Charlie receives a job offer for being a shift cargo manager for the St. Jean tea importing company, but turns it down. He's moved up in the Mafia, having segued fairly smoothly into working for the Giottis. With an upgrade from wise-guy to associate, Charlie's hours have gotten shorter, but more sporadic, and there's been the occasional look-big-and-threatening mission. He hasn't had to do too much actual legbreaking yet. Note that associate is about the last step that one can retire from without being dead; the next step up is "made man" which includes an oath and after which one only leaves the Family feet-first. As a non-Sicilian, Charlie is very unlikely to rise above that level to something like capo.

Tommy's been drinking a bit less since the auto accident, in which the car went into a ditch and then a tree after a night out with Charlie. True to form, Tommy wasn't injured, but Charlie required several stitches in his head, and the car took a lot of work repairing it. Since Charlie wasn't pressing charges, nobody got arrested, but Eddie's been keeping a closer eye on Tommy since then.

Junior is in the "talk constantly" stage now, keeping up a present-and-past narration most of the time. "And then we goed to the park and gottin the swing and Mommy pushed me and can I have ice cream?". He's gotten to a stage of being Bad for Mommy and Good for Daddy, which pretty much everyone finds irritating.

Eddie has been devoting an hour or so every week to "writing his memoirs," or, more coherently, constructing notes on the paranormal for future generations to find in obscure libraries.

Some of the more interesting cases the Valiants have handled include investigating what seems likely to have been a werewolf in Attleboro (though the wolf appears to have left town about the same time as the Valiants arrived), and a woman being possessed sporadically by the ghost of her mother (who doesn't approve of her husband and is trying to get them divorced).

Esme's parents are starting to hint gently about possibly settling down. She's been seeing both Harold and Tommy (well, since the GM has no idea who Esme prefers); Harold is away on business fairly often, so things haven't progressed as quickly as the average super-boyfriend might have made them.

A new assistant is assigned to Dr. Schreber at Arkham. She's a Miskatonic University graduate student in psych, named Sheila Marshall, and she is very intense and enthusiastic. When she first got to Arkham, there was the standard sort of hazing that they do for student interns, having them interview the Hannibal Lecters, and so on, but she seemed not only unfazed but absolutely fascinated by even the most horrific Arkham has to offer. The Director has basically told her to stick close to Dr. Schreber, which she's taken exceedingly literally. On days where he hasn't gone in, staying home to mess around with the rat experiments instead, she's shown up bright and early to assist with them (in fact, she shows up at 9am at the appropriate place, regardless of which it is).

Roderick's prodding to get Marcus out of the house doesn't really go anywhere, but once Roderick starts leaving anthropological texts about homosexuality around the house, Marcus discovers that he has several outstanding engagements back in Springfield, and takes off. A week later, when Roderick is coming downstairs in his full tribal war mask, he missteps and takes a fall, breaking two fingers. A long argument with the Scottish Manservant follows, in which Marcus is threatened to be recalled "because ye can't even take care o' yur own self." Somehow, the argument is resolved by the hiring of a Caribbean cook; each leaves thinking the other has pulled a fast one.

Julian Apcott writes to Tommy and Dr. Schreber, asking if they could show him around to some local universities. It sounds as if his plan is Harvard if he can get in, which doesn't think he can, and Miskatonic otherwise. Esme is detailed to pull strings with the nice Dean of Students at Harvard, which she does. Sadly, shortly after traveling to Boston, Julian suffers a relapse and plans for college are put on indefinite hold.