"Well what about it, Hogg? Do I get the money or don't I?" Clint asked again, the gun still poised over Boss's head.
"Of course, of course! For heaven's sake there's no need to get physical about it." He confirmed, standing up and going to the small safe he had in that office. "Now turn around and don't you go listenin' for these little dial clicks, ya hear?"
"You're gonna hear some clicks of your own if you don't get that safe opened fast!" Clint replied.
Boss jumped and Rosco simply said 'Oooh' as Clint pointed the gun at them. Boss finally opened the safe, taking $3000.00 cash out and handing it over to Clint.
"Well, Hogg…." He began, flipping the bills with his thumb. "…… I've found a good place to hide the car. I'll let you know where it is tomorrow after I've counted the money……….and long gone out of this hick town."
"Tomorrow? Look I gave you your money. I need that car tonight."
"Yeah, you want me to leave here on foot so you can get every cop within a hundred mile radius out looking for me? I'm afraid your reputation far surpasses Hazzard, commissioner. I don't want to take my chances. You behave yourself real good and I'll give you a call tomorrow."
"Wait a minute now, you said something about the blond one-Bo Duke. Is he alright?" Boss asked.
Clint almost laughed. "Well look who's getting sentimental all of a sudden. Don't worry, nothing happened to him that he won't recover from. Now like I said, you two behave and you'll hear from me later."
Boss and Rosco had no choice but to allow Clint to leave as he still had his gun trained on them. Soon after they heard the General start up and screech out of town.
"What am I gonna tell Billy Kay?" Boss moaned.
"I don't know about that Boss, but the way you asked about Bo Duke, well that was kind of touching. It almost seemed like you cared about him in a way."
"When have I ever cared about a Duke?"
Rosco of course, had no idea that Boss had thought Bo was his son, until a long lost letter from Bo's mother recently surfaced, proving otherwise. It would take time to erase his though process concerning the younger Duke. Boss smirked and picked up the phone. "Mabel, get me Teddy over at the junkyard fast."
The scene switches to the junkyard where Teddy is tinkering with a car. He hears the phone ringing and goes to answer it. "J.D.'s Junkyard, this is Teddy."
"Teddy, this is J.D. Hogg. Look, I've had an emergency come up and you're gonna have to get a replica of the General put together for me post-haste."
"I bet them Dukes is real honored that you're so impressed with their car that you want one just like it." Teddy smiled.
"Teddy, you're not paid to bet, you're paid to work. What have you found lying around that trash heap so far?"
"Well you're not gonna believe it Boss, but a feller just come thru here drivin' a charger he's lookin' to get rid of. Only wanted a hundred dollars, too. Real good body on it, but it needs a lot of repairs."
Boss's needing a Charger in a big hurry and up drives a feller wanting to get rid of one. Don't you hate it when things just fall in place for the bad guys?
"Well that's perfect. Get it painted up and deliver it to me this evening."
"This evening? Boss, I'd barely have enough time to paint, let alone work on the engine any more."
"Well then, you're wastin' time on the phone with me that you could use painting. Didn't you say that feller drove the thing on the yard?"
"Well he did sputter in but I already got that kink worked out. I drove it around the yard once after I worked on it a little and it ran a lot faster but there's a lot of old parts under there that look like they could conk out any time."
"Look, long as it's runnin' enough to pass for awhile, that's all I'm worried about. Now you start that paintin' and have it to me at a quarter to six!"
"But Boss!"
"Make it 5:30!" Boss replied, hanging up.
"I'm gonna need some help." Teddy mumbled, picking up the phone again.
"Well, looks like the General's not in town. "Luke said, surveying the square as he circled it in Daisy's Jeep. The only place to even hide it around here would be in Cooter's garage, and he's still at the hospital with Jesse."
Which reminds me, if we don't high tail it back to the hospital with that shine, Uncle Jesse's gonna end up tanning our hinds soon as he's up to it."
"The shine!" Luke exclaimed in disbelief. "I's so worried about getting the General back that I forgot all about getting Jesse his shine."
"Well what are we going to do? We can't get into the house. Besides, if we don't find our car and get it to Boss he's liable to arrest us for breech of contract.."
Luke nodded at the post office. "Jesse brought a quart of shine to Miz Tizdale just last week. Somethin' about her knee actin' up on her. We can ask her if she's seen the General while we're in there."
Now as most of ya'll know, ole' Jesse hadn't made shine in a long time. After the boys got caught running shine a few years back, he promised the U.S. of A. government that he would never make anymore if they would pardon the boys for the crime. Jesse's moonshine was the next best thing to Doc Applebee's medicine. Sometimes even better, which is while he kept a modest stockpile of the last big batch he had made before the boys were caught- for medicinal purposes.
A few minutes later the boys entered the post office where Ms. Tizdale was busily sorting mail.
"Afternoon, Miz Tizdale." Luke began.
"Howdy." Bo added with a smile.
"Miz Tizdale, we gotta ask you somethin'." Luke said.
"Sorry boys…gotta take a number before I can help you." Ms. Tizdale instructed.
Luke, knowing this was common routine for the elderly postmistress, simply took one without argument.
"Number one." Ms. Tizdale announced. Luke then handed her the number.
"Why hi there Luke, Bo." She said, smiling. "What can I do for you boys today?"
"Well Miz Tizdale, we's wonderin if you might have seen our car in town." Bo inquired.
"Your car? You mean the General Lee?"
"Yeah."
She shook her head. "Sorry boys. I been workin in the back a lot today and ain't seen much of nothin' to tell you the truth. Somethin' wrong?"
Luke sighed. "Well sorta. General's just one of our problems, the other one's Jesse, which is why we came to see you."
"Why Luke, I'd be happy to do anything I could to help with your sweet Uncle Jesse." Ms. Tizdale replied, her eyes fluttering dreamily.
Bo grinned but managed to suppress his laugh.
"Do you still happen to have that shine Jesse brought you last week? We sort of got locked out of the house and promised to bring him some over at the Tri-County hospital."
"Jesse Duke's in the hospital?" Ms. Tizdale asked, crestfallen.
The boys took a few moments to fill Ms. Tizdale in on the events of their day. "And now we've got to go explain to Boss that we don't have the car anymore." Bo finished.
"Well boys, you're more than welcome to that shine. I just needed a few sips anyway. Better yet, why don't I go ahead and take it over to Jesse myself?"
"Well now, Miz. Tizdale, that would be great, but we don't want to put you out or anything. I mean it's still a few hours until the post office closes and…."
"Afternoon Miz Tizdale, Bo, Luke." Enos Strait said, opening the door with a big grin. "I heard Uncle Jesse made it through his operation okay, and I's real glad to hear about that."
"Enos." Ms. Tizdale said, stepping out from behind the counter. "You're gonna have to take over for me here today I've got to go over to the Tri-County hospital and nurse my one true love, Jesse Duke, back to health."
"Thanks a lot, Enos." Luke said, patting the deputy on the shoulder before he and Bo rushed out, followed by Ms. Tizdale who tossed her visor to Enos that she wore during her postmistress duties.
"Now hang on ya'll, wait a minute Miz Tizdale I can't work for you today I'm on duty!" Enos yelled out to the departing group.
"Make sure they take a number, Enos." Miz Tizdale replied as she put on her helmet and kicked her motorcycle into gear, speeding off into the direction of her house to pick up the shine.
Moments later, Bo and Luke pulled into a parking spot in front of the county jail, still laughing. They had decided that it would be best to report the General stolen and take their chances with Boss. "Luke, wouldn't you love to be in Uncle Jesse's room when that door opens and Emma Tizdale walks in?"
"Only as a fly on the wall. Maybe we should have thought that through better. The tanning we would have got for forgettin' the shine in the first place might have been a smidgin lighter than the one we're sure to get for sending her over there with it."
The whippin' them boys is expectin' from Jesse ain't nothing compared to the one they'd be giving to Boss right now if they knew that he was responsible for the mess they's in. Ya'll stick around.