"Jughead!" Betty's shout echoed around the empty forest. "Come over here!" She was crouched next to what she had found, looking at it closely. She heard Jughead emerge from the forest and squat down next to the river with her.
"What is that...?" He questioned, leaning close
"Look, Jason was wearing all white when he was killed, I think this is part of his shirt," Betty said with a hint of excitement. This was the first real clue that they had found. They had been scouring the area between where Cheryl and Jason had been found on both sides of the river, trying to find some kind of clue as to what had happened.
"Or it could just be a random piece of clothing," Jughead said softly. Betty could feel his gaze on her, but she didn't return it, looking up the river instead.
"Cheryl was found up there, saying that they fell out and she swam right to shore. But we know now that they made it to the other side safely. But Jason's body was found back on the Riverdale side of the river, so maybe he was brought back over here and killed, or killed and taken over here. But this shows that he was over here" Betty gestured slightly wildly at the muddy scrap.
"Maybe, Betty," Jughead spoke with a gentleness, but Betty could hear all of the words that he wasn't saying. She finally met his gaze, raising her chin defiantly.
"I know what you are thinking, but we found something. We found what could be part of Jason's shirt, that's something." Betty wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Jughead or herself. Jughead reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently.
"Betty, this is a dead end. First of all, we don't know if this is Jason's. And even if it is, it can't really help us. We don't know if this is where it landed or if it washed ashore. It could've started out miles away on the opposite side of the river for all we know. It can't tell us anything..."
"I know!" Betty stood up and took a few steps away, feeling frustrated. "I know all of the things that we don't know Juggie, you don't have to tell me. They are the things that keep me up at night." Jughead stood up and walked over to where she was. He cupped her head in his hands and stroked her cheeks with his thumb.
"Betty, we will find answers, we will figure this out, I promise. But I don't think we are going to find them out here. Besides, the police already swept this entire riverbank."
"Then why didn't they find the fabric?" Betty asked, looking up at him.
"I don't know" He admitted
"Maybe because we are looking closer, or maybe things have changed since the police were here." Betty suggested "Whatever the reason, I feel like we have to keep looking. I need answers Juggie." She pleaded. Jughead looked at her for a few moments, then he sighed and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.
"Okay, we'll keep looking" He stepped back, but Betty grabbed his arm and pulled him back to her. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her body close to his. Betty put her arms around his neck and threaded her fingers through his hair, displacing his hat. Jughead hated to be without his hat, but at the moment, he didn't seem to mind. His mouth moved against hers hungrily. Betty kissed him back hard, when they pulled away she cupped his face and brought their foreheads together.
"Thank you," She said softly. Jughead gave a low chuckle.
"Hell, if this is the way you thank me, I'll do anything for you."
"Not just for this today. Thank you for helping me with everything. Thank you for helping with the Blue and Gold and for being my co-sleuth. Thank you for helping me figure this out and for listening to all of my rants." Betty put her arms around his waist and pulled him in for a hug.
