by: Essy Jane

Jesse and Jose were off to Annie Larson’s office to get Jesse’s casts removed. “Time to get ready for our weddings,” Jesse commented. Jose laughed.

“What better way to do it than cut off your casts,” Jose replied. Jesse walked in. The doctor was in her waiting room pacing back and forth. She was on the phone.

“Just please don’t hurt her,” Annie commented. She hung up the phone. “Sorry guys, we’re closed today. Y’all can come back another day.” Jose and Jesse looked at each other.

“Please don’t hurt who?” Jesse asked.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh don’t pretend we didn’t catch the raw end of that conversation. Annie, you were there for all the major events in my life. Jose and I were there for some of yours.”

“When your daughter married Terrance Applebee,” Jose added.

“Okay, but you have to promise to keep this between the three of us,” Annie cried. She took a deep breath and let it out slow.

“Every single time someone asks us to do so, we have to involve the rest of our family.”

“Okay, between us and your family.”

“That we can handle, right Jess?”

“You better believe it Jose. Now, what is going on?” Jesse asked.

“You remember how my sister came to town about three months ago?” Annie questioned.

“How could I forget?”

“Well, she asked me for a job and of course she became my secretary.”

“Yeah, we all remember that.”

“She’s been kidnapped.”

“What?”

“Yeah and they want money for her.” Annie began to pace back and forth. She took a glimpse at Jesse and shook her head. “She’s my baby sister. All I can think about is how scared she is.”

“Look, we’ll find her.”

“Hey, doesn’t your machine record all calls?” Jose asked.

“Yeah, for better service!” Annie commented.

“Jesse, my computer whiz…”

“Oh come on, don’t put this all on me,” Jesse mumbled.

“Come on Jess, you know as well as I do that you are better on those things than me.”

“Oh alright but don’t shoot me if I don’t get anything right.”

“We have to ask you one favor though Annie.”

“I’ll do anything,” Annie commented.

“Cut off my casts please!” Jesse exclaimed. Annie laughed as she wiped the tears out of her eyes.

A few hours later, back at the Duke farm, Jose was fooling around in the kitchen. He was playing around with different dishes. When Dukes are worried they do things. The dearly departed Jesse Duke Senior whittled. Bo and Luke fixed things. Daisy polished dishes. Jesse Junior liked to wash the General, wax him and give him a tune-up. Jo liked to go in the barn and use the boxing bag. Jose liked to bake.

Unlike his father, Jose learned how to cook. He was making a lot of cakes and cookies. When Jose felt he couldn’t bake anymore, he sighed. He looked around the house. He was amazed at all the modifications that they had made to this farm house. He looked at the staircase that used to be their room. Jose walked up the stairs and stared at the hallway. The carpets were blue. The walls had been painted red.

There were family pictures all over the walls. One had Luke, Jesse Sr and Bo standing beside General Lee one. Daisy lay on top of the hood. Luke had a big cowboy hat on. Bo rested his boots on the General. Jesse Sr had his hand on Bo’s shoulder.

There were the wedding pictures on the walls. Nancy-Lou holding onto Bo so tight. Luke and Maria kissing in the backyard of the Duke farm. Daisy and Jaime-Lee walking over the thresh hold of their place. Essy-Jane and Judd holding hands. The newest wedding picture was Jose’s own brother with his wife Delia.

The one picture Jesse liked the most was the one of Bo, Nancy, Jo, Jesse, the triplets and himself. He stared at that one with pride. He and Jesse couldn’t help but look each other in that picture. They were like brothers, no one could deny that.

Jose sighed. With his free hand, he pulled out his wallet. Jose put the cup in his hand down on the table in the hall where the plant was. He looked at pictures he had stuck in there. One was of him and Jesse spraying each other with the hose while cleaning the pickup. Another was of Jesse and Jose with Jo and Lilly-Rose on their shoulders. He shook his head and put the pictures back in the wallet.

Jose opened a large wooden door. He peered inside the room. He looked at his cousin’s strawberry blonde hair and smiled. Jose still couldn’t believe the mop that was on that head. Jesse never did want to cut his hair. Jose couldn’t complain though. Jesse was on the computer fiddling around with the sound file. Jose walked in and handed his cousin a cup of hot chocolate. “How are you doing?” Jose asked.

“Well, it feels weird to move my hands again but…” Jesse began. Jose rolled his eyes.

“No! How are you doing on the sound file?” Jesse winked. He elbowed Jose in the side. “Why is everything a big joke to you? Someone’s missing!”

“I don’t know, trying to lighten the mood?” Jesse began typing for a second. He pushed the play button. All you could hear was the wind and cows mooing. You could pick out some rustling.

“Where did the voice go?” Jesse paused the recording. He looked up at Jose, turning his computer chair towards his cousin.

“The guy used a voice changer. I managed to get the voice clear but it was no one I knew.”

“Well, I guess that’s normal in Hazzard.”

“Someone wanting a quick fix but never really going for the big guns.”

“Guess bank robbing is out this year.” Jesse typed more. He pushed play again. You could hear the cows and suddenly a horn…not just any horn, the horn of the General 2. Jesse’s eyes widened, he paused the recording.

“Dad went driving today?”

“Guess so.” Jesse pushed the play button again. He heard another horn and pushed pause.

“Oh, he’s been caught! That’s Essy’s horn, where would they have driven by. Cows aren’t exactly an amazing trait in Hazzard. After all this is a farming community.”

“Dad and Essy went driving today…that’s our link.” Jose shook his head and smiled. “What, what is it?”

“I didn’t realize how much I was goanna miss this.” Jesse shrugged and laughed. Jose was bewildered by his response. “What?”

“Well, it’s called visiting. I’m still goanna be here when you and Dad leave. Jo’s goanna stick around for a while. You can come back and have an adventure with me any time you want.” Jose smiled.

“Thanks Jess.”

“Anytime, cousin.” Just then, the door from downstairs opened. “Hey, that’s gotta be Dad.”

“Whelp, no time like the present.” The boys walked down the flight of stairs. Sure enough, it was Bo who had walked in the door.

“Hey Dad, how are you?”

“Yeah, how’s it going, Bo?”

“Hi boys, I am just fine but you two don’t look that way. Jesse, you have that determined look on your face you always have. Jose, you looked worried…not to mention there are cookies everywhere. Looks like you have something on your mind,” Bo said softly. He sat down on one of the kitchen chairs, backwards. Bo rested his arms on the back of the chair. “What’s up?”

“Well you see…” Jesse began.

“We need to know where you were driving today,” Jose cut in.

“I drove a lot today,” Bo commented.

“You were racing Essy.”

“I went into town to get some…”

“Don’t worry about it Bo, you’re allowed to go racing. We ain’t goanna kill you for it. Now what we need to know is when and where.” Bo shook his head. He looked at Jose carefully.

“How did you know that I was racing anyway?” Bo shook his head. He looked at Jose and Jesse, stumped by their knowledge. “My whole life feels like an open book. Did Essy tell you about it or what?”

“Never mind how we know about that, you need to tell us.”

“It’s life or death,” Jesse added.

“You mean a life and death situation.”

“Who died and made you the grammar king?”

“Look, we need to know Bo. Where did you drive today? I know what time because of the phone call.”

“What phone call?” Bo questioned.

“Don’t worry about that either,” Jesse answered.

“Well boys, I drove past ol’ Henderson’s farm…around the woods. Past Still nine…”

“Hey, the Henderson farm, didn’t you say you saw a for sale sign?” Jose asked.

“Yeah but that thing has been for sale for weeks. Mr. Henderson already moved out. DJ was thinking about moving there before but changed his mind when his Daddy moved from their place.”

“That’s right, he’s going to become head of the LAPD,” Jesse added.

“I thought it was funny when he joined up with Roxanne in the FBI. When Roxy quit the force to stay home with DJ, I thought she would die.”

“Yeah strange.”

“Now our dear friend DJ’s living on the Strate property.”

“With his baby Eva and his wife Gail at his side, you know, DJ sure was lucky to find her.”

“Look, we don’t have time for this Jess,” Jose began. Jesse hated when his cousin was right sometimes but in this case, he was. Jesse bit on his bottom lip. He looked at Jose with a great determination in his eyes. “We gotta check out the Henderson farm. It’s our only chance of finding Jordanian.”

Bo’s eyes widened. He stared at the boys, full of concern. Jesse elbowed Jose softly, his body language expressed annoyance of his cousin. Bo gave the boys the look and they both straightened up.

“She’s missing?” Bo asked.

“Yeah, don’t worry Bo, we’re on the case,” Jose calmly said.

“You boys be careful.”

“Yes sir, we will.”