Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
“Ella, I found something interesting” Chloe told Ella
“What?”
“I watched the video from start to end and either they were lying or they were not disclosing the entire truth or they really don’t remember”
“What do you mean?” Ella asked
“There were a lot of things that happened on the video. It wasn’t a simultaneous live video, there were many cuts but many of the things were showing pretty interesting things. A footage zooming in and out two coffins, and it looked like there were people banging from the inside, asking to be let out.”
“What? That’s insane.” Ella exclaimed
“Yeah check this out.”
“Who would even do that?”
“I don’t know but that’s not the end of it. There was also a part where they were playing a game something called griffin and gargoyles! And they were asking which cup to drink. One part they were giggly saying they’re done with this shit and they were tickled badly until they gave in and drank” Chloe explained
“That’s SUPPPERR weird. What kind of game is that, and to think Lucifer thought they were fun.” Ella scoffed.
“That’s just it, my gut told me this wasn’t just a normal case and I was right! I did a research on them especially on Jughead because he looked like the guy with the most alibi, like he was so well oriented. Turns out he was a writer back in the days.” Chloe said
“Wooah, who knew that broody guy was a writer. Wait, how does that relate to our case?”
“He wrote ONLY about his real life experiences, I counterchecked plots of his novels that looked familiar turns out they were also in the newspaper.”
“Wait where did you say they were from?” Ella asked.
“A place called Riverdale.”
“Ah, that’s why, the murder capital of the world”
“Exactly, these kids grew up in a town full of murders, don’t you suppose that they’re I don’t know used to murder that they might actually do one?” Chloe wondered.
“Isn’t that a bit too far? Do they have motive?”
“I don’t know if it’s something - but that blonde girl used to cheat on her boyfriend, the broody guy, with her bestfriend, our victim”
“Juicy! How did you find this stuff?” Ella gushed.
“Their gossip column in the school newspaper was to die for! And when I say to die for, literally to die for, there many teenagers who died” Chloe said sarcastically
“Who wrote the article?”
“Jughead himself! But it only led to a reconciliation over bestfriends and boyfriends and girlfriends.”
“And they looked okay now, like altogether and patched things up.”
“Yes, that’s it, the pieces don’t really match up on that part but it’s a lead that someone may have had grudges or motives for revenge, we’ll find out after questioning. For now, we don’t tell them that we actually suspect them of murder. And I’m going to need your help reading jughead’s novel try to get clues and context”
“That’s a strong baseless accusation with only their upbringing as your evidence. I mean it’s possible, yes but we need more proof. Right now this is all we have”
“You’re right, now on to catch up with some reading”
“Yes, and I think the sooner maze finds the body, dead or alive, the sooner we get some sort of clue. What were drug results?”
“All came out positive. They were pretty high and stoned as per the results” Ella said
“So if there’s that, it may be they were telling the truth about forgetting things or lying about not taking in drugs. We better get more clues, time to get to reading” Chloe declared.
They divided the books between themselves. Listing the plots and characters of the book, trying to get which character resembles which and counter checking them with actual news articles from the newspaper.
Daniel helped the two of them as they read through novels to novels. They read about Jason’s murder, Jughead’s very first novel, the boy in the river. They also got to read about most things that covered each and every murder or mundane happening in Riverdale. As they threaded through everything Chloe’s phone rang
“It’s Maze” Chloe says as she answers the phone “Decker”
“We found him” says Maze blankly.
“Oh my god, finally, how is he, is he..”
“He’s very much alive… say hi red.”
A voice that sounded masculine came through the phone saying his greetings
“I’ll bring him there” Maze said over the phone
“Maze, wait, how about the other ki….”
“She’s with me, she helped me find him as a matter of fact”
“Great thanks maze, bye” Chloe gave a sigh of relief. For whatever this is, she knew she was right that this was really something bigger.
“Dan, Ella. They found him. And he’s alive.” She said
“It’s really a bigger picture than we thought.” Dan said
Chloe dials on her phone calls the person who are with the teenagers.
“DETECTIVE!”
“Lucifer, we’re coming to Lux” she said almost immediately.
--
It took them only a few minutes to reach lux, Chloe, Dan and Ella made their way straight up the penthouse.
“Detective hello! Come come join me, these kids are a snooze. They’re nursing hangovers” Lucifer shouted.
“Hi, I have great news.” Chloe announced to the kids who were busy lying around trying to ignore the aftermath of their drinking.
“They found Archie Andrews” Daniel said loudly
They all look at each other with worried looks trying to gauge what happens next for them now.
“Uhm how did they find archie?” Betty asked
“We have a great bounty hunter, but aren’t you going to ask if he’s….” Ella said until she was cut off.
“You already know, right?” Jughead asks
“Knows what?” Ella replies “what are you talking about?” she let out a nervous chuckle. No one said another word until betty spoke up.
“That we faked archie’s death, we owe you the full truth” she said. Chloe nodded along with the other two while all the teenagers felt like they had all eyes on them, anxious on what the verdict to them would be, if they ever believe them or how are they going to catch this killer on the loose.
“Wow things got more interesting you aren’t a snooze after all” Lucifer explained
“If it’s alright we have to question you one by one” Dan suggests
“Why does it have to be one by one?” Veronica asks
“You’re each others alibis, we need the truth that’s not fabricated.” Chloe explains and everyone agreed. “We’re starting with you, Jughead” Chloe continued and Jughead nodded.
“Ella, would you please continue with our…assignment. Dan, please stand guard outside. And Lucifer…” Chloe sighed knowing Lucifer’s going to be a pain in the ass “You are coming with me”
Before going to the other room in Luci’s penthouse where they will have their interrogation, Chloe whispered to Dan and Ella “under no circumstances we tell them that we know that they were high, that might help us with investigation and have someone confess or slip” the two nodded.
“Alright, the fun has now begun” Lucifer grinned leading them to the room.
JUGHEAD
“Let me get straight to the point, what’s the truth?” Chloe urged Jughead “Mind you, you are the most suspected in here”
“We weren’t lying with anything else, the only thing we lied about is that we didn’t find Archie or that we knew he was alive, because he was very much alive. And that there were other things that happened.”
“Other things like Ginger and Pink making out?” Lucifer laughed.
“You said so yourself. Didn’t you see the live? I’m pretty sure if it was a live video everything was there.” Jughead retorted.
“We still need to hear it from you.” Chloe explained.
“Okay that’s reasonable.” Jughead said “When we woke up, Betty, Veronica and I were covered in blood, so was archie and beneath him was a pool of blood and his head bleeding. Sweet Pea and Reggie were also in a coffin, we let them out. Josie, Kevin and Fangs on the other hand had blue lips. And Cheryl received a pig’s heart on a box, it was also bleeding”
“But why these messages? Who do you think did it?”
“I don’t know as well. Crazy thing is that these happened before. The exact same things. It’s like repeating a pattern for murder.” Jughead narrated.
“Does anyone of you had grudges over each other?”
“Grudges? Yes, petty ones. Like Cheryl used to call me Hobo. But deep down we had each other through the dark noise of the wicked little town that is Riverdale.”
“Hm right. Did you have any grudges? Over anyone?” Chloe asked.
“I uhm – no.”
“Detective, if I may please?” Lucifer offered
Chloe sighed and thought it was better than nothing and he gestured for Lucifer to begin whatever he does because clearly that seems effective all the time. She was at knowledge’s wit anyway
“Tell me what is it that you desire” Lucifer chanted.
“To get out of Riverdale and be a great writer.” He answered as if he was in a trance. And Lucifer laughed at him. And Chloe looked at Lucifer warningly.
“Your books, you wrote them from real life experiences….” Chloe started.
“Well, Bravo, is this some ploy for your next book then?” Lucifer said.
“What? No. I want to become a great writer and fight this stupid block but not to the expense of my own bestfriend’s life!”
“Even if he stole your girlfriend?” Chloe asks.
“What that was a moment of weakness for both of them! They literally grew up with each other. There were no more hard feelings for anyone.” Jug explained
“Wow, detective, how do you know all of this stuff” Lucifer said amazed
“Listen, I know it’s hard to trust. But the FBI knows about this. My brother, Charles Smith, suggested that we hid Archie so we could lure the person who was clearly trying to scare us or frame us. I don’t know. I wouldn’t believe a person with the same alibi but….”
“I know you didn’t do it.” Chloe stated immediately.
“What? How?”
“You’ve never seen the video, but you were in the frame when Archie was hit. So you’re on the clear.”
“How do you know I’m not conniving with anyone?”
“Are you trying to incriminate yourself?” Chloe asks in shock.
“No but….” Jughead tried to explain
“Something tells me you’ll make a good detective, if what you wrote is close to what really happened then might I suggest you’re really good at it. We need fresh eyes for this case, someone who knows more than we do and I think this involves a long mystery of murders in your town”
“Whatever it is, detective. I’m in. But I must tell you if you suspect any one of us, you’re going on a long shot. I know none of us did it.” Jughead stated.
“We can never be sure, besides, what they know might only give us more clues.” Chloe answered and Jughead nodded. “The FBI knows about this already?” She continued asking
“Yes”
“How come you called 911 and let LAPD do this?”
“Because Charles worked with us before and it will be more obvious if he worked with us again, hell it will be automatic that he worked with us. But if you took the lead, it will be like we were actually scared, makes it more believable.”
“That’s actually smart, I’ll have to call the FBI though to confirm. What did the FBI had in mind?”
“Hide Archie, let you investigate, let Archie not be found and then lure our person…. But you found Archie so that changes everything”
“And now, what might you suggest?”
“We try to make it look like you suspect us, if you suspect us, they can strike anytime again and it would only frame us even more that’s their modus they want you to suspect us. I guess” He said.
“Well then, don’t blow this cover now” Chloe warned.
BETTY
“Hi Babe” Jughead pecks Betty on the cheeks and gave a reassuring squeeze on her shoulder “you’re next. Don’t worry they’re on our side”
”Hi Detective”
“Elizabeth Cooper”
“That’s me”
:What’s your version of the truth. Jughead already told you everything didn’t he?”
Chloe nodded. “I need to repeat everything he said?” Betty asked.
“We need to know if your alibi checks out.”
“Fine. We woke up drenched in blood, archie in blood. We thought it was a prank but if it was a prank it was an elaborate one. Some friends inside coffins, some friends playing griffin and gargoyles.”
“What’s griffin and gargoyles?” Chloe asked.
“Some deadly game where one cup, that’s the griffin is filled with kool-aid and the other, gargoyle is filled with poison.”
“Ugh gargoyles were placed in churches to demonize something, well I can assure you the devil looks nothing of that sort” Lucifer whined.
“Lucifer” Chloe gave him a warning and Lucifer just smiled sarcastically.
“Anyway, that’s what happened.” Betty continued.
“Do you know anyone with grudges? On any of you?”
“Everyone. Riverdale is a small town, everybody hates everybody.”
“You think anyone from this group is capable of hurting someone?”
“In that case and scenario, no. We always had each other’s backs, no matter what.” Betty assured them.
“Even if you cheated on your little boyfriend, huh?”
“What? How did you know that? Jughead tell you even that???”
“No. we found out in your school newspaper” Chloe admitted.
“I must admit at that time, I hated myself I even did that to Jughead, but I was in love with Archie for years! And then Cheryl made me realize that I was only in love with the idea of Archie.”
“So no grudges? Even Veronica on you?”
“I’m with Jughead, and Veronica is my bestfriend, so is Archie. We’ve closed that chapter already. It was a stupid teenage mistake, one I have and all of us have learned from”
“Okay.”
“You believe her, detective? Even if she was a cheating girlfriend? If she lied to her boyfriend she could lie to you” Lucifer
“I believe her because her alibi checks out. And Ella was right, a love triangle was a petty and baseless accusation especially for a town that lives on murder. They’ve had enough murders already.”
“My brother, could vouch for me.” Betty suggested.
“Brother?”
“Charles Smith. FBI.”
“I’m sorry? Charles Smith?” Chloe asked intrigued knowing very well that it was the same name that Jughead provided. Were they twisting the truth again.
“Yes, I’m Elizabeth Smith Cooper.”
“Isn’t that the same brother as Jughead.” Chloe asked.
“Yes, he’s our half brother.”
“Ohhh, incest.” Lucifer grinned. “There’s a special place in hell for that, well more like suite for that”
“No no no no. Not incest. Jughead’s father is Charles’ father. My mother is Charles’. Jughead’s father is different from mine and so is his mother. So not incest.” Betty cleared.
“I’m confused.” Chloe says.
“I am too, I’m sorry. It’s Riverdale. It’s a small town” Betty dismissed.
“A small town for the devil.”
“Oh yes, the devil is welcome there.” Betty rolled her eyes.
“Don’t mind if I do.”
VERONICA
“Veronica..” Chloe called on the next suspect to be questioned.
“Uhm detective. If you don’t mind. I’m actually waiting for my lawyer.”
“Lawyering up are we.” Lucifer commented.
“It’s just, I can’t speak without any lawyer.”
“It’s fine, it’s your right. Who’s next? Josephine?”
“Uhm, my mom is coming for me and Kevin.” She explained
“Your mum can’t save you sweetie.” Lucifer remarked and smirked.
“She’s a lawyer. Actually she can act as a lawyer for everyone in here.” Kevin backed up.
“Oh boo hoo, if you’re not guilty what are you afraid of?” Lucifer challenged.
“To have our own words used against us.” Veronica said straight and proud.
“We are innocent, but we are not in any way speaking up with our lawyer” as josie demanded
“Let’s get this over with, I’ll speak, with or without a lawyer” Reggie said proudly.
“Reggie, you don’t have to.” Veronica tried stopping him.
“I don’t, yes, but I want to get this over with. I’m not afraid of anything, I didn’t do anything bad.” He snarked.
REGGIE
“Okay, I’ll start immediately. I couldn’t be the person who hit Archie because I was in the coffin when that happened and I almost puked myself! We didn’t tell you there was a coffin because that was the plan, not to tell you” he gleamed to Chloe and Lucifer
“Right that was in the video, you were inside but that doesn’t excuse yourself from doing anything bad. What if you intentionally put yourself in a coffin?” Chloe retorted.
“The coffin was nailed outside” he said with pride.
“But what if you had someone put you there. Your partner maybe.” Chloe asked
“Huh? I didn’t think of that.” Reggie sounded surprised.
“So how would you explain yourself then.” Chloe inquired.
“I don’t know I didn’t even think of that, how do you think I would do that?” Reggie said thinking how amazing if he had thought of that.
“You said you almost puked yourself, you were that drunk? Did you take in anything else other than alcohol?”
“If you’re asking drugs, we are all clean”
“No one brought anything?” Chloe asked
“Oh please I was their only decent supplier! If anyone was going to bring, it was me” Chloe let out an exasperated sigh and palmed her forehead.
“I shouldn’t have said that huh”
“Do you know anyone who has grudges on anyone in here?”
“Uhm. No. But we do have a lot of love triangles, uhm is that even a triangle. What do you call a shape with 5 sides?”
“Ohhhh love quarrels, tell me more.”
“Quarrels is not a shape, man” he said as Lucifer looked at Chloe in disbelief, Chloe just shrugged.
“Anyway, my boy Archie, he kissed Betty who is Jughead’s girlfriend, Veronica who was my ex girlfriend, Josie who was my ex fling and sweet pea’s ex fling and Cheryl who was or is or whatever toni’s girlfriend. So maybe they had grudges”
“So you think they all have had grudges and would want to hurt him?” Chloe asked.
“Oh no no no, you’re getting it wrong. I mean they have grudges but wouldn’t hurt him. Damn Ronnie was right I should’ve lawyered up as well.”
“Okay thank you, this is pointless now, let’s call in the next ones” Lucifer said in annoyance. “I don’t think that guy did it, I don’t even know how he would’ve done it.” He added.
SWEET PEA
“Woah guys, Ronnie was right. You better lawyer up” Reggie announced to everybody which Sweet Pea took as a challenge.
“What? You think I can’t handle it while you can? Well I can.” He exclaimed. “Come on detective, I’m next”
“Are you sure?” Chloe made sure.
“Hell yeah, if Mantle can do it so can I” he said.
“Alright another cuckoo head. I miss those two smart ones we first talked to” whispered Lucifer to Chloe.
“So you’re Stephen Peabody?” Chloe confirmed.
“Sweet Pea”
“Right, sweet pea.” Lucifer said. “What a pathetic nickname”
“I don’t know what to say but I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, I look pretty badass but the only time I would ever hurt someone willingly is when they hurt my friends.” He stated.
“Are you suggesting you’re capable of that?” Lucifer asked.
“I’m suggesting that I will only strike when needed.”
Chloe shakes her head in disbelief.
“You were the other person in the coffin?” Chloe asked.
“Yes but different coffin, we wouldn’t fit in one, look at my height.”
“You know anybody who would put you in there?”
“I think Mantle would! He’s the prankster.”
“But he was also in a coffin.” Lucifer stated.
“Maybe he put himself after putting me?”
“The nails are outside.” Chloe followed
“Really, they were? In that case, I don’t know.”
Chloe knew that Lucifer was right, this was another pointless interrogation, they were two people who had more ego than alibis. “Alright, anyone with grudges?”
“The bulldogs used to hate the serpents but we are all good now.”
“I’m sorry the what?” Chloe asked
“The northside of Riverdale hated the southside.”
“Why name yourself animals? And who are the serpents, good choice for an animal!” Lucifer declaimed.
“We are, me, toni, fangs and jughead are. Betty and Cheryl joined too.”
“So grudge. Who? What?” Lucifer said sarcastically trying to sound uninterested and wanted this to be finished and Chloe gave him yet another warning.
“I guess there’s no more of that because Cheryl and Betty are from the Northside but they became serpents. Actually scratch that they weren’t bulldogs! They were vixens, but yes you get me?”
“No, we don’t.” Lucifer said blankly as if he doesn’t sound vague as per usual.
“My point is, no one hates anyone anymore. And keep it a secret, Reggie and I look like we want to slit each other’s throat but over 1st year of college we actually became best buds! We’re roommates now. With fangs and kevin but they always make out.”
“Okay this is pointless, detective, can’t I do my charm on them???” Lucifer pleaded.
“You could but I know very well that they’ll only have one answer”
“And that would be?” Lucifer asked.
“Have a go at it and you’ll know”
“Tell me, sweet bean” Lucifer started his charms.
“Sweet pea” he was corrected
“What is it that you desire?”
“To get the hell out of Riverdale…..and be on the front page of a magazine” sweet pea said and shook of the trance “Wait what did I just say?”
“See??” Chloe pointed out. She knew that all the kids wanted was to get out of that town. Who wouldn’t
“Okay, fine you win.”
“Uhm, another question sweet pea, weren’t you in Archie’s band?” Chloe asked
“Detective, I thought we were done?” Lucifer nudged Chloe who just sushed him.
“Yes, archie plays the bass, fangs and I are on guitar, Toni is drums and Kevin is vocals. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be awesome if Reggie joins! He plays the violin.”
“The band is becoming known and famous, what can you say about that?” Chloe stated.
“Yes it is, but we just love playing, me and the guys agreed we’ll finish our degrees first before we make it full time. We get so much gigs and a label wants us to sign now, we want to publish songs now and then but it’s too much and too early on.”
“So no one disagreed on wanting to sign with a label?” she asked again
“I mean it’s the easy way out and it will keep us recognized but no, Kevin wants to pursue his studies in music, Toni wants to be a photographer, Fangs wants to be an accountant. I mean I’m on a full ride scholarship for athletics and being on the baseball team could help me in the big leagues which will be a bigger racket so I’m good, too. Idk what archie wants in life but he’s always indecisive but I think he wants to sign.”
“Okay, thank you sweet pea.”
“Nice, so that means I’m free and no longer a suspect.”
“You were never imprisoned! You are more than 6 feet tall I wonder where your brain went” Lucifer exclaimed.
JOSIE, KEVIN, FANGS
“Alright, anyone wants to go next? Someone with a big ego that don’t want to be lawyered up.” Lucifer shouted.
“That will no longer be necessary. I’m Sierra McCoy, Josie and Kevin’s mother. I’ll be representing Josie, Kevin and Fangs.” A woman of color came in, dressed prim and proper.
“Alright come this way.” Chloe led her.
“What can you three say about the incident that happened?”
“You don’t need to say anything. My clients…..” Sierra stated.
“You mean your children and the guy your step child is dating” Lucifer said as if it’s a matter of fact.
“Lucifer” Chloe warned, he was getting on her nerves now.
“As I was saying, they don’t need to say anything. For a fact that they were under the influence of alcohol. They’ve got nothing to confess too since they couldn’t remember anything and they weren’t capable of doing such thing and even if they had, they were not in control of what they did.” Sierra said.
“Was it just alcohol that they were under the influence of, I want to ask them, did any of you take any drugs?”
“I was informed you took tests on them you might as well know if they actually did, but my clients told me that they didn’t in any way take any drugs”
That intrigued Chloe, if they didn’t take drugs willingly, they might have been roofied by someone.
“Alright Mrs McCoy, we can stop with questioning them regarding what happened that night their alibis are pretty solid, atleast what their other friends had but I need to ask a few questions.”
“Kevin and Fangs, what can you say about labels running after you.” She continued
Kevin and Fangs looked at Sierra who nodded that it was safe to answer that.
“Good opportunity but hard pass.” Kevin answered.
“You’re at your prime why turn it down?” Chloe said.
“Because we have other dreams and we want to pursue that first before the band we could always band up in the future” Fangs said.
“Yes that’s right, and singing is only a hobby we want to keep doing it but we don’t want to be tied down” Kevin added.
“And what do you feel about archie wanting to sign” Chloe asked.
“He can sign as a solo artist he could sing he could play, we couldn’t care less and would support him even if he has no idea what to do yet”
“So you will just let him?” Lucifer asked.
“Exactly. Like I said we could always do it in the future it’s not off the table. Plus there are labels willing to wait for us and train us while they wait for us to sign”
“That’s really a good deal if you must say” Chloe observed.
“I mean the band was form only because we were bored we didn’t really intend to make money out of it”
“I see….And josie, you dated archie?”
“Only for awhile, after his breakup with veronica. It was a fling but he was a great guy, even my mom liked him although she wouldn’t admit it”
“I still disagree with Archie Andrews since he doesn’t know what he’s doing” Sierra interrupted which to be honest was not professional of her but she really despised Archie’s indecisiveness.
“Anyway it was a short fling because I moved to NY, I live in NY now but I came to see the guys play”
“Okay that’s it”
“Detective can I try my charm again see if they still had the same answer” Lucifer asked for permission and Chloe gestured towards all of them.
“What is it that you all desire”
“Get out of riverdale” They said in chorus.
“Huh you’re right” Lucifer commented.