As soon as Horace pulled the hose away, he heard a hissing sound. Replacing the flowers, he stood up and looked down at the plot. After a few moments, the hiss died away, leaving only the sounds of the creaking pines as they swayed in the breeze to keep him company.
"Rest in peace, Mr. Duke." Horace took off his hat and bowed to the plot before he made his way back to the red car that had carried him there.
"Honestly, Charlie." Horace said to himself as he replaced his hat and started the engine. "I don't know how such a thing could have happened." He grinned and jammed a lit cigar into his mouth before driving away.
XXXX
The next morning dawned just as perfect as the day before had been. As Luke Duke stretched to life, he felt the warm sun beat upon his face as the sound of chirping birds filled the air. It was only after he opened his eyes and remembered why he was in the backseat of Brent and Russell McCamey's car that he realized why the world looked very bleak despite the outward appearance. How he hated to have napped when Bo was in so much danger, but his body had rejected his commands to stay awake. After almost running off the road a couple of times on the ten mile trip back to Carly's place, Luke had no choice but to rest.
Luke sat up and took a few moments to awaken fully before he continued his mission. As he sat, he thought about the events of the evening before. Shortly before closing, he had returned to the bank to pick up the wire transfer from Billy Kay. On his way out, he had discreetly unbolted the door that led into the alley at the side. Although he had originally considered robbing the bank at gunpoint, he couldn't bring himself to risk frightening poor Iola to death. So it would be a matter of waiting.
Once he had picked up the money that was rightfully his, he went outside, pocketing the wad of fifties, hundreds and thousands before going over to the General and putting Jesse's gun in the backseat. There would be a hefty price to pay if Enos, Cletus, or Rosco came outside and caught him with it, robbery or no robbery.
Next he dug into the bag he had picked up from the store earlier in the day. Gone was Jesse's flour, leaving the only other item he had purchased: a black ski mask.
Luke was just trying it on when the McCamey brothers roared into town. As they screeched to a halt beside him, he jerked it off.
"Hey Luke!" Brent had called out. "How's it goin'?"
"Oh, okay Brent." Luke replied, hiding the ski mask behind his back.
"Little warm for the ski mask, isn't it?"
"Oh….yeah. Well, it was on sale over at the general store today. You know, the winter clearance and all. Thought it'd be good for huntin' at Christmas time."
"Yeah, well it's good to get that stuff on clearance if you can afford it." Brent replied as a new vehicle sped out of town. Russell, Brent, and Luke looked up to see that it was Cooter's tow truck.
"Great, there goes our last money making opportunity for today!" Russell frowned, banging the steering wheel.
"Money making opportunity?" Luke asked.
"Yeah." Brent replied. "Mortgage is due tomorrow and we're short $50.00. If we don't have it by noon, well, you know how Boss Hogg is. We's hoping we could help Cooter out next week and collect a little advance on that help today."
Luke grinned. "Boys, I'm about to offer you the easiest $50.00 you ever came by."
"Really?" Brent grinned, his smile disappearing just as suddenly as he held his hands up. "Oh no Luke! I heard Chris Thompkins say he's comin' out to your place today to stash his daddy's shine. Me and Russ here are on probation for transportin' that stuff, too. We ain't gonna move it for no amount of money!"
"Well Chris did ask us to stash it, but we didn't let him. No, what I want you to do is take the General on a spin for me."
Brent almost laughed. "You want to pay us $50.00 and all we have to do is drive your car? Why?"
"Well, it gets a bit more complicated than that. Number one: You don't drive away until I tell you. Number two: If Rosco, Enos or Cletus comes along, lose 'em. Number three: Don't let anybody see who you are. Number four: Don't ask any questions. And finally number five: Don't answer any questions!"
For a couple of poor boys from the country who were looking to make some easy money, those were easy rules to follow. "Sure thing, Luke." Brent replied, plucking the fifty out of Luke's hand.
And that's how it had happened. Luke had waited until the bank closed and Iola and Boss had gone home. Then he simply opened the side door. He had forgotten an important thing, though. An alarm was set up on that door as well. As the alarm began to ring, he ran to Boss's office to hastily bust out the frosted window to unlock the door. Because Boss had been in the middle of 'inventory' and with an alarm and locked doors offering him security, he had left the cash he was counting on the desk. Luke spent only a few precious seconds sweeping the piles into the restaurant box he had picked up before dashing outside once again, where he quickly discarded the mask and old sweatshirt he had found into the box before sneaking around the corner to give Brent the signal to floor it out of there in the General. Once a few seconds had creped by, enough time for Enos and Boss to arrive on the scene, Luke ran out and told Enos that the General had been stolen. It was convincing enough to get everyone on the General's trail, allowing Luke time to collect the money and stash the clothes as Cooter's before driving out of town in the McCamey's car.
Luke reached down into the backseat floorboard to pick up the box of money. He plucked the money from his pocket that Billy Kay had wired and added it to the box. It looked like more than Charlie and Horace had asked for, really, but Luke didn't care. If they got extra, maybe that would mean they would take Luke straight to Bo. That's what he hoped anyway.
As Luke climbed into the front seat and began to drive once again to Carly's farm, he thought about Bo. He and Bo were so close, they could almost feel what the other felt, even when they weren't together. Luke had spent the previous day anxious and afraid the whole time. He sensed that it was not only because it was his own feelings, but because they were Bo's as well. But something was different today, something strangely different. Although Luke still felt nervous and afraid for himself, he somehow felt Bo was calm……..relieved…….maybe even happy. But how? How could that possibly be?
XXX
"Well well well, who says you can't find good help these days?" Charlie sneered as Luke walked in with the box of cash. He placed it on the table in front of Charlie as Horace stood to the side, gun in hand.
"Excellent strategy, by the way." Charlie continued as he began to sort the money. "Having those boys drive away in your car like that, telling the police it had been stolen." Charlie laughed. "If you wasn't so ugly and I didn't hate you so much, I'd almost be tempted to make you part of our little gang here."
Luke wondered how he knew about all that but then remembered that the bug still hadn't been located. "Look, you got your money now tell me where my cousin is before he suffocates to death."
"Hold on now, hayseed. You did a good job for us, now surely we can afford a little extra oxygen whilst we take the time to count this money here. Horace, go grab our friend a beer, looks like his nerves are about shot."
"The only thing that's gonna calm my nerves is getting my cousin back safe and sound."
Horace laughed a knowing laugh in the corner but otherwise kept his mouth shut.
After two hours, Charlie finally completed the counting. "Well congratulations, hayseed……you're almost there."
"What?" Luke asked in a neutral tone.
"You've almost got enough money. You're just shy of three thousand dollars short."
"Three thousand dollars?" Luke asked.
"Oh don't worry, you still have one day to collect it."
"I don't believe it!" Luke slapped the table and stood up quickly. Both Charlie and Horace pulled guns on him, so he visibly relaxed his muscles. "You have fourty-seven thousand dollars, free and clear, and you're not going to let him go?"
"So sorry. Maybe you didn't understand. The deal was for fifty thousand dollars."
Luke started to speak when the gun coming up in front of his face quietened him. "You can argue all day, but we're not going to change our mind. Three thousand, plowboy. You've got twenty-four hours."
XXXX
"Uncle Jesse, we've been looking for him all morning, will you please eat something?"
"No Daisy." Jesse replied, pacing back and fourth in the kitchen. "I can't eat, I can't sleep, I can't do nothin' with myself till I find that boy and beat the truth outta him."
"Well Jesse, I don't know what's going on with Luke but we can't be sure he robbed that bank. Iola verified that he was there picking up some money from Billy Kay yesterday afternoon. I don't see what need he would have for more money."
"Yeah, but he's gone and he's somehow managed to get the McCamey boys to keep their traps shut, so I don't know what to think anymore!"
"Well Uncle Jesse." Cooter began. "I hate to even suggest it, but maybe it's time to call Bo, see if he's left Nashville yet. If anybody can get to the bottom of things as far as Luke's concerned, it'd be Bo."
"Yer right." Jesse replied. As he was going over to the phone, it rang. Jesse frowned.
"How do ya like that? We might use the phone once every two days and it rings right when ya……" He ended by picking up the receiver. "Who is it and whaddaya want?"
"Daisy…….Miss Daisy Duke. Please." The female voice said.
"She ain't here." Jesse replied, assuming it was a telemarketer.
"Is this her husband?" The lady asked.
"No this is her Uncle, and I ain't got time to talk. I've got to…."
"Please sir." The lady interrupted. "This is rather important."
"Well get on with what you think is important because I got matters to attend to that are." Jesse commanded, waiting for a sales pitch.
"Sir, my name is Carolie Simms with the Tennessee Highway Patrol. Does Ms. Duke drive a white Jeep with the word 'Dixie' inscribed on the sides?"
Jesse frowned. "Why yes ma'am. What of it?"
"Sir, your niece's vehicle has been discovered down an embankment of a rather secluded side road just south of the city of Monteagle, Tennessee. And…." She added. "It looks as if it's been there a couple of days."
"Bo." Jesse whispered as Daisy and Cooter came to the phone. "How's my nephew, is he okay?"
"Well that's a curiosity, sir. You see, no one was in the car."
Ya know, I feel sorry for ole' Jesse. I bet if given a choice, he'd rather be bailin' them boys outta jail on some bogus charge rather than tryin' to figure this mess out.