Polaroid // Reggie Mantle (2)

Chapter Thirty-One

"Thank you for coming here, Sheriff Keller," Reggie stated.

The sheriff nodded, taking off his hat and sitting down in the chair across from Caia. "Its in the job, Reggie." Caia raises her gaze off the table to Sheriff Keller, who was staring at her. "So, I hear we have a bit of a problem with your father," Keller started.

Caia nodded. Keller's expression was grim. "I'm going to need you to tell me about that."

Caia took a shaky breath. She felt Reggie place a hand on her shoulder for comfort. "It's been happening since seventh grade," Caia began. "After my mom died. Dad started drinking and getting angry more and more often. At first, it was just yelling. He never hit me. But then one day, I dropped an expensive vase full of flowers from Mom's funeral and he hit me." She took another deep breath trying to compose herself. "After he first hit me, he never stopped. It's gotten worse over the years. Recently, it seems that everyone time I see him he only finds reasons to hit me." Caia finished and quickly wiped away a stray tear.

Keller kept his expression stoic. He leaned back in his chair. "Can you show me the most recent injury?" He inquired softly.

Slowly, Caia pulled up the sleeve to show the bandage. She peeled the gauze off to show the slightly scabbed and healing burn. She thought she saw Keller grimace.

"Alright, Caia, this is definite evidence of what your father is doing. When we find him, we will arrest him and you'll be put with another-"

"Sheriff," Caia interrupted. "Please don't put me in foster care," she pleaded. "Arrest my dad, do whatever you want with him, but don't take me away from that house. I've been taking care of myself since I was twelve. I pay the bills, I buy the food, I get myself to the places I need to be. I don't need a caregiver." She paused. "So please, all I'm asking is that you don't put me with another family and that you don't let this story get out."

*

"Veronica, are you trying to manage me right now?" Jughead accused, taking his hand off his temple, where it had previously been sitting.

"Define manage," Veronica shot back snarkily.

Jughead raised his eyebrows as he spoke. "People are going to loose their homes," he exclaimed. He lowered his arms and sat back as Veronica continued to talk.

"Jughead, why don't you come over with your dad and sit down with my dad and hash this out like civilized humans, face to face," Veronica suggested. Betty put her hand on her face as Roni spoke, obvoiusly tired of this conversation and petty arguing.

"Okay," Jughead nodded. He sat up a little as he prepared to shoot back. "One conditon. Your dad comes to Sunnyside trailer park. I want him to see the people he's displacing," he explained.

"Fine," Veronica agreed. She leaned forward. "And trust me, no one is being displaced." Caia rolled her eyes. That was bullshit if she ever heard it.

Suddenly a voice began taking behind Caia. "Oh my god, did you guys hear?" Kevin questioned, causing Caia to turn around to look at him. "My dad's scanner's blowing up. The police found another dead body this morning. There's blood everywhere." Caia noticed out of the corner of her eye that Betty sat up at this. Caia figured it was because of her investigation thing or whatever.

Everyone turned to Betty. "Could the black hood have risen from the grave?" Jughead questioned with a sigh.

"Did they say who's body?" Archie asked.

Betty followed his question immeidately. "Where did they find the body?"

"The investigation's ongoing, but apparently it was a gruesome ganglan style execution at the motel. There's blood and brains splattered all over the duvet-"

Veronica recoiled at Kevin's words. Even Archie was freaked out, having to stop Kevin in the middle of his statement. "Okay, Kev!" He interrupted. "We get it."

"I gotta go," Betty stated, getting up from out of her chair and speedwalking out of the room.

Damn it, Kevin, Caia thought. He always had to do the most, didn't he?

*

Caia felt something was off as soon as she walked into her house after school. Her dad wasn't home, she had already checked. However, she still felt unusually uneasy.

She cautiously mounted the stairs, her hand reaching towards the pocket where her switchblade was situated. She reached the top of the stairs and looked around.

Caia noticed the door to her room was open, something it hadn't been that morning. Through the open door she could see the billowing curtains, showing her window partly open.

She pulled the blade out of her pocket and switched the metal out. She advanced towards the door uneasily. She wasn't sure if someone was here or not.

It was also at this moment that Caia realized that she would be the person to go into the creepy room in the horror movies.

She pushed open the door, holding the blade in front of her. She let her eyes scan the room. She saw no obvious disturbances except of course the open window.

Caia made her way to it and shut it hard. She looked around again and finally took notice of the piece of paper of her pillow. She walked over to it, setting the blade down on the night stand in order to pick it up.

She open the folded paper. There, in crude handwriting it said,

We haven't spoken in a while, sweet cheeks. Pay me a visit?

-M

*

Caia soon found herself going through the metal detector at the jail. After picking up her phone and bracelet out of the bin, she made her way to where she knew Malachai would be waiting.

He sat opposite the glass. He smiled and picked up the phone. "I see you got my note," he observed.

Caia scowled. "How the hell did you get in my house?" She demanded.

"The window, of course."

"No shit, Sherlock. I mean, who did you send?" She questioned.

Malachai shook his head. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that, C."

Caia narrowed her eyes. "Don't call me that," she spit.

Malachai raised his eyebrows. "Hit a nerve there, did I?" He leaned forward. "Does that happen to be a special nickname from your boyfriend, huh?"

Caia snarled. "None of your business." She ignored Malachai's egotistical grin. "What the hell do you want, anyway?" She asked.

"I have another job for you," he explained. Alarm bells went off in Caia's head. This was not happening. Not again.

She shook her head. "No. No way," she refuted. "I finished the deal, I got my money. I'm done."

Malachai cocked his head. "Really? Because you still came here, didn't you? That doesn't seem like you're done to me," he stated. Caia tried to keep her composure. She would not be sucked back into this again.

"I said I'm done!" She reiterated.

Malachai chuckled and shook his head. "Oh, sweetheart, you're never done. Not anymore."