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Now that Caroline and Den had successfully convinced Bret, they spent the rest of the day putting their surveillance equipment in the back of Ryan’s van. A monitor would show simultaneous footage from the four cameras that they were going to put into Bret’s house. Any calls made to and from the house could be listened to through some headphones and would be recorded on a tape machine. Once all of it had been installed in Ryan’s van, Caroline explained how it all worked. Den and Caroline needed more equipment for the next days work so they drove back home.
Ryan decided a sleeping bag in the back of his van was just as comfortable as a motel room, so he’d stay the nights in there. Rooms had two single beds in, Shannon and Lori shared a room. And so did Rachel and Lee. All of them ordered some take-away and ate it together in Shannon and Lori’s room.
“Anybody got even the merest hint of a plan yet?” Ryan wondered.
“Not really”– Shannon said. “But I was wondering that if we just went into his house and shot him, then what are the chances of anybody catching us? I mean there’s very little to connect any of us to him as far as the police are concerned. And knowing what the police know about him, I don’t think they’re going to burst too many blood vessels trying to catch his killer.”
“You know you’re probably right”– Lori said. “But it’s a heck of a gamble.”
“Plus we’ll still be spending the rest of out lives wondering whether killing him is going to catch up with us”– Rachel added.
“Plus there is a connection between you and him as far as the police are concerned”– Ryan told Shannon.
“I know, I’m not saying it’s a perfect plan or even a good one. I’m just saying I think we’d have a great chance of getting away with it.”
“Let’s just call that a last resort for now”– Lee suggested. “It does bring up an interesting point though. If we did decide to kill him in such a straightforward manner, which one of us would actually kill him?”
“Even though I hate him so much, I’m not sure I could actually kill him in cold blood”– Lori admitted.
“Me neither”– Rachel said.
“I could”– Shannon said coldly.
“Lets just hope we can find some other way of doing this”– Ryan said.
“That would be ideal”– Lori said.
“I would like him to know that’s it us that are responsible for his death”– Shannon said.
“I must admit I agree with that”– Ryan said.
“We could do with one of your sing songs to lift the mood a little, Ryan”– Lori said.
“How about a random conversation instead?” Ryan asked.
“That would work”– Lori smiled.
“How about everybody writes down their top five films ever. Don’t tell anybody. And then we all have to guess which list belongs to whom.”
“That would be more fun than trying to guess which one of us is a murderer”– Rachel said, with a guilty smile in the direction of Ryan.
“Well I think so. Plus we’ve already figured out the murderer’s game”– Ryan said.
Each of them wrote down their top five, after much oohing and aahing, not wanting to forget about a particular favorite and worrying about having to leave certain ones out. The other four all handed their bits of paper face down to Lori. She mixed those four up without looking at them then turned over one of them and read out the five films.
“Back to the Future, It’s a Wonderful Life, Legend of Bagger Vance, Remember the Titans and The Longest Yard.”
“Getting very sporty there, and golf enthusiast in particular”– Shannon said.
“He has to be Ryan”– she added.
“Doesn’t have to be”– Ryan protested.
“It is, though. Isn’t it?” Lori checked. “I forgot about It’s a Wonderful Life.”
“Oh okay, that’s one of the easier ones”– Ryan conceded.
“Give me the other four and I’ll pick one out: ‘Girl Interrupted’, ‘Jerry Maguire’, ‘Dogma’, ‘There’s Something About Mary’, ‘Wild Things’. Interesting mix, it definitely has a female vibe to it though.”
“Well it’s not mine so it must be a female”– Lee said.
“But you could be bluffing”– Ryan said.
“I reckon it’s Rachel”– Lee said.
“I’m leaning towards Lori”– Ryan said.
“Shannon”– Lori said.
“Lori”– Rachel said.
“Oh wow, whoever it is, well done for being so unpredictable”– Ryan said.
“They’re mine”– Shannon said.
“All very good to watch I have to say”– Ryan commented.
“Well I obviously think so”– Shannon said. “Give me the three left. Fight Club, Memento, Rocky, Frequency and When We Were Kings. Well lets see. Three of them have a connection with fighting”– Shannon made a point of looking at Lee.
“It is not really much point me denying it is there”– Lee laughed.
“Some really good mess with your mind type film there as well though”– Shannon said.
“Yeah Memento is awesomely confusing if you’re not fully focused. Fight Club and Frequency are clever as well”– Ryan agreed.
“I’ve not actually seen Fight Club”– Lori said. “Is it really that clever?”
“Oh yeah, certainly not just a film about fighting if that’s what you’re thinking”– Lee said.
“I can’t really explain too much what it’s about, without risking revealing the plot of the movie. Without a doubt a lot of thought went into it”– Shannon said.
“Does this mean it’s my turn to pick one out?” Lee asked then Shannon handed him the remaining two pieces of paper. “ ‘The Goonies’, ‘Alien’, ‘Jaws’, ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘Ghostbusters’.”
“Oh wow, how cool are they”– Ryan enthused.
“I think maybe Lori”– Lee said.
“No I think that one is Rachel”– Ryan said. “She has this wonderful innocence of youth about her. A sort of refusal to grow up which I love her for. Most of these are the sorts of films you love while you are a kid. Most people become miserable as they become adults and forget about the films they really enjoy or even worse remember them but don’t let themselves enjoy them any more. Because they think grown ups aren’t supposed to enjoy these movies. But not Rachel, she knows you have to grow older but you don’t have to grow up. All the things people associate with growing up are just ways of having less fun and being more boring. Rachel tell me it’s you otherwise I’ve just made an absolute idiot of myself.”
Rachel couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “Yes, yes these movies are my favorites”– she managed to stop laughing, enough to speak through some slight giggles. “Thanks for your support. I must admit I was worried you guys might make fun of them a little bit.”
“Well I wouldn’t let anybody make fun of you for liking those films. Anybody who has ‘The Goonies’ as their favourite film is cool in my books. Not to mention the ‘Back to the Future’ solidarity”– Ryan and Rachel shared a little high five.
“So whatever is left is Lori’s”– Shannon said and took the paper off Lee.
“No, no, don’t look at it yet”– Ryan shouted. “Now us four have to guess what is on Lori’s list.”
“That could take a while”– Lee said.
“Well, she’ll give us clues if we are struggling”– Ryan said.
“That could be fun. I like giving clues”– Lori said. “By the way, go you suggest that I am boring if those films must have been Rachel’s favorites and not mine?” She asked Ryan with a cheeky smile.
“Of course not! How could you possibly think such a thing?”
“I’ll let you off.”
“Thanks. Now back to guessing your films. Has anybody else got one of your five?”
“Yes there has been one mentioned already.”
The other four looked through the other four lists.
“Jerry Maguire”– Lee guessed.
“No.”
“Ghostbusters”– Rachel said.
“No.”
“Girl Interrupted, it is isn’t it?” Ryan guessed confidently.
“Damn you’re good. Can I start giving clues now?”
“Go for it.”
“Okay, at number five I had hoped
that somebody else would have had this one as well.”
“Hope? A new hope, Star Wars!” Lee got excited.
“No Lee, I think that’s more one for Rachel’s list”– Lori replied. “Sorry Rach.”
“No worries, it was close actually!”
“Is hope in the title?” Ryan checked.
“No, just if I had to sum up the story in one word I’d use hope.”
“Shawshank Redemption”– Shannon said.
“Oh you’re good too”– Lori said.
“Great film to pick as well, liking the Girl Interrupted call as well obviously”– Shannon said.
“Well that was my number four. My clue for number three would be undercover genius.”
“James Bond?” Rachel guessed.
“Oh no sorry, see where you are going with that though. I meant he was a genius undercover, not a genius at being undercover.”
“A reluctant genius”– Ryan said.
“Now you’re getting there.”
“Good Will Hunting” – Ryan and Shannon said almost simultaneously.
“You two are either freaky mind readers or very big film fans”– Lori laughed.
“Probably more like freaky film fans”– Rachel laughed.
“Anyway what’s your number two”– Shannon quickly tried to change the subject before words like geek started to fly about.
“It could be tricky this one. It’s an oldie. It sounds like a magic trick.”
“She’s getting vague now just to put us two off”– Ryan said to Shannon.
“All right then”– Lori said. “A magic trick involving the wife of a Knight.”
“Wait a minute here. Are you talking about a certain Hitchcock classic?” Ryan got excited as he checked.
“Yes I am.”
“If it’s the one I’m thinking of I love you!”
“I don’t feel special anymore”– Rachel said and pretended to be upset by having to share Ryan’s affection.
“Sorry Rach but if Lori is talking about The Lady Vanishes then she is talking about my favorite Hitchcock ever and one of the most wonderfully classically British films ever.”
“Indeed I am.”
“Oh wow, I’d have probably put it in my five if I had thought that any of you would have heard of it”– Ryan said.
“It’s just so fantastically old fashioned in all the right ways”– Lori said.
“What a hidden gem it really is”– Ryan added.
“And my number one is, well one of the most iconic films ever with one of the most iconic stars ever.”
“Male or female star?” Shannon asked.
“Female.”
“What era?” Ryan asked.
“Fifties and sixties.”
“Marilyn Monroe?” Lee guessed.
“No, probably the anti Marilyn in many ways.”
“Audrey Hepburn”– Ryan said.
“That’s the lady.”
“What a lady, angels can’t look any better than she did”– Ryan said.
“So whilst Ryan is drooling the rest of us can guess the film”– Shannon said. “Her most iconic one would have to be Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”
“That’s the one.”
“Another great shout”– Ryan said. “Well now, that passed the time a little didn’t it children?”
“It did indeed”– Lori agreed. “You’ll have to come up with something else now for tomorrow night.”
“Oh don’t worry about it. I’m sure I can come up with plenty of things for us to do.”
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