by: Kristy Duke

The bright overhead light shines brightly into my sleep filled eyes as I am slowly awakened by a soft gentle touch upon my right shoulder as well as by the soft caring voice of my elderly uncle. Looking up at him, a sparkle of hope shines in his crystal blue eyes as he forces me a small smile as he notices that I have awakened. “Mornin’ sleepy head,” he slowly says as he runs a finger through my hair for a brief moment before placing a worried _expression on his face. A sense of fear rushes through me as I fight for answers of why he is waking me up, in the past three days since I had been here, he has refused to wake me up for anything.

“What’s wrong? Is Daisy…” I slowly cut myself off as I find it even harder to breath and I fight to control my breathing, my pain.

“Shhh no,” Jesse answers straightening up, “but you have company.”

I give him another questioning look before he steps back to show me that Doctor Applebee stands a foot behind him, silently watching over his shoulder, while Luke stands silently still at the foot of my bed. Fear corses through my body as my mind rushes quickly through my mind as I stare up at Applebee, my mind rushing through what my tests came back as. “How you feelin’?” Applebee slowly manages to step around Jesse and Jesse takes a couple of steps back to join Luke. I glare at them as Applebee shines a bright light into both of my eyes before he forces me to look at him. “How you feelin, Bo?” he repeats when he don’t get an answer to it the first time.

I attempt to shrug only for pain to begin throbbing in my head once again and I glance back at Jesse who nods for me to answer. “The same as the last time you were here,” I answer silently, a notch above a whisper, “I hurt…everywhere.”

Applebee slowly writes down my answer onto his clipboard while checking my monitors and writing something else down. After a long couple of moments of checking me over as he had done when I had first awaken, he returns to his paper attached to his clipboard. “We all know why I am here, so I will get to it,” he answers as he takes me in for a long moment before looking up at Jesse and Luke, “as I had said at my last visit, his asthma has grown increasingly worse than his last check up only a few months ago, his lungs seems a lot weaker as well. As for the blood tests,” he pauses dramatically as his attention goes to his paper before looking back at me and then up at Jesse and Luke,” the blood test has came up positive. His heart disease has returned…full force.”

Silence explodes within my small room as my heart tightens painfully within me at hearing the expected results of his tests and tears steadily grow in my eyes. “But they said,” Jesse slowly says, cutting himself off.

“They promised something they had no right to promise, you yourself pointed out the same thing. They had no idea if the disease had only grown into remission or if he had outgrown it. . .in the few past cases of this type of heart disease, the disease never went away until it had taken the person. And when we came back with several blood tests that showed no sign of his heart disease being there, they automatically assumed that he had outgrew it. Call it wishful thinkin’ on their behalf. So instead of coming forward to say that they didn’t know what happened, they promised you something that they knew you both would want to hear. They knew nothing of the disease and yet they promised something they couldn’t promise. You of all people, know that Jesse,” Applebee takes a forceful breath as he glances down at me and I quickly wipe away the tear that had escaped, “They still know little to nothing about the disease…the little they do know, they have learned from Bo and the few others that had suffered with it. That it is deadly and painful.”

Silence once again fills the room as Jesse slowly makes his way to the other side of my bed and lies a comforting hand upon my left shoulder. Tiredly, I glance up at him to find a stray tear rolling down his own cheek, something he had never allowed me to see before. I watch the tear slowly roll down his cheek to slowly dissolve into his thick beard as I am silently shaken by the single tear that had fallen from his crystal blue eyes. “Is there,” Luke slowly begins, fighting for words as he glares down at me, pain strikes his blue eyes, “is there anything you can do for him?”

“Other than to prescribe painkillers to kill some of the pain it creates, I’m afraid not,” he goes silent as his own brown eyes seem to mist with tears, “they are still studying it and fighting to find a cure, but at the moment, there is no cure. I have prescribed painkillers that he is suppose to take two pills every four hours,” Applebee sighs as he searches his pockets before coming out with a clear red pill bottle and hesitantly hands it to Jesse, “Of course it is a higher prescription from the last time he had it…we will try this and see how it works, if it don’t work too well, I can always prescribe him a higher dose.”

Silence once again captures my room as my monitors continue to beep annoyingly slow besides me, behind Jesse. “I wanna go home,” I finally speak up to break the silence.

“They have signed your release from the hospital in a couple of hours,” Applebee slowly answers before stiffly standing up from where he sat in the small folding chair, “they want to continue to monitor your breathing and heart rate for a little while, it isn’t anywhere near the point that it should be,” he pauses to look down at his clipboard once again, “I will want to see him again in five days to see about taking the stitches out of his cut…and to check up on everything. Say Monday morning at nine o’clock?”

I glare angrily up at him as tears begin to brim my eyes despite my struggle against holding them back before I glance up at Jesse and Luke for support. “Sounds fine,” Jesse silently answers as he rolls my pill bottle in his hand as he glares blankly into it, his crystal blue eyes sparkle with painful memories.

“I’ll see you then,” Applebee nods as he places a comforting hand upon my shoulder before he slowly walks out, closing the door behind him.

 

***LUKE***

 

Exhaustion abruptly streaks through my wary body as I struggle to block out the loud music and conversations that erupt around me as I glare blankly into my half full mug of beer. The past long treacherous days displays clearly in the back of my mind, playing itself like an old bad movie that plays over and over again. Emotions continue to boil angrily within me as I silently replay walking into the bathroom to finding Bo lying silently still, covered in a thick pool of his own blood, in the back of my head. Laced in between worried thoughts of Bo and the consequences to his cardiac arrest, lies the scene of Daisy lying vulnerably on her hospital bed with a large tube stuck down her throat. My heart reaches an abrupt stop as anger corses through my body at thinking of Daisy struggling fiercely for her own life while she remains tightly captured within the darkness of her coma.

“You gonna be alright, Luke? Perhaps you shouldn’t have any more?” LB slowly speaks up from besides me, sounding distant despite the fact that he sits only a couple of inches to my right. I silently glare over at him as he nurses his own beaded mug of beer before I shoot Cooter an angry glare across the table before spotting my three empty beer mugs that I had drank, pushed aside.

“Of course I’m al-” I cut myself off as I am quickly reminded of my first month of being home, where I had forced to loose myself within several mugs of beer, each night. The conversation I had with Bo only a couple of weeks ago on the hill of the woods a few feet from the farm echos through my head, promising him that I would change to who I once was before I left for war. “I’m fine,” I slowly respond, shoving more confidence in my voice than what I feel. Glancing across the table back at Cooter I slowly change subjects, “You make any phone calls yet? When’s gonna be the first run?”

“Shhh,” Cooter hushes me with a finger to his lips as he sends me an accusatory glare, “we have one to make in a couple of days, but that is all I am going to say here, in public.”

I continue to glare at him as silence evades our table while I force myself to take another long drink of the beer that is set before me. “How’s Bo?” LB finally speaks to break the silence, “How is he dealin’ with the news?”

I look at him for a moment before glaring deeply into my beer mug before returning the look back at LB. “I guess as well as to be expected. He visited Daisy after his release for a few moments before I took him home,” I sigh as my thoughts return to Bo and Daisy, “he took a long nap and spent the rest of the afternoon depressed about it all. I guess to be expected.”

Once again silence comes between the three of us before a shadow seems to come across our table forcing me to glance over my shoulder and anger quickly corses my body at seeing Travis standing there. “I know this won’t make things any better,” Travis’ voice seems to tremor in emotion as he steps to my side, “but for all it’s worth, I am sorry for what had happened. With Daisy.”

“Your sorry?!” my own voice tremors in anger as I quickly stand up to stand two inches taller than him, forcing my chair to fall over onto the wooden floor, “Little late for that, don’t you think? Forget the fact, that you ran off, leaving her for dead! If you were man enough to stay behind, to call for help, she may not be as hurt as she is now! You call yourself an FBI agent? I always thought of them having some brains…guess you’re the exception!”

His thick chest heaves out as he takes a deep breath. “I thought she was dead already…I panicked,” he gives me an excuse as he takes his edgy eyes off of me to glance over at LB and Cooter who slowly rises from their own chairs, “easy now…all I came to say, is that I am sorry about what had happened.”

“And as I said, it is too late for that,” I throw back at him and anger crosses his face, “I really don’t care what had happened! Accidents happen, but what don’t happen is, is that you run from the accident, leaving your date for dead along side the road!”

“It wasn’t no accident…we, I mean, I was being chased and they shoved me off the road,” he argues stepping closer to me as if to show me his authority, “I thought she was already dead, so I ran from the men, chasing me.”

“Enough of the crap, agent! She lies on her death bed thanks to you!” I yell into his face as Cooter grabs my left shoulder and I glance back at him to find a table to our side full of men watching the commotion, men I have never seen before. I glance back at Travis who remains oblivious of the attention our argument is receiving, “You being an order of the law, I figured you would know better than to leave from the accident.”

“You are more immature than what people give you credit for…they say you’d be the one to understand. I thought so too after you telling me you being of a sergeant rank in the military,” he answers angrily, spitting in my face as he yells, “Apparently not. All I can do now, is to say how sorry I am, that I hope she will pull out of this. If you want to be a baby about it and not take my apologize, then be a baby!”

“You jackass!” I yell as I struggle from Cooter’s grip as my anger explodes within me. Adrenaline rushes through me as I harshly grab onto his tight denim long sleeved shirt and surprised anger radiates in his green eyes. “I don’t see what Daisy saw in you…you surely ain’t no ladies man by leaving her stranded like you did. You may have been her only hope for life and you abandoned her only hope!” I yell angrily within me, my words seem to grow stronger with anger towards him, “The way I see it, it is you that deserves to be in that hospital bed, fighting for your own damn life. Not Daisy!”

“Well it isn’t me, now is it?” he gives me an ornery smile as he harshly tears my hands off of his shirt and roughly throws me to the side. I stagger through drunkenness as he throws me aside and I rush unbalanced into the nearest table, my belt latches onto their table and I take their table and drinks down with me as I hit the wooden floor. Covered in their alcohol, I glance up to find it to be the table where the large men sit at, men I have never seen before. Anger and surprise flashes in their dark eyes before they glance up at Travis and a small smile flickers on the man that sits closest to me, his body radiates in power.

Filled with pain and anger I wobbly stand up as my buzz rushes through me and I grip onto another table to steady my balance before rushing at Travis. “Luke!” LB and Cooter yell out together as they grab onto me, forcing me away from Travis, “I think it’s time to get goin’…before they kick you out. Attacking him won’t help Daisy better in anyway.”

For a brief moment I angrily fight their grip they have on my arms as they lead me away before I slowly relax and follow them towards the door. Filled with resignation, I slowly glance over my shoulder to find the man resembling power leaning over and slowly picks something up before glancing up at Travis who glares blankly at me. “The perfect example of what consuming alcohol will do to you…they should have taped that and displayed it to ever highschool student and anyone who is caught driving under the influence,” Cooter speaks up, to break the silence between us as I yank my arms away from them. The cold late winter night’s air brushes against my face as I fight to keep up with them as my legs seem to go numb beneath me, “It would surely change their mind of ever taking a drink of anything that has any alcohol in it. Change them forever. What in the hell where you thinkin’ Luke? Attacking an FBI officer like that? He could easily arrest you for assaulting a police figure!”

“You forget? He’s the one that tossed me into that table…all I did was have a grip on his shirt,” I forcefully remind them as we reach Cooter’s tow truck.

“How drunk you are, it wouldn’t have taken much to toss you into that table,” he glares at me, “you are a mess…perhaps I should leave you to dry in the parking lot. Perhaps by mornin’ you’ll be dried out enough to think rationally…as you normally do.”

I shrug helplessly as I climb in after LB before Cooter slowly pulls out of his parking lot and out into the dusty dirt road. A few dark clouds hang thinly in the dark sky while a half moon seems to lighten up a dark world. “And drinkin’ that much,” Cooter starts to harp in once again, “never makes the pain go away…I figured after all this time, you would know that by now. I thought Bo helped point that out a bit, that’s why you stopped coming there every night as you once did.”

“So I slipped,” I glare angrily back at him, “other than me, no one got hurt.”

With that silence seems to seep into the cab of the truck as I absently grab at my wet hair that clings onto the alcohol that had been spilled upon me, that drips down my face and back, into my clothing. My right shoulder rings in pain from where the wooden table had fallen down into me along with the throbbing of my head, where I had hit on the floor.

***JESSE***

 

Anger and fear dances steadily within me as I glare down into the deathly pale, empty face of my niece while her monitors ring endlessly off the hollow walls. Horrid thoughts flash through the back of my head, thoughts of the past week that had led my family to where it is, to the future that awaits us all. Tears blur my vision as my thoughts slowly shift from Daisy to Bo, to the horrid past he has lived. “Damn,” I silently cuss under my breath as I slowly avert my attention away from my vulnerable niece lying upon the old hospital bed to the small window that rests a few feet away from Daisy. A ray of sunshine melts through the window from the late morning sky, brightening up the dark gloomy small hospital room.

For a short moment, I allow myself to listen to the monitors beeping every other second while I glance around the small room. Painful memories explode within me of the many times I had spent in a room like this, visiting Bo as he fought for his young life. Now it’s Daisy.

Fighting back the tears that sting in my eyes, an harsh knock echos off of the hollow door before it is slowly swung open. My heart races violently within me in surprise as I quickly jump around to find Brodie slowly walk into the room, his dark muscular hands shoved forcefully into the pockets of his skin tight dark blue jeans. For a brief moment he takes me in before glancing over my shoulder, taking in Daisy, his dark blackish brown eyes are filled with un-certainty as he forces a step closer to the foot of the bed.

“Hi Uncle Jes -” he catches himself as he glances at me before glaring down at the floor under his feet, “I mean Jesse.”

“It’s alright,” I slowly motion him over and he obediently nods and steps up to the foot of the bed, a couple of feet from me. “How have you been?”

He shrugs sheepishly as he watches Daisy lying on her bed, covered in cuts and bruises before he looks at me, this time fear and worry enters his dark eyes. “I been ok,” he shrugs again as he removes the bright blue hat that rests on his head to show me his freshly cut thick wavy black hair that now lies only a half inch long, if that. Before it had hung over his hat.

“Nice hair cut,” I nod to break the silence, his anxiety seems to radiate off of his muscular body as he glares down at his shoes once again.

“Thanks. Mom did it last night,” he goes silent for a long moment, his actions reminding me of how he use to act when he had done something he knew was wrong, something that would bring him into trouble, “I was just at the…your farm. Bo seemed surprised that I did it.”

I lend him a smile as he stands tensely at the edge of the bed, gripping tightly onto her metal railings, his normally dark knuckles have now turned pale. “At the farm? Is everything -”

“They seem fine…I just stopped by to visit Bo. I hadn’t seen him since,” he pauses as he once again looks down at his well worn leather cowboy boots, “since that night at the Boar’s Nest. Y’all are going through a hard time, first Bo and now Daisy,” he glances down at Daisy as he fades into silence before he glances back at me, his eyes now alert, “I was wonderin’ if there is anything that I can do to help? I know there is nothin’ that will help you cope with all that has been thrown at you, but perhaps help on the farm? Mom wants to invite you and the family over for dinner sometime…when it works best for you.”

“Thanks for the offer, Brodie,” I smile up at him as I am filled with pride as I slowly take him in, the boy I had watched grow up into the man that stands a few feet away from me. Other than for Luke, the only true friends Bo had, was Brodie and Dobro; still his only true friends. “I may have to take you up on that offer, but at the moment, I can’t think of anything. As for your mom’s dinner offer -”

“She tol’ me, that she wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Brodie silently interrupts me, “that y’all have to eat sooner or later.”

“I figured she would say somethin’ like that,” I grin up at him, “’bout any time works best for us…so whenever she is ready.”

“Sure, I’ll let her know,” he slowly shrugs as he eyes me for a brief moment before looking back down at Daisy for a long silent moment. After a short moment, he takes a small step back before saying, “I better be goin’ now, I just wanted to let you know…that I am willin’ to help, if there is anything I can do.”

“Thanks Brodie,” I nod slowly before I smile slightly up at him as he slowly returns it before exiting the room into the brightly lit hall way. Watching the door slowly close behind him, Brodie disappearing behind the door, I slowly turn around to watch Daisy.

***LUKE***

 

A foreign source of excitement slowly creeps up my exhausted body as I slowly pull the old sporty car to a complete stop in front of the little shack that Cooter calls a home. Slowly turning off the ignition, I slowly glare through the mud streaked windshield, I force myself to take a deep breath. Over head a dark purple sky looms thickly over the hills and the dense trees that surround Cooter’s small two bed room house. Fighting back the excitement that rushes through my veins, I glance into the rear view mirror as I try to remind myself of why I am doing what I am going to do. Bo and Daisy. Yanking the driver door open, I sigh heavily as anxiety quickly erupts within me as the cold night’s light wind brushes up against my face and I hug onto my thick denim coat for some protection.

My mind quickly wanders from thought to thought as I slowly walk upon the muddy walk way Cooter has connecting the small mud filled drive way to the old wooden deck. Reaching the weak wooden deck, I slowly glance around the perimeters of the old house before resting wary eyes upon an old fast car that is parked along side the house. My heart tightens harshly within me as seeing the midnight blue 1970 Oldsmobile parked along side the house, sending a flame of reality through me. This is the real deal. Once again a long ragged sigh escapes from me as I force myself to take a couple of steps up to the door, where I open up the squeaky screen door to knock on the ratty torn wooden door. From within, I hear dogs barking, howling, and growling, which is quickly followed by a harsh voice trying to shush them.

“Tell me this isn’t real,” I abruptly speak up as the door slowly opens the door and Cooter slowly shows himself, dressed in his normal attire of tight dark blue jeans (which is stained with oil and grease), and a grease stained cut off shirt.

“It seems real enough,” he lends me a broad smile as he steps to the side and I slowly step in and he quickly shows up behind me and I am instantly greeted by three large dogs, “don’t worry, they don’t bite…well if you were mean and meant harm in any way, they would. But seeing how I doubt you mean harm, you shouldn’t have a problem.”

I smile at him as I pet the big golden retriever with a clammy weak hand before turning my attention to a black lab who stands an inch taller than the golden retriever. “I can’t believe we are actually going through with it,” I finally answer standing up a I follow Cooter down the hall and turn into his living room; which consists of an ragged brown couch against the left wall, the right wall holds a brick fire place, a matching recliner. A wooden coffee table lies in the middle of the fire place and the couch and chair, the coffee table is hidden under several piles of car magazines, a couple of old editions of the local news paper, and several beer bottles and beer cans. “You need a professional house cleaner.”

“It’s comfortable to me,” he shrugs as he is engulfed in the long couch and the black lab quickly jumps up and lies next to him and I take the recliner. “Oh let me introduce you to my family. This here is Shadow,” he points to the black lab next to him, then points to the golden retriever that sits next to me, “that there is Rex,” then he turns to the third big dog which is as big as the black lab with dark brown fur, a chocolate colored lab, “and that there is Bear.”

“Very creative…and colorful,” I nod as Bear quickly rushes up to me, jumping into my lap before forcefully jumping down to jump up on the couch next to Shadow, “how you wind up with three large dogs as those…and different color? The same age?”

“Pretty much. Shadow is my lady…the spoiled one,” he chuckles a bit, “I got them at the same time at the same farm. The guy had dogs everywhere. Anyways, he had four females giving birth. I got the first pick.”

“A nice pick,” I answer as I pick nervously at a small hole forming at my knee in my jeans before glancing up, “Isn’t LB spose to be here?”

“Relax Luke, he’ll be here,” he grins, laughing silently at my jumpiness, “you’ve ran before and hadn’t gotten caught…things don’t change. So what’s to worry about?”

I shoot him a disbelieving look before I bend down and start to pet Rex who looks up at me with dark brown eyes. “Gettin’ caught,” I take a deep breath to force myself to relax, “I haven’t done it since I left Hazzard. I am excited and nervous at the same time.”

“It’ll be fine, just remember what we doin’ this for,” he grins as the screen door squeaks open a few feet away to send the dogs running to the door, barking, “Daisy and Bo.”

“Hi boys…and girl,” LB’s voice comes from the hall way before he slowly walks into the living room, followed by the dogs, “Bo and Daisy?”

“The reason why we runnin’ again,” Cooter grins over at me and then at LB, “well I still run…just the Dukes that don’t run no more.”

“I happen to be a Duke,” I gently remind him, “I would never forgive myself if for some reason the blame turned to Bo.”

“What? For being related to you?” Cooter says, his voice full of impatient sarcasm, “Bo is no where near here so therefore he can’t get busted for runnin’ or having possession of the shine. Only you.”

“Only me? Very comforting,” I shrug as I lean back into the chair before the excitement slowly returns at the thought of running shine again, of driving wild and free. Something I hadn’t done for over eight years now. “Well OK, call me a worry wart. Someone needs to think of the consequences to what would happen if we got caught.”

“But won’t,” LB kicks in, “all three of us knows how to drive…and well at that. We all have CBs in our vehicles and we’ll keep it to channel nine.”

Silence slowly floats between the three of us as the dogs slowly move to readjust themselves on the couch and next to me once again. “Thanks for lending me your vehicle, Cooter,” I grin as I think of the ride over here, driving his1972 Pontiac GTO, “It drove like a dream.”

“Real smooth, ain’t she?” he grins with pride, “I got that car from an outer towner who sold it to me as close to nothing. Of course she has had a lot of work done to her since then, but now you would never guess that she was on her last leg…or tire.”

“Never,” I nod in agreement as I glance over at LB who stands in the door way, “Well, should we get goin’?”

“Sooner the better,” Cooter sighs warily as we join LB, “now the buyer is known for violence and has plenty of guns, so I warn y’all to be careful when we reach him. Most likely we’ll deal through his middle men. He is the one offer that was higher than all the rest at such a short notice. We have already gone over our plan of delivery…different road for us all, end up at the same location. Any questions?”

LB glances at me as I shake my head no as I grab at the door handle and slowly pull the inside door open. “Not at the moment,” LB responds for the both of us as we exit the warm house and into the cold winter night.

*******

 

 

Thick darkness lingers heavily around me as thick dark clouds hang over the sky, hiding the stars and the moon that may have otherwise lighted my way. I sigh warily as I once again shoot a concerned look into my rear view mirror to find dark rolling hills and big trees off to the distance and a couple of pastures surrounding the road; no vehicle. I force myself to take a long deep breath in order to relax my nerves while I silently remind myself, that this isn’t new, before I had left for war, I had made a run at least once a week, if not more. And yet my stomach flops wildly within me as my heart tightens in fear. Emotions seem to take a hold of me as I drive into the night, from excitement to fear. “Bo and Daisy,” I announce aloud, reassuring myself this isn’t for nothing.

My thoughts are abruptly interrupted as a loud powerful engine slowly roars from behind me, sending my heart racing quickly within me. Holding tightly onto the black leathered steering wheel, I force myself to look into my rear view mirror to find a newly modeled sporty red car several feet behind me. “Damn it,” I mutter as I tighten hold of the steering wheel as my imagination plays wildly within me, scenes of long night in a crowded jail cell. For a short moment I glance down at my speed o meter to find myself doing the correct speed before looking into my pocket watch, timing my driving. Once again I glance into my rear view mirror and silently note that there is sirens or any sign that he is a part of any police organization. I sigh slightly in relief at noticing that, though my imagination tells me other wise. A feeling.

“Damn it,” I mutter again, knowing that my feelings are seldom wrong as I note the car slowly creeping closer to me. I glance down at my CB fighting the urge to call it in to Cooter and LB, but my better sense, tells me, if it happens to be a cop, I am for sure caught. Looking back into the rear view mirror, I once again remind myself, that it could be anyone behind the wheel.

Fear accelerates quickly within me as the car abruptly speeds up to quickly catch up to me and I press harder onto the accelerator, trying to speed ahead of the sporty car. After a short moment that seems to last an eternity I pass a large bush and I slowly glance behind me and am shocked not to see the car anywhere in sight.

I yell out in surprise as I abruptly run into the red sports car as it pulls out from behind the bush to block the muddy dirt road. “Damn it,” I hit the steering wheel as my body begins to shake uncontrollably as I watch Travis slowly step out of his car. Disbelief washes through me at seeing Travis standing before me, taking in the damage I had done to his car when he pulled up in front of me.

“OK Luke,” he slowly says as he stands at the front of the car, a few feet away from my driver’s door, “I want you to come out, nice and easy now.”

I glare at him for a long moment as I realize that he had known it was me before even looking into the car to see who it was. Anger quickly follows the fear and disbelief, thickly rushing through my body, anger at myself for allowing myself to get caught as I am. Taking a long deep breath, trying to calm my nerves, I slowly open the heavy door and slowly step out, my boot sinks in the wet dark mud of the road and I have to force my feet up to move in order to close the door. “That’s far enough. I want your hands upon the roof while I call this in,” he slowly moves to his car, his rough green eyes stuck harshly on me as he talks into his CB. Finishing his talk over the CB he steps closer to me where he stands a few feet a head of me as he rests a hand upon the hood of the car. “I don’t spose you will go willingly…and tell me what you got in the trunk?”

“I wouldn’t bet on it,” I spit at him as my anger is quickly restored towards him, “as if it isn’t bad enough you abandoned Daisy in her time of need…and now this! You know they say that she would be in a lot better shape if she got help right away…perhaps not fighting for her life as she is now!”

“I already explained to you…I thought she was dead already,” he fights to explain before a stern look reaches his hardened face, “I don’t understand you Luke. Why you runnin’ as you are?”

“Who says that I am?” I question back at him, “You can’t possibly know whether I am on my way to a date or anywhere else. I wasn’t speeding.”

“Nah, you are too careful and smart to go and break the law in obvious ways…though your friends need to catch on to your smarts,” he grins evilly at me, “I overheard LB, you, and Cooter talkin’ about it at the garage last night. He was closed, but the lights were on. I figured I’d go see if everythin’ is OK.”

“Very neighborly of you,” I grin sarcastically as I slowly take a step back.

“Stand still!” he yells as he brushes back his open leather coat to show his black gun tucked in a shoulder holster, “I don’t want to use it…just like I wished I didn’t have to do this. But some things you just gotta do,” he steps forward, “you are under arrest for transporting moonshine with the attempt to sell. Perhaps you could call Cooter and LB to meet you here?”

“Not on your life,” I spit out at him, “and as for you not wanting to do this, I am sure you are laughing inside,” a noise rattles off to our right, somewhere in the dark tree covered hill and I slowly take a step back wards. By the time he turns to me, noticed that I have moved, I have opened the heavy door an inch. Fighting for strength in my weak arms, I await as he angrily steps up and I harshly throw the door into him and he folds over in pain, yelling out in anger.

I watch him for a brief moment before I quickly turn and run down the small hill to my left that leads down to another mud covered dirt road. I fight to keep my balance as I force myself to stare ahead of me as I run down the slippery hill, holding onto the few trees that I pass. From somewhere behind me, I hear noises explode in the distance and for a moment I allow myself to stop. My heart races quickly within me as I hold onto a tree as I glance over my shoulder and am harshly surprised as I don’t find Travis running behind me, in attempt to catch me. Glancing around he remains no where in sight as I am quickly reminded how slick he had been as he hid behind the bush to cut me off. For a short second, I fight to distinguish where the sounds are coming from and what they are through the loud ringing in my ears.

Turning around, I quickly begin to run the hill once again, with thought that Travis is somewhere around here, with thought of jumping out at me. Just like he had done in his car. Continuing to run, I force out my pocket watch from my tight pocket and anger returns to me as I find that I have only five minutes to deliver the shine. The shine I can’t run.

“Damn it,” I utter under my breath as I abruptly loose my footing to the thick mud that covers the ground and I am harshly thrown to ground, sliding in mud on my side. After a long moment, I grab onto a tree and slowly stand up once again and I nervously glance back to find my pocket watch a few feet up the hill, where I had lost my balance. For a short moment I glance around, wondering if I should tempt fate to go and retrieve my watch before changing my mind and continue to run the couple of feet down to the other road.

I slowly slow down to a fast walk as I walk along side of the road as my mind wanders nervously within me, from Travis to the run I am suppose to be making. Glancing around I fight to find Travis, hoping to find him soon, before he finds me. I sigh as I continue to walk in the opposite direction of my car and his car as I slowly resign to the thought that perhaps he had lost interest in me with his call into back up.

 

 

***BO DUKE***

 

I glare silently into the blackened night, through the dim light of my uncle’s dirty truck’s head lights as a wave of exhaustion rushes over me. Tears quickly builds up in my eyes as the scene of Daisy lying helplessly upon the hospital bed, dependent to the machines and monitors, flash vividly in the back of my head. Throughout the several years that I had known Daisy, my whole life, I have never seen or known Daisy to be dependent; she has always been independent, wanting to do things her way. And yet for the past three days she has lain helplessly on the old bed with heavy support from an air tank and the couple monitors that monitor her breathing and heart rate.

Heavily, I take a deep breath to feel the pain escalate in my lungs as I run a trembling hand through my thick blond hair as I slowly glare ahead of me. Glancing down at my old pocket watch, I sigh at seeing how late it has gotten on me, Jesse had given me strict orders to be home before it had gotten dark. And yet pure blackness surrounds me. “Damn it,” I mutter under my breath as I silently picture him sitting in the old rocking chair in the living room, awaiting for me to return home in the dark while watching out the window. Silently, I struggle for an explanation that he would take, that he would understand, even though I know, the truth is the only right explanation. I had accidently fallen asleep while sitting in the hard metal chair as I was visiting Daisy, one moment I was talking about something while leaning against the wall, the next moment a nurse was awakening me that visiting hours were over. By then it had already grew dark outside and the flat tire only made matters worse.

My thoughts quickly shift within me as I quickly drive around a sharp curve in the muddy dirt road before a loud scream of tortured pain rings out somewhere close by. Abruptly, I press onto the breaks as two parked cars in the road comes into view and sigh heavily in relief as I come to an abrupt stop two inches from a sporty black GTO, older model, car, which is turned side ways. Ahead of the GTO lies parked a red new model red sporty car, looking to be a Mustang with lightly tinted windows. I sigh impatiently as I glare around into a few trees and bushes that linger on the right side of the road before glaring down to my left where a steep muddy hill leads to another parked car. Surprise filters through me at spotting a parked sporty car along side the edges of the road.

Once again, another yell, scream of intense pain rings out, this time sounding only a few feet away, sending panic corses through my chilled body. Immediately, I begin to scan through the dark woods to my right before glaring down the muddy hill before I see it. Two lean figures quickly runs awkwardly through the thick wet mud towards the parked sports car before I slowly scan up the hill from them. My heart quickly speeds within me in harsh panic as I slowly spot a muscular man only a few feet down the hill from me and a few feet from the parked car with his back turned towards me. Briefly I slowly take in his figure, through the thin beams of my head lights, taking in the blue plaid shirt that seems to hug tightly onto his chest while he wears tight dark jeans with what looks to be a pair of cowboy boots. He stands only a few inches shorter than I with what looks to be thick dark brown hair that reaches the color of his shirt.

Fear rushes through my trembling body as the man sends a harsh kick, directing my attention to a tall muscular dark figure, lying silently still on the muddy ground. It takes me a moment before my fear breaks into understanding of what is happening as I watch the man send a couple more kicks into what looks to be the chest of the curled up figure lying on the ground. Strapped in by harsh fear I scan the road around me as my numb body refuses to move in fear of being seen, of what will happen to me next, when he sees me sitting here. Once again, my attention is diverted to the man standing in the middle of the hill to find him clenching tightly onto a sharp shiny object in the dim lights.

My lungs are set afire with great pain as breathing becomes deeply difficult, coming out forceful and wheezy and I quickly shove my hand into my tight jean pocket, to slowly pull out my inhaler. Out of fear of being the next one to be attacked, I continue to watch the man down the hill before I slowly pull a couple of sprays into my mouth. My breathing slowly loosens up a notch, but the pain continues to radiate in my lungs while I continue to wheeze with each breath. Pocketing my inhaler, I am over come with harsh panic and fear as I continue to numbly watch the muscular figure continue to beat harshly upon the shadowy figure lying on the ground, every once in a while letting out a yell of fear and pain.

Abruptly, the muscular man stops kicking the man in the chest and stomach while yelling out a few profanities at the injured man, in anger. My heart comes to a halt as he arches the small sharp knife up before harshly shoving it into the stomach of the injured man who screams out in pain before the muscular man yanks the knife out. Blood visibly pours from the injured man whose body has seemed to go limp where he lies in the wet mud while the muscular man glares down at him. Once again he arches the knife up before shoving it harshly into the man’s thick chest, this time the beaten man allows a pain filled whimper before his body goes back to lying silently still. The muscular man slowly removes his gloved hand from the knife before he slowly stands up to place cowboy boot upon the man’s bloodied stomach while he rocks the body back and forth.

A lone tear tickles my right cheek as it slowly trails down my cheek as I bite my lower lip to fight back from crying out in fear, in horror at what I had just witnessed. I sit frozen in the driver’s seat as I fearfully watch the muscular man staring down at the stilled figure as he cusses loudly at him. After a brief moment, the muscular man slowly takes a big step over the man lying on the muddy ground and carefully walks down the hill where the car parked below powerfully starts up. Confusion streaks through my body as I watch him climb into the passenger seat before the car wildly takes off down the muddy dirt road, confusion directed towards his lack of interest in me. He had to have noticed me pulling up with my bright lights on as I drove around the corner to come to a complete stop, a couple inches short of hitting the parked cars. I couldn’t have been missed sitting here, watching it all happen, and yet he ignored me.

Fear continues to streak through me as I continue to glare out into the darkness as pain dances lively in my chest and lungs. After a short moment of fighting through the pain, my mind seems to awaken from it’s numb mind to send my thoughts rushing through me of what I just saw, of what I should do. Fighting back the fear that streaks through my body I shakily grab down and pull the mouth piece of the CB radio up and pray that he is listening. “Sheriff Rosco,” I fight for air as my fear seems to radiate through my voice, “Coltrane. If you hear this, please respond…and quick.”

For a short moment I am filled with disappointment as I am answered by the static of the CB and I slowly think of alternatives of what I can do. “This here is Sheriff Coltrane,” he slowly answers, his voice is thick with authority, “who is askin’?”

“It’s me,” I answer as I pull a hand up to my chest with hope to stop the pain that radiates within, “Bo Duke. I think….I think -”

“Calm down boy,” he slowly says through a comforting voice, “Slow down and tell me what’s wrong.”

“I think,” I stutter once again, fighting to distinguish what all I should tell him over the air, “I think you better come here. Damn it.” I slowly respond as a few more tears melt down my face as my whole body shakes uncontrollably as I grip onto the handle and onto the steering wheel.

“What’s wrong?” Rosco asks after a moment of silence, “Where are you?”

“I don’t want to speak it over the air…I saw something -” I break myself off before I slowly tell him where I am at, “and bring an ambulance.”

 

*******

 

“Bo,” the sheriff’s caring concerned voice abruptly interrupts my thoughts as I rest my hands onto my forearms that rest upon the old steering wheel. As I slowly glance up at him, his bright blue eyes shine with concern as he slowly opens the door to get closer to me, “Are you OK?”

“I . . .I,” I stutter as I glance over Rosco’s shoulder as two muscular men step up to the bed of the truck, watching me with wary eyes, “don’t know.”

“It’s OK,” Rosco slowly urges me as he motions for me to stay sitting behind the wheel for the moment, “Perhaps we should call Jess-”

“Not until he tells us what happened,” one of the men says taking another step forward to join Rosco at my door. The man stands an inch to two inches shorter than Rosco with neatly cut sandy brown hair with thick creamy blue eyes that pierces me with a stern look. His hands are shoved into the pocket of his navy blue wind breaker that holds the initials ‘FBI’ in big bold yellow letters over the chest. “That there is Agent Travis Lurns’ car,” he points to the red sporty car before turning back to me, “What happened?”

I glare at him for a silent moment before looking over at Rosco for support who sends a piercing look at the man for a brief moment. “This here is Sergeant FBI Agent Frank Mills,” he points to the man standing next to him before motioning to the man who remains a couple of feet away, “that there is his partner Sergeant FBI Agent Treyton Mueller.”

Treyton nods in my direction before staring over my shoulder at the cars ahead of me, his dark brown eyes are clouded with worry while his hands are hidden in his khaki colored pants. He stands an inch taller than his partner with brownish red hair cut shortly in a crew cut with long thin side burns and a loop ear ring hangs in his left ear. He holds the rugged look.

“What happened Bo?” Frank says, bringing my attention to him once again, “what all did you see?”

“I. . .I was on my way home from visiting Daisy, my cousin, in the hospital,” I stutter as tears begin to build in my eyes again, tears at the pain that seems to escalate within me and tears of fear, “and right before I had turned the corner, I heard someone yell out, as if in pain,” I pause as I nervously take in the two FBI men before glancing at Rosco who nods for me to go on, “I didn’t know where it was coming from, but as I turned the corner here, I was abruptly greeted by them cars blocking the road. I wasn’t expecting them and had to force the truck to stop, coming up short of hitting them.”

I feel everyone’s eyes on me as I come up short of telling my story as I wipe at my eyes with wobbly hands as I silently wish I could disappear. “OK,” Frank is the first to speak up, giving me an impatient look, “what happened next?”

I glare harshly at him for a moment before glancing at Rosco who shoots the two officers accusatory looks. “I wanna go home,” I finally speak up as my chest continues to tighten within me, ushering great pain through my chest and lungs.

“It’s OK…you are doing good Bo,” Rosco says with concern as he studies me with worried eyes, “they just need to know what happened, what you saw. But maybe if we got him to somewhere warm and call his uncle -”

“This is our investigation and we don’t need no interference by no relative,” Frank snaps at Rosco, “that there car is Travis’ car…one of my agents. He will tell us what had happened here and then we can question him at your office. Go on Bo. What happened?”

I glare angrily at him before glancing over at Rosco who nods at me to go on, answer his questions. “Well I was stuck here and looked around to find a sporty car parked on that t here lower road, by the time I saw it, two men were walking up to it from the hill,” I speak up as the images cloud my mind, “That is when I saw…when I saw,” I stutter as I fight back the emotions that rush through me to send another chill rushing down my cold back, “when I saw him standing there, kicking some dark shadowy figure of a body.” I slowly point down the hill at the beaten man who remains lying silently still in the mud.

“Treyton…go check it out!” Frank orders and Treyton slowly nods before he begins to walk down the muddy hill, watching where he is going and his balance.

After a short moment Treyton cusses loudly as he reaches the still body and reaches down to take a pulse. Standing up he begins to walk up the hill while he says, “It’s Travis…he’s dead.”

“Damn it,” Frank cusses as the ambulance parks behind Rosco’s patrol car without any lights on, looking at me, he orders, “Go on.”

“Well…the guy standing kept kicking him and the guy on the ground would only yell,” I fight back more tears as Treyton goes back to talk to the paramedics, “That was before he grabbed some sort of knife out and he first stabbed him in what looked to be the guy’s stomach before yanking it out and shoving it into the guy’s chest.” Horrid scenes flash behind my eyes as his yells of pain echos in my head, “He then left the knife in the chest before nudging him with his foot…then walked down the hill and got a ride with the parked car, drove off that way.”

Frank silently nods as he glances back at Treyton who has the paramedics down with Travis, slowly moving his body. “You OK Bo?” Rosco slowly asks again, “Perhaps you should go with him to get checked -”

“No,” I shake my head stubbornly, “I wanna go home.”

“Not yet…we need to question you more,” Frank speaks up as Treyton joins him and he turns to him, “What all did you find?”

“Well obviously the knife was still in his chest…the paramedics are going to bag it with gloved hands so we can get some finger prints. It is a sharp pocket knife…big enough to do the damage that it needed. On the brown handle of the knife has the initials LKD engraved sharply into it,” Treyton answers and a chill rushes down my back at hearing my cousin’s initials…his initials that are on his pocket watch.

“LKD?” Frank ponders for a short moment before glaring angrily at me, “I want you to call for back up…have a couple of guys come and look over the scene, including the lower road and this road. As for us, we are taking him to the sheriff’s station for our interview…without any interruptions with family.”

“Sure,” Treyton nods in agreement as he heads back to Rosco’s patrol car and I glance over at Rosco who gives me a sympathetic look.

“Let’s get headin’ to your office…get it over with,” Frank sighs heavily as he takes a couple of steps before noticing he is alone, “I will have him hand cuffed and dragged into the sheriff station, if need be.”

“Don’t worry about it sergeant!” Rosco finally snaps at him, motioning the FBI agent to go on which Frank slowly does. Rosco slowly turns to me before reaching up to place a caring hand on my upper left arm for support as I slowly step out of Jesse’s truck and as I go to stand up, my legs crumble from beneath me. After a long moment I regain my balance upon my shaky legs as Rosco helps me over to the car. “I wish there is something I can do, to help you Bo, but I can’t. All I can do is accompany you while they question you…though that is your choice.”

We slowly reach Rosco’s muddy patrol car and Rosco slowly opens the back seat and I slowly climb in and scoot to the other side and Rosco sits next to me. He looks questionably at him and I slowly nod, saying I want him there. He smiles in understanding as Treyton climbs in and slams the door closed. “Lodgins, Bradston, and Shantel is on their way to come investigate and to take in any evidence if there is any. It may look better in the morning when they have more light.”

“For now this will have to do,” Frank grunts as he pulls away, turning around, away from the parked cars and Jesse’s truck.

***UNCLE JESSE***

I am struck harshly with fear-filled confusion as my mind wanders aimlessly within me, shifting from one horrid thoughts to another. Driving Daisy’s older model white jeep through the piercing darkness that surrounds the muddy dirt road, lingering heavily over the vehicle, as I fight for speed. Glaring ahead into the thin beams of light that is ushered through the headlight, giving me a little light to see through, my thoughts slowly return to the phone call I had received only a few minutes ago. I had been sitting up in the living room, awaiting for Bo to arrive home from visiting Daisy, he should have been home hours ago, before it had gotten dark. And yet at ten thirty he still wasn’t home. My first thought was that he had fallen asleep while visiting her before it turned to worry, with fear filled thoughts. Though my fear hadn’t kept me awake for long, because moments later I must have fallen asleep in my old rocking chair. After an hour, which seemed to only have lasted only minutes, I was awakened by the piercing ring of the telephone on the back desk. I had stiffly walked over to the phone filled with horrid thoughts of who may be calling at this hour, either Daisy lost her battle or something terrible has happened to Bo.

The man’s thick and emotionless voice echoes in the back of my mind of all that he had told me on the phone, his conversation playing over and over in my mind. All he had told me was to meet Bo at the sheriff’s station and yet it wasn’t Rosco or any of his deputies. Bo’s in trouble. I sigh warily at the thought of him in more trouble, of him having to face any more difficulty than he has already has been forced to face; the returnal of his disease. Glaring into the darkness that lingers heavily around me, my imagination plays vividly within me of all that could be happening to Bo. Of who the caller had been.

After a brief moment of silence I slowly reach the turn off onto the main road, the concrete road that leads through town. Silently, I yank the light jeep onto the paved road as my heart tightens within me, tightens in fear of what I am about to find out.

After a long ten minutes, I find myself in the warmth of the thin lit hall way of the sheriff station that holds several purposes. “Damn it Bo! It would be a hell lot easier if you were to cooperate…you’d actually be able to go home tonight!” a harsh voice booms through the closed door of the sheriff’s station, “If not, you could always spend the rest of the night down stairs in a jail cell until you are ready to give us some answers…some cooperation!”

Fear and anger dance lively within me at hearing some strange man yelling harshly at Bo through the closed door as I silently wonder what could have been that bad. “I already tol’ you what happened, of what I saw!” Bo slowly yells back, his voice quivers in tears as I slowly open the heavy door. My heart comes to an abrupt halt as I take in the brightly lit room to find Bo sitting behind a wooden desk, his back turned against me, while two large men in dark wind breakers stand threatenly over the desk while Rosco stands helplessly besides Bo, sitting half way on the corner of the desk. “I didn’t do nothin’ wrong!”

For a short moment the smaller of the two with thin sandy brown hair slowly begins to pace in front of Bo before abruptly stopping in the middle of the desk, his fist slams harshly onto the desk and Bo jumps in fear. “And Rosco tol’ me that your uncle brought you up better than to lie!” he yells at Bo with clouded creamy blue eyes before he reaches over and yanks Bo to his feet by grabbing at his shirt, “Look Travis was a damn good cop, a damn good person and you were the one that happened to watch him gettin’ killed! You are the one who will help us pinpoint the perpetrator who done it whether we have to lock you up to get your cooperation!”

“If my boy tol’ you he already tol you all that he saw, of what happened, then he already tol’ you everything!” I snap angrily at the man to have everyone turn to look at me, except for Bo who is held tightly up by the man with the windbreaker that reads ‘FBI’ over the chest, “and if I were you,” I point the man that continues to clench onto Bo’s shirt tightly, “I would let him go and perhaps show him some respect. Around here, we respect each other!”

“Is that a threat?” the man glares over Bo’s shoulder at me before he glares back at Bo, “If I was you? Well – ”

“Frank!” Rosco finally snaps as he shoves past the other silent man to reach the man he had called Frank, “Release him now! You will respect the civilians of my town!”

Silence slowly begins to linger through the room as the quiet man that wears the same wind breaker as the other guy slowly pats Frank on the wrist and motions him to listen to Rosco. “Fine,” he resigns as he harshly lets go of his grip and Bo falls back into his chair where he glances up at me for support, pain and fear radiate in his eyes. “Ok Bo,” Frank slowly says, taking deep breathes, “Lets go over this again.”

“I’ve already told you what happened several times already…my story ain’t gonna change with repetition,” Bo slowly answers, his voice quivers in pain and I slowly look up at the clock to find it to be a quarter after one in the morning.

“Look Frank,” I say the only name I know.

“Sergeant FBI Agent Frank Mills,” Frank slowly introduces himself before shoving the other guy in the chest, “and my partner Treyton Mueller. Trey.”

“OK Agent Mills,” I direct my attention towards the harsh agent, “I doubt you know anything about my boy here…the one thing he doesn’t do, is lie. You can ask Rosco there. You can also ask him about Bo’s medical past…he needed to take his medicine an hour ago! You can question him in the morning if you have any NEW questions, but he needs to go home and get some sleep!”

“Mr. Duke,” Frank takes a deep breath as his temper radiates from his muscular body, “I am a experienced FBI agent and know enough that being soft with witnesses here won’t get the answer it needs…no matter what family may say. That is the reason why I hadn’t allowed him or Rosco to call you sooner, instead I did it when I found it time to call. Fine…so he tells the truth and we haven’t caught him lie once…other than to say that he has told us everything,” he sighs as he reads my questioning look, “but I guess it can wait a few more hours. He is the sole witness of Travis’ last living moments and he refuses to tell us who he saw kill him!”

I look over at Bo and back up at the law enforcement officers that surround us and I fight for an explanation of what is going on. “But it wasn’t him!” Bo finally cries out and our attention returns back to him where a tear streaks down his face.

“Damn it Bo!” Mills yells angrily, hitting the desk once again, glaring at Bo, “Then who is it? When evidence points to a person and the person looks like that person, it is most likely that person. Hell, Travis had called in a half hour before your call, sayin’ he had caught Luke for runnin’ shine! If that isn’t enough motivation for the murder, it is Luke’s knife that you had identified that killed Travis and his foot prints…not to mention Luke’s wallet in the car haulin’ shine and the pocket watch you identified as bein’ Luke’s. And Rosco here says your description of the murderer’s back side would fit Luke’s hair color and style and dress wear…and knowing that Luke is a Sergeant Marine with war experience…a trained killer.”

My mind rushes wildly within me as Mills angry voice remains in my head even after silence has consumed the room. Anger rushes through my weak body towards the evidence that points to Luke as being the murderer, even I would have to say it is enough to convince me. Once a killer, always a killer. “Bo,” I lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, “perhaps you should go home and think about it, your answer. I know you look up to him and -”

Abruptly he shoves my hand off his shoulder as he quickly reaches his feat and Frank and Trey take a cautious step to Bo’s side. “What? You too? I would at least think you would be on my side! On Luke’s side!” he yells, tears roll down his pale face as anger and pain now screams from his eyes, “You know Luke! He wouldn’t do such a thing…not even if he got caught for runnin’ shine!”

“Perhaps not,” Trey speaks up, “but he seemed pretty upset at him the other night at the Boar’s Nest…for what happened to Daisy…blamed it all on Travis. Lots of witnesses for that fight. Anger goes a long ways.”

“Not for him! You don’t even know him!” Bo is quick to defend Luke as he takes a couple of quick steps back from the agents, “Now leave me a lone!” He looks at me for support with saddened feared eyes, “I wanna go home.”

From a few feet ahead of us, Frank lets out a loud audible sigh as he sends a questioning look over at his partner and at Rosco. “Perhaps it would be best if you would question him later, sergeant,” Rosco steps forward, in between Frank and us, “the boy is obviously in pain and needs to take his medication, the more you push him now, the more he’ll refuse to answer you. He is tired and in pain…as if he hasn’t already went through enough.”

“Fine…but he better not go anywhere where he can’t be reached…or scare his cousin away with our lead,” Frank sighs as he walks over to the window while Treyton allows a yawn to escape, “we need to report to the other agents investigating the scene.” He slowly turns for his dismissal, “we’ll talk again.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Bo snaps sarcastically before he disappears out into the thin hall.

******

 

Emotions continue to rush wildly within me as I sit silently still in the dark living room, slowly rocking in the old rocking chair while glaring out the small window into the black night.

Bo had tiredly explained of what had happened, what he had seen as I had tiredly driven him home in Daisy’s car, his voice had been strained with exhaustion and pain. Glaring out through the small closed window, his voice echoes in the back of my mind as I am harshly struck with angered fear. Anger towards the man who had killed the FBI agent that Daisy had been seeing and fear is ushered through horrid thoughts that is in store for Bo, it is common sense that killers don’t normally let witnesses walk. Bo was insistent that the killer had to have seen his head lights, to see him pull up and yet the killer hadn’t given him a second glance.

Even though, I am filled with relief that the killer hadn’t turned to Bo after killing Travis, with thoughts of having Bo being his next victim, worry rushes through me. Worry for what the future may hold for Bo…for my family. My mind numbly goes through all the evidence that they had so far collected, all pointed towards Luke and I can’t help but to think, that he has killed before. If it was Luke who had killed Travis, it would definitely explain why the killer hadn’t bothered giving Bo a second look. Seeing Bo there with thoughts that he could bring Luke trouble, be his ticket into the state pen, Luke wouldn’t have it in him to kill or hurt Bo in any way. He is too protective of him to even think of harming Bo.

I sigh warily as my mind rushes through angered and feared thoughts as the front screen door squeakily opens before the wooden door is silently shoved open. I take a deep breath as I think of all I will say to him as the door scrapes against the wooden floor as it closes silently which is followed by hollow foot steps. I glare into the dark entry way of the kitchen and living room in anticipation as Luke’s dark shadowy figure comes into view and silently walks by the back of the couch, without even seeing me. “You mind tellin’ me where you’ve been tonight?” I calmly speak up as he reaches the dark hall way that leads to the room he shares with Bo. He jumps in surprise before I slowly turn on the nearest lamp to take in his _expression.

“I really don’t want to talk about it right now,” he silently answers, taking a deep breath as he looks down his hall with a wishful look.

“Too bad, cause I do,” I fight to remain calm as I stand up and slowly walk over to him, “then perhaps you could explain to me why you were runnin’ shine? You know damn well that we have given up runnin’ and making shine and you know why!”

“H-how you know?” Luke slowly stutters as he silently grabs for an answer for me.

“It don’t matter how I know, but that I know,” I respond as I grip onto the wall for support.

“I. . .I figured it would help to pay off medical bills,” he stammers for words to send anger raging thickly through me, “I didn’t want to see you lose the farm.”

“To help pay medical bills? I have had plenty of medical bills and been able to find a way to pay them without runnin’ shine! Sure it’s hard, but it’s doable!” I yell at him, fighting back my own wild temper, “It won’t do me a damn bit of good if you’re locked up and in jail! Perhaps you should ask Bo how it feels to be in the state pen…he didn’t like it too much and I can guarantee you won’t either!”

He glares at me with angered sky blue eyes as he stuffs his hands into his tight fighting jeans’ pocket before he answers, “But I didn’t get caught.”

I slowly nod before looking down the hall leading to the boys’ bed room, making sure their door is closed. Turning back to face Luke, I question, “Well then, tell me how you escaped from Agent Lurns?”

Panic washes through his face as he glares silently at me while he bites his lower lip before glaring down at his dark brown leather boots. Looking up he finally speaks up, “He came by, didn’t he?”

“Who?” I ask, acting naive.

“Agent Lurns…Travis,” Luke slowly answers, “Damn it.”

“You have more to worry about than Lurns,” I glare at him and he abruptly glares up at me from staring at the floor, “because I highly doubt that Lurns is gonna stop by.”

Confusion is written across his face as he blurts, “Why?”

“Cause he’s dead,” I answer harshly and he glares unbelievably at me and I slowly nod in confirmation of the information, “and you’re the last one to see him alive and unhurt.”

“No…wait,” Luke places his palm up to stop my explanation, “he was alive and well when I seen him last. Sure he caught me and he called it in and even went to arrest me when a noise from within the woods attracted his attention and I opened my car door to hit him and I ran down the hill. I didn’t kill him…nor would I kill him.”

“Evidence says else wise,” I send a hard glare at him and fear strikes his eyes for the first time, “they have the call in Travis made about your arrest for runnin’ and having possession of shine, your wallet in the vehicle that was haulin’ your shine, your pocket watch I had given you before you left for war. . .and they have your pocket knife I had given you on your sixteenth birthday. The knife is the murder weapon that the found implanted into Travis’ chest…with your initials on the handle and your fingerprints all over the handle. And they have a witness that describes you bein’ the one that killed him.”

“A witness?” he glares angrily at me for a long moment, “Well who ever the witness is, doesn’t have a brain, because I wasn’t there! I didn’t do it!”

I send him another harsh look as I fight to calm myself down, to put out my temper that burns lively within me. “Perhaps you should know who the witness is, before you go and insult him,” I snap at him and he shrugs, “you share a room with the witness.”

“Bo?” he slowly asks glaring at me with confused eyes and I slowly nod in agreement.

“He was on his way home from visiting Daisy when he almost hit your car and was forced to stop and saw enough to see them beating Travis to killing him. He only saw y- the killer’s back and he described you to a T, though he refuses to say it’s you,” I slowly inform him and disbelief clouds his eyes, “A couple of FBI agents had him locked in the sheriff’s station with Rosco, questioning him for two hours before they called me. Refused to have anyone call me. By the time I got there, Bo tol’ his story like three times and yet they still wanted him to explain it all…getting upset at him when he refused to say it was you. They still want to question him more.”

“I don’t know what he saw…but it wasn’t me,” Luke finally says after a moment of thick silence, “I didn’t kill him.”

“I hope not,” I let out a long sigh, “though you’ll have to come up with something more than what you just told me to satisfy the FBI…they are content on charging you to the crime as we speak.”

“Perhaps I should go -”

“You leave this house now that you have returned home, you will surely gather their attention and strengthen their suspicions of you,” I sigh heavily as emotions continue to gnaw within me, wishing greatly that he is telling the truth, “No, if I were you, I’d stay where you are right now, go to bed and get some sleep. And then face up to it when they come knocking. It is the FBI we are talkin’ about, not Rosco or his deputy. In the morning, we will go talk to that new defense lawyer in town, I have a feelin’ we may be a needing him.”

For a long moment he glares disbelieving at me before he sighs in resignation before saying, “I am telling you the truth Jesse, I may have had a fight or two with Travis, but I would never kill him…getting caught running or not,” he pauses for a long moment before glaring down the hall once again, “But you can’t afford -”

“Then I guess I’ll have sell the farm or use the mortgage money,” I answer sadly and he gives me an arguing look, “I don’t want to hear any more…I will do what needs to be done. And right now we could use the help from the lawyer, guilty or not.”

“You don’t actually believe that I did what they are sayin’ I did?” he glares accusatively at me.

“I don’t know what I believe…you have killed before,” I gently remind him.

“That was at war…not now,” he lets out a long breath as he glares back into the dark hallway, “never mind now. How’s Bo?”

My anger seems to reside a bit as he releases the subject and switches to Bo and my thoughts return to Bo and how he had seemed on the ride back home and once he got home. “He is shaken up pretty badly,” I slowly answer, “I think we all should be gettin’ some sleep, morning is only a few hours away…it will be a busy day.”

“Yes sir,” Luke responds silently as he glares into the darkness over my shoulder before slowly turning back down his hall and I silently watch as he slowly opens the closed door to his room and disappears into darkness as he closes the door behind him.