PART FOUR
"Let me see here," Jesse Duke sat at the head of the dinner table wearing his glasses and trying to read his own handwriting on a yellow pad. "Your mother's name was Mary Alice Carter, but she never married your father."
"Yes, sir," Daisy Mae Duke ate a dinner of ham, mashed potatoes, corn and biscuits. Her adult counterpart was a bit friendlier to her now by pouring her more sweet tea. After all, they might be related and she wasn't going to begrudge her a good meal. Luke sat nearby as well sipping his coffee across from Bo finishing up his own dinner.
"She raised me by herself for as long as I can recall." The younger girl confessed. "After she died last winter, I found a few envelopes postmarked from Clearwater, Florida that my father had allegedly sent money in and thought I'd go down there to look for him. I just never thought there was anyone else."
"You should have asked." Daisy told her namesake.
"Mom didn't know that much about him." The younger girl confessed. "It seems as if the money just stopped coming after my fifth birthday. She must have figured he died or something."
"What was you gonna do after you got to Clearwater?" Luke rose to pour more coffee to his cup. "Did you have an address?"
"No," Daisy Mae answered. "But I figured someone must have known him."
"I've never been to Florida," Bo sipped milk with his meal. "But there's got to be ten times more people down there than Hazzard. That's a lot of people to ask."
"Luke," Jesse slowly removed his glasses. "When was the last time you heard from your brother, Jud? Didn't he once work in a garage in Tampa?"
"Well, that's a long time ago, Uncle Jesse." Luke answered. "I think he's doing forestry up in Montana now."
"I betcha Tampa ain't that far from Clearwater." Jesse looked from Daisy Mae to his niece Daisy. "And you know, this young lady even looks a bit like your Aunt Daisy. Daisy you were named for her first."
"Uncle Jesse," Daisy dried a plate for the cupboard. "You think she's Jud's daughter."
"Love them and leave them Jud," Bo never did like Luke's brother. "I wouldn't put it past him."
Balladeer – "Nice to know that Dukes who flock together, gather together, but remember what I said about Dukes always finding trouble."
"Rosco," Boss Hogg pointed to his simple-minded sheriff with his badge. "I want you to…"
Flash rested on the admitting desk of the police station. Thinking his beloved master was in trouble, he barked with a loud confirmed woof to Boss Hogg.
"Stop bringing that dog in here!" He stuck his cigar in his mouth and clenched his teeth on it as he talked. "Rosco, I want you to get that little lady back here. Go pick her up for questioning! I ain't about to give up no reward to those Dukes."
"But, Boss, don't I need a warrant?" Rosco sat by his beloved dog and stroked his head.
"Warrant?" Hogg pulled out his cigar as the smoke billowed in Rosco's face. "You're the sheriff! Arrest those Dukes for kidnapping, abduction, littering, jaywalking, anything, but bring that young lady back here!"
"I'm going to get her." Rosco collected Flash in his arms to take him out to his patrol car. "Come on, Flash, we got hot pursuit!" He started giggling out loud.
Balladeer – "Of course, with twice the Dukes, you can expect twice the trouble."
A blue Ford Tempo turned from Interstate 77 near Charlotte, North Carolina and crossed the state line eventually toward Greenville, South Carolina. Atlanta, Georgia was on this same route and Hazzard was accessible from the State Capitol. Of the two men in the car, the driver was unshaved and trying to stay awake as he followed the directions given him. By his side, his traveling companion pulled down a worn baseball cap over his eyes and leaned into the door to rest. At fifty and seventy miles per hour on the interstate from their starting off place, they were looking forward to a six-hour drive if they didn't stop for gas or food.
"For this drive," The driver focused on large trucks dwarfing him and the other cars on the road. "She had better come with us. I'm getting tired of her shenanigans."
"We're taking her, kicking and screaming." His partner answered.
Balladeer – "Uh-huh, you know, I think they mean business."