I’ll let him chase me and lead him like a sunbeam and then, vanish like a shadow. ― Erin Bow
Laying a Trap
"Every rat loves cheese and that's their weakness―trap them with their needs."
I was sitting in Clare's den ruminating about setting a trap to catch our killers.
Clare frowned. "That's all fine and good unless you're the cheese they going to devour―then you better be sure your trap works"
I chuckled, "You're right, but at the moment we have the advantage. Robyn and Jim Barnes don't know we're on to them and so we can bait our trap and lure them in."
"So, what's your plan? How are you going to entice them?"
"That's easy," I smiled, "I just have to antagonize Robyn."
Clare rolled her eyes. "I can imagine you find it easy to upset women―it probably comes naturally."
"Ouch! That hurts. You know I'm not a player."
"I know," she laughed, "just teasing, but women do seem to react to you―they either love you or want to kill you."
"I'm glad you're in the former camp, because you'd be a formidable enemy."
She shook her head, "Let's just hope I'm an effective ally."
"Well, getting back to the subject, I plan to flush out our devious duo by directly antagonizing Robyn, and the best way to do it is by praising your virtues."
"You mean positioning yourself near her desk where she can overhear you talking?"
"No, I mean striking up a conversation with Jim Barnes and using him as a patsy. He'll report back to Robyn, of course, and she'll go ballistic and want revenge."
"Let's hope they get annoyed enough to take the bait," Clare laughed.
"I'm a pretty good actor―I can sell this," I assured her.
"And this time they'll be on our turf," she added, "and we'll be the ones calling the shots."
Later that afternoon, I arranged to be in the detachment about the time Jim Barnes and his partner, Bob Henderson were just coming off duty.
I figured it would add to Barnes’ ire if I embarrassed him in front of an audience.
The on-duty sergeant was Doris Lessing who would always flirt with me. We had a teasing sort of relationship and I made sure to exploit that.
“I haven’t seen you around the last few days, Cam,” Doris commented. “Taking a few days off?”
“I’ve been spending some time with Clare out at the farm helping her install better lighting.”
”Oh, I’d have thought you do your best work in the dark,” she teased.
“I guess that’s true, but when it comes to Clare, I like to show off her beauty. Besides, she lights up a room just by walking into it—she puts all other woman to shame.”
“What? Even the beauties in the detachment here?” she teased.
“Well, to tell the truth, I don’t think she has any rivals.”
“Ooh, that’s brutal,” Doris pretended to pout, “you mean the rest of us girls just pale in comparison?”
“I wouldn’t be that rough on all of you—I just don’t think anyone can hold a candle to Clare’s beauty.”
At that point, Bob Henderson unexpectedly broke into the conversation. “Ha, ha, you’ve got a point there, Cam—Clare Logan is not only a good cop she’s also good looking.”
Doris clutched her heart melodramatically, “ I suppose the rest of us lesser lights should just resign ourselves to being left in the shadows.”
“That’s okay, Doris,” Bob laughed, “at least you know your place,”
I caught a glimpse of Jim Barne’s face and he was not amused. As a matter of fact, If looks could kill, I’d now be dead.
I suppose that's his twisted way of defending his lady's honour.
The question was, would he be incensed enough to act impulsively? I hoped so—in fact, I was counting on it.
Noe the trap was set and we'd just have to wait and see if Robyn took the bait.
To be continued…
© 2025, John J Geddes. All rights reserved