by: Trix

Khas sat silently in her cell. What had she done to deserve this day was beyond her. And it wasn’t even supper time yet! How much worse could it get today?

“Khas!” she heard someone call from upstairs.

“She’s downstairs,” she heard Rosco say.

She heard footsteps and finally saw Daisy, Luke and Bo come around the corner. Daisy asked, “Are you alright, honey?”

“Don’t ask. Can you get me out of here?”

Bo said, “No. Rosco informed us that you are here for twenty-four hours.”

“Man!”

“Just stay calm, Khas. We’ll git you out.”

“How?”

“Tomorrow,” he said. “Until then why don’t you tell me what’s going on.”

“I don’t know. I was going to my car from seeing mom, and Rosco told me that Boss wanted to me. So, I figured I’d come because how much worse could my day get? All I know is I asked Boss what the point was about my mother and he threw me in here.”

“He asked about Shelley?” Bo said.

“Why would Boss want to know about Shelley?” Daisy wondered.

“I don’t know.”

“Look, Khas,” Luke started, “We’ll go see yer mother and you hang tight. Lets not git Boss riled about about…..whatever he’s riled up about until we know the story.”

“That okay with you darlin’?” Bo took her hand between the bars.

Khas nodded. “I guess.”

“Alright,” Daisy said. “If you need anything make sure Rosco calls us, ya hear?”

“Yeah. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”

“First thing, sugar,” Daisy gave her a comforting smile.

The Next Morning:
Khas, as patiently as she could, waited for one of the Dukes to come and pick her up from the jailhouse. What she had done, she still didn’t know but for now all she wanted was some breakfast and to go home. As she breathed in and let out a heavy sigh she heard footsteps coming downstairs. She walked to the bars hoping it was a Duke…what she got was a Hogg.

She sank back from the bars and waited for Boss to say something. “You can go now, Miss Dalton. Your keys to your car and…your car are waitin’ upstairs.”

He was acting too nice for her liking. She kept cool and said, as Boss unlocked the cell,
“Thanks Boss.”

“No problem dear.”

Dear?

“Oh,” he added, “and your mother is outside too.”

Mother?

Khas took another deep breath and walked out of the jailhouse and to her car, after Rosco gave her back her things. Her mother was waiting at the sidewalk. “What’re you doing here?”

“Daisy called so I decided to come and see if you were okay,” Shelley said.

“Now you care?” Khas retorted, but regretted her tone immediately. “Sorry. It’s been a long night.”

“It’s alright. Are you okay?”

“Fine,” Khas said. Then added, “By chance, do you know why Boss Hogg was asking me about you?”

Shelley thought for a minute, then answered, “Well…no. The last I saw of Boss was before I left town. He said that the town of Hazzard would miss me.”

“Anything else?”

“Let me think for a few hours. It’s been nearly twenty years since the day I left.”

Khas felt like saying ‘left to get rid of me’ but bit her tongue. Nothing was going to be solved if she got snappy or angry. “Do that and I’ll call you around lunchtime.”

Shelley nodded and watched Khas get into her car. “This was your fathers’.”

“I know,” was all Khas said and gave a half smile to her mother and then drove off the the Duke Farm.

On the way, the General Lee drove up behind. Luke came over her CB. “Is that you, KB?”

“Yes,” she said.

“We were coming to get you out?” Luke said.

“Boss let me out earlier than expected.” There was a pause before she added, “My mother was waiting for me.”

“Did she know…”

“She said no. She came to check on me and that’s it.”

“Well, lets go back to the farm and talk some more about this.”

“Alright. I’m out.”

When she arrived, Daisy immediately hugged her and Jesse made her sit at the table for some breakfast. She told them everything about Boss Hogg and her mother. They too were suspicious about Boss. It was what her mother would remember that had them guessing.

“In a few hours we’ll know what she does remember so just keep yer pants on,” Jesse told them. “Khas, dear, what happened with yer mother the other day? Before Rosco and Boss…”

Khas shrugged. “She explained to me why she gave me up to daddy and grampa. I’m very angry but I understand and that’s why, I think, my anger isn’t as great as it used to be.”
“In time, suger, in time,” Daisy said.

“For now what I need from her is her memory. Why is Boss so interested in her anyway? It was nearly twenty years ago.”

Bo said, “Like Uncle Jesse says, we’ll wait until lunchtime and find out.”

“But I need to do something now,” Khas stressed. “I need to busy my mind.”

“What about one of your friends?” Daisy suggested. “Rita, Violet, Danny?”

Khas rolled her eyes. “Danny is out of town for until Monday and Rita and Violet are worried enough about me as it is. I don’t need them frettin’ over me right now.”
Jesse patted her hand and said, “Alright then. Why don’t you go out and ride Pumpkin. You’ve been neglectin’ ridin’ that mare since yer mom showed up. I have a feelin’ she’s not happy with you.”

Khas nodded. It was true. She’s been neglecting her horse, Pumpkin, for some time now. Khas only got her two months ago from Danny’s family, for helping at their farm, and loved the horse to death. “Okay. Daisy, want to come with me?”

“Of course, sugar!” Daisy smiled at her. “Sounds like fun.”

Balladeer: I bet Boss isn’t losin’ much sleep over this whole thing…

“Boss,” Rosco started to ask as he walked into Boss Hogg’s office at the Boar’s Nest. “Why’d ya put lil’ Khas in jail?”

Boss looked annoyed at the question but answered anyway. “ ‘Cause, I had to get her outta the way.”

“Outta yer way fer…”

“Nevermind, Rosco! Just call up Khas’s mama and git her down here.”

“What do I tell you want her for?”

“She’ll know,” was all Boss would say on the subject.

Not wanted to get yelled at again, Rosco did as Boss asked. Shelley was on her way to see Boss. Rosco had a bad feeling about the whole thing and did not want to be a part of whatever Boss was brewing. It was one thing to put Khas in jail for becoming a Duke, that was justified, but it was another to use Khas’ mother to hurt the young girl. Again. Rosco remembered the Dalton’s with great admiration and respect and was sadden by the news of their deaths. For the first time since he wa with Boss, he realized that he might not be able to go through with whatever Boss was thinking of doing. He just knew he wouldn’t be able too.

“Rosco! Git in here!” Boss bellowed from his office. Shelley had arrived while Rosco was sitting at the bar counter. He never saw her come in. He walked into the office and shut the door.

“Miss Shelley, welcome back to Hazzard,” he smiled. “Won’t you sit down?”
Shelley sat in the chair opposite of the desk, Rosco leaned against the wall. “Hello Boss, Rosco.”

“Miss Shelley.”

“How can I help you Mr. Hogg?”

Boss leaned forward and rested his hands on his desk. “I hear yer in town for a few days…”

“Yes, to see Khas.” Shelley knew where this was going and didn’t like it one bit.

“Nice young lady you have there in Khas.”

Shelley interuppted him. “What do you want, Boss?”

“You to return the favor you owe me from before you left.”

“What do you want?” she repeated.

Boss smiled smugly for he knew he was about to trap Shelley for the second time in her life. “I did you a favor when you learned you were expecting, didn’t I?”

“Yes.”

“What did I do?”

“You promised that if me and my family left Hazzard you wouldn’t tell anyone that I was pregnant. So if we ever came back I wouldn’t be ashamed.”

“In this town I have a law, that if a property is abandoned for more then 18 years that property is to belong to whoever claims it first.”

“What’s the catch?”

“Of course, the catch. You know me well, I see. I made the law. The catch is is that if there is a living family member to claim it, or it has been left to someone, no one can claim it until or unless that person is 21,” Boss smiled before continuing. “As you well know your daughter is 19. In part of his will that his lawyer didn’t receive because someone stopped it from being mailed.”

“From here in Hazzard?” Shelley was shocked that Boss would do such a thing.

“Yep.”

“What are you getting at Boss?”

“Khas has started to clean up the property and such for some reason and there is a copy of that will signed by Bry and witnessed by Gus that should anything happen to them the property would go to Khas. I do not want her to find that will because her lawyer can use it in court. I want you to get that girl outta my town so that I can use that property for my own use.”

“For something illegal no doubt.”

“Watch yer tongue. If you don’t do this I’ll make sure that every citizen of this town knows that you and Gus Dalton had an affair and Khas was the result. How would this town feel if they found out that Miss Shelley Blakewood had an illagediment child while she was dating the Mayor’s son.”

“It would ruin Gordon’s life if you did that! He thinks I left because my grandmother was ill. This would kill his chances of becoming mayor in Leewood, Texas.”

“Yes. His wife, the temptress.”

Shelley couldn’t believe this. She hadn’t even told Khas she was married. No one knew. Her and Gordon Pruitt, once a mayors son, had married after the family moved from Hazzard and their friends behind for Texas. No one could know. It would kill Khas to learn of the real reasons she left her and it would kill Khas to learn that she had two more children, twins- a boy and a girl. What was she going to do?”

“Well?” Boss grinned in triumph.

“Fine. I’ll try an coax her into leaving town for a few days with me so that you can find the will.”

“Good girl!”

And Shelley never felt so disgusted in herself. She just made a deal with the devil.

Balladeer: Well, looks like things are going to get uprooted around her. And Khas will pay the price…