"When I was a kid, my father told me there were no such things as monsters, my nightmares were just figments of my imagination." "As I got older I had to wonder :" "was he lying to me" "or just wrong ?" "Dad !" "Dad !" "Harry," "Harry, come on, what is it ?" "I'm trying to fix my ring finale." "The closet." "there's something in there." " I can hear it breathing." " Okay, okay." "I'll look." "It's just a closet, Harry." "I saw the door move." "I got something for you, okay ?" "What is it ?" "This was your mother's." "Go ahead, open it." "It's a shield bracelet." "I never really knew how it worked but your mother said it protected her and she wanted you to have it." "Why didn't it save her ?" "She wasn't wearing it." "Why not ?" "I don't know." "Whatever killed mom," "I'm going to find it and when I do," "I'll rip its heart out." "Hey, good morning." "Good morning." "Are you okay ?" "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I was just... you ?" "Surprisingly rested... despite my lack of sleep." "What time is it ?" "It's 7 :10." "I'm late !" "Oh man." "Oh man !" "Where are my pants ?" "I got to go." " Drop by the Diner later ?" " All right." "Bob, where are my keys ?" "I left my jeep at the diner." "Careful." "These equations are very precise and if you walk through them," "I will start belting show tunes from the 16th century." "Please, anything but that." "Okay, you seen my keys ?" "I'm parked on the wrong side of the street." " The girl is gone ?" " The girl is Laura, and yes while gone, rests gentle in my thoughts." " Any locker room accounting ?" " No, but you know what ?" "I had that dream again about my dad." "That's the 3rd time this week." "I'd say we're moving away from dreams and into signs and portents." "I've seen this formula before." "I'm redesigning a pet project of mine from before my'forced'retirement." "I call it the doom box." "Oh, that's catchy." "What does it do ?" "It's a bit of a supernatural jack-in-the-box." "It contains and then amplifies natural energy so that when you open it... well, pop goes the weasel." "That was in that book you wrote." "My first grimoir." "Your uncle had a copy of it." "I believe you burned it." " Some pretty nasty stuff in there, Bob." " Yes, well, it served him well, as did I, right up until you... self-defenced him to death." "Give a break on this skull ghost" "I found'em." "Why do you do this to me, huh ?" "Why can't I just..." "Is this you ?" "Harry Dresden ?" "Where'd you come from ?" " Did you follow me from my office ?" " You're a wizard, right ?" " I don't do parties, I don't teach magic." " Wait," "I've got monsters." " What ?" " Monsters." "If you don't do anything to help, they're going to kill me and my mom." " Why would they do that ?" " I don't know, but I'll pay you $5,000 to find out." "Where you gonna get $5,000, kid ?" "Put that away." "Put it away." "The Dresden Files Season 1 Episode 1 " Birds of a Feather"" "Listen" " kid..." " Scott." " Here you go, Harry." " Scott" "Laura, thank you." "L ook, monsters, they're not out to kill you or your mom, all right." " How can you be sure ?" " I can't, but for the most part, monsters don't exist." "These ones are real." "I've heard them two nights ago, clicking and scratching outside my door." "I'd love to take your money, I really would, but I couldn't live with myself knowing I'd taken advantage of an imaginative kid who really shouldn't be cashing out his college savings bonds for hiring wizards" "out of the phone book." "You've gotta help me." "I am." "Walking away." "Save your money and you go to school, college, whatever." "College, right." "Thanks Laura." " Lieutenant Murphy." " Hey morning Murphy," " how's things ?" " Gruesome." " What's your problem ?" " Hey why does there have to be a problem ?" "Can't I just call you to say :" " Hey ?" " Spill it, I'm busy." "Well listen, my car got booted and I was just wondering, you know if maybe you could do that cop thing and..." " get it unbooted." " Sorry, Harry, pay the fines." " Parking tickets." " Maybe I'll do a little magic and make this car disappear." "Okay, so, what do we got ?" "Folks saw her come home last night and after that, nobody saw her or anything, until the postman opened the door and... found the body." "Victim's female. 25." " ID, credit cards ?" " Both missing along with the car." " Tracking them now." " Did you talk to the victim's co-workers or friends to see if anyone has a grudge ?" "Not many friends unfortunately." "As far as her job is concerned, she's a floater." "The district moved her around a lot." "We're having trouble tracking down her current assignment, city records." "We're sure this is the woman who lives here ?" "I'll let you know when we find her face" "So, our guy kills her, skins her then poses her." "Assuming she was dead when she was skinned." "Thing is, if she was killed here, where's all the blood ?" "Harry, this morning you were speaking about your father and I poured salt into an old wound and mentioned your uncle." "That was unkind." "Apology accepted, Bob." "No, there's more to it than that." "I fear I have put you in a bad mood, clouded your judgment about this child, made you dismiss his concerns when you would have otherwise accepted them." "You mean, take his money ?" "Harry," "I am not being avaricious now." "You were once a frightened boy and now a frightened boy has come to you." "It is not inconceivable that his fear is based" " in a certain truth." " I'm not taking money off a kid." "I know, I know." "I also know that if there is any truth to his claim and he were to be harmed, you would never forgive yourself and I would have to endure the ensuing months of self flagellation." "So, don't take his money, but do take him at his word." "See if his monsters are real." "Have someone look into the records of the High Council." "And that someone would be..." "Melissa ?" "She of the languid eyes." "When they're not rolled back in her head." "Here you go," " fries and a chicken salad." " Thanks, Laura." " Who's your friend, Harry ?" " Oh, it's Melissa." "Laura, this is Melissa." " Melissa, this is..." " Laura." "Yeah" "How do you do ?" "Well, I do quite well." "Got everything ?" "Good !" "Nice place, not big on service though." "All I need is a quick through the High Council records, all right." " Just simply a status check." " Nothing is simple with you." "It's Scott and Cheryl Short." "Okay ?" "Kid... and his mom." "The kid thinks he's being targeted and I just want to make sure there's no cosmic debt hanging over them." " Anything at all." " Okay, so let me get this straight." "You want me to do an unauthorized records check" " in exchange for a chicken salad ?" " Can you please just do this for me ?" " It's just for the kid, you know." " You know what, you just... shut up and eat, mainly shut up." "You're not doing it here." "Oh, please." "I'll be right back." "Nothing." " Nothing at all ?" " Job's not listed." "Now what do you say you take those fries to go so I can enjoy my chicken salad in peace ?" "You know, that sounds like a really good idea." "Okay guys, come on." "Chop, chop, let's go." " You okay Scott ?" " Yeah." "Hey Scott ?" "I'd like you to stay a little after school today." " Did I do something wrong ?" " Oh no, no, no." "You just have a really good grip on some of the spelling lessons." "I thought maybe you could help some of the other kids study for the test." " Okay, sure." " We'll talk about it later." "Scott ?" "And Melissa is positive there is nothing looming ?" "I told you, Bob, there's no case." "Well, why don't you go tell the boy that, at least ?" "Because I don't have an address." "Find some organic residue and cast a searching spell." "Perhaps the boy left some snot" " under the Diner's table." " Bob !" "What ?" "Where there's children, there's snot." "I saw them." "They're out there man." "Monsters !" "It's all right." "It's all right." "This isn't the first time." "I've taken him to doctors and to therapists." " And they haven't helped ?" " For a while." "But then, it starts off small, with the way someone looks at him or... a sound and then... he just builds and builds and... then someone like you shows up." "Yeah." "Can I ask a delicate question ?" "S ure." "Is there a man in the picture ?" "There used to be, but he wasn't interested in being a father." "Therapists are all over that one." "Scott is nervous, Scott is at sea." "Scott is exploring personas and interested in taking control of his environment." "Everybody's all very educated and completely useless." "Has anyone ever tried... a little magic ?" "That should do it." " What exactly does this do ?" " It's a protection symbol." "When you inscribe this in copper, you can use it to deflect energy." "You see this ?" "This has saved my bacon more times than I can count." "Look, you don't need to make yourself bullet proof or anything, but if you hang this on your wall or your door, this should keep away anything that means you harm." "Hey mom, maybe I could get this tattooed on my chest or something ?" "Maybe we should just start with your bedroom door." "All right." "Hey Whitney, what's up ?" "Scott left his backpack at school." "Oh, I'm sorry," " I didn't mean to interrupt." " No, no." "It's okay." "This is Mr. Dresden." "This is Scott's teacher," " Whitney Timmons." " Nice to meet you." "Oh okay, well I'll get out of your way." " I should be getting back." " Can I pay for your cab ?" " No, no, please, you don't need to do that." " No, I insist." "Oh, that's very kind." "Okay, but look, you don't hesitate to call if you know, anything," " anything at all." " Okay." " Okay, bye." " Thank you." " Nice to meet you." " You too." "So how is Scott ?" "Come on in." "Whitney, are you okay ?" "Fine." "I just remembered I forgot to lock my classroom." "Could you tell Scott" " we hope to see him tomorrow ?" " Okay." "Just tell Laura I stopped by." "Would you ?" "I'd appreciate that." "And keep that." "Thanks, Harry." "There you are." "Can I get coffee to go please ?" " Hey Murphy." " Hey, you got a minute ?" " Got a tough one." " Well, if it's on the clock." "I can put in a requisition, but I need the answer now." "All right, what's up ?" "Female, deceased, completely skinned." "I mean completely." "Wearing clothes, no blood, no sign of forced entry, no sign of a struggle." "One minute she's going about her business, the next she's dead, skinned and giving me a headache." "I'll show you the crime scene but what's your first thought ?" "My first thought ?" "My car still booted ?" "I'll take care of it." "What's your second thought ?" "Xipe totec." " What's that ?" " The Flayed God." " It's a meso american deity." " English." "Oh Aztec, Olmec, Mayan, that kind of stuff." "Flaying people, favourite pastime." " I'm looking for an aztec killer ?" " I don't know what you're looking for, but I'm looking for a little financial appreciation." "Get in the car." "So what do you think ?" "School tomorrow ?" "Sure, just don't lose that." "It's going on the door." "Close your eyes, okay." "See you in the morning." "You need tape for that." "Go to sleep, tiger." "The neighbour saw her come home last night." "The car is gone along with her credit cards." "No one saw anyone come in or leave, no sounds, nothing." "What ?" "When did she die ?" "Around 11 :00 o'clock." "What did she do ?" "What was he job ?" "School teacher." "Whitney Timmons." " She's dead ?" " How'd you know her name ?" "You got to make a call for me." "We gotta go." "Killing someone, walking around in their skin." "There's a pretty short list of things that can do that." "A list of one." "A Skin Walker." "You know the worst nightmare you ever had when you were little, the scariest thing you've ever imagined lurking in the closet or under the bed ?" "Skin Walker" " is worse." " Damn." "C heryl ?" "Cheryl, Cheryl, are you all right ?" "He's gone." "A man took him." "He's gone." " Two rings." " I loved my father." " Completely solid..." " He could sing like Sinatra and yet..." "Unfortunately, he was a magician." "Watch now, as matter is changed and the laws of nature" "are broken." "Bear with me because I got a big finish." "Are you ready ?" "Here we go." "Don't you ever, ever do that again." "Not to me and especially" " not in public !" " Dad..." " I..." " No." "Harry, Harry, this isn't funny, all right." "Now you are going down a dangerous road, kiddo." "You were dying out there." "I had to do something." "Harry, I want you to listen to me, okay." "What you can do, what you have, that is a loaded gun and there are people who are going to want that gun and they are going to want to use you to do things that you're not going to want to do." "Do you understand what I'm saying ?" "No." "Who you are, what you can do, you keep it to yourself, all right ?" "You tell no one and you show no one, okay ?" "Or I won't be able to protect you" "Okay, just because I'm a wizard doesn't mean I don't make mistakes." "Which brings me to the downside of my profession." "If you're a janitor and you fail, someone ends up with gum on their shoe" "If you're a wizard and you fail people can end up dead." "Any ideas ?" "Yeah." "The woman that was skinned, the teacher, you gotta put her face on tv and tell people to keep a lookout for her but not to approach her because she's..." " dangerous." " The woman is dead, Dresden." "Yeah, I know." "But let's just say her killer's looking a lot like her these days." "You got to ask Cheryl and ask the school where she worked, okay." "Hey, what's going on ?" "Just look for Whitney Timmons, please, just,just just do that." "Cheryl." "You all right ?" "He tried to tell me." "Okay, you know what, we're going to find him, all right ?" "Okay." "Now look, I'm going to ask you some questions." "Do you or Scott's father, do you possess certain... abilities and powers ?" "I don't know what you're talking about." "Okay, this is going to sound crazy, but have you noticed birds hanging around you or hanging around Scott ?" "Yes." "Yes." "Ravens, crows ?" "Yes, ever since the day we brought him home." "They're everywhere." "When my jeep got booted" "I didn't realize that was gonna be the best part of my day." "Since then, I screwed up things with Laura, failed to save a frightened kid and now, it look like I was going up against the Skin Walker and... the Raven clan." "Mercenaries." "Muscle for hire." "Stubborn, clever." "Ruthless." "Cheryl says they've been hanging around Scott" " forever." " Watching, waiting for the moment to strike." "You know what I don't get ?" " What ?" " These Skin Walkers, right, they're major league heavy hitters." "I mean it's serious business, okay." "So what a raven is doing here that a Skin Walker can't ?" "Well there was a protective rune over Scott's door." "Perhaps the Skin Walker couldn't pass." "Raven's are morally neutral, they're not tainted enough to set off the warding." "Look morally tainted enough to kidnap a kid" "Look what it says here :" "Raven - creatures of haven, follow migratory patterns," "So that's mean they like to come back to the same place" " over and over again." " Once a raven builds a nest, it almost always goes back to it." "A nester." "Dresden, it's me, open the door !" "Melissa ?" "Melissa what is it ?" "What are you doing ?" "Oh God, I'm in trouble," " serious trouble." " What are you talking about ?" "Have you seen the news ?" "The school teacher," "The missing boy." "He's the one you were asking about right ?" " Yeah, that's my case, yeah." " The boy, Scott, you have him right ?" "I mean you have him hidden, he's safe ?" " What ?" " Just answer my question, Harry." "I mean if you have him just tell me." "I don't have him." " You really don't have him ?" " Can you tell me what the hell's going on ?" "She said she'd kill me." "Skin Walker !" "She came to see me a couple of days before you did." "She wants the boy." "He has the gift." "It's just not manifested yet." "So when I came to talk to you about him, you lied to me." "How did Scott acquire the gift ?" "From the mother or from the father ?" "He's an orphan." "He was placed." "So Cheryl's not even his biological mother." "Harry, please, just tell me that you have him" " or you know where he is." " Well that's funny, because I thought maybe your Skin Walker buddy might have him." "you know, that's what we were kind of thinking." "I'm sorry, Harry." " Harry ?" "The protective wards." " What are you doing ?" "What are you doing ?" "Why are you leaving this place wide open." "Okay, you're still working for her, huh ?" "I didn't have a choice, Harry." "Please ?" "Melissa." "Harry !" "We should talk." "I miss Florida." "Look, I'm sorry, Harry." "I know, I know, it's hard on you." "The travel." "We'll get there." "Dad ?" "When you were on stage last night... we got a call from uncle Justin." "He's in town." "He said he wanted to talk to you." "Did he say what about ?" "He said... it was about me." "You belong to the uncle, right ?" "Justin Morningway ?" "Tell me Bob, when Dresden slaughtered his uncle, what did you do ?" "Just stand there, like you're doing now ?" "If you hurt him, you will regret it." "This much be torture for you." "Once all powerful." "Now impotent." "You're a shadow of your former self, literally." "An inconsequential spirit." "But you know, if you want to save him, just tell me where he took the boy." "We were under the assumption, you had him." "If I had him..." "would I be here doing this ?" "We don't know where he is." "Really ?" "I can't believe Scott's teacher is involved." "I can't either." "Have you got kids ?" "A daughter." "Anna, she's 9." "Must be hard on her, you working these hours." "She's with her dad a lot." "I'm sorry." "Sorry would have been staying married." "You know, the day I brought Scott home, at the minute I walked through that door," "I thought something is going to ruin this." "Something is gonna happen." "Then when my husband left," "I thought that was it." "How bad could it get ?" "But we managed." "I have to ask." "The father, could he have had something to do with this ?" "No, he never wanted Scott." "Besides, now he's got kids of his own." "Kids of his own ?" "He's not Scott... you adopted !" "Cheryl, why didn't you tell us this before ?" "Was it legal ?" "Cheryl, this is important." "If there's trouble in Scott's background, it might help explain what's happening now." "I just wanted a baby." "So bad." "Tell me where I can find the boy and I'll go away." "I wish I knew." "I can take your skin, you know." "And I don't have to do it fast." "One finger at a time, a couple of toes." "Work my way up to the good parts." " As you keep me out of trouble." " Where is the boy ?" "Stop it." "Stop it !" "I'll tell you." "The Ravens, the Ravens took him." "We thought they were working for you." " Where are they nesting ?" " We don't know." "Look, there's a feather on the floor taken from the crime scene." "Use it to find them" "Torture someone else, just... get out." "Oh, you're lucky, Dresden." "If it were up to me, I'd be wearing your skin right now." "Thank you for being so helpful." ""If it were up to me..."" "she wasn't going to skin me." "She's working for somebody." "Somebody that doesn't want you dead." " Oh Harry, I was suckered." " It's all right." "No, no, it's not all right." "The boy's in danger and we have no leads." "Actually," " we do." " Yeah, we know." " Scott's adopted." " Where'd she get him ?" "What adoption center ?" "There wasn't one." "She picked the baby up at an old methodist church on the north side." "Said the whole thing was arranged by the minister." " You got an address ?" " 5321 Henders way, but it's been shut down for years." "Well sounds like a dead end." "Okay Murphy, I'll get back to you, all right ?" "Thanks, thanks, bye." "Dresden, I am so sorry." " I wouldn't..." " Later, Bob." " How long do we have ?" " This Skin Walker is no wizard, but she could manage a tracking spell" " with an hour's effort." " An hour." " Okay, I need something from you." " Name it." "The doom box." "Put yourself in Harry's place." "Justin, I am in his place." "we are out here together." "I can change that." " Over my dead body." " All I'm saying is that my side of the family is well versed in these situations." "Well, it didn't save his mother did it ?" "He needs to be with others like himself so that he can get a better understanding of his place in the world." "Try to take emotion out of this." "You're not helping Harry." "Are you saying you're going to help him ?" "I can give him insight..." "And then, when he has this insight... what are you going to do with him ?" "Are you going to use him as a secret weapon for whatever ridiculous shadow wars you and Margo are fighting." "Settle scores with the High Council ?" "I have no scores to settle." " My relationship with..." " The only relationship I care about is with my son, and nothing is going to make me give him up." "You're making a serious... mistake." "Oh is that a threat ?" "I'll do you one better :" "you stay away from him or I swear on my wife'soul" "I will kill you." "Let's go, Harry." "I want the kid." "You can't have him." "He's in hiding." "Well I found him, and so will she." "The Skin Walker." "Yeah, she's on her way right now." "Then we'll move, fly, find a new nest." "That's your solution, huh ?" "You're gonna shuffle around from safe house to safe house for the rest of his life ?" "He needs family." "His mother cannot protect him from what's coming." "She should be killed and the boy will be gone." "So your job's what ?" "What ?" "Protect him from the High Council ?" "Keeping him hidden ?" "You gave him to Cheryl Sharp in the first place, right ?" "Like a cuckoo's egg." "I placed him in the nest of another bird." "Trick her into raising her as it as her own." "Except she did too good a job because he loves her and she loves him." "Now you can't take him away from that ?" " But the Skin Walker ?" " That's my problem." "She'll kill you, skin you from head to toe." "Maybe." "Maybe not." "One doom box." " Hey kiddo !" " Harry !" " You won't believe what happened." " Actually," "I will." "Okay, you gotta listen to me kid." "These guys, whatever else you've seen, you gotta promise me you won't tell anyone about it." "It's like Superman." "It's like a secret identity thing." "If I tell anybody about this, people will think I'm nuts." "But you're not." "All right ?" "Your device, the doom box, assuming it works, is not a permanent solution." "There will be other attempts when his powers begin to emerge." "Well, he'll be ready for it, and so will I." "Scott ?" "It's Miss Timmons." "Your mom sent me to find you." " Where's the boy ?" " It's too late." "He's gone." " The ravens took him ?" " Ah, maybe, or maybe whoever you're working for double-crossed you and took him when you had your back turned." " That's not possible." " Because you're the only one who knows where he lives, right ?" " You kept that to yourself." " Tell me where he is or suffer." "I want you to set up a meeting with your employer." " I want to make an offer." " You want to make an offer ?" "Make it to me." "Fine." "Tell me who hired you." "Stop chasing after the kid." "I'll give you this." "You can sense it, right ?" "That's power." "I mean that's real power and it's yours for the asking." " It's so dark." " Yeah." "Give it to me !" "Then you'll get your answers." "Oh you want it ?" "Catch." "Pop goes the weasel." "My father said there were no monsters." "My uncle insisted monsters were real, and he should have known because he was one." "But he did teach me one thing :" "The only way to deal with the things we fear, is to face them, to drag them ticking and screaming out of the darkness." "and destroy them." "The bottom line is the kid is safe and the killer" " died in a gas explosion." " Pretty convenient explosion." "Not big on convenience." "Well, how about kids being returned safely to their family ?" " Are you big on that ?" " Yeah, one problem though." "The kid was adopted illegally." "Okay." "Well, you know, if you ever find the birth parents, that might be a problem, but until then, Cheryl Sharp, she loves him and he loves her." "Now isn't that enough ?" "Is that a yes ?" " Is this real ?" " Yup." "What do all the designs mean ?" "It means don't touch." "Hey, it's time for dinner, Scott." "Sit down." "Thank you." "It's just spaghetti." "No," "I mean for this." "You're welcome." "I need you to know something." "Something about Scott." "What ?" "He's special." "Yeah, I know." "No, no, no, I mean really special." "I'm not sure what you mean." "Okay, if things get... weird or weirder or strange, or just if you're not sure what's going on, you just call me, all right ?" "Okay." "Promise ?" "I promise." "You were like him, weren't you ?" "When you were little ?" "Yeah, a bit." "Who looked out for you ?" "My dad." "He loved you." "Resynck:" "Xenzai[NEF]"