– Chapter Five –

"Investigators and Impostors"

Folks, there's but one man who wears a badge that can make Bo and Luke Duke nervous, and that man is Colonel Cassius B. Claibourne. Claibourne is the Commissioner of Osage County, and is one of the most dangerous and most feared men in Georgia. He's the fella that put ol' Bo and Luke in a chain gang and tried to sentence them to two years hard labor in his rough Osage Road Prison, and the boys had one heck of a hard time gettin' outta there. I sure hope this ain't more than a coincidence.

"Detective Miles," Luke said slowly, "I think you'd better start explaining. Now."

"The state has been keeping an eye on Commissioner Claibourne for several years," Miles said. "He's known to have his hand in some pretty shady deals. Some of it is the usual corruption we see from time to time: misuse of county funds, the odd moonshine racket, tie-ins with illegal gambling rings…all allegations of course, nothing proven," he added cynically, "but he's had some more serious offenses in the past that we haven't been able to prove, particularly where the Osage Road Prison is concerned.

"There have been complaints for years from families saying their relatives have been unjustly imprisoned and treated poorly—even to the point of neglect and abuse—while serving out their sentences, but we could never manage to get enough hard evidence together to start an inquiry…up until about three months ago, that is. We aren't sure what happened, but there was a major breakout of the Osage Road Prison. You probably read about it in the papers."

"Um…yeah…yeah, we did," Bo said guardedly, giving Luke a sidelong glance. They knew exactly what Miles was talking about, and the more they heard, the more uneasy they felt. But the investigator didn't catch the look they gave each other, so he just kept talking.

"Claibourne's whole system got completely shot to hell as a result of the breakout and the state came down on him like a ton of bricks. He's still been running Osage County and he's still got his prison, but he may not be for too much longer. We've been gathering evidence and contacting witnesses to see if we can put him on trial. We've got a stack of charges against him, running the gamut from embezzlement to wrongful death—possibly murder, depending on what we find out about that prison. He had a pack of hounds there that he'd set after anyone who escaped. Not too many tried it, but those that got away, well…none of them got far."

Except for us, Luke thought. And even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer, he asked, "So what do you need to talk to us for?"

"Well, both of you are on the list of people associated with the Osage Road Prison around that time. I'll admit I don't know how you're connected…our sources aren't very clear on that point, and Claibourne has given us a nasty time about getting our hands on his official records. All I have is a list of names and a prayer that someone can tell me what happened three months ago."

"I can tell you what happened to Osage Prison," Bo said. "We happened."

"Beg pardon?"

"Me and Luke. Claibourne set a trap for us and had us arrested on false charges. He sentenced us to two years hard labor on the Osage road gang. We wound up stayin' in that prison for almost two weeks before we busted outta there." A faint smile touched his face as he remembered. "We took everyone with us. Most of those guys had to go back to prison, but some were let go 'cause they got tossed in there for the same reason we did."

"That explains it," Miles said with growing understanding. "You were the catalyst that set off this whole investigation. That's why Cole was pushed in front of your car. They had to kill him beforehand just in case the accident didn't finish him off, but—" He broke off and looked at Bo and Luke in sudden concern.

"This isn't over," he said seriously. "If Claibourne really is behind this—and I'll wager he is—you boys have got bull's-eyes on your backs. Cole isn't the first witness we've lost over the past few months. He's the only one that's been killed, but the others…they all refused flat out or said they would but found some excuse to back out later, and we think it's because Claibourne threatened them, even though we can't prove it. He may be in trouble, but he's still a powerful man and a lot of people are afraid of him. Cole was the first who didn't back down."

"And you think we're next," Bo finished. He rubbed a hand over his face and tipped his chair back on two legs. "But why make it look like we killed Cole? I hate to say it, but Claibourne's real good at covering his tracks. He don't need to make up something like this."

"No, he don't have to," Luke said grimly. "But he wanted to. Think about it, Bo…a man like Claibourne is just plain nasty. If he hates someone bad enough, he won't just kill 'em. He'll try to knock 'em as low as he can before he does it."

Miles nodded. "I think you're right, Mr. Duke."

Bo made a face. "Enough with the 'mister'. He's Luke, and I'm Bo."

The investigator smiled. "All right, Bo. Now, listen…until further notice, I want you two to keep a sharp eye out. You could be in serious danger—although Claibourne unwittingly helped you by what he did."

"How?"

Miles shrugged regretfully. "Cole's death. If he hadn't tried to pin it on you, I wouldn't have had a reason to come to Hazzard for another week. You'd have no way of knowing he was coming after you…by then, it might have been too late."

"I'll be ding-danged," Bo said. He dropped his chair back onto four legs and there was a short pause. "Luke, I just thought of something," he said suddenly. "Who else do we know in Hazzard that's got a beef with Claibourne?"

Luke sat up straight as he realized what Bo was getting at. "Boss Hogg."

"Bet your boots. Rosco, too," Bo added. He turned to Miles with a worried frown. "Them two was in Osage prison the same time as Luke and me. Claibourne used us as bait to lure Boss and Rosco into Osage County, and once he arrested 'em, he tried to force Boss to sign over all his business in Hazzard."

"I didn't know that," Miles replied. "I should get back to town and talk to Commissioner Hogg to let him know what's going on. Sheriff Coltrane, as well." He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Listen, we've been watching Claibourne pretty carefully, keeping him under surveillance, and we have no idea how he managed to get his hands on Cole. You should probably have the sheriff or his deputy watch your house until this blows over."

Bo snorted. "They watch it all the time and it don't do any good. A herd of elephants could get past 'em and they wouldn't notice. Me and Luke are used to watchin' our backs. We'll be all right."

"All right, but don't hesitate to call me if you need help. I mean it, now. No taking chances." The detective pulled two business cards out of his wallet and handed one to each cousin.

"Hey, what about what happened yesterday? Are you gonna get those charges against Bo dropped?" Luke asked.

Miles nodded. "We will, but not just yet. If we clear him now, Claibourne will know we're onto him. But trust me, I'll do my best to keep this quiet and as soon as possible, we'll publicly drop the charges and clear his record."

"Boy, I'm glad to hear that," Bo said in relief. "Hey, is there any chance we can get the General back?"

"The what?"

"Our car," Bo explained. "It's still impounded. Y'all don't need it any more, do ya?"

"No, we're through with it. Why don't you come with me into town? I'm going that way to talk to Commissioner Hogg…we'll kill two birds with one stone."

"Sounds good to me," Luke agreed. "Let's go, Bo."

So the Dukes tagged along with Detective Miles to warn Boss and Rosco and to get the General outta impound. Boss weren't too keen on givin' the car back, but after he heard about Claibourne, well, he decided he had bigger fish to fry and he didn't argue too long.

Miles told the boys he'd be in touch, and then he went back to his office in Colonial City while Bo an' Luke took the General over to the Tompkins farm so they could finally get to fixin' the roof. Luke was kinda hopin' Bo might drive, seein' as he was lookin' a lot better than he was a few hours ago…but Bo didn't want to. So Luke drove instead…and if he was worried 'bout that, he didn't say so.

Bo and Luke were able to make good progress on the Tompkins' roof. Phil grumbled a bit, feeling useless with his broken leg, but he was glad to see them and spent most of the afternoon sitting outside in a lawn chair, chatting with them as they worked on top of the house. Kelly handed them an envelope with a few bills in it as they left, as well as a plate of brownies, which the boys were much more excited about. Jesse and Daisy were both home when they arrived, and as the family sat down to dinner, Bo and Luke told them what had happened that day.

Jesse shook his head, stunned. "I can't believe it," he said. "I knew Cassius was a twisted ol' polecat, but I never thought he'd be capable of somethin' like this."

"Uncle Jesse, what's important is that he did it and Bo's innocent," Daisy said, reaching for her cousin's hand to give it a squeeze. She was just as disturbed as her uncle to hear the news, but the change she saw in both her cousins since the day before was enough to make her heart feel light. Yesterday, Bo had been shaken, frightened, and guilt-stricken, and even though he'd tried to hide it, Luke hadn't been much better off.

Bo still seemed a little subdued today, but he had been talking and laughing with Luke as they arrived home. The awful haunted look was gone from his eyes—and Luke was smiling more easily now, too. It was still an alarming set of circumstances, but now that her cousins were going to be all right, Daisy couldn't make herself feel afraid.

"You're right, Daisy," Jesse said. "I just can't stand the thought that he'd be after those two, especially after all the trouble he caused last time!"

"I wonder if he's ever even realized that none of that woulda happened if he had just left us alone," Bo said.

"I doubt it," Luke said, shaking his head. "A man like that don't ever think anything's his fault." He glanced over at Fender, who was watching hopefully for someone to spill something on the floor so he could get at it. "I'm just glad we've got the fuzzball to sleep in our room. He's a better guard than Enos or Rosco ever could be."

xxxxx

The next day, Bo and Luke were up and dressed early. They surprised Daisy by beating her into the kitchen, and she told them as much.

"Well, we got a lot to do today," Bo said, munching on the last of his toast. "Uncle Jesse needs our help this afternoon, and this morning we gotta finish up at the Tompkins' place."

"Y'all are goin' back there again?" Daisy asked. "I thought you finished yesterday."

Luke shook his head. "Not quite. We still got a little left to do. Their roof was in worse shape than they thought. We had to replace most of one side of the house, not just the damaged part."

"Well, since you're goin' out…" Daisy reached over to her purse and pulled out a folded slip of paper. "You fellas mind pickin' up a few things in town for me? I'm off today and I'd just as soon not run all over the place if I don't have to."

"I swear, you just look for ways to get us to go shopping," Bo complained good-naturedly. He plucked the list from her hand and skimmed over it. "Laundry soap, coffee, potatoes…" He wrinkled his nose. "More potatoes?"

"Yeah, I'm running out. What's wrong with 'em?" Daisy asked.

"Ain't we been eating 'em a lot lately?"

She shrugged. "They've been on sale. Besides, I thought you liked potatoes."

He paused and shrugged reluctantly. "Well…yeah, but…"

"Then quit complaining, you feather-head!" Daisy said with a laugh, mussing his hair. "Unless you want to start doin' the cooking around here."

"Daisy, you got no idea what you're suggesting," Luke warned.

Bo scowled at him. "You're real funny, Luke."

"Yep, I know. Now will you hurry up? The sun ain't gonna stand still, ya know."

"I'm comin', I'm comin'!" Bo hopped up from the table and plunked his dirty dishes in the sink, chasing after his cousin. He dodged around Fender and slipped out the door, shutting it in his face to keep the dog from running after him. "Sorry, Fender! Bye, Daisy!" he called back. He slid into the passenger side of the General as Luke started the engine, waving goodbye as they peeled out and headed for the Tompkins' farm.

Daisy waved back. She looked down as she heard Fender heave a heartfelt sigh, gazing out the screen door at the disappearing car. "Those cats sure are a whole bundle of furry problems, aren't they?" she sympathized. He just snorted and sat down, staring stubbornly out the door. She smiled fondly and bent to tousle his ears. "Aww, cheer up, Fender! You know they'll be back before you know it!"

Fender gave her a doubtful look before lying down in the doorway, giving another resigned sigh as he settled in to wait. Daisy laughed to herself and shook her head. Her Lost Sheep cousins had sure found the right lost dog to fit in with their family. She ate quickly and cleaned up the kitchen before she started on her chores.

A few hours later found Daisy in the middle of gathering up the week's laundry from around the house. She pushed open the bathroom door and rolled her eyes when she saw the discarded wet towel lying in the middle of the floor. It had to be Bo's, she knew…Jesse always put everything back where he got it, and leaving towels lying around was just not something an ex-Marine did. She scooped it up and added it to her laundry basket, only to be interrupted by the jangle of the phone. She hurried to the front of the house to answer it.

"Duke residence, Daisy speaking." She shifted her weight and propped the laundry basket against her left hip.

"Hello, Miss Duke. This is Detective Miles from the state police…I met with Bo and Luke the other day."

"Oh, sure! They mentioned you…I'm real grateful that you came to talk to 'em, Mr. Miles. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I'd like to talk to the boys again if I could. Are they around?"

"Sorry, they ain't here right now. They've been gone all morning."

"Do you know where they are?"

"Last I heard, they were goin' out to the Tompkins farm to help put a roof on their house. I guess they're still there."

"Well, that's all right. They can finish what they're doing, but when they get home, could you ask them to meet me at the Boar's Nest? It's important."

"I can do you one better. Hold on just a sec." Daisy put down the phone and her laundry, heading for the CB in the kitchen. "This here's Bo Peep callin' the Lost Sheep—you got your ears on, fellas?"

Up on the Tompkins' roof, Bo and Luke heard the CB call and looked down at the General. "I'll get it," Bo offered. He put down his hammer and slid down the ladder, jogging over to the car to scoop up the mike.

"Hey, Daisy! What's up?"

"I got Detective Miles here on the phone. He wants y'all to meet him at the Boar's Nest when you get the chance—says he's gotta talk to you."

Bo looked up to where Luke was sitting on the shingles. "Did you hear that, Luke?"

"Yeah." Luke glanced critically at the roof. "We should be done here in another twenty minutes or so. Have her tell him we can be at the Boar's Nest in under an hour."

"That's if we don't run into Rosco on the way," Bo said, rolling his eyes.

Daisy listened for Bo's response, and once she heard back from him, she picked up the phone again to relay the message. "Mr. Miles? Bo and Luke are almost done out at the farm. They said they can meet you in less than an hour."

"Thanks a lot, Miss Duke, I appreciate it. You take care, now."

"You too. Bye!"

Bo and Luke hurried to finish the roofing job, wanting to meet with Miles as soon as they could. Once again, they accepted a small envelope and a large paper bag filled with cookies from Kelly Tompkins. They waved goodbye to Phil and headed for the General.

"Well, looks like we'll get there right on time," Luke said. He was walking just a little behind Bo, rummaging in the bag for a cookie.

Bo grinned. "No kidding! Just in time to grab lunch and a beer before we meet up with Uncle Jesse."

"And pick up that stuff Daisy wanted," Luke reminded him.

Bo rolled his eyes. "Right. I forgot about that."

"You still got the list with you?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's right here." He patted his pocket with his hand, but the smile on his face turned thoughtful as he felt his keys inside next to the folded paper. He slowed down a little as he approached the General and stood still for a few seconds, looking at the car. For a moment, Luke thought he was going to step around to the passenger side again—but he gave himself a little shake and turned around, reaching into the bag Luke held to pull out a handful of cookies.

"Y'know, Luke, I think I'll be drivin' us to the Boar's Nest," he said with a smile.

Luke laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. "Atta boy! Come on, let's burn rubber!"

xxxxx

The teapot was just starting to boil when the car pulled into the drive. The laundry was done, the house was picked up, and Daisy was taking a break, thoroughly engrossed in the book she was reading. She didn't hear the car pull up or the thud as the door slammed closed, so when the brisk knock on the screen door came, she looked up with a little gasp and a start.

"Sorry, miss, I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, that's all right. Come on in, it's open!"

The door swung open and a dark-haired man in his early thirties stepped inside. Daisy tipped her head inquisitively at the handsome newcomer and asked, "You lookin' for someone?"

"Yes, Bo and Luke Duke. My name is Nate Miles. I'm the investigator that met with them yesterday. Are they here?"

"Oh, so you're the one that called!" Daisy smiled and put down her book, crossing the room to shake the man's hand. "Well, it's nice to see a face to go with the voice. The boys still ain't home, though. Didn't they find you all right this afternoon?"

Miles looked vaguely puzzled. "Well, I need to talk to them. Were they trying to reach me earlier?"

Daisy looked at the stranger in surprise. "You ain't seen 'em today?"

"No, I've been over at my office in Colonial City."

A tiny alarm began ringing at the back of Daisy's mind. She eyed the visitor cautiously and took a small step backwards. "You got any identification I could look at?"

Miles was obviously caught off guard by the unexpected question, but he complied. "Sure…here." He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and handed it to her. Daisy's heart started to beat a little faster. The driver's license and badge were the real things all right, and the business cards matched the ones she had seen her cousins with the day before.

"You—you didn't call and tell me to have the boys meet you at the Boar's Nest earlier today?" she asked, trying to keep the sudden edge of fear out of her voice.

Miles shook his head, beginning to look worried. "No, I didn't. What's this all about?"

The tiny alarm became a clanging gong. "Well…someone called earlier and had me tell Bo and Luke to meet him at the Boar's Nest. He said he was you!"

The detective's mouth drew into a thin line. "How long ago was that?"

"Couldn't have been no later than eleven o'clock." Daisy pushed past Miles and grabbed for the CB. "This is Bo Peep callin' her sheep. Bo and Luke, you read me?...Bo and Luke, please come back!"

Silence.

Miles' face was hard and grim. "I don't like this."

Daisy gave the detective a fearful look. "You don't think—"

"Unfortunately, I do. That's what I needed to talk to the boys about…I wanted to warn them. We've lost track of Claibourne."

Boy, I sure ain't happy to hear that. Cassius Claibourne is like a mad hornet: you really don't want him around, but if he is around, you at least wanna know where he is so you don't get stung. This is bad news, y'all.