In the Pursuit of Justice || Chapter Three
Summary: After taking theatre classes after school for months, Midge Klump is delighted to be cast, albeit by a technical default, as Carrie White in the Riverdale High production of Carrie: The Musical. On debut night, Midge is murdered in cold blood and a witch hunt ensues to find the killer and bring him to justice. Fangs Fogarty finds himself in the crosshairs of this witch hunt, which culminates in him being arrested and charged as Midge’s killer.
Robin Allard, a public defender, is assigned to his case and together they fight the uphill battle to try and prove his innocence in court, finding skeletons in each other’s closets along the way. Robin may believe that Fangs is innocent, but will 12 jurors think the same? And will Fangs Fogarty be found guilty or not guilty of the murder of Midge Klump?
Rating: Mature
Word count: 9.5K+
Chapter warnings: Reference to character death, systemic racism, anxiety, religion.
MASTERLIST
The Bijou was quiet, the neon light of the sign casting a glow over the dampened Riverdale streets, catching on puddles that collected in dips in the road and pavement. It had poured earlier in the day, blackened, nasty storm clouds had been lingering over the town for a few hours like a curse given to them from the witches in the neighbouring town of Greendale, but finally after the heavens had opened, the clouds dissipated and a faint petrichor smell lingered in the streets.
Midge had hoped that the rain would subsist so that the streets would be quiet when she made her journey to the Bijou, but sneaking through a town where everyone knew everyone felt exhilarating. The danger made her heart beat faster in a way that was deliciously addictive.
She ducked into the Bijou, putting down her hood after she surveyed the empty lobby and checked her watch. It was a little past 11pm on a Tuesday and she hoped that with school exams coming up she wouldn’t see anyone she knew. She wanted to enjoy the movie, and not have to worry about the prying eyes of her classmates.
“I’ll have a large popcorn please, oh, and a coke.” Midge smiled, fingering a $10 note anxiously as she approached the snack stand, taking another opportunity to look around the movie theatre’s lobby.
The cinema attendant gave her a small nod, turning away from her as she filled up her coke. “No Moose tonight?” she called over her shoulder.
Midge’s stomach churned, a momentary pang of guilty coursing through her veins- she thought she recognised the concession attendant, but she hadn’t been sure. Her grip tightened on the bill in her hands, before quickly loosening, her well-trained smile regaining its place on her face as if she hadn’t had a moment of panic.
“No, he’s got a test in the morning so couldn’t make it out tonight,” Midge shrugged, a small but convincing pout taking over her face. “I’ve wanted to see this movie for ages though, so I couldn’t wait- I’ll end up seeing spoilers and then I’ll get annoyed. It’s not weird to see movies by yourself, is it?”
The attendant gave a hearty laugh as she scooped popcorn into a large bag, setting it carefully on the side before she took the bill from Midge. “Oh god no,” she laughed, shooting Midge a quick grin. “Compared to some of the shit I’ve seen in here, seeing a movie by yourself is totally normal.”
Midge let out a sigh of relief and the girls exchanged a laugh as she dropped her change into her purse. She scooped up her popcorn and coke, rolling her eyes as she accidentally dropped a handful sized amount of popcorn onto the floor. “I’m not sure I want to know what kind of stuff you’ve seen here, but deep down, a weird part of me really wants to know now. You’ll have to tell me next time I decide to see a movie by myself.”
“Next time,” the girl nodded in agreement, a grin taking over her face as she scrunched her nose. “Enjoy your movie- it’s a good one!”
Midge kicked the door of the theatre open, using her bum to hold it as she manoeuvred her way in, trying her hardest to not drop any more of her popcorn on the floor. She eyed the rows of seats, instinctively making her way to the back, shimmying her way along the row until she was tucked away in the back corner. She set her popcorn and drink down, shrugging her coat off with ease and throwing it onto the back of the seat in front of hers. Being at the last showing on a weeknight meant no one else was in the theatre and she could take up as much space as she wanted without feeling guilty.
The lights dimmed and previews for upcoming movies started rolling. Midge sat comfortably eating her popcorn, engrossed by the trailers, barely registering a shadowy figure taking the seat next to her.
“You made it then,” he whispered, taking a handful of popcorn from her bag with a grin on his face.
Midge jumped out of her skin, her hand coming over her heart in shock as she looked towards the voice, her arms prickling with goose bumps.
“God, Fangs, don’t do that,” she giggled breathlessly, bumping shoulders with him. “I think I just had a heart attack; you could have killed me.”
“I would never,” he laughed quietly as the trailers continued to play, taking more popcorn. He chucked a piece up and caught it in his mouth, a smug grin weaving its way across all of his features as he wiggled his eyebrows at Midge. “You know, I didn’t think you would come tonight.”
Midge quirked her brows, taking a sip of her coke. “Really? Why?”
Fangs was taken aback by her question, and the look on his face clearly conveyed that. He thought the answer was obvious, but maybe he was overthinking it. “Uh, Moose? Your boyfriend?”
Midge let out a quiet laugh, shaking her head at the blush that crept onto Fangs’ face. “Well we’re not doing anything bad. Moose wouldn’t mind- he knows I want to see this film, and plus people see movies together all the time, right? It’s only a movie.”
It’s only a movie, Fangs thought. If it was only a movie, why were they sneaking around after dark? Why did they arrive separately? Why didn’t Moose know? He knew it wasn’t as black and white as Midge said it was, but something about the sneaking around and being secretive was as exciting to him as it was to Midge. He hadn’t felt a thrill like it before, and he wasn’t sure whether it was the thrill of being covert, or whether it was the thrill of being around Midge. But he liked it either way.
Any negative thoughts were quickly expelled as the film started rolling in front of them. It was a romance, a classic forbidden romance. It wasn’t something Fangs would usually watch, or rather admit that he’d watched, but when Midge had texted him asking if he wanted to see it, he couldn’t say no. She was so sweet, and he didn’t want to disappoint her. He wanted to be someone who she enjoyed being around, even if it meant he had to watch the film with a synopsis that was eerily similar to the situation he found himself in.
Fangs kicked his feet up onto the seat in front of him, crossing his legs as he relaxed into his seat, letting out a content sigh as he did so. Almost instinctively, Midge dipped her head and settled it on his shoulder gently.
Fangs could feel his pulse racing. Her head was rested so daintily against his shoulder and she looked so peaceful with the movie reflecting in her glossy eyes. The light and shadows cast on her face from the screen made her look angelic and more beautiful than he’d ever admitted to himself. Now that Fangs had stopped to look at her properly and up close, he felt something unfamiliar creaking in his chest.
The Serpent tugged his lip between his teeth as he shifted position, holding his breath as he inched his arm around Midge, settling it cautiously across her shoulders. She looked up at him, a hint of a smile adorning her pretty face, before she turned her attention back towards the film and moved a little closer to her companion for the night. Fangs let out a breath of relief and pulled her even closer, the pair exchanging an excited giggle as their legs tangled together on the seats in front of them, spending the rest of the film wrapped up in each other’s company.
-
The 21 days of freedom Fangs had between his arraignment hearing and the first day of his trial seemed like the longest and also simultaneously shortest 21 days of his life.
At first, he was excited to get back to normality. This was quickly hampered by Principle Weatherbee, who put him on leave from school until after his trial, justifying it as a means to protect Fangs’ personal safety. Deep down he knew that Weatherbee just didn’t want to deal with any potential flak from concerned parents for allowing an accused murderer to remain on school premises. Fangs received his assignments via email and Sweet Pea began to make a real effort in his classes to make sure that his best friend had access to the best notes. He even went as far as to stay behind to ask questions and discuss material with the teachers, the thought of which previously repulsed him. He went the extra mile for his brother- he didn’t want him to fall behind in case he was found not guilty and got to come back to school.
On the first night of his freedom, Fangs, Toni, Sweet Pea and Jughead found themselves lounging in a leather booth at Pop’s, getting milkshakes and burgers in celebration of having 21 days of familiarity back. It was almost like being in the eye of a hurricane; everything would be momentarily calm for the next 21 days before the chaos started again. Or so they hoped. But Fangs, with his status as an accused murderer, was infamous, and his face had been on news outlets across the state which made him instantly recognisable. A simple trip to the town’s diner, which previously would have been an enjoyable outing, was tinged with smoke in the air. Whispers and dirty looks, although subtle, did not go unnoticed, and from that night onwards the Serpents did home deliveries to Fangs’ trailer.
For the next 20 days Fangs spent his time with Maria and Hot Dog, along with the other Serpents when they weren’t at school without him. It dawned on him quickly that this wasn’t the freedom he’d thought it might be and hoped for. Around him, everyone else’s worlds seemed to carry on turning, whereas his felt like it was on a collision course with an asteroid. Although he was in a self-imposed exile from the rest of the town, he knew that if he ventured outside of the confines of Sunnyside Trailer Park that he was putting a target on his back. Some nights when he was lonely and felt like this was the reality of his life forever, he thought about going out into the deep, dark streets of Riverdale, hoping that the Black Hood would sweep in and put him out of his misery.
The start date of his trial couldn’t come quick enough.
On the afternoon before his trial Fangs had become restless. The inside of his trailer felt more like prison more the cold cell he’d spent his time in inside the Sheriff’s Office. He’d become agitated, pacing around the trailer like he was trying to wear a hole in the carpet, straightening and tidying things that didn’t need to be straightened or tidied and trying and failing to do his school work. It took one glance at his worn leather skin before he slung it over his shoulders and trudged outside into the spring sun.
It was fresh outside. It felt especially fresh to Fangs who hadn’t stepped foot out of his trailer for the last 20 days, even to sit on the deck chairs outside with Sweet Pea to have a beer by the fire. Fangs had become so traumatised by the mob and the news articles and the looks that he couldn’t bear to be outside. But at that moment, being inside his trailer seemed less appealing than being heckled or attacked by strangers in the town.
Fangs’ doc martens crunched against the gravel of the trailer park as he exited its confines, his hands firmly planted in his pockets as he trudged his way towards the Northern side of town. He passed Pop’s- it had had a lick of paint since the riots. He could see Pop Tate in the window and as much as he wanted to go in, grab a milkshake and try again to pretend like everything was normal, he carried on walking. Next, he passed the Riverdale Register and he suddenly felt overwhelmed- maybe if the video of him with Midge hadn’t been posted by Alice Cooper then he would never have been arrested, but then again, maybe this was all inevitable.
Finally, he caught site of what he was looking for. Out on a green slightly set back from the main streets of Riverdale, a church stood by itself, untainted by the riots. Fangs started up the path, eyeing the cross at the top of the steeple carefully. Although his family had placed somewhat of an importance on God, this had never quite translated or resonated within himself. He hadn’t been to church since he was a young boy, aside from when he attended family weddings or christenings, and yet this was the only place he felt he could go where he didn’t feel like he’d be shunned.
He nervously stepped through the front door, looking around for a sign that someone was here, but the church was silent. He took a few more steps in, wandering towards the nave. His fingertips touched the pews as he walked down the aisle and finally, he reached the front of the rows, taking a seat and dipping his head down as his hands instinctively clasped together in his lap. He didn’t know whether he was meant to say anything, or whether he was just meant to sit there in silence, but the words he was thinking just spilled out into a string of consciousness.
“God, man, I know I don’t come here often but I really am screwed. I don’t even know if I’m allowed to say screwed in church, but I can’t think of another way to express how messed up this situation is and I didn’t know where else to go. I, just…” he paused, blinking back the tears that were glossing his eyes. “I didn’t kill her. I really didn’t and yet here I am with my court date tomorrow where-“
“Can I help you, son?” A voice called from the back of the nave, interrupting and startling Fangs. He whipped his head around and his eyes settled on a middle-aged man who he recognised as Pastor Boyd, the father of Midge’s best friend, Lydia Boyd, a fellow student in his classes.
“Pastor Boyd, hi, I didn’t mean to come in uninvited- I couldn’t see anyone around when I got here. I can go if you want me to- I know your daughter was Midge’s best friend, so I don’t want to overstay my welcome given the situation,” Fangs spoke frantically, an underlying stress lacing his voice. He should have known coming to church would have been a less than ideal situation given the Boyd’s connection to the Klump’s, but Fangs had been so flustered when he’d left that he didn’t even stop to think about the implications.
“Don’t be a fool,” Pastor Boyd replied calmly with a chuckle, taking a seat next to Fangs on the pew. “My daughter may well have been friends with Midge, but this church is for everyone. What kind of man, let alone what kind of Pastor, would I be to turn you away in a time of need?”
“Thank you, Pastor Boyd,” Fangs glanced to the side, sending him a barely-there smile. The teen looked up at the stained-glass windows that towered above them, the light shining through to illuminate a scene of Jesus on the cross. It instantly sent him back to the moment he saw Midge crucified on stage and he flinched, shaking the thoughts from his head as quickly as they’d entered it. Fangs’ gaze dropped down to his hands as he fiddled with the sleeve of his jacket, pursing his lips together. “You probably already know, but my trial starts tomorrow,” he stopped for a moment, before allowing himself to carry on. “I’m terrified. I’m just hoping to get some guidance or luck, or just a sign that everything will be okay. But I know everyone already thinks I did it, that I killed Midge, so actually maybe what I’m hoping for is a miracle.”
Pastor Boyd set his hand on Fangs’ shoulder, giving him a small, encouraging shake and a fatherly smile. He could see that the boy was hurting deeply. “I’ll say two prayers tonight- one for Midge, and one for you. I don’t know what happened on that night, and it’s not my job to pass judgement on it, but I hope the outcome of the trial, whatever it is, is the right one.”
-
The court house had never been as busy as it was the morning that Fangs’ trial officially started. Media outlets from Riverdale, the neighbouring towns and even across the state gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the teenager, who had been branded The Southside Slayer, in the flesh. They wanted to see what kind of person could be capable of using a young girl as a human pin cushion, and who could leave her like a sacrifice and a warning to an entire town. The reporters were rabid and feral and wouldn’t be satiated until they got their ‘scoop’. The scenes outside of the court were reminiscent of the night of Fangs’ release from the Station, and it made his skin crawl.
As he made his way up the marbled steps alongside Robin and Maria, the press heckled them and threw hundreds of questions their way, including one that made Fangs physically recoil in discomfort.
“Mr Fogarty, what do you think of the name the public has given your crime? The Carrie Crucifixion?”
Fangs’ eyes shut instinctively, stress settling into the lines of his face. His grasp on his Mum’s hand tightened immensely to an almost bone crushing vice-like grip. Robin stopped instantaneously, turning to face the reporters and dropping her head to the side in a look of disbelief.
“Which one of you said that?” She asked shortly, looking over the media group before her eyes settled on a blonde news anchor who slowly raised her hand. Robin’s eyes narrowed, her lips flattening into a straight line and her eyebrows knitting together angrily. “My client won’t be answering any questions. The trial will speak for itself. Let’s not forget that he is innocent until proven guilty and that Midge Klump’s death is not his crime. You should know better than that, you vultures.”
The trio continued up the stairs until they were safely within the confines of the court’s walls and everything for a moment seemed normal, calm. Robin spoke to the court clerk, leaving Fangs and his Mother together. Maria was still clutching his hand, and the pad of her thumb ran back and forth over it as a small gesture to comfort him. She pulled him into an embrace, squeezing him gently before pulling away and straightening his tie.
“You’ve got to look good for the judge and jury, mi hijo,” Maria gave a breathless laugh, her hands quivering barely as she fiddled with the tie. “I love you and I’ll support you always, you know that right? You’re my baby, and I know you couldn’t do what they did to that poor girl. The jury will see it too, I know it.”
“I love you too, Mum,” Fangs replied softly, a fond smile caressing his face as he looked down on his Mother. She was everything to him, and even at his lowest points she’d only ever shown him unconditional love.
Part of him realised then that that was why he adored Midge so much- the way she cared for people reminded him of the way Maria cared for anyone she encountered, and Midge had shown him the closest thing to unconditional love he’d ever felt from someone who wasn’t family, blood or extended. Maria and Midge would have loved each other, had they ever met.
Robin returned to the pair, nodding for them to follow her, dragging Fangs from his day dreams about Midge.
“We’re in court room five again today, it’ll be the room we’re in throughout the rest of your trial,” Robin spoke quietly to the pair as they scaled a flight of stairs and she tried to concentrate on her movements, her pencil skirt restricting her steps. Fangs breathed a sigh of relief; the room was familiar and so it made him feel a little less alien to the situation. “Today Ms White and I will select the jury. My job is to try to ‘stack’, so to speak, the jury in your favour as much as I can. The jury will, by law, need to contain a mixture of people, but I want to make sure we have as many people who will sympathise with your case on that panel as I can. Men who will think rationally about the case rather than emotionally, people of colour who are, statistically, more likely to distrust the police, people from lower social-economic backgrounds. People like you.”
“That makes sense,” Fangs replied, nodding at Robin as she glanced back with a small smile.
Fangs was appreciative to have gotten an attorney like Robin. She seemed to always look out for him, whether it be simply asking how he was feeling, or publicly putting people who wanted to besmirch him in their place. He didn’t know if she had to do it, or whether it was her choice, but he felt lucky to have been put with her in this situation. Had it been anyone else he was sure he would have crumbled by now and he knew he would have taken the plea deal offered to him. She believed in him and she wanted to go to the ends of the Earth to make sure he walked free, and he just hoped it would be enough.
Inside the court room, bodies were squeezed together shoulder to shoulder and the heat radiating off of everyone made the room uncomfortably warm. Both Robin and Fangs didn’t like to think what it would be like in the height of summer.
Maria squeezed Fangs’ hand as she took her seat in the front row next to Sweet Pea. Fangs and Sweet Pea shared a small nod between them and a knowing look. It meant a lot to the accused teen that his best friend and extended family in the Serpents would come to watch the trial despite how out of place they all seemed. His fellow Serpents Toni Topaz, Joaquin DeSantos and the trio of Jones’- FP, Jughead and Jubilee, all sat further down the aisle and sent encouraging looks Fangs’ way as he took his place next to Robin at the defendant’s table. The Serpents were not strangers to seeing their kind encounter the law, but this time they were scared. When FP had gone down for his involvement in Jason Blossom’s murder, they knew he would be okay- he’d done time before and so could hold his own, but with Fangs, they knew he would be bait and seriously at risk as soon as he got into that prison.
On the other side of the room sat Midge’s Mum and Dad, holding on to each other like if they let go their worlds would end. Moose Mason and Lydia Boyd sat with them, being the closest people they had to Midge that were left. The rest of the court was filled with familiar faces from school and around town, along with a few unfamiliar faces.
Whilst this caused an explosion of nerves deep in the pit of Fangs’ stomach, it filled Robin with adrenaline. She loved performing in court, but if there was one thing she loved more, it was performing in court in front of an audience. Her hair was slung in a neat bun, with her bangs hanging just out of her eyes, and her black blazer had been accented with a small snake pin, in solidarity with Fangs.
Once the court had settled and everything was in order, the Clerk formally began the trial.
“All rise,” the Court Clerk announced, causing the room to rise from their seats as the Judge entered and sat in her throne at the head of the court. “The court of Midvale is now in session, Judge R Vines is presiding, please be seated.”
“Good morning everyone, please be seated,” Judge Vines smiled graciously, glancing around the court. “Hello again Ms White, Miss Allard and Mr Fogarty. Before we begin, are the State and Defendant both ready for trial?”
“Yes, Your Honour,” both women replied in unison, pleasing Judge Vines as she made a note of the readiness of both parties to the case.
“Good. Now, Mr Fogarty, what will happen today is that we will choose twelve jury members to preside over your case. Both the State and the Defence will then have the opportunity to ask questions to those jury members to determine whether they can act impartially, and once jury selection is complete, if we have time, we will then proceed to opening statements.”
There was a collective mumble from the court before the names of twelve jurors were called and one by one, they took their seats in the wooden jury box. The twelve looked nervous, each knowing Fangs Fogarty’s fate could be in their hands if they survived jury selection. Ms White stood from her chair and readied herself to examine the jurors.
“Good morning all, my name is Margaret White and I am acting on behalf of the State today and throughout this trial. Now this is the only occasion that myself and Miss Allard will have to talk to you one on one in this case, and the aim of this discussion is to determine whether this is the kind of case that you can sit on as a fair and impartial juror. There are no right or wrong answers to our questions, we just ask that you are truthful in your responses. Does that make sense to everyone?” Nods came from all twelve jury members and a smile crept onto Ms White’s face. “Perfect. Now before I begin with the more niche questions, has anyone been following this case in the news, or maybe you’ve heard about it on the television or seen something online?”
A few hands raised and Ms White gave each juror a careful, critical look. “And which of you have been actively following the case?”
One juror’s hand remained, a woman in her 50’s who sat at the back of the box with a nonchalant look on her face.
“Mrs Willowson, you’ve been regularly keeping up to date with the murder?”
Willowson gave a nod and took a deep breath. “I’ve been reading about it in the paper and watching the news stories about it. It was a terrible crime so I was interested to see whether the police would make an arrest- I was relieved when they did, it was nice to know that a killer was off the streets.”
Ms White looked towards Judge Vines and clasped her hands together neatly. “On that basis Your Honour, the State would like to move towards excusing this juror for cause on the basis that we feel she would not be able to impartially preside over the case.”
“This court accepts that Ms White,” Judge Vines nodded, directing her attention towards the excused juror. “Thank you for your time Mrs Willowson, you are free to go. You may be called again at a later time but for now you are excused from your duties.”
In Willowson’s place sat then a young Latino gentleman who was sworn in as the new juror. Robin grinned in her seat, putting a small mark in the tally on her notepad. A man like this would be able to empathise with Fangs more so than the previous juror would have been able to- that juror could be the difference between Fangs walking free or never stepping outside of a prison ever again.
“Now I am going to read you the list of witnesses that you will be hearing from and if any of you recognise the name of any of these people, please raise your hand. We will be hearing from the Defendant- Mr Fangs Fogarty; along with Dr Vince Curdle, Michael Minetta, Thomas Keller, Sarah Price, Marmaduke Mason, Reginald Mantle, Forsythe Pendleton ‘Jughead’ Jones III and Nathaniel ‘Sweet Pea’ Mantle. Do any of you recognise any of these names?”
The jurors sat still, a few heads turning to see if anyone had raised their hands. White gave a curt nod to the twelve, a strained smile spreading across her face, crow’s feet settling either side of her eyes.
“Have any of you ever been the victim of a crime, similar to the nature of the one we will be examining here today?”
One hand raised, a middle-aged man at the back who looked nervous. White nodded towards him, prompting him to speak.
“When I was about 28, I was robbed at knifepoint. Obviously, that’s nowhere near the calibre of this matter, but the knife connection is there so I thought I should mention it.”
“Thank you, Mr Barnard, that’s exactly the kind of thing I meant. Anyone else?” White asked, surveying the jury and continuing when no one else volunteered. “Sir, how do you feel about knives and knife crime now?”
Barnard let out an awkward, anxious laugh as he crossed and uncrossed his legs under the desk. “I mean, no one likes knife crime, do they? But to respond to your question, I don’t look at knife-based crime any worse than I do any other kind. It happened and it wasn’t a nice situation to be part of, but it hasn’t affected my judgement in any way.”
“So, you believe you could preside over this case fairly and impartially?”
“I absolutely do,” Barnard nodded in response, sternly and full of integrity.
White’s questioning continued for another hour, resulting in three more jurors being excused from their role. She was subtly ruthless, and Robin realised very quickly that the two women were playing the same game with the jury. White had been asking questions that, although seemingly broad and impartial to anyone else, had a bias against jurors who may rule in Fangs’ favour, that Robin picked up on almost immediately.
As the jury currently stood, it was in favour of the State by three jurors at least and so Robin had her work cut out for her to get things back on track for Fangs. She was nervous- she knew finding a basis to exclude more jurors would be hard, given that they’d already been through White’s gruelling examination, but she had to keep the faith in herself that Fangs and his family had in her. She couldn’t afford to drop the ball so early on.
Robin stood, smoothing her skirt out before ambling out in front of the defence table and standing comfortably in front of the jury.
“Good morning Jurors, my name is Robin Allard and, as you know, I will be acting as the defence attorney for Mr Fogarty. Thank you for your honesty so far, I just have a few more questions for you before we can progress with the trial. I’ll start with an easy one- have any of you heard of the Southside Serpents?”
Almost instantaneously a tattooed hand on the front row of the jury was raised proudly, belonging to a burly man with a shaven head whose shirt pulled against his biceps and chest.
“Mr Garland, how is it that you are familiar with the Southside Serpents?”
Garland unbuttoned the four top buttons of his shirt and pulled it apart, revealing a dark double-headed snake winding over his chest, the heads angry and tongue spitting venom. It was old and faded, a tattoo that had seen better days. “I was a Serpent.”
Behind Robin, the public gallery shuffled uncomfortably. Fangs’ head whipped around, his eyes meeting FP’s, eyebrows knitted together in a bewildered look that FP understood perfectly. The king Serpent nodded shortly, the juniors around him tensing in response. Jubilee looked towards Jughead with the same look that Fangs had displayed moments earlier, eliciting a shrug from her twin who also clearly didn’t recognise the ophidian in front of them. The Serpents were a tight knit community and so it was unusual for the teens to not recognise a fellow snake by their face, and even more so by their name.
Robin faltered slightly. “How is it can you be a Serpent and yet not know the Defendant?”
A brittle smile flickered at the ends of Garland’s lips as he caught FP’s gaze, a hard stare coming from the monarch in return. “I was a Serpent when I was a teen, but I got into some drug trouble in my 20s and I got sent away for the safety of the gang. I grew up with FP Jones, before he was King, but after I got sent away to San Junipero, I never had any more contact with the Serpents. They effectively exiled me, forgot about little old Joe Garland,” he shrugged with a small shake of the head and narrowed eyes. His gaze travelled over the Serpents, once again hanging on FP, before moving back to Robin. “I only moved back to the state last year. The Defendant wasn’t even born when I left, so I never had any contact with him or knew he existed until now.”
The Serpents around FP tensed and recoiled, Joaquin finding it particularly hard to listen to. He’d never really understood why FP sent him away to San Junipero after his involvement with Jason Blossom’s death, despite begging him for an explanation, but finally he understood that it was learned behaviour. FP had seen his friend sent away under another king, and in his Blossom-induced panic, that was the only solution he could think of. It had fixed a situation once, saved the Serpents and Joe Garland from trouble, but it didn’t save them from the personal struggles of dealing with the loss of a brother. Joaquin wished the FP had taken a moment to think of another solution for him rather than just sending him away without a second thought. In the pit of his stomach he knew that the only reason he was back in Riverdale was to smuggle Fangs out of the area if things looked bad, and that if FP didn’t need something from him, he’d still be in San Junipero alone. But he’d take what he could get because he needed the Serpents more than they needed him, and it had been months since he’d seen those who had sworn to stand alongside him for better or for worse.
It was lonely in San Junipero and coming back to Riverdale, even if only for a week, was the only thing he’d looked forward to since he’d been exiled from the snake pit.
FP’s stare didn’t falter, even with the Serpents around him becoming unsettled and Jubilee reaching across his lap to give Joaquin a gentle squeeze on his knee. Joaquin was the second brother she never had and his departure from the gang had been a particularly sore point for her. For a while she resented her father for sending him away, and she, like Joaquin, had never managed to work out why it was that the Serpent King disposed of members when times got tough. She wanted better for Joaquin and she knew that for this to come out in court rather than behind closed doors man to man would be something he would struggle with. For him, this would not be closure, it would be reopening an old wound.
Whilst the Serpents behind her found themselves rattled, Robin stood front and centre with a decision to make. She could keep Garland as a juror and hope that he favoured Fangs’ case, or she could excuse him. In the back of her mind, the angel and devil on her shoulders were bickering, and she picked at the skin around her thumbs out of stress.
“Your honour,” she sucked in a deep breath, holding it in her lungs before she made a snap decision. “I’d like to move to excuse Mr Garland on the basis that I am not sure that he can act impartially due to his connection with the Defendant’s gang.”
A nasty scowl enveloped Fangs’ face and his eyes glazed over with a mixture fury and despair. Arms crossed tightly over his chest, his teeth clenched together around his bottom lip, drawing blood. Putting the pieces together about Joaquin had been bad enough, and now it seemed like Robin wasn’t even on his side. Having a Serpent in the jury was almost one guaranteed ‘not guilty’ vote- he knew it, she knew it, the whole court room knew it, and yet she’d excused him from the jury. Now in his place sat a woman in her 20s who had no reason to believe him.
Robin could sense the tension behind her, quickly moving on in an effort to dispel it.
“Miss Nicholas, have any of the questions we’ve asked so far applied to you?”
The short no from the juror elicited a small smile on Robin’s face, however the back of her mind was still buzzing with dread about explaining this to Fangs. He would struggle to understand why she did it, because the case was so personal for him, but she knew that it was a decision she had to pull to trigger on, regardless of how he might feel.
The rest of Robin’s jury examination was gruelling. She spent close to two hours picking apart every aspect of the jurors’ lives, trying to find any reason to excuse some of them from their post. She was sure some of them resented her for it, but it needed to be done for Fangs’ sake. By the end of her examination, the jury was evenly split- six jurors who Robin thought might be more likely vote in favour of Fangs’ innocence and six she thought might be more likely to vote against him.
“Miss Allard, Ms White, are you ready for opening statements?” Judge Vines asked, making note of the panel of jurors left who would be the ones to decide Fangs’ fate.
“Yes,” the women called out in unison, sharing a nod between them.
White stood, and made her way to the floor, knitting her hands together and pausing as she looked over all of the jurors. She had to make a statement that would hit the jury in the heart and make it impossible for them to see past the violent nature and emotional impact of the crime on Midge’s loved ones and the wider town.
“On the 16th March 2018, Miss Midge Klump awoke, ready to take the stage as Carrie White in Riverdale High’s production of Carrie: The Musical. Midge had been working hard on the role, having been officially cast as Carrie a few weeks into rehearsals after a cast-mate pulled out. She’d been practicing her lines every day, studying the mannerisms of Carrie White and trying to perfect her performance, but it was choosing to meet with Assistant Director, the Defendant, Fangs Fogarty, that led to her untimely demise.” White started, watching the reactions of the public gallery and of each member of the jury. After a brief pause, she continued.
“Mr Fogarty was in a position of influence over Miss Klump- she trusted him as the Assistant Director and felt safe spending her time with him in order to better her performance. But Fangs Fogarty abused this position and he abused her trust by killing her in cold blood at a time that should have been a peak in her high school career. He killed her and left her impaled on the set of the production that he was co-running, allowing for her body to be revealed to the paying audience like some kind of spectacle. Midge Klump was more than a spectacle, she was a human being who had her entire life left to live.”
A whine sounded from Mrs Klump as she clutched her husband’s shirt and cried into his shoulder. The pit of Robin’s stomach dropped, and the rest of the court room’s attention fell to the couple as well. This trial was never going to be easy for them regardless of when it took place, but it was still so fresh for them and for the whole town. The loss of their daughter had created a void that they would never be able to fill- not with pictures, not with memories, not with justice. There would be a Midge shaped hole in their lives forever.
Ms White gave them a sincere look, before motioning towards them as she continued with her opening statement. “From what you can see right now, you can only but imagine how her family felt, seeing their baby left on that stage to die. Their little girl, who had a whole life in front of her, taken from them and paraded like a trophy.” Lydia and Moose held each other; their faces contorted into something utterly broken as they both flashed back to seeing Midge for the last time. “Fangs Fogarty had calculatedly used his knowledge of the production to get her on her own and kill her where they wouldn’t be caught- he led her like a lamb to the slaughter. He used his knowledge to his advantage to commit the perfect crime. Except it wasn’t perfect because he left behind breadcrumb mistakes that have led us here today in an attempt to bring him to justice."
“In this trial you will hear about how Midge was an exceptional student; she was a River Vixen cheerleader who helped her boyfriend Marmaduke Mason study for all his tests and who had an impossibly bright future ahead of her that was cut short. She took extra classes, volunteered, she was on numerous school committees- she was the perfect, all-American student.”
“You will hear from Mr Mason himself, who will tell you about the impact Midge had on his life and what this tragic turn of events has done to him on a more personal level.”
At White’s queue, the court’s attention turned to Moose, who could do nothing apart from blink away tears and pull Lydia that bit tighter to him.
“You’ll hear from Riverdale’s Dr Curdle who will explain exactly what happened to poor Midge Klump and how truly horrific this crime is. It will make you realise how twisted and disgruntled Fangs Fogarty would have had to have been in that very moment to have done what he did to Midge.” White looked towards Fangs with a venom, shaking her head in disgust.
“And on the other side of the coin you’ll hear from Riverdale’s Sheriffs, past and present, about who Fangs Fogarty is and who he associates with. You’ll hear from classmates that he’s a volatile troublemaker who fights and has a bad temper. You’ll come to understand that he has no alibi, possesses the same knives that were used to stab Midge Klump and you’ll hear about how his life led him here today, to this very court room where it is your job to convict him for a crime that he committed.”
Aggravated mumbles came from the Serpents and friends of the Fogarty’s at White’s attack on Fangs’ character. They knew he was none of those things, but the jury didn’t, and with each drop of venom that White spat, besmirching his name more and more, they became more anxious and unsure about his future.
“At the end of this trial, you will deliver a judgment on whether you think the Defendant is guilty or not, of this horrific crime, and after hearing all the testimony from the witnesses, I firmly believe that you will, as I do, believe that Fangs Fogarty is guilty.”
The court was silent as White took her seat, a barely contained smug look tugging at her face. She’d stunned everyone in the room. Mouths hung open, people wiping their eyes and lending each other tissues- the emotional response to Margaret White’s opening statement on behalf of the State had done exactly what she needed it to do, and this meant trouble for Robin and Fangs.
Once again, Robin had to do damage control to try and breakeven with White, when she really needed to have a one-up on her. Robin had known that White was the District Attorney, but she’d hoped that she’d gotten complacent in her security and older age. In actual fact, White was the most challenging attorney Robin had ever come up against, on the hardest case she’d ever had to fight for. It was a bad combination and Robin had a growing fear of losing Fangs like she did Alex.
Robin took the floor, the clicks of her heels against the wood sounding thunderous in the silent room. Robin could have heard a pin drop in there, and for the first time in a long time, she felt nervous and unsure of whether she’d be able to bring the room back around. She was doubting herself.
“My learned friend, opposition counsel Ms Margaret White, just gave a very empathetic opening statement for the Prosecution, but before I begin, I want to remind you that your job in this court room is to convict based on facts, not on emotions,” she started eyeing the jurors carefully as she began to slowly walk around the open space. “Midge Klump’s death was a tragic event that has rocked the whole of Riverdale to its core, challenging every fibre of its moral being. But that does not mean that you must to convict Mr Fogarty at the end of this trial just to bring someone to justice for the crime if you do not, beyond any reasonable doubt, believe that it is he who committed the murder.”
“Midge Klump did wake up on 16th March 2018, excited and ready to give her all into playing Carrie White. She was cast late, meaning she had to work to catch up with the other cast members, and she did go to my client, Mr Fogarty, for help. But what developed between them was not malicious as Ms White has implied, but, as you will hear, it was a tender relationship that both parties desired.”
“Midge Klump’s death was devastating, especially for her family who must have felt like their world was falling apart. But that was not at the hands of my client, a 17-year-old boy who was not only her friend, but also someone who she trusted and who cared for her immensely in more ways than one. He would have done anything she could have ever asked of him and would have given her the world if he could.”
Robin looked towards the Klump’s who hung on her every word, eager to hear about how she was possibly going to defend such a person. They didn’t look disgruntled, angry or bitter, but more pained and vacant. They just wanted some kind of conclusion for their daughter and for themselves so that they could try to move forward with Midge’s legacy.
“From the Defence you will hear a different side of the story. You will hear about how Fangs Fogarty is loyal, courageous and a friend to depend on at any given moment. You’ll hear about how he is the light and soul of any room, how he loves his family with everything he’s got and how he would give someone the clothes off of his back, even if it would help them for just a fraction of a second.”
“You’ll hear about how due to Mr Fogarty’s affiliation with a gang and his residency on the Southside of Riverdale, he has been prejudiced by the Sheriff’s Office repeatedly and shunned by them when he needs them, most recently on the night of his release from custody where he had to escape a mob outside the Station, who then followed and attacked him at his own home.”
In the public gallery, Reggie and Moose shifted uncomfortably, sharing a worried glance between them.
“You will also hear about how there is a serial killer in Riverdale, who is actually responsible for the murder of Midge Klump, but who, due to the aforementioned prejudice, the Sheriff’s Station is not and has not investigated as a possible suspect.”
“But most importantly, you’ll hear about how Fangs Fogarty is innocent. An innocent boy caught up in this mess simply because the Sheriff needed someone to convict and Fangs Fogarty happened to be the first person who fit the bill.”
Robin gestured to Fangs who sat with tears in his eyes, his legs shaking under the table as he picked a scab on his hand. He sucked in his cheeks, trying to hold back his emotions, but it was useless and his face was flushing an overwhelmed shade of pink as he quickly brushed a tear away.
“When you pass judgment on Mr Fogarty at the end of this trial, you must use three tools. Firstly, you must use the testimony and law presented to you in this court, not from Ms White, nor I, but from Judge Vines and from the witnesses. It is our job to help the witnesses to tell their stories, but not to tell those stories for the witnesses. Secondly, you must use your common sense. You will hear a lot of testimony over the course of this trial, from professionals and people of power in Riverdale all the way to high school students- it is your job as jurors to discern what is true and what doesn’t add up to you. And finally, you must use your courage. Being a juror is not easy; and Mr Fogarty’s life is on the line. It is just as courageous to acquit someone as it is to convict someone, and if you aren’t convinced beyond a shred of reasonable doubt that Fangs Fogarty did this, then you cannot convict him.” Robin urged the jurors, using her hands wildly as she stopped to look each one of them in the eye, a pained look settling on her face.
“Fangs Fogarty categorically did not kill Midge Klump, and by the end of this trial you will understand fully why that is the case, and how my client is innocent. Thank you.”
Robin nodded to the jury with a curt smile, before taking her seat and letting out a deep breath. She grabbed Fangs’ hand briefly and squeezed it, handing him a tissue before she flicked through her notes to take her mind off of her racing emotions.
“Okay ladies and gentlemen, that’s it for today,” Judge Vines announced, motioning to Robin and Margaret, and then towards the jurors. “We’ll reconvene tomorrow at 9:00am, see you then.”
A quiet murmur overtook the court as the public began to get up and disperse from the room, mumbling between themselves about the opening statements and what they thought the outcome of the trial would be. The Serpents shifted uncomfortably, the juniors splitting off from the King, still in shock at today’s revelations. If this had come out by accident on the first day of the trial, none of them were looking forward to the secrets that could erupt during the subsequent week.
Moose and Lydia walked slightly ahead of Mr and Mrs Klump, both pairs arm in arm and leaning on each other emotionally like they were each other’s life support machines. The Klump’s looked skeletal, dark circles adorned their eyes and their faces were gaunt, like they hadn’t done anything apart from exist since Midge had died. No parent should ever have to bury their own child, and it looked like they’d buried a part of themselves with Midge the day of her funeral.
Lydia and Moose didn’t look much better. Midge was Lydia’s best friend, her saving grace, the reason she got through each day at Riverdale High sane. Everywhere she looked, there was something that reminded her of Midge. Whether it was looking around her room and seeing the trinkets her best friend would pick up for her at shops and tell her ‘I saw this and thought of you’, or in the halls as she walked past her locker, or even in herself. Midge brought something out in Lydia that was locked deep down; a quiet confidence in herself that had been shattered and replaced with an insecurity that the town would know her as the girl whose best friend was dead.
And Moose. The gentle giant football star had been replaced with an aggressive form of himself, that took his agony out on anything within his reach. He’d put holes in his walls, fought his teammates at football and started arguing with his parents, locking himself away in solitary confinement to be consumed by his own thoughts. Behind his eyes, there was nothing. Maybe he wasn’t so far removed from Fangs, despite how much he tried to separate himself from the killer teen.
Moose and Lydia were each other’s anchors, trying to stop each other from being dragged away with the tide where they would be found washed up on a beach somewhere later.
Robin turned towards Fangs, supressing a grimace at the look of pure doom he gave her. She knew this conversation wouldn’t be one he would like, but it was necessary. She took a few steps towards him, lowering her voice so that only he would hear as the last few people filtered out of the court room.
“I know you’re not happy but-“
“Not happy?” Fangs hissed through gritted teeth. “That’s an understatement. Do you want me to lose this case? Because from where I was sitting it sure looked like it when you kicked that ex-Serpent off the jury.”
Robin let out a deep sigh, her face settling into its resting position- a notoriously bitchy and unamused look, which only wound Fangs up further. He was already a tightly coiled snake ready to bite, and that look on Robin’s face had him bearing his fangs ready to strike.
“You convinced me to stick with you, you convinced me not to take that damn plea deal all so that you could show off in court, and you can’t even do that. You’re fucking this up for me. You don’t get to play with my life.”
“You know what,” Robin started, straightening her posture to look at Fangs eye to eye, her heels giving her the extra inches to meet his eyeline. She was tired and agitated, and Fangs had picked the wrong moment to air his grievances with her. “You’re in my domain now, and you seem to have no idea that you’re neck deep in the shit and that I’m the one who can get you out of it. You may be my client, but I have duties to this court and to myself which take precedence. I have duty to the Bar to promote and protect fearlessly, by all proper and lawful means, your best interests- note the words proper and lawful. My overriding duty is to the court and to administering justice, so, as much as I would like to have kept that Serpent on the jury, I can’t. Heck, I would put all your friends on the jury if I could to ensure that you’re found not guilty, but I can’t. I’m not going to get myself disbarred for you, so you need to start believing that I can do this regardless of the jury composition.”
An uncomfortable silence settled between the two of them and they remained eye to eye until Robin took a step back toward their table and gathered her books together. She wasn’t sure whether she was trying to convince herself or Fangs to believe in her.
“Go home and get a good night’s sleep. The real stuff starts tomorrow, Fangs,” Robin spoke levelly to the boy still standing behind her, having contained her outburst. She scooped up all her books and turned back to face him, shuffling them in her arms as one began to slip. “You’re not the first client to doubt me, and you won’t be the last, but I am trying my hardest, and I will continue to try my hardest for you and your family. I know what’s at stake, I know that better than most, but some things are out of my control.”
Fangs stood stern, looking at the woman before him. His eyes flickered to her snake pin on the lapel of her blazer and quickly back up to her face, swallowing hard and unclenching his fists slightly as he shifted his weight between his feet. He sent her a small nod, chewing the inside of his cheek. “See you tomorrow.”
“Oh, and Fangs?” Robin called over to him as he left ahead of her. “Get ready for tomorrow- things are going to get more intense than you could have ever imagined. It’s dog eat dog in that court, and tomorrow I’m going to be out for blood.”
