Chapter 4: A True Lodge

Alice, Betty and Polly decided to shop that day. Alice suggested that they should bond while they can to make up for the time loss. They stopped at every shop they considered interesting as Alice and Polly seem to be really enjoying this bonding time. Meanwhile, Betty was reluctant to come and seems to be not enjoying it.

Alice, noticing Betty, decided that the two sisters should have a time together. She made an excuse to have her hair fixed, and that her daughters should wander around while they wait for her.

"Betty," Polly suggested, "I know a good store that sells pretty clothes."

The two went to the store as Polly excitedly browsed around the store. Betty just walked around, uninterested of the items in front of her. Polly paid her items as the two got out of the store.

"Nothing interests you there?" Polly asked, noticing Betty did not purchased any.

"I just don't feel like buying clothes right now," Betty explained.

"Betty," Polly confronted her, "I've been noticing that you are distant to me. Is there something wrong? Are you not happy to see me?"

Betty let out a heavy sigh and finally admitted, "Yes, Polly. I'm not happy. You know very well what happened to us last time. You convinced mom to join the Farm and who knows if you are still loyal to them. Even after Edgar died, you refused to see the truth."

Polly sternly told her, "Betty, I hope you stop the talking about the farm. It's in the past. I hope you give me a chance to become a part of you and mom once again."

"How could I?" Betty asked her, "When I don't even trust you."

….

"I didn't expect a call from you, Veronica," Reggie said as he stepped down the stairs leading to the speakeasy. "What's up?"

Veronica let out a sigh as she moved the chair near her, encouraging Reggie to sit. He sat beside her and asked once more, "What's wrong?"

"Didn't you notice something?" Veronica asked him. He looked around the place, observing what could possibly be wrong.

"I don't see anything new," he told her, "Except that we're the only ones here."

"Precisely," she told him, "I've been losing customers since yesterday and it's bothering me."

"Why? Any idea?"

"I talked to Pops. It seems that a new speakeasy opened nearby."

"A competitor, huh? Do you think they serve better drinks?"

"My rum is still considered one of the best rums out there. In all the countries we exported, our sales are still climbing up. Therefore, I don't think that people are getting tired of the rum."

"If not the rum, maybe the lack of entertainment?" Reggie suggested. Veronica did not answer, instead she let out again another sigh and said, "I don't know, Reggie. I just want my customers back."

"Let me guess. You called me here to help you?"

Veronica nodded and said, "Give me suggestions."

"First of all, who are we dealing with in the first place? Who decided to build a speakeasy near a speakeasy?" Reggie asked.

"I don't know. I – " Veronica stopped as she remembered the last conversation she had with Hermosa.

"Why? What's wrong?" Reggie asked.

"I think I know who owns the place," she told him.

….

A gun pointed at his head, while Archie tried to remain calm despite the situation. Who would have thought he'll be meeting Dodger again after all these years? By this time, other men came down from their motorcycles as they approach Archie.

"This is really a good time. You coming here to me is like destiny to have revenge," Dodger said. Archie, upon hearing the word 'revenge', remembered the recent events. "Are you the one responsible for the death during Cheryl and Toni's party?"

"Whose party again?" Dodger asked, "You're getting crazy, boy"

"How about the death at Pops?" Archie asked once more.

"Hey, kiddo," Dodger told him, "Crimes do happen and 99% of the time its not my fault. If you're trying to distract me, you're wrong. I can easily pull the trigger and shoot your head."

Archie stood still, unable to make his next move with the gun pointing at him. Seconds later, the sound of a motorcycle starting up distracted them. They turned behind to see the boy riding the motorcycle, ready to go away with it. With their attention turned, Archie and Mad Dog took the opportunity to attack Dodger and his gang. Archie successfully took the gun away from Dodger's hands and threw it far away. Meanwhile, Mad Dog was busy punching and avoiding punches by Dodger's men.

Dodger tried to attack Archie as the two got engaged in a fist fight. He was able to land a punch at Archie's face, while Archie successfully counterattacked him with a punch. Dodger landed on the ground as he took a knife in his pocket and tried to stabbed Archie with it. Thankfully, Archie was able to avoid. He landed a kick at Dodger's abdomen, which made Dodger fell on the ground. Dodger then grabbed Archie's right foot and pulled him which caused Archie to land on his back as well. He was about to hit Archie again with the knife but Archie successfully grabbed it as he stopped it from hitting him. Blood dribbled from Archie's hand as the edges of the knife cut him. Ignoring the pain, Archie used all his might to kick Dodger, which eventually caused him to fall and let go of the knife. He fell to the ground, but as he was about to get up, Archie pointed the knife back at him.

Meanwhile, Mad Dog was busy attacking the other men. He was successful in putting down two men. Now, he needs two more men to defeat. One man ran towards him, unsuccessfully landing a punch. Mad Dog was able to avoid the punch, but the man was successful enough to hold one of his arms. The other man, taking the opportunity, was about to punch Mad Dog when he felt a kick behind him. He turned to see the little kid behind. He was about to chase the kid, but the pain of the kick on his back prevented him from doing so. This gave Mad Dog the opportunity to focus on the last guy standing as he punched the guy with his other hand.

With all men down, Archie threatened Dodger, "If you come back and use kids again for your own agenda, expect me to come and punch you again."

Mad Dog took the kid with him, as Archie joined them. Dodger and his entire group were left and entirely defeated.

While on their way to the shelter, Mad Dog asked the kid, "What's your name?"

"Chris. Short for Christoper," the kid replied.

Mad Dog introduced himself, "You can call me Mad Dog and this other guy is Archie. Thanks for helping me out there a while ago."

"No," Chris said, "I should be the one thanking you. They do not treat me well. I've been starving for days, not to mention getting punched and kicked at. I saw you guys trying to help me and I thought it was a nice opportunity to escape from them."

"Well," Archie replied, "You're going to be in good hands. A lot of kids are in the shelter, and they are ready to be your friends. I'll endorse you to the caretaker, Mr. Bill, and we'll interview you tomorrow after you get some rest."

…..

"What if I just close the speakeasy?" Veronica asked Reggie. They've been discussing for hours on what they could do to save the business, but their ideas were not good enough.

"Come on, Veronica. You worked hard for years. You can't just give up right now."

"It's just that I'm running out of ideas," Veronica explained to him as a moment of silence filled the room once again.

Footsteps were heard coming down to the speakeasy as both turned their heads to see if a customer arrived. Disappointment came to Veronica as she saw Hiram was the one coming to them.

"Are you here as a customer?" she asked him.

"I am but I see there's no one else."

"Are you happy seeing my speakeasy going down?"

"Of course not, Mija. I hope you don't misunderstand me."

"If you're here as a customer, what can I serve you then?"

"Your maple syrup rum please."

Veronica stood up and went behind the bar to prepare her dad some drink. She gave him the drink as Hiram said his thanks. "What happened here?" he asked as soon as Veronica sat down in front of him.

"You don't know?" Veronica asked back, quite surprised her father had no idea. Seeing her father's clueless face, she continued, "Your favorite daughter, aka Hermosa, built another speakeasy near mine. I heard the drinks there were pretty good and addictive. People are just so happy to be in that place."

"I see," he said, "What are you planning to do?"

"I don't know," Veronica told him, "Maybe close this speakeasy and just find another business to do here."

"That was unexpected," he told her.

"What do you mean?"

"Being your business rival for years, I know that you always have something up your sleeves to make me go down. It's rather unexpected to see you give up."

Veronica let out a sigh and told her dad, "You're right. I'm not the type who easily gives up. If you were in my place, daddy, what will you do?"

"Glad you considered asking an advice from an expert," Hiram said proudly, "You see when I have business rivals, I study their strategy or formula. Once you learn of their secret, you have to do something to make yourself better."

Veronica stared at her father in awe, while her head was busy making an idea. "Dad, you're right," Veronica told him, "I should find out what's Hermosa's secret." She turned her head towards Reggie and told him, "Reggie! I have a plan!"

"Goodluck, Mija!" Hiram said as he finished drinking his rum. He stood up and was about to leave. He turned once more to his daughter and told her, "By the way, that's the Veronica Lodge I know."

…..

Cheryl, Toni and Kevin decided to visit Riverdale High. The three decided they wanted to feel nostalgic as they walk around the corridors of their alma mater.

"This is where everything started," Kevin said as he stared at the building in front of him.

Cheryl teased him, "Glad you don't feel heartbroken seeing the place where you and Fangs dated many times."

"Can you stop with the Fangs comments?" Kevin annoyingly said.

"Let's go inside," Toni suggested, cutting off Kevin and Cheryl's conversation. They walked around the school revisiting the places they used to hang out. They would laugh occasionally as they tell each other stories of their memories.

"Oh my gosh, Toni!" Cheryl excitingly said while looking out of the window, "They're going to perform a cheerleading dance. Let's watch!"

The three joined the crowd to watch the performances. "Ugh! I remember the old times. I miss my cheerleading squad," Cheryl said.

"Are you Cheryl Blossom?" a voice behind them asked.

Cheryl smiled and said "Of course. There is no one else who can be as good as Cheryl Blossom. Now, how can I help you, kid?"

The high school girl handed her a letter. "Someone wants me to give this to you." Cheryl took the paper from the girl. "Thank you," she said as the girl left them. She unfolded the paper and read it. It was telling her to come to the previous Blue & Gold room. The three looked at each other, unsure of the situation.

"Should we go?" Kevin asked.

"If this is a clue, we should go," Toni said.

The three of them nervously went to the said room. No one spoke a word until they came right in front of the door. They knocked, but no one answered. "I feel like this scenario is familiar," Cheryl commented.

"Hello!" Kevin shouted at the door, "We're coming in, ok?"

Kevin turned the knob, and Cheryl let out a scream. They were surprised to see a dead body inside the room. "What the fuck?!" Cheryl shouted. Toni tried to remain calm and went over to inspect the body. Again, a letter was found in one of the pockets of the victim. She read it out loud, "Your second clue is here. Your time is running out. Or should I kill another one for you?"

"This is insane!" Kevin said, "I don't understand. What's the clue?"

Toni investigated the body in front of her, as well as her surroundings, but found nothing unusual. "I don't know," she said, "There's nothing here."

"Shit!" Kevin said as the three of them looked at each other in fear.