Bughead 🔥❤️

Chapter 19

Betty smiled at her and turned on her heels. She found Jughead where she'd left him, his back against the bars, his head in his hands, rocking himself gently. She sat beside him and put her arm around his shoulder. His cheeks were damp with tears.

Her heart lurched. Jughead had been through so much. Why this too? "FP is fine," Betty said. "They just moved him."

"He's not dead?" he said. Fresh tears were brimming his eyes. Betty shook her head. "But where is he?"

"We're finding out."

He rested his head on her shoulder. "I have to tell him I love him," he said.

"He knows, Jug."

"But I want to tell him."

"And you will." He tilted his head up and kissed her cheek.

"Excuse me," Carol said as she came through the door to the cells. She had a file folder and a clipboard in one hand and a steaming cup of coffee in the other.

Using the cuff of his jacket, Jughead dried his cheeks as he got to his feet and took the cup of coffee Carol offered him. "What did you find out?" He was so calm, so steady. You'd never know that he had just feared that his dad was dead. That he'd just been shaking and crying.

"Keller signed off on your dad's transfer to the state prison, which doesn't make since because no judge ordered the move."

Jughead opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He turned away from them and went to the bar-covered window, leaned his palms against the windowsill, and stared out the foggy glass. When he stayed silent, Betty asked. "Can we go visit him?"

"You'd have to speak with his lawyer," Carol said. "She might be able to arrange something."

She handed Betty the clipboard and pointed to Keller's signature. "See. Sheriff Keller signed Mr. Jones out not even an hour ago. It'll take some time for FP to get processed. They won't allow visits yet, but maybe Mary Andrews can do something for you."

Betty read over the record of who been in and out to see FP over the last week. When Carol saw that Betty was studying it, she tried to take it back. "That's supposed to be for the police department only," Carol said.

Betty didn't listen and Carol didn't try to take it from her. Betty turned away from Carol and kept reading. Jughead, Fred, Mary, someone named Stanley Simpson. "Who's Stanley?"

"People call him Snake for some reason." Carol's nose was scrunched up in disgust.

Betty scanned the list again, and saw something she'd missed before. Eric Simpson was written right above Keller. "Eric was here!" Betty explained handing the clipboard to Jughead. "Right before he called you this morning. He was here talking to your dad. That has to mean something."

Jughead nodded. "And then Keller moved him. Eric must have come to see my dad, asked him if he knew where Snake was."

"And then Eric vanished, along with the leader of the Serpents."

"Eric knows about Goldhead,"Jughead said. "And he had the picture. Maybe he showed the picture to my dad."

"And Keller saw it," Betty said. "FP must have threatened that he'd tell everyone what Goldhead is. He must suspect that's why Fred was shot."

"Goldhead?" Carol asked. Betty and Jughead turned to her. "Why does everyone care about Goldhead?"

"You know what Goldhead is?" Betty questioned.

"I overheard Keller on the phone arguing with someone and Goldhead came up several times, which doesn't make since. Goldhead was a seedy dance club in the seedy Southside, but it closed twenty-five years ago."