by: Kristy Duke
A thin smile flashes upon Levi’s handsome face as he slowly steps out of the Ford Ranger and into the summer heat to glare up at the town’s court house. His thoughts quickly rush through him, silently going through the plan they had created months ago, before all of this had even started. To him, it was a perfect plan with little room for error, perfect none the less. He couldn’t see where they could go wrong with their plan, everyone would get what they wanted during this mission. “Ready?” Trent’s low voice booms besides him upon the curb and he slowly glances at Trent before slowly nodding and together they slowly walk up the cemented stairs.
Walking into the air conditioned hall ways of the court house, they silently walk down the narrow halls, reading the writing on the door until they reach the door that reads: SHERIFF STATION. “Here we are,” Levi smiles at Trent as he slowly opens the door to the police station to be greeted with the emptiness of the large open room. “Anyone here?” he yells out.
A short moment passes until the door in the far right corner opens and the fat, round commissioner dressed in a white suit walks out chomping on a fat cigar. “Levi, Trent?” the commissioner’s gray hairy eyebrows furrow in surprise at seeing them, “What can I do for you?”
“May we talk to you in your office?” Levi’s voice is thick and filled with urgency as the commissioner nods and leads the way back where he came to take a seat in his swivel chair behind the desk. Trent follows lastly and closes the door behind him as Levi takes a standing position above Hogg’s desk, forcing the air of authority and power to him.
“What can I do for you?” Hogg nervously asks, obviously anxious at seeing them, “Something wrong?”
“Not yet,” Levi snorts as Trent joins him at the desk, “but we need your help with another shipment of -”
“We agreed…we’d sell what we have first and then do another shipment,” Hogg struggles for authority in his own office despite his fear of the men standing in front of him, “of which we haven’t done yet. I say give it another week or -”
“No, it needs to be now,” Levi barks at the commissioner, “Now you agreed in the beginning that you would go along with our plans to make the business succeed and we all have agreed…my partners and I, that another shipment would come in handy; in fact it is highly desirable at the moment. The dealer we last done business with has got some fresh and excellent goods that he is willing to sell for us with a reasonable price tag. We think Hazzard would be better for having them available to them.”
“What sort of goods?” Hogg asks, thinking money.
“It’s better shown than described,” Levi responds, not missing a beat, “we’d be here all day describing it to you. Trust us, you would like what you saw; especially the money outcome.”
Hogg nods. “Well if you haven’t noticed,” Hogg’s voice is now filled with anger and resentment, “y’all have beaten my drivers…beaten them good! Garrett may not wake up due to you…I’ve said from the beginning that -”
“No one gets hurt,” Levi rolls his eyes, “we know. We messed up by taking it too far, we got carried away with what we were doing, we didn’t mean to, Hogg.”
“Well it’s too late for that,” Hogg throws back at them, continuing to chomp upon his fat cigar, “because there is nothing you can do to take back what you did…I said no one gets hurt and you over stepped that line! We have had agreements and so far, you haven’t kept your end of the line -”
“We have expressed our failure and admitted that it won’t happen again, and it won’t,” Levi forces a small smile as he glances up at Trent, “and as for not having a driver, we think we have the perfect driver you can replace them two guys for.”
“Oh yeah?” Hogg responds, “Who would that be?”
“The sheriff,” Trent speaks up for the first time to draw everyone’s attention, “Rosco Coltrane. I mean of course he couldn’t drive the truck, but we could leave an old car for him to drive and they could stuff the stuff in the trunk. We already asked and they made sure, it would fit.”
“Rosco?” Hogg asks in disbelief, “You want my sheriff to be your damn driver? Of course not! He has a job to do here in town and -”
“And ends up messing up anyway,” Levi shrugs, “so what would be missed by him being gone for a couple of hours? He couldn’t mess up a simple delivery like that…who else would be better to drive for us?”
“You for starters,” Hogg replies, disliking how the conversation is going, “not Rosco. After what you done, I don’t trust you…especially with my own brother in law.”
“You think we would hurt him? Someone on our own side? Grow up Hogg,” Levi rolls his dark eyes once again, “And I can’t drive nor can anyone else, they are too busy with the shop to leave. C’mon Hogg, this would be best for the shop…financially and productive as well. Can’t go wrong.”
Silence fills the smokey room as Hogg’s darty eyes move accusingly from man to man as his guilt and doubt runs through him. The thought of money quicky erases the doubt from mind as the dollar bills seem to visibly add up within him. “When would you need him?” Hogg finally asks.
“How about we leave our car out front in another hour…the car will be blue Mercury,” Levi drawls, “it’s my own personal car, so he better not put a scratch on it! This shop has everyone committing something or other of theirs. For you, your sheriff, for me my car. Oh well,” he pauses for a moment, “and he could go on his way to the hideout from there?”
Hogg glances at his clock for a short moment. “Well if you say it is best for business,” he sighs in defeat, “he will be ready to make the delivery to you within an hour and a half of your given estimate.”
“You won’t regret this, Hogg,” Levi smiles broadly at the fat commissioner as he places a hand upon Trent’s shoulder, motioning him to go, “we’ll talk to you after we get the delivery.”
“Yeah,” Hogg replies dryly as he watches the two men slowly leave his office, closing the door behind them.
A short moment passes before he hears the sheriff office’s door open and close before Hogg slowly bends over and picks up his CB. “Rosco,” he grunts into it as he wipes off the sweat of fear from his chubby cheeks with his handkerchief.
“Yes Boss,” comes the static reply a few seconds later.
“I need to see you in my office,” Hogg slowly replies, “as of now.”
***SHERIFF ROSCO COLTRANE***
“I need to see you in my office. . .as of now,” Hogg had said only momentarily into the CB, his voice had been filled with emotions. Through his voice I had detected a great need of urgency, a hint of fear, and heavy with excitement, meaning something must have happened since I had left the office only fifteen minutes ago. But what? Despite hearing the excitement in his voice, my thoughts linger upon the hint of fear that had been in his voice, forces me to imagine what may have changed in fifteen minutes. My imagination swirls within me, flashing scenes of the past when Hogg had gotten into trouble with the men he had hired had turned against him. Has it happened again?
Pulling up in front of the old court house my heart races with adrenaline, fed by my imagination from Hogg’s call upon the CB. Most likely it’s nothing. Taking a deep breath, I slowly pull myself out of my patrol car and slowly make my way up the cement steps and into the air conditioned hall way. I nod friendly at the little old janitor that is carefully cleaning the hall way with his cheap mop as I slowly pass him.
“Yes Boss?” I ask as I walk through the police station to hesitantly open the door to Hogg’s office, peeking in to find him staring blankly at the paper on his desk.
“Yes Rosco, come on in,” he grins up at me as he pulls a cigar from his expensive cigar box that he hides in a top drawer of his desk. I slowly nod as I open the door and close it behind me before I make my way to his polished desk, “thank-you for coming in so quick. I’ve got a little job I want you to do for me.”
“OK Boss,” I nod obediently as I rest upon the edge of his desk, “what is it that I can do for you?”
“Well,” he pauses, his dark brown eyes gloss over with worry as he lights his cigar, “I had a brief and unexpected meeting this morning with Levi and Trent. Apparently they have received a surprise shipment into their factory hideout in Choctaw County…a shipment that they said would become very valuable to our new little store here in town.”
“Well Boss,” I nervously begin, “I don’t see how that is possible. After all, they have stolen the truck, supposedly. People would become suspicious if they saw one of your drivers driving it. Second of all, they violently attacked your drivers, both of which are still in the hospital. I don’t think they would be willing to drive for you after what happened last time or are in a position to drive for you.”
“Right you are Rosco,” Boss smiles nervously at me, “and they already had a way around all that when they saw me this morning. . .which brings me to the job I have for you. They are going to be dropping off a Mercury car off in front of the court house,” he pauses to look at his watch, “in another forty-five minutes. You are to drive the car to Choctaw County to their hideout and have the guys stuff the shipment into the trunk of the car and -”
“Hold on Boss,” I quickly interrupt him after hearing most of what he has to say, “You’re insinuating that you want me make the delivery here?” Hogg nods, “Well what if I don’t want to drive for them? You already know how I feel about them two…not only did they hold Ethan at gun point, but they violently beat them both! Garrett may never wake up thanks to them!”
“Look we’ve already went through this…it’s over and won’t be repeated,” Hogg says smugly though doubt is thick in each word he spits out, “and second of all, I didn’t ask if you wanted to do it or not. I am telling you to do it.”
Silence quickly fills the smokey room as his words seem to continue to echo off the walls that surrounds us. “B-but Boss-”
“No but Boss…it’ll be yes sir!” Boss yells angrily, “I don’t care how you feel about them…you’ll get your share of the profits when it is all said and done. The money is already falling into place after the first couple days of the store opening…people are loving it!”
“Yeah off of people who is about to tear Hazzard apart!” I quickly yell back and Hogg stares surprisingly at me, “Look, I’m sorry Boss, but it’s true. You’ve lost control the situation, instead of you being in charge, they’re in charge because they got you so damn scared of them! I told you when they first came into town that they don’t seem to be the type to mess with. You didn’t listen to me, you listened to them damn money chimes in your head! Now that they are running wild across Hazzard, what are we going to do? Huh Boss? Continue to fall into their hands with what they want?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Rosco…you’re talking crazy,” Hogg rolls his dark eyes as he hides from the truth of his own business partners, “but I do know that you can be replaced if you don’t get your tail in gear here and do as I am telling you to do! You understand me?”
“Yes sir,” I slowly glance down at my feet, struggling with what to do. My job or losing control of the county? Either way they’ll have control and do as they wish in Hazzard, because when he replaces me, it will be most likely be with one of them.
“So what is it going to be, Rosco?” Hogg grunts as he chomps on his cigar.
“I’ll drive for you,” I sigh in defeat, “but I’m not happy about it.”
“Your objections are noted,” he sighs as he leans back, relaxed now, “and make sure you’re out of uniform will you? They’ll be all nervous if you show up in uniform.”
“Uh yes sir,” I sigh as I slowly head towards the door, “I guess I’ll go home and change now.”
“Good idea,” Hogg smiles as he blows out smoke and I slowly exit his smokey room before walking out into the police station to find Kristy placing a stack of papers upon my desk.
***
The hot summer sun brightly shines in my face as I slowly step out of the old court house with Hogg’s demanding voice echoing within me. Hesitantly I glance down the narrow sidewalk at the few people that slowly walk alongside the buildings that line the street, taking in the rows of parked cars. Most of the cars and trucks that line against the curb of the side walk are older models with bad rusting problems, a few with dents and chipped paint. But one car stands out amongst the vehicles that line the sidewalk, a vehicle that would most likely stand out amongst most cars in Hazzard. It’s the Mercury that Boss had given me the keys to only moments ago within the police station, giving me direct orders to not mess up. The Mercury looks to be almost brand new, the dark midnight blue color shines brightly under the hot sun, seeming to glitter amongst the dull colored vehicles of Hazzard.
Reaching an abrupt halt a few feet from the parked expensive car, I slowly take in the car I am about to drive, taking in it’s value with admiration. Despite admiring the car, doubt continues to drill harshly through me as my thoughts steadily run rapidly through me. My thoughts swiftly rotates around Hogg’s last delivery job that he had blackmailed Ethan and Garrett to drive for them. Images vividly flashes within me of Ethan’s and Garrett’s beaten and bloody bodies lying vulnerably upon the side of the road joined with the echoing of Ethan’s statement. The statement of seeing a masked Bo and Luke with baseball bats while their beloved car blocked the way of Hogg’s semi. It had been Levi and Trent that had been underneath the masks with an old junkyard car that one of Levi’s men had found and painted to look like the General. Hogg’s perfect frame up gone bad.
I sigh heavily as I force my concentration away from Ethan and Garrett to begin to think of what Hogg wants me to do, of the delivery he is expecting me to deliver. Hesitantly, I slowly shove my right hand deeply down into my pocket to slowly pull out a copper car key that hangs loosely upon an old beaten Mercury key ring. Looking dreadfully at the key that would lead me into Choctaw County, I slowly catch glimpse of my attire, forcing me to feel naked without the ironed uniform I wear daily. Instead of the uniform, I wear my well worn black leather cowboy boots, dark blue denim jeans with a brown leather belt with a small metal belt buckle, with my old torn white shirt tucked into my pants, upon the white shirt is a large emblem of the Atlanta Braves.
I slowly glance up as a young couple slowly walks past me, separating me from the expensive car, holding hands; their curious attention falls onto me as they pass by. Staring blindly at the parked car, the old picture of Whinston in the newspaper flashes within me, forcing my thoughts back onto him. Is he somehow connected with Levi and Trent? Is it too much coincidence to have Whinston escaped free while two men run violently, again, through my town? If Whinston is behind Levi and Trent, just think of what they could do to me, if they were to hijack my delivery…
Chills of fear quickly wash through me as I fight to shove the past behind me, struggling to convince myself that Whinston isn’t back in Hazzard. He’d be smart enough not to return to the place he was arrested at, to the place that the sheriff he had threatened was located at. Or would he? Or would his anger towards me control where he would run to hide at? His desire for revenge upon his arrest and the death of his brother. . .
I sigh heavily as I glance around me once again before I slowly take a couple of steps to approach the passenger side of the Mercury. For a short moment I glare through the darkly tinted windows to find black leather seats, a black leather steering wheel. The front seats remain clean of anything except for an empty Pepsi bottle upon the floor of the passenger floor while a thick black blanket of some sort covers the floor of the back seat. A big bulk of something seems to be hidden underneath, though it is impossible to guess what is under the blanket, perhaps unwanted merchandise to take back? But they would have told me to return them. After a moment, I shrug silently to myself, this is Levi’s car and is none of my concern of what is in the back seat. All I have to worry about is receiving the products and bringing them back safely. . .
Approaching the driver’s door, I cautiously unlock the door to slowly climb into the heated car before starting the powerful engine before turning on the air. Despite my feelings and my dread, a small smile creeps upon my face at being able to drive such an expensive, new car as this; it is the first and most likely the last time that I am able to drive a new, nice car. After readjusting the seats and the mirrors to my comfort, I slowly pull out and begin to drive through my small town, struggling with my thoughts as I begin my journey.
“Alright Rosco,” his gruff voice forces me to jump in surprise, my fear quickly accelerates within me. Stiffly, I slowly glance over my shoulder to find Levi sitting directly behind my chair, his face is besides the nice head rest while a black hand gun is shoved heavily into my right temple. “You remember how Garrett and Ethan looked after we were done?” I numbly nod as I force my attention back upon the road that lies ahead. “Good, then you’ll know how you’ll look if you decide to mess with me or not to listen. Except this time, I won’t mess up. I’ll make sure you’ll be dead by the time someone finds you. You understand me, sheriff?”
I slowly nod. “What do you want, Levi?” I manage to ask, my voice quivers in fear, “You’re with Whinston, aren’t you?”
A large smile curls up on his handsome face as he slowly nods. “You catch on fast, Rosco, which will explain what we want. Whinston wants revenge and what Whinston wants, he gets,” he laughs in my ear as he squeezes my left shoulder, “take a left turn here. We’re meeting up with Whinston at the old mineshaft…you take us there nicely, understand?”
He shakes his gun in my face and I slowly nod as I grip tightly onto the steering wheel as my thoughts rush through me, sending emotions roughly through me. If Hogg only had listened when I had warned him. . .
“You or he won’t get away with this,” I numbly state as I blindly follow the road, making our way to the shaft that has been empty for years now, “I’m a sheriff…an officer of the law -”
“You think Whinston cares? Hell, he’s an escaped prisoner!” Levi laughs once again, “Nothing matters any more to him, thanks to you, he’s waiting upon his own death…he’s here to accomplish his last wish. Revenge.”
Fear continues to run rapidly through me as I numbly think of the near future, wondering silently how much longer I’ll have until I die and how I’ll die. But fear also for Hazzard. Hogg had fallen perfectly into Whinston’s trap, he smelled money and went for it. But what Hogg didn’t realize was who exactly he was bringing into his county, that he was bringing the man he had feared years ago, back into his county; to run freely. I silently think of the people of Hazzard, from the Dukes that will most likely go about attempting to prove their innocence to everyone else that makes Hazzard, Hazzard. Of what will happen to them now that I’m not going to be there.
I jump in shocked fear as Levi quickly leans forward to start to pat down my shirt, starting from my shoulder down my chest and to my waist and then down my back. “You armed, Rosco?” Levi asks as he leans back to where he was, the cold metal of the barrel of the gun is pressed harshly back onto my temple, “Any gun, knives, anything like that?”
“Uh no,” I slowly respond as I hesitantly take a right turn onto another dusty road, a dusty road that leads directly towards the mineshaft. Large trees surrounds the narrow road while a large hill lies several feet away upon the left side of the road, seeming to go on forever and to reach up into the puffy clouds. Fear accelerates within me as I stare through the mud splattered windshield as I feel the shaft glowing closer with each passing second, knowing that it lies a half mile ahead, lying within the large body of trees and bushes. Following a sharp curve in the road, the small entry lane that leads to the dark and old shaft comes into view, forcing me to think of what is to come to me now that Whinston has me in his grasp.
“Good,” Levi slowly responds behind me, “make a left turn in that there drive way…and as I said, don’t play stupid by trying something. I’ll be more than happy to blow your damn head off, you understand?”
“I understand,” I dryly respond as I reluctantly follow his directions to turn into the small entry lane to find an old truck and an expensive car parked in the grass while the old wooden and rock entry way of the dark shaft is in view.
“Park it behind the truck,” he harshly snaps as his gun is shoved tighter against my clammy skin. His breathing seems to accelerate hotly behind me in excitement as I slowly inch the car to a slow park a couple of feet behind the truck, half parked in the dusty dirt path and onto the dry green grass, an inch away from my door lies large thick trees. “Wait where you are…I’ll come around and get you. You lock the door, I’ll break the window!”
I swallow harshly as he slowly removes the gun from my temple to slowly slide off the leather seats and out into the warm day. As he slams the door closed after him, two large men slowly steps out from the opening of the wood framed shaft caring large metal guns and mean looks upon their ugly faces. A long moment seems to pass as fear continues to swarm thickly through me as my thoughts flood through me, raging from the past to my near future.
“No,” I whimper as the door is harshly flown open as Levi harshly leans over me to undo my seat belt while lying a strong powerful hand upon my left shoulder.
“Let’s go,” he snaps as he drags me out of the car and I fall heavily upon my knees before he jerks me up to place the gun back to my temple. Shoving me ahead to the entry of the shaft, we meet up with the two large guys, “Where’s Whinston?”
“Down there,” one motions over his shoulder with his fat thumb as they both turn around, “we’re suppose to go with you in case he gives you any trouble.”
“If that’s what you want,” Levi shrugs as he shoves me towards the black hole, “but he knows better than to cause any trouble, right sheriff?”
I slowly nod as I stare silently into the black hole, imagining all that awaits for me down there. The two guards nod before they begin to follow us into the black hole where the dirt under my feet slowly turns into gravel type rocks where they shove me along a few feet in silence before Levi harshly holds me back. Chills race rapidly up and down my back as I squint through the darkness only to see darkness, glancing down at my feet I slowly distinguish why Levi had held me back. An inch from the tip of my boot is a harsh drop off that drops off into a thick blackness that hangs below. “Darren,” he gasps out as he tightens his grip upon me, “you go first and I’ll follow with Rosco.”
A moment passes before I feel a tall man pass by, breathing heavily, his dark shadow turns around to begin to climb down a steep stone – line wall. “You follow him. . .don’t try anything stupid,” Levi spits in my ear before harshly shoving me forward. I gasp in fear before catching my balance to hesitantly turn around and follow the muscular guard, my feet numbly resting upon each stone nub that hangs out of the rock wall. The climb down the slippery stone and mud wall seems to last forever as I glare down into the darkness of the shaft, struggling to hold on tightly upon the rocks as I struggle for solid footing upon the small nubs. I gasp in fear and pain as the guard’s powerful and muscular hand quickly grabs a tight hold upon the back of my neck as I come into reach, yanking me off the wall and pulling me down a few feet down upon the stone-mud ground.
“No,” I whimper fearfully as the man called Darren roughly pulls me a foot back away from the climb upon the drop off to tightly shove his own handgun deeply into my head. “No,” I repeat as Levi quickly joins us to yank me away from Darren and once again his hand gun comes up to my head as the other guard jumps down upon the narrow walk way.
“Let’s go,” Levi whispers into my ear as he wraps a thick muscular left arm around my shoulders, his thick fingers holding tightly onto my right shoulder while he presses his gun tighter upon my clammy skin. “Whinston awaits.”
“No,” I quickly spit out as I force the tips of my boots into the mud and rock ground, struggling against his grip and his pressure not to go forward in fear of the man I had arrested years ago. I yell out in pain as Levi harshly shoves me against the sharp, cold stone wall before hitting me in the back of the head with the butt of his gun to send a harsh wave of dizziness through me.
“You ready, yet?” he spits in my ear as he shoves me up while pushing the barrel of the gun back into my right throbbing temple, “Answer me! You done? If not, I can beat you unconscious and drag you to Whinston! You chose.”
I slowly nod as I stare into the thick darkness that lies ahead as Levi shoves me forward and I reluctantly place one foot in front of the other. “Y’all won’t get away with this,” I gasp to break the silence, feeling my emotions rush through me, raging from anger to fear to hopelessness.
“Oh yeah?” one of the guards mimics behind Levi, his voice thick and taunting, “Who’s gonna arrest us? The sheriff?”
All three men laugh evilly as we continue down the thin walk way before a small dancing light comes into view to display the opening of the walls. The main room of the shaft. Following Levi’s lead, I silently recall the last time I had been down here in the old shaft that hadn’t been in use for years. It feels like only the other day when it had been at least five years ago when Hogg had stopped hiding his moonshine down in the main area of the shaft. He had gotten into some trouble with a few of his partners and we had been forced to hide out in the shaft with his shine, leaving Enos in charge for a few days. Now it’s me that is in trouble and by myself.
“Hope you’re ready for a little fun,” Levi grunts into my ear as we grow closer to the dancing candle light that looms closely ahead, “because Whinston plans to have a lot of fun with you.”
Once again the three laugh evilly at his comment as I silently imagine what Levi means by Whinston’s sense of fun, of what lies only a foot away from us now. Once again, I think of resisting, of struggling against them before I slowly drop the idea. Even if I had gotten out of Levi’s tight hold, I’d never get past the three of them and then Whinston. I sigh heavily in defeat as I am shoved into the open room where four large wooden beams are planted into the stone and dirt on the ground and shoved deeply into the stone and mud that hangs above us. Several candle holders line against the two side walls with large flames dancing upon the black wicks to send shadowy light across the room.
“No,” I hear myself say once again as I glance up across the small, cramped room to find a tall shadowy figure slowly arising from a small chair. Fear continues to escalate within me as I watch the figure slowly approaching while he silently takes me in through the darkness that looms around us.
“Good work boys,” the familiar voice echoes off the stone walls as he reaches us, stopping a foot ahead of me, “long time no see, Rosco.”
“Whinston,” I mutter as I force myself to look up at him, slowly taking him in with the changes he has went through from the prison photo. His black crew cut that had been in the photo has grown out and dyed a dark brown color while a thin beard and mustache covers his lower face. A thick scar runs from the right side of his nose and across his face just below his eye socket while a few more lines crease in his tanned handsome face. Looking at him now, you’d never guess him to be the trained killer that he is nor the escaped convict I had seen in the paper only a couple days ago. “Nice change.”
“Thanks, figured you’d like it,” he grins largely at me, forcing his dark brown eyes to dance evilly at me as his right hand plays momentarily with the silver earring in his right ear. He wears a black t-shirt with the sleeves torn off with Army like pants and black boots that laces up towards his shin, “can’t say that you’ve changed much, Rosco.”
“I have no need to change,” I quickly reply as I am shoved deeper into the lighted room, “because, unlike you, I’m not running from the law. Talking of law, I am an respected law man. You won’t get -”
“Save it Rosco!” I yell out in surprise as his right hand painfully grabs my jaw, “Because, I don’t care…I have no reason to care, thanks to you! You didn’t think I was serious when I said you wouldn’t get away with killing Warren, did you?!” he spits in my face as he lets go only to back hand me across the face just as Levi lets go and I fall heavily upon the cold stone floor. “Well no one messed with my baby brother without dealing with me and you killed him! He was just a boy…you killed a boy!” Anger flares through his dark eyes as he rushes over to me and kicks me harshly in the stomach and I yell out in pain as he continues to kick me over and over again, “You killed my baby brother and now you are going to pay for it…pay for my brother and for me! I spent twenty-six years in jail thanks to you!”
“No…no,” I gasp as I struggle to block his powerful kicks only to get kicked in the face and arms, “he killed Rachel…he shot me. I was defending my-”
“From a boy? You scared of a boy, Rosco?!” he yells angrily at me, “I don’t care what he did! You deserved to die then and you deserve to die now. Warren didn’t deserve to die! By killing Warren you killed mama! You killed Warren!” He yells again, anger flaring through each word and through each kick as I struggle with the blackness that threatens to sweep over me, “And now you will pay!”
After a long moment of angered kicking, Whinston slowly goes silent before his kicking slowly comes to a stop and Levi and the two guards quickly surrounds me. “You done with him, Whin?” Levi asks as he kneels down besides me.
Fear and pain quickly rush through me as I feel everyone’s hatred – filled eyes staring at me as I lie curled up on the stone ground, tears melt freely down my faces as blood drips down my face. “For now,” Whinston spits at me as he steps back, “tie him up with that explosive wire I showed you with, Levi. Make sure you got the remote to it,” he laughs with excitement, “Me and Darren are going to our other hide out while Sarge here is going to guard the entry way. When you are done there, call in to Braiden and he’ll come by to stand watch in here. You can join Darren and I afterwards.”
“Yes sir,” Levi grunts as he roughly yanks me to my feet before dragging me to the closest wooden beam on the right before dragging black box with two thick, long wires hanging loosely upon both sides.
“Enjoy yourself now Rosco,” Whinston laughs as he heads towards the entry way, “oh and don’t worry none, I’ll be back for more payback.”
I fearfully watch him disappear within the darkness as Levi shoves my back tightly against thick moldy pole while shoving my arms tightly back. I gasp in pain and in fear as I feel him tightly tying the roped explosives around my wrist. After finishing tying my wrists with explosives, he quickly throws a thick rope around my chest, looping it around again around my stomach, he ties my chest and stomach tightly against the board. When he has finished, he steps back to take me in, silently deciding on what to do next before grabbing another line of thick rope, he tightly ties it around my ankles. “You don’t talk, I won’t have to put a rope in your mouth,” he softly responds, “you understand? Keep you mouth shut and behave, you’ll be fine. Otherwise,” he picks up another black, small box with buttons on it, “all we have to do is push this here red button and you’ll be blown sky high. Understand?”
I reluctantly nod as I attempt to sit forward trying to test the strength and tightness of the rope only to be tightly held against the board, it would be hopeless to attempt to do anything. I sigh heavily as I fight back the tears of fear and pain as pain throbs harshly across my numb body while harsh and terrifying thoughts race within me. Twenty-six years ago I was considered a hero for capturing the man that had tortured several small towns in the south, now I am about to be killed for being a hero.
“Good,” he grins as he grabs a small black cell phone out of his tight fitting pants before punching a few numbers into the green lighted key pad and a moment begins whispering to the man on the other end.
***ETHAN MCKLEEN***
Pain ripples harshly across my bruised and stiff body as I slowly sit up within the hold thick metal chair from tying my old, torn shoe white running shoes. Intense thoughts harshly unfolds within me as I slowly get ready to step back out into the world and out of the hospital. What if the hijackers are out there waiting for my exit? Waiting to finish the job they had started only days ago? “Damn it,” I mutter angrily under my breath as my thoughts churn doubt through me. Doubt of what really had happened as we had began our descent home with the truck, doubt of who really had been the hijackers. Had it been Bo and Luke? Could they really do what they are accused of? To family, to anyone? Of the short time I had known them, they had been the most caring and loving family I’ve known, taking care of everyone’s problems along with their own. Despite the fight and harsh words spoken between Luke and Garrett, I highly doubt they would go out seeking revenge, especially with revenge.
“Ready?” a soft voice speaks out and I look up to find my nurse standing there with an old custom made wheelchair.
“I’m ready, but I don’t need that thing,” I slowly respond, forcing myself to stand up as I silently recall all I had told Rosco.
“Sorry sir,” she shrugs her petite shoulders, “but it is mandatory you use it on your way out of the hospital.”
“Fine,” I shrug in defeat, “but I want to go see Garrett first.”
“OK by me,” she smiles fondly at me as I slowly sit down in the seat, “I’ll take you.”
I nod hesitantly as she begins to slowly roll me out into the brightly lit hall way where several doctors and nurses walk by, giving me a sideways glance on their way past. My thoughts continue to run wildly within me, rolling back from the fight at the Boar’s Nest to the horrible and painful beatings we had taken with the bat.
“Anyone going to pick you up, honey?” the nurse asks as we climb into sterile elevator to break the silence as she presses the button to floor three.
“Ummm,” I sigh heavily as she directs my thoughts to my future, of where to go after I am shoved out into the open farm land that awaits, “not that I know of.”
“I could call you a cab or a friend while you are in there with Garrett,” she kindly suggests as the door dings open and a couple of people hurry on as she slowly wheels me out into the main lobby of the critical care unit floor, “maybe they don’t know you’re being released today.”
“That is a kind offer,” I silently shrugs as I glance around as she continues to wheel me down the hall while reading the numbers on the doors, “but I don’t know who you’d call or where I’d go. I’ll figure something out by the time I am done visiting Garrett.”
“Sure thing honey,” she slowly pulls me to a stop before walking ahead of me to slowly open the door and a ray of darkness is displayed within, “there’s Garrett. Hope to see you around sometime…but in better shape.”
“Yeah,” I shrug as she waves behind her back at me as she slowly walks back down the hall where we had came from. Watching her disappear around the corner I slowly wheel myself into the dark room to flip the switch on while closing the door. My heart momentarily comes to an abrupt halt as I turn around to face Garrett to find him lying silently still in his bed, his right arm is covered in a cast while his face is swollen, bruised, and cut while a bandage covers his forehead. An air tube is shoved forcefully down his throat while a smaller tube is in his nose, two IV’s steadily drips into each arms while the suctioned wires slowly read off his weak and slow heart beat and breathing. “Garrett,” I softly say as I wheel myself up to the cold metal bars of his bed, “c’mon buddy, you gotta wake up and be OK.”
I receive the annoying, slow beeping of his monitors for my response as he continues to lie quietly with his eyes closed, his chest barely moving through the help of the breathing tube in his throat. “What am I suppose to do now?” I ask aloud, my voice continuing to quiver weakly in my own pain that I fight to ignore, “Rosco questioned me the other day,” I continue to talk to him as if awaiting for his response, “about the attack…er…the hijacking of Hogg’s semi, about all I had seen and heard. What else was I suppose to do? Lie?” I sigh heavily as guilt swarms through as I struggle through my doubt with the logic that boils within me, “Bo and Luke wouldn’t do this, would they? Yet Rosco thinks it’s them . . .”
I fade into silence for a long moment as I struggle with what I should do once I leave the hospital, of where to go. I could go talk to Rosco, perhaps he’d listen to reason? “Their car was there, they called each by name,” I talk aloud to myself, attempting to reassure myself that what I did was right, “By now they’re probably arrested in jail, maybe in Atlanta already. Because of me. What would you do Garrett?”
“Not because of you,” the familiar voice forces me to jump in my wheel chair in surprise before I slowly turn around to find Jesse Duke standing in the glare of the overhead light. His weathered face seems to have grown older within the past couple of days since I had last seen him as worry is etched deeply in his wise blue eyes. He slowly steps closer to me to stand at the foot of Garrett’s bed as his muscular callused hands are shoved deeply down into the pockets of his denim overalls. His worried eyes stare sadly down at Garrett for a long moment before glancing back up at me. “But because of our unlawful law we have around here. I am willing to be that once this all unfolds that Hogg has his greedy fat hands in this mess somewhere. He’s framed the boys before…nothing this bad, but he’s damn good at finding ways to frame them.”
I nod numbly for a short silent moment as my attention falls back onto Garrett’s silent and still body, half expecting him to sit up yelling boo at me, in some sort of sick joke. “This bad, though? To do that to Garrett?” I ask in disbelief as I struggle to recall all that I have seen and witnessed through the past year that I’ve lived here.
“No, not that bad. I think Luke’s right when he says that Hogg’s lost control of the situation,” Jesse pauses for a long moment, “I think Hogg’s new business partners has turned against him somehow and did this on their own. Hogg’s too scared to do anything about it.”
I nod once again as I silently picture the two men that had attacked us with ski masks covering their coward faces while the beloved stock car lies parked ahead. “What now?” I ask to break the silence that had slowly began to grow between us, “I mean, I surely gave Rosco the impression that it was Bo and Luke. They wouldn’t do this, would they?”
“Of course not,” Jesse sounds almost rejected by me asking such a question, “and I think you know it, despite what you saw and heard. Boss and Rosco knows so as well, but that never stops them.”
“Yeah,” I shrug as my attention remains on Garrett, “what now?”
“Well Bo and Luke are out on bail and has already began investigating the situation,” he sighs as his worry seems to accelerate within his eyes, “which I really don’t agree on, but they don’t have much of a choice. They figure the new sports store has something to do with it, but has no evidence to back it up…they plan on picking teams to search Hazzard for the stolen truck.”
I nod quietly as I silently go back to watching Garrett lying in his hospital bed while struggling to visualize his attack. I had been busy attempting to defend against my attacker that I had barely paid attention to Garrett and afterwards the semi had blocked my view. “How are you?” Jesse asks to break the silence, reading my thoughts.
“I’ve been better,” I sigh heavily, feeling the pain within me grow with each breath, “but better than him, I spose.”
***BOSS HOGG***
Sweat slowly runs down from under my hat to roll down my face and down my neck as my old Cadillac pulls to an abrupt halt in front of the new sports store. A few new and expensive cars are lined up in front of the proud looking store mixed with a couple of older and rusted vehicles. “Gotta give ’em some credit,” Alex, my driver dryly says to break the silence that had melted amongst us, “they got some nice cars to their names.”
“Easy to get nice cars, if you’re a thief,” I grunt as I suck heavily upon my half lit cigar as I continue to glare up at the store, watching a few customers walk past the door with goods in their arms. “Let me out.”
“Yes sir,” Alex obediently steps out to walk around the front grill before walking up to my closed back door. His light brown cowboy hat covers most of his copper blond hair as he peers out from underneath with dark green eyes while he holds a nice, thick natural tan given to him from birth and through hard work on the farm. His silent composure agrees with his silent speech with a hint of shyness held within as he always seems to be taking everything in silently. At the age of twenty-five he’s been yet my most silent and obedient driver, never asking questions, but just does as he is told to do; despite his personal objections.
“Wait out here, I’ll only be a few minutes,” I order as he opens the door and I slowly step out. He slowly nods as I step out my cigar upon the curb before walking towards the entrance of the store. Opening the heavy glass door the silver bell that hangs upon the top of the door rings, directing everyone’s attention onto me. I nod towards a middle aged woman who slowly walks past me with a thickly filled paper bag and I slowly hold the door open for her before taking a few steps into the brightly lit store.
“Good afternoon, Boss,” the young, lean clerk softly says as he leans across the thick metal counter besides the cash register, “is there anything I can do for you?”
I glance at the young kid standing behind the counter, taking in his ruffled light brown hair and his lazy light brown eyes as he glares eagerly up at me, eager to help. I am caught up in disbelief at seeing a kid his age mixed up with the likes of Levi and Trent as I fall back into thinking of what I have done. This was suppose to be a simple operation. A new store in town that would help benefit Hazzard, give me more money, and a way to frame Bo and Luke back into jail. It was a perfect plan. . .
Until Levi and Trent had began to do things their own way, had done the jobs I had given them to do the way they wanted to do them. I should have seen the violence coming when Trent had pulled the gun on Ethan at The Boar’s Nest, but instead I had believed their apology. Rosco had attempted to warn me about Levi and Trent when I had first hired them, but I, once again, had ignored him as I had smelt the money I’d be making with my new plan. Due to my ignorance of the truth, they had attacked and beaten Garrett and Ethan who now lie beaten and bruised at Tri-County. Garrett lies lost within a deep coma while struggling desperately for his young life thanks to my cowardice to stand up against the men I had hired. And now, three hours after I had sent Rosco out to make their delivery, Rosco is missing.
“Something wrong, Boss?” the young clerk asks to break the silence that had began to build with my thoughts and I slowly glance away from the rack of clothes to look back at him, “Is there something I can do to help you with?”
I slowly begin to shake my head before I come up short. “How old are you, boy?” I slowly asks, taking a step close to him.
“Um,” he begins nervously as he stands up from leaning across the counter, his lazy eyes suddenly become alert and nervous, “fifteen.”
“Fifteen years old?” I ask in disbelief and he quickly nods at me, “How you get mixed in with them? If you knew better, you’d go home and get away before you find yourself deep in trouble, because that’s all you’re gonna find when you are in with the likes of them.”
He glares at me for a long moment as he slowly calculates his response to my questions, to my statement. “I am where I belong,” he slowly states as he runs a thin shaky hand through his thin hair as he nervously directs his attention through the window that lies besides the cash register before forcing himself to look back at me, “and if trouble comes, I’m ready for it.”
I glare at him for a long moment before my thoughts swiftly move away from his age and situation and back onto Rosco. He should have been back to the station an hour ago, should at least be able to respond when I call in to him. “If you say so,” I shrug as I glance back towards the back of the store, “Is Levi and Trent in the back?”
“Uhhh,” he slowly responds as he glances nervously at his watch and back at me, “they should be, if not, they should be coming in any minute.”
I nod at him before I slowly turn away to begin to walk down the center isle that is filled with racks of hunting and sporting clothes, passing a few customers before reaching the back wall that is filled with guns. My breath is taken away in surprise at seeing the amount and sizes of the guns that lined up weapons within the locked shelves. I had known they were selling hunting guns with hunting and pocket watches, but had never paid that much attention to them, until now. The guns ranges from hand guns to long and short barreled guns, the knives as well vary in size and shapes; all looking wicked and dangerous and most look illegal, especially for hunting. Questions explode within me as I glare at them in disbelief, wondering where things had started to go wrong at. Was it Trent pulling the gun on Ethan? Or was it before? Perhaps when we had put the store together? They had agreed to most of that themselves once I got the last store’s supplies out. I had trusted them. . .
“Damn it,” I whisper under my breath as eye the back door while once again wondering what I am up against, of what I had let loose in Hazzard. Fear accelerates within me, towards the men I had brought to Hazzard, fear for myself and fear for what is about to come to Hazzard thanks to me.
Taking a deep breath, I numbly walk away from the guns and to the closed door that lies in the left corner of the back wall. I silently go through all that I need to say as I slowly turn the silver handle and walk into the back wall that is filled with stacked big boxes that are taped shut, a large narrow card table is in the middle with silver metal chairs lining each side, a large metal money box lies upon the middle of the table, while a large refrigerator lies a few feet behind it.
“What you want, Hogg?” Levi’s thick voice forces me to jump back slightly in surprise as he slowly steps out of the darkness, behind a few boxes to my right. He stares boldly at me for a while as Trent and another man slowly joins him, all glaring at me before the older man glares away to bring out his pack of cigarettes.
“Where’s Rosco?” I ask boldly, ignoring their hard glares as they struggle to intimidate me, “You said that he’d be here an hour ago and you’d send him on his way. I don’t see him here and he won’t respond to my calls. Where is he Levi? Trent?”
Levi shrugs as he takes a couple of steps back before falling into a metal chair while he glares at the other clerk that lights up his cigarette, glances at Trent and then up at me. “I don’t know Hogg,” he shrugs again and I quickly step up, ready to say something when he cuts me off, “relax Hogg. We don’t know…end of story. We dropped off my car and we waited…he never showed up. I figured you pulled him away and off the job. After all, it was you who objected to it,” he pauses for a moment, “so Sarge and Trent did it…the delivery that is. The just got back a few minutes ago…we was just going through the goods when you walked in.”
I stare harshly at Levi for a long moment as anger rush through me towards him and his men as well at myself for trusting them after all they did already. I sent my brother in law, my sheriff out to do the delivery despite my own objections in greed for the money they talked about. I trusted them after they beaten Ethan and Garrett so badly, trusted him with family and my key investment. “I sent him on your delivery, just as planned,” I hiss at him feeling my anger rising through me, “he set out for the job you gave him and he didn’t come back. Where is he?”
“I told you,” he shrugs, “I don’t know. When he didn’t get in my car at the scheduled time, I had Trent there do the job. Maybe he was late and came out to find the car gone…figured he was too late and didn’t want to disappoint you so he went and hid somewhere. Maybe -”
“I watched him leave!” I yell and they all jump back in surprise, “I watched him leave five minutes before he was scheduled to go and watched him get into the damn car! He got into the car…the same car that is sitting out front! So don’t lie to me Levi! Where is he?”
Levi hesitantly glares at me before staring up at Trent, almost as if demanding some sort of help. “I don’t know what you saw, Hogg,” Trent steps up, “but I drove the car and picked the goods up. Not Rosco. He didn’t show up so don’t go calling Levi a liar!”
Silence fills the room as I look from Trent to Levi, demanding an believable answer. Despite what they say, I saw Rosco pause before reaching the car before stepping into and watched him drive away before I turned back towards my office. He left in the car and didn’t return with the car parked out front. “He drove away in Levi’s car, end of story,” I boldly state before allowing a brief moment of silence into the dark back room, “so none of you lie to me. I want to hear what happened to him…where’s Rosco? Answer me, Levi! Where is he?”
“Perhaps he went back home?” Levi shrugs, “Maybe he chickened out…drove away, but came back and parked the car to go home? He wouldn’t respond if he chickened out, he wouldn’t want to face you after that. All I know is that after a half hour after dropping the car off, the car was there. I panicked and asked Trent and Sarge to make the delivery for him…someone had to do it.”
Once again, I stare harshly at him for a long moment as I think of what he said and what I saw, thinking of who Rosco is. Would he back out at the last minute? He didn’t trust them, didn’t like them, and didn’t agree with me towards going. But wouldn’t he respond to my calls? Call and tell me about it? He’s never hid something like this from me in the past. “You better damn hope so, or else you’ll be dealing me,” I finally say as I glance around the open room filled with boxes before glaring back at Levi, “We agreed on hunting guns and hunting knives and that’s it. I would never agree on half them weapons you have stored out there on the back shelf! Guns and knives like that get people hurt or worse! I won’t have that in my town!”
“Took you long enough to notice them,” Trent sneers at me, “if you don’t like them, you’d love to see the truly illegal weapons Levi and I are selling in the back here.”
Fear accelerates within me as his words echo within me as my imagination explodes within me, picturing the future of Hazzard filled with guns and worse. “You better tell me he’s lying, Levi,” I walk angrily over to Levi who leans back in his metal chair, “or we’re done! You can pack your bags and leave!”
“Wish I could tell you he was lying, but he ain’t,” Levi smiles smugly up at me before he calmly stands up to stand a few inches taller than I, “and we can’t pack our bags or leave…Trent and I have too much invested in this here store. Besides we had a deal…this isn’t just your store, it’s our store. But we can kick you out of it…there’s more of us than you and I am willing to bet we have more thing to fight with than you. So perhaps you should be the one to pack up and leave…the store and Hazzard.”
“You have another thing coming if you expect me to leave the store and especially leave Hazzard! I am the commissioner of this town and I own this town and I own this store,” I spit angrily at him, “if it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t be here and the store wouldn’t be open. I own this store -”
“Not no more J.D.” he smiles, deliberately not calling me Boss, “Trent, Sarge, why don’t you show Hogg to the door.”
“Be glad to Boss,” Trent smiles at Levi as him and Sarge both threatenly walk towards me and I slowly back up.
“You come back in here or mess with me or my men,” Levi starts as Trent grabs a hold of one shoulder of my suit while Sarge grabs the other, “you’ll be dealing with me. You understand? You mess with me or my store here Hazzard will be forced to have another election who will be their next and new commissioner after the death of their last commissioner; you.”
“You can’t threaten me, Levi!” I yell as I am shoved angrily out through the door from Trent and Sarge before they let go of me to set a controlling hand upon my shoulder.
“Walk with us to your car…we don’t want to make a scene, now do we?” Trent whispers in my ear, “You struggle and we’ll make it that much harder on you. Understand?”
I nod before I slowly begin to walk towards the front door with everyone watching me with questions in their eyes momentarily before they return to shopping. “Have a nice afternoon, Boss,” the kid behind the cash register says friendly as I am walked to the door and I swiftly nod at him before opening the door and stepping back out into the hot day.
“Drive away and don’t come back, Hogg!” Trent snaps at me as I reach the curb just as Alex steps out of the car to hurriedly rush behind us to open the back door. I stand still at the curb for a long while before I hear the two men hurry back inside the air conditioned store before I numbly walk back into the backseat of my car.
“They threaten you Boss?” Alex quietly asks as he slowly backs the car out of the parking lot and I nervously light another fat cigar.
“No one threatens me!” I snap struggling for authority before taking a deep breath. “Let’s just say I no longer own or have any business with them or their store.”
“You’re gonna let them get away with that?” Alex questions as he stares ahead, “Where to now? Your office?”
“For now I have to…I have bigger things to worry about than that. Like where Rosco is at, he hasn’t responded to my calls and he should have returned by an hour or so ago. I saw him drive away in that same Mercury that is parked up front…they claim he never showed up. They’re lying,” I go silent as the court house comes into view, “Not now. I want to have a drink…let’s go to the Boar’s Nest.”
“OK Boss,” he obediently responds as he slowly turns around, “You think they did something to Rosco?”
“I don’t know what to think,” I sigh as I glance at Cooter’s Garage to find the Duke boys standing within the shadows of the garage talking to Cooter, “but that’s what I’m beginning to wonder. But why? Rosco didn’t do anything to them or had anything to do with them.”
“But he objected to them,” Alex shrugs in the front seat, “perhaps that was enough to upset them.”
“Maybe,” I fade into silence as I watch the comforting surroundings pass by as thoughts continue to rush through me of all I had done to start this mess. Levi now has control of the store with his guns and illegal weapons in the back with at least several men besides him or under him in some way or another. Men that probably has some of the illegal weapons on them. Now running free in Hazzard due to my greed. “Look what I started, Alex…I brought trouble into Hazzard and have no control of what I started. Rosco is missing and Garrett is still fighting for life, just because I wanted some more money, because I wanted to frame Bo and Luke.”
“You didn’t know, Boss,” he tries to comfort my fears as he turns onto a dirt road, “and perhaps it won’t go much farther. You know the Dukes…they’re out on bail and like normal they’ll fight to defend their innocence. Perhaps they’ll stop them.”
“With what? Bows and arrows?” I ask sarcastically, “They openly admitted that they had illegal weapons in the back…that they plan on selling along with huge and wicked guns and knives they show on the back wall! They go out to prove themselves’ they’ll wind up like Garrett or worse! Damn it!”
He nods as I look up to find him watching me through the rearview mirror to find horror streaked through his silent green eyes and I am reminded of his friendship with the Dukes, especially Bo. “You should warn them, Boss,” he softly speaks up, “of what they are up against. You could team -”
“Never!” I interrupt him, “And I don’t want you to say anything to them…yet. I don’t want this out and about town that I don’t have control of the situation I started. That will only spread fear across town! I am talking to you because I know I can trust you not to talk or tell anyone. You understand?”
“Uh yes sir,” he puts his attention back onto the road ahead of him, “but neither would the Dukes. They’re trustworthy and they need to know what they are up against.”
“I said not yet!” I snap and he slowly nods in agreement as he falls back into his normal silence that he holds while he is with me, knowing enough to leave me in silence. Today has been the first time in a long time since he has really dared to talk to me, especially for this length of time. “You’re right though,” I sigh heavily as I think of his worry for his friends to send more fear rippling through me, “give me time to think things through. I’ll tell you when to warn them.”
“Yes sir,” he slowly nods as he slowly pulls up into the parking lot of the Boar’s Nest. He comes to an abrupt halt in front of my office’s back door of the Boar’s Nest before coming around to open the door and help down. “I’ll be out here if you need me.”
“Thanks Alex,” I nod at him before walking past him to walk into my smokey office to numbly glance around the familiar room. Sadness and fear thickly streaks through me as old memories of Rosco rushing into this office with some sort of news or another or to just to talk. Of all the times I had pushed him away with cruel remarks, cruel remarks that he had never objected to. He has been loyal and respectful of me ever since I had met him and yet I had always treated him poorly, using him as a verbal punching bag when he made me upset. He never objected. Always loyal, always was there. “Where are you Rosco?” I ask aloud as I take a seat in my old barber chair.
Glaring ahead at the mirror that hangs over my desk, I allow my imagination to roll rapidly and clearly through me, struggling with where my sheriff is at. He couldn’t have gotten into a car accident or had car troubles, the car was parked unharmed in front of the shop when we had gotten there forty-five minutes ago. Perhaps Levi’s men had attacked him when he went to pick up the goods he was to pick up. A shiver rolls through me as a vivid picture of Rosco badly beaten enters my head, covered in blood, left feeling alone and afraid; or perhaps beaten to death. “Please no,” I whimper to myself as I feel myself loose control of my emotions as the horrid thoughts rush through me of what may have happened to him. If they killed him, I have no one to blame but myself. He didn’t want to go, he pleaded me not to let him go, and yet I ordered him to go knowing of what had happened to Garrett and Ethan. How could I be so blind and stupid? How could I not see this coming? But why Rosco?
Guilt soars through me for not listening to him when he had warned me of Levi and Trent, built for what I did toward Hazzard by bringing them in, for what happened to Garrett and Ethan. And guilt towards how I treated Rosco. “I promise Rosco,” I sigh under my breath, “you come back, I’ll give you a raise, the raise you deserve.” For the first time in years I feel a thin streak of tears tickling my clammy cheeks, melting into my mouth to give me the salty tear taste. “Damn it,” I quickly shove them away in frustration as my thoughts continue to rotate towards the mess I created, of all I had done. “Lulu,” I speak aloud, as my thoughts slowly turn towards the wife I had wed forty years ago, of Rosco’s older sister who is still protective of Rosco. She’ll kill me if something were to happen to Rosco.
“Daisy,” I heavily hold down the lever to my CB handle, calling back into the kitchen.
“Yes Boss,” she questions breathlessly, as if she had to run to answer.
“Give me my usual,” I order into the handle while lighting up another cigar.
“Give a moment,” she calls back for a response.
“Don’t be too -” I begin to answer as my phone begins to ring, making me jump in surprise, “long.” I finish into the CB before hanging it up to pick up the black handle upon the dial phone. “Commissioner J.D. Hogg, how can I help you?”
“Hogg,” a gruff voice quickly responds before going quiet momentarily while I struggle to think of who it may be, “I think it’s more like how you can help Rosco than me.”
“Rosco?” I quickly sit up as fear and guilt continues to accelerate within me, “Who are you?”
“It’s not who I am that matters,” he responds harshly, “but what you are willing to do to save your dumb witted brother in law that you call your sheriff!”
“He’s not dumb!” I quickly defend him despite the threatening voice the man continues to use to install more fear through me, “What have you done to him?”
“Nothing so far,” he laughs harshly over the phone as I feel my hands begin to clam up and I quickly suck in a air of smoke struggling for some sort of comfort, “but that will soon change, especially if you won’t do as I ask you to do!”
“No…no,” I hear myself whimper aloud, “wh-what do you want from me?”
“You are to place five hundred thousand dollars into a money bag of some sort and tie it up tight,” he grunts and I can almost sense an evil smile behind each word, “and place it under that large rock near Yellow River…the rock is right under Mill Road and Hazzard Road intersection. You know what rock I’m talking about, Hogg?”
“I know what rock you’re talking…under the large bank, right?” I gasp into the phone.
“Correct,” he laughs once again, “glad to hear you know where to put the money at. You don’t give us the money we asked for by eight o’clock tomorrow morning, you’ll be finding Rosco beaten to death or worse by eight thirty and in front of the court house. You understand?”
“No…yes I understand,” I quickly change my answer in fear, “you can’t do this…you won’t get away with -”
“That’s what Rosco keeps saying, but he’ll be finding out real quick that we will get away with this, just as I did in the past,” he laughs again, “I better find it when I got looking for it after eight o’clock tomorrow morning or else you’ll be find yourself a new sheriff!”
“You can’t do this to me!” I yell into the phone only to hear the dial tone as he harshly hangs the phone up on me. “No…no,” I whimper aloud as I feel myself begin to shake in fear as his voice echoes deeply within me, forcing myself to imagine the consequences that he had spoke of. “Not Rosco…no.”
“What’s wrong Boss?” Daisy asks from behind me and I quickly spin myself around to find her standing there with my drink in hand, her fear-filled look explains she at least heard most of what I said into the phone.
“Nothing,” I quickly lie as I grab the beer from her hand, “put it on my tab. I need to be alone now, thanks.”
She glares at me in objection before she slowly turns to leave, closing the door behind her to leave me a lone as I had asked. Five hundred thousand dollars for Rosco, that’s not even to see him, but to pursue his safety. The man never said anything about letting Rosco go with my money. “Damn it,” I cuss angrily as I pull myself off the chair to walk weakly over to my small bolt to kneel down to put in the number safety combination. Opening the door I slowly pull out my metal, locked box that holds most of my money to slowly take it back to my chair where I slowly begin to count the money I have, knowing it won’t be enough to give the man for Rosco.