Chapter 4

Betty and Chuck were led from the squad car into Riverdale's police station and taken to the booking area. However because they were still minors the police couldn't put them into a holding cell with adult criminals so they were handcuffed to a bench while they waited to be processed.

"My dad is going to be so pissed," Chuck muttered worriedly.

"At you or at the cops?" Betty asked.

"Both," Chuck replied after thinking for a moment.

Just then a detective entered the station with a dishevelled looking man in cuffs. The man smelled of fish which made Betty and Chuck think that he may have worked at the fisherman's wharf or at least that was where he had been.

"Hey detective," the booking officer greeted him. "Got a suspect in your case?"

"Not a suspect, I think he might be a witness," the detective replied. "Is there an interrogation room open right now?"

"I think Ramirez was just finishing up in room two," the booking officer replied. "I can keep an eye on him while you check."

The detective nodded and he sat his witness down near Betty and Chuck and handcuffed him to the bench so he wouldn't run away and then went off to see in the interrogation room was available. Betty and Chuck both noticed that the man seemed to be muttering something and they leaned closer so that they could listen.

"…took his teeth, she killed him and took his gold teeth, she took his teeth, she killed him and took his gold teeth…" the man kept muttering over and over again.

Betty and Chuck looked at each other. Zordon had told them that Rita would be gathering gold to try and reform Goldar. There was a possibility that whatever this man had seen wasn't related to Rita, gold teeth were pretty valuable; but it was a very strange coincidence if that was the case.

Just then the officer that had arrested them came back.

"Alright you two you get your phone calls, come with me," he said.

He led Betty and Chuck to a pair of payphones in a narrow dead-end corridor of the station. He handed them each a quarter and then walked off.

"You've got five minutes," he said as he left.

Betty picked up the receiver and was about to call her home but then stopped. She then dialled the number for her father's cellphone. He picked up on the third ring.

"Hello, who is this?" Hal Cooper answered the phone.

"Dad it's Betty," Betty replied.

"Betty, where are you calling from?" Hal asked.

"I'm… I'm at the police station," Betty responded. "Please don't be mad… it, it's all part of a misunderstanding."

"Betty what happened?" Hal inquired.

"I… I skipped school," Betty admitted. "Me and Chuck Clayton, we sort of borrowed his father's truck without asking and went over to the Blossom's to hang out with them and a new girl. Chuck's dad reported the truck as stolen and the police showed up looking for it and they just arrested Chuck and when I tried to stick up for him they arrested me."

Betty could hear her father sigh on the other end of the line, "Okay, I'll tell your mother we'll…"

"No, can you come alone," Betty said. "I don't want Mom down here; she's just going to make a scene."

"Okay," Hal agreed. "You're probably right, but you know she's not going to be happy."

"Well I'm used to that," Betty mumbled.

"Alright I'll be there shortly sweetie," Hal promised her.

Betty glanced over at Chuck who was just hanging up the phone himself. Chuck had a rather nervous look on his face.

"My dad is pissed," Chuck said glumly. "Although he was glad that it was me that took his truck. He thought it might have been another student or perhaps someone from Southside; remember when they stole Principal Weatherbee's car last year and left it in Pickens Park on blocks?"

Betty nodded remembering the event. At that moment the officer came back and took them back to the booking area again, and then left them handcuffed to the bench.

"You know I bet we could break these," Chuck said as he tugged on his handcuffs.

Testing, Betty tugged with her handcuffed hand and was surprised when the links of the cuff simply snapped.

"Oops," Betty said looking at the two broken halves.

Just then the booking officer came over to see what was going on.

"What the heck?" he muttered looking at the handcuffs confused.

Betty just shrugged and tried to look innocent and ignorant.

"Just stay there on the bench," the officer said as he went back behind the desk.

Betty had no intentions of going anywhere else and she just sat there. A few minutes later Chuck's father arrived, his face contorted in rage.

"Charles Taylor Clayton," he fumed. "Just what the hell were you thinking taking my car!?"

"I… uh…" Chuck stammered.

"You know what, you're going to be in Saturday attention till the day after you graduate," Coach Clayton shouted. "And not only that you're grounded until you go away to college; and if you don't go to college then you'll be grounded for life!"

"That's ridiculous," Betty said.

Coach Clayton turned to her.

"And just what do you think gives you the right to tell me how to raise my kid?" he asked Betty.

It was at that moment that Betty's father also arrived, much to Betty's relief.

"Hey, hey Floyd calm down," Hal Cooper said grabbing Coach Clayton's shoulder.

Floyd Clayton turned around and looked as if he was about to hit someone only to stop and a look of surprise cross his face.

"Hal, oh… oh I'm sorry," Floyd apologized.

"It's alright," Hal said then looked at his daughter. "So how about you explain what exactly happened?"

"Chuck and I, we um, borrowed his dad's truck to skip school and hang out at the Blossom's," Betty replied.

"What? Were you drinking or doing drugs?" Floyd asked his son angrily.

"No, no we weren't doing anything like that there," Chuck replied. "We ordered a pizza, drank some soda and just… talked."

"Talked?" Floyd asked.

"We all are in Saturday detention," Betty explained. "We just kind of developed a connection I guess you could call it."

"So you had to skip school?" Hal asked.

"Are you two sleeping together?" Floyd demanded.

"What? No!" Chuck and Betty both replied frightenedly.

"Then what is going on exactly?" Hal asked.

"Look… I don't have a lot of friends, Dad. Actually until a few days ago I would say I had none; just a lot of acquaintances," Betty replied. "I just wanted to be with my new friends."

Hal looked at his daughter, his face a little sad. He then smiled and nodded.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay?" Floyd asked him.

"Floyd, Alice has more or less forced Betty to cut out socializing from her life," Hal said. "I knew it was bad idea; that what led to Betty snapping at school. Chuck here was basically just helping my daughter out, just being her friend."

"They took my truck," Floyd said.

"Yeah, probably not a good idea," Hal agreed. "But it's in one piece, the only thing missing is whatever fuel they used I'm guessing. Really it could have been a lot worse."

"That's true," Floyd conceded. "And Betty is a pretty good kid all things considered."

"I like to think I've managed to mitigate the damage Alice has done," Hal said with a chuckle.

"You do know that you just called me damaged and I'm right here," Betty said.

"I'm saying that the best parts of you are from me," Hal explained.

Betty considered and nodded in agreement.

"Okay Floyd and I will get things worked out with the police and then we can all go home," Hal said.

About twenty minutes later the four of them were all walking out of the station together, much happier than when they had gone in. As they reached the parking lot they heard a woman's voice and they all turned to see Alice Cooper striding towards them, a furious look on her face.

"Oh shit," Hal muttered.

"Why is she here?" Betty asked.

"I don't know, I didn't tell her," Hal replied.

Alice came to a stop in front of them, her face red with anger.

"What is going on here!?" she demanded angrily.

"Alice it's fine," Hal said holding up his hands to try and get her to calm down. "I took care…"

"It is not fine Hal!" Alice cut him off. "Our daughter is skipping school to steal cars with a black boy! I hope you're not sleeping with him too Betty!"

Betty's eyes went wide with shock. She had no idea that her mother was so racist. Floyd then step forward and got right into Alice's face.

"What did you just say about my son?" he asked angrily.

"I'm saying your son is a no good thug," Alice responded. "And by the looks of it so are you!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hal said stepping in between them and doing his best to separate them. "Alice you need to back off."

Alice pushed her husband aside, "No, I will not let Betty…"

She was cut off as Betty slapped her mother in the cheek. Alice raised her hand and touched her cheek which had quickly become red, a look of surprise on her face. However the shock look quickly vanished and she went to slap Betty back, but Betty caught her mother's wrist stopping her. Alice then tried with her other hand but Betty caught that arm too.

"You need to apologize Mom," Betty said. "Chuck and I aren't sleeping together, and yeah we skipped school but we didn't steal a car, we borrowed his dad's truck and it was to just hang out as friends. Something I haven't done in years because you think me having friends is a distraction."

"I will not apologize for trying to help you get into the best schools," Alice said.

"Alice, you should just leave," Hal said. "We will discuss this at home, in private."

Alice glared at Hal for a long moment before she turned and stormed away.

"I am so sorry," Betty immediately apologized to Floyd and Chuck. "The things she said…"

"Don't worry about it," Chuck said.

"That bitch is crazy," Floyd said to Hal.

"Yeah I know," Hal said shaking his head. "She wasn't always this bad."

"Well come on Chuck," Floyd said. "Let's get home, your mother isn't very happy either."

Chuck waved good-bye as he and his father walked off. Hal and Betty then made their way to Hal's car. They got in and drove home, however when they reached their house Hal kept on driving.

"Uh… Dad you missed our house," Betty said look back.

"I know," Hal replied.

"Um, where are we going?" Betty asked.

"You'll see," Hal replied.

They drove around the corner and then turned into an alley way. Hal then brought the car to a stop and he got out.

"You coming?" he asked Betty.

Betty got out a little confused as to what they were doing here. Hal then went over to an old run down looking garage just off the alley and he lifted the garage door up. Inside was a 1970's VW Bus.

"What is this?" Betty asked.

"Well this was going to be my graduation present to you," Hal replied. "I've been fixing this thing up for months."

He then tossed a set of keys to Betty which she caught just in time.

"This is for me?" Betty asked in surprise. "But… Chuck and I just got arrested, even if it was a misunderstanding."

"Yeah well, I think this might help avoid some of those future misunderstandings," Hal said.

"Thank you Dad!" Betty exclaimed hugging her father.

"You're welcome," he replied hugging her back. "But you're going to have to keep the van here."

"Why?" Betty asked.

"Because I'm pretty sure your mother wouldn't want you to have this van," Hal replied.

"Yeah that's true," Betty agreed.

"Let's take it out for a spin," Hal said.

Betty grinned and she and her father got into the van.

It was late at night but Detective Steven Keller was down at the docks. In just the past week he had three dead bodies turn up down at the docks, their bodies mutilated. It appeared as if the killer was literally taking bites of their flesh. He wasn't sure what he was going to find, or if he would even find anything but he felt he needed to stake the place out.

Keller walked along the docks which were quiet this late at night. The boats that were in port bobbed softly up and down in their moorings. It seemed like there was nothing going on, so Keller decided to go back to his car and catch a nap for an hour or two and then do another sweep.

As he was heading back to his car Keller passed an old unused warehouse that was in disrepair. As he did he heard a noise from inside; he wasn't quite sure what it was but it didn't seem like it was an animal. Keller pulled out his flashlight and flicked it on and then went to the doors and gave them a pull. They opened easily as the building wasn't locked. Cautiously Keller made his way inside.

The warehouse was a mess with broken crates and garbage strewn all over the place and there was rotten smell which Keller assumed came from the fact that it had been used to store fish for years before it had fallen into disrepair. As Keller looked around he didn't see anything, perhaps what he had heard was just an animal. Then his foot bumped into something. Keller looked down and took a jump back.

Lying on the ground in front of him was a dead body. Keller bent down and got a closer look at the corpse. He could tell just from feeling the body that the person had died recently. The body was still fairly warm. Perhaps what he had heard was the killer. Keller reached into his holster and pulled out his sidearm and scanned the area but saw nothing.

He glanced at his gold watch to check the time and saw it was a few minutes after midnight. He then pulled out his phone to call for other officers and a forensics team when he heard something behind him. Keller turned around just in time for a shadowy figure to leap out of the shadows and tackle him to the ground.

Keller tried to fight off his attacker but they were surprisingly strong. The attacker took a look at the watch on his wrist.

"Mmm gold," the attacker said in a voice that sounded like it was a woman's.

Keller felt the attack bite down hard on his arm and he screamed in agony. The attack literally chewed through both the bone and flesh tearing his left arm off just below the elbow and then pulled off the watch.

"Mmm, yes more gold," the attacker said.

The attacker then got up and simply walked off leaving Keller to bleed out and die. As Keller lay there in shock just staring straight up his last thoughts were about his son, Kevin.

We had the first appearance of our villain here at the end. Will Betty and the others be able to stop anyone else from being killed? Please Review!