Chapter 13: Heart of Darkness

Archie was in his room, playing with his guitar. He was just playing with the strings, not really working on a song. He was busy pondering about hunting down the person that murdered Jason Blossom. It sounded foolhardy, but Archie didn't care. Cheryl was suffering now because of this person, whoever he was. He couldn't just sit around and let the killer off scot-free. No, he had to take action in a decisive manner. There was a murderer on the loose, and Archie was going to find out who it was.

Archie continued playing on the strings, not really sure what he would do now. He could try finding certain people from Riverdale High and asking them questions, but then people would figure out what he was trying to do. Archie decided that he would have to keep his eyes open for anything that would be useful.

Archie turned on the television. He flipped through the channels, not really showing much interest in what was being shown on-screen. But, then…

"We have breaking news from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy", a news reporter said. Archie sat up, now intrigued. "It is confirmed that a patient has escaped. Polly Cooper has not been seen in her room. There are no clues about her current whereabouts."

The first thing that was on Archie's mind was to call Cheryl. He had a feeling she would be outraged about this.

"Cheryl?", Archie asked while talking to her on the phone. "We need to talk."

At Thornhill…

Cheryl was furiously pacing back and forth in her room. Archie was trying to pacify her. Archie knew when Cheryl would get angry, and this was one of those times. He had to make peace in this situation.

"I knew it!", Cheryl exclaimed. "She must have been the one that killed Jason."

"We don't know that", Archie said.

"She escaped from the Sisters of Quiet Mercy", Cheryl said. "That's a sign of guilt to me. We have to hunt her down."

Those words sent a chill up Archie's spine. This could not be good.

Cheryl pulled out her cell phone. "I'll make a post on Twitter. Maybe that will gain attention."

"Cheryl, don't!", Archie exclaimed. He grabbed her cell phone from her hands.

"What are you doing?!", she shouted.

"Cheryl, just listen to me. You shouldn't post about Polly's disappearance on social media. You especially shouldn't encourage others to hunt her down. Even if she did kill Jason, which seems unlikely, it still would not be wise to post it online."

Cheryl took a few, deep breaths.

"Cheryl, I'm just trying to help you", Archie said. "You have to be careful about what you write on social media. Colleges can hack into groups on Facebook. Gangs, criminals, and companies can all see stuff that is shared online. The things we post can have negative impacts on us if we say the wrong thing."

Cheryl looked at the ground.

Archie grabbed both of her shoulders.

"Cheryl, look at me", he said. "Just breathe. Breathe in. Breathe out."

Cheryl continued breathing.

"Just calm down, Cheryl. It's going to be okay."

Cheryl sobbed. Archie embraced her, protecting her in his arms as she cried her eyes out.

"I just wish we knew who did this to my brother", Cheryl said.

"We will find out", Archie said. "But we have to do that in the correct manner. Look, we'll both go to school and I'll ask questions. Maybe someone knows something."

As it turned out, Cheryl didn't even need to tweet or post anything. This was because Sheriff Keller was already asked by Penelope Blossom to find Polly.

Archie and Cheryl were careful to make sure not to be seen together. Archie joined a group that was looking for Polly. This group included Betty, Jughead, Veronica, Reggie, and Kevin. Archie knew that Betty would try to find Polly and bring her to safety. He still needed to get more evidence about who was at Sweetwater River on that fourth of July and who fired that gun that Reggie had heard.

"Heard anything from Sheriff Keller about who fired that gunshot that you heard?", Archie whispered to Reggie.

"No clue", Reggie said. "Maybe Kevin knows."

"I know what?", Kevin asked, who had just happened to overhear their conversation.

"About the gunshot that was fired at Sweetwater River on July 4th", Archie said.

"My dad told me it was Dilton Doiley", Kevin said. "He and the other boys from his boy scout group were having target practice."

"Doiley? That nerd?", Reggie asked, scoffing. "I can't imagine him even holding a gun."

"Well, they were having their practice sessions for quite a while", Kevin said. "Dilton wanted them to remain confidential and clandestine, totally secret."

"Well, at least we know something", Archie said. "The gunshot from the fourth of July had nothing to do with Jason's murder. But that still doesn't give us much information about who might have been involved with Jason's death."

"There's something that we still don't know", Kevin said. "Why Jason and Polly were running away in the first place."

"Well, it's no secret that the Blossoms and the Coopers don't like each other", Archie said.

"Obviously, that's nothing new", Reggie said.

"And when Jason and Polly got together, this caused controversy from both families", Archie said. "It's apparent that the Coopers didn't approve of the relationship, and the Blossoms felt likewise."

"So, it's possible that Jason and Polly were trying to live their own lives", Kevin said.

"Possibly", Archie said. "I'll have to speak to Cheryl about this."

Meanwhile…

Betty Cooper was concerned about her sister's well-being. She hated the fact that her parents lied to Polly about everything that had happened. Polly still didn't know that Jason was dead.

Betty was never really on good terms with Jason. The latter had broken Polly's heart and probably had a good laugh after doing so. The sad thing is that there were so many men just like Jason, taking advantage of girls and using them for their own selfish benefit. Betty knew Archie wasn't like that, though. They were childhood friends, they grew up together. Betty knew Archie was loyal and he cared for others. He wasn't at all like Jason, Chuck, or some of the other jocks at Riverdale High. That was one of the reasons why Betty had strong feelings for him.

Betty knew that Archie was not obliged to reciprocate those feelings. And that was totally fine. Archie was entitled to his own opinion, just like she was entitled to hers. She couldn't force Archie to love her back. If she truly cared about Archie's happiness and well-being, she would wish Archie well regardless of whom he chose to be with.

Betty wished that she hadn't been so critical of Cheryl giving tutoring lessons to Archie and Reggie. Maybe she shouldn't have been so paranoid. Betty knew the only reason why she disagreed with the decision was because of her unpleasant past with Cheryl. The two girls had been sworn rivals since elementary school. Betty had been convinced that Cheryl had enjoyed boasting about her wealth and taking whatever she wanted at the moment. Betty also knew that Cheryl definitely refused to recognize any wrongdoing that her brother was responsible for in his relationship with Polly. Of course, people would want to think the best about their own flesh and blood, Betty could completely understand that mentality. But if a family member did something terrible, Betty knew that it needed to be called out and the person responsible for it needed to be held accountable, regardless of who they were.

Maybe Cheryl wasn't all that bad. Maybe there were some good qualities about Cheryl after all. But judging from the girl's current behavior, Betty wasn't holding out much hope.

Anyway, she had other things to think about. She needed to find her sister before Penelope did. She also had to figure out who was the person behind Jason's death. She would work with Archie and Jughead to find out clues. Betty disliked Jason greatly, but that didn't mean she would want his killer to roam the streets of Riverdale freely. Choices had consequences, and this murder investigation needed to consequently end with judgment and justice.

"You know, maybe we should split up", Archie said. "You, Jughead, and Veronica can look around one section of Riverdale. Reggie, Kevin, and I will look through another section."

"You sure?", Veronica asked.

"Yeah. If we split up, maybe one of us will find Polly quicker", Archie said.

"I guess that makes sense", Jughead said.

When the others except for Reggie and Kevin were out of earshot, Kevin said, "I think there is another reason why you wanted them to leave. Cheryl."

"Well, yeah", Archie said. "I need to talk to her. Calm her down, if you know what I mean. She doesn't deserve any of this trauma."

"You could call her on her cell phone", Reggie said.

"I'll ask her to meet us at Pop's", Archie said. He dialed Cheryl's number.

Forty-five minutes later, Archie, Cheryl, Reggie, and Kevin were sitting at a booth. Cheryl was wearing a red blouse.

She looks beautiful in that dress, Archie thought.

"Could you guys give us a minute?", Archie asked Reggie and Kevin.

Reggie and Kevin briefly glanced at each other.

"Sure", Kevin said.

Reggie and Kevin walked to the men's bathroom. Archie looked at Cheryl lovingly. He reached out for her hand and held it under the table.

"Cheryl, I know this hasn't been easy for you", Archie said.

Cheryl shook her head, a few tears streaming down her face.

"Sometimes I just don't know what to do", she said. "Why does everything terrible happen to me?"

Archie leaned down and hugged her.

"I'm so sad and at the same time, angry", Cheryl said. "I hate this murderer, whoever he is. Why would he do this to my own brother? I feel like I want to hurt him. The desire for revenge is tempting."

"Cheryl, those feelings are never good. Hate never does anything good for anyone. No one ever wins at that game. Cheryl, you have every right to be angry. The killer, whoever he is, deserves no sympathy for what he has done. There's no good reason why he did this. But even though you have that right to be angry, eventually you have to let that anger go or channel it into something positive."

Cheryl said nothing. She simply stared at her milkshake.

"Cheryl, what happened to your brother was horrible and inexcusable. I agree, it never should have happened. And I also agree, the killer should suffer for his terrible decision. But, Cheryl, you shouldn't dwell on this hate. Nothing good comes from it."

Cheryl looked at Archie but didn't say anything.

"Cheryl, I'm just trying to help you. Your brother would not have wanted this killer to ruin your life. Cheryl, I love you. I want what's best for you. And I will make sure that justice is served."

Cheryl slightly smiled at Archie. He embraced her, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Archie kissed her forehead.

Meanwhile…

Chuck Clayton was finding as much information as he could about the new girl, Veronica Lodge, from her social media profiles. Chuck and several other players on the Riverdale football team had devised a point system to rank certain girls at Riverdale High. They would boast and brag about having sex with different girls at the school, referring to them as "sticky maples". It was an insulting and derogatory term, but at the same time, it would be a reminder to the female students at Riverdale High that they needed to know their place and be kept in line.

She's going to get quite a warm welcome at Riverdale High, Chuck thought.