Ain't nothing new with Rosco in trouble, but this one's 25 years in the making.

******

Well, it all started off as any other normal day in Hazzard County. Bo and Luke were tearin' up the countryside headin' into town to pick up some supplies for Uncle Jesse, Daisy was as busy as a beaver at the Boar’s Nest, Boss was contemplatin' more money makin' scams, and Rosco was sittin' at speed trap number two. The only thing missin' was Enos who was in Capital City. But fillin' in for him was MaryAnne who was about to have a most interestin' time as a Hazzard County Sheriff’s Deputy.

As the General Lee went speeding by, Flash let out a bark. Rosco came out of his snooze soon enough to see the bright orange blur of the General.

"Ooo," he exclaimed, putting his patrol car into drive and turning on the gumballs and siren. "Hot pursuit, I love it, I love it!"

At the sound of the siren, Luke looked behind them to see who had joined them.

"We've got company," he said.

Bo looked in his side mirror. "Aw shoot, c'mon Rosco, we're just goin' into town for supplies. Is there a law against that now too?"

"We'll we're not going to stop to find out. Loose him."

"Okay. Bye-bye Rosco," Bo said and pushed down on the accelerator. The General took off with Rosco falling behind, but catching up after a couple of moments.

As Bo took the corner both he and Luke saw the sewer crew and the large hole in the road.

"Uh, Bo."

"I see it. Hang on."

Crew men went scrambling as the General broke through the wooden barricades, hit the mound of dirt and became airborne.

"Yeeeee-haaaaw!"

The General hit the ground and came to a stop a few yards beyond the crew’s work area as Rosco came hurtling threw the already broken barricades.

"Hang on to your flea collar, Flash, we're gonna fly!"

The patrol car hit the mound of dirt and became airborne. It cleared the hole and came down hard, knocking the front left and right fenders off.

"Looks like he's okay," Luke said as he and Bo watched Rosco get out of his patrol car and shake his fist at them.

"Yeah, he's fine. I can't believe he made that jump though. I swear Luke, he's gettin' much better."

Luke snickered as Bo pushed on the accelerator and the General continued on towards Hazzard.

* * *

Three men sat in their dark blue sedan watching for Rosco to return.

Uh-oh. I wonder what they're up to.

"Is that him?" one of the men asked pointing to the delapatated patrol car. They watched it come to a stop and the driver emerge.

"Yeah, that's him. Let's go," the driver, Dixon, said. The three men got out of the sedan and approached Rosco.

"Hey Rosco," Dixon called.

Rosco stopped at the sound of the familar voice. He turned to face the three men.

"Dixon Conners," he announced with some ammusement. "Think it's wise for you to come back here to Hazzard?"

Meanwhile, at the garage, Cooter, while filling a car with gas, watched the conversation that was taking place between Rosco and the three men. Cooter couldn't hear what was being said but the man in the middle of the three, who looked to be about
the same age as Rosco and had a full mustache, was doing most of the talking. At first, Rosco didn't seem to be taking what the man had to say very seriously, looking at him like a teacher would a student who was using the old 'my dog ate my homework' excuse again. Then suddenly, Rosco's face became stern and the man chuckled. The man continued to smile as he turned away and he and his associates started to walk toward their sedan. The man with the mustache turned back to Rosco one more time and called out, "I'll give you a little while to think about it, Rosco."

Rosco watched the men get into their sedan and drive away. He stood for a moment in concerned thought. A yelp from Flash brought him back to the present. He took the basset hound out of the patrol car and carried her into the police station.

Well, Rosco had had a lot of time to think about what ever it was those three men said to him by the time MaryAnne came back into town. And what happened then made him think about it a little harder. Which is amazin' considerin' this is Rosco we're talkin' about.

MaryAnne pulled up in front of the police station behind Rosco's delapatated patrol car.

She got out of her car and stopped at the sight of the fenderless car.

"How in the world does he do that?" she wondered to herself. She then looked over at Cooter's garage and saw the General Lee and the Duke boys outside talking to Cooter. She started to walk over.

Meanwhile, inside the police station the phone rang.

Rosco scooped up the receiver on the phone on the booking desk. "Sheriff Roscooo P. Coltrane."

"Well, Rosco, have you thought about our little offer?"

"Listen, Dixon, there's some very serious consequences for threatenin’ a Sheriff. So why don't you and your riff-raffs just be movin' on."

"It's not a threat Rosco, it's a second chance for you to prove yourself again."

"Again? For Pete's sake, Dixon, this ain't 1961 you know. I've got 25 years more smarts and you gotta be kiddin' to think this is gonna work."

"The only who's kiddin' anyone is you kiddin' yourself Rosco. Twenty-five years time is irrelevant. I used your weakness against you before and I can do it again."

"MaryAnne ain't a four year old girl anymore."

Dixon chuckled. "I know," he said. "Oh, I know."

Rosco had a string of explicatives all lined up and was about to vocalize them when Dixon continued, "I figured your Coltrane pride would be up to it's usual stubborness so I've set up a little show for you. Why don't you go take a look out your
window, but don't hang up the phone."

Rosco put the phone down on the desk and walked over to the window. Suddenly his delapatated patrol car exploded.

At Cooter's garage, MaryAnne swung around at the sound of the explosion.

"What the--" Luke started to say.

"Rosco," MaryAnne said as Bo and Cooter came out of the garage carrying fire extinguishers. They ran across the street and began spraying the car.

Inside the police station all Rosco could do was go back to the phone. Realizing 25 years didn't neccessarily change people, he hesitantly picked it up.

"All right, Dixon," he said. "What do you want me to do?"

Well, after Dixon explained to Rosco what he wanted him to do, Rosco went out the back way and took the spare patrol car. Nobody noticed him drive out of town, they were all too preoccupied with the explosion.

MaryAnne had gone into the courthouse to find out why Rosco hadn't come runnin' out after the explosion. But findin' the keys to the spare missing, she figured Rosco hadn't been there at all.

"He's not even here," MaryAnne said coming off the last step of the police station and joining Bo and Luke, "and the spare's gone. He must have come back and dropped this one off and took the other." She paused, looking at what was left of the car. "I'll see if I can raise him on the CB," she said and went to her patrol car.

"This is Deputy MaryAnne Coltrane calling Sheriff Rosco. Gotcha ears on cousin? Come back."

No response came, but Rosco did have his ears on.

MaryAnne checked to see if her radio was on. It was, and she repeated her call.

Rosco still did not respond although he wanted to. He wanted to tell MaryAnne to go home and pack some bags and go visit Aunt Victoria and Uncle Phillip in Nashville, because he had to do something, and if he didn't do it, her lively hood and
maybe some other people's would be in danger. But he didn't do that because Dixon was listening in somewhere.

Bo and Luke came up to the patrol car as MaryAnne repeated her call one more time.

"He ain't responding," she said to the boys.

"Maybe he's away from his radio," Bo suggested.

"He may be at the Boar's Nest," MaryAnne said. She turned the channel on her radio.

"This is Deputy MaryAnne Coltrane calling Commissioner Hogg, come back."

Boss was seated at the table in his Boar's Nest office, stuffing his face with pork rhines. It took him a moment to pull away to answer.

"This is J.D. Hogg. What is it?"

"We just had an explosion here in Hazzard Square. Somebody blew up Rosco's patrol car."

"Holy Hannah, that's terrible. Was anyone hurt?"

"No, nobody was injured but I can't seem to raise Rosco on the CB. Have you seen him at all today?"

"No, I haven't," Boss spat. "And he was supposed to be here at the Boar's Nest ten minutes ago."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. And if you see him tell him if he isn't here in the next ten minutes he may be out of a job!"

"I'll let him know," MaryAnne said, "I'm gone," and with that she tossed the CB mike on the seat. "Well," she said looking at the boys, "this is turning out to be an interesting day."

And that ain't even the half of it.

With help from Bo and Luke, MaryAnne asked folks around town if they saw anythin' just before the explosion. A couple of people reported seein' someone by the car and that the person didn't look familar. Cooter also remembered seein' Dixon and his cronies talkin' to Rosco earlier and he told MaryAnne.

"Now, I don't know if this means anythin', but I saw three guys talkin' to Rosco this mornin' and from what I could see I don't think Rosco liked what they had to say."

"This was this morning?" MaryAnne asked.

"Yep. He had just driven into town. All I did hear was one of 'em say ‘I'll give youa little while to think about it, Rosco.’"

MaryAnne stood in thought for a moment. "The guy called Rosco by his first name?"

Cooter nodded. "It did sound like maybe he and Rosco knew each other."

"Could it have been somebody Rosco arrested once, who's come back for revenge?" Bo asked.

"Or it could be somebody he and Boss double-crossed once who's come back to collect," Luke suggested.

MaryAnne cringed at the reference of Rosco and double cross in the same sentence. Of course, it was the truth.

"But why not just go to Boss?" she asked. "Seems a waste of time to bother with Rosco."

"Nobody said criminals were necessarily smart," Luke said.

"True," MaryAnne said and then looked at her watch. "Well, I'm suppose to meet Rosco for lunch at the Boar’s Nest in half an hour, but for some reason I've got the feelin' he ain't gonna show, but I'm gonna go anyway."

"Well, hey, why don't me and Bo follow you there and we'll try to tell Boss somethin' may be up."

"Alright."

Meanwhile, in an old farm house a few miles from the State line, Rosco was receiving more instructions from Dixon and his partner Jeb. The third man, Terry, had taken Rosco's patrol car and put in it the old barn when Rosco went into the farm house. Terry remained in the barn for quite awhile.

Rosco was seated on an old wooden chair, in the dusty remains of what was once Henry Taylor's farm house. He wasn't tied to the chair, but other invisible restraints were holding him there.

Jeb was sitting on a covered crate, cleaning an already shiny .44 magnum handgun, looking at Rosco with a stupid grin.

"You know, that cousin of yours, what's her name?" He paused to remember. "MaryAnne," he continued, "she's right pretty. I tell ya Dix, I'd sure like to meet a woman like that."

"Well, that depends on Rosco here," Dixon said, coming in from the kitchen. "If he decides not to cooperate then his pretty li'l cousin, or somebody else, may get hurt." He took a seat near Rosco and looked at him. "I don't think you'd want to see that
happen."

Rosco felt far from a man with a 35-year law enforcement career at the moment. He'd been in sticky situations before, usually at the expense of Boss Hogg, but this was different and the last thing he wanted to be responsible for was MaryAnne or anybody else, getting hurt.

"No," he said.

"Wonderful. Then we have an understanding." Dixon looked around the old living room. "Yeah, I was going to use old Eli's place but it looks like Boss Hogg has himself quite a productive still set up in that old barn." He looked at Rosco. "Didn't leave
me much room for what I needed."

Rosco said nothing. Although he didn't know of any functioning stills on his Uncle Eli's old Hazzard County property, he wouldn't be completely surprised that Boss had set one up.

"Now, here's what you're gonna do," Dixon instructed. "You're gonna go to the Boar's Nest and announce to Boss Hogg and everybody that's there that you're quitting your job as Sheriff of Hazzard County."

"Why would I do a fool thing like that?"

Dixon glared at Rosco. "Because I don't think you want me to send Jeb here to find your cousin and introduce himself."

Rosco looked from Dixon to Jeb. Jeb chuckled.

"Oh alright, I'll quit," Rosco said to Dixon. "But you leave her alone."

"Hey, that's up to you. You cooperate and everything will be just fine."

Rosco glanced at Jeb again. Jeb flashed another stupid grin at him.

* * *

Later at the Boar's Nest, MaryAnne was learnin' that tryin' to tell Boss somethin' may be up was easier said than done.

MaryAnne came out of Boss' office and joined Bo and Luke at their table.

"He didn't really believe me," she said, "at least the part about someone trying to get to him. He is concerned about Rosco though, which I suppose is a good sign."

Meanwhile, outside the Boar's Nest, Rosco pulled up in his now stripped patrol car. The gumballs had been removed and Sheriff decals on the doors and fenders were ripped off. Over his radio came Dixon's voice.

"Now remember, no funny stuff. Terry's gonna be inside watchin'. Wouldn't want anything to happen to that pretty li'l cousin of your's would ya?"

Rosco didn't pick up the mike to respond and instead got out of the car and headed into the Boar's Nest. The constant reminders of what could happen to his 'pretty li'l cousin' were starting to annoy him.

MaryAnne was saying, "...if we could just find him maybe we could find out what the heck is going on."

"We may just be able to," Luke said looking towards the door. MaryAnne turned to see.

"Rosco!" she exclaimed, bolting up from her chair. "Where the heck have you been?"

"I uh, I don't have time to talk right now, MaryAnne. I've got somethin' to tell the Boss," Rosco said and knocked on Boss' office door.

"Who is it?" Boss snapped.

"It's Rosco. I got somethin' to tell you."

"Well, come in."

"No, I think you better come out here."

"Oh, for Pete's sake," Boss mumbled.

"Rosco, what's goin' on?" MaryAnne asked.

Rosco didn't reply and moved away from the door as it opened.

"Alright, what is it?" Boss asked, standing in the doorway.

"Sit down," Rosco said, pointing to the empty chair MaryAnne had abandoned. By this time everyone in the Boar's Nest had their attention focused on Rosco.

Boss took a seat. "Well?" he said impatiently, looking at Rosco.

"I'm sorry Boss, but," Rosco removed his badge from his shirt, "I quit." He set the shiny badge on the table in front of Boss.

Boss's eyes went wide and his cigar nearly fell out of his mouth. "Quit?" he repeated in disbelief looking at his brother-in-law.

Rosco nodded and removed his gun belt, never making eye contact with Boss. He placed the belt on the table and turned to leave.

MaryAnne stopped him. "Wait a minute Rosco, what's going on? Why are you doing this?"

"I'm sorry, MaryAnne, but I have to," he replied, making eye contact with someone at the back of the room. He then brushed by MaryAnne and headed for the door.

"Rosco, wait," MaryAnne said, following him out of the Boar's Nest and to his patrol car.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" she asked as he got into the car. "Can you," she paused looking at the bare patrol car, "can you tell me where you're going?" she asked, looking at him. "Can you at least tell me if you're coming back?"

Rosco turned the engine and put the car in reverse. "I don't know," he said and let the car roll backwards.

"Don't know?" MaryAnne exclaimed. "Rosco!" But there was nothing more she could do, except watch him drive away still trying figure why his car was without it's decals and why he had quit.

When he had driven out of sight and a dust cloud still lightly hung in the air, MaryAnne turned around and went back inside the Boar's Nest.

"He's gone," she announced. "And his patrol car is all stripped." She walked to the table where Boss Hogg still sat in shock.

"Stripped?" Bo asked.

"No decals, no gumballs. White as white can be."

"He quit," Boss said.

"Yeah, maybe now you'll believe me," MaryAnne said.

"I think I do," Boss said. He picked up the badge and stood.

"MaryAnne, I am hereby makin' you Acting Sheriff of Hazzard County. Raise your right hand."

Shocked, it took MaryAnne a moment to raise her hand.

"Do you hereby swear to enforce all the laws and regulations of Hazzard County?"

"Uh, I do."

Boss handed her the Sheriff's badge and held his other hand to take her deputy's badge.

MaryAnne handed her badge to Boss and took the Sheriff's badge but she didn't immediately place it on her shirt. She just looked at it.

And to think she had to cut a deal with Boss just to be a part-time deputy.

Later, when MaryAnne finally put the badge on her shirt, she and the boys went back to town to look through Rosco's office to try and find some clue as to why he quit so suddenly.

When they came into the booking office, MaryAnne turned to the boys. "Listen fellas, why don't you look through the bookin’ desk there and I'll look in his office."

"Alright," Bo said.

As MaryAnne disappeared into Rosco's office, the boys could only exchange glances of concern.

MaryAnne sat at Rosco's desk and flipped through the papers that were scattered about. There were several 'wanted' posters that Rosco hadn't gotten around to putting up in the booking room yet. MaryAnne picked up the stack and briefly flipped through those, passing posters for Dixon, Terry and Jeb.

MaryAnne had no idea who was forcin' Rosco's hand or that their faces were prominently displayed on a wanted poster and ol' Cooter never did describe what the three fellas talkin' to Rosco earlier had looked like. If he had, MaryAnne might have recognized them and realized that they were wanted in other states.

MaryAnne tossed the posters aside and continued to shuffle through the rest of the papers on Rosco's desk opening drawers and looking under the ink blotter. Nothing, however, gave so much as an inkling of a clue as to Rosco's sudden resignation.

She paused a moment staring blankly at the cluttered top of the desk. A blip of a memory from her childhood flashed before her. The four-year old girl sat on the lap of the youthful Sheriff. She grabbed at his black hat and tried to put it on her little head.
The hat was too big and fell over her eyes but she would hold it up and giggle.

MaryAnne smiled at the memory but also realized that Rosco was in serious trouble. She just knew it. Their age difference being irrelevant, they were cousins, and they were close. MaryAnne needed no other explanation to understand how she knew
that Rosco was in trouble.

MaryAnne got up from the desk and walked around it. She stood in the middle of the office and looked around. The oil portrait of Rosco and Flash that was on the wall caught her eye and she looked at it for a moment.

"Rosco, I don't want this badge," she said softly. "At least not now, not like this. So where ever you are, I'm gonna find ya and I'm gonna get you out of what ever trouble it is that you're in."

She looked at the portrait for a moment longer, then turned and quietly left the office.

Later on, the Dukes invited her to the farm for dinner. But poor MaryAnne didn't have much of an appetite.

Neither did Flash.

The basset hound was laying on the Dukes kitchen floor next to a bowl of dog food. She hadn't touched any of it. Bandit had started to eat but stopped when Flash didn't start.

MaryAnne was staring at one of the red checks on the table cloth when Jesse's voice brought her out of it.

"MaryAnne?"

She looked up to find the Dukes looking at her in concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head a little. "I-uh, I was just thinking." She paused. "He's out there somewhere, and he's in trouble and I'm the Acting Sheriff of Hazzard County and I've never felt so helpless in my life. I've done everything I can
possibly think of." She paused. "Well, almost everything I can think of. I put an APB out a few hours ago but I don't know what good that's going to do. He hasn't committed any crime so he can't be arrested for nothin'. I even put out a Hazzard Net APB and accordin' to Henry Riley, Rosco was seen on County 17 headin' towards the state line two and a half hours ago."

"The state line?" Daisy said.

"Yeah," she said. "I just don't understand what's goin' on. When I left the Boar's Nest this afternoon and the boys and I went back to his office in town and we didn't find anything even remotely suspicious that could explain why he's acting the way he is. The only thing I didn't have a chance to do was to see if Gussy overheard any phone calls to the police station that might give a clue to his motive. So I'm gonna do that tomorrow and then take a drive out County 17 myself."

"Would you mind if me and Bo followed you?" Luke asked.

"Not at all. In fact I'd appreciate it."

"All right," Luke said.

"Now, MaryAnne, don't you worry." Jesse said. "With the boys help and a blessing from the Lord you'll find Rosco."

"Thank you, Jesse," MaryAnne replied. She looked at the Dukes. "I know that Rosco isn't exactly your best friend and all, but I appreciate y'all wantin' to help."

Bo placed his hand on hers. Without words, the Dukes let MaryAnne know that she wasn't in this alone.

The phone in the living room suddenly rang. Luke got up from the table to answer it.

"Hello?...Yeah, she's right here." He looked at MaryAnne. "It's Gussy Peabody."

MaryAnne got up from the table and went to the reciever Luke held out to her.

"Thanks," she said and placed the receiver to her ear. "Hello?"

"MaryAnne, I've been trying to get a hold of you all day."

"Sorry, Gussy, I haven't been near a phone for very long."

"I thought you should know I overheard a very strange phone call the sheriff's station just before the explosion."

"Yeah, I was going to ask you about that. What did you hear?"

"Well, the man who called must've talked to Rosco before, because he said, 'did you think about our little offer?' to which Rosco said there were serious consequences for threatening a sheriff. The thing is MaryAnne, Rosco called the man Dixon and there was a reference to you and what happened in 1961."

MaryAnne cocked her head. "What happened in 1961?"

"You don't remember?"

"Gussy, I was four years old, I don't remember much of anything from 1961."

"Oh MaryAnne, in 1961 Dixon Conners had escaped from the county jail and had got out to your father's farm. Rosco almost caught him but Dixon grabbed you up and held you hostage long enough to get to Rosco's car and escape. He was never caught. It was all over the papers."

MaryAnne stared at the Dukes brown braided rug in shocked silence.

"MaryAnne?" Gussy said.

MaryAnne blinked away the void. "Yeah, I'm here. Gussy, what else did you hear in the call?"

"Well, after the patrol car blew, Rosco came back on the line and Dixon told him to drive out to the old Taylor place just off County 17, near the State line."

"That explains why Henry Riley saw Rosco heading out that way," MaryAnne said and then paused a moment. "Okay, Gussy, thanks for letting me know. I appreciate it."

"Sure, MaryAnne. You be careful now, ya hear?"

"I will."

MaryAnne softly hung up the phone.

"What did Gussy have to say MaryAnne?" Jesse asked.

"Well, what Rosco's doing hasn't nothin' to do with Boss Hogg." She looked at the Dukes. "It has to do with me."

"What?" Bo exclaimed.

MaryAnne explained to the Dukes what Gussy had told her over the phone. From what she could conclude, MaryAnne figured that Rosco was doin’ whatever he was doin’ to keep her or someone else from gettin’ hurt. Noble as it sounded, Rosco may be in more danger than even he realized.

After helpin’ the Dukes clear away the supper plates and learnin’ from Uncle Jesses what he remembered of Dixon Conner's escape, MaryAnne gathered up Flash and Bandit and told the Dukes she was headin’ home. What she actually did was drive to town to try to get into the Hazzard Gazette building to do some readin’.

MaryAnne brought the patrol car to a stop in front of the darkened building of the Hazzard County Gazette. She sat in thought for a moment, more or less trying to recall the events of 1961.

No luck. Whatever had happened, it was buried in MaryAnne's memory.

Repressed memory? she thought with a chuckle. Although Papa never told me about it. And if Rosco's risking his own neck for me, it must've been a doosy of situation.

MaryAnne leaned over the driver seat and opened the glove box. She pulled out a flashlight and her lock picking kit.

Before y'all have the fits about a law enforcement officer havin’ a lock pickin’ kit, just remember that MaryAnne's father was a moonshiner.

With the pocket sized kit and light in hand, MaryAnne got out of the patrol car and walked to the door of the Gazette building.

"God forbid Miz Tisdale finds out I'm doing this," MaryAnne said to herself as she slipped the slim piece of metal into the lock and jimmied it. The door slid open.

MaryAnne went in the dark room and turned the switch on her flashlight. She swept the beam around the room and saw the shelves of old issues that stretched to the back. MaryAnne followed the shelves to the back and found the issues from the 1960's bound in hard cover volumes. She then looked up to find any lights and found a lone bulb and pulled the switch string. MaryAnne placed her flashlight on her gun belt and searched for the volume from 1961. Finding it, she pulled the heavy book from the second shelf and heaved it over to the nearby table. The smell of dust and old paper filled her nose as she opened the book. From what Jesse had said, the incident took place sometime in August of that year. MaryAnne flipped ahead to August and found it almost immediately.

The headline for August 6th, 1961, was bold for it's time:

The faded and gritty photograph in the middle of the paper showed Rosco's 1955 Chevrolet patrol car in a ditch, with the driver door open. Conners's mug shot was also included.

MaryAnne removed her deputy's hat and placed it on the table. She began to read....


Rosco's foot was permanently planted to the floor. The big Chevy was throwing dirt, gravel and half it's own exhuast pipe to get to where Conners was at.

My own Uncle's farm, Rosco thought. God dam--

"Rosco, he's gone down the drive."

Rosco looked at his radio and picked up the mike. "For Pete's sake, Charlie, can't ya stop him?!"

"I tried to, Rosco. I'm in a ditch because of my efforts."

Rosco sighed. His head was still throbbing from the whacking he had took from Conners back at the jail house, then the chewing out he recieved from Boss.

"Your first term as Sheriff will end up being your last if you don't catch him!" Boss had yelled. Always worried about looking good.

"Good grief,"Rosco muttered, running a hand through his black hair. His black hat was still on the floor back at the jail cell.

If I let myself get sucker punched like that again I won't make it to the end of my first term, Rosco thought.

As he came around the corner he saw Charlie Henderson, one of his volunteer deputies standing in the road, his car tipped into a ditch. Rosco didn't have time to stop to pick him up. Conners was probably at Eli's farm by now and Eli and SarahMae had no idea what was about to happen.

Rosco slowed the Chevy down as he came down the drive to Eli's farm. He spotted the blue Ford Conners had stolen in town.

Rosco brought his patrol car to a stop and cut the engine. He looked around the yard of the farm.

Everything was quiet and still. Rosco could only think of the worst; that Conners was in the house and had Eli, SarahMae, Robert and little MaryAnne hostage.

That made his blood boil. Rosco picked up the shotgun from the seat beside him and carefully got out of the car. He stayed behind the patrol car and looked toward the house.

"Alright, Connors," Rosco called. "That was a lucky shot you got back at the jail. I can tell you now it won't work again, so why don't you come out and give yourself up."

After a couple of moments the front door of the house opened and Eli and SarahMae stood on the porch.

"What in tarnation are you yelling about, Rosco?" Eli asked.

Rosco darted around the patrol car. "Get back inside! Conners escaped from jail and that's the car he stole right there." He jestured to the blue Ford.

Suddenly, from the back side corner of the barn, Conners darted towards Rosco's patrol car.

"Rosco, there he is!" Eli exclaimed.

As SarahMae ducked back in the house, Rosco swung around. He aimed the shotgun a few feet ahead of Conners and pulled the trigger.

Conners stopped at the bullet that skipped in the dirt in front of him. He turned toward Rosco.

As he slowly stepped off the porch, Rosco kept the gun trained on Conners.

"Well, did you enjoy your little trip?" Rosco asked. "Sorry I have to cut it short for ya, but your supposed to be a guest of Hazzard County at our spaceous facilities in town."

Conners smirked. "Which is easier to break out of then a tissue paper box. You won't last long at this, Rosco. Why don't you turn in that badge before next year's election to save Boss Hogg the money, the trouble and the embarassment."

"Why don't you shut your mouth before I do it for you."

Anxious voices and the pattering of small feet could be heard on the steps behind Rosco.

"MaryAnne!" SarahMae exclaimed.

Rosco slightly turned his head to see the pigtailed little girl run in front of him and stop short, no more than two feet from Conners, to turn back to her mother.

"MaryAnne! Git back in the house!" Rosco ordered.

Conners never missed an opportunity when it presented itself. Before Rosco knew what was happening, Connors had picked up the little girl like a rag doll.

Rosco went cold. His grip on the shotgun became sweaty.

SarahMae gasped. "MaryAnne!" she cried. "My God, Rosco, do something!"

"How about it now, Coltrane?" Connors sneered. He started to step toward the patrol car. "You gonna shoot me now?"

MaryAnne suddenly realized she was being held by somebody she didn't like. The four-year old started screaming and squirming, kicking her MaryJane's against Conners's upper leg.

Rosco stood there frozen in fear. He couldn't shoot Conners for he might hit MaryAnne but he couldn't let Conners get away with kidnapping her.

MaryAnne had already decided that that wasn't going to happen, or either that Conners had no more use for her. As soon as he got close enough to the patrol car, MaryAnne fell to the dusty gravel. She then picked herself up, running to her mother's open arms with tears on her face.

Conners, however, was tearing away down the drive in Rosco's patrol car, never to be seen again....


MaryAnne sat in silent thought. Okay, so the guy got away after holding me hostage for about two minutes. Why the heck is he back in Hazzard now?

MaryAnne looked at her watch and seeing it was late, she prepared to leave. She placed the bound book back on the shelf, picked up her deputys hat and pulled the string for the light, plunging the room in darkness. Clicking on her flashlight, MaryAnne found her way out of the building and back to her patrol car.

The next mornin’, with General Lee leadin’ the way, MaryAnne and the boys headed out to the old Taylor place. But they found nothin’ that would tell if anyone had been there, except Rosco's hat.

"Well, they've been here," MaryAnne said, coming out of the shadows and holding up Rosco's hat.

"Thing is," Bo said, "where'd they go?"

"I don't know," Luke said, looking out the window, "but I think they're coming back."

"Good thing we hid the General and patrol car," Bo said as he, Luke and MaryAnne scrambled to hide behind furniture and duck into closets. MaryAnne left Rosco's hat on the dusty sofa.

After a couple of moments two men entered the old house.

"Okay, let's find that stupid hat. I don't want anything left behind." Dixon said.

"Nothing?" Jeb said.

"Absolutely nothing," Dixon replied picking Rosco's hat up off the sofa.

"But what are we going to do with Coltrane when this is over?"

"I said I don't want anything left behind."

"You mean we're taking him with us?"

"No. Come out to the barn, I'll show you," Dixon said and he and Jeb walked out of the house.

Tentatively, MaryAnne came out of the closet as Bo and Luke came out from behind their hiding places.

She looked at the boys in distress. "If they're gonna do to Rosco what I think they're gonna do, I will..." MaryAnne couldn't find an ending to her sentence.

"Hold on, MaryAnne," Luke said easily, "if we find out what they've got in the barn, maybe we can stop them."

"Yeah, but," she ran a hand through her hair, "I still can't figure out why this Dixon Conners has Rosco in the first place."

"It sounds to me like they might be settin' him up to take the fall for somethin'," Luke said.

"And then take him out for the ultimate insult?" MaryAnne questioned.

After Dixon and Jeb left, MaryAnne and the boys went to the barn to find out what surprise Dixon had set up for Rosco. And it was a doosy.

Bo and Luke pulled the dusty tarp back to reveal plain white Fury that had been Rosco's patrol car.

MaryAnne leaned into the driver's side window and found the keys in the ignition. She went to the trunk and opened it.

"Holy mackerel," Luke said. The three looked at the box of dynamite that was hooked up to a remote detonator.

"Luke, there's gotta be enough explosives here to blow this place sky high," Bo said.

"That guy wasn't kiddin' when he said he didn't want anything left behind. And look at this, remote controlled blastin' caps."

"They can't do this," MaryAnne declared. "They've gotta be kiddin' to think this is gonna work. If Rosco's killed, we'll already know who was behind it."

"Not if it looks like an accident," Luke said. "C'mon, let's get back to town. Maybe we can catch these guys before they do do somethin'." The boys carefully closed the trunk and MaryAnne returned the keys to the ignition. They put the tarp back over
the car and left the barn.

No more than twenty minutes later, just as the boys and MaryAnne were reaching the outskirts of town, they passed a dark blue sedan with four people in it. MaryAnne made eye contact with the man in back.

She gasped. "Rosco!"

Without thinking, MaryAnne pulled the steering wheel hard to the left, turning her patrol car completely around. She put the pedal to the metal to try and catch up with the blue sedan.

"Uh, Luke, MaryAnne's going after that blue sedan," Bo said, looking out the back window.

"I thought that looked like Rosco," Luke said, pulling the steering wheel hard and turning the General Lee around.

"Get on the CB and tell her to stop," Luke said.

Bo picked up the CB mike. "Wait, why? We could take on these guys."

"Because they might have a gun on him or something. After the explosion yesterday and all the dynamite we just saw anything's possible with these guys."

"Yeah, you're right." Bo pushed the CB's talk button. "MaryAnne, look we know Rosco's in that car but you better stop because it may do more harm than good."

"Stop?! Are you kidding me? I'm not gonna let them get away with this!"

Meanwhile, in the blue sedan, Dixon handed Rosco a gun. "Get rid of her," he said.

Rosco just looked at him.

Dixon calmly pulled out another gun and pointed it at Rosco. "Do it," he said

Rosco took the gun. He hesitated then leaned out the window and aimed.

"No warning shot. Take out the front left tire."

"My left or her left?"

"Just do it."

Rosco pulled back the safety.

You know, should the Dukes, MaryAnne and Rosco get out of this, I'm wondering if Rosco's ever gonna to be the same.

The shot caught MaryAnne off guard. Instinctively, she ducked as the front tire blew out. The patrol car went off the road, down the embankment and rolled on its side.

"Heh, heh, nice shot," Dixon said.

Rosco made no response.

Luke brought the General to a stop and the boys ran down the embankment to MaryAnne's patrol car.

"MaryAnne!" Bo shouted.

"I'm all right," she called back. After a couple of moments she popped through the window. With help from Bo and Luke, MaryAnne clambered out the car.

"Thank you," she said. As she brushed herself off she said, "They made him shoot at me. Can you believe it?"

"After what we've seen in the last two days, I could believe anything," Luke said.

The boys called Cooter to have him pick up MaryAnne's patrol car and then told him to meet them back in town. Luke figured they better tell Boss Hogg what was happenin' and he called Daisy and Uncle Jesse too. While Luke was tellin' everyone what he, Bo and MaryAnne had seen, MaryAnne had gone to the bank to tell Boss.

As Rosco came full circle around Hazzard Square he saw MaryAnne just as she slipped into the bank.

You know, with the way MaryAnne's luck is goin' I'm beginnin' to wonder if she's related to the Dukes instead of to Rosco.

"Luke, there he is," Bo said, pointing to the white patrol car as it slowly circled around Hazzard Square and came to a stop in front of the bank.

"Should have figured it'd be the bank," Luke said.

"There's gotta be somethin' we can do," Daisy said. "Warn him about the dynamite or stop him from goin’ through with this."

"That box of dynamite has a remote blastin' cap on it. He's probably being watched. If we approach him someone might panic," Luke said. They watched as Rosco went into the bank.

"Then it's up to MaryAnne," Jesse said.

Inside the bank, MaryAnne stood next to Boss's desk in front of the vault watching Rosco who approached them, hesitantly pointing a gun.

"Rosco, what are you doin'?" Boss asked.

"Boss, can't you see what he's doing?" MaryAnne asked. "He's robbin' the bank. This is what I've been tryin' to tell you."

Boss looked back and forth between Rosco and MaryAnne. He removed his cigar from his mouth and started to say something before MaryAnne interrupted him.

"Let him take the money," she said.

"What?!" he exclaimed standing up.

"Let him take it. He's bein' put up to it. I have a feelin' if he doesn't walk out of here with the money, somebody's gonna detonate that box of dynamite that's in the trunk of his car."

"Dynamite?" Boss repeated, his eyes wide.

MaryAnne nodded looking at Rosco. "Enough to wipe out half of Hazzard Square." She looked back at Boss. "Let him take the money."

"Alright, alright," Boss said, turning to open the vault. He disappeared inside.

Rosco looked miserable.

"You know really why that dynamite's there, don't you?" MaryAnne asked.

Rosco nodded. "I think I do."

"Rosco, I think I know a way to get you out of this."

"No, MaryAnne. I won't let you do somethin' that's gonna put your life in danger."

"Put my life in danger? Rosco, I served a year with the Atlanta Police. I put my life on the line everyday."

Boss emerged from the vault with two money bags. He placed them on the desk.

Rosco reached for the bags but MaryAnne grabbed his wrist before he could touch them.

"Rosco, I know why your doing this. I know what happened back in '61. Your trying to protect me is gonna get yourself killed. Let me help you get out of this."

"I can't let you do that."

"And I can't let Dixon Conners do this to you and get away with it. Dang it Rosco, I don't want to wear this badge permanently."

* * *

"He's sure been in there for awhile," Bo observed.

"Perhaps MaryAnne has figured a way to get him out of this," Jesse said.

"Let's hope so," Luke said.

After a moment the bank door opened and Rosco scurried out carrying the money bags.

"There he is," Bo announced.

They watched Rosco throw the money bags into the car and then get in. As he started the engine, MaryAnne bolted out of the bank and jumped on the back of the car as it pulled away from the curb.

"That girl's gonna get herself killed!" Jesse exclaimed.

Bo and Luke scrambled to the General Lee. Boss Hogg came out of the bank yelling there had been a robbery. He flagged down Bo and Luke.

Now, MaryAnne had indeed figured a way to get Rosco out of this and told Boss to tell the Dukes what she needed them to do. But what the Dukes had to do counted on if MaryAnne could do what she had to do. That girl's got spunk.

On the opposite side of Hazzard Square, Terry was sitting in the blue sedan. He picked up the CB mike.

"He did it, but that cousin of his jumped on the back of the car as he took off."

"Damn," Dixon said. He pushed the talk button. "Follow him. Get her off that car, I don't care how you do it."

"Got it."

Dixon turned to Jeb. "Let's go."

* * *

Bo and Luke watched the blue sedan as it tore out of Hazzard Square.

"Okay let's go," Luke said.

Bo pushed down on the accelerator and the General discreetly followed the blue sedan.

* * *

Meanwhile, a couple of miles out of town, MaryAnne was clinging to the patrol car. Using the CB antenna as a foot hold, MaryAnne climbed up onto the roof of the car and careful swung a leg into the open passenger window. Rosco nervously darted his eyes from the road to watching MaryAnne slide into the car.

"Woh! What a ride. I don’t paticularly want to do that again," she said proceeding to climb into the back seat.

"I don’t particularly want to either," Rosco said. "I still think you should've let me stop and let you in."

"Rosco..."

"Yeah, I know, Terry would've seen you."

Which would have ruined MaryAnne's plan. Whatever that is.

Bo and Luke could see the blue sedan but were far enough back so that the driver could not see them. Over the CB they heard Terry report to Dixon.

"She's not on the car anymore. Maybe he shook her off."

"Are you sure he didn't stop and let her get in?"

"I'm sure. If he had stopped I would have seen it."

"You don't have to worry about my cousin," Rosco cut in. "She's gone."

There was silence on the CB.

"Very well then," Dixon said. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. 'Cause I know you're not," Rosco said bitterly.

"Not as sorry as they're gonna be," Bo said to Luke. Of course he meant they'd be sorry when they were caught. The boys knew MaryAnne was in the patrol car.

Knowing that Rosco was heading back to the old Taylor place, the boys took a short cut which brought them in from the back of the farm where Dixon and Jeb couldn't see them. They hid the General and watched through the bushes as Rosco pulled up,
followed by Terry in the blue sedan.

Rosco got out of the patrol car and stood holding the bags of money in his left hand. He looked at Dixon menacingly.

Dixon seemed to fidget at the change that had come over Rosco.

"I am sorry about your cousin," Dixon said coolly, trying to keep the situation in his control, "she grew to be quite the looker."

Crouched down on the back floor of the cruiser MaryAnne rolled her eyes.

Rosco snorted. "You're not sorry. I did what you wanted me to, and MaryAnne still got hurt. I think you owe me something." He threw the bags at Dixon's feet.

MaryAnne had to smile. Rosco was playing it better than she thought he would.

Dixon picked up the bags, and started to laugh. "It's not my fault she decided to play hero. Maybe you should have stopped to let her in the car."

Rosco glared at him. "Really? So then when I got here you could kill her, is that it? I should have knocked you into the middle of the next century 25 years ago. Alright, so what else do you have planned for me?" Rosco asked. "Or am I free to go?"

"Not yet," Dixon said. "You have to get rid of that car."

"And how do you want me to do that?"

"Let it roll down in to Rainbow Canyon. Terry here will follow you and give you lift back. Maybe we can help you get out of Hazzard County."

Now I wonder where Rosco would go.

Rosco drove towards Rainbow Canyon with Terry following close behind.

"How far behind is he?" MaryAnne asked, still crouched on the back floor of the car.

"He's close."

"Alright."

If y'all wonderin' what's goin' on, so am I.

Bo and Luke, meanwhile, were watchin' Dixon and his other partner who were gettin' ready to take off.

Dixon and Jeb put the bags of money in the trunk of another car. They then got in the car and began to drive away.

Bo and Luke went to the General Lee and were soon following a good distance behind Dixon.

Meanwhile, Rosco was coming up to the top of the hill that overlooked Rainbow Canyon.

"Okay," MaryAnne said, "the way I figure it he's gonna push this car down the hill and denonate the dynamite before you have a chance to get out. All we have to do is get out before he does that."

Sounds simple enough.

Rosco looked in the rear-view mirror as Terry was coming up behind him. MaryAnne was in position to open the door on the back right side of the car to jump out.

"He ain't slowin' down," Rosco announced.

Before MaryAnne could respond the blue sedan slammed into the patrol car and began to push it down the hill.

"Now Rosco! Jump!"

MaryAnne pulled the latch on the door and jumped out, hitting the ground hard. She heard the tires crunching against gravel and turned in time to see the patrol car disappear over the hill and explode.

MaryAnne took a moment to collect herself then turned to look for Rosco. The blue sedan was blocking her view.

"Rosco?" she called out as she got up. When she was on her feet she felt something cold on her neck.

"Hold it right there," Terry said. He took her gun from her holster.

"Looks like your little trick didn't work. I only saw one of you get out of that car."

MaryAnne went cold. She looked across the hood of the blue sedan to where Rosco would have most likely landed.

She didn't see anything.

"I don't believe you," she said half heartedly.

"Sure you do," Terry said.

"No, she doesn't," Rosco said coming up behind Terry. Terry froze at the object pointing in his back.

"Drop the guns and put your hands up," Rosco said with a snicker.

Terry did as he was told and MaryAnne kicked the guns away from him. She handed her cuffs to Rosco, then picked up the guns.

"I almost believed him," MaryAnne said when Rosco got the cuffs on Terry. "What happened to ya?"

"I landed in the bushes when I jumped out," he replied as MaryAnne handed him the other gun.

"Wait a minute," she said, noticing his hands were empty, "I thought you..."

Rosco held up his other hand with his thumb and index finger pointing out, simulating a gun.

MaryAnne laughed. "Now that's slick."

They put Terry in the back seat of the sedan and got in the front. Before Rosco turned the ignition he looked up at the string of black smoke that rose above the canyon.

MaryAnne saw it too. She turned to Rosco.

"That was close," she said.

"Yeah, I hope I never have to do that again," he said and started the engine.

Driving away from Rainbow Canyon, Terry spoke from the back seat.

"You'll never get the money back," he said.

"That's what you think," MaryAnne said and picked up the CB mike.

"Hey y'all out there on the Hazzard Net, this is Suzy Q. Songbird tellin' ya if you want to listen to some good country music why don't y'all tune in to the Velvet Ears Network."

That got a smile out of Rosco.

MaryAnne turned the CB radio to channel 9, the police channel.

"Lost Sheep, you out there?"

"Read you loud and clear, Songbird, its good to hear from you again," Luke said.

"Well it's nice to be out of the fire, literally, but we're not out of the fryin' pan yet. You got a 20 on Boss Man's greenbacks?"

"Yeah, we're followin' it down old Mill Road now, coming up on the intersection with Route 7. Stand by, we'll let you know where they go."

Bo and Luke watched the car turn on to Route 7 and pull off the side of the road into a small opening.

"Pull in behind these bushes here," Luke said. Bo turned the General into the brush and cut the engine. Through waving branches they could see Dixon and his partner waiting by the trunk of the car.

"They're waitin' in a small clearin' on Route 7 a few yards east of the intersection with Mill Road."

"Ten-four, Luke, we're on our way," MaryAnne replied.

"You didn't say over and out," Rosco said.

"Rosco, I said ten-four."

Hang on folks. This ain't over yet.

"There they are," Luke announced, seeing the blue sedan coming down Route 7 from the west.

Rosco kept his foot on the accelerator and brought the sedan up by Dixon and then swung it around so that he was facing Dixon and Jeb.

"Howdy, Dixon," Rosco said. "Surprised to see me? You know, my mamma always used to tell me that if you wanted anything done right, to do it yourself. This flunky you got is lousy at trying to finish people off. I guess you're gonna have to do it
yourself."

Dixon just stood in shock, looking at Rosco. Rosco then stepped on the accelerator and the sedan threw gravel as it went back down Route 7.

"Come on!" Dixon called to Jeb. "Let's get him."

"What for? We got the money, forget him!"

"Oh no, I didn't come back here after 25 years just to have him laugh in my face. Let's go!" Dixon ran to the driver's side door and jerked it open. After he and Jeb were seated in the brown sedan, Dixon took off after Rosco.

Bo brought the General to life and followed.

"You think Rosco can pull off the fancy driving MaryAnne needs him to do?" Bo asked.

"Hopefully he'll remember what she taught him for that Sheriff's race last year," Luke replied. "Or else."

"Yeah."

MaryAnne was looking at the brown sedan in her outside mirror.

"Well, now that we've got him, what do we do with him?" Rosco asked.

"Take him over to Hazzard Lake. We're gonna do a slight reverse of 'Dunk the Deputy and Soak the Sheriff.'"

Rosco kept the sedan on course to Hazzard Lake, keeping Dixon at approximately the same distance, not letting him catch up, but not letting him slip away either.

Dixon was getting antsy in the driver's seat. He slamned his hand on the steering wheel. "When'd he learn to drive so good? I can't catch up to him."

Jeb pulled out his .44 from his waistband. "This'll slow him down." He leaned out the open passenger window and took aim.

Rosco and MaryAnne flinched when the shot rung out.

"I think we made him mad," MaryAnne said.

Another shot exploded into the back window. Terry had already leaned over the backseat when the first shot had rung out.

"Correction. We HAVE made him mad!"

The boys were watching the scene from the General.

"They're shooting at 'em," Bo said.

"I heard," Luke replied. He picked up the CB mike. "MaryAnne, I sure hope you know what you're doing, sweetheart. If they hit one of your tires you guys are gonna be out of luck."

"I realize that, Luke. Just so long as we make it to Hazzard Lake. After that they can shoot all they want. Assuming they still feel like it."

The boys chuckled.

More shots had been fired while Luke was talking to MaryAnne.

"They gotta be running out of shots by now," MaryAnne said.

"Don't matter," Rosco said. He pointed up ahead.

MaryAnne looked and saw the turn that had become known as "sling shot alley." Enos, Cletus, Rosco and even herself had failed to make the turn and have plunged many a patrol car into the "Hazzard Car Wash."

"Just remember, Rosco, you HAVE to make this turn!"

"I'll make it, I'll make it," he said. He glanced in the rearview mirror and then giggled. He let Dixon catch up enough so that he could lead him right up to the edge.

"That's it, Rosco. Take him right up the one yard line."

Rosco brought his foot off the gas pedal and stepped on the brake, turning the car at just the right time for once in his life.

Dixon didn't see what was coming. The brown sedan shot off the lip of the road and soared into Hazzard Lake with a splash. The backend of the car still tried to move forward but there was no where else to go.

Well, what do you know? When it really counts, ol' Rosco could be a pretty fair country driver. Hmm, MaryAnne must still be coachin' him.

The boys helped Rosco and MaryAnne place Dixon and Jeb under arrest and then fish out Boss's money. As Actin’ Sheriff, MaryAnne got to take the credit for bringin’ in the top three most wanted criminals in four states. But she was just glad to have ol' Rosco back.

As for Boss, well, he was glad to have Rosco back too, but I think we know what he was really glad to have back.

Everyone was waiting by the courthouse for the boys, MaryAnne and Rosco to return. Bo handed the soggy money bags to Boss who was quite happy to see them. The money bags that is.

After Rosco and MaryAnne got Dixon and his associates in the jail cell everyone congratulated them and welcomed Rosco back.

Later that evenin’ at the Boar's Nest, MaryAnne told Rosco what she had read in the old issue of the Hazzard Gazette, but that she didn't understand why Dixon did what he did, which was come back to Hazzard and nearly kill Rosco.

"Final revenge, I guess," Rosco said. "He'd been gettin’ into trouble since he was kid and up to that point, I had arrested him probably a couple dozen times. We just didn't particularly like each other."

"Seems kind of strange, though, that he'd wait 25 years to try to do this," Bo said.

"Well, considering he's been serivin’ time in Ohio for about 18 years might explain the delay," MaryAnne said. "I didn't realize it yesterday, but this Conners fella has his face prominently plastered on a wanted poster that I found in Rosco's office for escaping jail in Ohio, and I also found out that the warrant for arrest for escaping the Hazzard County Jail back in August of '61 was still active. Why the authoritities in Ohio didn't know that 18 years ago I'll never know, but Conners is not only looking at possible time for endangering the lives of others, threatenin’ a public official, and attempted murder, but for havin’ escaped from the county jail back in '61."

Everyone laughed and Rosco turned to Boss Hogg.

"See, Boss, told ya I'd catch him."

Boss rolled his eyes. "After twenty-five years and nearly gettin’ yer fool head shot off."

"You can't take all the credit, Rosco," Bo said. "MaryAnne, here is Acting Sheriff."

"I know," Rosco said, looking at his cousin with pride. "And she makes a great Acting Sheriff."

"Only I ain't gonna stick with it for long," MaryAnne said. She stood up, taking the Sheriff's badge off her shirt. "Rosco, stand up." He did.

"God forbid I every become Acting Sheriff of Hazzard County this way again," she said. "I know I don't even have to ask you if you want your job back because I know you do." She started to pin the badge on Rosco's shirt. "So, on behalf of Boss and myself I hearby return to you the title of Sheriff of Hazzard County."

Whoops and cheers responded from everyone. MaryAnne gave Rosco a hug, glad to have him back and to be rid of title of Sheriff herself.

One good thing about livin' in Hazzard; we tend to have happy endin's.

Back to The Rosco Series