New Year's Eve and Shard is on the case.  Was it possible Harkness was killed because of unpaid gambling debts? He turns to his old friend Witry for help. It's well known Harkness liked to gamble and was notoriously bad at it.  Shard is mildly worried that his plans for New Year's Eve night with Ellen and Alice might fall flat. He has a table at Schuyler's and it's Polka night.  Shard's evening ends as someone goes on a shooting rampage in the early hours of the new year.