Riverdale: What no one saw coming...

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Betty unburied her head from his neck, pushing back slightly. Her eyes met his, they were filled with curiosity and questions. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"What?" She asked. The statement felt like it had hit her like a ton of bricks.

Jughead looked up, not wanting Betty to see his pain and vulnerability, but she did. Using her right hand, she placed her fingertips on the bottom of his chin softly, pulling his face down to eye level.

"Listen to me, its okay. What do you mean?" She cried .

" I think my Dad killed him. Betty I think my Dad actually did it, on his own." Jughead's face grimaced. "I think my Dad was the one who shot Jason Blossom right between the brows. I think he was the one who his the body and then dumped it by the edge of Sweet Water River where he knew someone would find it. Someone like Kevin and Moose, who regularly and notably go to the same spot every week."

"But what about our theory on Kevin and Sheriff Keller, it could still be them don't give up hope Jugg..." She held both sides of his face in the palms of her hands.

"I lost all hope when he walked into the precinct looking guilty as hell. For all we know he could have set it up to look like Kevin was involved. He is a serpent after all they learn how to cover up crimes before they are taught to ride their  motorcycles." He blinked through solid tears, raising his voice ever the slightest.

"Jughead I know your hurt right now... but he's still your Dad. If he really did it , why would he frame you as well as himself? " She asked as Jughead sat atop the sofa bed in the far corner of the trailer.

"I don't know." He raised his hands frantically in the air, then resting his head in them balancing his elbow on top of his knee." But we do know he a master manipulator and is notorious for scheming . He could of known that he was going to go down, and that there was no way of stopping it, so as an insurance policy when disposing of the car he got all the hairs and prints from around the caravan, both mine and his , and planted them." Jughead theorised.

"Why would he do that?" Betty asked, knowing Jughead well, she knew he was only looking for an excuse to hate him.

"That way when the serpents come for him, he can play the roll of the martyr. Gaining my trust so his legacy will live on . He knew I would become a serpent to honour him then probably do some illegal dealings and eventually raise enough money for bail. Fixing his charges and his relationship with his son." Jughead explained , shakily.  

"Jughead I know your hurting right now. So I'm going to tell you the truth. It all seems to far fetched, like the plot of a mystery novel. Your just theorising, looking for some connection when there isn't one. I know its hard to hea-"

"That's the thing Betty. "Jughead interrupted. Ready to change the plot of their own mystery story. "There is one."

"One what?" Betty asked.

"A connection!" He cried almost agitated.

"Well then... what is it?" Betty asked. Jughead stood and headed for trailers one small, cramped bedroom. Betty followed, extremely confused. He headed straight for his Dads wardrobe and retrieved a small velvet box from under a few piles of dirty clothes.

He placed it in Bettys hand, stepping back. Preparing himself for her reaction. Would she bawl? Would she be angry? Or would she question him?

Betty opened the latch slowly, almost expecting something to jump out. Her eyes glistened at the sight of what lay inside. She placed her hand in front of her mouth.

"Your Grandmothers ring, isn't it?" Jughead asked softly.

Betty looked up quick, the shortness of breath returning but for a completely different reason.

"You remembered?" She asked her heart warming. She thought to the time she told him about the family heirloom , her great Grandmothers ring that had been passed down for generations starting back in the early nineteen hundreds, describing it to him. The ring had gone missing and of coarse her parents blamed her and Polly(But mainly Betty). A twisting feeling raised in her stomach, he had listened to every word she said. It made he feel grateful, grateful that she had someone as wonderful as him in her life.

"Of course I did, you told me and I listened." He tried to play it off as unimportant, but Betty thought it was. She treasured that feeling, she treasured him.

Snapping out of the moment, she came to a realisation. "Why does your Dad have my Grandmas ring?"

"Come on Betty.. your a smart girl. I think we both know why he has it." Jughead said his hands supporting his head once again.

"Polly stole the ring to be wed with. Of corse she would want our Grandmas ring when she got married, she was always so close with her before she died. She then gave it to Jason, so when they eloped he could slip it onto her finger. The old fashioned way as she always liked it. Then when Jason went to meet her, my parents shipped her off to the sisters and Jason was abducted." Betty thought a loud.

"Then when my Dad killed him a week later, he pawned what he could sell, including an antique  ring probably worth a lot of money." Betty stood back taking it all in.

" Do you think you Dad is who Polly was running from." She asked.

"Probably... Betty I am so sorry." He admitted , guilt spread across his face.

"Hey... this is not your fault." He acknowledged it, but it was obvious he didn't believe it. She stepped over to him and took his hand.

"Listen to me you are not your Dad. Your Jughead the socially awkward pessimist." That earned a chuckle and a slight squeeze in response.

Betty say down beside him. Taking the ring out of the box.

"You know when me and Polly were younger.. we used to plan out her wedding and once my Grandma let her use this ring and naturally she snapped the diamond off. My parents ran around the house like crazy looking for some super glue before my Grandma came back for it. But all they could find was light blues, glittery glue." He let out a light chuckle. "Luckily she never noticed, but whenever she flaunted it to us me and Polly could never help but laugh."

She lifted the ring to the light of the window. Inspecting  it from all angles.

"Oh my God.." Betty exclaimed. "This isn't the ring!"

Jughead's head snapped towards her as she stood to re inspect the ring from another angle.

"What?" He asked, Coming and standing by her side.

"Look there's no light blue tint, or crack to the diamond." She was right. It looked to be in perfect condition , new even.

Yet there was something peculiar, out of the ordinary about the diamond itself. It didn't look attached, at least not securely how a diamond should be. Betty thumbed the diamond , it felt loose.

"Betty ,what are you doing?" He asked as the filled with the crystal.

She began to lightly pull and twist . Until...

It broke off.

What was expected to lead to misery. Actually lead to a revelation. Underneath where the diamond had previously lay was the top of a USB stick.

Both Betty and Jughead stared at one another.

They had found another piece of evidence.

Only this piece would answer some long awaited questions.

Questions neither of them were actually ready for to be answered.

It would change the game.