The Carcajou

Chapter Fourteen: A Flaw in the Plan

Gale wasn't included in the plan, and honestly, Luke and the Carpenter sisters were okay with it.

It was Halloween day, and the trio walked through the park. Sam thought Tara staying with the others was a better idea, not putting her at risk. But Tara just said, "I'm not. I'm your guys' backup," with a smile.

"So we're really doing the phone tracing thing that never works in the movies," Mindy said. Inside a white "Enterprise" van, she sat with Ethan, who munched on Cheetos, and Kirby, who did the tracing.

"It'll be all, 'Keep him talking, Sam,'" Mindy said, beginning to mock the plan. "'Two more minutes, I've almost got him.' And then he hangs up just before we can get a lock."

"I can trace a call in under 15 seconds," Kirby argued with an all-knowing smirk. Mindy's eyes went wide before she finally dropped the subject.

"Well, you've got them out there as bait," she said.

"Because the killer usually calls from somewhere nearby," Kirby answered.

"And you think they're safe because it's broad daylight in a public place and Luke's with them with his hardware skeleton and envious healing?" Mindy asked.

"Look, I am here, okay?" Kirby said. "And so is Bailey."

"This is exactly how my Uncle Randy died," Mindy said. "Broad daylight. Public place. Yanked into a van. Stab, stab, stab. No more Randy."

"Huh," Kirby said. Ethan offered Mindy a Cheeto, to which she looked at it confused.

"Hey, Sam," Kirby's voice said in the earpieces Luke, Sam, and Tara all wore. "Stay frosty out there, okay?"

"We're good," Sam said. Just then, she had an idea.

"You two," she whispered to Luke and Tara, "fall back. Give me some space."

"And then what do we do?" Luke asked.

"I don't know," Sam said. "Blend in."

Shrugging, Luke, and Tara backed off before following Sam a few feet behind. Tara looked around and noticed some of the people looking at them suspiciously.

"We stand out," Tara said to Luke in a hushed tone. "We need to blend in."

"How do we do that?" Luke asked.

"Make it look like we're on a date," Tara answered, causing Luke's face to start heating up. "Take my hand."

"I don't care what you do," Bailey, who sat on a bench with a hat, said into his earpiece as he watched. "Just make it look like you belong there. Don't stand out more than you do."

Trying to keep his blush under control, Luke took Tara's hand in his own gloved one. Their fingers laced together. After a few steps, Tara decided to make the act look more real. Leaning closer, she wrapped her other arm around Luke's, tilting her head on his giant bicep.

When Sam pulled out her phone from her pocket, Tara let Luke go and walked up to her sister. Luke's face felt warm, but when he looked into the pond next to him, he saw Dani's disappointed face. Sighing, he tried to ignore it and walked up to the girls.

"You're gonna die, you know," Sam said, answering the call as Luke joined her and Tara.

"No, you're gonna die, Samantha!" Ghostface answered on the other end. "Choking on your own blood while I hack up your sister and your precious pet Carcajou."

Unknown to Ghostface, the group listened as Kirby began tracking the call on her computer.

"Unless we find you first," Sam argued.