Polaroid // Reggie Mantle (2)

Chapter Nineteen

The Black Hood's threat had left the whole town of Riverdale in a state of shock and horror. Nobody knew what to do. The Black Hood hadn't said what or when he was going to do something, and that made everyone very nervous.

However, a few choice people felt more guilty than anything. Archie, Jughead, and Caia felt a deep seeded terror that the crimes they had committed were what the Black Hood was mad about.

In a way to combat her sins, Caia decided to help Betty with her investigation. It gave her a way to escape from her real life troubles.

She was chatting with Betty in a booth at Pop's as they waited for Jughead. Finally, he plopped down opposite them.

"Sorry," he appologised. "There was no service in the bowels of city hall."

"What'd you find" Betty questioned. "Any truth to what that creepy truck driver said about the murdered family?"

Jughead picked something off the table as he began to talk. "Yes. Shockingly, Freddy Krueger didn't lie to me." He slid the newspaper article across the table towards the two girls. "A family of four was murdered. By someone that the press called the Riverdale Reaper." Caia picked up the article, scanning it as she continued to listen to Jughead talk. "The victims were Jim and Mary Ellen Conway and their kids. Tommy was ten, Sue was nine. The Reaper was never caught or identified, so he could be our black hood, but I'm dubious. He would be in his sixties by now."

Caia looked up and set the paper down on the desk. "That's seriously eerie."

"Why did he do it?" Betty questioned. "Kill them?"

"The reporter of the article talked to the Sheriff at the time who thought killer chose them at random or because their house was isolsted," Jughead replied.

"Where is it?" Betty asked.

Caia nodded. She had wondered that as well. "The edge of fox Forrest, down some service road." Jughead's answer made Caia shudder. Fox Forrest was already creepy to her and this made it even worse. "Here's a picture of it." Jughead pointed to a picture in the paper and Caia looked, but Betty stared ahead before complying with a nervous sigh.

As she looked at it, she seemed to recognize something about it. "Oh my god," she mumbled. "Jughead, I've been to this house. The Black Hood sent me to it, as part of his game." Caia's eyes widened. She wanted to throw up. This was starting to freak her out.

"Well then there's definitely a link between the Hood and the Reaper. We should talk to Keller, pull the files from the murders. At least get a list of all the players," he concluded.

Betty sighed. "No, Jughead," she refuted. "I can't go to Sheriff Keller. Not after I accused him of being the Black Hood."

Jughead hit table with his hand and looked away. "Right, yeah, that would be akward." He thought for moment before continuing. "We could go to the house," he suggested.

"I can't go back there, Jug," Betty explained. "He made me look in a mirror and what I saw staring back at me, I don't wanna do that again," she trailed off.

Jughead grabbed Betty's hands in comfort. "Hey," he started. "Then you don't have to, okay." Betty nodded.

Caia, who had been silent, this whole time, spoke up. "I'll do it," she stated. "I'll go to the house."

Betty gave her a look, getting ready to ask her if that's what she really wanted when Jughead's phone rang. It was an unknown number, sending fear down everyone's spines. However as soon as they heard Jughead say "yeah, I'll accept the charges," they breathed a sigh of relief.

*

Later, Caia found herself seated of the desk in the Blue and Gold with Archie, Veronica, Betty, and Jughead. "The reason we called you in here," Betty began, looking to Jughead to finish.

"My dad is getting out of jail," Jughead stated with a smile. Betty also wore a smile as she wrapped her arms around one of Jughead's.

Veronica looked in shock and happiness at Archie. "Jug, that's great," he exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Veronica agreed. "What heralded this miracle?" She inquired.

Jughead faltered. "Uh, overcrowding at the jail," he explained. "Guess the judge reviewed my dad's case and after Cheryl's testimony it was a perfect storm."

"What do you need from us, Jug?" Archie questioned.

"Both of us," Betty cut in. "We have a new lead on the Black Hood case. And Jughead and I were wondering if you guys and Caia would follow up on it for us." She turned around, grabbing something from behind her. "We can give you all of the details, the articles."

Caia didn't know of Betty and Jughead hadn't noticed, but Archie and Veronica did not seem too thrilled about this request. "It's just I have to be there for my dad, to help with his renenty, so-" Jughead explained.

"Uh, yeah, and I'm just taking a break. From the Black Hood," Betty followed up.

Archie had grabbed the article from the table and was now examining it with Veronica. "Wait, so, you want us to be you guys?" Veronica questioned.

Jughead smiled, wrapping his arm around Betty's shoulder. "Essentially, yes," he replied. "Caia said she would do it, but we didn't really want her to do this on her own."

Caia watched as Veronica and Archie shared a look. "What, is there a problem with that?" Jughead questioned, sounding mildly offended.

Veronica brought her arm down in a cross over her chest and shook her head no.

Betty and Jughead left, leaving Caia to explain the project. She scooted from the side of the desk to the middle, sitting cross cross as he held the article in her lap.

"Alright, so we had Jughead look in to that story about the murdered family the creepy trucker dude told him," she began. "And it turns out, it was true."

Archie cocked his head to the side. "Really? He seemed kind of sketchy."

Caia nodded. "I know, but I guess he knows his stuff. Anyway, this killer referred to as the Riverdale Reaper killed a family of four, the Conways. No possible motive, evidence, or any suspects. Total dead end case," she explained. "That is, until now. This house," she picked up the paper and pointed to the picture. "Is apparently the same one Betty was sent to by the Black Hood. Meaning-"

"That the Riverdale Reaper could be the Black Hood!" Veronica finished. Caia nodded at her.

"So, we might have to go to this house and investigate, which, frankly, I'm not super excited for. But, you know, anything to get this killer arrested," Caia finished.

Archie still looked confused. "What exactly would we look for here?"

Caia shrugged. "I don't know. And we're only going if we have to. But if it's necessary," she paused. "I guess we'll find out."

*

When Caia came home from school, a pang of fear immediately shot though her body. A white paper was taped to the front door of her house. At first, she thought it was an eviction notice, but as she got closer, she realised it was something far more sinister.

Cautiously, she pulled the paper off the door and began to read it.

Family of Sinners,

I have seen your ways. When warned to change them, you continued on your path of sinful destruction. And for that, you shall be punished. The day of retribution is coming, for you, and many others like you. I will purify this town, and with that, goes you.

-The Black Hood