by: Kristy Duke

“What were you thinking?!” I hear myself yell over the loud jukebox that plays across the bar from us before I force myself to take a deep breath. “Oh yeah, that’s right,” I pause for affect as I stare accusingly across the table at my cousin who looks at me with a dumbfound expression, “you don’t think.”

“Luke,” he whines as I angrily stand up and I can feel everyone’s eyes locked in on me. Locked in on us in anticipation of what is happening and what will happen next. Everyone seemingly to silently chant fight towards Bo and I; looking for some sort of excitement. “I didn’t do nothing.” Bo brings my attention back to him as he follows suit and slowly stands up, his blue eyes seemingly plead me not to be upset at him. “I promise.”

“You didn’t do nothing?! What you mean, you didn’t do nothing?!” I yell exasperated at him, “What you call this?” I motion down at the paper that lies unfolded upon the old scarred wooden table, “You think, Jesse is going to call this nothing?!”

Bo silently looks down at the folded paper that lies on the table, eying it as if it were the first time he saw it despite the fact that he has been carrying it around for over a week now. “Well…no,” he silently responds as he falls back into his chair, as if too weak to stand any longer.

“I hate this, Bo. Same thing every time. You go and mess up and it is up to ME to get you out of it! What if,” I go silent as I force myself to sit back down in order to look at him in the eyes, “what if I tell you, that I give up…that I am no longer going to clean up your messes? That you are on your own?!”

He looks at me silently for a long time before he slowly glances away, biting his lip in thought. “I…I don’t know,” he slowly confesses before turning back to look at me.

I shake my head as I force myself to read the paper entirely and find myself inhaling deeply. “Another damn ticket, Bo. Really?” I ask him as the jukebox slowly finishes the song and for a moment, an loud air of silence fills the room before being filled with laughter and conversation of other people in the bar. “Sixty-five dollars. You think we can afford a sixty-five dollar ticket? What Jesse say last month when you brought home that other ticket?”

Bo remains silent for a long moment as he stares at his drink in front of him before his eyes wonder around the room as if seeking a way to escape. “That we couldn’t afford no more tickets,” he slowly states, sounding like a school boy who just got in trouble by his teacher, “but it’s not my fault, Luke! The damn speed limit was fifty-five. I was going forty-five…fifty at the most!”

“You know Rosco! You know his damn speeding traps…and you being the best driver around, should be the one to escape him!” I yell once more as my thoughts fall upon Jesse and how stressed and worried he has been the past couple of months over the lack of money. Worrying if we can pay the next month’s mortgage as the commissioner has once more raised the costs. Worry and stress that he fights to hide from everyone, but I had caught on a month ago when I read the commissioner’s mortgage letter to Jesse. Had confronted Jesse about where he reluctantly told me our financial situation.

I sigh heavily as guilt slowly gnaws within me. Guilt at getting so upset at Bo who is oblivious to the letter, to our financial situation. He has lived the past month as if nothing has changed when Jesse has been worrying silently over all this. As I have attempted help him with little success. It’s not Bo’s fault and yet I seem to find a way to take it out on Bo. As if that will help anything.

“It’s not like I didn’t try, Luke,” Bo hesitantly breaks the silence, regret shines in his bright blue eyes as he runs his long fingers through his thick golden blond hair, “I was outrunning him…until dang Enos had to drive out in front of me. I barely missed hitting him!”

I find myself nodding as I eye the ticket and think of what he is saying. Only in Hazzard does the commissioner use his power and authority to extract money from his people for himself. Only in Hazzard are the law crooked enough to write tickets when you are obeying the law. Only in Hazzard…

Grabbing the ticket I slowly fold it up and shove it into my shirt’s chest pocket while thinking of ways we could earn the money. “Ok, ok. Look Bo,” I slowly state as our cousin Daisy walks up to the table carrying a pitcher of beer.

“Refill boys?” she questions us, eyeing us with concern in her brown eyes.

“No. Think Bo and I were on our way out,” I speak up for the both of us, “thanks though.”

She nods as she eyes Bo for a long moment and then looks at me. “What’s with the heated discussion?” she asks before glancing around and sits down next to me.

“Rosco gave Bo a sixty-five dollar speeding ticket a week ago for going the speed limit,” I roll my eyes as I see concern in her eyes as well to make me wonder if she knows what is going on as well. Which would leave only Bo in the dark.

“Sixty-five dollars?!” she yells before looking around in embarrassment before looking at Bo and whispers, “Really Bo? Why?”

I glance across the table at Bo who leans back into his chair as if giving up. “It’s not like I went out to get the damn ticket,” he finally states, crossing his arms across his chest.

Daisy rolls his eyes at him. “You can go months without getting caught. With no ticket. Of being smarter than Rosco…and within one month you go and get yourself two tickets! Bo,” Daisy scolds him and I slowly begin to feel sorry for Bo, “you do recall how upset Jesse was when you brought home the last ticket? What he said?” Daisy goes silent as if expecting Bo to answer her and when he doesn’t, she takes a deep breath before continuing, “He was very clear when  he said we don’t have money for your bad driving habits…that you get another ticket, you might as well as start calling The General Lee  your home, because that is where you’ll be sleeping!”

Once again, a thick air of silence fills the room and I glance around to find the few people in the room, watching us in anticipation of what is happening. Glancing back, I state, “Relax Daisy. Getting upset isn’t the answer here.”

“Then what is, Luke? We’re going to be kicked out and living on the streets pretty soon and he -” she begins to say, making it clear that she does know the situation.

I interrupt her by placing a hand on her arm and shaking my head at her and she is quick to get my drift and we both look across the table at Bo who quickly becomes alert and sits up in his chair. “What she talking about, Luke?” he questions in confusion, “We’re being kicked out of the farm? Why? When?”

“We aren’t getting kicked out of anywhere. Money is just tight right now and it has Jesse worrying and stressing out. Got us all worrying it sounds like,” I calmly state, “but look, we’ll get things figured out. Things always have a way of falling into place.”

Bo eyes me for a long while before glancing over at Daisy, obviously not satisfied with my answer but yet not wanting to argue with me. “Yeah sure,” he reluctantly states.

“Luke’s right sugar. Didn’t mean to worry you,” Daisy states, trying to save herself before switching the topic back to Bo’s ticket, “You got it a week ago? Why bring it up now?”
Bo sighs audibly before people go back to talking amongst themselves once more. “Because I knew how y’all would react. It wasn’t something I was looking forward to. What was I suppose to do? Rush home and say look y’all, I messed up again!?” Bo questions sarcastically to force silence between the three of us.

“Well look. How about we go talk to Cooter? Perhaps he has a job he can give us or knows someone who is looking for help,” I slowly state as I stiffly stand back up again, “that would be willing to pay. We could pay off your ticket and perhaps help Jesse with the mortgage…all in one.”

Daisy and Bo slowly stand up as well and Daisy leans in to give me a gentle hug and whispers, “Sorry,” in my ear. Stepping back, she smiles at Bo and then at me, before stating, “Good luck with that. I have to get back to work.”

We both nod at her before Bo reluctantly walks around the table and we slowly walk through the thin aisle between the tables and to the front door where the chilly wind greets us. “Hey look, Luke,” Bo slowly states, “I’m sorry. Really I am. I -”

“Hey, look, cuz. It’s not you who should be apologizing. It’s me. I’m sorry for getting upset. For overreacting. We all know how Rosco is and we all know you didn’t go out to get the ticket,” I apologize as I place a supporting hand upon his tense shoulders, “We’ll work through this and things will work out as they-”

I am quick to cut myself off as we walk around the corner to find two Hazzard County patrol cars parked directly behind the General Lee with their sirens on silent but flashing blue and red across the dirt parking lot. “Rosco,” Bo states as he eyes me full of panic, silently asking me what we should do. I place a finger over my lips to signify silence as we slowly walk over closer to find both Sheriff Rosco and Deputy Enos leaning into the open windows of The General.

“Sheriff Coltrane and Deputy Strait,” I gruffly state, stepping in front of Bo to take the lead. Both officers alertly stand up as if caught in middle of a crime, eyes open wide in surprise. “in what nature are you searching our car? You better have a damn good reason to be doing so!”

“Yeah. Um,” Deputy Strait says from the driver’s door, waving shyly at us, “hi boys.”

“Enos!” Sheriff Coltrane yells back at his deputy who jumps, “You are not to be talking to known criminals! Geesh!” he rolls his piercing eyes at the deputy before he turns and takes a step towards us while grabbing a paper out of his back pocket, “I got this here paper that gives me the right to search every crook and cranny of that car as well as on your persons.”

“Oh yeah?” Bo says behind me, “How come?”

Rosco eyes Bo grudgingly for a long moment. “For armed robbery of Hogg’s Bank. Over an hour ago,” he sternly states while shaking his head, “I would think the two of you would be smarter than running and hiding at the Boar’s Nest…but I guess I was wrong.”

“We didn’t rob no bank and you know it!” Bo yells back at him as he steps up towards me and I block him from going any farther.

“Oh yeah?” Rosco questions back, “In a matter of fact we know you two did do it. We got witness that describe two men in ski masks that looks to be you two!”
“How can they describe us if your crooks were wearing masks?” Bo angrily throws back at them.

“Ghee..ghee,” Rosco stutters, “your height. What you wear. Your boots. Clothes. How you talked. Oh we got you good this time…and this time you boys messed up real bad. Your Uncle Jesse’s gonna be real ashamed of you and of what you did this time. Not only did you rob the bank, you also stabbed one of the tellers. Luckily the hospital don’t think it will be life threatening…but I bet it hurt all the same.”

“We did what?!” Bo yells and I once again, block him from going any closer to the sheriff, “This is the lowest you and Hogg has ever gone! Luke ’n’ me didn’t go rob no bank and we sure as heck didn’t hurt no one!”

“You didn’t, did you? Then why is it that we found this in the glove box of The General Lee?” Rosco questions matter of factly as he glances over at Enos who stands silently watching us. “Well show ’em Enos!” Rosco demands and Enos jumps before reaching over and lifting up a zip log baggy with a sharp knife  in it. “That there is the crime weapon. Blood all over it. Bet when we run it, the blood will match your victim’s blood. Yep. You two are going away for a long time this time.”

Before I can say or motion towards Bo, I feel him slowly slinking back behind me and I turn towards Rosco before taking a step closer to him. “Well Sherriff,” I pause taking the attention away from Bo, “I feel real awful for the victim, but I can guarantee you that you got the wrong people. I bet you even planted that knife there, didn’t you?”

He goes to nod before he tightens up in frustration and points at me. “I did no such thing, Luke Duke! We found the evidence fair and square!” he finally yells at me, “You and Bo gone and messed up big time!”

“Oh yeah?” I question, “Before I can believe you, I think I need to see that search warrant. Would hate for you to mess up such a perfect crime scene by not having the right documents.”

“Ghee. Ghee,” he stutters again before rolling his eyes in frustration at me and yanks the paper out, “I ain’t messing up anything! Here it is.”

I take a second to look at it as I hear Bo quietly close the driver’s door. “Well what ya know,” I state as I fold in two and begin to tear it up, “it is a search warrant.” With that I throw the pieces behind Rosco where the wind catches it and he turns to slowly chase after the pieces.

I turn towards the passenger door, I eye Enos who nervously glances at Rosco and back at me. Unsure what he should do or rather what is the right thing to do. I wink at him before throwing open the passenger door and slamming the door shut, I hear Enos yell, “Sheriff!”

“Hit it,” I state to Bo despite the fact he was already hitting the accelerator and he peels away from our car and the deputy’s parked patrol car. I turn around just in time to see Rosco hitting Enos with his hat before running around the car to the driver’s side to climb  in while Enos climbs into his passenger seat. “Well, you should be happy now.” I dryly state as I turn around in my seat as we quickly leave the parking lot.

“What?!” Bo asks in surprise, “We are now wanted to for armed robbery. Assault or hurting one of the bank tellers. Now we have succeeding in stealing Rosco’s patrol car…only to add onto the other false charges that they are charging us with…why should that make me happy?!”

“Well,” I shrug as I lean over and turn off the flashing police lights, “this will make Jesse totally forget about that speeding ticket you got a week ago.”

I get a small smile from Bo out of that one who nervously glances in the rearview mirror before looking back out the mud splattered windshield. “Yeah,” he pauses thoughtfully as he jerks the car sharply left, “and we won’t have to worry about getting kicked out of the farm…we’ll have free room and board at the state pen while Jesse and Daisy has to worry about losing the farm. Right?”

“Just drive. Hopefully it won’t come to that,” I answer slowly as I watch the angry patrol car out through the side mirror, attempting to think of what to do next.

“You got it, cuz,” Bo states as he sharply takes a right turn onto the grass, “what you wanna do
now? We got Rosco spittin’ mad now…”

“I see that,” I slowly state as I glance ahead, “though you do know that there is a cliff up ahead…”

“Oh yeah,” Bo slowly states before going silent in thought for a brief moment before an ornery smile crosses his face, “ah that’s better yet!”

I shake my head at him, knowing exactly what he is thinking. “Bo, that’s crazy!” I am quick to try to persuade him, “You’ll total our only car…plus put us both in the hospital!”

He eyes me, still smiling broadly. “Geesh. Thanks for the trust,” he finally turns to look ahead as the sharp cliff comes into view, “we’ll lose ‘em here and be home free.”

I shake my head as I watch the patrol car behind us seeming to slow down in anticipation that we’ll have to slow down ahead as well. “Well, I guess this is our chance. Looks like Rosco is going to be smart for once and not follow your fool self over the cliff,” I state as I sink back into the seat while holding onto the arm rest tightly.

Bo glances up into the rearview mirror and nods in satisfaction as he shoves the accelerator down to the floor and the patrol car jumps head from under us. “Hang on cuz,” he states with a confident smile just as Bo sends Rosco’s patrol car flying off the ten foot cliff. And as the car takes air, Bo lets out one of his famous rebel  yells, “Yee haa!”

After what seems to be forever, the car harshly lands upon  the grassy ground and Bo yanks the wheel over to shove the car to a sudden halt. I glance back at the cliff in time to see Rosco turning Enos’ patrol car before something catches my attention and my heart comes to a sudden halt as I see a black sedan car parked under the cliff three people standing besides the car. All three staring at us. “Well Bo,” I slowly state as I stare at the car we had just jumped over, “congratulation on landing on all fours…and at losing Rosco for the time being. But you just jumped over that car and those people…”

“Yeah. Uh. I see that,” Bo nervously states as he glances over at me, “they look OK to me, though.”

I shake my head at him. “We best go check up on them,” I sigh heavily as I motion for him to turn the car around. He slowly nods before whipping the steering wheel around and we slowly drive up to the parked car where there is two men in suits standing near the car with a woman. All three are staring wildly at us while one of them holds a map out on the hood of their car.

I glance away from them to look at Bo who gives me a small smile before we both slowly open the door and step out into the chilly air.

The older of the two men with thin reddish brown hair steps forward to silently let everyone know that he is in charge. He eyes us with angry green eyes as his hands are shoved deeply into the pockets of his suit jacket, his eyes going from Bo, to me, to the car behind us, and back to us. “What in the world do you think you are doing?!” the man finally yells to break his silence, taking another intimidating step towards us, his hands still lost in his jacket pocket. “You just jumped that cliff!” He pauses to glance at the cliff over him and once again back at our car and at us, “You could have killed us!”

I sigh heavily and steal a glance over at Bo who nervously looks at the people ahead of us before he looks at me and shrugs, lost at what to do. Looking back at the man who is in charge, I take a deep breath and say, “Yeah we um,” I pause and for a moment am lost in the irony of our situation or as it probably appears to them. “we were making sure the car was working alright and my cousin here,” I point over at Bo who offers a small smile at them, “kinda got carried away. We didn’t know you were down here. You all alright?” I ask and look around and the younger man and the woman both silently nod. “Good. We are very sorry.”

“Yeah,” Bo nods, “I am sorry too. I would never have jumped there, if I had known you were parked there.”

The headman eyes us doubtfully before glancing back at the two people he was with and back at us. “You could have killed us and all you have to say is sorry?” he finally questions, “Do you even know what this looks like to us?”

Bo and I look at each other before looking back at them. “Well I am sure it is something you don’t see every day,” I finally offer them with a shrug, “and being in a police car, probably makes it a little bit more odd.”

“Odd,” he offers an ornery and sarcastic smile, “that’s a nice word to fit it all. Odd. I would say it was a bit odd, wouldn’t you Baez?” he looks back at the woman who nods and back at us, “It also looks like that other police car was chasing you…which makes it even more…odd.”

“Yeah well,” I slowly speak up, shoving my own hands into my pockets, “this is Hazzard. We tend to do things differently.”

The man in front of us gives a sarcastic laugh and the woman he had called Baez steps up and asks, “You mean you all do that,” she pauses to look at us with piercing dark brown eyes, “regularly?”

“Do what?” Bo finally speaks up as if he is having a hard time understanding what was so odd about what happened.

“Drive the sheriff’s car? Get chased by the other police car?” she questions, “Jump or fly off cliffs?”

Bo and I both shrug. “Well, not drive the sheriff’s car,” I finally offer them, but the other two seems to happen regularly. Bo here likes to test the accelerator from time to time.”

With that, Baez and the lead guy looks questionably at each other before looking back at us. “Guess  you do, do things differently down here,” he finally states, seemingly to ease up a bit, “then again, there isn’t much cliffs in New York City to jump from.”

“New York?” I question, “What brings you down to Hazzard, Georgia?”

With that he eyes the both of us before glancing behind him once more at the cliff and back at the patrol car behind us and then back to Bo and I. He abruptly yanks his hand out of his pocket, his fingers clinching onto what looks like a billfold. Taking a step forward he opens it up to us to show us a bright metal badge. “I’m Police Detective Danny Reagan, my partner Maria Baez, and my brother Jamie,” he points at the younger guy behind him before staring back at us, “we are here on a case. Our snitch gave us info leading to this…odd town of your’s.”

Bo and I once again look at each other and back at them. “NYPD?” I ask them as I once again take them in and they all slightly nod at me, “Well, if there is anything we could to help, just name it.”

“I don’t think we need any help, but thanks,” he forces a smile at us before motioning towards while asking, “Sorry to say, but you two don’t look like no police officers. Then again, things aren’t as they seem to be…at least that is what I gathered from the few minutes we have been in Hazzard. You may be…”

“Well for once, things are as they seem,” I pause for a long moment as my mind races rapidly within me of what I should say. “we don’t work with the police department. I am Luke Dukes and this here is my cousin, Bo Duke.”

He nods silently. “And yet you are driving the sheriff’s car? Or rather, you are flying the sheriff’s car…” he questions us, “I’m sorry, but I’m having a hard time understanding what is going on here. Because from where I am standing, it looks like you stole the sheriff’s car and he was trying to chase you down…in which case, we should be arresting you right now,” he pauses for a long moment, “actually we should arrest you. Arrest you for the attempted murder of three police officers.”

“Murder?!” Bo yells as he takes a step forward and I am quick to hold him back, “What you talking about murder? We didn’t kill no one…or try to kill no one!”

“Really? You didn’t try to kill us?” Detective Reagan questions sarcastically, “Because you nearly killed us when you jumped over that damn cliff!

“Yeah,” Bo nods, “but apparently, we didn’t.”

“Bo!” I yell at him and yank him back to me before I angrily whisper in his ear, “That’s enough. You are getting  us into more trouble . . .control your temper!”

Bo eyes me, ready to fight, before he glances back up at the detective. “Look Detective,” Bo spits out, glaring at the officers that stand in front of us, “we already apologized for what we did! What else do you want from us?”

Detective Reagan eyes Bo harshly before glancing over at me and the car once again before sighing in resignation. “What I want? It’s not about what I want,” he slowly states, “but what I need to do. Perhaps you should start explaining why you are driving your sheriff’s car and why he was giving you chase. What? He let you borrow his car and then changed his mind?”

I give him a sarcastic laugh. “Look Detective. The law around here is something different. They are dishonest,” I respond, leaning on the hood of the sheriff’s car, “and we do our best to keep them honest. Otherwise the good folk of hazzard will get ripped off by Commissioner Hogg and Sheriff Coltrane. And well,” I shrug, “Hogg and Coltrane don’t like that very much. So in turn, they do all that they can to get us off the streets by framing us of crimes we didn’t commit. Which leaves us with little choice, but to have to clear our name. They took our car,” I pause for a long moment, “so we took their car. We’ll give it back once we get home or somewhere they won’t find  us at.”

“What?!” Reagan exclaims, “I’m suppose to believe that?!”

“Believe what you want to believe,” Bo states, his arms folded across his chest, “but it is what it is. Go ask around Hazzard. Heck, go talk to Hogg and Coltrane and you will see what we have to put up with. Every day.”

“Bo,” I whisper from behind him, in attempt to stop him from saying too  much.

“Well Reagan,” Baez says, pausing to look at her map and then up at us, “you did say the captain’s friend warned you about this police commissioner and his sheriff. And how dishonest they were. Not to be trusted. Kind of fits their description.”

“But they stole the sheriff’s car!” Reagan states, motioning to the car behind us, “Plus tried killing us with it!”

“Which, we didn’t,” Bo is quick to add.

“Will you drop it already?” Baez states, full of attitude, “Swallow your pride and ask them for help. You do it or I will do it…because so far, sitting here trying to find our way to Hazzard has only got  us jumped over by the sheriff’s car.”

Reagan eyes her harshly before looking back at us harshly. “OK fine,” he states throwing his arms up in resignation, “we were pulled over to look at the damn map. Trying to find this so called town of your’s. Maria thinks we passed the road. I don’t. Jamie thinks this whole trip is for nothing and there is no town of Hazzard. Now one of us, has to be right. Please tell me it’s  me.”

I give him a small laugh. “Well, Hazzard may not be big, but there is a town of Hazzard. Sorry Jamie. And you could have turned left back a mile or so ago, so I guess Detective Baez could be right,” I state standing up, hoping that this new track of conversation will take them off the thought of arresting us, “but Reagan is right too. Keep going straight and you will eventually get to town. How about you follow us to town? You going to the sheriff’s station?”

“Yes sir,” Reagan gives a slight nod.

“We will lead you to it…or stop in front of it before going to the garage that is across the street. That way if you need anything else, well, you can come find us,” I assure them, “and for your info, your captain’s buddy is right. Hogg and Coltrane are not to be trusted. They will use anything they can to earn an extra buck. To work for them. Heck, they hired us to transfer Georgia’s most dangerous criminal to Hazzard where his trial was suppose to be at…Hogg was planning on bringing the media, circus. Sounded about everything to town to celebrate or bring attention to this trial. Of course, all profits were going to go into Hogg’s pocket. Lucky for everyone,  the trial was moved again to another town. Just an example of what you are up against…and whatever Hogg is for, his sheriff will be there supporting him and doing what he wants.”

Danny nods slightly in acknowledgement. “Will keep that in mind,” he glares over at Bo for a long time before turning to climb back into the driver’s seat of the black car while Baez grabs the map and slips into the passenger seat.

I glance over at Bo who rolls his eyes at me before turning around and we both climb into the patrol car and as I close my door behind me, Bo turns the car around. Bo drives in silence for a long moment, watching the car behind him before staring through the windshield as he maneuvers his way back onto the dusty dirt road. “OK Luke,” he breaks his silence, “tell me this,” he pauses for affect, his hands clench tightly onto the steering wheel, “how are we to drive up to the police station, in Rosco’s stolen patrol car, and then go into the Hazzard Garage without being caught? Or did you forget the list of trumped up charges Rosco and Hogg has for us?”

“I didn’t forget,” I wave him away as I stare out the window in thought for a moment, “I don’t know how we are going to do that. Maybe we will be arrested. Then, I guess, so be it. But after you jumped over them like that, they deserve our help.”

“Deserves our help?” Bo questions shaking his head, still upset about it all, “He accuses  us of trying to  kill them and you turn around and offer to help him? You think he is going to change his mind by leading him to the way to the jail?” he laughs sarcastically, “We are just showing him the way to the jail so that he can turn around and arrest us!”

“Maybe so,” I agree as I reach over and grab the CB off of the console and change the channel, “Crazy Cooter. You out there?”

Static is quick to answer me before the recognizable voice of Cooter Davenport responds, “This is Crazy Cooter. What can I do for you?”

“Hey Coot, it’s lost sheep,” I responds, sighing in relieve, “please tell me you’re hangin’ out at the garage as we speak.”

“That’s a ten four, lost sheep,” he responds, “what can I do for you?”

“We are heading into town as we speak. In fact, your garage just came into view,” I slowly state as we exchange the dirt road for the only paved road in Hazzard, “and we were hoping you’d have your doors open to greet us when we got there.”

“They’s a open,” he respond, “and I’ll be waitin’ for you.”

“Thanks Cooter,” I respond as I throw the CB handle back down onto the seat and watch as Bo halts in front of the police second a short second before he turns the patrol car sharply into Cooter’s garage.

“Hey Rosco,” Cooter states as I open the door and he jumps up off from sitting on top of his cluttered desk, “I was just closing down for lunch. Gotta make an appointment for me to fix that car of your’s, just like everyone else. Now if you -” he stops as I step out of the car as well as Bo, “Luke Duke. Bo?!”

“Shhh Cooter. Can you close the doors?” I ask urgently.

“Uh yeah,” he states dumbfounded before he quickly runs over to the raised garage door and slams it shut, walking up to us, he asks, “what you doing in Rosco’s car?”

I glance over at Bo who only shrugs his shoulders at me, still upset at the fact that we have went out of our ways to help the enemy. Sighing heavily, I glance over at Cooter and slowly begin to explain the day’s events that had led us to seeking refuge in his garage.

As I go silent, Cooter eyes Bo and I wildly before glancing back at Rosco’s parked patrol car. “You mean to tell me,” he drawls as he looks back at us, “that Hogg and Rosco has framed you for that bank robbery? You stole Rosco’s car and jumped over a parked NYPD car…and you helped lead the NYPD to the sheriff’s station? In Rosco’s stolen patrol car, I will add?”

Bo gives a sarcastic laugh before his hand lands upon my shoulder and I feel myself  jump slightly in surprise. “Sounds about right,” he slowly states with irritation clear in his voice, “all thanks to my genius cousin, Luke, here.”

I shake my head at him before I shrug his heavy hand off of my shoulder. “Well Bo, if you weren’t the bright one to jump over them, I wouldn’t have felt obliged to help them. Now would I?” I shoot back at him, “But yeah, Cooter, sounds about right.”

“Y’all gone and done it this time,” Cooter states as he readjusts his yellow ball cap over his thick brown hair before he runs a grease stained hand over his thin beard, “first you go and make Rosco mad. And then you go get an NYPD detective mad. Yep, I say you boys are in a heap of trouble now…”

“Thanks Cooter,” Bo states sarcastically as he sits down on an over turned milk crate with a look of defeat wrote across his young face, “perhaps you could now tell us something we already don’t know.”

I watch them both for a moment before stepping over to the window that lies on the upper half of the walk in door to watch the sheriff’s station for a long moment. Staring at the brink building, I allow my thoughts to run past the day’s events; from getting upset at Bo to finding the law searching our car. To their story and stealing their patrol car that had led us to jumping over the cliff and to us helping the detectives to the police station. Only to send flashes of panic rippling through me with all that is now against us and all that could happen. Of all that could go wrong.