FIRE AND ICE , c. blossom

chapter eighteen

~♛~

gracie's pov:

"he'll get charged with tampering of evidence, obstruction of justice, mishandling a body, perjury— and that's just off of the top of my head. he's not getting out anytime soon." keller explained.

"clifford threatened my father! it's not his fault! he has to get out! he was coerced— this isn't fair!" i yelled, slamming my fist into the wall of the sheriff's station later that night.

~♛~

'and though one question had been answered that night: that it was clifford blossom who killed jason, a new mystery loomed over riverdale.

why had he done it?
it was a question that only clifford, himself, could answer.

which was now impossible.
as clifford blossom had hung himself.

life's not an agatha christie novel.
it's a whole lot messier.

turns out, maple syrup was a front for his true business, transporting heroin from montreal on his trucks.

a narrative quickly emerged: that jason blossom had learned about his dear old dad's drug running and threatened to expose the truth.
which led to jason's abduction at the hands of a southside serpent named mustang.
and then to jason's murder, at the hands of his father.

clifford killed mustang to cover his tracks; making it look like he'd overdosed, and tried to implicate a rival businessman, hiram lodge, as having masterminded the whole thing.

and he would've gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for a group of pesky high schoolers who uncovered the truth.

jason's murder revealed some dark truths none of us were eager to face.
especially not mayor mc coy, who wanted every last vestige of corruption crushed—

like a snake under a boot heel.'

~♛~

"mayor mc coy wants archie and i to speak at the jubilee— apparently we're heroes?? i told her i wouldn't do it. not unless you and jug are up there with me." betty said.

"betty, don't worry about me." i shrugged.

"i appreciate the righteous indignation, betty, i do. but, jubilees aren't my thing." jughead said.