The Dresden Files, #1
Storm Front
by Jim Butcher
Contents
Chapter Seventeen
Overview
Harry follows a tracking spell to Marcone’s club and stages a destructive entrance to demand his stolen hair. He exposes Gimpy as the traitor aiding the ThreeEye supplier, prompting a shootout where Hendricks kills Gimpy.
Harry and Marcone acknowledge a common enemy, but Marcone refuses overt help, choosing to wait while hinting the rival operates from the shadows.
Summary
Following a fading blood-based tracking spell, Harry arrives at the Varsity, Marcone’s club, and spots Johnny Marcone with Mr. Hendricks, Spike, and Gimpy. Lacking time for subtlety, Harry blasts the door, destroys the jukebox, and shatters the lights, forcing an evacuation and creating a private confrontation.
Harry demands the return of his stolen hair and accuses Gimpy of taking it. Reading Gimpy’s panic, Harry deduces that Gimpy has been feeding information to Marcone’s rival—the supplier behind ThreeEye and the thaumaturgic murders. Marcone orders Gimpy to show his wrist for proof.
Gimpy panics and opens fire. Harry shields with his bracelet while Hendricks pulls Marcone to safety and shoots Gimpy, killing him. The death shocks Harry, who hadn’t wanted bloodshed, but Marcone accepts Hendricks’s caution despite regretting the lost chance to question Gimpy.
Searching Gimpy’s body, Harry finds no hair, implying the enemy already has it. Marcone declares they share a common foe but, because Harry publicly challenged him, refuses to cooperate openly. He plans to wait: either the enemy kills Harry or Harry defeats the enemy, which Marcone will then frame as done at his behest.
Before Harry leaves, Marcone offers limited intelligence: captured operatives knew nothing, feared their master, and said he works “in the shadows,” with no clear source for ThreeEye. Harry departs into the rainy night, burdened by the killing, strained alliances, and the unresolved threat to his life and standing with the White Council.
Who Appears
- Harry DresdenWizard investigator; storms the Varsity, exposes Gimpy, seeks his stolen hair, and gains grudging alignment with Marcone.
- Johnny MarconeMob boss; keeps control, confirms a common enemy, withholds open help to preserve power and appearances.
- Mr. HendricksMarcone’s bodyguard; shields Marcone and kills Gimpy with swift, efficient gunfire.
- Gimpy (Lawrence)Traitor within Marcone’s crew; panics, shoots at Harry and Hendricks, and is killed; hair not found on him.
- SpikeMarcone’s man; arms himself during the shootout and helps stage the aftermath.