Trust in Me
Authors Note: I just wanted to thank all ya'll out there that have read and responded about this here story. I'm glad ya liked it and hope ya keep on enjoyin' each chapter. Sorry it took so long to update and that this chapter is shorter than they normally are, but my computer crashed. Took awhile to get it back up and goin'. One of ya commented about the way I got the DOH county southern slang down so good. Well it wasn't that hard for me seein' as how I was born and raised in southern Tennessee and lived two years in southern Georgia. It's just a normal everyday thing for me. Ya'll have a good one now.
Chapter 6: The Morning After
Luke walked over to the bed and looked down on his little cousin, shaking his head. The boy was sleeping on his stomach, a sure sign he was sore from the previous night's encounter. He noticed how swollen Bo's eyes looked, no doubt from crying himself to sleep. Reaching down he shook the boys shoulder, "Come on kiddo, time to get up."
Bo simply turned his head and faced the wall, not looking into Luke's eyes. Every time he thought about what had happened he wanted to cry. The thought of disappointing any of them was more than he could handle.
Luke sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed the boy's back. "Come on buddy, this ain't the first time ya hadda whippin'. Probably won't be the last either."
"Please leave me alone, Luke." He mumbled.
"Can't do it kid. It's time for breakfast and ya know Uncle Jesse expects ya to be at the table. Besides, you'll be late for school if ya don't hurry."
"Ain't gotta go. I got suspended for two days."
"Bo, look at me." Luke gently ordered. It was starting to worry him how Bo was acting. The boy had never been this upset over a trip to the barn before.
Rolling over on his side and wincing at the pain, Bo faced his cousin, still not meeting his eyes.
"I said look at me." Once Bo did, he continued. "Now, what's botherin' ya."
"Ya really gotta ask? Dang it Luke, what ya think is botherin' me?" Bo snapped.
"I would think ya backside would be botherin' ya just a little too much to be smart mouthin' me like this."
"I don't wanna talk about it, Luke. If you'll leave, I'll get up."
Figuring the boy needed a little more time to come to terms with what happened, Luke stood. "Alright, for now. But we are gonna talk 'bout this before the day's over."
Bo watched as the door closed before gently getting out of bed. Slowly dressing, he hoped he could convince his uncle to allow him to skip breakfast. Just the thought of food made his stomach churn, not to mention he was in no great hurry to sit anywhere.
Jesse looked up as Bo entered the kitchen. He was shocked at the boy's appearance, and wondered if he'd been too hard on him. "Better hurry and eat 'fore it gets cold."
Walking past the table, Bo mumbled. "I ain't hungry. Got chores to do."
"Come on sugar, ya need to eat." Daisy said.
"Bo can eat later if he's not hungry now. Go on Bo." Jesse said, noticing that the boy had yet to look at him. He waited until the door was closed before speaking. "I ain't never seen the boy act like this after gettin' my strap."
"I think it's more than that." Luke stated. "He thinks he's lost our trust in 'em. Kid can't even look at us without dang near cryin'."
"Well, I don't care what Boss or Roscoe says. I don't believe Bo did it." Daisy added.
"That only leaves us one choice then." Luke said standing. "And that's to prove he didn't."
"You two listen to me." Jesse said standing. "I don't mind ya lookin' into this and I hope ya find out the boy was tellin' the truth, but I don't want ya lettin' onto 'em 'bout it. I don't want him thinkin' that all he's gotta do is turn on the hurt puppy dog look and he can get away with anythin'. If we find out he was in the right, then I'll be the first one to apologize to Bo. Til then it stays right here."
"Yes sir." Daisy said.
"You got it Uncle Jesse. I'm goin' to town, see what I can find out." Luke told them.
"I have to be at work in an hour and I'll keep my ears open there." Daisy added.
"I'll stay here and see if I can get through to the boy. He's makin' hisself sick over this."
'Humm, so what ya reckons gonna happen now? If ole Luke ain't gotta a plan, they ain't a cow in Texas. Just hope it's a good one.'
"Breaker one, breaker one. Might be crazy, but I ain't dumb. Crazy Cooter comin' at ya. Any you Dukes out there got ya ears on?"
"This is Luke. What's up, Cooter?"
"Hey there Lukas. Is what I'm ahearin' 'bout Bo right?"
"Pends on what ya hearin'. Look, I need to talk to ya 'bout somethin'. Ya at the garage?"
"That's a big 10-4. Come on over. I'm gone."
Luke put the CB mic down and sped off toward Cooter's garage, his cousin the only thing on his mind. It bothered him to know that somehow the word about what had happened had gotten out. Now everyone would think the boy was involved in drugs. Pulling up in front of the building, he climbed out of the window and entered. "Hey Cooter."
"Hey there Luke." Cooter said seeing how worried his friend was. "What's on ya mind?"
"This whole business with Bo. It just don't make no sense."
"So it is true. They did find drugs and shine in the kids locker." Cooter said shaking his head. "Couldn't someone else have done it?"
"It was Jesse's shine, Cooter, and the locker was locked. Bo's the only one with the combination."
Leaning back on the sedan he was working on, Cooter pushed his hat back. "I bet Uncle Jesse was fit to be tied."
Grimacing at the thoughts of what had taken place, Luke nodded. "Oh, you could say that, alright."
"I take it Bo ain't feelin' none to comfortable today, huh?"
"No, poor kid is down right miserable. It's more than the whippin' he got, though. He won't even look us in the face."
"You don't think he did it, do ya?" Cooter asked.
"Come on Cooter. This is Bo we're talkin' 'bout here. Drugs? Stealin' Uncle Jesse's shine? Oh and lyin'? It just don't add up. I just wish I could've saved his backside for 'em last night."
"Quite beatin' yaself up like this. Bo couldn't prove he didn't do it and Jesse had a job to do. I'm sure Bo ain't gonna hold it agin' 'em once the truth comes out." Cooter said wiping his hands on a rag.
"So you think the truth will come out then?" Luke asked, stunned by his friend's words.
"Yeah, cause the way I see it is this. You ain't gonna let this thing go til ya done prove the boy was set-up. And if you're that sure 'bout it… well then so am I. Where do we start?"
Luke smiled at his friend and said. "By talkin' with Bo's principal. See if anyone has anythin' again' the boy. You comin'?"
"Right behind ya, just let me lock up the garage."
'Now Cooter might not been born into the family, but he's all Duke at heart. With these two on Bo's side, Boss just might be in fer a big surprise. Stay tuned to see what's gonna happen next.'