Chapter 7: Waiting Is The Worst

Now, it was true that Bo Duke could sleep through just about anything, including that tornado. But for once, that afternoon, he woke up suddenly out of a sound sleep, feeling like something was wrong. He opened his blue eyes just long enough to see three strangers standing over him, before a rag soaked in ethanol pressed over his mouth and nose, and everything went black again.

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Luke grabbed the mike from Daisy. "What! What happened!"

"I don't know! I was working out in the barn, and he was sleeping on the couch, and I come back in to start supper, and he's gone! The General's still out front, and he's not anywhere in the house or the barn," Jesse explained.

"We'll be there as fast as we can, Uncle Jesse," Luke promised. He hung up the mike and climbed into the driver's seat of Daisy's jeep. "Thanks, Cooter. I owe ya one."

The mechanic stepped back out of the way as the jeep tore out of the garage, slinging dust in the air as Luke and Daisy raced for home.

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Uncle Jesse was waiting on the front porch when Luke pulled up behind the General in the front drive. Luke didn't even stop to say hello as he vaulted past his uncle into the house, calling Bo's name. Daisy hugged Jesse, and as they stood on the porch, they could hear Luke searching through the house. The back door screen opened and slammed shut, and the chickens clucked in alarm as he dashed around them. A few minutes later, he walked out from the back of the farmhouse, dejected.

"He's not here," Luke confirmed, slumping to sit on the porch steps. Daisy sat down behind him, putting her arms around his neck by way of comfort.

"I searched the house, the barn, the yard twice over before I called you," Jesse said softly, "and again before you got here. I just don't know what could have happened to him. I was working in the barn. I checked maybe two hours ago, and he was asleep, so I went back to work. I didn't hear any cars drive up, or people, or anything. It's been quiet all day."

Luke felt angry and guilty - angry at himself, and guilty for leaving the farm when he should have stayed.

"Luke, why don't you tell Uncle Jesse what you heard in town?" Daisy suggested quietly, rubbing his tense shoulder.

"We got Dixie from the lake and towed her in town, and these women…these women in the park…" His voice cracked, and he took a deep, ragged breath before continuing. "Miss Martin and Miss Daniels were in the park, and they said they saw those men stealing tires from Cooter's garage, except they said me and Bo sent them in there, and the men have our names, our descriptions, and Daisy's registration, which means they have our address, and…" he paused his rambling explanation for another deep breath, "And the ladies said they left there about…an hour and a half ago, now."

"Which is enough time for them to fix up their cars, drive out this way, sneak onto the farm, and kidnap Bo while I was busy in the barn," Jesse said what all three were thinking. "Daisy, why don't you go call Enos, and let him know what's happened." When Daisy got up and went inside, Jesse took a seat next to his nephew and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Luke, they wouldn't have bothered to kidnap him if they were gonna kill him. They'll contact us, and when they do, that's when we act. He'll be alright, you'll see," Jesse said reassuringly, trying to convince himself at the same time. "He's a Duke."

Luke didn't reply, only leaned into Jesse's strong arms and shut his eyes, refusing to let the hot tears in his eyes spill over.

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Bo woke up with a pounding headache. Bright afternoon sunlight shone down on his face, but when he tried to lift his good hand to block the sharp rays, he found his hands were handcuffed together, and he couldn't move the one without aggravating his shoulder.

"I think he's awake, sir." A male voice spoke from nearby.

Bo looked around from the flat of his back. It felt like he lay on hard wooden planks, with a blanket underneath him as a thin cushion. He found another blanket covered him. He stared up at open rafters that seemed familiar, the roof broken and cracked in places to let in the sunlight. The smell of dust and old hay was strong in the air, but not thick - air circulated with a strong draft all around him. The voice and footsteps were behind him, beyond his field of vision. He groaned.

"I think you're right," said a second voice.

Two pairs of footsteps approached his right side, and he looked up to see two strangers standing over him. He squinted up at them. They wore dark clothes and carried handguns in shoulder holsters.

"How do you feel, Mr. Duke?" the first man asked. He was short and stocky, with short brown hair and a neat moustache.

"What do you want with me?" Bo asked in a raspy voice.

"Why, we want nothing at all from you, Mr. Duke," the second man answered. "We simply want you…out of the way."

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Dinner was a miserable affair on the Duke farm. Cooter and Enos showed up to share strategy and support the two cousins and their uncle, but even Cooter's cheerfulness wore down when they couldn't find so much as a track leading away from the farmhouse that would offer them a clue. Daisy determinedly whipped up a meal of chicken and dumplings, but there was little appetite in the five stomachs at the table. All of them kept glancing at the sixth empty chair. They hadn't received a phone call or found any notes, and were worn to the bone with waiting.

Enos broke the silence. "I, ah, I found out a bit about the folks that was…the two…" he faltered, but everyone knew his meaning. "They found 'em just after you left, and I saw them when they brought the b…when they brought them on shore." He paused, unsure. He didn't like to think that the same could happen to Bo.

"Go on," Jesse urged.

"I didn't see the faces, but I saw the clothes…a man and a woman. I think…I remember seeing on the news last week, that senator from Virginia who disappeared, and his wife? I think…I think that's who it was," he finished, poking at his chicken with his fork. "Those FBI agents left, then, and that was it. They didn't say anything to me, nothing at all." It was the first time Daisy had heard Enos sound angry.

"A senator…" Jesse repeated, almost to himself.

After a moment's silence, Luke set down his fork on his untouched food and pushed back his chair.

"Luke, you sit down and eat your dinner," Jesse ordered, hoping to keep some semblance of order in the home.

Luke silently ignored him and strode out the front door, letting the screen swing shut behind him. A moment later they heard him sit on the steps, looking out at the long rays of the setting sun.

"I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse," Enos began to apologize, but Jesse hushed him.

"It's not your fault, Enos." He didn't even chide the deputy for calling him 'uncle'.

Cooter looked up at the Duke patriarch with sad eyes. "We'll stay with you an' Daisy an' Luke, Uncle Jesse, me an' Enos will, until we find Bo." He spoke with surety, not allowing for any other conclusion but a happy ending in his words.

"Thank you, Cooter. I'm glad to have you here."

Well, one thing's for sure - you sure know who your friends are when trouble comes a-knockin'. Y'all stick around, now.