The Riley Curse | Ethan Landry

03. The Legacy

Tatum pulled into the RV park and sat in her car for a moment. She was worried she was going to be placed on house arrest until this guy was caught. She would understand if he did, but she wanted to help her friends. She can't do that if she's trapped in her trailer.

She turned off her car and got out. She walked over to the trailer and opened the front door. She could hear her mother's voice coming from the TV. "Dad, I'm back," Tatum said.

She noticed that her dad was in the kitchen instead of the living room. "How's Tara?" He asked.

"She's doing fine. Her sister is here, so I'm sure that helps," Tatum said.

"Your old babysitter?" He asked and Tatum nodded. "Yeah, Sam," Tatum said and Tatum hesitated to ask her next question. "You're not going to like keep me in the house or something, right?" Tatum asked.

"I thought about it if I'm honest, but I just figured you would just sneak out anyway," Dewey said and Tatum nodded. "You're probably not wrong," Tatum said and Dewey walked around her and went to the living room to do what Tatum liked to call his morning routine aka pining after Gale.

"Have you talked to her about it, yet?" Tatum asked and he shook his head. "No, she needs to stay in New York," Dewey said, and before Tatum could say anything else she heard a knock on the door. "I'll get it," she said.

"Don't bother, it's probably just reporters," Dewey said and Tatum looked out the window. "It's Sam," Tatum said and she opened the door. "What are you doing here?" Tatum asked.

"I wanted to talk to your dad," Sam said and Tatum looked at her dad who seemed annoyed by the guests. "I don't think he will talk to you," Tatum said.

"Give me one good reason why I should talk to you," Dewey said and Tatum gave her dad an annoyed look. She understood he wanted to leave the whole Ghostface thing behind him, but he's the only original that still lives here. They needed his help whether he liked it or not.

"I'm Billy Loomis's daughter," Sam said and Tatum's eyes widened in shock. "That's a terrible reason for me to talk to you," Dewey said now standing next to his daughter, who jumped at the sound of his voice. Not expecting him to be standing next to her.

"I was attacked last night at the hospital. The night before that, my sister was stabbed seven times. I know you know what that's like. I'm just trying to protect my family. Five minutes. That's all I'm asking," Sam said.

"I'll give you two minutes. I'm missing a show I like," Dewey said and Tatum walked into the living room to make room for them to walk in. Tatum sat down on the couch as she waited for the others.

"Gale Weathers," Richie said as he walked into the living room and Dewey quickly turned the TV off. "Weren't you two.." Richie trailed off as he and Sam sat down on the couch next to Tatum. "Yeah," Dewey said.

"She's Tatum's mom," Sam informed and Richie had a surprised look on his face. "Oh," Richie said.

"Who's he?" Dewey asked as he changed the subject. "Oh, this is Richie, my boyfriend," Sam said.

"How long have you known him?" Dewey asked.

"Six months," Sam said and Tatum knew exactly where her dad was going with this and she couldn't agree more. She didn't like Richie, she didn't trust him at all. He's too nice, almost to the point where it's off-putting.

"Did he know who your dad was when you met? Express any interest in Woodsboro or the Ghostface killings?" Dewey asked.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Richie asked.

"Your killer's obsessed with the Stab movies, right?" Dewey asked and Sam nodded. "Well, there are certain rules to surviving a Stab movie. Believe me, I know. Rule number one: Never trust the love interest. They seem sweet, caring, supportive. Then welcome to act 3, where they're trying to rip your head off," Dewey said.

"I was with Sam in Modesto when Tara was attacked," Richie said and Tatum looked over at Sam and Richie. Sam just had a confused look like she was confused about if she could trust him or not and Richie just looked like he was upset.

"And let me guess, you were just in the other room, conveniently unaccounted for when she was attacked at the hospital," Dewey said.

"Okay, do I have to take this from shitty Sam Elliott over here, or what?" Richie asked and Tatum looked at him. "Watch it," She said as she glared at him. "Rule number two," Dewey said ignoring the comment.

"The killer's motive is always connected to something in the past," Dewey said.

"I'm related to Billy," Sam said.

"Right, but then why kill that random Vince guy?" Richie asked.

"That's for you to figure out. And rule number three, and this is the most important rule: The first victim always has a friend group that the killer is a part of. Does your sister have a close-knit group of friends?" Dewey asked and Tatum sighed as she leaned back. Sam looked over at her. "Yeah. She does," Sam said.

"Then look for the killer there. If you can find out why they're doing this, you can figure out who's next," Dewey said as he looked over at Tatum for a second. She knew what he was implying. She's a part of the group, which means she's a target. "So help us. Help us figure out who is behind this," Sam said.

"You kidding me? I've been stabbed nine times. I've got permanent nerve damage and a fun little limp. You think I want to do that again?" Dewey asked.

"You just said it always goes back to the past, right? So if I'm in danger that means you're in danger. And Tatum's in danger. Come on. Let's do this together," Sam said.

"Your times up," Dewey said and the two of them left.

"You know she's not wrong, right? If this is some sick psychopath trying to remake the Stab movies, then he's going to come after us," Tatum said as Dewey grabbed his phone. "I know," Dewey said as he dialed someone's number. "Who are you calling?" Tatum asked.

"Sidney. She needs to know that he's back," Dewey said.

"Should I call Mom?" Tatum asked and Dewey nodded. Tatum hasn't talked to her mom in months. Mostly because her mom never answers. She's either doing her TV show or off doing interviews about her books.

She walked into her room and paused for a moment. Her thumb hovered over the name. She could just barely hear her dad get off the phone with Sidney so she dialed her mom's number. "Please answer," Tatum said as she listened to her phone ring over and over again.

"Hey, Tatum. I was just about to call you," Her mom said as she answered. "You were?" Tatum asked.

"Yeah, your dad just texted me. I wanted to check in and see if you are okay," Gale said.

"So you know then?" Tatum asked.

"Yeah. He didn't give me very much details," Gale said and Tatum sat down on her bed. "There's not much to give. Other than the fact that all my friends are targets of a killer that could be one of my friends," Tatum said.

"Just keep your eyes peeled and trust your gut. That's really all you can do until he's caught," Gale said.

"I will. Thanks," Tatum said and the other side of the phone was quiet for a moment. "Keep you and your dad safe, okay?" Gale said and Tatum smiled. "I will. I know Dad probably said this in his text, but no matter what don't come back here," Tatum said.

"I won't," Gale said and Tatum pulled her phone away and hung up.

Tatum walked out of her room and saw her dad with a box of his old sheriff things in it. Tatum smiled. "You're going to help us?" Tatum asked and Dewey looked at her. "Yeah," Dewey said and she hugged him. "Thank you," She said and he hugged her back. Tatum doesn't give out hugs very often, so when she does, he does not hesitate to accept them.

"Come on. We're meeting up at Mindy and Chad's house," Tatum said.