by: MacSas

The night was cold and quiet. Luke slept in a chair beside Daisy’s bed.

Martin had discovered, upon his return with lunch, that Luke was as angry as Daisy had thought he’d be. Clark had arrived with the diary and gone through it with Daisy’s help, finally deciding on an entry about a politician that done some under the table business with Lex, using taxpayers money of course. He’d also bought drugs from Lex three times a week, but most damning of all was the fact that the politician had used government funds to avail himself of Lex’s high-class call girls. Daisy had noted everything down. Dates, times, places, drug types, even the names of the call girls and the money it cost the politician. She had also made note of a conversation the politician had had with Lex when he felt that Lex had cheated him on a drug purchase. The politician had told Lex that he had plenty of  ‘dirt’ on Lex and was prepared to use it if he was cheated again. After all, the politician reasoned, who wouldn’t believe him? He was a well-respected family man, a shinning pillar of his community and most important, in the running for the presidency.

All of which made this information gold to Clark. There was no way Lex would let this diary go if he knew this was in it.

With Luke still at Daisy’s side, Martin decided to join in on the meeting at the Commissioners office to discuss plans for the diary.

Therefore, he wasn’t in the area when another visitor arrived at the room of Daisy Duke.

*   *   *   *

“Okay, here’s what we need to do” Clark addressed Martin, Boss and Roscoe, in Boss’s office that night. “We put this information into the other diary word for word. When Boss shows Lex the two opened pages, hopefully it will be enough to convince Lex that the book is full of this kind of stuff. Even if he is quick enough to see it’s not Daisy’s writing we’ll be on him.”

“What happens when it’s copied?” Roscoe asked, as Boss started writing in the fake diary.

“Another announcement over the Hazzard Net” Clark said. “Only this time, the Commissioner will be talking to an associate, who will really be Bo. They’re going to discuss who this politician could be. Boss will inform the associate that the diary is once again available because Lex failed to show up. The price for it will also go up”

“Hopefully” Martin added, “that will infuriate Lex enough to show up here. He can’t afford someone else having that diary”

“Whatever he decides to do, we just need him to be in this office so we can arrest him. There will be an agent hidden in the bathroom there, ready to make the collar”

“Hmph” Roscoe grunted. “Guess you city boys have to do something to redeem yourselves”

“Roscoe” Boss sighed.

Martin simply smiled and headed to the door. “I’m heading back to the hospital”

“How is she?” Roscoe asked.

“Better” Martin assured him. “Doctor says she’s healing nicely. She may be allowed home in a few days, but she’ll have a long recovery ahead of her”

“Well” Roscoe smiled, “she’s made of sturdy stuff. There’s no way she would have gone down like that”

Boss nodded in agreement. “Give her our love,” he added.

“Will do” Martin replied, closing the office door behind him.

Soon it would be over, he sighed. Lex would be arrested and sent back to Texas, and this time there would be no escape. Daisy would be free to live as she chose. With a spring in his step, he left the courthouse. The sun was coming up over the hills, it was nearly dawn. Yeah, he thought, today was going to be a wonderful day.

*   *   *   *

The room was dark despite the pre dawn light. But the new visitor had no problem with that. He stood and looked at Daisy as she slept. How had she survived? His thoughts were interrupted by the soft snore from the man in the chair. This, he hadn’t counted on, but it could e dealt with. He just needed to move quickly.

Lex took a pillow from the other chair, clenched it in both hands and approached the woman who was making his life hell. As he got closer he saw the little nicks and scars that his knife had left on her face. Pity the bruises were fading. He would have liked to have seen his handy work in the raw. But he had thought she was dead. She’d wronged him so badly, now she would pay with her silence. This time there would be no mistake. He could get rid of her, get the diary from the fat man in the white suit and then slip out of town. Easy. He leaned over her, aiming the pillow to the middle of her face. He was sure that she would suffocate quickly. After all, her body was still very weak. She wouldn’t have the resources to fight him now. She wouldn’t even be able to awaken the snoring man in the chair. Lex had killed this way before; the only difference was that there had been two sleeping guards in the room when he had taken out Little Tony’s son. He had no reason to believe this would be any different. Besides, it was a thrill to be able to kill someone while their protector snored away in the same room. He smiled broadly, thinking of how very bad someone was going to look when they discovered that Miss Daisy hadn’t made it through the night.

He swept the pillow down in one quick move, straight onto Daisy’s face. She struggled, but no scream came out. All sound from her was muffled due to the strength Lex used to bear down on her. His teeth clenched, his brow furrowed, every part of his body tensed as he waited for her to give up. She shook for a little while, then shivered. Close, oh so close …

A loud bang echoed in his head. A piercing pain hit his side. He felt the warm trickle of blood. A glance at his shirt told him he was bleeding. But how?

He let go of the pillow and clenched his side. Daisy’s gasps echoed in his head. He turned and looked at the snoring man.

Only, he was no longer snoring. He was on his feet, and he held a gun at a deadly aim.

A deadly aim at him.