Anarchist | Riverdale

There Will Be Blood

I was running out of time. And maybe, so was Riverdale. Hiram Lodge had been making moves. Big moves. But with no proof of criminal behaviour, all I could do was speculate. What was Hiram's master plan for Riverdale? And why did it suddenly feel so close to fruition?

"Coffee Ellie?" Jughead asks as the two decide to take a break. Ellie is helping Jughead speculate and write an article about Hiram's recent activity.
"Yeah, sure." Ellie says, leaning back in her chair to give her brain a rest. As Jughead is pouring two coffees, FP walks through the door from his shift at Pop's.
"Hey." Jughead greets.
"Hey, FP." Ellie smiles, his attention to straight on the wall, a collage of Hiram Lodge's recent dealings and buys.
"What's all this?" FP asks, placing his jacket on the coat rack.
"Hopefully, it's the article that saves the town from Hiram Lodge." Jug tells his father.
"Jughead..." FP begins but it interrupted.
"If we can fit the pieces together."
"Boy, you need to drop this, both of you. He rescued us. He bought the trailer park. Forgave our debts." FP tells the teens.
"What? He's the reason we almost lost the trailer park." Ellie says and Jug places her coffee in front of her.
"Hiram's slicker than a bottle of snake oil no doubt, but this is--."
"Dad, please. Hiram Lodge just bought the Riverdale Register. He's trying to silence dissenting voice before he makes his big play." Jug explains as his father sits down with him and his best friend.
"He's afraid. He's afraid of this exposure." Ellie adds.

After working on the article a little more, Jughead heads out to get them some lunch while Ellie has a little break with a cigarette outside. Her phone rings just as she lights it and starts to relax, but she answers the redhead's call
"Archie, what can I do for you?" Ellie asks, putting the phone to her ear.
"Are you and Jug still going after Hiram Lodge?" Archie asks.
"That depends. Who's asking? You? Veronica? The arch-fiend himself?"
"Ellie, there's gonna be a special election, to replace Josie's mom. Hiram Lodge wants my dad to run."
"What? Why?"
"Who freaking knows? Ellie, I'm with Veronica. That means I'm with the Lodges. But my dad, I can't let him get in any deeper with them"
"So, tell him he shouldn't run."
"Veronica would kill me if I did, ditto the Lodges. Maybe I could give you something, maybe you and Jug could write about it and that might make my dad hit pause."
"Okay, tell me."
"You remember when Hiram Lodge gave Pop Tate that charitable donation to keep the diner open?"
"Yeah, we were all there."
"Expect Hiram didn't give Pop's a donation. He bought the diner."
"What?" Ellie chokes on her cigarette smoke a little.
"And for some reason, he doesn't want anyone knowing about it. Can you two do something with that fact? At least enough to make my father think twice about this mayor idea?"
"He bought the diner?"
"Yes." Archie says and Ellie runs inside, throwing half a cigarette away. She grabs a pen and looks at the map herself and Jug created.
"My God. Hiram is like Dracula. He's snapping up properties from all over Riverdale to expend his empire and feed. If what you're telling me is true, everyone is in danger."

"We figured out Hiram's methodology." Jughead says to Betty and Alice one himself and Ellie pay a visit later on, with Sweet Pea sat in a chair, minding his own business with a coffee, still trying to get rid of his hangover from the night before in the Wyrm. "He acquires devalued land at a deep, some might say criminal, discount. The Twilight Drive-In, Sunnyside Trailer Park, Southside High and now Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe."
"Wait Pop's?" Alice asks.
"Hiram bought Pop's?" Betty follows.
"Yeah, and while most people didn't care about Hiram's other acquisitions, probably because they were on the Southside--" Ellie begins.
"Pop's is the heart of Riverdale." Betty finishes for Ellie.
"Right. People will care about this one." The redhead agrees.
"So, when are you talking to Pop?" Alice asks her daughter.

"The usual guys?" Pop comes to the booth the best friends picked, they're usual table when it's just the two of them.
"Not today, Pop. I actually have a question for you." Jug sighs.
"Did Hiram Lodge buy this diner from you?" Ellie asks for him as her friend obviously didn't want to. Pop's face drops as he sits opposite the teens, Jughead gets out his notebook, ready to write down any valuable information.
"Jughead, Ellie." Pop sighs. "The Tates have owned this diner for over eighty years. When Ma gave me the keys, she made me promise that no matter what I'd always keep this shop in our family. Now, I did what I needed to with Mr Lodge, but my mother's still with us, God bless. It would kill her to hear I went against her wishes. Please guys, can you keep this to yourself? While I still have my mom? And then you can tell whoever you want." Pop explains.
"Of course, we're sorry." Jughead says, shaking his head. Ellie just looks down, almost embarrassed of how forward and almost disrespectful their question may have come across.