How Jumper Came to Be
Chapter 4
A few hours later Hilery got home from getting groceries. When she’d finished putting them away she didn’t have anything else to do, so she just put on another set of old clothes to work on her car. She had already worked the dents out of the doors earlier that day, and the night before she done more bodywork with her cousin.
She was going to amaze Cooter yet again when he got home. He hadn’t believed she could do half the stuff that she’d already done. He had set the engine down before going to work that morning so it could be worked on. Almost immediately after walking over to the engine, Hilery noticed a crack in the radiator. She decided the engine might need more parts, so she gave it a more thorough scan. The only other discoveries were a missing distributor cap, and a few other caps that were either missing or cracked. No big deal, Cooter could get them for her quite easily. The hoses also needed to be replaced; that was to be expected.
Hilery looked at the clock that she’d put in the barn a few days before and saw it was time to start getting ready to go work at the sheep farm. She walked into the house and put on another pair of old clothes to ensure she didn’t give away her work on the car. She also washed off the grease that had accumulated on her skin from the motor. When Hilery was done she quickly wrote a list of parts for her cousin, and then was off to Mr. Cranston’s on her bicycle.
Little did she know, Boss Hogg had already sent his goons to steal some of the sheep the night before. He had originally planned to pin all this on Bo and Luke, but pinning it on Hilery would make a lot more sense. It would fit her a lot better than Bo and Luke because she worked there. It would look like an inside job.
Rosco was there when she arrived. Mr. Cranston had just finished counting his sheep and several were missing.
“OK, how many are missing?”
“About twenty Rosco, they were my best wool producers too.”
“You hired someone new just hours before the robbery?”
“Yes, I hired Hilery, like I told you earlier Rosco.”
“Were you home the whole time she was working,” was Rosco’s next question.
“Well, no, I was gone for about two hours getting some supplies.”
“Well, that proves my theory. Hilery Ann Davenport, you are under arrest for sheep rustling,” Rosco said, realizing her presence. He started walking over to her with his handcuffs out, but she dove out of the way and ran back to her bicycle. Before Rosco could react, Hilery was back on it and gone in a cloud of dust, heading down an old bike path she knew of. You see, Rosco thought she would go toward town but she didn’t. She figured she would stand a better chance if she ran to an old friend’s fishing shack.
Hilery’s power pack for her portable CB had died, and she knew her friend always kept a bunch of extra batteries in the shack, just in case. Now she was going to have to bum a few of them. Her friend, Renée Appleby, had said she could use the shack and the batteries in emergencies, and this was one of those times.
About halfway to the cabin, just to make things more difficult, her bike tire popped. She was just glad Rosco couldn’t get back onto her trail. Her bicycle was a heavy one, and she had to push it. The trail was five miles long and twisted this way and that.
Finally Hilery arrived at the shack. She picked up the old welcome mat and took out the key that was underneath. Renée kept one under there just in case her friends were in trouble. She quickly unlocked the door and entered. The first thing on her agenda was to find some batteries so she could turn on her CB and let her cousin know she was OK. She went over to an old cabinet and opened it, hoping to find a set. Her radio was attached to her belt. If her battery pack hadn’t been dead she would have called Cooter when trouble started.
Finally she found a set of 9-volt batteries and put them in her CB. Hilery turned it on and within seconds her cousin’s frantic voice came over the airwaves asking if anyone had seen her. He was worried sick!
Putting the portable CB up to near her mouth, she keyed it up and said, “Crazy Cooter, this is Tiger coming back at you.” Hilery deliberately used her backup handle, knowing Rosco knew her regular one.
“Tiger, what’s going on?”
“Crazy C, I can’t explain right now, just talk to Bear or Chief, I’m sure they can explain. You might want to contact the Dukes and let them know what is going on afterwards.”
“Tiger, I already know you have a warrant out for your arrest for something you didn’t do.”
“Good. I am at Mouse’s favorite fishing spot, and my bike tire popped, come back.”
“OK, I’ll be there when I am sure Bear isn’t following, or some other Smokeys like the Hazzard dipsticks.”
“10-4 Crazy C, I’m gone,” Hilery said into the CB.
She was so glad she hadn’t used the name ‘Country Girl’ because a few moments later Rosco and the others were talking over the CB asking who the heck Tiger was.
Time passed with no word from Cooter, so Hilery figured she would patch the hole in her bicycle tire so her cousin wouldn’t have to do it later. It would give her something to do while she waited. That was the plan, but before she could start, she heard a horn announcing Cooter’s arrival.
“Cooter!” Hilery yelled out, glad he was there. She ran up and gave him a huge hug when he was barely out of his pickup. He hadn’t brought his tow truck because he was sure it would stick out like a sore thumb; that and he had to take Hilery’s bike back. He had also been picking up some parts for the Mustang.
“Cuz, just get into the truck, I’ll get your bike in, then we need to go finish your car. I got your list and have the parts in the bed. I got the paint you wanted too. Before we do anything, we are going to finish that car so you have some wheels. I also have new fenders and a new hood for it: found them at the junkyard. Don’t worry; they don’t need to be fixed.” Cooter had decided to take her off punishment the night before; he figured she had learned her lesson.
“Cooter, you’re the best!” He climbed in, pleased.
On the way back they went past Rosco’s favorite speed trap.
“Hilery...”
“I know Cooter, when we pass the next corner, hide in the bed of the truck, under the tarp, on top of the hood, closer to the cab, in front of my bike.”
“Bingo Cuz.” They smiled at the same time. When they were around the corner Rosco was still a good distance back, so Cooter stopped. Hilery quickly got out, climbed into the bed and pulled the tarp up over her.
“Alright Cooter, I know you have that nutty cousin of yours with you, now where is she?”
“Rosco, I haven’t the slightest clue what you are talking about. I don’t have anyone with me.”
“I am going to search this vehicle, you hear me?”
“Ok, but stay out of my cab, the cab is a man’s castle,” he said hoping it would get Rosco away from the bed. It worked too. He walked up to the front of the pickup truck and began searching. With no sign of Hilery, Rosco was about to give up until he saw her bicycle.
“If you don’t have her with you, what do you have her bike for?”
“Rosco, I am really worried about her to be honest. One of her friends found her bike on the side of the road. I just went to go get it a few minutes ago. She clearly had no choice but to leave it because it has a flat tire.”
“Oh, that makes sense. Tell you what Cooter, if I find her, you’ll be the first to know.”
“OK, thank you Rosco.” The sheriff backed off and climbed into his patrol car. Then he was off. When he was out of sight Cooter said, “Hilery, he’s gone now honey, you can get out of the truck bed now.”
“Phew, that was close!”
“You ain’t kiddin’, I was having to do some fast thinking!” The two Davenports quickly clambered back into the truck and were soon home.
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