Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
When they reached the car, Chloe immediately thanked Dan and asked him to guard the Lux. Dan agreed.
Chloe went to Toni who was seated backseat and removed her handcuffs.
“Why are you removing my handcuffs” Toni asked in wonder.
“Because unlike what they were telling, I am not in anyway racist and that is not why I took you in” Chloe told the confused girl as she went to the driver’s seat to fasten up, Lucifer was beside Chloe in front.
“What do you mean?” Toni asked again.
“I am starting to actually believe even without any proof that you are innocent. I know you are. This is crazy but I know”
“Then why are you taking me in?”
“Truth be told, it’s a diversion. We’re just using you as bait, we won’t actually be taking you in the prison”
“Right we are not, I would offer my pent house but they’re all in there so detective will babysit you” Lucifer said.
“I don’t need to be babysat”
“Here’s the thing, I wasn’t supposed to tell you immediately, I want to juice out even just an ounce of a clue but I’m afraid we can’t and with whatever happened, I believe you are innocent and I need your cooperation for this”
“She’s clever huh” Lucifer said referring to the detective.
“Cooperation for what??” Toni asked.
“To find the person responsible”
“Hell yeah, I’m in they tried to hurt my friends and my girlfriend”
“UHM you’re still broken up” Lucifer reminded yet again and Toni rolled her eyes
“The others don’t know about this huh?”
“To be honest, it’s too risky for all of them to know. Jughead and Betty knows and now you. The others we haven’t told yet just in case they were accomplice”
“And you believe that I’m not an accomplice?”
“At first I thought you were the main suspect but Cheryl was the one attacked, would you hurt even one strand of Cheryl hair?”
“Never”
“Then just with your word of mouth, I believe you”
“And it’s too elaborate for you to be able to orchestrate this because maze was with you the whole time and she vouches for you. I trust her too.”
“Thankyou detective. What happens next”
“We let news know that we took you in for questioning, and before you ask it wouldn’t ruin your career”
“I don’t even want that career to be honest” she shrugged.
“Anyway, it wouldn’t ruin anything because your records are still clean. Daniel Espinoza will have a close look at your friends. He’s at Lucifer’s penthouse. Don’t worry, Cheryl’s safe with him”
“With detective douche?? She’ll be safer with me” Lucifer complained
“Douche?” Toni asks lifting her eyebrows up.
“He likes to bully sorry. They’re safe I promise you. We wait for another attack, if it happens it’s most likely to be kidnapping prank Jughead wrote about in his last novel.”
“That cringey thing??? I wasn’t even in that story.” Toni laughed a little.
“Yes that, and good thing you weren’t there it was really cringey but don’t tell him I said that. I think he has potential to write though” Chloe said.
“Anyway, if that happens, we can catch them redhanded because Dan will be following them and bringing reinforcements.”
“And if it doesn’t happen?” Toni dared to ask.
“I don’t know what’s next, for now we pray that happens even if that’s risky. Bringing that into topic, do you know anyone with grudges?”
“To us? No, we actually….”
“Are good friends and used to not be yada yada blah blah” Lucifer interrupted her. He was getting sick of the same story.
“Yeah….I mean, to Cheryl, her parents were pretty abusive to her, they’re the first person I thought who could do this to Cheryl” Toni said.
“I’ll research more about her parents and your family and their whereabouts. Any grudges to you?”
“My family were so against our relationship too but they don’t care anymore I guess, they disappeared on me. No, I have no family anymore, they forgot about me and my friends are my family. Other than that, Cheryl used to be the number one person who wants my neck”
“Wants your neck, oh the pun you little player” Lucifer smirked and Toni winked at him. “Oh you know it”
“Ugh you’re like maze’s little version, no wonder she likes you” Lucifer exclaimed.
“Are you taking me to prison?”
“We’re gonna spend over night there but I’m spending it with you. Lucifer too” Chloe confirmed.
“Oh no not me too” Lucifer groaned.
“What do you want for dinner, lucifer’s buying” Chloe asked.
Lucifer groaned even more.
They spent the night talking to each other while Lucifer just whined saying he has better things to do. The more they spent time, the more Chloe believed the girl’s innocence.
When morning came, they haven’t really slept yet and were both taking coffee. Lucifer actually, fell asleep and they had their fun taking funny pics of him.
“Uhm detective decker excuse me, somebody wants to post bail for Antoinette Topaz” an officer came and informed Decker.
“Who did?” Chloe asked as she was handed the papers
“Someone who claimed that they were a Blossom, redheaded lady” the officer said.
“Cheryl????” Toni asked. It didn’t actually surprise her, her girlfriend was like that but it did upset her because she told Cheryl clearly not to bail her out even out of the goodness of her heart. Especially knowing this could compromise the plan that she was now a part of.
“I don’t know here’s the paperworks. She wants to speak with the girl after discharging” the officer said annoyed probably the effect of an early work morning.
“Penelope blossom.” Chloe read.
“That’s Cheryl’s mother. Why is she here? And why is she posting my bail?” Toni asked in confusion.
“Didn’t you say they were abusive? We tracked them last night they were in Riverdale” Chloe said.
“So she personally came here to post my bail? That lady hated me.” Said toni
“Do you mind if you are wired if you talked to her?”
“Not a problem at all.”
“I’m calling Dan and telling him that Cheryl’s mother bailed you out”
Chloe woke Lucifer up and hooked Toni up on a wire. Toni went straight to the enclosed room where the Blossom was.
“Mrs Blossom”
“Oh hello there Antoinette”
“Why are you here? Why are you posting my bail?”
“Simple, to buy you of course. That was a sizeable donation truthfully”
“What do you mean buy me???” Toni said in annoyance.
“I want you to stay the hell away from my daughter”
“Not in a million years, hasn’t Cheryl established that already”
“I’m giving you a last chance to stay away from her or you are not going to like what will happen”
“Do you mean you are responsible for what happened the other night??”
“I’m not sure what you mean, I just wants what’s best for Cheryl”
”You never want what’s best for Cheryl you want what’s best for you”
“Good bye Antoinette, I warned you”
“Is that a threat Mrs Blossom”
“No, dear, it was simply a warning” Penelope stood up and left.
The moment the redhead left, Chloe and Lucifer looked at each other.
“Detective……” Toni said through the wire “ I think Cheryl and the others are in trouble” she said.
“Copy that I’m calling Dan”
--
Chloe, Lucifer and Toni went in a hurry trying to go to Lux and locate the others. Chloe tried a number of times to contact Dan but he’s not answering the phone.
Toni’s mind was playing games by now, worried for her friends and most especially her girlfriend. Yes, her girlfriend.
“Way to be on slack detective douche, told you I was better guarding them” Lucifer complained.
“We better hurry” Chloe said in a frantic and sped even more, the sirens of the police car blaring.
They were near Lux when Chloe’s phone rang. She was hoping it was Dan but it wasn’t. Rather it was Maze.
“Maze, unless this is very important, now is not the good time” She said.
“This is about the kids. Toni’s friends” she declared immediately. Chloe’s phone volume was loud enough for both Lucifer and Toni to hear. Toni panicked and shouted across.
“What happened Maze” she said in worry.
“Dan is unconscious. I dropped by at Lux and saw him and the others. The kids are gone, I followed my instinct and was able to tail who took them. I think I know where they’re going, I’ll send you the address, meet me there.”
“Ha told you he was not competent” Lucifer said to Chloe with a smirk but no one paid attention to him. There were more pressing matters. The moment Maze sent her the address, Chloe made a re-route to go there.”
“This is Detective decker, calling in for reinforcements” Chloe said over her radio
“Fuck, let’s hurry” Toni said anxiously.
The moment they reached the place, it looked like some abandoned warehouse. Chloe asked Toni “Is this place any familiar to you”
“No, it isn’t sorry”
“Maze” They saw her and approached her fast.
“They’re inside. They just got here. They’re blindfolded and tied up. I’ll go the other side and create a diversion” she told Chloe.
“Stay here with Lucifer” Chloe and Maze said in unison to Toni.
“No I’m coming with you!” she shouted
“NO, you stay here. It’s dangerous out there. I’ll protect your girl I promised” Maze gave her an assurance.
“Wait where’s Lucifer??” Chloe asked and knew that Lucifer was doing whatever damn he always did. They heard a noise rattle on the inside and she was sure that was Lucifer.
“Stupid Lucifer doing whatever he wants” Maze cried out. “He’s vulnerable, he could get shot”
“Toni stay here please don’t be like that lousy guy” Chloe pleaded as she and Maze still stuck on to their original plan where Maze distracted them and Chloe saved the kids.
Toni stayed low and outside trying her best not to get in to trouble but wanting to go in there and swoop Cheryl out, well also her friends.
“Well well what do we have here, kidnapping kids is so old fashioned” Lucifer glared at the kidnappers.
“Go away, you don’t want to be involved” one of the men shouted.
“Really ski masks? Or are those Balaclava? How original” Lucifer snickered.
Jughead smirks upon hearing lucifer’s observations. “Ha. So that’s it, you are reliving the endless maniacal cycle. I finally get it” Jughead commented.
They were all blindfolded and rounded up while tied down on some cheap mono blocks. The other kids confused on what Jughead meant, well maybe except Betty.
“Get what?” Lucifer asked.
“Arthur Conan Doyle famously said, once you eliminate the impossible whatever remains, however improbably must be the truth” Jughead stated.
“In this case, none of us are guilty of doing whatever this is to anyone in this cycle, how could that be proven, simple, we are all in here. Even Toni, who is in LAPD’s custody” he added. “The very question that was asked throughout this escapade is “Who has grudges?” “
The kidnappers were as clueless as the other kids, as clueless as Lucifer himself but in Lucifer’s mind he thought this kid might be on to something, he knows intellect when he sees one and he can’t deny that this kid might have it.
“And I can’t pinpoint who, because if I were to be asked years ago of who had a grudge, well, each one of us for numerous reasons. Mostly rivalry.” Jughead continued, no one, not even the kidnappers, dared to speak, everyone on the edge of their seats waiting for Jughead’s hypothesis – all wondering, did he figure it out? “For years, we have thrived with the north and south hating each other, but that changed.”
“For years, the serpents and the poisons and the bulldogs, but that have changed. The gargoyles, ghoulies or whoever cease to exist anymore, so it can’t be them as well.”
“The hate which bridged from our parents, those are done, it changed. Except for one maybe, Cheryl – who’s family never stopped hating her, who has everyone after their blossom estate. So that could possibly be them.”
But what Jughead was about to say next, was what he thought was a baseless observation but a big clue to this mystery, one he cursed himself that he thought wouldn’t be of great bearing, that is until now.
“You see, the night of the accident, we fail to notice one thing that only Cheryl saw but I guess was afraid to bring up. I thought it was pointless as well, maybe a coincidence or whatsoever”
Cheryl’s heart was pounding. She was never questioned, that’s why she never was able to bring it up as well. She knew what Jughead meant, she didn’t even notice that Jughead saw because she hid it, because she, too, was afraid that she may have done it, that she may be capable of it and if fingers point to her, who would believe a girl who was a bitch to everyone her entire life. (except Toni, of course, that girl would believe her no matter what, no questions asked)
“There was a piece of artwork, her artwork included in the pig’s heart. An artwork quite similar to the one she has done when she was young signed and dated. An artwork showing everyone and her eliminating everyone in it except for her.”
Anxiety was creeping out on the redhead. Could she have some relation or doing in this?
“You were afraid to bring it up, weren’t you Cheryl because you were afraid it would point out to you. But the thing is…”
There, Jughead said it. And he was right, Cheryl was truly afraid. But what was once fear in Cheryl’s heart fuelled into something even more with what Jughead uttered next.
“How could that same artwork be sent here or how could you have brought it if one didn’t intentionally send it and who else but……Penelope Blossom, her very own mother. Who, I overheard, Detective Dan Espinosa, mention the name of. Penelope Blossom paying out the bail of Antoinette Topaz, a person she very much loathes. But why?”
“MY VILE MOTHER????” Cheryl interrupted “That vile creature had a doing on this? Don’t she dare lay a finger on my TT”
“That got me thinking too, to be honest.” Jughead continued ignoring Cheryl’s rage. “Amongst all that, there was still one person, who even the people she grew up with, whose family we knew, except that person’s grandfather and uncle of course. The family left unaccounted for.”
“Toni.” Sweet Pea and Fangs said in unison realizing who Jughead meant.
“Yes, Toni.” Jughead smirked.
“You mean to say, Toni is guilty? After all this time, why the goose chase then?” Lucifer whined.
“No, what I mean is, someone else who had a grudge was Toni’s family. His grandfather was the founder of the Uktena and was bearing a life-long grudge against the Blossoms, who in mischief stole the land in which Riverdale stands”
“And who from the Topaz’ could it possibly be?” Fangs asked.
“Uncle?” Toni says “Oh and you brought my cousins??” As she reached everyone in the circle. She clearly disobeyed Chloe and Maze, who were now hidden and in position waiting for the opportunity to strike but Toni went there even if she was told not to. Chloe and Maze shook their head, another compromise they thought. The fact that the masked guys were armed, Chloe and Maze had to move fast, trying to get the kids, Toni and even Lucifer out of the way. They had to think faster how.
“Why?” Toni asks.
“Like I said whatever remains however impossible, must be probable, so I had a hunch that the Blossoms and Topaz are working together.” Jughead continued with his tale-telling.
“FOR WHAT?” Sweet pea asks.
Toni didn’t dare move or attack, she knew better than put the others in danger. Good thing Lucifer thought so, too. Maze was giving signals to Lucifer while she was hidden to let them keep stalling and Lucifer understood very well, moving slowly to where the kids were as the kidnappers had their eyes on Toni and awaiting Jughead’s conclusions.
“During prom, at the after party Cheryl was crying to us. Toni’s family hated her, they wanted to separate Toni and her but that’s the last thing they both wanted to happen. Toni was supposed to be there during after party but she wasn’t - her family took her away” Betty pitched in her thought.
“Toni never told us that” Fangs said. “I’m sorry we weren’t there for you tiny”
“But then we woke up with Toni proposing to Cheryl. They fought for each other” Betty added.
“Wait Cheryl and Toni are engaged?” Sweet Pea asked in surprise.
“Do you two goons have any more commentaries? We are not yet engaged, at least not yet officially. We were waiting for until we finished college.” Cheryl butted in.
“So the blossoms and topaz are working together to….” Jughead said.
“To scare Cheryl and Toni away from each other, and to scare both of them away from Riverdale and us. And by extension scare us away from Riverdale as well.” Betty said out loud realizing why.
“So the blossoms will have their estate back without Cheryl in it and Toni will leave Cheryl or vice versa. And us? We’re the loose ends, they needed us out too so we couldn’t rat them out” Jughead added.
“But they never learn do they, we can’t be silenced or stopped. Our curiosity only grows by the second that these things are attempted.” Veronica said loudly.
“You were all are too busy ignoring the rotting fetid truth that Riverdale is a hideous and cruel place, twisted and cursed. And it gave birth to a generation like you. And look at Toni here, what happened to her. Oh and what could be more hurtful than the death of their very own children.” Toni’s cousin shouted.
“You all can’t accept that I have fallen in love with someone?? How could you be so homophobic and who gave you the right to control my life!” Toni cried.
“Toni baby” Cheryl said lowly, if she was not tied she would’ve lunged over to Toni and hugged her tight.
“We are your family, Toni” her uncle shouted in anger.
“You were never a family to me! I was couch surfing for years!”
“We are still your family. The serpents are also your family, the uktena, You are a topaz!” the other cousin rebutted.
“Yes, the serpents gave me a family when you weren’t there. But…Cheryl, She is my family and my home! I love her and you couldn’t change that.” Toni said lowly. She wanted to run to her girlfriend as well but she did knew better even if she wasn’t supposed to be here.
“The Blossoms were kind enough to offer you to just stay away from their daughter, even went their way to have a label sign with you, make you famous, but you were always the hard headed one Antoinette”
“What the fuck, that was their doing?????? And you know very well, I would never choose that. Even if things weren’t shit like this, I will never choose that” Toni said sternly.
“So I guess, I have no choice but to kill everybody now. A deal with the Blossoms is a deal, I’ll just have to kill you too now……I was supposed to spare you your life you know.” Her uncle grinned and Toni shaked. Worrying more about her girlfriend to be honest. She wanted to run and shield her but Cheryl was too far away and one sprint and a bullet will be on her head, and faster than she could go to reach Cheryl.
“No a deal with the devil is far worse.” Lucifer grunted “And I made a deal with Detective to protect this kids so not on my watch” Lucifer glared as his eyes turned red.
“LAPD, everyone freeze, weapons down” chloe’s gun pointed to Toni’s uncle who in return pointed the gun to Cheryl. “Shoot me and I’ll shoot and starting with the Blossom”
“NO!! uncle don’t please.” Toni pleaded and then suddenly the lights turned off and it was pitch blacks. There were sounds of grunting and bones breaking that you could hear everywhere. The kids were getting afraid, who was being targeted. They didn’t know, it was already pitch black for them already, anyway so they couldn’t see.
The lights went back in and Toni (also Chloe) blinked rapidly trying to adjust to the lights when they saw her uncle and cousins grunting on the floor, holding the crotches and guts. Reinforcements suddenly come rushing in as if on cue and handcuffing them.
“Thank you, Dan, you’re just in time” Chloe said.
“Detective Douche was knocked out and only came now, for crying out loud” Lucifer complained.
The reinforcements helped the kids remove the ties that held them captive and also their blindfolds. Toni went running towards Cheryl and just hugged her tight, not even muttering one word as they both cried in each others’ arms.
Everyone else hugs each other. They’ve been through a lot in Riverdale, but still everytime they make it out safe and alive, it feels like the first time that they were caught up in situations like this. It makes them want to be grateful that they always made it through alive.
Toni looks over to Maze and uttered a simple thank you. And Maze just nodded and smiled.
--
LAPD held the Topaz’ in prison while they are now on a stakeout for Penelope Blossom, wherever she was.
The kids promised that they’ll have the best spring break reunion one could ever have before leaving Riverdale, little did they know it would be included in their detective portfolios, if that even was a thing.
After everything was settled, Lucifer gracefully offered that they spent their last night at Lux, to recompense on how shitty their LA trip had become and promised to be a better host, nothing in exchange. Lucifer realized how much this kids had each other’s back no matter what, it was the least he could do. Also, Maze was really great at convincing Lucifer to make it up to Toni, on Lucifer’s defense any advances he made on Cheryl were swatted out anyway.
In the end, they celebrated their last night at LA, and last night of spring break, partying at Lux. This time no one to put anything weird on their drinks or attempt murder on them. Chloe, Ella and Dan were there too. They owe it to them as well that it was another case closed.
Cheryl and Toni patched things up and Toni, of course, introduced Cheryl to what Toni called “the best big sister I never had”. Cheryl being Cheryl was almost jealous but in the end understood how platonic Toni and Maze was.
Cheryl smiled and told Maze that Toni never really opened up to anyone that much so if Toni thinks of her family, she’ll think of her as one too. Maze gave Cheryl a tight hug “don’t let her go, okay?” Maze threatened.
“Wouldn’t dream of it” Cheryl smiled.
They danced together, their bodies pressed against each other like they would never let go.
“I am so marrying you after college, Cheryl, no matter what ANYONE say” Toni told Cheryl who just smiled and kissed her on the cheek.
“I already said yes to that, TT”