by: Marty Chrisman

Early the next morning, shortly after breakfast, Luke, Bo and Shelby got ready to head up on the mountain to make sure there was no evidence to use against Shelby for making moonshine. At the last minute, Daisy decided that she was coming too. Jesse ordered them all to be careful. They could all still be arrested if they were caught dismantling the stills or getting rid of the shine the Lynns still had stored.

They decided to take Daisy’s jeep since it would better on the rough terrain than the General would be. Shelby directed Daisy to a rutted dirt road on the far side of the mountain. Bo realized that this must be the way Cory had taken him to the Lynn Cabin when Luke was hurt. But Bo could never remember how to find the road afterwards because he had been so concerned about Luke that night that he hadn’t been paying as much attention as he should have been. They drove for almost an hour taking a couple of turns that Shelby had to warn Daisy about in advance because they came out of nowhere.

Finally, they reached a heavily wooded area where the road seemed to just end, until Shelby told Daisy to keep driving through some brush. When she did as Shelby instructed, they suddenly found themselves in a large clearing with the Lynn Cabin sitting in the middle of it. Now Bo and Luke understood why they had never been able to find the Lynn cabin when they tried to. They had decided to stop at the cabin first so Shelby could gather us some clothes and load up her car.

Shelby cursed loudly when she unlocked the door to the cabin and stepped inside. The place had been trashed. Furniture had been overturned and cushions cut open, carpet had been torn up off the floors and dishes had been thrown on of the cupboards. Even the pictures had been torn off the walls.

“Looks like the feds have been here.” Daisy said, surveying the damage.

“Sure does.” Bo said

“Well, at least there was nothing here for them to find.” Shelby said ruefully as she went into her bedroom. The damage was just as extensive in her room. The blankets and sheets had been torn off the bed and the mattress sliced open, along with the feather pillows. Clothes were scattered around the room, torn out of the closet and the dresser. Shelby’s guitar lay in one corner of the room with the neck broken off and the back smashed in. Bo started to help pick up some clothes until he saw some of the more intimate items, then he quickly backed out of the room with an embarrassed smile. Luke grinned and followed him, leaving Daisy and Shelby to gather up as many of her clothes as they could.

They put the clothes in some boxes Bo had found in a closet and the boys carried the boxes out to Shelby’s car. Shelby also gathered up some family pictures that were still intact and some of her jewelry that was tucked in the corner of a dresser drawer. As they left, she didn’t bother locking the front door. There wasn’t anything left in one piece to steal. Leaving Shelby’s car where it was for the moment, they climbed back into the jeep and Shelby started showing them where the Lynn still sites were located.

All the sites were carefully and skillfully hidden. It was doubtful if anyone, including the feds, would have ever found them but they couldn’t take the chance. There were three operating stills that they had to dismantle and shut down. With all four of them working together, it didn’t take long to put the stills out of commission.

When they had finished shutting down the stills, Shelby showed them where the shine that was already made up was stored. It definitely would never have been found. She led them to a large briar patch causing the three cousins to stop and look at her questioningly. Grinning, Shelby carefully pushed aside the briars and slipped through the patch. When the three cousins followed her, they found themselves in the entrance to an old mine shaft. Shelby lit one of the lanterns sitting by the entrance. Bo and Luke did the same.

Holding her light high so she could see, Shelby led the way to a large cavern at the end of the tunnel. And there was the hidden stash of shine, about thirty jugs full and two barrels.

“Your granddaddy knew how to hide his shine, didn’t he?” Luke said with a grin

“I never said that granddaddy found this place.” Shelby told him with a grin “Cory and me found it when we were kids.”

“Well, let’s get busy.” Luke said. The boys emptied out the barrels, while the girls started dumping the jugs and breaking them on the ground. When they were done, they went back out to the jeep and made their way back to the cabin so Shelby could pick up her car. Bo rode back to the farm in the jeep with Daisy, while Luke rode with Shelby in her car. Now there was no evidence to tie Shelby to any moonshining charges. Back at the farm, the boys got busy with their evening chores while Shelby helped Daisy fix supper.

After supper, the boys decided to they were going to the Boar’s Nest for awhile and they invited the girls to go along. They readily agreed and the four young people left to blow off some steam and have some fun. Even though it was a Wednesday night, the tavern was crowded with the regulars. (Which included most of Hazzard County) The four of them found a booth at the back of the room. The boys ordered beers and both girls ordered cokes. When someone put some change in the jukebox and a slow song started to play, Luke grinned at Shelby and asked her to dance.

Daisy and Bo both grinned from ear to ear as they watched their older cousin take Shelby’s hand and pull her into his arms as they began to dance. “Told ya.” Bo told Daisy with a laugh “He’s sweet on her.”

“Good…” Daisy said laughing back “Cause they made a perfect couple.” Just then Daisy spotted trouble as Ernie Ledbetter and two of his friends, Toby Mitchell and Billy Jo Richards, came into the bar. Ernie didn’t like Bo or Luke at all. “Uh Uh…” Daisy said, poking Bo in the ribs with her elbow “Trouble…Ernie and his friends just came in.”

“Well, he better not start nothing.” Bo growled

“You don’t need to start anything either. You and Luke are still paying the damages for the last fight you two were in.”

Since Luke had his back to the door, he hadn’t seen Ernie and his friends. His mind was distracted by the woman in his arms. “Maybe we can go for a walk when we get back to the farm.” He whispered in Shelby’s ear as they moved slowly in time to the music. He took a moment to nuzzle the side of her neck with his lips, sending cold chills down her spine.

“Hey, Duke…” Ernie’s voice said from behind him “I see you’re hanging out with drug runners now…moving up in the world, huh?”

Shelby saw the muscle tighten in Luke’s jaw and his eyes narrow dangerously, serious warning signs to anyone who knew Luke. He turned to face Ernie and his friends, positioning himself so that Shelby was standing behind him.

“Back off, Ledbetter.” Luke said in a deceptively calm voice, his eyes cold as ice.

“Or what?” Ernie said, deliberately trying to bait Luke. Glancing over Luke’s shoulder at Shelby, he sneered “Hey, honey…why don’t you dance with a real man…” Then Ernie made his second mistake, he reached out as if he were reaching around Luke to try and grab Shelby. In that split second, Luke hit him with a perfect right cross and he stumbled backwards, falling over a table. Bo was on his feet in an instant and at his older cousin’s side. When Billy Joe pulled back his fist to hit Luke, Bo punched him in the stomach with a pile driver. That was when all hell broke loose. Nobody in his right mind, except Ernie and his friends, would try to take on the Duke boys in a fight.

Instinctively, Shelby grabbed a chair and raised it in the air intending to hit Ernie or Toby as soon as she got a clear shot at either one of them. Suddenly, Daisy grabbed her arm and hissed in her ear “Don’t you dare! You’re out on bail, remember?” In frustration, Shelby threw the chair to the floor and stood there beside Daisy watching the fight. When Luke punched Toby and he stumbled backwards towards the two girls, Daisy picked up a beer bottle from the table beside her and busted it over his head. Toby crumbled to the floor, out cold. Grinning at Shelby, she said “I’m not out on bail.”

Just then a gunshot sounded in the air and Roscoe yelled “Alright, break it up!”  Immediately, Bo and Luke stopped fighting and stood there, eyeing Ernie and Billy Jo cautiously. All four men were breathing heavily. Both boys were okay but Ernie had the start of a black eye and Billy Joe obviously had a broken nose. “Alright you Duke Boys!” Roscoe spluttered, strutting across the bar and waving his gun. “You’re under arrest for disturbing the peace.”

“Roscoe, we didn’t start it!” Bo said defensively “Ernie and his friends did!”

“Yeah” Luke said angrily

“That’s right, Boss.” Daisy cried “Ernie was harassing Luke.”

“I don’t care! I’m tired of these two tearing up this place!” Roscoe bellowed, waving his gun around even more erratically.

“Roscoe put that gun down before you hurt somebody!” Luke said

“Hush up, Luke Duke!” Roscoe said, accidentally firing his gun again. Luckily, he was aiming at the ceiling. Plaster dust rained down from the ceiling on Shelby and Daisy. Roscoe giggled gleefully as he pulled his handcuffs off his belt and fastened one bracelet to Luke’s right wrist and the other bracelet to Bo’s left wrist. “Alright, you two! Let’s go…” he grabbed Luke’s shoulder, shoving him towards the door.

“Alright, alright…I’m going.” Luke said

“I better go call Uncle Jesse.” Daisy said with a sigh as she watched Roscoe escort Bo and Luke out of the bar. She glared at Ernie and his friends with open hostility as she walked towards the bar to use the phone, followed closely by Shelby.