The three of us sat at the table tiredly. Tara rested her head on the table as I rub her back gently, the way my mother used to. We heard the door open and we immediately straightened our posture. The way one would only do when around a person of the law.
I let out a yawn as Bailey sat down with a grin look on his face. I had only just realized how tired I truly was, it must've been maybe 1 or 2 in the morning. "This was found next to the body at the apartment crime scene." Officer Bailey picked up a bag and showed us a ghostface mask, placing it in front of me on the table. "DNA says that it belonged to someone named Richie Kirsch." Tara and me gave a grim look to one another. Sam gave a look to officer Bailey that seemed as though her stomach dropped.
"Does that ring a bell?" Officer Bailey said, noticing our reactions to the name. Tara and I looked at Sam, "we're familiar with him." Sam said level headedly, Richie had always been a sort of sore subject after the whole, "him willing to kill her" vibe happened. "But the one that attacked us had a different mask on." Tara said, I gave a nod, remembering the scene. "It was kind of more beat up. Like it was older."
"Uh.." officer Bailey said, touching his face. "I got to ask... do you have alibis for earlier tonight?" I interrupted Tara and said, "me and Tara were at a party with her friends, I was hanging out with a few of my own friends as well, we also got ready before that with Quinn being our alibi." "I was at my therapist's" Sam said with a sigh. "I can give you his information. You can call to check if you want. And then I met Tara at that party. Where I tased someone." I had to stifle back my laughter when I saw the look Bailey gave to tara after saying that.
"...unrelated."
Bailey let out a sigh, "was that before or after this happened?" Bailey showed the video of me beating up the little bitch and her friend calling Sam a murder, I think you know the rest. "Before." "The point is, we were with people all night." Tara said, clearly tired and annoyed. "So, our roommate's dad just happened to pull our case." Sam said skeptical of the whole situation.
"That'd be a crazy coincidence, right?"-"Yeah." Sam and I said- "The detective who had the case, he offered it to me because it involves Quinn. I'm, but I can totally give it back if you're uncomfortable. It's up to you." I look at Tara skeptical and then back at Sam. "It's fine." Sam said with a note of finality. "So if the man who attacked you did steal your license and plant it next to the body, it'd probably be somebody close to you."
My first thought was Quinn, I never fully trusted her. Yeah she's funny and cool, but still I had a weird feeling about her. "How long have you known your friends?" "Well, we moved here with Mindy and chad for summer semester, like, 6 months ago, and we know them well during the whole.. you know." I say thinking hard about who the killers could be. "So, Quinn, I'm, Ethan, Anika all since then." Tara finished. "I think I can vouch for Quinn, so that's one less we have to worry about." Tara and I shared a skeptical look and I look back at officer Bailey.
"Do any of you have anyone that might want to target you?" "Not anyone who's still alive." I give a small, tired, chuckle at Tara's response and I look up at Bailey, "I tried to pride myself into not getting into relationships where people would want to kill me." I say calmly, "yikes." Officer said as the door opened. "FBI's here, claiming jurisdiction." "Where are they?" Bailey stood up and another cop showed him where, closing the door.
Sam's let's put a annoyed sigh, Tara messaged her temples, and I roll my head back and let out a frustrated grunt. "Why the hell is this taking so long? I mean we were fucking attacked for christs sake." I say as I pace the room. "They just want to get the fakes and everything set up, make sure they haven't missed anything." Sam said tiredly as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Well fuck them, i say we leave." I say walking toward the door. "No Hannah sit back down, we can't leave it'll make us look suspicious." Tara said looking at me. I let out curses under my breath, "fuck it." Tara said, she stood up and we both left the room, Sam quickly followed and cursed us silently.
"Kirby?" I say confused with a small smile on my face. "Hey girls." She smiled back softly, and tilted her head to the side to show she ment it. I hugged her tightly. "Hey Sam" they both hugged briefly, "hey Tara." They gave each other a small nod. You're the FBI?" I questioned with a small chuckle. "Mm-hmm." Kirby said, looking at the three of us over again. "You guys know each other?" Bailey questioned. "Yeah we went to Woodsboro high together. She was a senior when I was a freshman."
Kirby gave a small nod, "we share a certain history, yeah. Look, I'm not trying to get into a jurisdictional pissing contest here, I just want to help. I'll show you mine, et cetera." Kirby motioned to her folder, and handed it to Bailey. "Thank you." Bailey quickly took the ghostface mask evidence from another female officer.
"He left this mask at the bodega. DNA traces of two individuals. Charlie walker, Jill Robert, both deceased." Kirby took the mask and turned it over, inspecting it. "The ghostface killers of 2011. Charlie Walker gave me this." Kirby lifted up her shirt to show a wound on her side. "Like I said, I take a special interest. Is this the mask he was wearing when he attacked you?" The three of us shook our heads, "no."
"So he's leaving them on purpose." Bailey said, "which means whoever's doing this is a student of the killers who came before. Maybe he believes Sam is the latest in a long line." Tara looked away and then quickly back. "Yeah, good luck with that. We're getting out of town." Sam motioned to her sister as they try to leave. "I'm sorry, that's not possible. You're both persons of interest in a double homicide, so you're not allowed to leave town. Sorry." Bailey said with a weird glint in his eye. What the hell did that mean? I thought.
"Are you serious?" "He's right. But if we work together-" Kirby started. "We're going." Sam said with a note of finality, walking away. Me and Tara give dad looks to the two cops and we walk away with her.
The moment we enter the door we saw cameras and news people. I let out a frustrated sigh as the three of us form a small huddle, barreling through the crowd.
"Samantha, do you have an alibi for last night murders?"
"Tara do you feel safe around your sister?"
"Hannah what's it like being with one of the most dangerous girls in the city?"
"Gale Weathers, channel 4."
The three of us turn around with looks of disgust at the OG ghostface woman. She had been throwing people under the road for years, it didn't matter who. As long as she got her story. "Do you ladies think you're the reason the ghostface killer has come to the big apple?" Sam shook her head as she scoffed, I looked at the woman as though I could kill her.
Sam swung, hoping to punch the lady but she dodged it. Gale scoffed, "Nice try, sweetie, but I've done this dance before." I was about to punch the woman but Tara beat me to it. The stows gasped as Gale clutches her already bruising face. Nice punch Tara. I thought. "Stay away from us." Tara said calmly. So fucking badass. We start to walk away
"Are you still made at me?" Gale said with a confused look on her face. If this bitch doesn't go I'm going to punch her. "You said you wouldn't write a book about what happened. And then you wrote a book about what happened." "Oh, come on. Somebody was gonna write about it! It's what I do." "I heard you couldn't sell the movie rights." I say sourly. "It's all about the true-crime limited series these days." Gale stated, she seemed annoyed at this fact, and I was fucking pissed.
"After everything we went through together. What would Dewey think?" Gale looked down, she looked pained for a split second. Good. "That's a low blow." "So was your fucking book." I say, finally getting a word in. "You called me "unstable" and a "born killer."" "That's taken out of context." "That's literally a quote." Sam took a few steps forward. "You don't think what you wrote had something to do with what's happening to us?" Tara stated. "Come on." Sam directed us away, it took every ounce of myself to not punch Gale.
"Hey, I talked to Sidney." "She's not coming here, is she?" Tara stepped forward, nervously. "No. She sends her love, but she's taking Mark and the kids someplace safe. She deserves to have her happy ending." Gale moved her head to the side and then back again. "On that much, we agree." Sam opened the door. "Hey, I want to catch this fucker as much as you do!" "Maybe. Or maybe yours just afraid that without ghostface in your life, you're gonna fade away." Tara said like her badass self and the three of us get into the car. Me and Tara fist bump with a smirk and we drive away.