Mystique || Sweet Pea [3]

20

Chapter 20 || Denial and Anger

"Hey, Chuck." I yawned, pulling open the front door. "What are you doing here?

"I'm here to talk to Betty about some cold case." He shrugged, holding up a file. "You alright, kiddo? You look a little rough."

"Just tired." I told him, closing the front door behind him. "And a little worried. Jughead never texted me back last night."

"Oh, you know how he is." Charles shrugged. "He could just be writing."

"Yeah, you're probably right." I nodded. "I'm going to get another cup of coffee and watch some cartoons with JB and Eddie."

"Alright." Charles nodded. "Betty's upstairs?"

"Yeah." I waved my hand toward the stairs. "Go on up. We'll be downstairs."

I headed back downstairs and prepped another pot of coffee, pouring what was left in the pot into my cup before pressing brew. I clicked on the tv and curled up on the couch, cradling my coffee cup as the Saturday morning cartoons rolled across the screen.

JB and Eddie joined me on the couch, each holding a cup of coffee as they sank into the couch beside me. Sweet Pea rolled out of bed half an hour later, laying his head in my lap as he tried to wake up.

"Morning, baby." I murmured, running a hand through his hair.

"Morning." He mumbled.

"What's for breakfast?" JB whispered.

"I can make pancakes." Eddie offered.

"Don't burn the kitchen down." I shrugged. "And clean up after yourself."

"I'll bring you guys some." Eddie smiled, running up the stairs.

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"Daddy?" JB asked, stepping into his office at the Sheriff's station.

"Yeah?" He glanced up from his desk, taking in the concerned expressions on our faces. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Listen, we know Jughead's MIA." JB sighed. "And we're just worried."

"Something feels different." I whispered. "Like something is really wrong. Jughead would've texted me back by now. Or answered one of my hundred calls."

"We're scared." JB sniffed, hiding her face in my shoulder as she cried.

"Oh, girls." Dad sighed, standing up and wrapping his arms around us. "We're doing everything we can to find him, you know that."

"Have you tried tracking his phone?" I asked.

"What?" Dad questioned.

"Tracking his phone." JB repeated, wiping her cheeks. "Kitty and I watch a lot of true crime documentaries, and sometimes they use victim's cell phones to track their last known location."

"How do we do that?" Dad asked. JB sniffed and grabbed dad's laptop, getting to work on tracking Jughead's phone. After a few minutes, she stepped away and turned the laptop toward our father.

"All you have to do is hit the button and wait for a ping." JB told him. Dad clicked the button, his eyes widening and then darkening before he shut the laptop. "Where is it?"

"It's..." Dad trailed off. "Why don't you girls head home? Pick up some dinner for yourself and the boys."

"JB, go start the truck." I told her, handing her the truck keys. She nodded warily before ducking out of the office. I waited for a minute before I turned to my father. "Where's the phone?"