When Worlds Collide – Chapter 2

by: Kristy Duke

Parking the borrowed Atlanta Police car behind the mud splattered older patrol car, I silently watch as the beaten sheriff’s car slowly slides to a  halt inside of the old mechanic’s garage that lies across the street. A minute later, a man in a ball cap runs to the garage door and slams the wooden garage door shut, to hide the sheriff’s car inside. For a long moment, I stare silently at the closed door as my mind quickly races within me of all that had happened several minutes ago as we had stopped to look at the map. Only to send confusion thickly rushing through me. On an outward appearance, it was obvious that the two country boys had stolen the sheriff’s car and the sheriff had angrily gave them chase only for the two country boys to lose the law by jumping over the cliff…and us. Most criminals would have only worried about their freedom and their safety and would have given us little thought. But not them. They turned around and made sure we were OK. Apologized. And then, offered to lead us to the sheriff’s station…in the sheriff’s stolen car.

“What are you waiting for Danny?” Baez asks impatiently in the passenger seat, “You having second thoughts on not arresting them boys?”

I shake my head and shrug at the same time. “I…I don’t know,” I pause for a long moment as I grab my cell phone out of my pocket, “I am going to give the captain’s buddy in Atlanta a call. See what he has to say about them.”

Baez nods at me as I find the detective’s number I had saved in my phone before pushing the call button. “You know,” she states as she watches the old garage, “we could just go ask the commissioner what he has to say about those two boys. After all, it is their car that they stole.”

“Yeah, but according to everyone,” Jamie breaks his silence in the back seat, “the law in this town isn’t to be trusted. So if you ask the sheriff or the commissioner about those two, there is no way to know whether or not they are lying.”

“Burrows,” a gruff voice interrupts the rhythmic buzz in the phone and I am quick to ignore Baez’s and Jamie’s conversation.

“Detective Burrows,” I respond and both Baez and Jamie stop talking to give me silence in the car, “This is Detective Danny Reagan. We have made it to Hazzard and are about to go in and meet this Commissioner Hogg and his sheriff you were telling us about.”

He gives a sarcastic laugh. “As I said,” he pauses and I hear him typing in the background, “best of luck to you all with them. They are something else, that’s for sure.”

“I appreciate your warning and the info you gave us. We appreciate all of your help,” I pause to watch a family walk past us on the sidewalk, the parents  talking to each other, the mom carrying a small baby while a young boy and his older sister run up ahead of them. “and I apologize to be calling and bugging you. Am sure you all are busy, but was wondering if you could do me one more huge favor.”

“As I told your captain and I told you earlier, I am here to be as much help as I possibly can. I’d send you a few of my guys, but they are all pretty busy with their case loads,” he responds, “what is it that I can do for you, Detective?”

“I was wondering if you could look up a couple of local boys. One is Luke Duke and the other is his cousin, Bo Duke,” I answer, my attention falls upon the closed garage door once more as I speak their names.

“Bo Duke and Luke Duke. Got it,” he responds, “I am typing it into the database as we speak. They causing you trouble already?”

“No. I wouldn’t say they are causing us trouble,” I pause as I glance down at my watch, “but we had a small talk with them and it seemed a bit odd. Got us wondering what they are all about and all.”

“I see,” he states and I hear him typing once more. “Here we are. Beauregard T. Duke and Lukas K. Duke. They were raised by their Uncle Jesse. Luke served some time in the Marines. Had a tour in Afghanistan.” He goes silent for a long moment and his typing once more fills the phone. “He returned home three years ago where Bo and him got arrested for running a load of moonshine. Seems it was the family business. But it says here that they were able to make a deal that put them on probation, no jail time, if they agreed to stop making and running shine. They agreed and have seemed to have kept their promise as there is no other accounts of them being arrested, but,” he pauses once more and I assume it is to read his computer. “it shows here several cases in Hazzard where they had some part in having people arrested in Hazzard or helping find stolen goods. Seem like honest people from what I am reading here. But look, a couple of the officers names on here are people I know. I can go ask around. See what they say and get back to you.”

“That would be greatly appreciated,” I respond as Baez throws open her door and Jamie slowly does the same, “thanks for the info and your help.”

“Not a problem Detective. If there is anything else, let me know,” he states before he hangs up.

“Bye to you too,” I state into the dead air before pocketing the phone and turning to Baez and Jamie and relay all that he had said.

“Just goes to show,” Baez states as she steps out of the car and Jamie and I do the same, “that things aren’t always as they appear.”

 

*                              *                              *                              *                              *

 

After walking down the wide hall way of the sheriff’s station, we finally come to a closed door with a thick foggy window on the upper half of the door with the words: Sheriff’s Station printed boldly in the center. Sighing heavily in attempt to clear my emotions and thoughts, I slowly glance at Baez and Jamie who both nod at me. “Let’s get this over with,” I whisper to them before I slowly open the door and lead them into an open wooden room and past a couple of desks.

“Howdy there,” a thin man says with a bright smile across his face as he steps around the desk that sits in front of an empty cell, “I’m Deputy Enos Strait. How can I help y’all?”

“Well Deputy,” I nod at him as I slowly glance around the room, taking it all in, “I am Detective Danny Reagan. There is my partner Maria Baez and Officer Jamie Reagan. We are here to talk to a Sheriff Rosco Coltrane and a Commissioner JD Hogg.”

“Wow. Detectives in Hazzard!” he states in an excited voice, “Well, let me tell you. Y’all are in luck, because both the sheriff and the commissioner are in the commissioner’s office right now. You want me to go get them?”

I shake my head at him. “How about you just tell us where to go and we can give them a little surprise,” I force a grin at the local hick cop, “everyone likes a surprise here and there. Right?”

He looks at me a bit confused for a minute before smiling and nodding. “Right. OK,” he nervously states, “Commissioner Hogg’s office is right here.” He walks over to the closed door with the same foggy glass with Commissioner JD Hogg boldly stenciled on it.

“Thank you Deputy Strait,” I  nod at him and wait for him to return to his desk before turning back to the closed door and quickly turn the handle to shove the door open. Inside the large office, a short round man in a three piece white suit and a white cowboy hat, jumps up from the swivel chair behind the oak desk while slamming shut a metal box. Standing on the other side of the cluttered desk is a taller and skinnier man in a patrol uniform who jumps in surprise before eyeing us with sharp blue eyes.

“W…who are you?!” the short man yells, eyeing us with angry dark brown eyes, “And who you think you are running in here without knocking?!”

“Yeah, who you think you are anyway?!” the sheriff echoes the smaller man.

I take them both in quietly for a long moment before forcing a small smile at them as I pull out my wallet that holds my badge. “Who I think I am?” I ask them in return as I unfold the badge and hold it up, “I think I am NYPD Detective Danny Reagan. My partner Maria Baez. And Officer Jamie Reagan. I assume you are Commissioner J.D. Hogg?” I eye the man in the suit who slowly sits back down and gives a short nod. Looking at the man in the uniform, I state, “And you being Sheriff Rosco Coltrane.”

“That I am,” he responds with a proud smile before his attention is drawn back to the commissioner who throws open a desk door and he shoves the metal box into the door before slamming it shut. “I hate to burst your ego Detective,” the sheriff states to bring my attention back to him, “but that nice shiny badge of your’s don’t give you no right to  burst into Boss’ office like that. Unannounced. Aren’t you suppose to call before coming? Not alone knock before opening the door. What brings you all to Hazzard?”

I eye him for a long moment and he nervously takes a step back. “My shiny badge gives me every right to burst in here and to call ahead and knock may be the polite thing to do,” I shrug my shoulders, “but ask my partner. Ask my brother. I am not a very polite person.”

“Apparently not Detective,” the commissioner smugly states behind the desk, “but you are not answering my sheriff’s question. What brings you to this nice town of Hazzard? We didn’t call in for help…especially to New York.”

I give them a small nod. “Well sheriff, we are investigating a series of murders that happened in New York City. Gruesome murders. Murders of three innocent families. Parents. Children. Babies. A grandma,” I pause for dramatic effect, “And thanks to a couple of clues and to a witness, we have reasons to believe that the killers have ran to Hazzard to hide out for a while.”

“Killers?” the sheriff asks, fear in his voice, “In Hazzard?”

“Shut up Rosco,” the commissioner states impatiently, “there is no killers in Hazzard.” He turns away from his sheriff to address me, “Look mister -”

“It’s detective, Commissioner,” I interrupt him.

He waves me off. “Fine. Detective,” he pauses as he opens a top door of the desk to pull out a card board box and pulls out a fat cigar, “that is one scary and fancy story you just made up,” he goes silent as he lights up his cigar and the room fills with cigar smoke, “but no one, I say no one, enters or leaves Hazzard without me knowing. No one. So,” he pauses once more with a broad smile across his chubby face, “if there was killers hiding here in Hazzard, I would know about it.” He looks at me confidently and shrugs. “Sorry to be the one to inform you that you have wasted your time and your trip here, because there is no killers in Hazzard.”

I eye him for a long moment before I glance back at Jamie who hands me the manila folder he had been holding. I nod in appreciation before turning back to the commissioner. “I think you are full of hot air, Commissioner Hogg. If you know everyone who enters and leaves Hazzard, as you say,” I begin to say as I open the folder and look over it to continue, “then why were you so surprised when we came through your door?”

“Well I, I,” he stutters before he sucks on his cigar and lets out a thick cloud of smoke, “so I got busy and missed you all. Despite that, I assure you, you are wasting your time here.”

“Am I?” I question him, “Well, how about you let me be the judge of how I spend my time.”

“Fine with me, Detective,” he states with a shrug, “but as for me, I don’t have time for you and your friends. So if you don’t mind, my sheriff will help show you to the door.”

The sheriff moves towards the door. “Well you heard the commissioner. He is a busy man,” he states as he opens the door, “right this way Detective.”

“Matter of fact, I do mind, Commissioner. Sheriff. Close the door,” I angrily state and they both eye me with a look of fear in their eyes. “Sheriff!” I yell as I turn around to face the sheriff who stands by the door, holding it open, “Close it! Now!”

“Uh, uh,” he stutters as he looks at the commissioner and back at me before he slowly closes the door, “OK.”

Turning back around to face the commissioner, I slap the folder down on the desk to send several of his loose sheets of paper floating to the floor. “I don’t have time for you and your silly hick games! The more time that YOU waste, gives them more time to get away. Gives them more time to hurt other people. Kill other people! They killed innocent people, in cold blood. They will not think twice to do it again!” I yell as I pull out the pictures we had of Dagger and Sword that the captain had printed off for us before we had left New York. “And despite your certainty that they are not in your town, this is my investigation and I will do it my way. I am not leaving Hazzard until I search it high and dry. We are not leaving until I am sure they are not here!”

“This is my town Detective. Sheriff Coltrane is my law. If they are here, he will find them and arrest them for you,” Commissioner Hogg states, staring at me as if attempting to intimidate me, “now if you don’t mind, I am busy.”

“This may be your town and we may have to call in your sheriff to help with an arrest, but I will do my own investigating,” I harshly state as I push the two pictures down onto the desk in front of Hogg who glances down at them and for a brief moment his eyes widen before he blinks and looks away, “sheriff, I want you to see this too.”

The sheriff slowly steps up to the desk besides Hogg and glances down at the pictures and his eyes widen only for Hogg to step on his foot. “Boss,” he states, “that’s my foot. You’re stepping on my foot.”
“Ah so I am,” he grins under his cigar, “sorry Rosco.”

“That is OK Boss, I know -”

“Enough already!” I yell to interrupt them and they both jump, “This is Sword and Dagger. Or as  they are known on the street and to their gang. They are the ones that we think are doing the killings. You recognize them?”

Hogg is quick to shake his head. “No, of course not,” he states sternly.

“I um,” the sheriff shakes his head as he stutters, “haven’t seen anything that ugly before.”

I eye them both for a long moment. “OK,” I state as I pull out several crime pictures and lie them out in front of Hogg and Coltrane once again. Pictures of the burnt houses. Burnt toys. And a couple pictures of their victims. “Look at these pictures! Look at the hatred in these pictures. Of the violence. The pain their victims went through. Look -”

“We don’t want to see no more,” Hogg interrupts me, “take them away, now.”

“You’re going to give me nightmares tonight,” the sheriff chimes in.

“Yeah, well at least your nightmares, Sheriff, you can wake up from. These people that they killed, they won’t be able to wake up from this nightmare,” I sternly respond, “and if you want me to be honest with you, I don’t believe a word you are saying. You recognized Sword and Dagger -”

“You calling us liars?!” Commissioner Hogg jumps out of his chair with fiery anger locked in his dark eyes, “Get out right now!”

“You recognized Sword and Dagger or know something that you aren’t telling us and when we find out, and trust us, we will find out, we will make sure you are reported. Arrested. You saw those pictures. Of what they did. Of what they are capable of and if they are in your town,” I pause once more for dramatic affect as I place a finger on one of the victims, “just imagine this being a family in your town that went through this. Your family. Your friends. Because I warn you right now, monsters like this don’t stop their hatred. Their violence. They will keep killing until they get caught…and if you are covering for them, you are just as responsible as they are!”

“I told you, get out!” Commissioner Hogg yells as he points to the door that his sheriff now holds open again.

“Danny,” Baez states as she puts a hand on my shoulder and I inhale deeply before nodding and sweeping all the photos off of Hogg’s desk and back into the folder. “Let’s go.”

“I can’t see how any one of you has stayed in office as long as you have,” I state, looking Hogg in the eye only for him to blow his smoke in my face and I force a smile at him, “have a good day Commissioner.”

He grunts at us as we walk out of the office and into the sheriff’s station only for the sheriff to slam the door shut behind us. “Hey again,” the deputy grins broadly at us as we walk past, oblivious to our run in with his boss.

“Hi Deputy,” Baez nods at him, “thanks for your help.”

“Hey no problem. You let me know if you need any more help and we will be glad to help you any way you can,” he states with a smile.

“Well what ya know. There may be one thing you could help us with,” I state and he nods, eager to help, and he walks around to where we are, “we are looking for some really bad men who has killed a lot of people in New York. Your commissioner and sheriff weren’t of much help. But maybe you would recognize them.”

“Wow. That’s horrible!” he states, his smile quickly disappearing, “Sure I can have a look, but the only people I know are Hazzard people and none of them would do such a horrible thing like that!”

“I understand, Deputy,” I give him a kind smile as I open the folder and Baez takes the pictures of Sword and Dagger out and holds them up for him, “they are known as Sword and Dagger. Their street names for the gang they belong to.”

I watch as he takes a long look at both faces before stepping back and shaking his head. “Sorry y’all, but I know I haven’t seen those two before. I would definitely remember them by their tattoos and all. We don’t see much of that around here. Nor have I heard of anyone called by those names. As I said, I know mainly Hazzard folk and all. Sorry I am not much help,” he shrugs as if disappointed that he wasn’t able to help, “but if I see something or hear anything, I will let you know if you give me your number.”

“Sure thing. That would be great,” I respond as I pull out a card with my name and number on it, “here it is. Call me day or night if you have anything or think you have anything.”

“Not a problem, Detective,” he nods as he reads it before putting it in his pocket, “Best of luck getting those guys. You think they are in Hazzard?”

I look at him for a short moment and take in the fear that enters his blue eyes. “I’m afraid so Deputy,” I slowly state as I nod at Baez who places the pictures back in the folder and hands the folder back to Jamie. “Have a good day Deputy. Thanks for your help.”

 

*                                              *                                              *                                              *

 

Stepping out into the sunny afternoon, I slowly glance around at the slow paced town at the few people milling around and at the old buildings that line Main Street. “Damn,” I hiss as Baez and Jamie catch up to me at the car, “I can’t believe these people have to live with such ignorant and greedy law every day. It took all I had not to do something to that fat man and I just met him!”

Baez sighs and nods in agreement. “What now?” she glances up and down the street before her dark eyes land back upon the garage. “Perhaps we should drive the car across the street. See your new friends and see if they know anything.”

“Yeah,” I sigh heavily as I walk across the street and we all climb back into the Atlanta police department car, “I guess it couldn’t hurt…though they aren’t my friends. Friends don’t try to kill you…”

With that, I quickly turn the car on and watch the street before jerking the car out of the parking stall and drive up onto the slightly slanted garage drive way before pulling to a halt in front of one of the empty gas pumps. “Look Danny,” Baez states as she opens the door and turns to face me, “I know you and those two boys didn’t get off to a good start, but please give them a chance.”

“Hey,” I shrug as we all climb out of the car, “I treat people the way they treat me. It’s all up to them.”

We quietly walk up to the small walk in door and as we approach it the dark haired Duke boy opens it with a small welcoming smile. “We was wondering if you would come or if you’d get what you need with the sheriff and the commissioner,” he states as he closes the door behind us, looking out the window before he follows us up alongside the parked sheriff’s car to where his younger cousin sits on an overturned milk cart. Standing next to the blond haired Duke is a man wearing grease stained holey clothes with a light brown scruffy beard and mustache and a yellow ball cap covering his hair. He eyes us with dark brown eyes with a tint of craziness and curiosity filling them. “You met my cousin, Bo. That there is the town mechanic and our family friend, Cooter Davenport.”

The man in the beard nods with a smile. “Yep, that’d be me,” he states offering us his grease covered hand and we all shake it. “How y’all like ol’ Boss and Rosco?”

I eye him for a short moment before looking down at Bo who watches us all carefully and still not trusting us. “You mean the commissioner and the sheriff?” I question looking back at Cooter who nods and I roll my eyes at them, “Like is definitely not the word I would use towards either one of those two! They are ignorant and greedy. I don’t know how they are still free not alone running and protecting any town! How you put up with them?!”

Bo gives a small laugh and Cooter nods and pats him on the shoulder. “Good question, Detective,” Cooter states seriously, “but at least with them, we know what we are dealing with.”

I look at him in disbelief for a moment before looking around his small garage and the tools that line the thin wooden walls before taking a step back and taking the manila folder from Jamie. “Yeah well, if it was up to me, I’d have them locked up for being so ignorant and blind! The commissioner has seemed to lie so much that he believes his own lies! And the sheriff? He seems like he doesn’t know what to do or to think unless the commissioner tells him what to do or what to think. I’ve never seen anything like it! Don’t want to either,” I harshly state, “Though the deputy seems nice and honest…must make for some free entertainment.”

“I don’t know about free,” Luke finally states, leaning against the patrol car, “nothing with Hogg is ever free.”

I nod as I glance down at the pictures in the folder to send anger and hatred racing through me towards the two men in the picture. Anger and hatred for what they had done to those families for little to no reason. I slowly sigh heavily and look up in attempt to shove my thoughts and my emotions away in order to move on and to do my best to get the men responsible for it all. “Well, we asked your commissioner and your sheriff if they recognized these two men and they were little to no help,” I slowly state before shaking my head at myself, “actually they were of some help.”

“What you mean?” Baez questions, “They were lying through their teeth! The only one that seemed honest with their answer was the deputy!”

“Yeah I know. But it is their lies that gave it away. They obviously recognized them or know something about them that they are not willing to come forth with. Either that or Hogg is too use to lying that he doesn’t know how to tell the truth,” I state as I eye the three local men in front of me, “Anyway you look at it, they know something and are lying about it.”

Luke shakes his head and says, “That don’t surprise me. As we said, Boss does anything for an extra dollar and he has been known to make deals with not so nice people in order to rob the people of Hazzard to get the money. Of course, when it is all said and done, there is no hard evidence pointing at him and he has his own sorry story to cover himself up. While hired men get arrested and do his time.”

“Maybe that is what is going on here then,” Jamie states behind us, breaking his silence, “the sheriff was about to confess something before Hogg stepped on his foot to shut  him up.”

I nod at him and look at Baez and then back at Luke again. “Yeah it is starting to sound that way with your bank robbery charge that they were going after you with,” I go silent for a moment as I let it all sink in, disbelief that I am believing the story I had refused to believe earlier. The story that seemed so far fetched, now seeming more and more like the truth. “Well look, we are here in Hazzard trying to find a couple of men who are responsible for brutally beating and killing three different families before burning their house down. There is no connection between the families that we can tell of. Nor do we really know why they did it. But we got a witness and a note that has led us to believe that they have ran away from New York to  hide here in Hazzard.” I go silent for dramatic affect once more and take in the shock and fear that enters all three sets of eyes that are planted on me. “Their street names are Sword and Dagger. Dagger  is the prominent gang leader and Sword being his back up man. Would you mind looking at their picture and see if you have seen them here in Hazzard?”

“No, no. Not at all,” Luke states stepping away from the car to take the pictures in his hands and he carefully looks at them for a long moment before shaking his head and giving them back to me. “No, I haven’t seen the likes of them at all. Especially in Hazzard. We don’t get much visitors so mainly all we see is Hazzard folk.”

“Thanks,” I nod before I turn around and hand them to Cooter who take them and looks at them for a long moment.

“Nah. Sorry, but I haven’t seen either one of them. Think if I did, I’d be quick to run the other way. Both are scary looking,” he says as he hands the photos back to me, “and to think they are in Hazzard. Just horrible!”

“Yeah,” I state in agreement and nod in appreciation before I slowly turn to Bo who remains sitting on the crate, watching me with untrusting blue eyes. “Mind having a look?” I force myself to use a calm voice with him despite wanting to knock him off of the crate.

He gives me a hesitant shake of the head before he slowly reaches up and grabs the pictures from me and I glance up to find Luke protectively watching his cousin. Glancing back down at Bo as he grabs the top poster picture from the top and places it behind the other one. As he looks at the last picture his eyes light up and fear is quick to flood through them and he is quick to look up at Luke, as if asking him silently for help. A second later, he looks up at me before he slowly forces himself to stand up and I find myself looking up at him who stands a few inches taller than me. “I uh,” he pauses as he looks back at Luke and then at Cooter before looking at me, “I haven’t seen or recognize him.” He pulls the bottom sheet, the picture he had looked at first, and hands it to me and I look down to look at Sword.

“What about the other guy? Dagger?” I question, trying to prompt him on.

He eyes me for a short moment and back at Luke and then back at the picture that still stares back at him and a visible shudder crosses his lean body. “I think I saw him,” he goes silent, “yesterday morning. In town. But he had shorter hair that was blond and his eyes were darker than they were in the picture. But it was him. He had that same tattoo on his neck. Same scary look.”

I look at Baez with a brief hint of hope and back at Bo as Luke takes a protective step towards Bo, a look of concern deep in his dark blue eyes. “You saw him in town? Yesterday?” I ask and Bo nervously nods his head before he looks back over at Luke who nods him on, “Well at least we know he is here If he is here, so is Sword. So,” I pause slowly as I glance back at Baez to make sure she is taking notes, which she is, “so how did you meet Dagger? You walk past him on the street? He talk to you? What?”

Bo quickly hands me the picture of Dagger and runs his hand nervously through his thick bright blond hair as he looks back at Luke once again. “Well no,” he slowly states as he looks back at me, “I was in town to grab a few groceries my uncle was needing. I was leaving the grocery store and as I walked past the alley there that guy came running out,” he pauses again and he glances down at his feet, obviously wishing he was somewhere else, before looking back at me and continues, “and ran into me. Ran into me hard enough to knock me over and everything went flying.”

“He came running out?” I question and he is slow to nod, “What happened after he ran into you?”                               Bo chews on his bottom lip for a moment as if in thought. “Well as I was getting up he came running back at me where he grabbed my shirt and shoved me into the side of the building. He was real angry. Crazy looking. In a bad way,” he states before going silent.

“Did he say anything?” Baez questions behind him, trying to prod him on.

Bo  nods slowly. “Yeah he…he shoved me into the wall, held me there and got in my face,” he pauses once more, “and spit in my face saying that I better get out of his damn way. That next time I won’t be so lucky.  That if I knew what was best for me. For my family,” with that he fearfully looks over at Luke who places a protective hand upon his shoulder and nods him on. “If I knew what was best for my family that I best forget all that happened. Forget that I saw him. And not say anything.”

I watch him momentarily once more, taking him in before I glance back at Baez to see if she got it all. She stops writing and nods at me. Looking back at Bo, I ask, “He say anything else? Do anything else?”

“He um,” Bo stutters nervously, “he threw me back on the ground and kicked me in the stomach. Told me I should consider myself lucky for still being alive. And if I want to keep on living not to say a word. That next time I wouldn’t be so lucky. He then turned and ran down the street where he got into a red Chevy truck. I uh…didn’t see the license.”

“Very good,” I praise him, “anyone else in the truck? Older truck? Newer truck?”

“Just him,” Bo answers, “and uh, it was an older beaten truck. Had a few dents in the back.”

“Very good Bo,” I repeat as Baez folds her notebook up to signal that we are done with the questions and a thick air of silence fills the dark shadowy garage.

“Bo,” Luke speaks up to break the silence, concern and fear laced in his voice, “why didn’t you tell us?”

Bo hangs his head and shrugs. “Well he said not to say anything,” Bo pauses for a long moment, “and figured it was a one time deal. It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?!” Luke yells in fear, “He threatened you! He kicked you! Not a big deal? I’d say it is a big deal!”

Bo just shrugs as he sits back down on the crate as if searching for a way to disappear. “Look, I’m sorry,” he slowly states, “OK?”

“Sorry? You have nothing to be sorry for…I just wished you would have said something,” Luke states, “I wish I woulda went with you. Damn.” Luke goes silent as he looks back at me, “Now what?”

“Well,” I sigh heavily, “we go on with our investigation. And you go back to your lives and hope that they don’t intertwine.”

“But they threatened Bo!” Luke protests, “What if they come after him now that he opened up to you?”

I shrug again. “Look Luke. It’s just me, Baez, and Jamie. We can’t go to your law for help. They are no help. It’s not like I can assign anyone to look out for him. For you all. I just can’t,” I try to comfort his fears though know nothing short of an arrest will.

Luke shakes his head in anger. “You just said that they have killed several people in New York. He just threatened to kill my cousin. My cousin opened up to you despite all that!” Luke continues, “And just like that, you are going to leave him to protect himself against a known killer?! He’s killed before so obviously he won’t think twice to kill Bo…heck Bo’s probably lucky that jerk didn’t kill him then and there just for seeing what he looks like! Probably why he got upset at Bo in the first place!”

I shake my head at him. “What you want us to do, Luke? I understand your fears, trust me, I do! But if we were to stay and guard him like you do, how we suppose to go out and arrest them?” I sigh heavily, “I wish we could, we just can’t!”

Luke nods as if in understanding before he glances down at Bo. “Look, where you staying at while you are in Hazzard?” he finally questions, looking back at me.

I shrugs glancing at Baez who shrugs in return. “I guess we haven’t thought that far ahead,” I finally state as I face Luke, “I guess the nearest hotel. Where would that be?”

“Uh the Notel Motel here in Hazzard,” Cooter is quick to speak up, “though if I were you, I wouldn’t waste my money or time there. Sorry to say.”

“How come?” Baez questions.

“Look William Yasper is the motel owner and manager. He owes his mortgage to Boss Hogg as does everyone else in town and around town. And Hogg keeps raising his rates,” Cooter shrugs, “William is a great guy and he does all that he can do to keep the place up, but he is close to losing it due to not having the money to keep it open and not enough guests to stay there. So he can’t pay the electric bill a lot of the time or for the water or the appliances. The appliances, bed, and everything is way old. Most of the stuff don’t work. Half the time there is no electricity and the other half of the time there is no hot water. Some times there is neither. As I said, it is nothing against William. He is a great guy. He is just a victim of one Commissioner JD Hogg..”

“Well,” I pause, “we aren’t here for comfort. So it may have to do until we close this case.”

“Not necessarily,” Luke states, “you all can come stay at the farm with us. We got a comfortable couch and some blankets. We got a barn that you could use as your office if you need your own space. And our cousin Daisy has her own queen size bed she could share with Baez if Baez wouldn’t mind.”

I look back at Baez who slowly answers, “Nothing against your cousin or you, but I’d be OK with the couch or sleeping on the floor with your blankets.”

I eye her and then back at Bo before giving Luke a smile. “You have a quick mind, Luke. This is your ploy for at least some protection for Bo,” I state and Luke gives me a curt nod, “and it is a good one. But Baez can have the couch and Jamie and I will sleep in the barn…be like the few times dad took us camping while growing up. Huh Jamie?”

“I think they always ended up in some sort of disaster or some sort of fight,” Jamie says with a small smile, “if I remember right.”

“Well, we’re older now,” I state, “OK Luke. We’ll take you up on your offer.”

When Worlds Collide – Chapter 1

by: Kristy Duke

“What were you thinking?!” I hear myself yell over the loud jukebox that plays across the bar from us before I force myself to take a deep breath. “Oh yeah, that’s right,” I pause for affect as I stare accusingly across the table at my cousin who looks at me with a dumbfound expression, “you don’t think.”

“Luke,” he whines as I angrily stand up and I can feel everyone’s eyes locked in on me. Locked in on us in anticipation of what is happening and what will happen next. Everyone seemingly to silently chant fight towards Bo and I; looking for some sort of excitement. “I didn’t do nothing.” Bo brings my attention back to him as he follows suit and slowly stands up, his blue eyes seemingly plead me not to be upset at him. “I promise.”

“You didn’t do nothing?! What you mean, you didn’t do nothing?!” I yell exasperated at him, “What you call this?” I motion down at the paper that lies unfolded upon the old scarred wooden table, “You think, Jesse is going to call this nothing?!”

Bo silently looks down at the folded paper that lies on the table, eying it as if it were the first time he saw it despite the fact that he has been carrying it around for over a week now. “Well…no,” he silently responds as he falls back into his chair, as if too weak to stand any longer.

“I hate this, Bo. Same thing every time. You go and mess up and it is up to ME to get you out of it! What if,” I go silent as I force myself to sit back down in order to look at him in the eyes, “what if I tell you, that I give up…that I am no longer going to clean up your messes? That you are on your own?!”

He looks at me silently for a long time before he slowly glances away, biting his lip in thought. “I…I don’t know,” he slowly confesses before turning back to look at me.

I shake my head as I force myself to read the paper entirely and find myself inhaling deeply. “Another damn ticket, Bo. Really?” I ask him as the jukebox slowly finishes the song and for a moment, an loud air of silence fills the room before being filled with laughter and conversation of other people in the bar. “Sixty-five dollars. You think we can afford a sixty-five dollar ticket? What Jesse say last month when you brought home that other ticket?”

Bo remains silent for a long moment as he stares at his drink in front of him before his eyes wonder around the room as if seeking a way to escape. “That we couldn’t afford no more tickets,” he slowly states, sounding like a school boy who just got in trouble by his teacher, “but it’s not my fault, Luke! The damn speed limit was fifty-five. I was going forty-five…fifty at the most!”

“You know Rosco! You know his damn speeding traps…and you being the best driver around, should be the one to escape him!” I yell once more as my thoughts fall upon Jesse and how stressed and worried he has been the past couple of months over the lack of money. Worrying if we can pay the next month’s mortgage as the commissioner has once more raised the costs. Worry and stress that he fights to hide from everyone, but I had caught on a month ago when I read the commissioner’s mortgage letter to Jesse. Had confronted Jesse about where he reluctantly told me our financial situation.

I sigh heavily as guilt slowly gnaws within me. Guilt at getting so upset at Bo who is oblivious to the letter, to our financial situation. He has lived the past month as if nothing has changed when Jesse has been worrying silently over all this. As I have attempted help him with little success. It’s not Bo’s fault and yet I seem to find a way to take it out on Bo. As if that will help anything.

“It’s not like I didn’t try, Luke,” Bo hesitantly breaks the silence, regret shines in his bright blue eyes as he runs his long fingers through his thick golden blond hair, “I was outrunning him…until dang Enos had to drive out in front of me. I barely missed hitting him!”

I find myself nodding as I eye the ticket and think of what he is saying. Only in Hazzard does the commissioner use his power and authority to extract money from his people for himself. Only in Hazzard are the law crooked enough to write tickets when you are obeying the law. Only in Hazzard…

Grabbing the ticket I slowly fold it up and shove it into my shirt’s chest pocket while thinking of ways we could earn the money. “Ok, ok. Look Bo,” I slowly state as our cousin Daisy walks up to the table carrying a pitcher of beer.

“Refill boys?” she questions us, eyeing us with concern in her brown eyes.

“No. Think Bo and I were on our way out,” I speak up for the both of us, “thanks though.”

She nods as she eyes Bo for a long moment and then looks at me. “What’s with the heated discussion?” she asks before glancing around and sits down next to me.

“Rosco gave Bo a sixty-five dollar speeding ticket a week ago for going the speed limit,” I roll my eyes as I see concern in her eyes as well to make me wonder if she knows what is going on as well. Which would leave only Bo in the dark.

“Sixty-five dollars?!” she yells before looking around in embarrassment before looking at Bo and whispers, “Really Bo? Why?”

I glance across the table at Bo who leans back into his chair as if giving up. “It’s not like I went out to get the damn ticket,” he finally states, crossing his arms across his chest.

Daisy rolls his eyes at him. “You can go months without getting caught. With no ticket. Of being smarter than Rosco…and within one month you go and get yourself two tickets! Bo,” Daisy scolds him and I slowly begin to feel sorry for Bo, “you do recall how upset Jesse was when you brought home the last ticket? What he said?” Daisy goes silent as if expecting Bo to answer her and when he doesn’t, she takes a deep breath before continuing, “He was very clear when  he said we don’t have money for your bad driving habits…that you get another ticket, you might as well as start calling The General Lee  your home, because that is where you’ll be sleeping!”

Once again, a thick air of silence fills the room and I glance around to find the few people in the room, watching us in anticipation of what is happening. Glancing back, I state, “Relax Daisy. Getting upset isn’t the answer here.”

“Then what is, Luke? We’re going to be kicked out and living on the streets pretty soon and he -” she begins to say, making it clear that she does know the situation.

I interrupt her by placing a hand on her arm and shaking my head at her and she is quick to get my drift and we both look across the table at Bo who quickly becomes alert and sits up in his chair. “What she talking about, Luke?” he questions in confusion, “We’re being kicked out of the farm? Why? When?”

“We aren’t getting kicked out of anywhere. Money is just tight right now and it has Jesse worrying and stressing out. Got us all worrying it sounds like,” I calmly state, “but look, we’ll get things figured out. Things always have a way of falling into place.”

Bo eyes me for a long while before glancing over at Daisy, obviously not satisfied with my answer but yet not wanting to argue with me. “Yeah sure,” he reluctantly states.

“Luke’s right sugar. Didn’t mean to worry you,” Daisy states, trying to save herself before switching the topic back to Bo’s ticket, “You got it a week ago? Why bring it up now?”
Bo sighs audibly before people go back to talking amongst themselves once more. “Because I knew how y’all would react. It wasn’t something I was looking forward to. What was I suppose to do? Rush home and say look y’all, I messed up again!?” Bo questions sarcastically to force silence between the three of us.

“Well look. How about we go talk to Cooter? Perhaps he has a job he can give us or knows someone who is looking for help,” I slowly state as I stiffly stand back up again, “that would be willing to pay. We could pay off your ticket and perhaps help Jesse with the mortgage…all in one.”

Daisy and Bo slowly stand up as well and Daisy leans in to give me a gentle hug and whispers, “Sorry,” in my ear. Stepping back, she smiles at Bo and then at me, before stating, “Good luck with that. I have to get back to work.”

We both nod at her before Bo reluctantly walks around the table and we slowly walk through the thin aisle between the tables and to the front door where the chilly wind greets us. “Hey look, Luke,” Bo slowly states, “I’m sorry. Really I am. I -”

“Hey, look, cuz. It’s not you who should be apologizing. It’s me. I’m sorry for getting upset. For overreacting. We all know how Rosco is and we all know you didn’t go out to get the ticket,” I apologize as I place a supporting hand upon his tense shoulders, “We’ll work through this and things will work out as they-”

I am quick to cut myself off as we walk around the corner to find two Hazzard County patrol cars parked directly behind the General Lee with their sirens on silent but flashing blue and red across the dirt parking lot. “Rosco,” Bo states as he eyes me full of panic, silently asking me what we should do. I place a finger over my lips to signify silence as we slowly walk over closer to find both Sheriff Rosco and Deputy Enos leaning into the open windows of The General.

“Sheriff Coltrane and Deputy Strait,” I gruffly state, stepping in front of Bo to take the lead. Both officers alertly stand up as if caught in middle of a crime, eyes open wide in surprise. “in what nature are you searching our car? You better have a damn good reason to be doing so!”

“Yeah. Um,” Deputy Strait says from the driver’s door, waving shyly at us, “hi boys.”

“Enos!” Sheriff Coltrane yells back at his deputy who jumps, “You are not to be talking to known criminals! Geesh!” he rolls his piercing eyes at the deputy before he turns and takes a step towards us while grabbing a paper out of his back pocket, “I got this here paper that gives me the right to search every crook and cranny of that car as well as on your persons.”

“Oh yeah?” Bo says behind me, “How come?”

Rosco eyes Bo grudgingly for a long moment. “For armed robbery of Hogg’s Bank. Over an hour ago,” he sternly states while shaking his head, “I would think the two of you would be smarter than running and hiding at the Boar’s Nest…but I guess I was wrong.”

“We didn’t rob no bank and you know it!” Bo yells back at him as he steps up towards me and I block him from going any farther.

“Oh yeah?” Rosco questions back, “In a matter of fact we know you two did do it. We got witness that describe two men in ski masks that looks to be you two!”
“How can they describe us if your crooks were wearing masks?” Bo angrily throws back at them.

“Ghee..ghee,” Rosco stutters, “your height. What you wear. Your boots. Clothes. How you talked. Oh we got you good this time…and this time you boys messed up real bad. Your Uncle Jesse’s gonna be real ashamed of you and of what you did this time. Not only did you rob the bank, you also stabbed one of the tellers. Luckily the hospital don’t think it will be life threatening…but I bet it hurt all the same.”

“We did what?!” Bo yells and I once again, block him from going any closer to the sheriff, “This is the lowest you and Hogg has ever gone! Luke ’n’ me didn’t go rob no bank and we sure as heck didn’t hurt no one!”

“You didn’t, did you? Then why is it that we found this in the glove box of The General Lee?” Rosco questions matter of factly as he glances over at Enos who stands silently watching us. “Well show ’em Enos!” Rosco demands and Enos jumps before reaching over and lifting up a zip log baggy with a sharp knife  in it. “That there is the crime weapon. Blood all over it. Bet when we run it, the blood will match your victim’s blood. Yep. You two are going away for a long time this time.”

Before I can say or motion towards Bo, I feel him slowly slinking back behind me and I turn towards Rosco before taking a step closer to him. “Well Sherriff,” I pause taking the attention away from Bo, “I feel real awful for the victim, but I can guarantee you that you got the wrong people. I bet you even planted that knife there, didn’t you?”

He goes to nod before he tightens up in frustration and points at me. “I did no such thing, Luke Duke! We found the evidence fair and square!” he finally yells at me, “You and Bo gone and messed up big time!”

“Oh yeah?” I question, “Before I can believe you, I think I need to see that search warrant. Would hate for you to mess up such a perfect crime scene by not having the right documents.”

“Ghee. Ghee,” he stutters again before rolling his eyes in frustration at me and yanks the paper out, “I ain’t messing up anything! Here it is.”

I take a second to look at it as I hear Bo quietly close the driver’s door. “Well what ya know,” I state as I fold in two and begin to tear it up, “it is a search warrant.” With that I throw the pieces behind Rosco where the wind catches it and he turns to slowly chase after the pieces.

I turn towards the passenger door, I eye Enos who nervously glances at Rosco and back at me. Unsure what he should do or rather what is the right thing to do. I wink at him before throwing open the passenger door and slamming the door shut, I hear Enos yell, “Sheriff!”

“Hit it,” I state to Bo despite the fact he was already hitting the accelerator and he peels away from our car and the deputy’s parked patrol car. I turn around just in time to see Rosco hitting Enos with his hat before running around the car to the driver’s side to climb  in while Enos climbs into his passenger seat. “Well, you should be happy now.” I dryly state as I turn around in my seat as we quickly leave the parking lot.

“What?!” Bo asks in surprise, “We are now wanted to for armed robbery. Assault or hurting one of the bank tellers. Now we have succeeding in stealing Rosco’s patrol car…only to add onto the other false charges that they are charging us with…why should that make me happy?!”

“Well,” I shrug as I lean over and turn off the flashing police lights, “this will make Jesse totally forget about that speeding ticket you got a week ago.”

I get a small smile from Bo out of that one who nervously glances in the rearview mirror before looking back out the mud splattered windshield. “Yeah,” he pauses thoughtfully as he jerks the car sharply left, “and we won’t have to worry about getting kicked out of the farm…we’ll have free room and board at the state pen while Jesse and Daisy has to worry about losing the farm. Right?”

“Just drive. Hopefully it won’t come to that,” I answer slowly as I watch the angry patrol car out through the side mirror, attempting to think of what to do next.

“You got it, cuz,” Bo states as he sharply takes a right turn onto the grass, “what you wanna do
now? We got Rosco spittin’ mad now…”

“I see that,” I slowly state as I glance ahead, “though you do know that there is a cliff up ahead…”

“Oh yeah,” Bo slowly states before going silent in thought for a brief moment before an ornery smile crosses his face, “ah that’s better yet!”

I shake my head at him, knowing exactly what he is thinking. “Bo, that’s crazy!” I am quick to try to persuade him, “You’ll total our only car…plus put us both in the hospital!”

He eyes me, still smiling broadly. “Geesh. Thanks for the trust,” he finally turns to look ahead as the sharp cliff comes into view, “we’ll lose ‘em here and be home free.”

I shake my head as I watch the patrol car behind us seeming to slow down in anticipation that we’ll have to slow down ahead as well. “Well, I guess this is our chance. Looks like Rosco is going to be smart for once and not follow your fool self over the cliff,” I state as I sink back into the seat while holding onto the arm rest tightly.

Bo glances up into the rearview mirror and nods in satisfaction as he shoves the accelerator down to the floor and the patrol car jumps head from under us. “Hang on cuz,” he states with a confident smile just as Bo sends Rosco’s patrol car flying off the ten foot cliff. And as the car takes air, Bo lets out one of his famous rebel  yells, “Yee haa!”

After what seems to be forever, the car harshly lands upon  the grassy ground and Bo yanks the wheel over to shove the car to a sudden halt. I glance back at the cliff in time to see Rosco turning Enos’ patrol car before something catches my attention and my heart comes to a sudden halt as I see a black sedan car parked under the cliff three people standing besides the car. All three staring at us. “Well Bo,” I slowly state as I stare at the car we had just jumped over, “congratulation on landing on all fours…and at losing Rosco for the time being. But you just jumped over that car and those people…”

“Yeah. Uh. I see that,” Bo nervously states as he glances over at me, “they look OK to me, though.”

I shake my head at him. “We best go check up on them,” I sigh heavily as I motion for him to turn the car around. He slowly nods before whipping the steering wheel around and we slowly drive up to the parked car where there is two men in suits standing near the car with a woman. All three are staring wildly at us while one of them holds a map out on the hood of their car.

I glance away from them to look at Bo who gives me a small smile before we both slowly open the door and step out into the chilly air.

The older of the two men with thin reddish brown hair steps forward to silently let everyone know that he is in charge. He eyes us with angry green eyes as his hands are shoved deeply into the pockets of his suit jacket, his eyes going from Bo, to me, to the car behind us, and back to us. “What in the world do you think you are doing?!” the man finally yells to break his silence, taking another intimidating step towards us, his hands still lost in his jacket pocket. “You just jumped that cliff!” He pauses to glance at the cliff over him and once again back at our car and at us, “You could have killed us!”

I sigh heavily and steal a glance over at Bo who nervously looks at the people ahead of us before he looks at me and shrugs, lost at what to do. Looking back at the man who is in charge, I take a deep breath and say, “Yeah we um,” I pause and for a moment am lost in the irony of our situation or as it probably appears to them. “we were making sure the car was working alright and my cousin here,” I point over at Bo who offers a small smile at them, “kinda got carried away. We didn’t know you were down here. You all alright?” I ask and look around and the younger man and the woman both silently nod. “Good. We are very sorry.”

“Yeah,” Bo nods, “I am sorry too. I would never have jumped there, if I had known you were parked there.”

The headman eyes us doubtfully before glancing back at the two people he was with and back at us. “You could have killed us and all you have to say is sorry?” he finally questions, “Do you even know what this looks like to us?”

Bo and I look at each other before looking back at them. “Well I am sure it is something you don’t see every day,” I finally offer them with a shrug, “and being in a police car, probably makes it a little bit more odd.”

“Odd,” he offers an ornery and sarcastic smile, “that’s a nice word to fit it all. Odd. I would say it was a bit odd, wouldn’t you Baez?” he looks back at the woman who nods and back at us, “It also looks like that other police car was chasing you…which makes it even more…odd.”

“Yeah well,” I slowly speak up, shoving my own hands into my pockets, “this is Hazzard. We tend to do things differently.”

The man in front of us gives a sarcastic laugh and the woman he had called Baez steps up and asks, “You mean you all do that,” she pauses to look at us with piercing dark brown eyes, “regularly?”

“Do what?” Bo finally speaks up as if he is having a hard time understanding what was so odd about what happened.

“Drive the sheriff’s car? Get chased by the other police car?” she questions, “Jump or fly off cliffs?”

Bo and I both shrug. “Well, not drive the sheriff’s car,” I finally offer them, but the other two seems to happen regularly. Bo here likes to test the accelerator from time to time.”

With that, Baez and the lead guy looks questionably at each other before looking back at us. “Guess  you do, do things differently down here,” he finally states, seemingly to ease up a bit, “then again, there isn’t much cliffs in New York City to jump from.”

“New York?” I question, “What brings you down to Hazzard, Georgia?”

With that he eyes the both of us before glancing behind him once more at the cliff and back at the patrol car behind us and then back to Bo and I. He abruptly yanks his hand out of his pocket, his fingers clinching onto what looks like a billfold. Taking a step forward he opens it up to us to show us a bright metal badge. “I’m Police Detective Danny Reagan, my partner Maria Baez, and my brother Jamie,” he points at the younger guy behind him before staring back at us, “we are here on a case. Our snitch gave us info leading to this…odd town of your’s.”

Bo and I once again look at each other and back at them. “NYPD?” I ask them as I once again take them in and they all slightly nod at me, “Well, if there is anything we could to help, just name it.”

“I don’t think we need any help, but thanks,” he forces a smile at us before motioning towards while asking, “Sorry to say, but you two don’t look like no police officers. Then again, things aren’t as they seem to be…at least that is what I gathered from the few minutes we have been in Hazzard. You may be…”

“Well for once, things are as they seem,” I pause for a long moment as my mind races rapidly within me of what I should say. “we don’t work with the police department. I am Luke Dukes and this here is my cousin, Bo Duke.”

He nods silently. “And yet you are driving the sheriff’s car? Or rather, you are flying the sheriff’s car…” he questions us, “I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time understanding what is going on here. Because from where I am standing, it looks like you stole the sheriff’s car and he was trying to chase you down…in which case, we should be arresting you right now,” he pauses for a long moment, “actually we should arrest you. Arrest you for the attempted murder of three police officers.”

“Murder?!” Bo yells as he takes a step forward and I am quick to hold him back, “What you talking about murder? We didn’t kill no one…or try to kill no one!”

“Really? You didn’t try to kill us?” Detective Reagan questions sarcastically, “Because you nearly killed us when you jumped over that damn cliff!

“Yeah,” Bo nods, “but apparently, we didn’t.”

“Bo!” I yell at him and yank him back to me before I angrily whisper in his ear, “That’s enough. You are getting  us into more trouble . . .control your temper!”

Bo eyes me, ready to fight, before he glances back up at the detective. “Look Detective,” Bo spits out, glaring at the officers that stand in front of us, “we already apologized for what we did! What else do you want from us?”

Detective Reagan eyes Bo harshly before glancing over at me and the car once again before sighing in resignation. “What I want? It’s not about what I want,” he slowly states, “but what I need to do. Perhaps you should start explaining why you are driving your sheriff’s car and why he was giving you chase. What? He let you borrow his car and then changed his mind?”

I give him a sarcastic laugh. “Look Detective. The law around here is something different. They are dishonest,” I respond, leaning on the hood of the sheriff’s car, “and we do our best to keep them honest. Otherwise the good folk of hazzard will get ripped off by Commissioner Hogg and Sheriff Coltrane. And well,” I shrug, “Hogg and Coltrane don’t like that very much. So in turn, they do all that they can to get us off the streets by framing us of crimes we didn’t commit. Which leaves us with little choice, but to have to clear our name. They took our car,” I pause for a long moment, “so we took their car. We’ll give it back once we get home or somewhere they won’t find  us at.”

“What?!” Reagan exclaims, “I’m suppose to believe that?!”

“Believe what you want to believe,” Bo states, his arms folded across his chest, “but it is what it is. Go ask around Hazzard. Heck, go talk to Hogg and Coltrane and you will see what we have to put up with. Every day.”

“Bo,” I whisper from behind him, in attempt to stop him from saying too  much.

“Well Reagan,” Baez says, pausing to look at her map and then up at us, “you did say the captain’s friend warned you about this police commissioner and his sheriff. And how dishonest they were. Not to be trusted. Kind of fits their description.”

“But they stole the sheriff’s car!” Reagan states, motioning to the car behind us, “Plus tried killing us with it!”

“Which, we didn’t,” Bo is quick to add.

“Will you drop it already?” Baez states, full of attitude, “Swallow your pride and ask them for help. You do it or I will do it…because so far, sitting here trying to find our way to Hazzard has only got  us jumped over by the sheriff’s car.”

Reagan eyes her harshly before looking back at us harshly. “OK fine,” he states throwing his arms up in resignation, “we were pulled over to look at the damn map. Trying to find this so called town of your’s. Maria thinks we passed the road. I don’t. Jamie thinks this whole trip is for nothing and there is no town of Hazzard. Now one of us, has to be right. Please tell me it’s  me.”

I give him a small laugh. “Well, Hazzard may not be big, but there is a town of Hazzard. Sorry Jamie. And you could have turned left back a mile or so ago, so I guess Detective Baez could be right,” I state standing up, hoping that this new track of conversation will take them off the thought of arresting us, “but Reagan is right too. Keep going straight and you will eventually get to town. How about you follow us to town? You going to the sheriff’s station?”

“Yes sir,” Reagan gives a slight nod.

“We will lead you to it…or stop in front of it before going to the garage that is across the street. That way if you need anything else, well, you can come find us,” I assure them, “and for your info, your captain’s buddy is right. Hogg and Coltrane are not to be trusted. They will use anything they can to earn an extra buck. To work for them. Heck, they hired us to transfer Georgia’s most dangerous criminal to Hazzard where his trial was suppose to be at…Hogg was planning on bringing the media, circus. Sounded about everything to town to celebrate or bring attention to this trial. Of course, all profits were going to go into Hogg’s pocket. Lucky for everyone,  the trial was moved again to another town. Just an example of what you are up against…and whatever Hogg is for, his sheriff will be there supporting him and doing what he wants.”

Danny nods slightly in acknowledgement. “Will keep that in mind,” he glares over at Bo for a long time before turning to climb back into the driver’s seat of the black car while Baez grabs the map and slips into the passenger seat.

I glance over at Bo who rolls his eyes at me before turning around and we both climb into the patrol car and as I close my door behind me, Bo turns the car around. Bo drives in silence for a long moment, watching the car behind him before staring through the windshield as he maneuvers his way back onto the dusty dirt road. “OK Luke,” he breaks his silence, “tell me this,” he pauses for affect, his hands clench tightly onto the steering wheel, “how are we to drive up to the police station, in Rosco’s stolen patrol car, and then go into the Hazzard Garage without being caught? Or did you forget the list of trumped up charges Rosco and Hogg has for us?”

“I didn’t forget,” I wave him away as I stare out the window in thought for a moment, “I don’t know how we are going to do that. Maybe we will be arrested. Then, I guess, so be it. But after you jumped over them like that, they deserve our help.”

“Deserves our help?” Bo questions shaking his head, still upset about it all, “He accuses  us of trying to  kill them and you turn around and offer to help him? You think he is going to change his mind by leading him to the way to the jail?” he laughs sarcastically, “We are just showing him the way to the jail so that he can turn around and arrest us!”

“Maybe so,” I agree as I reach over and grab the CB off of the console and change the channel, “Crazy Cooter. You out there?”

Static is quick to answer me before the recognizable voice of Cooter Davenport responds, “This is Crazy Cooter. What can I do for you?”

“Hey Coot, it’s lost sheep,” I responds, sighing in relieve, “please tell me you’re hangin’ out at the garage as we speak.”

“That’s a ten four, lost sheep,” he responds, “what can I do for you?”

“We are heading into town as we speak. In fact, your garage just came into view,” I slowly state as we exchange the dirt road for the only paved road in Hazzard, “and we were hoping you’d have your doors open to greet us when we got there.”

“They’s a open,” he respond, “and I’ll be waitin’ for you.”

“Thanks Cooter,” I respond as I throw the CB handle back down onto the seat and watch as Bo halts in front of the police second a short second before he turns the patrol car sharply into Cooter’s garage.

“Hey Rosco,” Cooter states as I open the door and he jumps up off from sitting on top of his cluttered desk, “I was just closing down for lunch. Gotta make an appointment for me to fix that car of your’s, just like everyone else. Now if you -” he stops as I step out of the car as well as Bo, “Luke Duke. Bo?!”

“Shhh Cooter. Can you close the doors?” I ask urgently.

“Uh yeah,” he states dumbfounded before he quickly runs over to the raised garage door and slams it shut, walking up to us, he asks, “what you doing in Rosco’s car?”

I glance over at Bo who only shrugs his shoulders at me, still upset at the fact that we have went out of our ways to help the enemy. Sighing heavily, I glance over at Cooter and slowly begin to explain the day’s events that had led us to seeking refuge in his garage.

As I go silent, Cooter eyes Bo and I wildly before glancing back at Rosco’s parked patrol car. “You mean to tell me,” he drawls as he looks back at us, “that Hogg and Rosco has framed you for that bank robbery? You stole Rosco’s car and jumped over a parked NYPD car…and you helped lead the NYPD to the sheriff’s station? In Rosco’s stolen patrol car, I will add?”

Bo gives a sarcastic laugh before his hand lands upon my shoulder and I feel myself  jump slightly in surprise. “Sounds about right,” he slowly states with irritation clear in his voice, “all thanks to my genius cousin, Luke, here.”

I shake my head at him before I shrug his heavy hand off of my shoulder. “Well Bo, if you weren’t the bright one to jump over them, I wouldn’t have felt obliged to help them. Now would I?” I shoot back at him, “But yeah, Cooter, sounds about right.”

“Y’all gone and done it this time,” Cooter states as he readjusts his yellow ball cap over his thick brown hair before he runs a grease stained hand over his thin beard, “first you go and make Rosco mad. And then you go get an NYPD detective mad. Yep, I say you boys are in a heap of trouble now…”

“Thanks Cooter,” Bo states sarcastically as he sits down on an over turned milk crate with a look of defeat wrote across his young face, “perhaps you could now tell us something we already don’t know.”

I watch them both for a moment before stepping over to the window that lies on the upper half of the walk in door to watch the sheriff’s station for a long moment. Staring at the brink building, I allow my thoughts to run past the day’s events; from getting upset at Bo to finding the law searching our car. To their story and stealing their patrol car that had led us to jumping over the cliff and to us helping the detectives to the police station. Only to send flashes of panic rippling through me with all that is now against us and all that could happen. Of all that could go wrong.

When Worlds Collide – Prologue

by: Kristy Duke

**Author’s Note: This is my first cross over story and is a cross over of Blue Bloods and Dukes of Hazzard. I normally just write Duke fan fic, but decided to try a story with my two favorite TV shows. I try my best to keep them in character, but am they are not perfect to how they are on the show. I just try…also, my story is wrote in today’s time compared to when the Dukes aired. And lastly…I write in first person and do switch from character to character. I am going to try switching characters from chapter to chapter to help make it less confusing. I do welcome any positive feedback as well as helpful feedback that may help better my writing. Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing. It is a work in progress and will update it as I go along…but time is limited.. Thanks again. :)**

 

PROLOGUE

 

Feeling the intense heat of the small room quickly surround me, I find myself staring angrily at the small man that sits upon the cold, hard metal chair across the steel table.  Anger that is rooted in vivid scenes of three innocent families assaulted and murdered within the safe confines of their own homes that intensely floods my mind. Of the blood. The violence. Only to feed my imagination of what each family member had gone through, their last thought they had, the pain and fear that must have captured their beaten bodies, and the last sight they had seen. Was it of their killer or was it of their loved one being killed across the room? Only to send a violent chill spreading over me and intensifies the anger within me.

“Answer me Pablo!” I scream to pierce through the thick silence that had followed my question.

He looks blatantly up at me before opening his mouth before thinking twice of whatever he was going to say and closes it again. He slowly takes his dark eyes off of me to glare over at my partner who stands in the corner, her arms folded tightly against her body. Sighing heavily he looks back at me and states, “I told you, I don’t go by Pablo no more,” he hisses at me angrily as he runs his hand through his thick dark brown hair, “I answer to Fuego.”

“You will answer to whatever name I call you!” I yell as I take a step forward and angrily shove the table into his chest to send pain and a hint of fear in the man’s dark eyes.

Pablo only stands to be five feet and five inches tall and looks to be small and scrawny, which seems to give him a look on the streets to be an easy fight. But he is anything but an easy fight. After years of getting picked on for his size in grade school, he had taken up martial arts and weightlifting in junior high and hasn’t given up yet on his intense training. Leaving him muscular and well prepared for any fight that anyone has to offer. Making him the prime example of how looks are deceiving.

Continue reading

Beneath a Hazzard Moon: Chapter 22

by: WENN9366 (EnosIsMyHero)

Chapter 22: Epilogue

 

-Epilogue-

It was a warm, sunny, spring day at Hazzard Pond, and Enos thought they might actually score a fish dinner tonight with the luck they’d had. He’d given up his own line some time before, finding it more entertaining to watch the kids than worry with catching any more himself.

A little girl with long, nut brown hair climbed up into his lap and sat down. “Daddy,” she said, “why do fish like worms?”

“I dunno, sweetpea,” he answered, “maybe they taste good. Have ya’ ever eaten one?” He laughed at the expression on four year old, Lilly’s, face.

“Ew! I’d never eat a worm!” She thought for a minute. “Ya’ know, momma says you are whatcha eat. If I ate a worm, would I turn into one?”

“Well, I reckon you eat fish an’ you ain’t turned into one, yet…wait…,” he looked closely at her, “You know, Lil’, I think ya’ might be lookin’ a little green an’ scaly…”

She laughed. “Daddy, you’re so silly.”

Enos ruffled her hair as she bounced away, going over to her mom around the other side of the dock to no doubt ask her the same questions. His eyes met Daisy’s and they grinned at each other. Turning back around, he watched puzzled as nine year old Zachary threaded his fourth worm onto his line.

“Son, you know puttin’ more worms on there ain’t gonna catch ya’ a bigger fish.”

“Jenny’s dad said that he caught a 18 pound bass in here last summer.”

“Jenny Davenport?” Jenny was the result of Cooter finally moving back to Hazzard and settling down…with a girl fifteen years his junior. “I think her dad’s been drinkin’ th’ pond water again if he thinks he caught a fish that big in here, Zach.”

“Dad, can she come over from school on Monday?”

Enos groaned. “Go ask yer mom. She’s th’ one’s gotta put up with th’ two of ya’.” He ran off. “An’ don’t tell her I said ‘yes’ this time!”

A horn honked behind him and Enos looked back to see ol’ Hank Wilson’s red pickup stopped on the bank above them. He stood and walked up the from the dock towards the road.

“Hey, Mr. Wilson,” he called, “how’s th’ plantin’ goin’?”

“Oh, just fine, Sheriff. Y’all catchin’ anything?”

“A few. They were jumpin’ earlier, but not much th’ last hour. Say, tell your wife we really appreciated the pie she dropped by the station last week. Sure was mighty fine.”

The man looked pleased. “I’ll tell her. She’s right proud of them grape pie’s of her’s. Well, I’ll let ya’ get back t’ yer family. Tell Daisy I said ‘hi’.”

“I will. You take care now.”

The truck drove off and Enos turned towards the pond again, smiling as he watched his wife and children, and thinking just how lucky he was to have them.

()()()

Beneath a Hazzard Moon: Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Love’s Full Circle

 

 

…Don’t anyone wake me
if it’s just a dream,
’cause she’s the best thing
that ever happened to me.

All you fellows,
you can look all you like,
but this girl you see
she’s leavin’ here with me tonight…”

-Jeff Healey Band

 

Enos wasn’t sure what had woken him. It could have been the sound of an animal, or the moonlight which spilled in through the window, or the bed that wasn’t his own. Perhaps it was an unconscious need to assure himself that reality had not fallen away into some crazy dream and that Daisy was still there, lying beside him. She slept quietly, facing him, her face pillowed on her hands. Face to face, he watched her, his mind still trying to sort out all that had happened over the last twenty-four hours.

Nothing between them had ever been clear cut, not since they were kids. Things had gotten confusing and complicated and though he wished he could go back and read between the lines, he’d always had a blind spot when it came to Daisy. Most people had probably forgotten or never known how close they’d been at one time, and it worried him that those who didn’t know their history would think she’d done something rash – simply up and eloping with the man who’d rescued her.

Would Uncle Jesse and her cousins think the same – that she’d married him for the wrong reasons, like she’d almost done four years earlier to keep him out of prison? He reached over and brushed her hair back from her face, selfishly grateful that it was too late for them to change her mind or make her wait to be sure. He fell back asleep, thinking of Daisy and the future that at long last burned brightly before them.

 

In the still, silent moments between sleep and wakefulness, Daisy smiled, instinctively knowing that this morning, something was different. Gradually the world of dreams dissolved into the reality of a bright, sunny Friday morning. A storm of thoughts, feelings, and a hundred memories past and present assaulted her senses as she opened her eyes and found to her satisfaction that the night before had not been a dream.

She watched Enos as he slept next to her, peacefully oblivious to her scrutiny, and wished he’d wake up. What would he say? She certainly hoped he wouldn’t shy away from her – she’d had more than enough of that.

Her eyes rested on the scar she’d seen briefly while bandaging his gunshot wound. A scar she could see where began now that he wasn’t wearing a shirt. Just above his right clavicle was a thick, crooked line which traveled across the top of his shoulder, angling down towards the inside of his arm, just missing his brachial artery before twisting back around and tapering off near the end of his forearm. She tried to shut out the thought of someone carving him up on purpose, but she knew it would be naïve to think otherwise, and couldn’t stop the niggle of guilt in her heart still whispering that ultimately, she had been the reason for it.

It was hard to imagine all that he must have seen and done in Los Angeles working with SWAT and then homicide investigation. Lost in his dreams, he looked so sweet and innocent, and despite all the time that had passed between them, she still found him as adorable as always.

The light shining through the curtains had been moving slowly across the bed with the rising of the sun and now fell across his face. He stirred and opened his eyes, momentarily confused by his surroundings until he remembered and knew where he was. He yawned and ran his hand through his hair, then rolled over to find Daisy gazing at him.

“I had th’ strangest dream last night,” he said, smiling lazily. “I dreamt you married me, Daisy Mae.”

“Funny ’bout those things,” she said, happily, “ya’ never know when they might come true.”

He sighed contentedly and brushed his fingers across her cheek. “You’re so beautiful.”

She leaned over and kissed him gently until he pulled back with a sigh.

“We’re gonna be in so much trouble…,” he said, only half teasing. “I reckon ya’ better enjoy bein’ married while it lasts, ’cause when your cousins find out, they’re gonna kill me. An’ then your Uncle Jesse’s gonna kill me. Any way ya’ sift it, I figure you’ve only got a few hours ’till you’re a widow.”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinkin’ about that,” she told him. On one hand, she was old enough that it wasn’t anybody’s business if she wanted to up and get hitched in the middle of the night. On the other, she’d always believed trouble was better avoided in the first place. “When’s your next day off?”

“Um, well let’s see…th’ Sheriff has t’ take Flash to th’ vet on Monday an’ he’s takin’ Lulu to Capitol City Tuesday. Cletus is off Wednesday, so prob’ly next Thursday.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “Why?”

“Well, I figure it’d be easier not t’ tell anyone right yet. We’ll just have a weddin’ Thursday.”

“Daisy…I ain’t lyin’ ’bout what happened.”

“It’s not lyin’ tellin’ ’em we’re havin’ a weddin’,” she reminded him.

“That’s splittin’ hairs,” he complained.

“‘Sides,” she continued, sweetly, “You don’t aim t’ break Uncle Jesse’s heart now do ya’? I reckon he’d like t’ believe he saw me get married.”

“Daisy…”

“It’ll be fine, Sugar. It’s only a week…”

“Dai-sey!” he whined, throwing himself face down into the pillow, knowing he’d lost the debate even before it started.

Daisy felt a pang of guilt for how easy it had always been to get her way with Enos, but it couldn’t be avoided if they didn’t want to cause a ruckus with everyone else today. At least now she had some way to make it up to him, she thought wryly. She kissed his shoulder, making her way slowly across his upper back until she felt his breath catch.

He rolled back over, pulling her into his arms. “I ain’t gonna stay away from you for a week.”

“I never said ya’ had t’ stay away. We’ll just have t’ be…”

“Sneaky?”

“I was gonna say creative.”

“We’re gonna get caught,” he assured her. “An’ then you’ll be libel t’ have a husband fulla buckshot.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I’ll make sure you die happy, Enos…”

 

“Daisy sure is takin’ her sweet time getting’ here,” complained Bo. He, Luke, and Cooter were gathered back at the garage sharing out a breakfast of dough-nuts and beer. “I thought ya’ told her t’ come early.”

Luke glanced up at the clock which read 9:25am. “Well, she’d better get here ‘fore long,” he said, “she’s gotta work at noon.”

“Ya’ know, I’s just jokin’ ’bout her an’ Enos last night,” said Bo, “but I ain’t never known her t’ be this late. You don’t s’pose they were really sneakin’ around do ya’, Luke?”

“I reckon we’ll know pretty soon,” he answered. “Enos ain’t that hard t’ read.”

 

It was nearing 10:00am when Daisy and Enos finally headed on their way to town. “It’s my day off, ya’ know. Rosco sees me dressed like this, he’s libel t’ find somethin’ that needs doin’,” Enos said as he buttoned his coat. “If you’d’ve told me all your plans for yesterday, I would’ve brought a change of clothes,” he teased.

My plans?” she laughed. “You started it. ‘Sides, you knew you were stayin’ th’ night.”

“You were a might lackin’ on th’ details. What did Luke say when ya’ called last night?”

“Uncle Jesse was lookin’ for me…”

“What?.!”

“Sorry, not lookin‘…just askin’.”

“So…what’s th’ plan?”

“I thought we’d tell ’em tonight about havin’ a weddin’ next week.”

“You’ want me t’ pick ya’ up after work?”

“That’d be fine…”

 

Luke was leaning against the wall outside Jake’s when the General Lee finally pulled up in front.

“‘Bout dang time!” he shouted.

“Sorry, Luke,” said Enos as he climbed out the window. “Guess we lost track of time.”

“Yeah, I’ll bet,” muttered Luke under his breath. “I thought it was your day off, Enos? Why ya’ dressed like that?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I need t’ go an’ change, y’all. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He walked up the outside stairs to the loft.

“You comin’?” asked Luke when Daisy made no move to follow him in.

“I’ll be right there,” she said, “I’m gonna wait for Enos.”

He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

It wasn’t more than a few minutes before he came back down, now dressed casually. His ring caught the sun as he held onto the railing.

“Enos,” said Daisy, quietly, “you’ve gotta take your ring off, honey. I reckon it’d be hard t’ explain.” She was glad she’d waited for him.

He looked sadly at the gold band on his finger before removing it and putting it in his shirt pocket. “So what’s been goin’ on around here that I can’t see?”

“Come on,” she said, taking his hand in hers.

Cooter and Bo, hearing voices from the garage, straggled out of the office.

“Say, where’s Enos” asked Cooter, “Don’t he wanna see his surprise?”

“What surprise?” asked Enos as he and Daisy walked into the garage.

“There y’all are!” exclaimed Bo. “We done waited half th’ mornin’ for ya’. What th’ heck took ya’ so long?”

“Shucks, Bo,” said Enos, “we warn’t gonna speed t’ get here.”

Daisy laughed, and it took Bo a few seconds to realize that he hadn’t answered his question at all.

“Are we just gonna stand around or what?” asked Daisy. “I’ve gotta get t’ work.”

“Uh, well…,” started Bo.

“What Bo here’s tryin’ t’ say,” interrupted Luke, “is that we’ve been tryin’ t’ figure out how t’ properly thank ya’, Enos, for what’cha did, savin’ Daisy an’ all.”

“Ah shucks, fellas, I’s just doin’ my job,” he said, but he put his arm around Daisy’s shoulders, belying just what he really thought about it.

“Shoot, Enos, it was a hell of a lot more t’ us. An’ I reckon it was t’ you, too,” said Bo.

Luke elbowed his cousin. “An’ if Bo here’d shut up, you could see what we thought up for ya’. Come on over here.”

Enos released Daisy and followed Luke with the others. Luke pulled the tarp off to reveal the now shiny, sapphire blue Javelin with white racing stripes.

For a moment, Enos could only stare, not believing it could be his car. “Possum on a gum-bush…” He reached out and ran his hand lovingly over it’s roof. “This is really mine?” he asked them.

Cooter clapped him on the back. “All yours, Buddy-roe.”

He laughed nervously. “I…I don’t rightly know what t’ say. You fellas didn’t have t’ do this!”

“Shoot, Enos,” said Bo, “we know we didn’t have to, but it looked so gosh-darn awful… We figured you’d better look th’ part if you’re gonna give th’ General a run for his money on th’ track’.”

“Wow…”

“Oh!” said Luke, “I almost forgot! Climb in, we’ve got somethin’ else t’ show ya’.” Enos tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “It ain’t a patrol car, Enos, it’s a racin’ car. We welded th’ doors shut.”

Enos climbed through the window into the driver’s seat of the car. Luke climbed into the passenger’s seat, and reached into the backseat where a loop of the same color vinyl as the interior was connected to the bottom section of the seat, near the floorboard. He pulled up on it, and as he did, the rear seat opened to reveal a hidden compartment nearly two feet deep and as wide and long as the back seat.

“Wanna know what we found in there?”

“Gosh, I’m afraid t’ guess,” said Enos.

“In there, my friend, we found twelve gallons of grade A, number 1, prime moonshine,” he grinned at the shock on Enos’s face. “Bet ya’ never thought you’d be running ‘shine, now did ya’?”

“Don’t that beat all?” he laughed. “I’s lookin’ for a car that could pass for a runner when I found it. Didn’t know it was already stocked.”

“Key’s are in it. Take it for a spin.” Luke climbed back out of the car, and Daisy leaned in the window.

“Hey sugar, can I come?”

“You’d better. Hop in an’ I’ll drop ya’ at th’ Boar’s Nest.”

Daisy turned to her cousins. “Hey, would you fellas take Dixie home for me tonight? Enos can pick me up from work.”

Bo and Luke shared confused looks.

“Um…”

“Uh, yeah, I guess so, Daisy.”

Enos turned the key and the car roared to life as Daisy hopped in.

“Don’t wreck it!” hollered Cooter as Enos peeled out of the the garage and squealed the tires on the pavement.

The three of them stared after the car as it circled the square and then disappeared.

“Well, y’all, it’s sure been fun, but I’m gonna miss my flight if I don’t shake a leg,” said Cooter. “I’ll catch y’all later.”

“You take care, Cooter,”said Luke, patting him on the back.

“Yeah, hey, don’t be a stranger now, ya’ hear?”

“Oh, I’ll be around, Bo. We’ll see y’all.”

Cooter backed his pickup out of the drive and rolled down the window, gesturing down the street where Enos and Daisy had disappeared. “If I’s y’all, I’d keep tabs on them two,” he said before driving off himself.

Bo looked out at the empty road. “What’d ya’ reckon that’s s’posed t’ mean?”

“I think we best give ’em an escort home tonight,” said Luke, “…make sure they actually get there.”

 

While Bo and Luke were helping Jake pull the dents out of the General Lee, Enos dropped Daisy off at the Boar’s Nest and tried to find something to do with himself for the next eight hours. He didn’t especially want to go back to Jake’s and listen to the Duke boys speculate on what happened the night before. He was terrible at keeping secrets and if he spilled the beans to Bo and Luke about being married, Daisy’d kill him…if her cousins didn’t first. Driving by rote, he wasn’t surprised to find himself turning off towards Hazzard pond. He pulled up at the bank and climbed out to better inspect his car. Gosh, but it was pretty…he laughed, remembering what Luke had told him about it’s hidden cargo.

“You like t’ve got me in big trouble,” he told it. “S’pose it was a good thing I didn’t pull over for Rosco th’ other day.”

 

Bo and Luke were already at the Boar’s Nest when Enos pulled in at 7:00pm. He was an hour early, but he’d already exhausted everything else he could figure to waste time doing, including climbing back into his car and taking a long nap. Besides, there was always something interesting going on at the bar, and he could watch Daisy to his heart’s content. He frowned as he pulled up next to the General Lee, wishing her cousins weren’t there to pick on him.

Being a Friday night, it was crowded, and the only seat left was at the bar, which was where he’d rather be anyway. He took a seat, waving politely at Bo and Luke a couple tables away.

“Hey there Enos!” shouted Luke.

Daisy heard her cousin and looked around until she spotted Enos and flashed him a radiant smile. She walked back over behind the bar and down to his spot.

“Hey Enos, you want th’ regular?”

“Sure thing, Daisy Mae.”

“Be right back, sugar.”

Luke, who’d been watching the two, groaned.

“What?” asked Bo.

“Didja hear what he called her?”

“No, I wasn’t payin’ attention.”

“He just called her ‘Daisy Mae’,” said Luke. “He ain’t called her that going on twenty years.”

“So?”

“So, you can best bet that if he’s callin’ her that again, there’s definitely somethin’ goin’ on between ’em. An knowin’ them two, trouble ain’t likely t’ be followin’ too close behind.”

“What? Daisy an’ Enos? Ain’t neither one of them apt t’ get into too much trouble.”

Luke laughed. “You ain’t old enough t’ remember what they was like growin’ up. You get both of ’em apart, they’re regular saints, but ya’ get ’em together, there ain’t a scrape they didn’t get into when they were kids. Did ya’ know that when Daisy was eleven an’ Enos was thirteen, Cooter found ’em hitchikin’ up on the Georgia, Tennessee border?”

Bo nearly choked on his beer. “What!.?”

“It’s true. They’s dang lucky Cooter was comin’ back from makin’ a run and saw ’em. Lord knows what would’ve happened to ’em otherwise.”

“Well, how th’ heck did they get up there in th’ first place? That’s a hell of a long way from Hazzard County!”

“Don’t know, they wouldn’t tell anyone,” he said. “Enos got grounded from leavin’ home for a month, though.”

Bo thought as far back as he could remember, but he was nearly eight years younger than Enos, and his memories of the two together as kids were sketchy at best. “So, if they were that close, what th’ heck happened?”

Luke shook his head. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but it sure looks like they fixed it.”

Bo took another glance over at Enos and Daisy who were talking and laughing easily with each other, like they’d been best friends their whole lives.”

At a table near the door, two men who’d had their limit and a little over, began to yell for more beer.

Daisy rolled her eyes at Enos. “Sorry, honey, I gotta take care of th’ riff-raff.”

Enos had made a habit of coming by if Daisy was working Friday or Saturday night. There were at least a few drunks by late evening and inevitably a fight would break out. He was always worried about her getting caught in the middle of it since drunks in a scuffle didn’t generally look around to make sure they weren’t hitting the bystanders instead. He watched her as she walked back around the bar and over to the other table.

“I think you fellas have had enough tonight,” she told them, but when she leaned over to take their pitcher off the table, the one sitting closest to her grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap.

“Hey, babe, how ’bout I just take you instead,” he leered.

“Get your grubby paws offa me!” she shouted, but the man just held her tighter, groping at her.

Enos wasn’t even aware he’d gotten off of his stool until he found himself standing in front of the man, his eyes flashing with fury. Bo was about to get up as well, but Luke held him back.

“She said t’ let her go,” Enos seethed.

He tossed Daisy aside onto the floor and stood up. “What? You gonna do somethin’ about it, hayseed?”

Enos didn’t bother to answer him, just gave him a right hook.

The man picked himself up and ran at Enos, knocking him backwards into a table and both men went down. The atmosphere in the Boar’s Nest was electrified as the patrons got to their feet to watch the fight – it wasn’t everyday that Deputy Enos Strate was the one scuffling around on the floor…in fact no one could remember him ever having done so. Chants of “Come on, Enos!” and “Get him, Enos!” filled the room. The other guy had him pinned to the floor, but Enos hadn’t survived the LA beat without learning a few tricks. He head-butted the guy, stunning him and causing him to release his grip. The second he moved his hand, Enos caught him with another punch. Before the man could right himself, Enos grabbed his arm and twisted it back behind him and hauled him to his feet.

Everyone cheered as he tossed the man towards the door and shouted, “Don’t mess with my…my…”

“…wife.”

At first, Enos thought he’d been the one to say it, but the voice wasn’t his. He turned around, unaware that the crowd had fallen silent, to see Daisy standing behind him.

“Isn’t that what you meant to say?” she asked, quietly, her eyes riveted on his.

“What happened t’ not tellin’ yet?” he asked, as she stepped into his arms.

She shook her head, smiling softly up at him. “You were right, Enos, it was a bad idea.” She reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out his ring, then took his left hand in hers and slid it back onto his finger. “I don’t care what anyone else thinks – I love you, Enos Strate, an’ I’m proud t’ be your wife.”

As their lips met, a flurry of whoops and people banging beer mugs on tables echoed through the room. Bo and Luke just stared in shock at Enos and Daisy kissing each other passionately in the middle of the Boar’s Nest.

“Luke…,” said Bo, finally, “did she say wife?

Oh Lord…”

The two finally pulled away from each other and Daisy spoke up. “Well, y’all,” she called to everyone in the bar, “I s’pose th’ cat’s outta th’ bag. Last round’s on th’ house.”

Most everyone cheered, except Bo and Luke who were making their way though the crowd of people trying to congratulate them.

“I think y’all need t’ come outside so we can talk,” said Luke to Daisy and Enos.

Enos frowned. “If you’ve got somethin’ t’ say, Luke, just say it.”

“Come on,” Daisy said quietly, tugging on Enos’s hand to pull him back from Luke. The tension between the two was palatable.

“Alright, Daisy,” he whispered, and let her guide him out of the bar.

The air outside the Boar’s Nest was cold but not enough to cool Luke’s temper which was focused on Enos. Regardless of how much Daisy felt for the guy, he just wasn’t quite prepared for the fact that Enos had run off with Daisy in the middle of the night. He was the oldest, the one who was supposed to protect her – only to find his job suddenly stolen away from him without a word. He shoved the Deputy up against the brick wall. “What have you done?”

“Luke!” shouted Daisy and Bo, pulling their cousin back, “Stop it!”

Daisy moved to stand between Luke and Enos. “You cool it right now, Luke Duke!” she told him.

“Luke, just hear ’em out,” urged Bo.

“Fine…I’m listenin’.”

Luke grudgingly backed up a step and Daisy’s expression softened. “We never intended t’ just run off, but after we nearly got killed by a drunk up on Ridge-runner Road comin’ home, things got put in a different perspective – ‘specially considerin’ what happened last month,” she added.

Luke’s anger disappeared immediately, replaced by concern – everybody knew Ol’ Ridge Road might as well be called the ‘road of death’. “You never said nothin about bein’ up on th’ ridge, an’ you told me it was just a busted taillight an’ a couple dents,” he reminded her.

“It was a little closer shave than th’ damage made it look like,” she admitted, looking away.

“Geez, Daisy…” Luke wrapped her in a hug, only now aware that the same road that had claimed his father had almost claimed his cousin and friend as well. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.

He released Daisy and looked back at Enos. “I’m sorry, Enos, I didn’t mean nothin’ personal towards you by it,” said Luke, “It just…took me by surprise is all.”

“That’s okay, Luke,” he said, shaking the hand Luke offered. “Kinda took me by suprise, too.” He grinned at Daisy.

“So now wait… you two really ran off an’ got hitched?” asked Bo.

“Yep, already done did it,” said Enos, amused now that it seemed he wasn’t about to be executed.

“Shoot…Well dang, come ‘ere, girl.” Bo grabbed Daisy and gave her a bear hug as she laughed.

Luke stood back, looking at Enos and Daisy for a long moment before shaking his head and giving them an amused snort . “If you two don’t beat all…”

“You know,” said Bo, “I reckon we’d best be getting’ home ‘fore someone calls Uncle Jesse t’ congratulate him.”

“I’ll kick everyone out an’ lock up,” said Daisy. She kissed Enos on the cheek and went back inside.

 

Uncle Jesse knew something strange was going on as the parade of three vehicles pulled up outside and Bo, Luke, Daisy, and Enos got out. “Must be somethin’ big,” he mused to himself, looking out the window, “th’ whole Calvary’s a-comin’.”

He sat down in the chair by the fire and waited for them to come in. As they filed past the kitchen and into the living room, he knew immediately it had something to do with the two that walked in holding hands, looking like they’d just done something that was gonna get them in trouble.

“Alright, you two,” he told them, “don’t bother beatin’ around th’ bush. Ya’ look guiltier than a fox havin’ chicken dinner.”

Daisy and Enos shared a glance between themselves.

“Uh, well, Uncle Jesse,” began Daisy.

“We got hitched,” finished Enos.

Jesse just looked at the two of them. “Well,” he said, finally “did ya’ mean to?” He watched as their faces turned from nervous to confused.

“Well… yeah, we meant to,” said Daisy. Enos nodded his assent.

“What?” said the older man, looking around at the stunned faces. “Now don’t tell me y’all thought you was gonna shock ol’ Uncle Jesse. ‘Specially not th’ way you two’ve been wandering around here with yer heads in th’ clouds.” He gestured at Enos and Daisy.

“I thought you’d be upset about me not havin’ a proper weddin’,” explained Daisy.

Uncle Jesse got up and walked over to his niece and took her gently by the shoulders. “Daisy, I’m more interested in ya’ marryin’ th’ right man, an’ for th’ right reasons – not how fancy it is when ya’ do it.” His kind blue eyes met her tear filled ones. “Can tell me ya’ did both of them things?”

She nodded her head. “I married Enos ’cause I love him, Uncle Jesse.”

Her uncle hugged her tight. “Then I’m more than happy for ya’, baby girl.”

He let her go and patted her cheek gently before turning to Enos. “Yer pa’d be awful proud of ya’, son,” he told the younger man. “Just like all of us have always been.”

Enos had to clear his throat before he could speak, “Thank you, Uncle Jesse,” he said, quietly. “I won’t let ya’ down.”

 

Jesse Duke got up early Saturday morning and made his way quietly through the house into the kitchen. Bo and Luke still slept and Daisy and Enos had gone back to town the night before. He looked around, thinking how quiet it would be without Daisy living there. Instead of starting breakfast, he opened the cabinet and felt on the top shelf until his fingers found the small flask of clear liquid stashed there. He didn’t make much moonshine anymore, only a few gallons every couple years – for medicinal purposes…and special occasions such as today he reckoned to himself as he tucked the flask in his pocket. Picking up his keys, he left the house, catching the screen door on the way out so as not to wake his nephews.

The old Pine Ridge Cemetery up in the depths of the Blue Ridge foothills was still and calm that morning. The head stones sat like sentinels, guarding the memories of many long forgotten, and some not so much. It wasn’t used very often anymore, containing mostly the old families – those that had known these hills for generations, and time was already dragging it back into the wilderness from which it had been carved. All the kids’ parents were here, save Bo’s mother who had been buried in New Friendship, closer to town. Uncle Jesse supposed some day, he’d rest here as well.

He visited his own family first, raking the leaves away from the base of the stone that read Martha Lavinia Duke and the small one next to it where rested the only child he and his wife had ever had – a baby girl, stillborn. He wasn’t ashamed of the tears in his eyes, he was old enough to know better, and he still missed her somethin’ fierce. She would’ve been happy to hear her two favorite trouble makers had finally found each other again.

After a few more minutes, Jesse got up and dusted off his overalls, adjusted his hat, and made his way on towards the back corner of the graveyard. There were five head stones grouped together here around an old monument, mostly eaten by lichen and weather, upon which read the surname “Strate”. He stopped at the one on the end, removed the flask from his pocket, and took a swig.

“Well, Otis my friend, I s’pose somewhere’s you’re lookin’ down havin’ a good laugh at me right about now,” he said. “An’ I s’pose you’d be in th’ right since this means you won that bet fair an’ square.” He moved the flask over the grave as if toasting an unseen friend. “Here’s t’ our kids finally gettin’ hitched…” Jesse poured the remainder of the flask over the ground at the base of the stone. “You always said they’d run off together some day…an’ so they did – though quite a bit later than you thought they would. I s’pose they had a lot t’ sort out, but it sure is good t’ have ’em back together.”

[Fine.]