Luke Duke climbed out of the General Lee, his usually merry, blue eyes flashing with anger. Sure, the dirty, gray Ford behind him and Bo had only lightly tapped the General's back bumper. The owner's face, though, was flushed red with anger and that was unfair, since the accident was his fault. It amazed and angered Luke how often other people hit the General Lee. How hard was it to notice a bright orange car with a one on its side and a flag on top?

Getting a good look at the Ford's driver, Luke made an effort to control his temper. The stranger was an older man, with sagging skin and a sallow complexion. His unkempt hair was a solid, iron gray and, though handsome, deep lines gave his face a haggard look. He was fairly tall, with a build that suggested the stranger had once been hard and strong. Now, he sagged and slouched. His brown eyes were sharp, but watery. The stranger was wearing a pair of ragged jeans and a loose, flannel shirt. The only thing on him that was new or well-kept were the running shoes on his feet. He glared at Luke, stopping less than a foot away from him.

"Would it've hurt you to move forward a bit? Your car's bumper is right on the white line!" the stranger complained.

"Mister, the General is within the lines of the parking space," Luke tried to reason.

"Even if it weren't, that's no reason for you to bump into us. You blind?" Bo asked defensively.

"I can see fine and I've got a good eye for faces," the stranger declared.

"So do we, mister. We don't want trouble, but we believe in standing up for ourselves, too," Luke warned.

The stranger stepped forward and placed a rough hand on Luke's chest, letting it rest there a moment, before giving a surprisingly powerful shove. Luke was about to step forward, when Rosco appeared next to him. Luke started to try and explain, but Rosco caught him off guard by grabbing the stranger and shoving him fast and hard to the ground.

"Don't you ever lay hands on that boy, again," Rosco practically snarled, his eyes shining with fury. "You don't touch him...or anyone else in this town. You hear me?"

Bo and Luke exchanged shocked glances, but the man on the ground just gave a rusty chuckle.

"Why, Sheriff Coltrane. It's good to see you again. Still keeping law and order, despite the nasty rumors going around?"

"That's right," Rosco said coldly. "I don't know why you came back to Hazzard, other than maybe pure arrogance. I'm warning you, though. If one person, just one, goes missing, I'll come after you. You've heard I'm crooked? That might be so. Might be I won't bother to arrest you."

"Rosco!" Bo protested, looking around to see if anyone had heard the sheriff's veiled threat.

"Calm down now, Rosco," Luke urged. "We were just in a little fender-bender is all."

Rosco grimaced, not answering them directly.

"Get out of here. You get out and remember what I said."

The stranger stood up and walked over to the door of his car. He stopped there and gave both Luke and Rosco a lingering look. Rosco's hand went to the gun at his hip and the stranger sneered. Luke studied him, as he climbed into his car and drove off. Rosco stayed still, watching the road for a long minute after the man was out of sight. Luke slowly reached out and placed a hand on Rosco's arm.

"Rosco?" Luke asked carefully.

"What was that about?" Bo demanded.

The Dukes' voices pulled Rosco out of his thoughts. He studied the Duke boys for a moment, then shook his head. The fire went out of his posture, leaving Rosco looking weary.

"Go home," he ordered grimly. "You boys get back to your farm. Tell your Uncle Jesse that Marvin Heath is back in Hazzard."

"Why? Who is he?" Luke asked.

"Yeah, we've got errands to run, Rosco," Bo told him, annoyed.

"Did you hear me?" Rosco said sharply. "That stuff'll wait. Now you do what I told you and get yourselves home! And Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"You keep an eye out for that fella and keep away from him. I mean it now. You watch your back!"

"All right, Rosco. I'll be careful," Luke soothed, not wanting to antagonize him and wondering where the corrupt sheriff's sudden protective streak was coming from.

Rosco just gave a tight nod, before turning on his heel and heading back into the county courthouse. Luke watched him, feeling a bit funny about the whole encounter. Rosco was pretty gruff and he could be a bit short in his speech, but he was almost never violent. Rosco demanding Heath keep his hands off Luke filled him with an odd warmth. He felt a firm tap on his shoulder and gave Bo a rueful grin and shrug.

"C'mon. Let's do what he said," Luke ordered.

"Yeah, I guess we should. I wonder who that old man is that he got Rosco so riled up."

"Must be a criminal or something. Rosco's usually careful to come across real nice to out of town folks."

"He sure ain't happy, that's for sure," Bo agreed, climbing into the General and starting the engine.

"Yeah. I'm kinda curious about what Uncle Jesse will have to say about it."

Uncle Jesse wasn't any happier than Rosco. The boys had seen their uncle upset and angry, but they'd rarely seen him afraid.

Jesse sat at the kitchen table with the boys, his eyes wide and his skin a shade paler than usual. Luke frowned, starting to really worry. Jesse took a deep breath.

"Now, you're sure you heard Rosco right? He said Marvin Heath?"

"Yes, sir, Uncle Jesse," Bo confirmed. "Well, who is he?"

"He's a murderer," Jesse told them, not seeing any way to lessen the shock, so just telling the truth in plain and simple language. "He's what the movies and tv call a serial killer. Heath killed five people right here in Hazzard."

"A serial killer?" Luke repeated in shock. "In Hazzard?"

"Hazzard's full of people, just like any other place," Jesse said, kind, but firm. "Most is good, but there are a few bad apples lurking around. Heath was one of them."

"I never heard anything about this," Luke protested.

"Well, you was only a little, bitty thing, when it happened. Bo and Daisy weren't even born yet and Rosco was still a deputy."

"Good Lord."

"That's helpful, Bo," Luke scolded. "I take it Heath's been in jail, since then?"

"Yeah, he ended up in jail. My question is what is he doin' out of jail?"

"Sure wasn't Rosco's doin'," Bo said. "I still can't believe he threatened to kill the guy."

"I can't blame him. Just can't. Shooting people down is wrong, but what Heath did to those people...well. They never should have let him back out. No, I can't blame Rosco for not wanting to give Heath a second chance at Hazzard."

"What do you want me to do, Uncle Jesse?" Luke asked respectfully.

"Do? Nothing. You just go on living your life. You can't let the likes of Marvin Heath stop ya from doing that. Y'hear?"

"Yes, sir."

"That don't mean ignore the situation. Heath's plenty tricky. Keep your bow and arrows close by, but not where anyone else can get to them. Now. You boys got some weeding to do in the garden. I'm going to complete those errands I sent you on and have a word or two with Rosco."

"Yes, sir," the boys said, getting up and heading off to do their chores.

Jesse headed into town, picking up his supplies, as swiftly as he could. Once he was finished, he headed for the jail, finding Rosco in his office. Rosco looked up, when Jesse entered, his expression grave.

"Jesse. I see the boys delivered my message," he said.

"Rosco. How the blazes did that...person get out of jail?!" Jesse demanded.

"Don't be blaming me! I'm not the one that goes around releasing people that..." Rosco began sharply, then cut himself off abruptly, sighing. "What do you want me to say? A psychiatrist declared him cured and a judge gave him parole. It's an offense against all law, reason, and sanity and there ain't a damn thing I can do about it."

"There's gotta be something," Jesse urged.

"You know there ain't," Rosco said bitterly. "I gotta treat him just like any other citizen."

"We gotta at least warn folks!" Jesse demanded.

"It'll have to be done by word of mouth," Rosco instructed. "If I spread warnings in an official capacity, that would be considered harassment."

"Word of mouth it is, then," Jesse said, gravely.

"Start with a phone call," Rosco advised, with grim humor. "Ain't nobody for spreading a rumor like Mabel."

Mabel was the Hazzard telephone dispatcher, Boss Hogg's pretty cousin, and the biggest busybody in all of Hazzard county.

"I'll do that," Jesse agreed, backing up to leave.

"Jesse. Keep an eye out for Luke, okay? I'm pretty sure Heath's after him."

"Of course," Jesse assured him, a bit surprised at Rosco openly expressing concern.

As Jesse left, Boss Hogg came in, fuming a bit.

"Rosco! Why are you here, instead of out arresting Luke Duke!" Boss demanded. "There's a man, Martin something, who says he was in a fender bender with the Dukes this morning. He says Luke hit him and you were there! Now, I don't care how busy you are. You get out to the Duke farm and arrest those Dukes."

To Boss' surprise, Rosco flushed red with anger and remained seated at his desk.

"Marvin. The man's name is Marvin Heath," Rosco corrected.

"Fine! I don't care about his name, Rosco. The only name I'm interested in is Duke and seeing them behind bars!"

"No. The man lied. Luke never laid a hand on him and I ain't gonna say otherwise."

Now, folks, it's the rarest of days, when Rosco says no to Boss, especially for a Duke! Ole Rosco has been presented with a face from his past and he might just be remembering the cop he used to be.

Boss gaped at him, turning red with outrage. He shoved a fat finger in Rosco's direction.

"You WILL or..."

"Or nothing!" Rosco snapped, coming to his feet. "I ain't even gonna look like I'm helping or agreeing with that jackass. Now, I do a lot of rotten things for you, Boss, partly because I gotta and partly because this county owes me. I do have my limits though. I took this job to protect my home and don't you ever forget that."

Boss looked at Rosco in pure astonishment, before giving a slow nod of his head. Boss knew exactly how far and how hard Rosco could be pushed and he had, somehow, hit that limit. Truthfully, Boss knew he needed Rosco far more than Rosco needed him. He was grateful Rosco didn't seem to realize that.

"All right, Rosco. Would you mind explaining to me, though, how arresting Luke for fighting endangers our beloved Hazzard?" Boss asked soothingly.

"Don't you know who Marvin Heath is? I know you were gone at the time, but you ought've heard stories about him!"

"Well. The name is a bit familiar now you mention it, but I don't recall any specifics."

"Heath is the serial killer that operated in Hazzard some twenty-odd years ago," Rosco explained.

Boss' eyes went even wider and he gulped, nodding.

"Yeah. Yeah, I heard all about that from Lulu. He killed...how many?"

"Five. Five people dead," Rosco said angrily.

Boss reached out and patted Rosco's arm soothingly.

"All right. Never mind. Of course, we ain't gonna help no killer. Why'd he try to finger Luke Duke?"

"I ain't sure. He touched Luke on the chest this morning and gave him a shove. He tended to be touchy-feely with people, before...it was his way of claiming them, like."

Boss gaped in horror. He always claimed to have no love for the Dukes, but that wasn't exactly the case. Jesse was a dear friend of his. It'd break old Jesse's heart, if anything happened to those boys. Prison was one thing. Death was another. Boss would never let real harm come to them, even if his greed and meanness wouldn't let him stop harassing the Duke boys.

"You think he plans on murdering Luke Duke?" Boss asked, wanting to be sure.

"I think. I can't prove anything and the judge that released him has a lot of influence. I don't dare do anything without proper cause."

"We gotta do things legal and proper?" Boss asked, as if he'd been asked to scrub a dirty toilet with a toothbrush.

Rosco nodded.

"I'm afraid so."

"Hmph. Poor Luke," Boss quipped.

"He ain't dead yet and he ain't gonna be!" Rosco snapped.

Boss sighed. There was just no controlling Rosco in this mood and no chance of getting any important work, the money-making kind, done.

"Rosco. Why don't you go have yourself some lunch and down a beer or two. Settle your nerves."

Rosco reluctantly agreed. He hated it, but there was nothing he could do now, except wait. He prayed hard that he wasn't waiting for a death.

He waited a long two weeks and, as usual, his peace was shattered by a Duke. Luke came into his office, holding a set of hunting traps. Rosco frowned at them and at Luke.

"What're you bringing those in here for?" Rosco asked sternly.

"Evidence," Luke told him. "Someone is poaching on Duke property and the darn polecats ain't even setting their traps right! Bo and I were mending some fences and this one almost got me! Some idiot set it right up against the fence. Only reason it missed me is because I dropped a screwdriver on it, instead of stepping on it."

Rosco glared hard at him.

"What were you doing mending fences out in the woods?" he demanded. "I told you to be careful!"

"I wasn't in the woods," Luke said defensively. "The house was still in sight! Anyways, I gotta get work done, Heath or no Heath."

Rosco stormed to his feet and grabbed an evidence bag that was lying around. Luke shook his head, annoyed by Rosco's temper. He wondered how the sheriff would react, if he knew about Luke's fishing trip with Tod Sutton. They'd spent an entire afternoon in the woods, just them and a creek full of fish.

"Put those in there!" Rosco ordered gruffly. Once Luke had obeyed, Rosco sat back down and shook his head. "Did it occur to you these weren't left by no poacher, but by Heath?"

Luke grimaced. It hadn't.

"You might've mentioned he did stuff like that, before," Luke complained.

"He ain't that predictable," Rosco explained solemnly. "He harassed his victims and left 'em nasty little presents, before kidnapping them. He tailored them to the victim though. That's why I said to watch your back."

"Will there be any prints on those traps?" Luke asked, without much hope.

"Not unless it really is poachers, which I doubt. Anyone from Hazzard would know to set a trap away from buildings. Luke. I ain't saying you gotta let Heath run your life, but you do gotta be a lot more careful."

"All right," Luke agreed, nodding. "I'll do better."

"I certainly..." Rosco began, before he was interrupted by the phone on his desk ringing. "Oo. Just a minute."

Rosco picked up the phone, stating his name brusquely. Whoever was calling evidently wasn't giving Rosco good news. He frowned more and more heavily, his thick eyebrows pulled down over the top of his nose. Luke allowed himself a moment of levity, admitting to himself that Rosco looked kinda cute that way. Rosco made noises of agreement, then hung up the phone.

"Marvin Heath was spotted in Chickasaw county two weeks ago. Now, a teenage boy, Sammy Ray, has gone missing. His parents say he was ordinary and happy."

"You think it was Heath?"

"Someone left a dead puppy on the boy's bike two days ago. He's known to be fond of dogs."

"Well, let's do something about it! Surely there's search parties out looking for him."

"He ain't lost in the woods, Luke. He could be anywhere. Sure, people are looking, but we can't just do a general sweep. We'd never get a warrant for that, especially since we can't actually prove that Heath has him. We gotta wait and find evidence."

"Wait," Luke scoffed, frustrated.

"It's the hardest part of police work," Rosco agreed.

"So what now?"

"Nothing now," Rosco said firmly. "I'm gonna send the traps to a forensics lab. You're gonna go home and be careful!"

"But, Rosco..." Luke started to protest.

"I'll have your uncle Jesse tan your butt, if you don't listen to me!" Rosco threatened, severely. "And don't let me catch you running around without Bo to watch your back anytime soon neither!"

Luke blinked, holding his hands up in surrender. It'd been nearly a decade, since Rosco had used Uncle Jesse as a threat. He almost smiled, appreciating the concern. Luke pushed the spreading warmth in his chest and stomach away regretfully. No matter how many times Rosco and the Dukes formed a truce, it never lasted.

"All right. I won't," Luke promised. "I guess I'll catch ya later."

"Hmph. Bye," Rosco agreed.

Luke drove home, then joined Bo in the garden. He grabbed a hoe and began weeding.

"Rosco gonna do anything to help?"

"He's sending the traps for finger-printing. He doesn't think it was poachers."

"Heath?" Bo guessed, alarmed.

"Yeah. Worse, Sammy Ray, a boy from Chickasaw, is missing."

"Damn."

"Yeah. He wants me to be careful. I'm not to go anywhere without you and certainly not to do anything to help Sammy!" Luke said angrily.

"You got something in mind to help him?" Bo asked, hopefully.

Luke took another swipe with the hoe and shook his head.

"No. I don't. I have no idea where he might be or what to do about Heath."

"Do ya think this Heath guy is really after you?" Bo asked, not wanting to admit how afraid that idea made him.

"It's beginning to look that way," Luke admitted.

"We don't know Heath took Sammy?"

"No, just that's he's missing."

Three days later they received proof that someone, Heath or otherwise, had taken Sammy and was interested in Luke Duke. Bo came into the kitchen, with the day's newspaper clutched in his hand. Luke couldn't recall ever seeing his cousin so pale.

"Bo? What's the matter?"

"I think you better read today's paper, Luke. I bet ole Rosco's hitting the ceiling about now."

Luke took the paper and read the front page. A typed letter had been blown up to cover almost the entire front section. Only a couple of inches at the bottom was left for commentary by the reporter.

Dear Neighbors,

I'm sure by now you all know of the sad disappearance of Sammy Ray Jones of Chickasaw County. Let me set your minds at rest. I have been keeping the fine boy company and will return him to you soon. You will find him somewhat more subdued than before, thanks to the special edifying he has been given.

There are a few others I wouldn't mind spending time with. There are some citizens in the area with interesting reputations-such as Luke Duke and the once honorable, yet still incumbent, Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane. Oh, I mustn't forget my old friend Rosco. He thinks he knows who I am, but can he be trusted? His wits seem to be rather dull. Such a shame.

If you're good, I'll give you more clues to who and where I am later.

Yours truly,

Guess

Luke set the paper down and ran one hand over his face.

"Shi-oot."

"I heard that," Uncle Jesse's gruff voice echoed from the hall. "Is there a reason you're pollutin' my table with that kinda talk?"

"He said he'd be found. You think there's any chance he's alive?" Bo asked hurriedly, waiting for Uncle Jesse to get into the room.

"No. I wish I did, but I think subdued is his way of sayin' dead," Luke said softly, then gave a small, apologetic smile as Uncle Jesse came up next to him. "Sorry, Jesse. We just got some bad news in the paper."

Jesse read the letter and gave a tired sigh.

"Well. We'll just keep hopin' and prayin' for that young man. We'll eat and you boys can do your chores. When you're done, you head into town and talk to Rosco."

"He'll just tell me to keep careful and watch my back," Luke said dryly.

"That may be, but you need to at least talk to him," Jesse ordered. "This might change things a bit."

"What do you need us working on today, Uncle Jesse?" Bo asked.

Jesse hesitated. Originally, he'd planned on sending Bo out hunting, while Luke fixed the tractor. Now, Jesse didn't want Luke by himself.

"Well, there's weeding to be done in the garden and the tractor needs fixed. You two can work on those. Together, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir," Luke said, suppressing a sigh.

He reminded himself that none of this was Jesse's or Rosco's fault. They were just trying to protect and help him. It wasn't easy though. Luke hated all this caution and inactivity. He wanted to relax and have fun, without scaring anyone! A heavy, comforting hand landed on the back of his neck.

"This too shall pass, Luke," Jesse reminded him kindly.

Luke smiled up at his uncle, nodding.

"I know it will, Uncle Jesse."

The boys obeyed orders, first eating, then doing their work. Afterwards, they got into the General. Bo took the scenic route, whooping and hollering. After a few minutes of that, Luke began to relax, easing into the familiar routine of a drive with his cousin. Even better, a few minutes later a siren started up. Looking back, Luke saw Rosco's patrol car and grinned.

"Time for us to give Rosco some more practice, Bo," Luke said with relish.

"All righty, cuz, hang on to your liver!" Bo instructed gleefully.

Bo picked up speed, zooming around the curved dirt road. He saw Rosco's car in the distance, tenaciously keeping up with them. Bo dodged back and forth, making sharp turns and sometimes abandoning the road all together. Amazingly, Rosco not only kept up, but due to some lucky curves, managed to close the distance a bit. Bo laughed.

"Y'know, we gotta give ole Rosco credit. He never does quit and he does learn. He does it slowly, but he does it!" Bo said.

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "Slow up a bit at the next curve. We'll let him catch us up near the bridge."

"Let him catch us?!" Bo asked with surprised indignation. "What in tarnation are we gonna let him do a thing like that for?"

"We need to talk to him, remember?"

"Can't we do that in town, where he's less likely to give us a ticket?"

"When or where has Rosco ever hesitated to give us a ticket?" Luke asked dryly. "I'd rather talk to him here, where he'll be less riled."

"Oh, all right," Bo conceded sulkily, pulling over just before they got to the bridge.

Once Bo parked, Luke climbed out of the General Lee and stood leaning against her trunk, waiting for Rosco to catch up. Rosco pulled his patrol car to one side and climbed out. He approached Luke, frowning suspiciously.

"Ain't like you to stop. What's going on?" Rosco asked.

"We wanted to talk to you. Have you read the morning paper, yet?"

Rosco nodded, grimacing.

"Yeah. The papers all received that letter about six o'clock last night. It's worse than that though. They found poor Sammy Ray's body. He's been dead almost a day now. He dumped that poor child right outside the public library. He went there a lot on Sunday afternoons."

"Is there any good news?," Bo complained, grimly.

"Well, good is relative. I can tell you the feds are on the case, since the death involved kidnapping."

"You and I were both mentioned in that letter."

Rosco stared at Luke for a moment, his mouth tight, then nodded.

"Yeah, we were. I know you want something to do, Luke, but there just isn't anything. Not to mention you're a civilian."

"Maybe we can get Heath to confess..."

"Or maybe you'll just end up dead!" Rosco snapped. "This ain't some greedy idiot coming from outside. He knows Hazzard and by now he knows about you Dukes and how you do things. That's the problem with monsters like Heath. They're smart!"

"So we just wait for the next victim and hope that gets us some evidence?" Luke asked bitterly.

"We hope he slips up sooner, rather than later," Rosco agreed. "We'll go over his past habits and his new ones and see if we can't figure something out. There might be evidence from the boy's autopsy, too."

"No one else is missing?" Luke asked.

"No. Right now everyone is accounted for, that we know of," Rosco said, shrugging. "Look. I know it don't seem like it, but we got this. All that can be done is being done."

"Fine. We'll just go quietly back to the farm and wait for either Heath to be caught or him to come after me," Luke said with dry sarcasm.

"Yeah and watch your back while doing it," Rosco agreed sharply. "OH! I almost forgot. Here."

Rosco reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out some papers, handing them to Luke.

"What's this?" Luke asked, puzzled, taking them.

"Permission from both Boss Hogg and the feds allowing you the carrying and use of firearms, until the killer is captured. It gives it to both of ya. Now you can carry around Jesse's shotgun, too."

Now you know things are bad when Boss steps in to protect the Dukes.

"All right, Rosco. We're on our way home."

Luke climbed behind the wheel of the General, resigning himself to another week of boredom. Guilt flooded him, as he realized he was hoping Heath got caught, not so there wouldn't be any more deaths, but so he'd have more freedom in his life and movements.

"Is there a reason you're following so many orders from Rosco?" Bo asked, the question somewhere between worried and annoyed.

"He's making sense for once."

"The hell he is," Bo scoffed. "You might as well be in prison, yourself. All this laying low...it ain't natural. You're usually willing to take risks for what's right. There's plenty of odd jobs we could be doing for folks around town."

"I'm willing to risk myself, not others. Heath is a killer. If I go around to other people's homes and all, how do I know he won't hurt them to get to me? How do I know I won't be introducing him to a potential victim?"

Bo stared hard at him, trying to think of an argument. He couldn't. Finally, he gave a defeated nod.

"Yeah, okay, you're right."

"Like Jesse said, Bo. This'll pass. He'll get caught or die or something."

Even that much grim optimism faded two days later. Luke stood in the kitchen, helping get breakfast together, when he heard a shout of outrage outside. Running to the yard, he found Bo standing in front of the General Lee.

Their beloved General was dripping with blood.

Luke almost choked on the scent of blood rotting all over the General. Someone must have dumped buckets of the stuff on top, because almost every inch was covered in the red gore. The flag on top was almost invisible beneath streaks of the blood. Some had even gotten in the windows and dripped onto the upholstery. Disgust was quickly replaced by a cold, simmering rage. Luke stormed back into the house.

"Luke?" Jesse asked, worried.

"He dumped blood all over the General. I gotta get Rosco out here."

"Blood? Real blood?" Daisy asked, horrified.

"Yeah. Stinks to high heaven," Bo told her as Luke dialed Rosco's number.

"Rosco? This is Luke Duke. ... Heath's been here. He dumped a load of blood all over the General Lee. ... Yes, blood. ... Of course, I'm sure! I can smell the dang stuff. I need you guys to collect your evidence as quick as possible so I can get him clean!"

Luke hung up with a frustrated sigh.

"Well? He coming out here?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah, he's gonna get some people together. Said it might be as much as an hour though. We're to stay away from the General until they can get here."

"An hour?!" Bo said in outrage. "Where's these people coming from? The moon?"

"Now, Bo," Jesse chided gently. "If it's gonna take him an hour, then it is. That gives us time to get breakfast eaten and for our tempers to cool. Now bow your heads for grace."

It only took Rosco half an hour to contact the right people and get everyone out to the Duke farm. Luke watched them pull in, standing out on the porch. To his surprise, a middle-aged man in a three-piece suit got out of the passenger's side of Rosco's patrol car. Rosco and the gentleman walked up to Luke, while everyone else got to work on the General Lee.

"Good morning, Luke," Rosco greeted gravely.

"Good morning. Who's your friend?"

"This is Special Agent Jerry Landon," Rosco introduced. "Agent Landon, this is Luke Duke."

Landon shook Luke's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm sorry about the circumstances."

"Nice to meet you too. Welcome to Hazzard. You think you'll find anything here to pin on Heath?"

"There's a good chance we'll find some evidence," Landon assured him. "Heath always was clever, but he's older and prison isn't known for sharpening a person's wits. We just have to hope he makes some mistakes sooner or later. If it's him."

"You think it might not be?"

"No, not really. Another serial killer starting up, even a copy cat, just as Heath gets back to town? It's possible and we have to keep our minds open, but it's unlikely. It's really just a matter of finding evidence to nail him with."

"Look, I'm gonna be straight with you here. I ain't used to sitting back and letting other people solve my problems. Now, I've tried to cooperate with Rosco here, so far. He can also tell you that Bo and I don't take kindly to people messing with the General."

"Um. Yes, Sheriff Coltrane did mention something about that," Landon admitted, a bit bemused. "Your car seems to be a bit of a local celebrity."

Luke nodded proudly.

"He's practically a family member. I don't intend to let that kind of disrespect pass."

"Mr. Duke..."

"Luke. If anyone is Mr. Duke, it's Uncle Jesse."

"Of course. Luke, I understand that you're angry and frustrated..."

"I sat by, when Sammy Ray went missing. Now, he's dead. I don't think I can sit by anymore."

"I know it's hard. But the best thing you can do to help is to stay out of the way and let us do our jobs."

Luke made a scoffing noise, shaking his head angrily. Landon sighed. He looked over at Rosco, who just shook his head. Rosco knew the Duke boys wouldn't remain quiet much longer. Attacking the General had been a mistake on Heath's part.

"We'll try to keep you informed, but, if you harass Heath, you could either end up dead or endanger our case against him. I know you don't want that."

"No. I don't," Luke agreed. "I also don't want him thinking he can just trespass or get away with murder."

Luke strode away from the porch and hopped into Daisy's jeep. Landon called after him, but was ignored.

"Sheriff Coltrane, where is he going?"

"I imagine he's gone to have words with Heath. Look, stay here and supervise. I'll go after the boy."

"You think you can talk sense into him?"

"When roosters grow teeth!" Rosco said wearily. "No, but I might be able to minimize the damage and make sure he don't go missing."

Rosco hurried to his patrol car, taking off as fast as he could. He managed to get Luke in his sights and kept up, running his siren. He didn't think the boy would pull over, but it didn't hurt to try. Luke seemed to be ignoring him, taking a direct path into Hazzard.

"Luke," Rosco called over the cb. "I know you got your ears on. Pull over! Where do you even think you're going?"

"I ain't been ignoring Heath completely these past weeks. Cooter and some others have been keeping an eye on him for me. He always has breakfast at the Hazzard Inn about this time."

"Oooh, those friends of yours are a menace! You think Heath is just gonna roll over and give up, if you beat on him or something?"

"That'd be nice, but I ain't counting on it. Nah. It can't hurt to have him know I ain't impressed or scared, though. I ain't either! I'm just really ticked off!"

"I know you are, Luke. I am too. This ain't gonna help though! You heard what Landon said."

"Yeah, I heard. I ain't impressed with that either."

"You always you gotta be so stubborn!" Rosco fumed, then hit his brakes, as they pulled into the parking lot of the Hazzard Inn.

Ignoring Rosco, Luke hurried into the Inn. Heath was standing in line, waiting to be seated. He looked up, seeing Luke coming at him. A tiny smirk appeared on his thin lips, before quickly fading. He gave a rough gasp of angry surprise, when Luke grabbed him and hauled him outside. Heath was a bit offended that no one took much notice and certainly no one came to his aid. Luke and Heath brushed right past Rosco, who had just made it to the door.

"My, you are a forceful, young fella!" Heath laughed breathlessly, the sound ending in a wince when Luke shoved him strongly against the outside wall. "You seem kinda riled."

"Kinda. Some lowlife murdered an innocent boy, then vandalized the General Lee. It might interest you to know that the General is practically a member of the Duke family."

"I've heard. It seems a bit unnatural to me, but I try not to judge."

Luke drew his fist back, but Rosco caught his wrist.

"Luke! A dozen or more people saw you drag Heath out of there. You hit him first and it's assault. You'll be violating your probation."

Heath laughed.

"Don't worry, Sheriff. I won't press charges. I'm glad this town still has some vigor! I was afraid everyone had become weak and used up."

Rosco just stared disdainfully at him, not bothering to answer.

"Believe it or not, boy, the sheriff here was once strong, capable, and full of principles. Or something. Now though...well, I hardly need tell you what he is."

"He ain't a killer," Luke said flatly, not appreciating hearing someone like this criticize Rosco, no matter how flawed the sheriff was.

"Noooo. He prefers to bleed them out metaphorical like."

"I don't want to talk about Rosco. Not with the likes of you," Luke insisted.

"No, you want to talk about your car and that poor, dead boy."

"I'm warning you..." Luke started, his hands tightening on Heath's shirt.

"Oh, don't be boring, boy! You ain't gonna do nothing here, in broad daylight."

Luke pushed Heath away with a final shove. He pointed at him sternly.

"I'm gonna stop you," Luke promised.

"The only thing you've stopped so far is my breakfast and that's temporary. You better run along and do as the sheriff tells you. Though, given what I've heard, you don't have much cause to trust him."

"I got cause enough. I know Rosco," Luke said dismissively.

"Do you? You don't know him as well as I do. I promise you that, boy."

Luke turned to Rosco, whose cheeks had turned bright red. Despite Heath's boast, Luke did know Rosco very well. He'd seen him in almost every mood possible. The sheriff was giving Heath one of his best, official glares, but Luke thought Rosco looked embarrassed and upset as well. Luke wondered why. Being accused of corruption never embarrassed Rosco. Sometimes it angered him, but never embarrassed. Rosco turned to Luke, his mouth tightening.

"You done?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm done," Luke agreed, heading towards the jeep.

Rosco gave Heath one more long, disgusted look, then went over and got into his patrol car. Luke obeyed the speed limit, during the drive back. He glanced back occasionally to look at Rosco, following in his patrol car. He felt a twinge of guilt. Luke had put Rosco in the distasteful position of defending Heath. The whole encounter had been disturbing.

Landon was waiting impatiently, when Luke and Rosco pulled up to the farmhouse. He glared at Luke.

"Did you accomplish anything?" Landon asked sarcastically.

"Well. I got to know my enemy a bit better," Luke said with a hard smile.

"Oh, good grief," Rosco muttered, shaking his head.

"You'll have your car back soon," Landon said angrily. "I'm warning you, Luke Duke. If you interfere in my investigation, there will be consequences."

"Great. You can join the list of people who wanna put me in jail," Luke said with mock cheer, heading into the house.

Boss was always at the top of that list and having a serial killer in town hadn't changed that. He insisted Rosco continue running speed traps, as well. A few days later, Luke let Rosco catch him on the edge of town, so he could ask about the investigation into Heath.

"C'mon, Rosco, you gotta be making some progress!" Luke complained in response to Rosco's lack of news.

"Progress doesn't seem to be our good sheriff's strong suit these days!" Heath said, approaching their vehicles from a shop. "Why, look how long it's taken him to get you into jail!"

"Well, I got bigger fish to fry these days, don't I?" Rosco asked sharply.

"Sure, but you can still enjoy some smaller fish in the meantime."

"What's that got to do with you?" Luke asked.

"I saw you fishing with Tod Sutton and doing a bit of necking too. Tell me, Rosco, is that sorta behavior still illegal?"

Rosco made a harsh sound of frustration.

"I don't care, Marvin. I think two things about Luke kissing fellas. One, I won't have to keep explaining to irate daddies why shotgun weddings ain't legal. Two, what do you really expect? He's already been with about every eligible woman or girl in the county!"

Heath gave a cruel laugh.

"Go on writing parking tickets, Rosco."

Luke watched him go, his cheeks red with embarrassment and indignation.

"Name one!" he demanded of Rosco, as soon as Heath was out of sight.

Rosco didn't pretend to misunderstand. He grinned, shaking his head.

"Mary June Wilson, Emmaline Jackson, and Sherry Lawson," Rosco told him.

"Oh c'mon!" Luke protested. "Only one of them is even a mom!"

"Yeah, Mary Jane had a cyst, Emmaline was just late and panicked, and Sherry had the good sense to claim Billy Lawson as her kid's daddy," Rosco agreed. "Nevertheless, all three of their fathers planned on having words with you."

"Great, thanks," Luke told him dryly.

"Uh huh. If you're done sulking about your love life, you might notice Heath admitted to following and watching you."

"Yeah, I noticed, Rosco. I've been as careful as I can be, since he bloodied the General."

"Right. Which is why I just caught you speeding, in the General. Alone."

Luke grimaced, giving an impatient shrug.

"I was on a direct road to Hazzard. Heath's no match for the General, when he's moving! I was going to shops, where there would be plenty of other people."

"Boy, you wouldn't know careful, if it bit you," Rosco scolded.

Luke reached out and tugged his speeding ticket out of Rosco's hand.

"Then it's a good thing I can take care of myself," he said stubbornly, climbing into the General Lee, then peeling away towards town.

Rosco watched him go, his gut burning with a familiar blend of worry and anger. He wished Luke would listen. Rosco had thought once that he'd accidentally helped kill the Duke boys. How much worse would it be to see Luke deliberately murdered? Getting into his own car, he headed for the county courthouse to talk to Landon.

The next morning Landon showed up at the Duke farm. Luke answered the door and gave the federal agent a brittle smile.

"Agent Landon. What can I do for you?"

"Sheriff Coltrane told me you had another encounter with Heath yesterday and that he's obviously been stalking you for some time. I'm sorry. I have a warrant to take you into protective custody."

"Protective custody?" Luke laughed angrily. "You gotta be kidding!"

"I'm afraid not. You'll be taken to a safe house, where we can guard you. You see, Luke, it isn't just your reckless behavior. No one else has gone missing. You're obviously his next target."

"I-I don't need this!" Luke insisted. "You can ask Rosco how easy it is to keep us Dukes in custody, Agent Landon."

"He's told me. You two seem to have a weirdly antagonistic sort of friendship going. Which is exactly why you're going to stay in custody."

"Excuse me?" Luke asked, worried at the possible double meanings in Landon's comment.

"I said you're Heath's next target. He has another one picked out though. Sheriff Coltrane. As it happens, I can make sure the sheriff ends up as your guard. That keeps both you and him safe."

Luke glared for a moment, then gave Landon a stiff nod.

"Let me pack a bag. It won't take me long."

"I appreciate your cooperation," Landon said, surprisingly sincere.

"This ain't cooperation, Landon," Luke corrected sharply. "This is me doing what's right. That isn't always going to be what you want."

"I understand. Believe me, Sheriff Coltrane has had quite a lot to say about you. Most of it would have been complimentary, if he hadn't sounded so irritated."

Luke gave a rough laugh.

"You best come in and wait. I'll have to explain all this to Uncle Jesse."

Uncle Jesse hit the roof.

"YOU WANNA TAKE MY NEPHEW AND HIDE HIM AWAY? DUKES DON'T RUN!"

"I'm not running, Uncle Jesse," Luke protested, coming out of his bedroom with a large duffle bag. "I'm doing what's right, just like you taught me. Tell me something I can do to stop Heath and I'll stay."

Jesse shook his head, pulling Luke into a tight hug.

"I wish I did. All right. You do what you gotta."

"Y'all take care, until I can get back."

"We will, cousin. You do the same. You're gonna be stuck somewhere with Rosco and he ain't your biggest fan," Bo said dryly.

"He likes me better than Heath does. I'll take it," Luke joked back.

"I'm sure Sheriff Coltrane will do everything necessary to keep Luke safe," Landon said, a bit offended on Rosco's behalf.

"Oh, sugar, we don't mean nothing," Daisy assured him. "We just can't help teasing Rosco some."

"I see," Landon said dismissively. "Are you ready, Luke?"

"Yeah. Let's go."