The four women sat around the kitchen table, a tense silence settling over them. The weight of their task hung heavy in the air: identifying Ghostface and stopping the murders. And under that lay the flaming rivalries between them. Despite the tension, there was a sense of determination among them.
"Enemy of my enemy," Tatum said as she rested her chin in the palm of her hand.
Gale took out a notepad, ready to jot down their thoughts. "Let's start with a list of suspects. We need to narrow this down."
Cassandra, still shaken from her confession, spoke up first. "I know I accused Stu before, but-"
"This again?" Tatum complained.
Cassandra rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to swallow my pride here. The least you can do is let me finish a sentence."
Tatum quirked her eyebrows up and held her hands up in mock surrender.
"Stu being the killer doesn't make sense. Ghostface spared me, and I don't think Stu would have done that. Not after the way I threw him under the bus.. twice," Cassandra admitted.
Tatum, still wary but willing to listen, nodded. "Okay, fine. Stu's off the list.. thanks, I guess."
Cassandra and Tatum traded a look, though they knew they still had more to talk about before getting over their feud.
Sidney looked thoughtful. "Well, we know it's none of us. Who else is on the suspect list?"
"Billy," Tatum named with ease.
"You were there, Tatum. The killer called me when Billy was in jail," Sidney reminded.
"You get one phone call while in holding," Gale spoke up.
"I know he's been under suspicion, but I can't believe he would do this. I've known him for years," Cassandra said in defense.
"Exactly," Sidney agreed. "Besides, if he were.. why didn't he kill me the night Casey was killed? He was in my bedroom and I was vulnerable."
Cassandra hesitated, feeling the sting of jealousy. But, she shook it off. Billy and Sidney were in the past.
Gale raised an eyebrow, sensing an opportunity. "Are you two sure about that? There's been a lot of strange behavior."
As Sidney and Cassandra looked at each other, it was like they were reading each other. They seemed to be on the brink of realizing something when Tatum interjected. "Randy. We need to talk about Randy."
Sidney's eyes narrowed. "Why Randy?"
"I mean, he did make those jokes about Casey the day after she died."
Cassandra's head snapped in Tatum's direction. "What?"
Tatum sighed, shamefully shrugging. "He said he was working at the video store. But, the day we were being questioned at school by the cops, he was joking about Casey and Steve."
"How so?" Gale wondered.
"'Sliced and diced'," Tatum recalled, causing Cassandra to flinch. "Imitated that conspiracy nut from TV. It's like he's enjoying the chaos."
Sidney's face paled. "Randy would never do something like that. He's my friend. He's.. he's just trying to cope in his own way. Humor helps him deal."
Gale leaned forward. "Sidney, are you sure? Sometimes people hide behind humor to mask darker intentions."
Sidney hesitated, her loyalty to Randy clashing with the growing doubts. "He's always been a horror movie buff, but that doesn't make him a killer."
Cassandra's anger flared. "If he's joking about Casey's death, it shows he has no respect for her or any of us. He could be hiding something."
"Plus, the killer keeps mentioning horror movies," Tatum added. "Randy knows all the tropes, all the clichés. It fits. The killer is following horror movie rules, and Randy knows them inside and out."
Sidney looked down, struggling with her thoughts.
"Sid, we can't be sure about anyone right now," Tatum said, grabbing Sidney's hand. "At all."
"I don't want to believe it, but.. maybe you're right. Maybe we need to take a closer look at Randy," Sidney gave in.
Gale scribbled down Randy's name, underlining it.
"Who else is on the suspect list?" Sidney asked, if only to stop questioning Randy for a bit.
Cassandra gave Gale a look. She recalled how Neil Prescott, Sidney's own father, was a suspect.
"Let's keep thinking, shall we?" Gale offered, brushing off Neil for now.
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