Behind Revenge's Door

Snake Handlers and Thorns

I was with Jughead and Tall Boy. I didn't know where exactly we were, all Jughead said was that it was a 'safe place'. We all though Pop's was a safe place... look what happened there.
"Does he want to take the deal?" Tall Boy asked Jughead and I crossed my arms, leaning on the fence for support.
"Not if I have anything to say about it," I interjected before I could stop myself. Tall Boy looked at me with a nod of respect and Jughead sighed.
"Can't we like, bust him out?" Jughead tried and I shook my head. "The sheriff's office has worse security than Riverdale High. Once we get him to Sweetwater River it's a straight shot to the Canadian border."
"You've seen Escape from Alcatraz a few too many times, Kid." Tall Boy said to Jughead. "What you two need, is a Snake Handler. Someone who's used to dealing with snakes. Someone who relies on them. Come on, I've got someone I want you two to meet."
No sooner does Tall Boy day this that I'm met with a frantic phone call from Archie. I rush home to see him pacing the living room. He sets me on the sofa and begins pacing rapidly again.
"First you get shot, then Miss Grundy dies. All in a matter of days. Maddy what if someone crazy is going after the people I care about?" Archie asked, panicking.
I sighed and looked at him. "You think I'm nuts," Archie cut off.
"No, honey. I think you're scared. Understandably so."
This world was hard and cold. I learned that first hand. But no matter how involved with Jason's murder Archie and I were, no one wanted us dead. We weren't important enough to anyone for us to be taken down. He's a scared teenage boy who's seen too much for his age. I wish I could take that all away.
"Archie," I started. "Truth is... we don't know anything about happened to Ms Grundy,"
"She's dead, Madison. She was killed!" Archie stressed as his eyes welled with tears. "In her home! Right across Sweetwater River!"
"I know, Arch. It's a horrible, horrible thing," I sighed and looked at him, my hand out stretched as my side throbbed from exhaustion of working my dormant muscles. "Come sit with me."
Archie simply looked at my hand. "Don't you want to find out who did this? Who's doing this?"
I looked at the young boy with a flustered mindset. I wanted to help and make this better for him. But I didn't know what to do.
Archie simply say down on the chair across the room and folded into himself. The young boy was never very good at tragedy.
Jughead had texted me, asking him to meet me at the tattoo parlor on the border of the North and South side of Riverdale. Apparently, it was time for us to meet the Snake Handler.
I had walked into the parlor with Jughead and asked the man with a face tattoo for directions. He pointed us to the right and Jughead and I followed the path to a set of beaded curtains.
"Excuse the office space," I heard and looked to see a pretty, young woman sitting behind a worn desk. "But I'm a firm believer in low overhead. Plus I like being close to my clients."
Jughead and I took seats as a small, joking smile overcame him. "Your clients... you mean the Serpents?"
"I was and still am a Serpent," Penny said, moving the arm of her jacket to show us a tattoo. "They put me through college. Law school."
"Right," Jughead said quizzically. "The Serpents are often on the other side of the law... so they having one of their own, on retainer, helping out is clever."
Penny gave me a small smile before looking at the boy once more. "Well, FP always bragged that you were smart."
Jughead was shocked that she knew his dad. I wasn't really that surprised.
"I also know," Penny continued "from our, uh, mutual friends, the deal he's been offered. It's garbage."
Jughead and I looked at each other. "Can you help?" I asked
Penny looked at me. "I know the loopholes. In this case there are none. But, if you get the victim's family to forgive him, in front of a judge, that might shift things in FP's favor."
I don't think Penelope Blossom can even understand the idea of forgiveness. She's a stone cold bitch, and I think forgiveness is out of her vocabulary.
"Instead of twenty years, he can get time served, with parole,"
My eyes widened in happiness. "Oh, that's great!"
Penelope smiled. "Yeah,"
I grabbed my wallet. "Thank you, uh, am I supposed to pay you, or..."
"We're friends," Penny started, "I do you a favor, one day, maybe, you do me a favor."
No. Absolutely not. This is getting too close to the lines of Serpency for my comfort with Jughead. I'll do it for FP, but Jughead needs to be free of Serpent ties.
"Let me know how it goes, will you?" Penny said as she stood up. We all shook hands before Penny laughed. "Tell your dad to wear a tie."

*****

Somehow I let Betty and Jughead convince me that coming to the Blossom house is a good idea. I guess the Blossoms just love having people that know the person who played a part in the death of their son.
"Ah, Hobo, Hobo's girlfriend, Madison, come in, come in." I kept my mouth shut as I followed Cheryl to where dinner was placed. Penelope was wrapped in bandages as she sat in the dim moonlight of the greenhouse.
"Thank you for sitting down with us tonight," Betty thanked Penelope and Cheryl.
"Of course Betty, you're family," Cheryl said with a sickly sweetness that made me want to shove my face into the potatoes.
"Ok..." Jughead started. He lacks tact of all things. "The reason we're here..."
Let's see how this goes.
"FP's lawyer things that if the family of the victim shows mercy..." Betty started, only to be cut off by Penelope Blossom, who was slowly stirring tea.
"Mercy..." she tutted. "That's why you're here?"
"Well, its an appeal for leniency from you." I interjected. She didn't need a problem with these children. They only want to protect FP. I'm there for the same reason but I can fight back. "To reduce FP's sentence,"
"Where was your father's mercy when I spent those countless nights walking the halls of Thornhill in agony obsessing over what was happening to Jay-Jay?" Cheryl asked Jughead and I felt a chicer roll down my back. This didn't feel right.
"Where was your father when I spent night after night sleeping in the same house as a cold blooded killer?"
"Whoa," I interjected. "FP didn't kill Jason, Cheryl. That was your father."
"If it was up to me," Penelope spoke lowly, her voice cracking. "I'd watch that man fry in the electric chair."
"We need this sordid chapter to close forever and FP is the last loose end to tie up!" Cheryl spoke angrily.
"Watch how you talk of him," I advised lowly to the teenage girl. "I understand what he has done. But he is a man of many allies."
Penelope gasped. "Are you threatening my daughter?"
"It's not a threat, Penelope," I said as I stood, my black stilettos clicking on the ground, "it's a warning."