by: MacSas

(Thanks to my sister, Ruth, for her help with the ending. Great idea, sweetie!)

 

‘Duke residence, this is Luke’

Silence.

‘Hello?’

‘Luke?’

‘Daisy?’

“Yeah”

‘Girl, where have you been? It’s been months since we heard from you!’

‘Luke…I…I’m coming home’

‘Well, that’s great! Uncle Jesse is away looking after his friend Morris. He just had a heart operation, so Jesse offered to look after him and run the farm. You know Jesse, can’t resist a friend in need…’

‘Luke’

‘…Bo’s here though. He’ll be wrapt to see you home again. Course, Bo is still the same old Bo; nothing fazes him. You remember that time he was fixing shingles on the barn roof and he fell off? Broke his arm in 2 places but he still got back up there and finished the job…’

‘Luke, please…’

‘…Enos is back in L.A. But, of course, Roscoe and Boss are still here, running Hazzard the only way they can…’

‘Luke, I’m in trouble…’

‘…and Cooter … what!? Daisy, what did you say?’

‘I need you to pick me up from Capital City Airport. I fly in tomorrow, around 3pm’

‘Daisy, what trouble are you in?’

‘Luke, just be there tomorrow and I will tell you what I can.’

‘Daisy…’

‘I’ve got to go’

‘…Daisy…’

‘I love you’

‘Daisy, wait. What trouble? Daisy? Daisy!’

Only silence.

Luke Duke slowly hung the receiver back onto the phone. He stood a moment and thought about the brief conversation with his younger cousin. What trouble could she possibly be in? Of all the Dukes, Daisy was the most likely to never be in trouble. When it came to Bo and Luke though, trouble seemed to follow them like smell follows a skunk.

Thinking back over the conversation, Luke now wondered at the fear he’d detected in his cousins voice. It was something he had never heard from her before. She was born fearless and, having grown up with two male cousins,

She’d remained so. What could have happened to her in the few short months she had been away to change that?

Luke was still in thought when Bo walked into the farmhouse.

‘You know, that thing won’t work by just staring at it,’ he laughed, nodding towards the phone Luke still stared at.

‘What? Oh,’ Luke turned to face his other younger cousin.

‘I just had the most bizarre conversation with Daisy.’

‘Daisy? Well, what did she say? How is she? Where is she?’

‘Bo, just hold on a minute,’ Luke motioned for him to sit down.

‘First of all, I don’t know where she’s been or even how she is. She didn’t say much either. Just that she arrives at Capital City Airport tomorrow at 3pm, and she wants me to collect her.’

‘Well that’s great,’ Bo enthused. ‘Isn’t it?’ he added, sensing something was amiss.

Luke stayed silent for a moment.

‘Bo’ he murmured, ‘she said she was in trouble.’

‘What?’

‘Now hold on,’ Luke said, as Bo jumped to his feet. ‘She didn’t say what kind of trouble. All she said was that she’d tell me tomorrow.’

Bo frowned as he paced the floor of the small lounge.

‘Well, what trouble could she be in? I mean this is Daisy for goodness sake!’

He threw his hands in the air in frustration.

‘What is going on?’

‘I don’t know’ Luke said quietly ‘But I have a feeling it will take both of us to assure her that whatever trouble it is, we can deal with it together, as a family.’

‘Just as we always have’ Bo nodded.

Luke patted him on the shoulder.

‘Just as we always have,’ he agreed.

Was it just his imagination or did Daisy hug Luke a little tighter than usual, linger in his hug a longer, as if seeking shelter from a storm. Luke stepped back and looked at Daisy – really looked at her. She seemed tired, but that could be explained by the flight. She looked a little less rosy-cheeked, but that could be explained by the lack of fresh country air. What couldn’t be so easily explained was her lack of spirit. The bouncy personality that made his cousin who she was seemed to have vanished. An image of a bright candle being snuffed out flashed into Luke’s mind.

‘Daisy,’ he started.

‘Not yet Luke,’ she smiled. ‘I just want to go back to the farm and sleep for a bit.’

‘Okay,’ he agreed, albeit reluctantly.

She remained quiet all the way back to the farm. Upon arriving home she smiled and hugged Bo, though it was obvious to him also that something was different.

Daisy excused herself from her cousin’s questioning looks and went to her room.

‘Finally,’ she whispered, dropping onto her childhood bed.

She closed her eyes and, feeling at peace for the first time in months, drifted into a deep, restful sleep.

*   *   *   *

‘How much longer do you think she’ll sleep?’ Bo asked a few hours later.

‘Not sure’ Luke replied. It seemed to him that Daisy was enjoying the slumber of someone who hadn’t had the luxury of real sleep in a while, and this only added to his worry.

What could’ve been keeping her awake at night? What scared her so bad she couldn’t sleep soundly?

‘As soon as she wakes up,’ he told Bo ‘we’re going to sit down and have a long talk.’

Bo nodded in agreement as he left to finish his chores.

Luke checked on Daisy.

‘Amazing,’ he thought, noting how she slept curled into a ball with her hands tucked under her cheek. ‘She still sleeps like she did when she was a little girl.’

He quietly closed her bedroom door and went to help Bo with the rest of the chores.

*   *   *   *

Daisy awoke with the new days sun streaming through her window. At first she was disoriented, then she remembered, she was home.

‘I’m safe,’ she reminded herself. ‘No one can touch me here.’

Now all she had to do was face her cousins.

As she dressed she wondered what to tell them. How was she going to tell them that she had made an absolute mess of her life? That in less than four months she had ruined the self-esteem she had once prided herself on? Would they understand when she told them that she felt a shadow of her former self? That she had become a person she no longer recognised, and one she could barely look at in the mirror? They had always thought the best of her, and now, surely, they would be disappointed. Who wouldn’t be, she thought sourly. It was going to be hard explaining the last four months, especially to Luke.

Daisy sighed. Luke was the one person she felt she should never let down, even more than Uncle Jesse. Daisy and Luke had the kind of brother/sister relationship real siblings dreamed of. Although they rarely agreed on anything, and it wasn’t uncommon for them to exchange heated words, Daisy looked to Luke as her mentor, her guardian, even her protector. He was the one that had taught her all she knew; from driving to shooting a bow and arrow, to providing answers to life’s great mysteries like why Billy Joe pulled her pigtails back in kindergarten. And how many times had he patched up her cuts, scrapes and bruises with a smile and a kiss? Well, there was no band-aid that was going to cover this bruise. She couldn’t imagine how Luke would react to her mess up, although she knew he would be angry that she hadn’t seen the writing on the wall and that she hadn’t come to him earlier. She didn’t think she could bear to see such disappointment in his eyes, but she had to face him. She had to face both of them.

Or this nightmare would never end.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, now lit by the early morning sunshine, Luke started to make coffee. He knew it would be the first thing Daisy looked for when she awoke.

The soon-to-be-retired Admiral gazed out the window as he thought about his younger cousin. He knew something had kept her out of contact the last three months. Having done a tenure with the Judge Advocate General’s office as a trial judge, he had seen different behaviours that were symptoms of different turmoil’s. And he had seen something in Daisy’s eyes at the airport, heard something in her voice, that made him aware of an undercurrent of uneasiness in her. He had a horrible feeling that whatever his cousin had endured, not only had she endured it alone, but also it had been life altering for her. It hurt that she hadn’t sought him out during that time. She had turned to him every time she had had a problem when growing up. Why not now? Did she think that the problem was so big he wouldn’t know what to do? Or did she think that he would think less of her for not being able to deal with it on her own? Daisy was one of the strongest women he knew, but he still had that big brother type desire to protect her from the world. In some ways she was still so naïve about things.

He sighed and shook his head. No use in dwelling on what may be.

Hearing Bo exit their shared room, Luke poured an extra cup of coffee and set it on the table.

“Daisy up yet?” Bo asked in lieu of greeting.

“Nope” Luke replied. “Bo, whatever is going on has to be told by Daisy, not pushed out of her by us, okay?”

“Deal” his cousin agreed.

“Bacon and eggs okay” Luke asked, preparing to start breakfast.

“It’s either that or grass and dirt,” Bo laughed, prompting a surge of laughter from Luke as well.

The laughter faded when Daisy’s presence caught their eye.

“Morning boys” she said softly. Sitting at the table she took a long drink of the coffee Luke had poured, and sighed in appreciation. “You know how to make real good coffee Lukas”

“Well” he noted “I didn’t always have someone on the payroll just to fetch coffee for me.”

“No” Bo laughed “That came with the extra bars on the jacket!”

“Speaking of the military,” Daisy mused, “Are you still planning on retiring this year?”

“Yeah” he sighed. “My term with JAG was great, but I need to be a civilian again. It seems I’ve spent my entire life doing what the military expects of me, from Nam to Iraq. Now I feel like I want to be a little more settled.”

“Wow” Daisy said after a while “Was there a double meaning there or what?”

Luke smiled at her. “Honey, you know that my greatest wish is for you to just be happy. And that means doing things you want to do, not things that are dictated to you by others. You’ve always had great instincts, so, keep going with your guts I say.”

“My guts huh?” she smiled. Looking for a long moment at the faces of both her cousins, she gave a small laugh.

Without further thought she launched into her story.

“I left Texas a few months after arriving. The programme I was working with was amazing.”

Her eyes lit up as she briefly explained the dolphin and whale recovery operation that was run from Texas University’s marine department. Daisy had attended Texas U and graduated with honours in both business and Forensic science. She had wanted to follow Luke into military life, but thought better of it when she discovered that she had to serve for a certain time in combat before she could apply for a post at JAG. Though she had also dreamed of being a fighter pilot, that had been put aside when she couldn’t overcome her fear of flying! So, instead, she poured her efforts into crime scene analysis. She had been quickly picked up by the Texas Rangers, as a preferred CSI contact, and had even travelled to Canada to help on major crimes. Her last trip to Canada had been at the request of the RCMP to help track a serial killer in Toronto. Known as the Handyman for his ability to enter homes, the man had killed 5 women by the time Daisy was asked to help out. Her expertise in being able to read a crime scene like a book, and just as quick, proved invaluable. The break in the case came when Daisy was able to extract the killer’s fingerprint from one of his victim’s hands!

The last time she had spoken to Bo and Luke, she had told them of her excitement at being asked to help with the dolphin/whale recovery programme, a mission close to her animal loving heart. For her to have left just a few months into her term raised a red flag with Luke.

Noticing his frown, Daisy sighed, “I know what your thinking Luke. Why would I leave? Well, I’ll give you the short version. No questions after that, okay boys?”

Bo and Luke looked at each other. Both were obviously not okay with it.

“Please…” Daisy whispered.

“Okay,” Bo finally answered for the both of them.

Daisy leaned back in her chair and kept her focus on her coffee cup as she started.

“While I was working with the programme, I met someone. He wasn’t someone who was affiliated with the programme, the University or it’s sponsors. I thought he was a local businessman. He was always so impeccably dressed, like he was coming from or going to a meeting. Anyway, we had lunch a few times, saw some movies, had dinner dates; it was never a serious courtship thing, just casual dating. I had just split with a guy and wasn’t interested in a full on thing.” Daisy paused a moment before repeating, almost to herself, “It was never serious.”

She hesitated before continuing.

“This part is hard,” she told them. “I never dreamed I would be having to admit such a failing to you both, and this is why I haven’t been in contact. Things changed when he told me he wanted to be more of a couple. I told him I just wasn’t interested. To tell the truth, he wasn’t the kind of man I would normally date anyway. I don’t know, maybe he was just handy because I was missing Jeff…even though it was a mutual decision for us to go our separate ways. Well, I thought he was okay with that, until a few nights later. We got into a huge fight at my apartment. It escalated to the point where things were being thrown around. Then he slapped me…just like that. I never saw it coming. I hit the floor and he walked out.”

Daisy shook her head and got up to get more coffee, missing the look that Luke and Bo exchanged. Luke could feel himself tense up and knew that Bo was feeling the same. Luke had taught Daisy to fight for herself when she was young. There had been times when she had even practised on Bo, as he was a lot bigger than Luke. It pained Luke to think that she could have been so low after her break up with Jeff, her partner for more than 5 years, that she missed the signs telling her this guy was a no good dog. His thoughts were interrupted by Daisy’s return to the table.

“Anyway,” she continued “ I fooled myself into thinking it was a mistake. But over the next few weeks his outbursts got louder and scarier. Each time they seemed to end with me being banged up. Then one day I caught him doing cocaine, and I realised why he was so volatile. One night he bought a friend home. He looked familiar but I couldn’t place the face right then. It was obvious that a drug deal was happening, so I decided to move to another room. Without realising it, I had made the pair suspicious and they followed me. They asked whom I was working for. I think I may have laughed, because Lex knew when he met me at the University that I worked in CSI. It dawned on me, though, that they suspected me of being an undercover spy or something. In their drug fuelled minds I was the big bad wolf about to bow their house down. Lex struck me hard; his partner kicked me again and again…”

Daisy squeezed the coffee cup in an effort to qwell her shaking hands.

“Go on honey” Luke said, reaching out to take her hand in his.

Daisy glanced at Bo. His elbows on the table with his chin resting on them; his eyes were closed but his mouth was a tight thin line. Daisy looked back to Luke. He simply nodded.

“They took turns beating me,” she whispered. It was now Luke’s turn to close his eyes.

“I remember every blow and every crude word screamed at me,” she hurried on, anxious for this to be over. What Bo and Luke could be thinking of her she could only guess.

“They stopped when I passed out. By the time I came to they were gone. I was so terribly sore. Both of my eyes were swollen, my lip was split, I had an array of bruises on my arms, legs and torso. I also had bruised and fractured ribs. I made it to the phone and called a Ranger I knew well. He took care of getting me medical help and arrested Lex and his friend later that day. There was a reason I recognised that guy. He had been arrested for the murder of a mother and her 3 kids, all under 12. The mother had discovered that this guy was selling drugs in her area and reported him to the police. He somehow found out who it was that reported him, tracked her down and killed her. He waited for her children to arrive home from school and killed them too.”

“And you just fingered him for another crime” Luke said, catching onto why she had been unable to contact them.

“Yeah” she sighed. “The Texas Rangers wanted me to be somewhere safe until the trial, so they arranged for me to return to Canada. They rented a home for me in Calgary. They hoped that they wouldn’t have to bring me back to Texas until the trial was near completion. So they District Attorney saved my statement for last.”

“Who looked after you?” Bo finally spoke up.

“Well,” Daisy smiled brightly for the first time since she started telling her story. “There was this man that they ad arranged to meet me at the airport. He’s a lieutenant with the Royal Canadian Police. Martin Kent is his name. He is so sweet, so thoughtful, and so genuine. I was so relaxed with him, it surprised me. His job was to stay with me until I was called back to Texas. So, he made himself at home on the couch,” she laughed.

“And in your heart too” Luke thought.

“Anyway, he became my rock” she continued. “We became firm friends in no time. Oh Bo, Luke,” she implored with bright eyes, “I had never felt so safe, so secure, since leaving here for school all those years ago. I felt it with him.”

“Sounds like you fell in love with him” Bo noted with his usual bluntness.

Daisy surprised them by laughing happily “Yes, I think I did”

Luke got up to offer more eggs and bacon.

“What about Lex and this other guy?”

“Boris” Daisy answered, declining more food. “I was called back to Texas about a month later. I went in, said my piece, then left. All under Marty’s watchful eye of course. I was told later that both men had been found guilty of possession, dealing, unlawful imprisonment, and assault with intent to harm. They’re both looking at 10-20 years with no parole for the first 10 years. “

“So, your worries are over” Bo said, piling more food on his plate.

“Yeah” Daisy sighed, “All over”

Luke frowned, recalling Daisy’s words to him on the phone. She had said she was in trouble. Something didn’t sound right. Meeting her eyes now he knew, something was not right.

*   *   *   *

“Daisy”

“Out here Luke”

Luke joined he on the porch. She sat cross-legged on the porch swing, her eyes close, face turned towards the last rays of the evening sun. A soft smile crossed her face as she felt Luke sit down beside her.

“I missed this,” she whispered. “The quiet of the night, knowing your safe despite being so far from town.”

“A place where there’s no worries huh?”

“My worries are over Luke,” she told him softly. “But, like I told you on the phone, I’m still in trouble.”

“How?” Luke asked.

“Marty,” Daisy smiled. “He loves me”

“How’s that trouble?” Luke asked.

“I don’t know that I can give him what he wants, that I can be what he wants.”

“He looking for marriage?”

“Yes”

“And you don’t want to marry him?”

“Yes, I do want to.”

“Well,” Luke paused. “I’m lost honey.”

Sighing, Daisy turned to face her beloved cousin.

“I don’t know that I can be a good wife. I was beaten by two men and didn’t fight back. I dated a guy that was a drug dealer and I didn’t notice the signs. I used to be so sure of myself Luke. Now how can I have any faith in my decisions?”

“Because your still you inside” Luke said. “One mistake in judgment does not change who you are, unless you let it. You told Bo and I that you felt safe with this Mountie fellow. Surely you wouldn’t feel like that with another loser?”

Luke took Daisy’s hands in his and implored her with his eyes.

“Give this guy the chance to prove to you that you are worth it. He has obviously impressed you enough to have you believe that he is worthy of you. Let him do the same”

“Makes sense I suppose” Daisy mumbled.

“Of course it does” Luke chuckled. “I always make sense”

Luke was about to leave when he thought of something”

“Daisy, your sure those guys won’t be out for a while?”

“Uh huh,” she smiled. “I hired a very good lawyer. Guy named Bret Hart. Apparently he used to be a wrestler. Anyway, he was the one that insisted on 10 years before parole consideration.”

*   *   *   *

Bo answered the knock at the front door a few days later.

“Hey there” he said to the stranger. He wore dark pants, a tan shirt and a brown leather jacket that barely concealed the 9mm Glock gun secured in a holster under his left arm.

“Hi” the stranger smiled. “Is Daisy Duke here?”

“And you are…?” Bo asked.

“Sorry” The man produced a black wallet that flipped open to display a RCMP shield.

“You must be Martin Kent! “ Bo shook the officers hand heartily. “Our cousin has told us all about you. Come on in and I’ll get you something to drink. Daisy’s out with Luke right now, but they’ll be back soon. Here, sit down.”

Lieutenant Martin Kent sat at the dinner table while Bo busied himself making coffee. He surveyed the small farmhouse. It was just as Daisy had described it during their long talks. Even her cousin Bo was as friendly and talkative as she had said. He knew Luke was her older, more favoured cousin. He also knew Luke was the one that he would have to watch closely. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake, not after having come this far. His ultimate goal was just in sight, now was not the time to let himself stumble before reaching the finish line.

*   *   *  *

As Luke pulled up to the farm later that day, he didn’t see the strange car parked to the side of the house. He was too busy trying to decipher a case that Daisy was telling him about. The pair had gone to town early that day to pick up “just a few things” Daisy had needed. But the trip turned into an all out expedition when she discovered that a new mall had opened just outside the Hazzard County limits. Luke had only half-heartedly bemoaned trailing behind her as she oohed and aahhed over the different stores and their contents. Truth be know, he was glad to be with her. Just like old times he thought. Finally after nearly 4 hours and some serious credit card abuse, Daisy treated her cousin to a hearty country lunch before they started off for home again.

“Poor Bo is going to think that I planned this extra time away to get out of the chores,” he now laughed as he helped her unload the trunk.

“He’ll get over it” she smiled sweetly, handing him a few more bags to his already huge pile. “Take these as well will you, I’ll bring the rest”

“Just as well you’re so darn cute,” Luke moaned, “or I would be tempted to dump all this on you right now!”

Daisy laughed as she followed him into the airy kitchen, knowing he would do no such thing. Many times through her life, various people had accused Luke that he spoilt her and allowed her to wrap him around his little finger. Each time, she recalled him answering with a simple smile, “You mean you don’t think she’s worth it?”

“Hey, guys” Bo greeted then cheerily. “Bout time y ‘all returned.”

“Daisy had a need to keep the stores in operation,” Luke laughed, dumping packages on the table.

“Well, I’m glad your back. Look who’s here”

Bo introduced Luke to the Mountie. Something in his smile and his handshake had Luke thinking that Daisy hadn’t described him all that accurately. He just didn’t seem to be as…well…as large as life. Daisy had made the Lt out to be some kind of Superman; this guy didn’t fit the bill that Luke would have expected. Nonetheless, he mentally shrugged of the thought. After all, no one was really good enough for his Daisy. Thinking of Daisy and how surprised she would be to see the Lt, Luke turned toward the door just as she entered.

“I may have biceps after this lot” she was laughing to herself. The moment she looked up though, the laughter died and a dropped jaw replaced the smile.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Bo’s laughter rang through the brief silence.

“Aren’t you glad to see him Daisy?”

“What are you talking about Bo? Why would I be glad to see him?”

Momentarily stunned by Daisy’s outburst, Luke now moved towards her.

“Daisy…”

Across the room, Martin rose from the table with a cool smile.

“Nice to see you again, darling”

Luke now stepped between Daisy and the table. He had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t like the vibes he was getting from Daisy. She seemed very uncomfortable about the situation.

Oblivious, as always, Bo turned to Daisy.

“That’s no way to greet your hero” he smiled.

“Hero?” she spat.

Luke now stepped closer to Daisy. The hair was tingling at the back of his neck. He was almost sure that he knew what Daisy would say, but he had to ask.

“Daisy, what are you saying…”

“Luke…this is Lex”

“WHAT!” yelled Bo, turning towards the stranger who had so easily fooled him.

Lex calmly removed his gun and pointed it at the three cousins.

“It was a fake,” he told Bo, referring to the badge he had briefly shown him.

Bo looked at Daisy and Luke and shook his head.

“I am so sorry guys,” he told them.

“It’s ok Bo,” Luke murmured, pulling Daisy to the relative safety of his side. He could feel the tremors go through her as she addressed her nightmare.

“What do you want Lex?”

Lex gave a short laugh. “Oh, just to torment you a little, the way you tormented me when you told the court my business. Then after I’ve had enough of making your life miserable…” he leaned forward and looked at her intently, “…I’m going to put you out of your misery.”

Using the gun, he waved Bo and Luke towards the lounge area. Luke took Daisy’s hand and moved her in front of him. This seemed to annoy Lex. He made a move to grab for her arm, and was immediately cut off by Luke.

“Don’t you dare touch her,” he ordered in a deadly calm voice. Without blinking an eye, Lex turned the gun on Luke. Daisy threw her arms around her cousin’s waist and hugged him tight.

“Daisy darling,” Lex said. “You will do as I say, or your cousin here gets it.”

Feeling Daisy’s shuddering sigh against his chest, Luke kept an eye on Lex while telling her, “It’s okay sweetheart.”

Bo stood to the side clenching his hands, not sure what to do. One wrong move and he could lose one or both his cousins.

“Just calm down,” he told Lex, trying to get him to focus on something other than pointing the gun at Luke.

Lex smiled at him. Bo was amazed to see that the man had bleak eyes, almost as if there were no soul in him.

“Oh I am calm, Bo,” He said simply. He then addressed Daisy. “Move over to the table girl.”

Sensing Luke was about to make a move, Daisy looked up at him. “It’s okay Luke. He has no power over me now,” she assured him.

“Touching,” Lex sneered, “real touching. Now move it boy.”

Luke reluctantly moved towards the lounge and joined Bo sitting on the couch.

“Ok,” Lex announced to Daisy as she sat down at the table. “You and I are going to have a little chat.”

“Ok, Lex, let’s talk.”

‘Yes, let’s,” he replied snidely, never wavering in his steady aiming of the gun.

“Let’s talk about how you went out of your way to ruin my life! Let’s talk about how you spun that story and made me look so bad my worst enemy was practically dancing on my grave. Let’s talk about how you skipped the country once you spun that story to the cops. How you cried on cue to ensure that the judge would feel sorry for you.”

Lex slammed his hands on the table, making Daisy jump and bringing Bo and Luke to their feet. “Yes Daisy,” he yelled at her, “let’s talk, shall we!”

Luke broke the silence that followed.

“Daisy?”

She slowly looked up from the table, and told him simply, “It’s ok Luke.”

She faced Lex once again.

“You got what the court thought you deserved. No matter what you say, Lex, you got what you deserved. But I did not deserve to be treated like a piece of property. I did not deserve to be treated like a showpiece to be put on display when your friends came calling. And I most certainly did not deserve to be treated like an unwanted pet you suddenly grew tired of! You took something from me. It’s only fair that I got to take something from you.”

Lex simply laughed and started to pace the kitchen floor.

“You are truly crazy,” she whispered.

“What are you going to do?” Bo now asked Lex.

“You’d be best to just leave,” said Luke.

“Yeah,” Bo added, “you can easily get away. No one has to know that you were ever here.”

“Just shut up!” Lex yelled. “Stay where you are, don’t make any stupid moves” As he leaned on the table and looked at Daisy intently, he continued to address the boys, “or I’ll show your lovely little cousin here just how right she is in thinking I’m crazy”

“Back up,” Luke whispered to Bo. “Let’s not make this any harder on her than it already is.”

The silence once again hung heavy. Then the phone rang.

“Get it,” Lex told Daisy. “But no funny business.”

Daisy slowly rose from the table and walked to the phone.

“Hello”

“Daisy?”

It was Martin! How could that be? She thought.

“Um, yes”

“I’m glad I caught you. I have some bad news honey. Lex escaped police custody”

“Oh” Daisy said.

I have to think quickly. I have to warn Marty, but avoid letting Lex know.

“Well, Jesse, you don’t have to worry about me. I got home safe and sound”

“What?” Marty asked, clearly confused.

“No I don’t mind telling the boys you won’t be back tonight.”

Martin’s cop instincts kicked in.

“Daisy, honey, he’s there isn’t he?”

“Oh yes, the boys are both here. Um, I can’t let you talk to them because they’re out in the field fixing a fence or something…” Daisy was starting to run out of conversation, and worried she wasn’t doing a good enough job at passing this off as just another conversation with her Uncle.

“Are you ok honey?”

“No, of course not,” Daisy laughed truthfully.

“Okay,” Marty told her. “I’m in Atlanta. I’ll get a team together and be there in no time.”

He paused for a moment, as if choosing his words deliberately. “I promised nothing would happen to you and I meant it.”

Daisy swallowed past a lump in her throat, trying to choke back sudden tears.

“Honey?”

“Well,” Daisy coughed past the emotion. “You just go about doing what you need to do and we’ll see you when you get back.”

From the corner of her eye she could see that Lex was pacing again, clearly impatient with the call.

“Um, Jesse, I better go. You know how the boys love their afternoon coffee and sandwiches.”

Martin hesitated, reluctant to severe the connection he had with her. At least while he could hear her voice he knew she was safe.

“I’ll be there soon,” he promised in a husky voice. “Please, stay safe.”

“Ok,” Daisy replied as brightly as possible.

As she slowly hung the receiver up a thought occurred to her. It bounced into her head loud and clear.

I love that man so much, so very very much!

*   *   *   *

“Uh, so that was Jesse huh?” Bo asked.

“Yeah,” Daisy’s eyes never left Lex. “He says he won’t be home until late tomorrow.”

This caught Luke’s attention. He knew that Jesse was with his friend Morris, and that he wouldn’t be back for weeks. He also knew that there were no phone lines at the Morris farm as Jesse had told him he would check in by the CB radio.

He caught Daisy’s eye.

“I told him everything was fine here” she told them.

Luke realised that someone else had been on the line. Hopefully Daisy had made them realise that everything was not fine. Luke just hoped that help would come soon. He didn’t know how long he could keep his temper in check, and he knew Bo was getting just as antsy.

The three of them returned to their seats.

“Your Uncle huh?”

“Yep,” Daisy replied, trying not to sound affected by the way he seemed to be staring right through her.

“How sweet,” he mocked.