Abby and Sweet Pea were eating at Pops. "Have you ever thought of leaving Riverdale?"
"What? Like runaway?" He narrowed his eyes. "I'm not leaving the Serpents."
"You guys have other charters. Jughead's mom runs one in Toledo." She points out.
"So, you would want to leave Toni, Cheryl, your dad, Trev, Tomoko, everyone? You can't separate Fangs from Tessie." He wouldn't do that to his friend.
"I imagine Fangs and Tessie would come with us." She wouldn't leave them.
"What about everyone else?" He tilts his head.
"Sweet Pea, you know most of our friends are going to leave for college, right? Tomoko and Trev are talking about going to the same college." She didn't know how he could think everyone was going to stay in this town.
"Maybe your friends, but my friends aren't going. Since when do you want to leave?" He thought she loved this town as much as him.
"This place is dangerous. Bodies are popping up all over the place. I don't want Tessie to have to grow with a mob running the town." She shakes her feet in nervousness.
"So what, we run from our problems. Leave our family and friends to deal with it." He took a deep sigh when he saw tears swell up in her eyes. "I know, it's scary because you're tied up in all this. Believe me, I'm scared too. I wouldn't be able to leave in a clear consciousness. What if we leave and someone we love dies? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I thought I could have prevented it."
"I know, I know. I honestly don't think I could either. It all feels like too much." She was on edge all the time. Waiting for the next neatly wrapped sacrifice to pop up on her doorstep.
"I'm not going to let anything happen." He reached across to grab her hand. She smiled weakly. She knew he meant it but something was out of his control.
The Sheriff gathered up everyone who he thought could have helped Archie into a classroom. "Archie is a murderer, and we know he didn't escape alone. He had help. Hiding a convict or withholding information from the law is a felony offense. So, whoever's aided and abetted Archie Andrews is just as much of a criminal as he is."
"I was busy all day, Sheriff. You can check my browser history. If you know what I mean." Reggie winks. Cheryl rolled her eyes while others laughed.
"I don't even know this Archie person. And on Mondays, I host a group for teen Farmies. We are still accepting members." Evelyn raised her hand.
"What exactly is that, like an agriculture thing?" Abby looks back at her.
"It's more of an open space for everyone to talk." She smiles, ready to recruit.
"Then why call it the farm? You probably get more people to come with another title. It kind of misleads ..." She was cut off by the Sheriff.
"Since you are one of the main suspects. You derailing this is making me highly suspicious. You already have dead people's possessions being sent to you." He slammed his hand down on her desk making a water bottle fall to the ground. Sweet Pea who was sitting next to her, yanked her desk closer to his.
"I don't see how Archie escaping and the murders have a connection." She looks up at the officer.
"People are willing to die for you, who to say they aren't willing to break your brother out of prison for you." He shrugs.
"I was at Pops last night. You can ask him and you can check my time cards." She had set up her alibi.
"I saw her there." A kid in the back who was playing G&G raised his hand.
"Me too." A girl raised her also.
He moved on, not needing a riot. "Where were you, Miss McCoy, at the time of the breakout?" "Don't look at me, sir. I, uh... I... I was in the music room practicing." She stared up at him. "Alone? I'll be looking into all of your alibis, and if I find out later that someone in here was involved, then you can say goodbye to this school, your hopes, and dreams, your music, and your entire future. All of it goes away just like that. So, again, to be clear, if you know anything…" He made like he was speaking to the room when he was looking directly at Josie.
"Sheriff Minetta, back off!" Cheryl ran over when Josie started to shake. Her eyes rolled in the back of her head as her body went limp.
"I'm calling 911." Abby pulled her phone out.
Abby opens her locker to find a gift box inside. "Oh, I wonder what it could be?" Tomoko wasn't surprised anymore. There were gifts every day, some were sentimental, cost a lot of money, or both. Some were small like seashells from a family vacation the gifter went on. Others were too much like family heirlooms like their grandma's wedding ring.
"It's a sizable box, maybe it's a PS4." Trev stares at the gift.
"No, it's too light." Tomoko picked up.
"Here, open it." Trev gave it to her.
She opened it to see a picture of the gargoyle goddess. She was sitting on a throne with glowing lights surrounding her. She assumed they were supposed to be spirits because the bottom read, more have ascended to make you stronger, my goddess. She dropped the box and backed up against the lockers to put as much distance as possible between her and the gift. Tomoko kneels down to see what was inside. She moves the picture to pull out the Warden's badge.
"We knew about that death. Now, drop the dead man's things." Trev didn't know why his girlfriend wasn't crept out.
She put it on the side. She unwrapped the tissue paper. "Shit." Her eyes went wide.
"What?" They look down to see the serpent emblem staring up at them.
She wanted the campsite to see police ripping it apart. "Is this necessary? These people only have this and you're trashing it." She walks up to Minetta.
"Tell me where your brother is." He shrugged.
"I don't know." She glares. "I never even went to see him when he was in prison."
Jughead walks into the trailer park to see everything. He made his way over before she got herself arrested. "Don't bother the nice officer." He dragged her into the trailer.
"Minetta's trashing tent city, Jug, looking for Archie." Sweet Pea told him the obvious.
"Alright. I propose a manhunt of our own. I want every Serpent on the ground searching for Joaquin. I don't want a stone left unturned." He orders.
"Serpents don't just shiv other Serpents." He didn't need them to be cannibalizing themselves.
"Then what the hell do you think got into him?" Fangs couldn't imagine his friend betraying the gang. He helped them hide a dead body and had a secret relationship with the sheriff's son for them. He had proven his loyalty, so what could have taken it.
"Well, according to Archie, Joaquin did it for Warden Norton. And when the Warden confronted Betty, he called Archie the Red Paladin. Plus, the Warden poisoned himself with cyanide and blueberry Fresh-Aid. And he worked for Riverdale High before the Detention Center. The question is, was he playing G&G with someone, or for someone?" Jughead told them everything he knew.
"And since he's dead, Joaquin's the only one who can know the answer." Sweet Pea already wanted to find him to make him pay for betraying the gang, but he had a more important reason now.
"I don't think Joaquins alive." Abby finally found a spot to get a word in.
"What?" They turn to her.
"I got a gift box in my locker from the ascend souls." She pulled the warden's badge out of her bag before taking out the Serpent's jacket.
"Shit." Jughead grabbed it. He opened it to look for any personal touches. A Lot of serpents would get a symbol embroidery into the inside of the jacket that represents them. A way to know who jackets were who. Sweet Pea had the flower in his. Fangs had a set of vampire fangs. Jughead had a gray beanie. Joaquin had a cartoon shark holding a pool stick.
"Fuck." The Serpents curse when they saw the cartoon.
"What do we do now?" Sweet Pea asks.
"Joaquin may not be alone. Kevin said that he might be rolling with a new gang." Jughead swallows the lump in his throat. This was the first serpent they lost under his command.
"Those Gargoyle creeps you saw?" Fangs remember him saying he saw a bunch of people dressed up worshiping the king.
"Exactly. And if the gang is working for the King, then they're gonna take us right to him." He grabbed a map.
"I'll help." She volunteered.
"No ways." Sweet Pea shook his head.
"Nope, Nope." Fangs let out a deep chuckle. "Someone has to take care of Tessie. Your dad is busy today so…"
"Damn it… be careful." She told them.
"Of course, I always proceed with caution." Sweets kissed her before going.
She took Hot Dog to pick up Tessie. They took him home to have a playdate with Vegas. She was playing with them in the backyard. Abby sips bottled water that she put some powder in to make Green Tea. She picked up her phone when it rang. "Are you guys okay?" She asked after seeing Sweet Pea's face on her screen.
"Joquin's alive." He told her
"What? He is." She was surprised.
"Yeah, we let him go after he answered a few questions." He thought she would be happy about the news.
She was relieved. Tessie ran up to grab the phone. "Hi Papa, can we sleep at the camp today? I want to sit around the fire."
"I told you the tents are too vulnerable. Easy for someone to break into. You have to stay in the house." He hated this questioning phase she was in. He didn't mind when it was random things but when it was about boundaries he set it was grating.
"But, someone could break into the house. Someone did when they left the gift on mommy's desk." She pointed out.
"Have you been eavesdropping again? I told you to stop that." Abby fears her curious nature. Curiosity could get you killed in a town like Riverdale.
"Daddy telling Papa to let me." She looks excited to get her way.
She grabbed the phone from her. She could hear them arguing about it. "We have to spend the night there. We got a guard shift tonight. I would feel better if they were there." Fangs could be overheard telling Sweet Pea.
He cursed before speaking into the phone. "She can spend the night but tell her Papa decided, not Daddy." Fangs was outraged that he was trying to take credit.
Abby hung up the phone and rolled her eyes at her silly boys. "If you finish your homework now you can eat s'more with the other kids tonight."
She ran into the house in glee. "Come on, Mommy if you help me I'll get done faster."
Sweet Pea shut off the alarm before it could wake up anyone else in the tent. He sat up in the bed to stretch. He puts on his jacket and walks outside. He snorted when he saw Fangs sleeping. "Seriously man," He shook his friend awake.
"Huh?" Fangs open his eyes to look up at his friend.
"You'll feel better if they are here because of the guards, then here you are, the guard, sleeping." Sweet glares.
"I only doze off for a few…" He looks down at his watch. "...Hours"
"You better be happy that someone else is here to pick up your slack." He pointed at the guy sitting in the recliner.
"I wasn't on guard duty with anyone." Fangs got up to thank whoever came out, saw him sleeping, and decided to take watch.
The Serpents gasped when they saw Joaquin was in the recliner with blue lips and the sacrifice symbol carved into his forehead. "Get the tarp, I don't want no one seeing this." Sweets didn't want any of the kids or other innocent minds to see this. They cover him before they call Jughead.
A few minutes later he pulled up. "Someone's sending us a message, Jones." Sweets ran up to him.
"What's the message?" He took off his helmet and got off the bike.
"Come on." He led him to the body. He took the tarp off his head.
"Joaquin." He covers him up.
"Who do you think did it?" Sweets ask.
"Uh... I don't know. The Gargoyle gang or Hiram Lo... Could be anyone." He looks out into the forest.
"That symbol on his forehead…" Fangs thought it looked familiar.
"Sacrifice. I have to get to Archie." He jumped on his bike. The guys stared at him in disbelief that he left them with a dead body.
"What are we going to do? The girls…. Everyone, they're going to wake up soon." Fangs pointed at his dead friend.
"This is why I didn't want Tessie here." Sweets was worried about traumatizing her.
"Oh, you didn't want Tessie here because you thought she would see a dead body." Fangs squinted.
"Is this really a time for sass?" He put his hands on his hips.
"Just call the police." They turn their heads to see Abby standing there. "We didn't do it. There is no reason to hide it. Call 911."
"Yeah, yeah, sorry it's just not my first instinct." Sweet Pea took out his phone.
"Hey, it's not your fault." Fangs grab her chin to turn her head towards him when she is staring at the body. "These guys were always going to do this. Gargoyle Goddess being a physical person makes no difference."
"I know that. It's just I can't help but wonder if I'm the last thing they think about before they die. I know I was for sure with Ben. He died believing that he'd somehow become a part of the Gargoyle Goddess. It makes me feel haunted." She feels eyes on her all the time. She couldn't help but think it was otherworldly.
"You can rest assured Joquin was forced into it. He was probably thinking of his brother." Fangs cursed himself when the words came out. "Sorry, that is not comforting." The shock and hurt on her face made him feel guilty.
"The cops are coming. Go inside. You don't need to see it." Sweet Pea pushed her gently towards the tent.
"Sweet Pea, I can handle it." She dug her heels in.
"You heard Minetta. He finds you suspicious, so go in the tent." He said more sternly.
"Go in and keep Tessie from coming out." Fangs nod to it.
"Fine, but you guys can't keep using her against me." She pointed an accusing finger at him before going into the tent.
"Isn't that why we kept her?" Fangs jokes.
"No, but it has been a huge bonus." Sweets chuckle, shaking his head at his friend.