- Chapter Nine -

"Off the Hook"

They didn't go back to Birmingham. It was a long drive, and everybody wanted to get home to Hazzard as soon as possible. Morgan's car didn't have a CB, so Luke was in the lead and put in charge of all navigational decisions. So when he saw a sign for the mid-size town of Kensington, he decided they should find the police station there and be rid of Hacker and Morgan—and try to sort out the mess with Clayton and his brother.

By the time they reached Kensington, Luke was starting to sweat a little in the uncomfortably warm car—but he really didn't mind the heat because Bo had finally stopped shivering. They stopped in front of the police station and filed inside. The desk officer's eyes grew wide when she saw the ragged-looking group of men entering the building. Hacker and Morgan had regained consciousness on the ride into town, and ever-resourceful Cooter had used his own shoelaces to tie their hands behind their backs. Cooter and Jud were scruffy-looking from the fight, and Bo and Luke were still wet to the skin.

The officer, whose nametag read "L. Casey", rose to her feet, tucking a stray strand of reddish-brown hair back into her bun. "Can I help you?"

Luke nodded. "You certainly can, Ma'am."

Casey's expression went from skeptical to surprised to concerned as Luke told her the story from the beginning: starting with the false accusations against Jud, to the threats, kidnapping, and attempted murder. By the time Luke was done, her face had grown hard, but her eyes were filled with compassion. "I'm going to get my watch commander," she said, rising from the desk. "But hold on just a second…" She pulled a key off of her belt and crossed to a supply cabinet against the wall to pull out two gray woolen blankets. "They're not very soft," she said apologetically, "but they're warm." She shook them open and draped one first around Bo's shoulders, then Luke's.

"Thanks, ma'am," Bo said with a smile. "I sure appreciate it."

She smiled back. "You fellas go sit down over there. I'll get Sarge and we'll see what we can do about straightening this out."

"Ma'am, before you go…do you mind if I use your phone?" Luke asked. "It's long distance, but we've got people back home who've been worried about Bo—they're waitin' to hear from us."

The policewoman nodded. "Go ahead."

The phone had barely finished the first ring when it was snatched up.

"Luke, that you?"

He grinned as he heard Daisy's voice come over the line. "Yeah, it's me. I got some good news for ya, Bo Peep. You can tell the Shepherd we found the Lost Sheep we've been lookin' for." He laughed when he heard her thrilled exclamation.

"Uncle Jesse, they found him! Luke, is he all right?"

Luke darted a glance over at Bo, sitting on the bench, wrapped tightly in the blanket as he dripped on the floor. "Yeah, he's okay. It got a little close there for a minute, but we're all fine."

"Let me talk to him."

Luke looked over his shoulder again. "Hey, Bo, you think you can come over here? There's a real pretty gal who wants to talk to you."

"For Daisy, I can do it." Bo rose stiffly and came over, tucking the phone against his ear. "Hi, sweetheart." He smiled fondly as he heard his cousin's anxious inquiries. "Well, I'm pretty dang tired, but I'm okay."

Jud smiled, watching the animation return to his cousin's face while he spoke to Daisy. "I'm sure glad he's all right. You, too. I'd never forgive myself if somethin' had happened to either one of you," he said quietly to Luke.

"Hey, that goes both ways," Luke told him. "Me an' Bo couldn't let nothin' happen to you, either." He glanced over at Cooter, standing watchfully behind Hacker and Morgan. "Those two have been pretty quiet," he observed. The two prisoners didn't say anything, but the glare they directed his way was murderous.

Cooter grinned. "I said I'd wallop 'em if they gave us any trouble. They tried, and I did. They ain't tried nothin' else. They're smarter'n they look!"

Finished with his phone call, Bo replaced the phone in its cradle and wandered back over to stand next to Luke.

"You talk to Uncle Jesse too?" Luke asked.

"Yup. He said to tell you hi…and that Rosco found out you were gone."

Luke groaned and slapped his forehead with his palm. "Aw, that's just swell. That means Boss knows, too. I can't wait to hear the earful we're gonna get when we get back."

"Don't count on it, cuz," Bo said smugly. "From what Uncle Jesse said, it don't look like Rosco'll even try to nab us in a speed trap for at least a week…Daisy was at work and heard him talkin' with Boss, plannin' to bust us for breakin' probation. She tore them a new one—read 'em the riot act, chapter and verse—scared 'em clean off our tail."

"You're kidding," Luke gaped.

Bo laughed. "Nope. 'Course, she also threatened to quit the Boar's Nest, too. There was a whole crowd of fellas in there at the time, and they up an' told Boss if she left, they'd take their business wherever she went."

"Nothin' like losin' money to shut Boss up. I bet you he still gives us a hard time about it, though."

"Yeah." A wistful look crossed Bo's face, then. "I tell ya, though…I sure would like to get back home anyway. It's only been a day but it feels like a week." Luke put his hand out and squeezed his cousin's shoulder reassuringly.

Officer Casey emerged from the back, carrying two Styrofoam cups. She held the steaming coffee out to Bo and Luke. "Sergeant Paylor will be out in a minute. In the meantime, I hope this'll make you feel better."

Bo smiled gratefully as he wrapped his hands around the warm cup. "You're a lifesaver. Thanks a million." He glanced again at her nametag and tipped his head to the side as an inquisitive and slightly-sly gleam came into his eyes. "So what's the 'L' stand for?" he ventured.

She gave him a lopsided smile. "My first name." She patted his arm and gave Luke an amused glance. "Well, if he can flirt, I'd say he's functional." Luke chuckled. She turned to Jud and Cooter. "Would you fellas like coffee, too?"

"I'm fine, ma'am," Cooter replied. "Unless you got a beer back there."

Casey laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, but you're outta luck there."

The door swung open once again, and a tall, thin sergeant with short-cropped fair hair stepped into the front office, followed by another officer with glasses.

"My name's Paylor," the sergeant said. "I've been on the phone with the Birmingham P.D." He fixed his serious gaze on Jud. "They told me they were looking for you, Mr. Cane."

"But he ain't done nothin' wrong!" Luke protested. "I told Officer Casey the whole story."

"I know, and she told me. But we need to look into this a little more. She tells me you've got Robert Clayton tied up in a storage shed on his property?"

Bo's eyes widened as he bit back a snicker. Luke nudged him in the ribs and said, "Yes, sir. He ain't hurt, but I bet he's mad enough to spit nails by now."

"Well, I won't lie to you," Paylor admitted, "Clayton is well known in these parts. A lot of us have wanted to put him away for a while, but he's been just slippery enough so nothin' sticks to him."

"I'll help it stick."

Paylor's eyebrows shot up as he looked past the Dukes to Cooter, Morgan, and Hacker, still standing near the side wall. It was Hacker who had spoken. "I'm not going to take the rap for him," he said sullenly. "Everything I did, I did under orders. If I go to jail, he's going with me."

"Mighty friendly bunch of guys," Bo said under his breath.

"Here's what we're gonna do," Paylor said after considering for a moment. "I'll send a team out to Clayton's home to bring him back here. In the meantime, we'll toss those two in the back and talk to Mr. Cane." He glanced over his shoulder at the younger officer who had come in with him. "Sidlow."

"Sir?"

"Would you mind taking these boys back to the showers? They probably want to warm up and get outta those wet clothes." He looked at Bo and Luke, stern gaze softening just a bit. "If you leave your clothes on the benches back there, Sidlow can take 'em to the Laundromat down the street. We'll have 'em dry before you head home."

"Thanks, Sarge." Luke put his hand on Bo's back and steered him towards the back as they followed Sidlow. The officer led them down a hall into a brightly-lit locker room.

"We're in the middle of a shift now," he said, "so it should be pretty quiet back here. There's a few shower stalls around the corner to your left." He pulled open one a storage locker and dug out two pairs of sweatpants and t-shirts. "You can put those on while you wait for your stuff to dry. Spare towels are in the cabinet once you get back there."

With another thank-you for the help, the cousins disappeared around the corner. Luke was dry and dressed in just a few minutes. He was out the door and heading back up to the front of the police station before Bo had even begun thinking about moving out from under the hot water.

"Hey, Luke!" Cooter hailed him as he emerged from the back. He was sitting on Casey's desk and had evidently been engaged in his typical lively conversation with her while Luke had been gone.

"Where's Jud at?" Luke asked.

"Still in the back with the sarge and them two yahoos. I wouldn't worry too much, though. He's a Duke on the inside, and you know nobody can get nothin' to stick to that name for long. Laurel here says that Clayton should be gettin' here before too long, and then I think we'll really see some fireworks."

Luke smirked. "So you got her to tell you her first name, did you?"

Cooter just grinned while Casey laughed. "I asked him where the name 'Cooter' came from and he wouldn't tell me until I told him my name. I like to pick my battles, so I let him win this one. Don't go telling that cousin of yours, though," she finished, pointing a finger at Luke. "We don't want to hurt his feelings."

Luke laughed, put up his hands, and shook his head. "Not a word." He sat down on the bench and leaned his head against the wall, content just to listen to Cooter and Casey talking in the silent office. The stress of the past couple days was steadily draining from his body, leaving him feeling peacefully at ease—but he was also realizing how tired he was. His eyes were just beginning to grow heavy when the CB radio on the desk suddenly buzzed to life and he came fully awake once again.

"This is Car 24 calling Base, do you read?"

Casey picked up the mike and leaned forward. "Car 24, this is base. Go ahead."

"Just letting you know we're almost back with the suspect. ETA fifteen minutes."

"Ten-four, Car 24. Base out." Casey looked up at Luke and Cooter. "Well, looks like you were right. Clayton should be here shortly."

Luke stood up and stretched. "I should go find Bo. He won't wanna miss this." He wandered into the back part of the station and saw Sidlow coming in from the back door carrying a plastic bag, just returning from the Laundromat. Luke took the bag with another thank-you to the helpful officer and headed into the locker room.

He found Bo sitting on a bench, wearing the borrowed sweatpants as he vigorously towel-dried his hair. "Hey, you're finally out! 'Bout time, you took even longer than Daisy does. Feel better?"

Bo's blue eyes looked up at him through a fringe of still-damp blond hair. "Sure do. Man, I thought I'd never get warm again." He looked approvingly around him. "This is a nice police station, I'll tell ya that. We oughta ask Rosco to put a shower in when we get back in Hazzard. Might make it a little nicer next time we gotta wait for Uncle Jesse to bail us out."

"You tell him that when we get back," Luke said with a smirk. He fished Bo's dry clothes out of the bag and tossed them over. "Here, put those on. Your travel agent is gonna be comin' in any time now."

"Is that right?" Bo grinned as he pulled his shirt over his head. "Bet he'll be glad to see me." The two young men changed quickly and were out front just in time to see a police car roll up outside. A stone-faced Robert Clayton emerged from the back seat with his hands cuffed behind him, herded into the building by a pair of armed officers.

"Hey, Bob!" Bo said cheerfully as the older man stepped through the doors. Clayton's face twitched as he saw the Duke cousins waiting in the lobby, but he remained silent. Then the side door opened and Jud emerged from the back, followed by Sergeant Paylor.

"That's a wanted man, officer," Clayton said immediately.

"That's my business, Clayton," Paylor replied coolly.

"We're not arresting him," Casey informed him. "Thanks to your friend Hacker, we're convinced that Jud Cane is innocent."

"Hacker?" Clayton's face twisted in anger. "I should have known that glorified bouncer would cave." He looked with disgust at Jud, Bo, and Luke. "I should have shot you all myself when I had the chance!" he snarled.

"Death threats on the day you're arrested?" Jud smirked and folded his arms. "If I were you, I'd quit digging that hole. You're already in deeper than you wanna be."

The businessman rounded on him furiously. "You worthless son of—"

"Don't say it, pal," Luke cut in. "Anything you say about him, you say about me. An' then I'd have to bust your face, and I don't really wanna get my hands dirty." Bo laughed, eliciting a venomous glare from the gray-haired man.

"You're all nothing but a bunch of stupid hicks," Clayton snapped.

"Maybe, but we done outsmarted you." Bo propped an elbow on Luke's shoulder as he leaned on him. "You picked the wrong family to mess with."

"Go on, take him in the back," Paylor said, tipping his head toward the cell block. As Clayton was led away, the policeman turned his attention back to the Dukes. "I ran a check on both of you…your friend, also." His brow furrowed slightly. "You didn't mention you were on probation."

"Uh…" Bo looked at Luke, unsure of what to say.

"We didn't think it was important, considerin' the situation," Luke said cautiously. "You probably can guess we don't have no travel permits…"

Paylor hooked his thumbs in his belt. "I called your probation officer back in Hazzard. He said he was glad you were all right, but he told me I should arrest you anyway for breaking probation by leaving the county without a permit …Said you were 'troublemaking repeat offenders'."

Bo and Luke exchanged an alarmed glance, but Paylor continued: "But according to Uncle Sam, you've only got one charge against you: making and trafficking illegal whiskey…and according to your record, you've never violated the conditions of your probation. So I don't know what kind of trouble Commissioner Hogg thinks you're in back in Georgia, but under the circumstances, I'd say you two get a bye." He smiled wryly. "I told him to stick his charges where the sun don't shine."

Bo let out a relieved sigh. "Thanks a lot, Sarge. You give us half a minute someday and we'll tell you all about Commissioner Jefferson Davis Hogg."

"Well, listen, if he harasses you at all, you give me a call. I'll make sure he doesn't get you in any more trouble. You shouldn't need a permit to save someone's life."

Cooter laughed and shook his head. "Poor old Boss. He don't give up easy, does he?"

The front door opened and another officer poked his head inside. "I got the car all ready, sir."

"Good. Bo, Cooter, and Luke, I asked Mitchell over there to drive you back to Hazzard since Jud's going to Birmingham."

Luke frowned quizzically. "You're what?"

"I need to go back and straighten all this out," Jud explained. "Paylor already called 'em and told 'em I was coming. It'll look better if I go straight there of my own free will."

"I made sure an attorney would be there to meet him," Paylor explained. "Don't worry, boys. From all that's happened and what Hacker has told us, I don't think Jud will have any difficulty getting this erased from his record. He should be able to go home with you in a week or two."

Luke looked at his brother, his eyes holding the question that he was hesitant to ask.

Jud half-smiled and let out a little sigh. "I'll come visit as soon as I can, Luke, but…I'm not gonna stay. Hazzard's your home, but it's not mine. I know you wanted–"

"Jud, what I want is for you to be happy where you are. Like I told you last time: you gotta do what you gotta do. So go do it, and don't be a stranger."

Jud grinned. "You got it. And I promise, next time I come I won't get you in trouble." He stepped forward and hugged his brother goodbye.

"Well, come on, you Lost Sheep!" Cooter came up between Bo and Luke, putting a hand on each of their shoulders. "The big bad wolf is caught and y'all gotta get back to the barn."

Bo rolled his eyes as he allowed his friend to propel him forward. "Cooter, anybody ever tell you your metaphors stink?"

"Nope!"

"Well, they do."

"Bo, you know what a metaphor is?"

"Don't you start nothin' with me, Luke Duke. 'Cause you know I'll finish it."

Luke laughed aloud and draped his arm over his cousin's shoulders. "Whatever you say, Bo. Whatever you say."

-------------------------------------

The end is in sight! One more chapter left. It's short, and it's just a final wrap-up for the guys, so I'm hoping to post it within the next few days. (I've got to get Bo, Luke, and Cooter back to Hazzard somehow, right? Besides, Jesse and Daisy would never forgive me if they didn't get to reunite with their boys.) ;)

- F :)