop.
Plus, her father was in town. Retired cop Joe Murphy wanted me out of his daughter's life because I was hurting her career. He even came to my office to tell me to back off. I didn't have a good argument I'd been thinking the same thing.
Murphy, though, had a great argument to continue collaborating: There was a killer out there who had to be stopped.
The wild card in all this was Sgt. Darren Munzer, head of the Anti-Gang Unit, who was something of a legend due to the fact that he'd survived a lot of close calls. Murphy's pantaloons were knotted because Munzer was horning in on the Reyes case.
I used one of Bob's mixtures to track the killer from the crime scene (ant vomit was an active ingredient). We found the killer's apartment and entered without a warrant. I know, it's un-Constitutional, but evidence derived from ant vomit won't convince a Chicago judge to issue the paperwork.
Inside, we found a pentragram brand and an obit scrapbook with clippings about scum who'd gotten second chances at life. Each one had narrowly avoided dying of one thing, only to later die of that same cause: Shooting, shooting; liver cancer, liver cancer; etc.
Somebody jumped us, ripped out the scrapbook's last few pages which listed people we assumed would be the next victims and survived Murphy firing several shots into his chest. So, we liked him for our killer.
Someone was using magic to take people's second chances and use them for himself. Despicable, but you have to admire the cleverness.
Reyes was drowned because that was how he'd almost died the first time. After Bob and I worked out how the magic was done, I went to Munzer and found the missing scrapbook pages on his desk. His close calls were nothing of the sort. He'd used magic to walk away unscathed.
Det. Kirmani called Munzer, who claimed to be at his desk, but who actually was in a downtown bar. Murphy and I got there along with her dad, who insisted on tagging along to find Munzer ready to brand another victim.
Munzer gave Joe a heart attack, and Murphy was ready to shoot him just for that. Luckily, I was able to reverse the spell and bring Joe back. Munzer went to jail for assaulting Joe. Joe decided I wasn't so bad after all, and we all lived happily ever after. More or less.
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