A couple of days later, Kira woke up to finding Jebb already downstairs. Looking out the window, Kira saw that the rain had finally ended and the sun was shining brightly outside. Kira got up and changed into a fresh set of clothes. She had a bit of a headache so she decided that she just wanted to stay upstairs today. Of course she couldn’t tell anyone that she had a headache because the last couple of times she did, Jebb had insisted that they bother Doc Appleby when there was really nothing to it.

Looking through her dresser, she decided that since she was staying in bed, she’d rather wear one of the silk pajamas that Daisy had gotten her to wear while she was stuck in bed. This pair was a rich mocha color and Daisy had even thought of matching slippers to go with them. After making the bed and sitting on top of the covers Kira flipped the T.V. on, finding the morning news, she started to watch it knowing that it wouldn’t be long before someone came up to check on her.

Downstairs, the rest of the family was finishing up breakfast and John told the others that he planned to spend the day with his brother. Jebb needed to go to town to get the mail since he’d not gone to get it in a few days. Emily perked up at the idea of getting out of the house and begged to go with her brother.

“Please, can I go?” Emily was so bored after the days of rain that had limited her activity.

“It’s alright with me. Mom? You mind?” Jebb watched as his sister turned her pleading to their mother.

“Alright. You can go.”

“Yes! Can we jump the...”

“NO!” Pauline cut her daughter off. She was just like her brother and father; always looking for a thrill. Ever since she heard that Bo had jumped the Styx in The General and later that Kira had jumped it on her bike, she had been begging to be allowed to do the same. “You’re NOT jumping the Styx River!”

“Don’t worry Mom. I ain’t about to try to jump the Styx in the Charger.” Jebb laughed as his adventure seeking sister pouted. “I’ll just go up and check on Kira before I go. I kinda thought that she would have come down by now.” Jebb looked over at his other sister and asked if she wanted to go for a ride too. She didn’t since she knew that just because her brother said no to jumping the Styx River it didn’t mean that the car would be staying on all four wheels. She’d stay home where it was safe.

“Suit yourself. Go get your coat Emily, I’ll be right back.” Jebb headed on upstairs and found Kira watching T.V. in bed. “Hey, you staying up here today?”

“Yep. I figured that since you were heading into town today, I might want to stay up here until you get back. The chaise is comfortable but it’s getting nearly impossible for me to get out of it on my own. I’d hate to ask your mom to pull me up if I have to go to the bathroom while you’re gone. Plus, I don’t think I could survive watching your mom’s choice of shows again.” Well both excuses were true enough. Kira slid over to make room for Jebb as he sat beside her.

“I’ll try not to be gone too long.”

“Don’t rush. There ain’t no need. It’s not like I’m goin’ anywhere. I’ll still be here when you get back.”

“Well, Emily’s goin’ with me so I’ll probably get her a float over at the diner. Want me to bring you anything back?” Kira shook her head since she, right frankly, felt a little sick to her stomach this morning. “You know, if it was just a couple of days ago, I might have been worried about leaving you and Mom alone together in the house. I would have called the hospital and told them to stand by for casualties the way you two have always gone after one another.”

“Yeh, I know. I think I would have preferred it that way too. I can handle disdain so much better than pity. Your mom’s been looking at me funny ever since the other night.”

“I wouldn’t say its pity, Kira; just a new found respect. You went to hell and back several times before you could even vote. Mom’s just now realizing that is all. At least we aren’t being bombarded with names anymore.”

“Thankfully. It’s given us a chance to come up with another one. How do you think that Bo and Luke are goin’ to like it? They said not to use Lukas or Beauregard. That still left a lot of names to use.”

“I’m sure that they and Jesse will approve. I think I’d better get out of here. Emily’s bouncing off the walls wanting to get out of here. I’ll ask Mom to bring ya up some breakfast.”

“I swear, when this is over, I don’t ever want to hear about having breakfast in bed again.”

Jebb let out a small laugh, “I’ll keep that in mind.” He leaned over to give her a kiss then headed on out to the car where his sister was waiting for him.

When Jebb had told Pauline that Kira was planning to stay upstairs for a while, she went to put the extra blanket that had been put on the chaise for her away. As she was putting the blanket into the downstairs guest room’s closet, Pauline saw a small scrapbook in the back of the top shelf. Pulling it down, she started to flip through it, seeing for the first time the few remainders of Kira’s past that she’d hung onto. There were souvenirs from Ireland in there, articles of her earlier races and some of the stunt shows that she’d participated in. There were a few mementos from her college days, even fewer pictures of her niece. It was hard to imagine that the girl in the photos was the same woman that was sitting upstairs now. The girl in the pictures seemed to be nothing but a cardboard cutout placed into the scenes. There was no life to be seen in her at all. Only a glimmer of a fight that was closely kept in check.

When Pauline reached the back of the scrapbook, Pauline read the various articles that Kira had saved that spoke about the kind of man that Benjamin Kyle had been. He’d been a wealthy, self-made man that was generous with both his time and money. He’d supported many of charities; most of them were linked to the hospital in some fashion. Pauline felt that he would have blended well with the Dukes since, though they never had much, they always reached out to their fallen man.

On the last page, Pauline found a sealed envelope addressed to Kira that she had never opened. Curious, she took the book upstairs along with Kira’s breakfast. When Pauline went into Jebb and Kira’s bedroom, she found Kira rubbing her temples as if she had a headache.

“Good morning. Did you not sleep well?” Pauline eyed her daughter-in-law since she knew that headaches were on the list of warning signs to report to the doctor.

“Well enough. What’s that?” Kira saw that Pauline had brought a book up with the tray of food. It was only after Pauline put the tray down that she saw that it was her scrapbook. “Pauline.” She should have known that the Queen of the Snoops would have taken the opportunity given to her to poke around a bit down stairs while she was in bed and Jebb was in town. “What do you think you’re doin’?”

“I know, I know. But I figured that after the other night, you might would be willing to share a bit more. After all, you’re about to be the mother of my grandchild and there’s so much that I don’t know. Things that I think that I SHOULD know.” Kira eyed Pauline looking for the an ulterior motive.

“Like WHAT?” Kira asked, not sure if she really wanted to give Pauline the answers to the questions that she was about to ask.

Pauline figured that she’d better start somewhere safe if Kira was willing to talk. So after she move the tray of food closer to Kira in a silent demand that she eat, Pauline flipped the book open to a page that showed Kira at a motorcycle show where she’d been a stunt rider and asked her about it. Kira gave a small smile at the picture in the book. Kira took a few bites out of the eggs as she thought back to some of the stunt shows that she’d been a part of.

“Jebb calls that my Death Wish phase. I even showed HIM up with my stunt riding.”

“Death wish? Why would he call it that? You didn’t REALLY have one did you?”

“Nah. Well, I wouldn’t say I was suicidal if that’s what you’re asking. I really didn’t care one way or the other.” Pauline cocked her brow at the comment. “People need a reason to WANT to live, Pauline. I didn’t have one. And I’d already been taught that sometimes when you think that you’ve found one, life can come in and rip it right out from under your feet. At the time, I was on my own, trying to make it in college with a bunch of people that were there just so they could stay on their parents’ dime. I did the stunts that some others wouldn’t touch because everyone else had others to worry about them. I knew that if something happened to me, no one would care. No one would cry at my funeral, if I even had one. I guess it had its own kind of freedom to it. To make up for the loneliness, I suppose.”

Pauline didn’t like the way Kira had described that part of her life. To not CARE if she got hurt or worse. To know that she was completely alone. Emotions that she was certain that no Duke had ever experienced before.




“Well if it isn’t Mr. Donald Duck himself.” Cooter came out of the garage laughing as Jebb pulled up for some gas. Emily giggled at her brother’s reaction to the mechanic’s teasing.

“Well, I see that it didn’t take long for word to get out,” Jebb said as he made a face.

“Jebb, I always knew that you were a character. I just didn’t know that it was a Disney one.”

“Ha-Ha, Cooter. Have ya seen Mickey and Goofy yet this mornin’?”

“Yep. They were in town earlier to get some supplies to do some fence work today.”

“Well at least they can’t get into much trouble today then.”

“I wouldn’t count on that,” Cooter smirked since he learned a long time ago that trouble could find a Duke in their own bed if need be.

“Mind if I leave the car here for a while? I just plan to go the post office before taking Emily over to the diner.”

“Knock yourself out,” Cooter replied.

“You want anything from the diner?”

“I wouldn’t turn down anything that you’d want to bring me. I missed breakfast.”

“I’ll bring ya something back then. You ready Baby Girl?”

“When we get done, are you sure we can’t jump the Styx?” Cooter heard Jebb’s sister ask.

“You know that Mom said no.” Jebb feigned looking around for their parents before adding, “But that don’t meant that we can’t jump the creek instead.” The two headed toward the post office as Emily bounced in excitement at the promise to jump the car.




As Kira picked at her breakfast, she continued to talk about the lighter parts of her life after she’d left the streets of her youth behind her. After a while, Pauline flipped to the back where the sealed envelope was at.

“What’s this? It looks like you’ve never opened it.” Kira slid the envelope out of the protective sleeve and stared at it for a few moments before answering.

“It’s a letter from Ben. I was given it at the reading of his will.”

“Why haven’t you ever read it?”

“I’m supposed to wait until the tenth anniversary of his death or until I give birth to my first child. He’ll be dead ten years this upcoming January.” Kira placed the envelope back into the book reverently. “I’d almost forgotten about it.”

“Well, with the baby due so soon, and you’d be opening it up in a few weeks anyway, why don’t you go ahead and read it?”

“Because, it’s not the way he asked for it to be read.”

“No one would know the difference, Kira. After all, it’s so close.”

“I’D know. Besides, I’ve waited this long, a while longer won’t hurt. Could you put the book where you found it when you take the tray down?”

“You’ve barely eaten.”

“I’m not all that hungry. That’s all.”

“I suppose you’re goin’ to say that it has nothing to do with that headache that you’re hidin’.” Kira’s eyes darted up to meet Pauline’s since she’d thought that she’d hidden it well. “It ain’t good for you or the baby to go without eating. Eat some more. I’ll be right back.” When Pauline stood to leave the room, Emma came to the door.

“Can we play monopoly again?” Emma had the game under her arm.

“Sure, come on in and set up.” Kira moved around on the bed to make room for Emma and the game board as Pauline headed on downstairs.

Once downstairs, Pauline called Doc Appleby’s office and left word with his nurse that Kira was suffering from a headache just in case he needed to know. Afterwards, Pauline looked back and forth between the stairs and the scrapbook. She knew that people would tell her that the letter was none of her business but she was just dying to know what was in it. Pauline had been boiling some water in the tea kettle to make some tea. Not being able to fight temptation any longer, Pauline took the letter back out of the protective sleeve and held it over the steam coming out of the kettle. With the practiced ease of an experienced snooper, she opened the envelope once the glue came loose on the seal.

Once the slip of paper was free from the small prison, Pauline unfolded the paper and began to read the letter with her eyes growing wide as she went. She wasn’t sure what she’d expected but what she found certainly wasn’t it. She stared at the paper, wondering what she should do with the information that she’d just learned. After all, Kira wasn’t even planning to read it for some time now. Well, she supposed that she ought to put it away then head on back upstairs. Lifting her eyes, Pauline saw that she was no longer alone in the kitchen.




Emma moved her piece on the board and snatched up a card and read it out loud. “Advance to Go. Collect $200.” She smiled brightly as she grabbed the top hat once more and moved to the square and waited for Kira to dole out the fake money. Kira picked up the dice to take her own turn when she heard a crash coming from down stairs.

“Pauline?” Kira called out then heard her mother-in-law then heard her scream.

“Mo- “ Kira rushed to put her hand over the girl’s mouth as the ruckus continued downstairs.

“Emma, listen to me. I want you go get under the bed, all the way in the middle and don’t come out no matter what. You hear me?” Emma’s face took on a hard look that Kira had by now learned that it meant that she was ready to fight. “We don’t have time to argue, Emma. Do what I said. Give me your word as a Duke that you’ll stay hidden.” Emma nodded then Kira released her and shoved her down under the bed.

Seeing the board, Kira threw the covers over it to hide that she wasn’t alone up in the bedroom then climbed back over the bed to try to reach the nightstand where she had stored her small hand gun and hadn’t moved it since she moved to Hazzard. This was probably the first time that she’d cursed the fact that she’d bought such a large bed. Crawling to the other side of the bed, she stretched out her hand to open the drawer when the door slammed open and a masked man with a gun rushed in.

“No!” Kira fought back as best as she could as the man grabbed her by her leg and slid her back across the bed empty handed. The man turned her over and put one knee on the bed beside her and reached for a pillow and held it down over her face as he raised the gun preparing to fire.

“Hey Harry. Take a look at this.” A second man came into the room. “The old lady had this. What do you make of it?” The man read the paper as he continued to hold the pillow down over face of the obviously pregnant woman. Kira fought to breathe, not sure what would be more merciful. Being suffocated or being shot. Already, she could feel the darkness of unconsciousness pulling at her. She only hoped that Emma could stay safe.

“It looks like the job’s worth more than the boss led us to believe.” Harry looked down at the now limp body beneath him.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Grab her. I have an idea to make us a boat load of money.” The smaller man lifted the body of the woman that they’d been hired to kill and carried her out to the van. He knew that all he needed to do was to let Harry take the lead. Then they’d have it made.

When the door to the outside slammed shut, Emma crawled out from under the bed and went to the window and watched as Kira was loaded up in a black van before it pulled out of the farm yard. Racing downstairs, Emma found her mother. Panicked, she looked up at the CB sitting on the counter in the kitchen.

“Mayday! Mayday! This is Emma Duke! Can anyone hear me?!”

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