1) Why would he stay? His memories are all of places and people he can't go to or rely on. He could screw off to Ohio and probably eat half of Columbus before anyone noticed what was going on.
In canon he kept a low profile and presumably spent a lot more time getting invested in stuff. He's had a lot less time to do that here, and he's already on people's radar in ways he hasn't been previously.
Additionally, I don't see how the community being bigger helps him. He's a knowledge spirit with his fingers in a lot of different undead pies; he can't exactly blend in with the minor talents or local fey.
Even if he does stick around as he did in canon he was apparently content to do nothing catastrophically destructive for most of a decade, so I don't see a reason to panic about him.
2) Mort has successfully survived Halloween every year he's been in the city so far. As to h pointed out already, his death or serious incapacitation would probably have unleashed a horde of murder ghosts by this point so I'm willing to bet it didn't happen.
This is basically fear mongering. I could make the same argument about secret white council auditors looking in after the Daedalus nonsense, Lara having spies tail her brother straight to us, or Denarians getting a fax from the home office about the new complication in their mission.
It's all possible, but we have no real way to gauge how likely any of it is or assign meaningful risk assessments to them.
Without the ability to do that any planning of this type done is essentially based on what hits any given individuals paranoia in the right way.
There's potential value in seeing him, though I wouldn't call it the highest return on our investment at the moment, but the line of reasoning you're using seems faulty to me.
1)Because Chicago is the third largest city in the US, in addition to being an acknowledged magical crossroad?
Large population of supernaturals to hide in, lots of NeverNever locales connect here, right in top of a nexus of Ways.
The grendelkin was eating people and animals here for months in the short story Heorot before Dresden and Gard noticed.
From a personal safety perspective, a transportation crossroads gives you multiple options for evading pursuit and leaving town. There apparently arent many places like this in the Dresdenverse. Edinburgh is another, but held by the White Council.
Not sure if Chitchen Itza is as well.
Its the same reason why experienced fugitives try to stay close to multiple transport options.
And why they seek out large cities; easier to blend into large populations.
2)Spirit of knowledge, not necromancer. He doesnt appear to grow in power from eating mortals, let alone spirits.
Fucking off to Columbus puts him in a less obvious locale, but also one with a much smaller population, so he stands out more, and with fewer egress routes should a hunting party come to town. Much higher risk of getting cornered and clobbered.
3) In canon he took six or seven years before getting involved in another major scheme.
Here its only been ten months.
Something's different.
4) No, it isnt fear mongering.
Mortimer's death would unleash a murder of ghosts on the city. His incapacitation however? We dont know.
If he's being pressed, whether by Kattrin's remnants, Daedalus or even the Library? We dont know.
We have no way of knowing without walking in and knocking on his door.
5) I dont think thats a valid argument.
We already made contact with the Senior Council via Ebenezar McCoy the Blackstaff way back in the first arc.
And Dresden probably has given at least some updates on the matter after the Red Room Murders.
Thats handled.
Lara Raith knows who we are, and she or someone acting on her instructions called Michael after the Black Rider auction.
Frankly I would be surprised if she doesnt already know about her brother's new business associate; its been around three weeks, and she's the sister who raised him, effective White Court head and his handler in the True Venatori.
Marcone knows because Gard, as does Odin.
Summer Court knows because Lily and Fix were there when we got back from Arctis Tor.
Winter knows because of our escape from Arctis Tor.
The Red Court know about us because we let a Rampire covert action team go after Cleveland; it was the right thing to do, but they know. The Archive knows everything we've committed to paper or electronic communication.
And she isnt in Chicago anyway.
The only reason Im not stressing about the Denarians is because they have no publicly known points of contact in the Chicago area. Neither do the Yama Kings for that matter.
They generally get initiative, so we wait.
