A Hop, Skip and a Hogg
By Jax & Shaman
The Duke Farm's front lawn
was a symphony of crickets that sang their reedy songs in the stillness of
Bo's dark blue eyes were
bleary with broken sleep and he rubbed them with both hands as an unstoppable
yawn rose up from his chest. He made no
move to suppress it, and the sleepy sound ended in a sigh that seemed to come
from somewhere near his toes. The sigh
seemed to loosen something inside of him and suddenly he felt tears prick at
his eyes. He closed the lids tightly,
and his fists clench.
"Come on Bo." He said to himself softly, “Knock this
nonsense off and get back to bed."
His voice, which he wanted to come out sounding like his usual
self-confident self, sounded weary and full of shakiness.
Deep inside the quiet
slumbering farmhouse, Min Duke opened her eyes. The approaching storm had
dropped the temperature; the air blowing in through the open window now chilly
and damp. She rolled over and saw her cousin fast asleep on her back,
unaffected by the coldness of the little room. Rising from her bed, Min shut
the window and gave her arms a rub. Glancing over her shoulder at the door, she
saw a single thin ribbon of light from underneath it.
“Hmmm, someone’s up.” She
opened her closet door and took out a purple robe, slipping it over her shoulders.
Quietly as she could, Min left the bedroom, and headed for the source of light.
Bo didn't bother to glance up
as the front door opened, he could tell it was his sister by the softness of
her footsteps.
"It's late,
Min." He said as a stiff breeze
tumbled his blond curls over his ears and forehead.
"I know it is Bo, what
are you doing up?" She walked out onto the porch, her bare feet silent
against the wood. Her hand slipped into the pockets of her robe as she walked
around her brother and sat down beside him on the steps.
"I don't really
know. I woke up awhile ago and just
couldn't go back to sleep." Bo
replied, still not looking at her.
Min gave her brother a
sidelong glance, noticing his avoidance of her eyes.
“Really? You were pretty quiet at dinner too, sure there isn’t
anything bothering you?”
Bo shrugged. "Guess I've been thinking about Susie a
little." He sighed deeply.
"I just wish things had
ended differently, Min."
Just the mention of that name
set Min's teeth on edge, her brown eyes flashing as she set her jaw.
"You do? You wanted to
be with her, Bo? After she lied to you and used you and then cheated on you
with that guy from Chickasaw?" She tried to keep her temper in check
knowing how deeply Bo felt for this woman, but the very idea that she had
deceived her brother almost instantly angered Min.
Bo looked away, ashamed. "I know what she did, Min. You don't have to tell me. But it's like I told Luke and Uncle Jesse, I
just can't turn off my feelings for her."
"I know you can't
Bo." Min sighed, and turned to glance at her brother. She could see the
pain in his face and slung her arm across his shoulders, drawing him closer to
her.
"I don't think she meant
to hurt me, Min, honestly." Bo
ventured, knowing full well how Min felt about Susie Gebhart. She had given Susie's departing trailer a
look of such seething despise the day it left Hazzard that Bo was surprised the
thing hadn't burst into flame.
"That's where you're
wrong Bo. She knew what she was doing when she...lured that guy into her
bed." Her hand stroked through Bo's thick blond hair, trying to comfort
him.
"Min!" Bo exclaimed,
and from the glow of the porch light, Min could see his face redden with a mixture
of anger and humiliation. "Don't talk about that, and don't talk about
him!"
“Why not? That’s the truth and you know it!” Min raised her
chin and stared into her brother’s eyes. “You feel strongly enough about
her…but that doesn’t change what she did!”
Suddenly needing to be in
motion, Bo sprang up from the porch steps and began to pace the worn wood of
the porch itself.
"Yeah well . . . . it doesn't matter now, does it. She's gone, and she's not coming
back."
“Bo it does matter.” Min also
got up and stood in the path of her brother, forcing him to stop right in front
of her. “Don’t tell me it doesn’t matter to you because it does. We can all see
you’re hurting.” She stepped closer to him and touched his hands.
“You don’t have to keep it
all bottled up. We’re your family and we’re here for you.”
"Min, there's some
things a man just has to figure out for himself." He told his sister, echoing the words of his
Uncle Jesse when he'd overheard his cousin Luke ask the old man what he could
do to help Bo. However, Bo could tell by
the expression on Min's face that she wasn't at all impressed by the words.
"I ain't trying to be
macho, Min, it's the truth!" He
exclaimed. "I know you're here if I
want to talk, and I appreciate that, but I think I have to puzzle out my
feelings on my own." He sighed and
squeezed her hands.
"Think I'll go fishing
in the morning. That usually helps when
I have to take time to sort something out." Bo leaned down and kissed his sister's
cheek. "Go on back to bed now,
okay? I'll be fine."
Min studied her brother for a
moment seeing the sincerity in his eyes. She knew he spoke the truth; he had to
sort things out on his own but it wasn’t easy watching him do
it.
“Okay Bo.” She stepped closer
and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I know you’ll work it out.”
"Yeah." Bo offered her
a smile before she went back into the house and into the room she shared with
Daisy.
Knowing he probably wouldn't
be able to go back to sleep, Bo went out behind the barn into the small shed
where he and Luke kept their fishing gear.
He pulled his rod, tackle box from the stacks of sports equipment, and
began to load them into The General by the light of the front porch. After he loaded up the car, he would grab a
bite to eat, pack a few sandwiches for the road, pull up some night crawlers
from the moist patch of ground near the vegetable garden, and be gone by
five.
*************** ****************** ****************
"So are you excited?
You've talked about wanting to go see the Grand Ole Opry for years, and now
you're finally getting to go!”
Min sat sideways on her bed,
a pillow clutched to her chest. She watched her excited cousin go back and
forth between the closet and the dresser, a huge grin on her face.
"Excited? Honey, I'm just about ready to jump out of my
skin!" Daisy piled two more stacks
of clothes into her suitcase before forcing it closed.
"Me
and Donna Jean have been saving our tips from The Boar's Nest for just about
ever! I can't believe we finally saved
enough money!"
"All those extra shifts
finally paid off." Min tried to smile glad that her cousin's dream had
finally come true, but the situation with Bo and his early morning departure
for Hazzard Pond kept creeping back into her mind. She sighed and lowered her
chin to the feather pillow in her arms.
Daisy looked at her askance,
and then patted her shoulder as she went to pick up several extra pairs of
shoes. "Min, you have to quit
worrying about Bo. He's young, and
chances are he'll have his heart broke more than once before he settles down
with a girl who loves him."
“I know I haven’t been here
too long Daisy so I’ve missed other times when Bo’s been heartbroken, but
things are different this time. This wasn’t just some cute country girl with a
mean Papa and a shotgun. Bo loved Susie and he probably thought she was the one
for him.” Min set her pillow aside and got up from the bed deciding to help her
cousin pack; she picked up a bottle of Daisy's perfume along with some
hairspray and added them to Daisy’s little overnight bag.
“I just hope this fishing
trip helps him put things into perspective.”
Daisy laughed and shook her
head. "Oh honey, both Bo and Luke
are probably going to go through at least a half a dozen 'perfect' women before
they turn thirty! Bo will get over Susie, you'll see."
“Maybe, but…” Min started to
open her mouth about to tell Daisy that Bo had truly been in love with Susie Gebhart
and that her cheating on him and the whole town knowing about it had hurt him
deeply. In respect of her brother’s privacy and dignity, her jaw snapped shut.
"But
what?" Daisy asked curiously, noticing the strange
look on Min's face.
"Oh nothing...I'm just
an overprotective little sister I guess." Min laughed as she sat back down
on the bed folding her legs under her, hoping her cousin bought her
explanation.
"Isn't it supposed to be
the other way around?" Daisy
laughed, and then turned as a car horn sounded in the front yard.
"It's Donna
Jean!" She squealed, and gathered
her things. She kissed Min on the cheek,
and then stopped long enough to kiss Jesse and Luke, who were having breakfast in
the kitchen. She waved wildly as she
threw her things in the back of her friend's blue Nova, and then they were
gone, speeding down the road toward
Luke smiled and shook his
head. "I'm amazed she slept at all
last night. Going to the Opry's all
she's talked about for the past year."
"Yeah but I'm glad she's
getting to go, broadening her horizons." Min stood behind her cousin and
put her hands on his shoulders, giving them a squeeze.
"So what's on the agenda
for today, cousin, since it’s just you and me while Uncle Jesse does chores?"
"While
Uncle Jesse does chores?" The old man
spoke up, raising his eyebrows.
"Seems to me that
gathering the eggs and sweeping the barn aisle are your chores, young
lady."
Min felt her face blush as
she was pierced by her uncle’s paternal gaze.
“I meant…that you’re going to
be plowing the back forty today, right?”
"That's right, and while
I'm doing that, I expect you two to keep yourselves out of trouble." Jesse replied as he finished his coffee.
Luke hid his smile in his own
coffee cup, always amused when his uncle's gruffness was aimed at someone else
and not him.
"We've got something to
do, don't we, Luke?" Min leaned down, her dark
hair spilling to one side as she peered at her cousin's profile, hoping he
would have an answer that would get her out of hot water with Uncle Jesse.
"Sure. You can help me fix the porch roof. Bo was supposed to help me, but he took off
early this morning. His note said he
went fishing at Hazzard Pond and he'd be back around lunchtime."
Min inwardly sighed in relief
as she sat down beside Luke. "Yeah he mentioned going fishing last night,
I'll take care of my chores and then we can do the roof. After that, how about
we go into town?"
"Sounds
good." Luke shrugged as he finished his coffee. "Do you have to work this afternoon?"
"Boss closed the Boars
Nest for the inventory shipment that should be coming in some time this
morning." Min poured herself a glass of milk from the pitcher sitting in
the middle of the table.
"If he closed down for
the day, you know he's going to charge twice as much tomorrow just to make up
for it." Jesse said as he got up
from the table and rinsed his plate in the sink.
"Don't forget your
chores," he reminded them as he went out the door, "And after Bo gets
back maybe we'll have time to make some ice cream before dinner."
Min sighed as she sipped her
milk and took a piece of toast from the plate in front of her. "Luke, I’ll
go do my chores and then we’ll get to the porch.” She stood up, pushing the
chair back as she did so.
"All
right. And remind me to kick Bo's rear end when he
comes back for ducking out on us when there's work to be done!"
*************** ****************** ****************
Bo whistled along with the
Merle Haggard tune playing on the General's radio, his heart feeling lighter
than it had in days. Being by himself at
Hazzard Pond, casting his line and having time to think by himself had truly
helped put his relationship with Susie Gebhart in perspective. He'd been angry with himself for falling for
her lies, and angry at her for hurting him intentionally. In the end, he
realized that he had to forgive not only himself, but her as well. Now, as he drove back toward home, he felt
considerably more cheerful.
As he rounded the bend of
Route Seven, The General's right front tire suddenly blew out with a loud bang,
sending Bo into a struggle with the steering wheel in order to stay on the
road. Finally, he wrestled the stock car onto the side of the road and got out.
Grumbling in irritation, he
opened The General's trunk in order to pull out the spare tire, and then his
grumbling quickly turned into one or two colorful expletives when he saw that
the spare was flat too. Luke had
neglected to haul it out of the trunk last time they'd had a flat. Wondering how effective the flat spare would
be as a tool with which to strangle his older cousin with when he got home, Bo
slammed the trunk shut and headed off down the road on foot. Maybe someone would come along and give him a
ride, or better yet, he could take the shortcut through the woods and across
the old railroad trestle. That would cut
at least twenty minutes off of his walk.
Bo jogged across the small
expanse of scrubby field that ran adjacent to the woods, and then ducked into
the cool canopy of trees. It was shady
and quiet there, and Bo began to smile as he followed a narrow footpath across
the woods.
Fifteen minutes later, the
train trestle loomed into view, its rusted girders an auburn skeleton against
the blue sky. As he approached it, he
heard voices, angry voices, carrying on the quiet early afternoon air.
"I don't care what you say! You're not exactly in a
position to give orders Doyle! If the office finds out about you, not only are
you looking at losing your badge but some of your freedom too! I suggest you do
what Boss says!"
“Don’t you threaten me little girl! If it weren’t for me,
you’d be stuck in that damn typing pool till you were old enough for Social
Security! I’m the one taking the
risks here and I think I should be the one calling the shots!”
Bo's eyebrows rose in pure
curiosity and he peered down over the rusted railing of the trestle. Down below him, in the shadows of the
concrete foundations, a man and a woman were arguing. The man was big, heavyset and gray-haired, the
woman willowy with red curly hair that rioted in the afternoon sun.
"You listen and you listen good Doyle!
You're well paid for your risk and you aren’t even taking that many! Except
sitting on your fat behind and making a phone call whenever a suspected
moonshiner's still is found! Then the evidence and the still conveniently
disappear! I'm the one doing the running and all the risk taking and you don’t
see me barking for more money!" She pointed a finger directly at his broad
chest, the size difference between the two akin to a little girl scolding her
father. The breeze kicked up, tousled her hair, and made her blue sundress
flutter. She turned her head away a moment as the wind kicked up dirt, spraying
the both of them with it. Once it passed, she faced the stout man again, her
hands on her hips.
"If anything you should
be giving me part of your cut!"
An ATF agent and a shine runner arguing out here in
the middle of nowhere? Bo thought to himself. Although it was obvious that the agent was on
the take, Bo wondered about the girl.
She had to be working for Boss Hogg, since he ran all the still
operations left in Hazzard.
The idea of sharing his cut
of the shine money obviously didn’t sit well with Doyle. His blue eyes flashed anger.
"You ain't getting one
thin red dime from me Cat! You should
be damn grateful I don't take you in for all the shine you've been running
lately! It'd be enough to lock you up and throw away the key! But you tell that
fat butterball that if he don't start coming across with more money I'll take
my business to Boss Hinkley! Then we'll see if that
fat clown will even have a county to brew his shine in much less run it!"
Leaning over even further, Bo
could see a familiar shadow near the opposite foundation. It was Rosco, no doubt keeping an eye and an
ear out for intruders. Suddenly
realizing the danger he was in, Bo crept across the trestle as quietly as he
could. When he reached the other side, however,
one of the old wooden ties cracked loudly and sifted dust and flakes of rust
down onto the ground below. Bo squeezed
his eyes shut, and a moment later Rosco came barreling up the slope.
"FREEEEZE!" He wailed,
pulling his pistol from its holster, and Bo took off running toward the
direction of The Duke Farm. In another ten
minutes he'd be at the path that led right up to the edge of their
own back forty, and from there, he'd be safe.
"Get him! We can't let
him get away with what he heard!" Doyle huffed and puffed as he ran right
behind Rosco, the rotund man's face as red as a cherry.
"You freeze it right
now, Bo Duke! I'm serious!" Rosco
shouted as he watched Bo's lean form pound down the footpath toward home. He suddenly took a sharp left, and Rosco
skidded on the pine needles that covered the forest floor as he tried to
follow. He fell hard, and Doyle all but
kicked him aside as he continued the pursuit.
Bo risked a glance behind him
and saw that despite his girth, the ATF agent was gaining. Another
few minutes and I'll be safe-
His thoughts of safety were
cut short, however, when he saw that a huge jackstraw jumble of fallen trees
and rotted logs were blocking the path that opened up onto the Duke's
property. It was the result of the last
summer storm they'd had, for the property ahead of it ran downhill and often
flooded during wet weather. The trees
and uprooted bushes had ended up here, creating a blowdown that rose a good six
feet over Bo's head.
Breathing hard, Bo planted
one booted foot on the bottom log and began to climb the tangle of branches,
praying they wouldn't come tumbling down and crush
him.
Doyle's wheezing grew louder
until finally he couldn't run another step. Catching his breath a moment, he
watched the distance between him and the blond man widen. Reaching into his
coat pocket, he withdrew a small pistol and took aim.
"You stop right now you
hear! Stop or I'll fire!" He watched the fleeing man reach the massive
pile of decaying trees, tree branches and leaves all gnarled together and
called out again.
"This is your last
warning!"
Taking the chance that the
ATF agent wouldn't fire and attract attention with the gunshot, Bo kept
climbing. A moment later that proved to
be a poor gamble as the gun went off and Bo felt a sharp pain in his right
temple. His head jerked forward from the
shot, causing him to lose his grip on the branches. He felt himself falling, and landed on his
back with a bone-jarring thud that knocked the air from his lungs.
Doyle saw Bo fall and grinned
as he walked over to where the blond man had landed. The grin slid from his
face however, when he saw the bullet had done no more than given him a gash on
his head. He crouched down a moment feeling for a pulse on Bo's neck; he figured
that since the bullet didn't get him, the fall from the height must have. A
strong thud against his fingers made him scowl in disappointment and that
grimace sunk even deeper in his face when he saw the young man beginning to
stir.
"Ohh
no you dont!" Doyle turned the gun over in his
hand and drew his arm back. He brought
the butt end of it down across Bo's head. The sound was loud and deep, and the
blow caused Bo’s body to jerk once, violently, before it slumped back to the
ground, unconscious once again.
"Doyle!" Rosco called as the sheriff saw the big
revenuer raise his arm to strike Bo again.
The young man was already obviously unconscious, and Rosco's heart
dropped into his shoes as he realized just what kind of man Doyle was.
"Doyle,
no! Have you lost your mind?" He ran up behind the bigger man and grabbed
his wrist, stopping Doyle from striking Bo again.
"He heard
everything!" Doyle snatched his wrist away from Rosco's grasp as he rose
to his feet. "That kid saw and heard me arguing with Cat! When he wakes up
the first thing he's going to do is go running to my superiors!" He then
took a step towards the sheriff and jabbed a finger in his chest.
"And when he does its
over and I don't just mean for me but
I mean all of us! Including you! Now you get out of here and let me do what I
gotta do!" Doyle then turned to Bo and cocked his gun, aiming it at the
fallen man.
"Then we'll drop him off
Kissing Cliff and make it look nice and accidental."
"Are you off your
rocker?" Rosco shouted. While he had no love for any of the Dukes, he
certainly wouldn't stand by and let one be brutally murdered.
"So you're willing to go
to jail over this? And lose your
career and your freedom over what this hayseed saw and heard?" Doyle shook
his head. "Well I ain't!"
Rosco's mind raced. "Look, Doyle, just give me a few minutes
to radio Boss Hogg on the CB. He'll know
what to do for sure. If'n
your lucky, you won't have to waste any bullets out of your pretty little gun,
there . . . " Rosco gulped as the weapon was
briefly aimed at him.
"You've got 24 hours
Rosco!” Doyle took a closer step towards
him, and the gun tilted up to aim directly at his nose. Rosco crossed his eyes
a moment as he stared down the barrel. "You keep that kid quiet or I'll silence him, permanent like. And
not only him but that fat cheap skate Boss and you as well!" Doyle hissed the words then backed up, aiming
the gun's end down at the ground. With the threat spoken, he turned around and
stalked off in the opposite direction.
"He's mean. Mean."
Rosco shook his head and hurried back to his patrol car, hidden under
the abandoned trestle. He leaned in,
grabbed the CB mike and pushed the button.
"Breaker breaker, this is Sheriff Rosco
P. Coltrane, Boss Hogg, you got your ears on?"
“Yeah I got my ears on, over
and why ain’t you here with me?” Boss’s mouth sounded full as he spoke. “And
how many times have I told you to not
interrupt my lunch?”
"Which lunch?" Rosco asked, puzzled. "Your one o clock, two o clock, three o clock or four o clock?"
"The one I'm eating now so what do you want, over?” The gruff response crackled through the CB
mike.
"Boss, I'm in a bit of a
pickle down here at your number three still site. That lady shine runner of yours was arguing
with big Jim Doyle, and well . . . . Bo Duke heard everything they said."
The sound of heavy coughing
came over the speaker and Rosco glanced down at the mike a moment. "Boss,
you okay? Sounds like one of them pickled pig’s feet when down the wrong
way."
"Bo Duke? What was he doing there and what exactly did he
hear?"
"I don't know what he
was doing there, but when Big Jim Doyle saw him listening, he chased Bo down
that old runner's trail and into the woods.
I tried to stop him, Boss, but . . . . I didn't get there in time. He beat Bo up pretty bad."
Rosco swallowed hard. "He wanted to kill him and make it look
like an accident."
“Kill him?” Boss grew quiet a
moment, the tone of his voice dropping low. “As much as I want them Dukes gone from Hazzard for good…I don’t want
to see them come to any harm!” He paused a moment. “Rosco…you keep an eye on
that boy, I’m coming in my Caddy, over and out!”
"Over
and out." Rosco sighed, and jogged down the trail to
where Bo lay quiet on the carpet of pine needles. He put a hand on Bo's shoulder and shook his
head.
"You sure put your foot
in it this time, Bo Duke."
*************** ****************** ****************
Boss arrived a short time
later, his white Cadillac coming to a halt a short walking distance from the
blowdown. It was a rare sight; Boss driving himself around was about as common
as a sober preacher on Sunday morning.
With a grunt, he slammed the
driver side door and waddled over to where Rosco stood.
"All right, now where is
he?" He asked as he took off his white hat and fanned his flushed face
with it a moment before stuffing it back onto his head.
"Right over here,
Boss." Rosco led him to Bo's
unconscious form, sprawled on the ground.
"He ain't moved since Doyle hit him."
"Let's see what we got
here." Boss got down on one knee, placed a chubby hand on Bo’s shoulder,
and carefully rolled him over. His beady eyes widened a moment when he saw the
young man's face.
"Oh
my!"
Rosco gasped aloud, his heart
starting painfully. Bo's face was smeared with blood that almost totally
obscured his features. The blood ran
from a large gash just above his hairline, his blond hair streaked with red at
the front and at the sides where it had dripped down when Boss had turned him
over. Now, as Rosco watched in shock, a
thin drizzle trailed its way down Bo's face and dripped off his chin. The sight of it plopping
onto Bo's white tee shirt and spreading there like groping fingers made Rosco
shiver.
"This is a mess Boss, a
real mess! Doyle said he's giving us 24 hours, if Bo Duke talks then its
curtains for you, me and him! And I mean---" Rosco gritted his teeth and
dragged his finger across his throat.
Boss gasped loudly, his eyes
bugging out with fear. "Then we
gotta make sure this boy doesn't talk!"
"But how we going to do
that Boss? As soon as he wakes up you know he's going to open his mouth to the
first Duke he comes across!"
"If that's true, then we
have to keep him away from his kin!"
Boss frowned. "Let's get him
out of here, pronto!"
Rosco hesitated a moment then
nodded. He walked around the chubby man in white and sat down on the ground,
easing Bo’s head in his lap. Grimacing a moment, he gently touched Bo’s bloody neck
feeling his pulse. “He’s breathing…I don’t know Boss, he don’t
look good.”
"Well he never looked good!" Boss taunted, lighting his cigar.
“We best get him to Doc Petticord.” Rosco glanced up at Boss, his gaze then
returning to the unconscious Duke.
"Uh uh." Boss said gravely. "Doc can't help him now."
“Why?”
"Doc's out of
town." He shrugged.
Gently, Rosco laid Bo's head
back down to the ground and he stood up. "What about we take him over to
that Tri County Emergency?"
"Oh, let's do
that!" Boss nodded. "They got a good charity ward!"
Together, the two men picked
up the injured Duke; Boss had him by the shoulders while Rosco took a hold of
Bo's long legs. They then lifted him from the ground and headed for Boss'
Cadillac.
*************** ****************** ****************
Luke hammered another shingle
onto the porch roof as Uncle Jesse looked on, nodding approvingly at his
nephew's work.
"Looks good, Luke. It's about time we got to it, you kids have
been shucking-and-jiving me about it long enough." He said with a gruff smile. Luke tossed a smile at Min, who sat beside
him and handed him another shingle.
"We weren't shucking and
jiving you about it Jesse, between the races and the repairs on the General
Lee, we just haven't had time to get to this." Luke sat back on his
haunches a moment and plucked a nail from between his lips.
"Just the same, it'd be
nice to sit on the porch in the rain and not get wet." Jesse replied. Luke laughed and nodded. "All right, all
right, you win!"
Min couldn't help but laugh
at the exchange, moving her bucket of nails over so her cousin could fish a few
more out of it. The bucket nearly toppled as a pain rippled through her
stomach, one hand immediately touched it as she hunched over a bit.
"Min? Are you all
right?" Luke turned to her, alarmed.
"I...I don't know."
She cringed a moment, her eyes closing as she leaned forward, her palms flat
against the roof.
Luke wrapped his strong right
arm around her waist and shuffled her forward.
"Help her down, Uncle
Jesse." He said, and Min's uncle
caught her under the arms as Luke lowered her down.
"Min? What is
it?" He asked.
"I'm not sure Uncle
Jesse," Min stated through her gritted teeth. Her feet hit the ground and
Jesse guided her to the picnic table by the door and helped her sit down.
"I...I thought I saw
something but I'm not sure."
"Saw
something?" Luke jumped down from
the porch roof in one fluid motion.
"Yeah," She paused
a moment, lifting her gaze from the ground to straight ahead.
"It was like...a big pile of logs then suddenly
everything was swirling around." Min shook her head. "I don't know
what it means."
"A
pile of logs." Luke shook his head. "You mean like a campfire?"
"No logs that were
blocking something." Min ran her hand across her forehead. A slight pain
had developed there and she thought that perhaps she had just gotten too much
sun.
Luke frowned. His cousin's abilities had always unnerved
him, but he tried to be supportive for both her sake and for Bo's, who loved
his sister deeply.
"What do you think it
means?" He asked at last.
"I don't know Luke,
those were the only clues I got.” She
sighed as she finally stood up. "Let's just finish this roof up so we can
go to town. I'm sure it's nothing."
Luke hesitated, and glanced
out over his shoulder at the place where Bo usually parked The General.
"Didn't Bo say he'd be
back before lunchtime?" He
asked.
"That's what his note
said; maybe he got a flat or something." Min put her hands on her hips as
she stood beside her cousin.
"Even with a flat tire
he should have been here by now."
Jesse put in.
Min stared thoughtfully at
the empty space where the General was supposed to be and bit her lip a moment.
"Maybe...maybe he ran
into trouble?" She glanced at her cousin. "I'm a mess from chores
Luke, let me go change and we'll go into town."
Luke nodded, and Jesse picked
up the bucket of nails. "I'll stay
here in case he calls in or comes back."
“Okay Uncle Jesse.” Min
opened the screen door and went into the house. She came out a few moments
later dressed in blue jeans and a blue sleeveless shirt.
“We’ll be on channel nine
Uncle Jesse, call in case he shows up.” She reached into her pocket and pulled
out her keys to Li’l Darlin’ tossing them to her cousin.
“I think you better drive
Luke.”
Luke slid into the Mustang,
not unhappy despite the worry over his cousin that had begun to gnaw at
him. He enjoyed driving the Mustang almost
as much as he enjoyed driving The General.
Beside him, Min sat in the
passenger seat chewing on her thumbnail as he started the vehicle up. "You
think he's okay Luke? Or maybe we're just jumping to conclusions?"
"It's not like Bo to say
he'd be back at a certain time and then not show up. I'd feel better if I knew he was all
right."
"Yeah,
me too." Min gave her cousin
a smile, trying to find reassurance in his eyes. She saw none there and that
only made a feeling of dread form in her stomach as she looked out the
passenger side window at the passing scenery, hoping and praying her brother
was all right.
*************** ****************** ****************
Doctor Jackie Broadway gently
lifted the eyelid of her patient, the beam of the penlight striking the pupil
within and she watched its reaction closely.
“Hmmm pupilary reaction
normal--” She said to herself as she leaned over and checked his other eye. “A
normal reaction to the light, looks like he doesn’t
have a concussion.” Jackie turned away from the table a moment as she picked up
her chart and made a few notes, glancing down at the shirtless blond man on the
table.
“Deep wound close to hairline,
required ten stitches… additional wound high on the right temple, no stitches
needed.” She mumbled as she wrote. “We
won’t know what sort of other head trauma he suffered until he regains
consciousness.”
The dark haired doctor
finished her notes and closed the chart, tucking her pen into the pocket of her
green scrubs.
“Well that’s that.”
"So, doctor, when do you
reckon he'll come to?" Boss
asked.
Jackie studied the rotund man
in the white suit and raised an eyebrow.
"It's really not up to
me Mr. Hogg; he took a bad blow to the head." She motioned with her chin
to Rosco. "From what the Sheriff told me, this young man got thrown from a
rolling vehicle, he's lucky he only got this cut on his head. He could have
broken something or got internal injuries."
Bo stirred on the table with
a small groan and his eyelids fluttered open.
They roved around the room for a moment and then locked on Dr.
Broadway.
"Where am I?" He asked after a moment.
Jackie leaned over, her long
dark hair shifting forward. "My name is Doctor Jacqueline Broadway and
you're at Tri County Emergency." She smoothed his hair from his face and
gave a smile. "Do you remember what happened to you?"
Bo shook his head
dazedly. "No ma'am."
The doctor's gaze shifted up
to both Boss and Rosco a moment before focusing back down on Bo. "You
don't recall being in an accident?"
Bo shook his head again, and
Rosco stepped forward.
"You ran The General off
the road, don't you remember?" He
asked, glancing a moment at Boss, who gave a nod. Bo frowned.
"No,
sir." He replied, creasing his brow. “Who’s the
General?”
"Oh dear--Sometimes it's
common for a patient to not remember an accident." Jackie replied as she
helped Bo sit up and put both hands on his bare shoulders.
"All right, now I want
you to tell me exactly what you do remember."
"I . . . " Bo blinked. "Nothing."
"What about your name?
Or where you live?" Jackie looked into Bo's face searching for some spark
of recognition in his dark blue eyes.
"My name is, uh . . . " He looked up
at her, confused. "Doc I don't
remember my name, or where I live!
What's the matter with me?"
He asked as he tried to get up.
"Hang on a second!"
Jackie stood in front of Bo, blocking him from getting down off the table.
"You need to take it easy, you've been through a terrible ordeal and
you've been injured." Once satisfied that Bo wasn't going to leave, the
doctor turned to Rosco and Boss. "I'm sorry to say this but it looks like
your son has a case of amnesia."
"His
son? Amnesia?" Rosco scoffed. "Doc, you have made one horrendous
mistake!"
"I'm sorry Sheriff but I
haven't made a mistake. I know what amnesia is when I see it."
"That's not the mistake
I'm talking about." Rosco
countered. "I'm talking about him," he pointed at
Bo, "being his-"
Boss suddenly reached out and
grabbed Rosco's finger, pulling the sheriff into his shoulder and holding his
head there with one hand. Rosco's arms
wind milled, his face muffled in Boss's suit coat, and Boss grinned at the
doctor.
"Pay no mind to the
boy's uncle, Doc! He's frightful worried about his nephew here and now he's gone
and worked himself into a state!"
He shoved Rosco away and held his arms out to Bo.
"Bo! Say hello to your
daddy!"
Bo hesitated a moment not
sure what to think, but after a moment he climbed down from the table and
stepped into Boss's embrace and returned it.
"It's good to see you,
uh...Daddy."
"That's my
boy!" Boss exclaimed, and hugged Bo
tightly.
"If you'll come with me
we'll get your clothes." Dr. Broadway took her patient by the arm and
guided him out of the room, feeling sympathy at his confusion and disorientation. "Now if you'll excuse us a moment, Mr.
Hogg."
"Of
course. Now you do just what the doctor tells you to,
Sonny Boy." Boss instructed as Bo
left with the doctor, and Rosco goggled at him.
"Boss, are you sure
you're not the one who hit your head? I
know for a fact that you and Lulu never had any children!"
Boss watched the swinging
doors close shut before giving Rosco his full attention.
"Well of course we never had any children!
But...this is just the chance I was waiting for! A chance to save my hide! And
yours too!" He glanced at the doors again making sure they were alone.
"Not only that but I don't want
Bo Duke having any recollection of Doyle and Cat arguing!"
"Looks
to me like Bo Duke doesn't have a recollection of anything right now." Rosco glanced over his shoulder at the door a moment.
“He even swallowed that line
I gave him about rolling The General like it was a fact!”
"Not right now he don’t remember, but it won’t be like that forever. That’s
why I told that there lady doctor that he was my son.” Boss took a cigar out of
his pocket and lit it. He saw Rosco's confused face and rolled his eyes.
"You see Rosco...if Bo Duke remembers that argument between Doyle and my
runner they’ll be planting all three of us with the spring crops! We ain’t got no choice!"
"You might be able to
convince Bo he's your son, but what about the rest of the Dukes? I'm pretty sure they're going to know it's
not true!"
Boss looked aghast, making a
pained face. "You're right... and I never thought I'd see the day when
you’d be right about anything!" He stuck his cigar in his mouth and
started pacing back and forth, puffing smoke like a
locomotive.
"Gotta
find a way to make those Dukes leave my Sonny Boy alone!" He muttered to himself and then suddenly stopped; he
gasped loudly his expression brightening as he reached up and plucked the cigar
from his mouth.
"We're going to use the
law!"
"The
law?” Rosco asked, and then he
jumped as if someone had goosed him.
"Oo! You mean- you . . . and me . . . . we’re going to make it all nice and legal?"
"We are indeed Rosco!" Boss switched his
cigar to his other hand as he patted Rosco on the back, laughing. "Come
on, let's collect Sonny boy and get back to the Courthouse. We got work to
do!"
"Boss, speaking of work,
you still haven't paid me my ten percent of ten percent from the whiskey runs
that little gal's already done for you."
Rosco said, then managed to look amazed and offended at the same time. "Boss! Were you plannin' to cut me out of my usual ten percent of ten
percent?"
"Uhhhhh..."
Boss turned away from Rosco, his eyes shifting from left to right as he thought
of a reason he didn't cut Rosco in and fast.
"Well of course not
Rosco!" He turned back, a big Cheshire cat grin on his face.
"I was just waiting for
the profits to start rolling in! Your ten percent of ten percent was so small
it was hardly nothing.
I was just going to tell you all about it right this very day."
"Oh, well, that makes
much more sense. I think." Rosco shrugged. "We best get Bo and go to the
Courthouse. I love it I love it!”
*************** ****************** ****************
Luke drove Min’s red Mustang
slowly along Route Sixteen as Min sat cross-legged on the hood, looking carefully
at either side of the road for any signs of her brother. Finally, she waved Luke to a stop.
“I don’t see any signs of an
accident, Luke, and this is the main road back from Hazzard Pond. There’s no skid marks . . . “
“Ain’t no
busted tree branches or bushes, either.”
Luke sighed, and shook his head at Min.
“Then where could he be,
Luke? It’s way
past lunchtime and there’s no sign of him!”
She exclaimed, and then her eyes widened.
“Oh my God. Luke, you
don’t think he ran away, do you? I mean,
he was pretty upset about this whole thing with Susie Gebhart.”
“No, I don’t believe that.”
He opened the Mustang’s door and got out.
“Bo was upset over how things
worked out with Susie yeah, but he wouldn’t leave his family over her Min. He
wouldn’t do that.”
“Then where is he? Why can’t
we find any trace of him?” Min got down from the hood and walked around the
front of it. “It’s like he just disappeared into thin air!”
“Well…the Hazzard air has
been known to swallow up people before Min, that’s no surprise there but
usually they leave some clue behind.
Like a tire track or…something!”
Luke tucked his hands into
his back pockets as he stared down at the ground, studying it between his slow
easy steps.
“Come on Bo…give me any
sign--” He muttered to himself as he walked away from
Min and the red mustang. “Just one clue…”
Min watched her cousin, arms
crossed over her chest as she leaned against the driver’s side door. Her mind
began to imagine a thousand scenarios that would explain her brother’s disappearance,
each one more terrible than the last. She lowered her head, rubbing her fingers
across her forehead as she closed her eyes.
“There’s got to be something
Luke…anything.”
“I know Min, I know.” He
replied as he stopped suddenly and straightened up.
“What did you say you saw?”
He asked as he turned around to face his cousin.
“Logs—a
pile of logs.” Min sighed, her
hand still rubbing her aching forehead.
“Stacked up all neat like for
a house?”
“No…they’re all messed up like
they were on the back of a semi and the cable broke, scattering them all over
the road.” Her eyes opened and she glanced over at her cousin.
“Do you think that means
something?”
“I don’t know, but it’s the
only clue we’ve got.” Luke went back over to Darlin’ and put both hands on Min’s
shoulders, giving them a squeeze.
“You have to keep your chin
up Min, wherever Bo is we’ll find him.”
She lifted her gaze, staring
into her cousin’s cool blue eyes.
“You mean that Luke or are
you just saying it to make me feel better?” There was a tinge of worry in her
voice despite the joke and she tried to give Luke a small smile.
Luke returned it and pulled
Min into a gentle hug, one hand coming up to touch her long dark hair. “I mean
it Min, I wouldn’t lie to you. We’re going to find him and bring him home.” His
jaw clenched a moment as he closed his eyes, grateful that Min couldn’t see his
face and the worry that tightened his lips into a thin line.
“Come on…let’s keep looking.”
Luke patted her back as he let go of her, then got back behind the wheel of the
Mustang.
Min sighed, nodding.
"Okay Cousin, we'll keep going, Bo wouldn't give up on us we can't give up
on him."
"Believe me; I have no
intention of giving up." Luke
pulled back onto the road and continued down it at a snail's pace. As he rounded the sharp curve of Route
Sixteen, his eyes widened. On the side
of the road sat The General Lee, its right front tire flat. Min yelled out at the same time he saw it,
and vaulted off of the hood of the car.
She ran at the Charger as Luke pushed the driver's side door open to
follow her.
"Oh my
God!" Min bent down and poked
her head in the driver’s side window. Everything seemed to be there; even the
keys and she plucked them from the ignition.
“I don’t get it Luke.. its like…its like he just walked
away from it!” She closed her eyes a moment as she gripped the keys in her
hands.
“Where are you Bo?” The low
question asked, she saw the flash of logs again and opened her eyes.
“What is it about those logs
Luke?”
"I don't know of
anything around here like you're seeing in your head, Min. Are you sure it even has anything to do with
Bo?" Luke opened the trunk and
hissed through his teeth when he saw the spare was flat too.
"Oh, I bet he was
calling me a name or two because of this."
He slammed the trunk shut again.
"He must have started walking towards town. Might be that he's already there, or someone
gave him a ride. Come on, we'll call
Cooter on the CB and have him tow The General into town, and I bet we'll meet
Bo there."
*************** ****************** ****************
Boss pulled up to The Boar’s
Nest in his Caddy with Bo riding shotgun and Rosco close behind in his
cruiser. As Bo hopped out and looked up
at the sign over the wooden building, Rosco sidled up to Boss.
“Boss, how come you didn’t
take him home to Lulu?”
Boss lit a cigar and looked
at Rosco as though he’d lost his mind.
“Because, mini-brain, Lulu’s
done gone to the fat farm for the week and for another thing, her cooking would
kill a buzzard!”
“Well that’s true.” Rosco nodded.
“Besides, you know that by
now them Dukes are out looking for Bo, and with The Boar’s Nest closed today,
it’s a perfect hideout! My house is too
close to town, and you know they’d have everyone and their momma out looking
for my Sonny Boy!” Boss walked over to
Bo and smiled grandly.
“Well, Sonny! Do you remember this place? It’s your home away from home! You practically live here!”
“The Boar’s
Nest.” Bo sighed, squeezing his eyes shut. Then finally, he shook his head. “Daddy I’m sorry I just don’t remember a
thing!”
“Well that’s all right. I’m sure it’ll come to you in time.”
“Hey!” Bo said, smiling. “I bet once we get inside it’ll help me
remember! Cos
then I’ll get to see all my own things!”
“Your own
things?” Boss frowned, and then he smiled widely. “Oh, that’ll be just fine! Come on then,
let’s go inside.” He unlocked the door
and let Bo enter.
“I think I’ll go in too . . .
“ The door was abruptly slammed in his face and Boss
backed him off of the threshold with a stubby, pointed finger up in his
face.
“You hightail
it over to the Duke farm, quick-like!
And then what you’re gonna do is swipe a bushel full of Bo’s personal
things! Souvenirs, pictures
anything! After that, you get over to
the courthouse and bring me them papers that we’re gonna need, you hear? And be quick about it!”
“But Boss, taking stuff from
the Duke farm would be stealing! You
mean you want me to steal in broad daylight?”
“It ain’t stealing!” Boss declared, puffing on his cigar. “When you’re sheriff, it’s confiscating! Now get!”
He shooed Rosco away, opened the front door to The Boar’s Nest, and
stepped inside.
“Sonny? Oh, there you are!”
He smiled when he saw Bo standing in the middle of the darkened room,
and flicked on the lights. “Now, we’re
closed today, but Daddy his-self is going to whip you up some vittles!” Boss donned a large checkered apron. “Hog jowls on cornbread!”
Bo sighed. “Daddy, I really ain’t as hungry as I
thought.”
“Dipped in
molasses! That’s your favorite!” Boss went through the swinging doors to the
kitchen, and then his chubby face appeared briefly in the little square window.
“Trust me.” He nodded with a wink, and vanished into the
kitchen.
*************** ****************** ****************
Later that afternoon, Jesse
stood with Cooter in front of the younger man’s garage. Cooter was worried; he had never seen Jesse
Duke look so pale and distracted.
“Worrying never helped
anything, Jesse.” He said gently, and
the old man ran a hand over his face.
“I can’t help but worry,
Cooter. We’ve looked everywhere, and
it’s as if the earth has just opened up and swallowed Bo whole!”
“I’m sure he’ll turn
up.” Cooter soothed, and then turned his
head as he saw Rosco turn the corner of the square and pull up to the
courthouse.
“There’s Rosco!”
Jesse turned in the direction
and raised his chin. “Come on Cooter, we have to tell him that Bo’s
missing.”
“Shoot, what good is that
gonna do?” Cooter drawled. “Ol’ Rosco is about
as helpful as a screen door in a submarine!”
“Helpful or not, he’s the
only law we got here in Hazzard. Come on.”
The two men called out to
Rosco as he climbed the steps to the courthouse.
Rosco turned when he heard
the sound of Jesse Duke calling him, and his eyes widened. His cruiser was parked right in their line of
sight, and the bagful of stuff he’d swiped from Bo’s room sat in the backseat. He hurried back down the steps and stood in
front of the car, using his body to hide Bo’s belongings.
“What is it now, Jesse? I ain’t got time to fool around, I got work
to do!”
“But Rosco, Bo is
missing!” Cooter exclaimed.
“Of course he is!” Rosco replied, and both Jesse and Cooter
exchanged a puzzled glance. “I mean . .
. he is?”
“Yeah, he went fishing to
Hazzard Pond this morning and we ain’t seen him since.” Cooter
stated raising an eyebrow, glancing at Jesse as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Tuh.” Rosco grunted. “Is that all?”
“What do you mean ‘is that
all?’ Rosco,
didn’t you hear what we said?” The older
man shouted.
“Well of course I did, I got
ears.” Rosco glared at both Cooter and
Jesse.
“Look, I’m sorry about Bo and
all, but I haven’t got time to mess around with stuff like that! I’m on urgent business here at the
courthouse! Now you two just get before
I arrest the bunch of you for loitering!
I mean it, now!”
“Rosco, you glorified night
watchman!” Jesse roared, and Cooter
flinched. Jesse Duke didn’t lose his
temper often, but when he did, the result was more ferocious than a summer
twister.
“Do you mean to tell me that
you’re just gonna stand there and threaten to have us arrested when we’ve just
told you that we got a missing family member?”
“Like I said, Jesse, I got
urgent business. Now go on . . . . I mean
it!” He shooed them from his
cruiser. Tossing Rosco a seething look
of anger, Jesse turned to Cooter.
“I got a feeling in my gut
that Boss and Rosco are involved in Bo’s disappearance, and with the way Rosco
was acting just now, I’m sure of it.”
Cooter Rosco vanish into the
courthouse.
“I got the same feeling,
Uncle Jesse. We best fill Min and Luke
in on what Ol’ Rosco said the minute they get back.”
*************** ****************** ****************
When Rosco returned to the
Boar's Nest with the bag full of Bo's personal things, he snuck in through the
back door and scattered them all over Boss's office. He could hear Boss and Bo talking in the
barroom, and just as he was putting up one of Bo's trophies, the door to Boss's
office banged open, hitting him square in the face. Bo pulled it back as he walked in, and
shrugged at Rosco.
"Sorry Uncle Rosco. What were you doing behind there?"
"I'll put a-" Rosco began,
raising his fist, but clamped his mouth shut when Boss casually kicked him in the shin while he smiled at Bo.
"Say Sonny, look around
here! This is your favorite room, and
these are all your own things!" He
glared at Rosco in case the Sheriff tried to speak up again. Bo looked over the pictures and trophies, and
his brow furrowed.
"Some of these posters
bring back a few memories, daddy."
“They do?” Boss switched his
cigar to the other hand and touched a racing banner.
“Well, you love to race,
Sonny, and you’ve got your Daddy’s natural talent for it too.” He gave Bo a
big, squinting smile, his cheeks rounding like apples.
“Now you just look around,
see if any of this other stuff jogs your memory while I talk to you Uncle
Rosco.”
Taking a hold of Rosco’s arm,
Boss steered him through the open office door and out into the darkened bar.
“Well? Did you get them?”
"Khee! I got 'em Boss,
just like you said." Rosco handed a
bunch of papers to Boss, and then his brow furrowed. "You know, Boss, them Dukes, they're
already out looking for Bo!”
Boss flipped through the
papers and nodded before sticking his cigar in his mouth. He had a puff of it
and blew the smoke at the Sheriff, who coughed and waved his hand in front of
his face.
“Of course they are Rosco,
that’s just what I expect them to do.
That’s why I had you get these, to put an end their meddling all nice and legal
like.”
"But Boss, what worries
me is that amnesia will wear off of Bo's brain.
What'll we do then?"
Boss glanced over his
shoulder a moment and gripped Rosco's arm moving him further away from the open
door. "We won't do nothing! Cause by then Cat
will have delivered all my shine to all my clients and then I pay her to get
lost for a good long time." He
let go of Rosco's arms and brought his hands up.
"No shine! No
evidence!" He said with a bright sunny grin, his eyes wide.
"But Boss, Bo will
remember what he saw. And if he talks,
then Big Jim Doyle will-" Rosco made a fssshhht sound and drew his finger across his throat.
"Rosco!" Boss pulled the sheriff almost to the middle of the
room. "Don't you go talking about stuff like that!
As long as we keep Bo quiet Jim Doyle
won’t have no reason to . . . uhh . . . uhh..." He waved his hands in the air.
"You know what! When the
twenty-four hours are up, I’m gonna have Bo Duke so brainwashed that he’ll
think he’s been a Hogg his whole life!
He’ll be totally loyal to me, and besides, you done heard what that lady
doctor said! It’s
people, not things, that’ll bring Bo Duke’s memory back, and we’ve already got
that covered!” Boss patted his suit coat
pocket with a grin.
“When Big Jim Doyle sees that
Bo doesn’t know nothing excepting the fact that he’s a Hogg, he’ll have no
reason to . . . “ Boss
grimaced. “Commit violence on my
person.”
"I hope so." Rosco replied worriedly. "Cos you know
Boss, it'd be hard to eat those pig's feet you like so much if Big Jim fsssshhht!"
Rosco mimicked cutting his throat again and Boss shoved him aside. "Would you stop with that noise already
and get out on patrol like you're supposed to?" He turned and waddled back into his office,
where Bo was waiting. "Come on
over here, Sonny! Got
something to show you."
Bo obeyed, but as he passed a
mirror, he pulled up short and examined himself. The thick, almost curly blond hair and the
deep blue eyes were familiar, and he put a hand to his face. "You know daddy, it's kind of funny you
and me being father and son. We don't
look a thing alike!" He exclaimed.
"That's cause a lot of years has passed since I looked like you do Sonny
Boy." He put a hand to his stomach and gave it a pat. "And I've
gained a pound or two since then."
"Or ten,
or twenty." Rosco put in helpfully,
and then withered under Boss's glare. He
slipped out the door, and Boss beamed at Bo, who looked in the mirror
again.
"I still don't think we
look much alike." He sighed, and
Boss grinned around his cigar. "Oh,
you don't eh? Well Sonny Boy, we can
soon fix that! You come along with
me!" He took Bo by the arm and led
him out the back door, to where his caddy was parked and waiting.
*************** ****************** ****************
Jesse, Luke, Min and Cooter
stood outside of Cooter's garage in a small circle, their faces grave. Jesse sighed and wrung his red cap in both
hands, his expression one of distress and grief. "There was no sign of him? Just The General?"
“Just the
General.” Min sighed as she
crossed her arms over his chest, her head hanging. “His fishing gear and cooler
were still in the backseat, the keys were still in the ignition.” She raised
her face and gazed at her cousin.
Luke felt just as helpless, and
wiped his hand over his face. “We searched the woods around where we found The
General.” He shook his head and sighed. “No sign of Bo anywhere.”
"Well he can't just have
fallen off the face of the earth!"
Jesse snarled suddenly, anger masking his worry. Cooter patted his shoulder.
"Of course he didn't,
Jesse. He'll turn up soon, you'll
see."
"Sure seems like he did."
Min moved away from leaning against her car and walked around it, running her
hand over the bright red paint. She heard the sound of an engine and glanced
across the street; there she saw Boss pull up in his white Cadillac. The
passenger side opened, and Min’s eyes went round as a loud gasp hitched out of
her.
"Min? Are you okay? Min!" Luke said
sharply when his cousin didn't reply.
Her dark eyes were wide in
genuine shock and she raised a trembling hand to point across the street.
Following her extended arm, the three men saw what had made her pale and they
too gasped.
“Holy Smokes--” Luke muttered
as he swallowed hard.
Cooter watched Boss climb the
courthouse steps with a companion at his side.
The man was dressed in a white suit identical to Boss Hogg's, and he was
well over six feet tall. Cooter shook
his head numbly.
"Either somebody done
run Huey Hogg over with a giant rolling pin, or that there's Bo." He said
with surety.
“Bo!” Min finally snapped out
of her stupor and began running, a wave of relief washing over her at the sight
of her brother, alive and unharmed. She could hear the thuds of Luke’s boots
behind her as she ran.
Cletus,
just leaving the courthouse, met Boss and Bo just as they came up the stairs.
"Hi
Cousin Boss, hey Bo." He smiled, and then stopped short. His eyes widened, and he turned back. "Cousin Boss? What's Bo Duke doing in
one of your suits?"
Boss opened his mouth about
to give his kin what for when he heard the shout. Turning around he saw the
Dukes racing over and grabbed Cletus, using him like a human shield. "Never mind that! You just keep them meddling Dukes of
this building! You hear?" He then grabbed Bo by his arm, his tone changing
from stern to gentle.
"Come on Sonny Boy, we
best get inside."
"Bo wait!" Luke shouted, but his shout was drowned out
by that of his uncle, who was red-faced with rage.
"J.D. Hogg you
overstuffed marshmallow! What have you done to Bo?"
Bo heard the commotion and
glanced over his shoulder seeing the group of people. He blinked a moment,
their faces causing a stirring in his mind.
"Daddy? Who are they?" He rubbed his gauze-covered cut a
moment under the brim of his hat, flashes of images poured forth and made him
slightly dizzy.
"Never mind who they
are! You just get inside and wait for me by the door!" Using his bulk, Boss shoved Bo through the
courthouse door and slammed it shut. He
then used his body to block it, his arms spread out, as he faced the angry mob
of Dukes.
"You Dukes get on out of
here before I have Cletus here arrest you for loitering!"
“Arrest us? Maybe we should
arrest you! What are you doing with Bo and why is he dressed liked a tall,
skinny Pillsbury Dough boy?” Min scowled, the fire of her temper slipped
through as she tried to get past Boss, who shifted from side to side blocking
her efforts.
Luke vaulted up the steps in
quick strides standing beside his cousin.
“Min’s right! We’ve torn up
half the county looking for Bo and you’ve had him all this time! No wonder Rosco didn’t seem concerned that he was missing.”
The three Dukes plus Cooter
all surrounded Boss, the four people towering over the chubby man in white, but
he refused to budge planting his backside firmly against the door.
"Maybe he got tired of
feeding chickens and slopping hogs! I
mean, pigs!”
"Slopping
pigs!" Jesse forced his way
between his niece and nephew coming face to face with Boss. "Now you
listen here JD! The only pig he's slopped around here is you! Now I want to talk to my nephew and I want to talk to him
right now!" Anger coursed through the older man hard and fast, causing his
face to turn a beet red.
"Take it easy, Uncle
Jesse." Luke said softly, concerned
for his uncle's blood pressure.
"Look Boss, we don't care how or why Bo ended up here, we just want
him back!"
"Well he don't want to come back Luke Duke! In fact-" Boss
reached into his suit coat and pulled out a sheaf of papers, which he handed to
Jesse.
"Those papers say that
you Dukes have to keep away from Bo at least five hundred feet at all times! All times! Including now! So you just
march your boots right back where you came from, hear?"
Min glanced at the papers in
her uncle's hands and then shifted her gaze back to Boss.
"A
restraining order! You're keeping
him from us? But why?" She felt her emotions
threaten but held them in check as she lifted her chin, refusing to let Boss
see her that way. "You can't get away with this!"
"I can and I will! I own
this county, and if I say Bo Duke doesn't want to talk to you, then that's
that!" Boss turned and jerked open
the courthouse door. He lumbered inside,
and slammed the door hard.
Luke blinked, Jesse groaned
and Cooter shook his head. "Bo
doesn't want to be a Duke anymore? How
can that be?"
Min pounded on the door with
her fists, this time her feelings boiled over, a combination of anger and heartbreak;
the tears ran down her face.
“Boss! Open this door! Bo! Bo come out here and talk to us please!”
Cletus turned to the
group. "I'm sorry guys, but if you
don't leave, Cousin Boss will make me arrest you. You'd better get on out of here." He said, not unkindly.
Cletus’s words made little difference.
Min beat her fists into the door until her hands hurt. She leaned her forehead
against the door closing her eyes.
“He can’t get away with
this…he can’t keep Bo from us. I refuse to believe he doesn’t want to be a Duke
anymore.” Her voice was low, mellow, and thick with emotion and frustration. Min sighed heavily, wishing this nightmare
would end.
*************** ****************** ****************
Once safely inside the
courthouse, Boss exhaled loudly and paused to pull a large white hanky from his
suit coat pocket with which to wipe his face.
As he tucked it away again, Bo approached him with an uncertain
expression in his eyes.
“Daddy? Who were those people? I swear I recognized them!”
“No you did not! And even if you did, it’s probably because
you saw their faces on some wanted posters in your Uncle Rosco’s office!”
Bo creased his brow. “You mean they’re criminals?”
“Criminals! Pah! They’re worse
than just criminals! They’re lowdown,
mean, sneaky, underhanded scoundrels! Always
poking their noses into other people’s business! Mostly mine!
They’re powerful mean, and they’d like nothing better than to run
upstanding citizens like us clean out of town! You saw the temper on that old
polecat with your own eyes after all!”
“I . . . I suppose so.” Bo replied, and then he shook his head
uncertainly. “But it sure seemed like
they wanted to talk to me about something important.”
“Bull’s breath! The only thing that’s important to The Duke gang
is shine! And they’d do anything to drum
me right out of the market!”
“Shine.” Bo repeated softly, and blinked at Boss. “You mean . . . moonshine?”
“That’s right!” Boss patted Bo’s shoulder, pleased. “And you might not remember it Sonny, but
you’re the best shine runner around these parts! The Duke gang is always trying to get you
over to their side! That’s why they were
calling you out there before, to try and talk you into running for them and
leaving your poor old daddy in the dust!”
Boss’s lower lip stuck out and he mooned like a Basset Hound. Bo frowned.
“Daddy, I’d never do
that!”
Boss brightened. “Course you wouldn’t! You’re a Hogg, after all, and us Hoggs are loyal right down to
the bone!” Boss pulled out his gold
pocket watch and flicked back its scrolled cover.
“Oh my, it’s getting late,
and we got us an important appointment, Sonny!”
“What kind
of an appointment, daddy?”
“Well . . . “ Boss put a hand on
Bo’s shoulder. “That lady doctor told
your daddy and Uncle Rosco that we needed to show you familiar things to help
fix that swimmy head of yours. So I
thought we’d start with the thing that you know best . . . . the
family business!”
*************** ****************** ****************
Doyle paced back and forth
near Boss’s still site, artfully tucked away in some bushes near the abandoned
railroad trestle. The sun was starting
to set, sending rays of bright light down through the trees and splashing
shadows along the forest floor. Doyle, a
pragmatic and practical man, noticed none of nature’s beauty. He only checked his watch and paced, paced
and checked. Finally, a wordless growl tore
from his throat and he snapped his watch closed with a flick of his wrist.
“Damn it Hogg! Where are
you?”
As if in reply, the sound of
an engine broke the silence as Boss’s white caddy pulled up where Rosco and any
shine runner would hide his car. Rosco
was at the wheel, and Doyle’s eyes widened in disbelief when he saw the boy
he’d pistol-whipped earlier riding next to Boss Hogg himself.
“Hogg!” He roared,
advancing on the Caddy with quick, aggressive steps. “What the hell is this?”
“Mind your tongue Doyle, I
said I’d be here, and here I am. The time don’t make no
nevermind.”
Boss lit a cigar and motioned Bo forward. “Jim Doyle, I’d like you to meet
someone.”
“That’s-” Doyle began, and Boss interrupted him
smoothly.
“That’s right! This here’s my son, Bo Hogg.”
Bo took off his hat in a
gesture of respect, the late afternoon sun making his golden hair shine like a
halo. A square white bandage covered an
area of skin near his hairline, and a small flesh-colored band-aid was visible
at a diagonal on his right temple.
Doyle’s eyes widened further,
and after a moment he began to laugh.
“You sly
old weasel!” He chuckled, and Boss grinned
expansively.
“That’s right, Doyle. What you see here is the solution to our
problem.” He said softly, and then
patted Bo’s shoulder. “Cos never was there more a loyal son to his daddy than Bo
Hogg!”
“Loyal!” Rosco echoed with a giggle from behind
Boss.
“You hush.” Boss told him, erasing the smile from Rosco’s
face. Then he turned to Bo. “Sonny, I want you to stay here with Uncle
Rosco for a minute while Mr. Doyle and I talk private-like for a minute.”
“Okay daddy.” Bo smiled, and Boss smiled back.
“Oh that’s my good boy. We’ll be right back.” Boss led Doyle away under the shadows of the
rusted trestle and puffed his cigar.
“Well Doyle, does this
satisfy you? The boy doesn’t remember a
thing, and he ain’t likely to for a long while.
Seems like that bang on the head you give him turned out to be a
blessing in disguise for you.”
“A
temporary blessing, Hogg! That’s all it is! What about when the boy regains his memory?”
“Listen! The doctor who treated Bo Duke said that the
longer he goes without seeing people like family and friends, the less likely
it’ll be that his memory will come back!
Long as he’s with me, he ain’t never gonna remember!”
Doyle raised a skeptical
eyebrow. “I don’t like this and I don’t trust
it.”
"Don't worry,
Doyle! I got me a restraining order
against The Duke family, and they can't get near the boy without getting hauled
to the pokey!”
“A
restraining order?” Doyle looked
past Boss’ shoulder at the Bo and sighed. “You best keep an eye on him Hogg;
you best keep him on a tight leash.” He
raised a pointed finger and stuck it in Boss’s face, the stout man’s eyes
crossing briefly as it bumped the end of his nose. “Because I’m going to be
watching and the first time he slips up…”
"Right. He slips, and
you land on me." Boss gulped, and
then glanced back at Bo.
"That's right...I land
on you and that bungling Sheriff of
yours, and the last two I landed on..." He gave a
grim smile. "Let's just say they went out to
"And
Bo Duke? After all Doyle, he ain't much more than a
boy, really. I mean . . . .you wouldn't really hurt him, would you?"
His smile widened, and his beady
eyes turned cold. "Plenty of room out in that swamp Hogg...plenty..."
Boss began to have the
terrible feeling that he was in over his head, but managed to give Big Jim a
reassuring smile.
"Well no need for that,
Doyle. You just wait and see . . . . once I finish with Bo Duke, he's going to think he was born
a Hogg!"
"For all of your sake's,
he better." Doyle lowered his
finger and straightened up seeing Bo watching the both of them.
"You better start right
now Hogg; he’s looking at me like he remembers who I am."
Boss's eyes widened and he
hurried back over to Bo, who was looking at Doyle curiously. Although he didn't recognize the man, there
was something very familiar about his voice.
"Mr. Doyle, have we met
before?" He asked, and Boss jumped
in before Doyle could reply.
"Why of course you have,
Sonny! Mr. Doyle here has been my
associate for years! He's been around
ever since you was born, practically!"
"An
associate?" Bo grinned
sheepishly, his cheeks turning pink. "Guess I...guess I just couldn't
remember that. I'm awful sorry Mr. Doyle; I'm having some problems with my
memory." He extended his right hand hoping Doyle would shake it and accept
his apology.
Doyle grinned slyly and shook
the boy's hand, all the while shooting Boss a look that said, Blow this, and you're all fish food.
"Now isn’t that nice?
They're being all nice and friendly like," He took out his white
handkerchief and nonchalantly dabbed as his face.
Rosco watched him and Boss
widened his eyes a moment and made a slashing motion across his throat. The
sheriff's eyes grew as round as dinner plates and he mirrored Boss’s fake grin.
“Nice and friendly like.” He
went over to Bo and put his arm around his shoulders. “Now you’re going to do
listen to every word your Daddy says, ain’t you Bo?”
"Sure,
Uncle Rosco." Bo smiled, turning back to Boss. "You're going to tell me about the
family business, right?"
"Why of course I am Sonny!" Boss took his
watch out and opened it checking the time. "But right now we best get home
cause it's getting close to suppertime." He
tucked it away and turned to Doyle. "We best be
going now Doyle, it was nice to see you again."
"Nice
to see you too!" Doyle
grinned, and Boss hurried Bo away from the area as Bo looked curiously over his
shoulder.
"Daddy? Why didn't you
invite Mr. Doyle to supper?"
Boss stopped walking before
he got to the Caddy and whipped around.
"Cause
I don’t make a habit of inviting
mangy polecats to supper Sonny." He saw confusion on Bo's face and gently
patted his shoulder.
"Sometimes you have to
be friendly to those that don’t deserve it, its called business
relations."
"But I
thought you and Mr. Doyle was good friends, daddy!" Bo exclaimed
as they got into the caddy, and Rosco paused at the driver's side door just
long enough to look Bo in the eye.
"Listen to your daddy
now, Bo, he knows what he's talking about!"
Bo sighed and sat back in the
caddy's soft seat.
"Yes sir." He said
softly, and closed his eyes against a growing headache behind his eyes.
*************** ****************** ****************
Cooter pulled up to Bertha’s
Cafe. Jogging around the bright yellow truck he went inside the small grey
building and came out a short time later, both arms loaded with two big,
overstuffed grocery bags.
“Thanks a lot for the food Sweetheart;
I’ll tell the boys you said hey!” He called out over his shoulder as the door
closed. He whistled a cheerful tune as he opened the passenger door to his
truck and carefully set the bags inside it.
After he adjusted his cap a
moment, he got behind the wheel and started the tow truck up, kicking up a
cloud of dust as he headed towards the direction of the Duke farm.
“Best give them a holler; see
if they’re up for company.” He picked up the mike and held it close to his
mouth. “Breaker one, breaker one! Might be crazy but I ain’t dumb…Crazy Cooter
calling over to the Duke Farm, any of you Dukes out there, come on…”
"You got Lost Sh-” There was a broken pause, and then Luke replied.
"Hey,
Cooter."
"Hey Lukas
Dukas!
I'd ask how you're doing but that reply says it all."
His grin faded. "I know
you're all feeling poorly, I picked up some brisket, potato salad and beans
from Bertha’s. I'd sure hate to eat
all this food alone."
"That's mighty fine of
you, Cooter, but . . . ." Luke
hesitated, and Cooter could hear the emotional pain in Luke's tone. Luke Duke wasn't a man to show his emotions
easily, but when it came to his young cousin it was a different story, and
Cooter could tell Bo's absence was hitting Luke hard.
“Come on Luke…you three
sitting around moping ain’t going to get Bo back to you. Let me come by and
we’ll break bread together then talk about getting your kin back. What do you
say?”
Luke paused, and when he
spoke next, his voice was hopeful.
"Are you saying you have some kind of plan for getting Bo back,
Cooter?"
Cooter gave a shrug. "Do
I?" He said to himself first then raised the mike again.
"Can't say I do Lukas,
but I'm sure we can put our heads together and come up with one."
"We have to do
something, Cooter." Luke's voice
lowered noticeably. "Uncle Jesse's
just about going out of his mind with worry.
Something's happened to Bo, and we can't even help him! If we get too close, Boss'll
have us all in the pokey for violating that restraining order of his!"
"As I recall Lukas, it that piece of paper
Boss gave said someone named Duke couldn’t get near Bo." Cooter's grin
widened. "But I sure didn’t see nothing bout someone named
There was another pause, and
then Luke laughed out loud.
"Cooter, you're a
genius!" He shouted. "Come on over and you can tell Uncle
Jesse and Min! Hurry!"
Hearing the
life spark back in Luke's voice sent a rush of relief to Cooter.
"I'm down and gone
Brother, I'll be there in two shakes!" He tossed the mike into the seat
and began to whistle again, this time with genuine mirth as he turned down
*************** ****************** ****************
While The Dukes' appetites
weren't up to par, they laid out a good table to show their gratitude to
Cooter. As they sat down to eat and said
grace, Cooter could almost feel the heaviness that's Bo's absence had left in
the family.
"Lord, bless this food
and this family . . . . and watch over those that we
cannot. Amen."
"Amen." Luke, Min and Cooter echoed, and Jesse began
to serve the brisket, beans and potato salad that Cooter had brought.
Min stared down at her plate
as her uncle served her and gave a nod. “Thank you Uncle Jesse.” She picked up
her fork and glanced across the table at Cooter.
“You really think you can get
him?”
“Sure I can Min, shouldn’t be
no trouble at all!” Cooter leaned forward, his fork in his right hand. “See
despite the fact Ol’ Bo’s a tad off his rocker right
now, deep down in him there’s the same good ol’ boy
there’s always been! He won’t be able to stop himself from lending a neighbor a
hand!”
"How do you mean,
Cooter?" Luke asked, dishing
himself out some potato salad.
"Simple Luke,"
Cooter shifted his attention to him and began to use the tablecloth like a
paper, grabbing the salt and pepper shakers and a slice of bread.
"See this is Boss' house
here, in
"See I'll come driving
along--" The pepper shaker slid across the table and stopped close to the
bread slice. "And oh darn ain't it a shame! My fuel line's gonna get
clogged and the truck's going to stall out." He then raised the salt shaker
and grinned.
"And here's Bo Hogg, all
decked out in his fancy white duds. I'll go knock on the door and ask for help,
get him over by the truck then bushwhack him and take off with him!"
Jesse's expression turned
cautious. "Bushwhack him? Cooter, you don't aim to hurt my boy, do
you? Cos
whatever's goin' on in his mind, I'm sure it's not
his doing."
Cooter picked up the saltshaker
that he had placed close to the pepper and gave it a pat. "Don’t you worry
yourself now Uncle Jesse, I swear I won't hurt Bo none, just get him in the
truck and take off with him. I'll drive him out of the square and you all can
be waiting."
"And
after that, then what?" Luke asked.
"If Bo really has lost his mind or his memory, how do we help him
get it back?"
Min wiped her mouth with her
napkin; she had been thinking about when they saw Bo with Boss. "You all
remember when Bo looked at us and he touched his forehead?"
Luke nodded. "He looked like he had a headache or
something. And I think his head was
bandaged. It was hard to tell with that
hat, though." He looked up at
Min.
"Do you think he recognized
us, Min?"
"I think so Luke, I
think for a brief moment something came back to him." She raised her hand
and touched her forehead in the same spot Bo had rubbed his.
"I think I saw some
gauze on his head, but any memory flash he might have gotten I'm sure Boss lied
to him about anything he remembered."
Jesse frowned severely. "When I get ahold
of that overstuffed bean bag, he's going to wish he'd never tangled with my
family!"
Luke reached out and patted
his uncle on the shoulder. "Easy now Uncle Jesse, what we know is that
Boss is holding Bo and keeping him away from us, what we don't know is
why."
Cooter nodded. "Luke's
right, Boss and Rosco have done some mean and under handed things but nothing
this low before. There's got to be a good reason."
"There's
only two reasons that J.D. does things. Either for money, or to save his own sorry hide. Whatever he's got Bo mixed up in, you can bet
it's because of those two reasons!"
"And that’s what worries
me. If its more profitable or safer to keep Bo with
him..."
Min pushed her plate away,
her appetite suddenly vanishing. "What if Bo's in danger if we take him
away from Boss?"
Luke turned to Jesse. "Uncle Jesse, you know Boss better than
anyone else in Hazzard. Is there a
chance that Boss is protecting Bo from something?"
Jesse scowled. "He don't need
Boss' protection! We're his family, and
if he is in trouble, we're the ones who should be protecting him!" He snapped.
"Amen to that Uncle
Jesse." Cooter set his napkin down on the table. "If Bo were in
trouble, I think Boss would have said something about it."
"Maybe he couldn't. Maybe someone was listening." Luke suggested, and Jesse shook his
head.
"It's either money or
his hide, like I done told you all before!" He looked over at Cooter. "When?"
Cooter rubbed his hands
together, his toothy grin returning. "Well I figure Boss and Rosco gotta
leave Bo alone some time. He opens his bank at
Jesse nodded. "Let's do it, then. Let's get Bo back where he belongs."
*************** ****************** ****************
Bo ran for his life, his feet
pounding over the hard packed earth. The
smell of pine was all around him, and his lungs burned as he ran faster and
faster. Suddenly, a huge barrier of
fallen trees and underbrush loomed up in front of him, and he cried out for
help as he tried in vain to climb the slippery wood. From the other side, voices began to call his
name.
"Bo, come home! Come home, please!"
"I'm trying! I'm trying,
help me, please!"
He called back to the voices that were so familiar, yet just out of his
reach. He continued to call to them as
he scrambled up the fallen logs, but then suddenly something was dragging him
back down. He screamed aloud as strong
hands yanked him backwards, and something hard and cold struck his head. As the thing continued to strike him, Bo
heard the muted crack of his own skull cracking open, and the voices on the
other side of the blowdown faded along with his consciousness . . . . .
He came awake in the room his
daddy had said was his, breathing hard and damp with sweat. His head ached, and Bo put both hands to the
bandage that covered the wound there.
His daddy and Uncle Rosco had said he'd run off the road and hit his
head, but he had no memory of the accident.
He climbed out of bed with a
sigh, his bare feet cold on the wood floor.
He padded over to the window and looked out at the coming dawn, unhappy
for a reason that he couldn't explain.
Who are those people that I keep dreaming about? He thought to
himself.
Why do I only hear their voices, but never see their
faces?
A knock on the bedroom door
broke these thoughts.
“Sonny? You awake in there?” Boss called out, from behind the
closed door.
"Uh . . . yeah daddy,
hold on just a second!" Bo threw a
robe over the sweat pants he'd slept in and opened the door.
"Come on in." He offered Boss a smile that he hoped looked
genuine.
"You sleep all right?"
Boss looked around the room as he came in. Getting ready for the day, he only
had on his white shirt and vest, his jacket and hat in his hands.
"I came to tell you that
your Uncle Rosco and I have some work to do down in my
bank. You think you can fend for yourself for a little while, say for an hour
or two?"
"Sure,
daddy." Bo replied, his eyes roving around the room
that Boss has said was his. The
wallpaper was a riot of huge pink roses and pale green vines. He shook his head. "Daddy, if this is my
room, why does it look like you and momma had a girl instead?"
"Oh! Uhhhh...."
Boss slipped his jacket on, adjusting the lapels. "That's cause your momma thought
she was having a girl but low and behold she had you instead! You just ain't never had the heart to change it since she spent a lot
of time and hard work decorating it."
"Oh." Bo said uncertainly, wanting to tell his
father about the dreams he'd been having, but obviously he had a busy day ahead
of him, and Bo didn't want to trouble him.
"I'll be fine here
alone, daddy. I'll read the paper and
have a bite to eat. Don't you worry
about me, just go on to the bank and get your business done."
Boss nodded as he slipped the
hat. “All right I’ll do that.” He took a step closer to Bo and pointed a chubby
finger at him.
“Now you listen to me and you
listen good you stay in this house
and don’t you open for the door for no
one you understand?”
Bo nodded. "I understand, daddy. You better go on now before you're late."
A grin came to Boss's face.
"That's my good
boy!" Boss gave Bo a pat on his shoulder, then promptly
turn and left the room. The sound of his heavy footfalls echoed through
the house as the stout man walked down the steps. The front door opened, then closed with a bang, leaving silence in its wake.
Alone with his troubled
thoughts, Bo went down into the kitchen.
The morning paper was already on the table, and Bo helped himself to a
glazed donut from a box next to the paper.
He poured himself a cup of coffee, drank it down, and reached for the
egg basket that always hung beside the front door-
Bo blinked as his hand closer
over empty air. "Egg
basket?" He asked himself aloud,
and then shook his head. He was pretty
sure his daddy didn't own any chickens, much less an egg basket. Shrugging off the random memory, Bo poured
himself another cup of coffee and sat down to read the paper.
He was halfway through the
front page when the doorbell rang, its robust chimes echoing through the
house. Bo hesitated, and then got up to
answer the door. Remembering his daddy's
orders, he didn't open the door right away.
Instead he called out.
"Who is it?"
"It's Jim Doyle,
son! Your daddy's oldest friend,
remember? I plumb forgot yesterday that
I had a package for him. Left it in my
car and didn't recollect it until after you all had left. Be a good boy and open up, so's I can give it to him?"
Bo hesitated. "Daddy told me not to open the door for
anyone, Mr. Doyle."
“I realize that son and I’m
glad you’re obeying your Daddy but…this is something that pertains to his
business and he could lose a lot of money if I don’t give it to him.”
"Maybe you could just
leave it there on the porch, Mr. Doyle.
I'm sure my daddy will pick it up there when he and Uncle Rosco get back
from the bank."
"Oh no
I can't do that! Someone's liable
to steal it and that'd hurt your Daddy's business even more!"
Bo hesitated, and then swung
the door open. Doyle grinned at him, and
Bo held his hand out. "I can take
it for you, Mr. Doyle."
Doyle had his hands behind his
back, he brought one around and grabbed Bo by the wrist then yanked the young
man forward. Spinning him around, he slapped a chloroform soaked handkerchief
against Bo’s face and held it there.
"Just breathe it in son,
breathe it in nice and deep!" He
said with a cold smile as he held Bo against his chest and watched his
struggles grow weaker.
At that moment, Cooter was
rounding the bend that led to Boss's house.
He glanced down to make sure he could stall the truck out easily, but
when he looked back up, he got the nasty shock of seeing a big, barrel chested man standing on Boss's porch, holding Bo tightly
against him with one arm while his other hand held something white over Bo's
face. Bo's legs were kicking helplessly,
and Cooter swore loudly as he fumbled for the CB.
"Breaker one! Luke,
Jesse, Min! Please tell me you got your
ears on, this here's an emergency!"
“Min here Cooter, what’s
going on? Is it Bo?”
"Yeah! Min, you and
Luke got to get over to Boss's house; some big dude in a blue suit is
manhandling Bo!"
"What?? What big dude?
He's got Bo? Hang on Cooter we're almost there!"
"Hurry!" Cooter shouted
as he watched the big man drag Bo to a dark green Chevy parked at the
curb. Bo looked unconscious, and Cooter
watched in dismay as the big man tied Bo's hands and feet, and then shoved a
white cloth in his mouth before bundling him into the backseat. He drove off, heading away from town, and
Cooter got back on the CB in a hurry.
"Min! He's got Bo in his car and he's heading away from
town! I'm on his tail!" Cooter began to follow the Chevy at a casual
distance, his heart beating hard.
*************** ****************** ****************
Meanwhile in Min’s red
Mustang, the two Duke cousins were speeding towards
town, on their way to meet Cooter. They heard his latest transmission and the
color drained from Min’s face as she glanced at her cousin, swallowing hard.
“Oh God Luke someone snatched
Bo!” She pressed the CB mike again; it shook a little in her hand.
“Cooter? Which road did he take?”
"He's heading down
"
"Put it to the floor,
cousin. Whoever that guy is, he's
planning on making sure we never get Bo back!”
Min exclaimed, and thumbed the mike again.
“Shepherd, this is Darlin’,
you got your ears on?”
“You got the Shepherd,
Darlin’, come back?”
“We got trouble! Cooter called us and said he saw some big fella kidnap Bo right off of Boss’s front porch! Cooter’s on his tail and we’re close
behind.”
“Where they headed, Darlin’?”
“West, on
Old Farm road!”
There was a pause, and
Jesse’s voice was hard-edged with barely controlled panic.
“You just keep on ‘em, Darlin’, and I’ll be there in two shakes Shepherd
out.”
“Copy that, Shepherd. Darlin’ out.” Min put down the CB and glanced over at Luke.
“Jesse knows where
“I don’t think we have to
time to ponder that right now, cousin.
If we waste any time, Bo’s going to be at the bottom of the swamp before
we can turn around.”
*************** ****************** ****************
Doyle grinned
a hard, unforgiving grin as he headed for the swamps and the end to his
troubles with Bo Duke. Of course he
hadn’t trusted Boss at his word, a frog would be better off to trust a hungry
snake. Knowing that Boss would most
likely betray or lie to him about what Bo Duke remembered, Doyle had decided to
take matters into his own hands. Sure it
was a dirty trick, but dirty tricks were what had kept him alive all of these
years. Alive,
and one step ahead of the game.
There was a stirring from the
backseat, and then several muffled protests as Bo came out of his ether-induced
sleep. He squirmed against his bonds and
called Doyle’s name through the thick white cloth in his mouth.
“Quiet down, boy. It’ll all be over soon enough. Then I can
tell the Dukes that you were silenced permanently.” Doyle spoke into the rearview mirror, where
Bo’s dark blue eyes were wide above his gag.
He shook his head desperately, and Doyle laughed.
“That’s right, I’m working
for them, and they want you out of the picture!” He lied, enjoying the look of
panic in Bo’s eyes.
“You go on ahead and struggle
all you like, the gators love it when their prey puts up a fight. Makes the meal that much
more satisfying!”
“Mnnnnph!” Bo shouted, his bound feet pounding the back
of Doyle’s seat.
“You got plenty of fire boy! The gators are goin’ to be fighting over you! Lucky for them there’ll be enough of you to
go around.” Doyle grinned into the
rearview mirror as he saw fear jump into Bo’s eyes, and a thrill ran through
him.
“Too bad I’m in such a
hurry.” He said in a low, husky
voice. “Otherwise I’d stop along the way
so you and I could have a bit of fun of our own before I fed you to the
critters in Little Fox Swamp. Now quiet
down before I waste you right here and the swamps be damned!”
Old
“See that Boy? It’s almost
the end of the line for you and I won’t shed a tear, just another ridge runner
that finally got his comeuppance.”
Bo strained against the ropes
that bound his hands, praying that somehow his daddy and Uncle Rosco would come
after him.
*************** ****************** ****************
“Ooh! Oooh! Boss, come quick! Big Jim Doyle’s gone and
kidnapped Bo Duke!”
Rosco called from the
driver’s seat of the Caddy as he sat in front of the bank, and Boss nearly fell
down the steps of the building in his mad dash to the car, his chubby arms
flailing wildly.
“What? Rosco, are you sure you heard right? I told Sonny Boy not to open the door for
nobody!”
“I heard it with my own two eyes,
I mean, ears, I mean . . . . I was sitting right here when I heard Cooter and
Min and Jesse talking about it over the CB!
They said some big fella in a blue suit had
kidnapped Bo right off’n your front porch! There’s only one big fella
in a blue suit that I know of, Boss, and that’s Doyle!”
“What! That no good double-crosser! We had a deal!” He got into the caddy and jammed his hat onto
his head. “You just can’t trust an
honest crook these days! You get on the
horn and find me a Duke! Any Duke! I gotta tell them the truth before it’s too
late!”
Rosco pulled out of the town
square as he picked up the CB mike.
“Breaker one, this is Sheriff
Rosco P. Coltrane, any of you Dukes got your ears on, come on?”
*************** ****************** ****************
Min’s eyes went wide as she
heard the hail over the CB and picked up her mike.
“This is Min Duke, sheriff, and
if this is about some trumped-up charge or stupid speed trap, we haven’t got the
time! Somebody has Bo-”
There was a spate of static
on the line and then Boss broke in.
“Gimmie
that thing here,” Min
heard him grumble.
“Now listen up you
Dukes! The man who has Bo is a crooked
revenuer named Big Jim Doyle! He’s gonna
do away with Bo if we don’t do something right quick!”
“J.D. Hogg, what have you
gotten my boy into? You’d best start talkin’ right here and now, or Bo won’t be the only one in
trouble!” Jesse raged into his own CB
mike.
“Now now
Jesse, just take it easy . . . . “ Boss placated his old nemesis. “I was only tryin’
to protect the boy!”
“Looks like you’re doing a
fine job.” Luke drawled, and Boss gave a
wordless noise of protest.
“I resent that, Luke
Duke! I did everything I could for Sonny
Boy! It’s not my fault that Doyle didn’t
live up to his end of the bargain!”
“What bargain?” Min asked, and Boss swallowed hard before
pouring out the whole story. The revenuer’s meeting, Bo on the trestle, the argument, Bo running
for his life, Doyle pistol-whipping him at the foot of the blowdown, and
finally, Bo’s loss of memory as a result.
Gasping, Min’s mouth dropped
open. “So that’s why you kept him
from us with that restraining order!”
“I had no choice! Doyle
threatened to put all of us six feet under if we didn’t find a way to keep Bo
from talking!” Boss took his handkerchief from his pocket and dabbed his
sweating face. “I couldn’t let Doyle hurt him, so I figured making him think he
was a Hogg would be the best thing to do!”
“The best thing for you J.D. but how do you think Bo’s feels
not knowing about his family! You did it to protect your fat hide and if’n I get my hands on you….” Jesse roared and the tone of
his voice made Boss wince.
“I know I done wrong Jesse
but now I want to fix it!”
“Well you all better think of
something and quick!” Cooter suddenly interrupted. “We’re almost to
*************** ****************** ****************
Doyle turned down a
hard-packed dirt road that bore no sign, only an empty, rusted-out post where
one had once been. In the distance, the
land gave way to huge swamp trees and silty quartz
deposits that could suck a person down within seconds and smother them. Doyle knew these swamps well; Bo wasn't the
first person he'd brought here when they'd become a nuisance. As he sped down the road, kicking up dust
behind him, Doyle glanced in the rearview mirror and watched his captive
struggle. Beyond that, though, was a
speck of yellow that began to gain on him.
Realizing he was being followed, Doyle snarled and pressed the gas pedal
all the way to the floor.
"Damn it! Looks like I
picked up a tail!" He squinted a moment, recognizing the tow truck that
belonged to Cooter.
"That greasy monkey from
the garage thinks he's going to be some kind of hero...let's just see how he
likes a few surprises." Doyle leaned forward and reached out, opening the
glove box. He rustled around amongst the papers stuffed into it and pulled out
a small black box. Keeping on hand firmly on the wheel, he set the box across
his chest and opened it, pulling out a couple of sticks of dynamite.
"This should slow him
down."
From his vantage point, lying
on his back in the backseat, Bo could see the dynamite sticks in Doyle's
hand.
"NMMMFF!" He cried,
kicking and struggling as he tried to maneuver his bound feet between the front
seats so that he could kick at Doyle.
“Knock it off rube!” Doyle
changed the dynamite sticks from one hand to another, and then reached behind
him to try and punch Bo with one closed fist.
Bo managed to duck the fist,
and then he heard a loud horn begin to honk in the distance. The honking grew louder and louder, and then
Doyle was swearing as the huge front fender of Cooter's yellow truck rammed
into the rear of the Chevy.
"That mangy no good son
of a--" The sentence got cut off as the tow trick slammed into the bumper
again, the force of it throwing both men forward. Doyle fumbled with the
dynamite sticks a moment, then searched the pockets of his suit coat for a
lighter and flicked it. He lit the end of the dynamite then rolled down his
window, heaving it as hard as he could behind him.
Bo cried out again as he was
thrown to the floor by the impact of Cooter's truck ramming into them, and he
looked up just in time to see Doyle toss a stick of dynamite out the
window.
"SHOOT-FIRE!" Cooter
shouted, swerving to avoid both the dynamite stick and its resulting explosion
that took out a good chunk of road where he'd been only moments before.
"Look out y'all, he's
powerful armed!" Cooter yelled into
his CB.
"I got an
idea." Luke said to Min as they
caught up with Cooter, and swerved away from the yellow truck. He bumped through a weedy field, and then
roared into a copse of swamp maples that marked the beginning of the
marsh. Min looked around nervously. "Careful Luke, there's quicksand around here!"
"I know what I'm
doing. Just hang tight." Luke replied, and maneuvered the sure-footed
Mustang around the thick-trunked maples. He shot out of them a moment later, the car
little more than a red bullet as Luke shot out across
Min braced herself as best
she could, her teeth clicking together and he body jostling despite her
seatbelt. As she glanced down into
Doyle’s car, she Bo briefly locked eyes.
"Oh my
God Luke! He looks scared to
death!"
"It's all right, it's
all right, we're gonna get him."
Luke said, his tone quiet yet hard as steel. Doyle slammed on the brakes to avoid hitting
the mustang, and the two cars now sat on the edge of the swamp, Darlin's front and rear left tires only a few feet from the
greenish water's edge. Doyle snarled at
Min and Luke through his windshield, and then he was dragging Bo out of the car
by his waist, a huge colt .45 pistol jammed under his chin.
"You take one step, you
rubes, and I muss this kid's pretty hair the hard way!"
Min swallowed hard, her
finger pressed the CB mike down so Doyle's threat was broadcast to both Jesse, Boss and Rosco.
Her breathing sped up as she shook her head slowly.
"We won't move! Just
don’t hurt him!"
Doyle approached the mustang,
and then inched around it. Just to the
right of the car, a wide deposit of whitish-gray silt ran between two large
maples.
The old timers called it
'lightning sand,' because anything or anyone who stepped into it vanished
beneath the surface lightning-quick, never to be seen again. Bo whimpered through his gag, his eyes locked
on the two people in the red car.
Luke watched Doyle with his
arm slung around his cousin.
"We have to do something
Min; if he tosses Bo into that sand...he'll be gone before we can get out of
this car!"
Min nodded her throat dry. "But what Luke? What can we do?"
"If we so much as twitch, he'll blow Bo's brains out." Luke said with desperation. He closed his eyes, knowing that whether he
moved or not, he was about to see his little cousin die before his very
eyes.
*************** ****************** ****************
In Boss's Caddy, Boss was
shouting into Rosco's ear. "Hurry
up Rosco! If we're going to save that
boy's life, we need to get to that swamp and pronto! Now step on it!"
"Right! Step on it!"
Rosco tromped down on the caddy's gas pedal, and Boss yelled as he flew
backwards into his seat.
Rosco's eyes widened as the
swamp approached with amazing speed, the caddy gobbling up fuel as it gobbled
up yards.
"Do'HOOOH!"
Rosco yelled as he slammed into the back of Cooter's truck. Cooter grunted as his truck careened forward,
hit Min's car a glancing blow, and knocked Doyle backwards into the whitish
gray silt.
The big man screamed, dragging Bo with him as his hands scrabbled for purchase
on the mossy bank near the swamp maple.
Bo was half in and half out of the stuff, and Luke dove out of Darlin'
like a linebacker. He grabbed Bo's bound
ankles and pulled hard in the other direction as Doyle lost his grip, and fell
into the lightning sand.
Luke cried out in horror as
Bo's head plunged into the sand as well, as Doyle still had a grip on him.
"Help me, Min! Cooter!" He
yelled.
"Luke!" Min
scrambled out of her car and ran towards the edge of the quicksand. She
crouched down and wrapped her arms around her cousin’s waist, pulling him
backwards.
“Cooter! Help!” She cried out, and
then gritted her teeth as she gave another yank on Luke’s waist, moving him
only a few inches away from the sand.
Cooter, Jesse, Boss and Rosco
all jumped from their cars and converged on the three Dukes, pulling them all
away from the deadly sand. Bo was
gagging and coughing, and Luke rolled him over to wipe the drying sand from
Bo's face.
“Bo…are
you all right?” He patted his back, hoping to help his cousin’s lungs get clear
of the sand and gently plucked the gag from his mouth.
Min stepped over Luke and
crouched down beside her brother her heart racing. She smoothed Bo’s gunk
covered hair away from his face, mindful of the bandaged cuts on his head. He
had his eyes closed, his breaths still sounding raspy.
“Bo? Come on talk to us,
please.”
Bo's eyes fluttered open
slowly, and then they locked on his cousin's face. He coughed up a fair amount of sand, and
groaned aloud.
"Daddy . . . " He moaned,
and Jesse sighed.
"He still thinks he's a
Hogg."
"Sonny
Boy!" Boss raced over to Bo
and smiled down at him. "Yeah I'm here Sonny, you're all right." He
then heard a growl and looked over his shoulder seeing a pair of volcanic blue
eyes staring down at him and he gave a sheepish grin.
"We need to have a talk
Sonny." His attention shifted back to Bo and he sighed. "Remember how
I told you all those things about the Dukes? And how I told you that you and me was father and son?"
Bo nodded wearily as Luke
untied his hands and feet and tossed the ropes into the silt, where they
promptly vanished. "I remember,
daddy."
"Good, that's very good Sonny Boy but... there was
just one itty bitty little problem with all that I told you." He opened
his mouth a moment, then closed it. He cast another
glance over his shoulder seeing Jesse raise an eyebrow.
“What I mean is…” He started
looking back at Bo. “Those things I done told you, they wasn’t
exactly the truth. Ya see…the Dukes ain’t really all those things I said.
They’re your family.”
Bo blinked. "My . . . . family?" He looked up at Jesse, Luke and Min.
"No . . . you said the Dukes were criminals." He looked up at Boss. "No!
My name is Hogg, Bo Hogg! Doyle told me they were the ones paying him
to get me out of the way!”
“No it’s not Sonny Boy, its
Bo Duke.” Boss then glanced at Rosco.
“Right
Rosco?”
Rosco nodded. "That's right Bo. You're a Duke. Like Luke and Min there." He gestured to the two young people. "And that's your Uncle Jesse."
Cooter also nodded as he
stepped closer. “Bo, they’re your family and they practically tore Hazzard
clean apart trying to find you.”
"No . . . " Tears
suddenly came to Bo's eyes and spilled down his cheeks.
"I'm a Hogg. I . . . I'm
. . . ." Bo's eyes rolled back and
he slipped into unconsciousness, his head falling back onto Luke's
shoulder.
“Bo!” Min touched the side of
her brother’s face. “I think…I think the shock of all this made him pass out!” She glanced at Luke who nodded.
“We best get him to
"Capitol City General's
better." Boss put in. His eyes lifted to Jesse's. "And don't worry none
about the bill."
*************** ****************** ****************
Bo stayed in the dark for
nearly twenty-six hours. When he awoke
slowly from his torpor he found that he once again had a bad headache, and that
he was back in a hospital. The Duke girl
with the dark hair was sitting at his bedside, and he turned his head to look
at her.
"What're you doing
here?" He asked in a weak, hoarse
voice.
Min smiled, reaching out she
touched Bo’s blond hair and moved it away from his bandaged cuts. “You’re my
brother…whether you remember it or not its true.”
She spoke in a gentle voice,
not wanting to rile him.
Bo jerked away from her, and
then groaned when that action aggravated his headache. "You're a liar! Doyle told me all about you! He said he was acting on your orders!"
“Doyle lied about that Bo.
Think about it… if we wanted you dead, would we have pulled out of that
quicksand?” She stared directly into his face, watching him think it over.
"I . . . I don't know
what to think. I'm so confused. I thought I was a Hogg, but you say I'm a Duke. Daddy said The Dukes are our worst
enemy." Bo rubbed his eyes.
"I feel like a marker in
some big game, pushed around by people who all want me to believe their side of
things!"
“I know right now things are
a mess in your head, but what I’m telling you is the truth. You’re a Duke and
somewhere deep down inside of you is that knowledge, it’s just been scrambled
because you hit your head.” Min reached out and gently touched his hand.
“I want you to look at me, in
my eyes and tell me that you think I’d hurt you.”
Bo looked into the girl's
dark eyes. Although she was dark where
he was fair, there was something of himself mirrored in her face. He swallowed hard.
"If you really are my
kin, then prove it. Help me remember
what happened. Uncle Rosco says I was in
an accident."
Min nodded, tightening her
grip on his hand. “Then come with me outside.”
Bo hesitated. He might not remember his own past, but he
did remember what happened the last time he went somewhere with a
stranger.
"I- I don't know."
"What does your heart
tell you?" She didn’t want to force him to go with her, for this to work
he had to go along with her outside willingly.
Bo closed his eyes. "That I have to know the
truth."
He swung his legs out of bed
as Min handed him his old blue robe that Jesse had brought for him. He shrugged it on, pausing to frown at a hole
in the sleeve.
Caught it on the hook where I hang my towel in the
bathroom, he thought randomly, and
then blinked down at Min. "This . .
. this is my robe, isn't it?"
"Yeah it is." Min
grinned at that, something had come back to her brother, though small at least
it was a start.
"Where are we
going?" Bo asked as they got into
the elevator and headed down to the first floor.
“Outside, figured you could
use some fresh air.”
She escorted him down the
white-tiled hall to the end of it, the sliding glass door parted and there,
under the ambulance port sat the General. Min grinned as she let go of Bo’s arm
and approached the long stock car.
“This is the General Lee
Bo…you and Luke built him together.”
Bo stared hard at the car,
and suddenly a memory flashed through his head.
Snatches of a country tune about how Mama Tried, a
fishing pole, and a flat tire. He
frowned.
"The
General."
“Right! The General Lee. How’s this grab
your memory?” Min bent down and poked her inside the driver’s side door and hit
the horn, the first eleven notes of
Bo's eyes widened at the
sound as a mass of roaring pain rolled through his head like thunder. Memories began to flood his mind all at once,
memories of his childhood, his family, and along with those, memories of Boss
and Rosco and Big Jim Doyle. He
screamed, clapping his hands over his ears as he sank to his knees onto the
pavement.
“Bo!” Min grabbed her brother
around the waist, preventing him from falling all the way to the concrete and
injuring himself further. She propped him up as best she could, and stared into
his face.
“It’s all right…I’m sorry I
didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Bo looked up at her, and
another wave of memories crashed over him.
Min coming to the farmhouse for the first time, saying she was his
sister. Pinball at The Boar's Nest,
racing down
"Min." He said
shakily. "Your name is Min."
She blinked at that, her eyes
widening. “You…you remember me?”
His hands coming up to touch
her face, Bo nodded.
"Yes . . . yes I
do!" He got to his feet
slowly. "And
Luke, and Uncle Jesse? Are they
here?"
“They’re in the waiting
room.” Min’s breath caught a moment, a smile coming to her face as she saw the
recognition shining in his brother’s eyes.
“God Bo…when you didn’t come
home…” She bit her lip, her eyes growing shiny as tears welled up in them. “We
didn’t know what had happened and then we couldn’t find you.”
Bo threw his arms around her
and held her tightly. He remembered everything, from going fishing to running
for his life from Jim Doyle down that path that was carpeted with pine
needles.
"I saw something I
shouldn't have, Min. It was an accident
. . . I was just taking a shortcut home because The General had a flat!"
Min returned the hug, a bit
overwhelmed at everything that had happened over the past couple of days. “I
know, Boss told us everything.”
"I want to see Luke and
Uncle Jesse. Please."
“All
right.” She let go of her brother,
pausing a moment to wipe her face. “They’re over here.” Taking a hold of Bo’s hand,
she led him back into the hospital.
*************** ****************** ****************
Luke paced back and forth,
his arms crossed over his chest as he wore a path in the carpeting. Close by,
Jesse sat on one of the maroon colored couches in the room, his fingers laced
over his chest. He watched his nephew walk and sighed.
"Worrying ain’t going to
help nothing Luke. Min can't force Bo to remember, we just have to hope she can
help."
"What if he never
remembers us, Uncle Jesse? What if we
have go to go the rest of his life trying to help him remember his own
past?" Luke asked, stopping his
pacing long enough to confront his uncle.
“All we can do is hope for
the best; the rest is in the hands of the good Lord.”
Though Jesse’s words were
strong, his eyes betrayed him, the worry and pain of Bo’s memory loss and
almost losing his life reflecting in their depths.
The double doors behind them
rumbled open, and Luke's heart all but stopped in his chest as he heard a
familiar and much-loved voice call his name.
"Luke! Uncle
Jesse!"
Jesse turned, a grin coming
to his face as he saw his niece and nephew come in; he slowly rose to his feet
as Bo practically tackled him, his blond head pressing to his chest. He
couldn't speak, just lowered his chin to rest on top of Bo's head, wrapping his
arms around him tightly.
"Uncle Jesse." Bo said softly, hugging his uncle
tightly. "I can't believe I forgot
about you!"
Luke touched his cousin on
the back. "You were hurt Bo, you didn't remember any of us."
Bo turned to hug Luke
hard. "I was trying to remember,
but Boss kept telling me that Dukes were the enemy. Guess I just started believing it."
"Whoa!" Luke chuckled
then returned the fierce embrace. "And with you not remembering the truth,
it was easy for you to believe." His grin widened. "Just promise me
one thing Cousin."
"What's that?" Bo asked, pulling back to look his cousin in
the eye.
"That
you'll never ever wear a white suit
again!" Luke saw his cousin’s
eyes grow round; the expression so familiar that it made his heart flood with
relief.
Bo groaned, knowing that Luke
would never let him live that down.
"Luke, that's a promise!"
*************** ****************** ****************
It was evening again, and a
cool, gentle breeze tumbled Bo's wavy blond hair into his eyes as he rocked
back and forth on the glider that sat on the Duke's front porch. It had been two days since the Dukes were a
family again. Bo had come home with his memories intact, but at times he was
sorry that he remembered everything.
Doyle's death particularly
upset him; not because Doyle was an innocent man, but because Bo felt somehow
responsible. He sighed and pushed his
hair back, grateful for the cool soothing breeze.
“Should be getting some rest
Bo, the doctor said you had to take it easy for at least a week.” Jesse stood
at the screen door peering at his nephew, then opened it and stepped down onto
the porch. He walked around the swing and sat down beside his nephew.
“You’ve been awfully quiet
since you got home, something on your mind?”
"I don't know, Uncle
Jesse . . . .I just . . . " He ran both hands through his hair, making
the loose curls pile atop one another.
"I remember how Doyle died, and I feel like it's my fault."
Jesse reached down and patted
Bo’s knee. “I know you do Sprout, but it wasn’t your
doing. You were helpless, bound hand and foot. Doyle was the one that made the
choice to kidnap you and take you to the swamp, the things that happened there
were unfortunate but they weren’t your doing. You’re just as much a victim as
Doyle was, ‘cept you were lucky enough to come out in
one piece.”
"I just wish no one had
gotten hurt is all." Bo said
softly. "Even though Doyle wasn't
exactly an upstanding kind of fella, I don't think he
deserved what happened to him."
"Nobody ever does Bo;
when someone dies tragically they never deserve what happens to them."
Jesse shifted over, his arm coming up and resting across his nephew's
shoulders, he then drew the younger man closer.
"Been a wild couple of
days, hasn't it?"
"Yessir." Bo said softly, and allowed his head to rest
on Jesse's shoulder for a moment. He was
of course too old for such gestures anymore, but for those few moments, it was
a huge comfort.
"Boss told me that he
did what he did to protect me." He
laughed softly. "I'm surprised he
didn't deliver me to Doyle wrapped up in a big red ribbon."
“Now don’t go holding nothing against him Bo. I know there are times when J.D.
Hogg is lower than a snake’s belly, but deep down he knows what’s right and
wrong and once in a great while, that overpowers his greed. He could have done
just that, delivered you to Doyle to save his own hide but that sense of right
and wrong won out because it woulda meant having to
put a youngster like you in danger.” Jesse raised his index finger.
“And that makes all the difference in the world.” A gentle smile came to
his face.
“You understand what I’m
trying to say to you?”
"Yessir." Bo smiled a little. "Just think, this time not too long ago I
was out here feeling sorry for myself."
“Life is that way Bo; you
never know what hand it’s going to deal you next.” Jesse kissed Bo’s blond hair
and stood up. “I’m going to head to bed; you don’t stay out here too long, all
right?” He raised his eyebrow at Bo, and then his face softened as the younger
man nodded.
"I won't, Uncle
Jesse. Night." Bo watched his uncle go inside, and took a
deep breath of the sweet night air.
Jesse was right, nothing in life was certain . . . .
Except! Bo thought with grin, the certainty that Luke's gonna be awful sore when he wakes up in the
morning and finds out what I've done to get him back for leaving that flat
spare tire in The General!
Chuckling to himself, Bo got
up and went inside, glad that he remembered that Min was a heavy sleeper . . . .and where she kept her makeup case.
The front door closed on Bo's
laughter, and the front porch light winked out.
END.