Disclaimer: Just a good ole' fanfic writer, never meanin' no harm...so don't sue.
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"You broke his nose?" Bo asked stupidly, staring at her. She was a mess -- the tussle had yanked hairs from her braid and sent them in multiple directions, There were marks on her neck that looked like they had come from someone's fingernails, and right in the middle of her forehead her skin was so red it looked almost sure to bruise. There were even a flew flecks of blood on her left cheek, and Bo went for his handkerchief in his pocket to wipe them away.
"Don't," she said, jerking her head away. She still clutched the CB in her fist, and there was a glazed look on her face, one of shock and anger and who knew what else. Her other hand gripped the collar of her shirt, which had been so wide open before Bo had seen her undergarments. He gave a quick glance at Luke, as if checking to make sure he hadn't seen it too. Although the way she'd climbed into the General, it was a near impossible bet that he hadn't.
Balladeer: You know, I feel sorry for her. No matter how nasty a girl can be she still doesn't deserve to be treated like that.
"Henri-Mae," Uncle Jesse said from the backseat, leaning forward. She seemed to hear him and winced as if he were some creature lurking upon her from behind. "Tell us what happened. Whose nose did you break? Who were you running from? Where's Agent Farrell?"
"Back there," she said her, voice strange and hollow. She didn't go on. Then the CB blurted to life in her hand and she jumped as if she'd forgotten about it.
"Deputy Locke?" came a female voice. "Are you there? This is Agent Stone, over."
Henri-Mae's eyes went down to the CB, staring at it as if it were poisonous. Then her thumb moved over the switch and she said in a controlled voice, "Yeah, I'm here."
"What happened to Agent Farrell, over?"
"Not sure," Henri-Mae said. "Listen, I also need Cooter down here. My bike won't start again, over." And with a flick of her thumb, she turned the radio off and set it back on its place on the dashboard.
Bo continued to stare at her. He'd seen her run from Agent Farrell. He'd seen the man with a bloodied face, but more than that he'd seen Henri-Mae's expression right before he'd grabbed her and spun her around.
He'd seen Henri-Mae look that angry before. In a barn one summer night, and she'd been mad at him.
"What did that guy do to you?" he asked, leaning down and speaking softly, yet firmly, right into her ear. Her eyes jerked to him, and for a moment, he was sure she was going to crack. Dissolve into tears right there, possibly in his arms. He knew if that happened, he would gather her up and hold her close, no matter what any member of his family might say.
Instead her lips parted to reveal that her teeth were pressed very hard together, her attempt to bottle her emotions inside. "When we get to the Sheriff's department," she said. "It's too ugly of a story to have to tell more than once."
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The Sheriff's office was nearly abandoned when they arrived. Only Rosco and Boss Hogg were there when Henri-Mae went inside, the Duke clan at her heels.
"What in tarnation is going on here?" Hogg demanded, and then he caught sight of his deputy. "Henri-Mae Locke, what the goodness gracious—you look like you've been attacked!"
Balladeer: Hmmm…Rosco's quick today.
"I have," she said, going over to her desk and sitting down. She proceeded to rife through her desk and didn't stop until she came up with a small pack of papers. "Rosco, take this. I need you to fill out an assault report."
"Well, what happened?" Rosco asked, looking down at the paperwork with distaste.
"That's what we've been waiting to hear," Daisy said, attempting to come forward and offer some womanly support.
Hogg's eyes went from Henri-Mae's state to Bo and back again. "Did these ruffians attack you? 'Cause I'll put them in jail faster than you can whistle Dixie—"
"No," Henri-Mae said, her voice a bit louder than necessary. "No," she said again, softer. "Not them. Agent Farrell."
There was a commotion outside. The doors swung open and Enos stood beside Agent Farrell, handkerchief soiled with blood but still pressed up against his nose. As if on cue, Bo nudged Luke and they turned, settling themselves between Henri-Mae and the Fed.
He didn't look happy.
"Depudy Logg, I'm shogged at your unprofethional behavior." At least, those were what his words translated into. With Farrell's broken nose, he was talking through a wad of cotton up each nostril.
Henri-Mae turned promptly to Rosco. She pointed at Farrell as she spoke. "He's the one who behaved unprofessionally," she said calmly. "He asked me to take him to the abandoned barn on Route 55—"
"The old Miller's place, yes, I know," Rosco said.
"And when we got there, he assaulted me in the barn. I'm not going to label his exact intentions at this time, but he grabbed me and threw me up against the wall. That's now I got these nail gouges and my shirt got ripped." She promptly let go of her collar, letting it fall open in front of God and everybody.
Rosco let out a squeak of embarrassment, but Hogg continued to stare at her, not ogling her but instead eying the actual damage. Enos as well kept his cool, although blushed a little and averted his eyes.
"I head-butted him," she said, pointing to the large red spot that was as bright at a stop sign by now just above the bridge of her nose. "That's how he got a broken nose. Then I headed for my bike but it didn't start, and he grabbed me and dragged me off it. I kicked him in the knee and managed to get some distance between us when the Dukes came around the corner and picked me up."
As if reluctant, Hogg turned to the Duke clan. "That true? You saw it?"
"We saw her kick him in the knee," Luke spoke up.
"I watched him chase her from the barn," Bo said.
"Yeah, he saw it first and told us to pull over," Luke agreed.
Farrell snorted and stepped up. "Oh, come on, you're not going to fall for her antics again, are you?" he said, standing beside Bo. "After what she did to you?"
Balladeer: That boy better watch his step or he's gonna get roughed up even more tonight.
"Mister, whatever history you're referring to between me and Henri-Mae, it ain't none of your business," Bo growled.
"Sure it is," Farrell said, and then turned to Hogg. "Your Lady Deputy there acted all promiscuous with me when we were in that barn, and the second I acted on it she freaked out. I was defending myself when she head-butted me."
"Then why'd you chase her out of the barn?" Luke asked, his voice tight.
"Like you've never lost your temper when a woman leads you on and then turns on you?" Farrell asked. "I was afraid she was going to call in to the Sheriff's office and try to say I'd raped her – which is exactly what she's doing now." He turned on Henri-Mae, righteous indignation oozing from him as he pointed at her. "You, Miss Tease, are trying to get me in trouble, just like your ex-boyfriend Bo Duke!"
Inadvertently, all eyes went to Henri-Mae. She stiffed like a corpse, horror washing over her features. Worst of it was the flush to her cheeks, the realization that she wasn't being believed, that this bastard had taken advantage of her and was going to get away with it.
She seethed at him, speechless.
Boss Hogg cleared his throat. "All right," he said, calm and nearly soothing to the sensitive situation.
Balladeer: You know, every now and again Boss reminds me of how he got himself the job of City Commissioner that him a Boss in the first place.
"Agent Farrell, I'll cover any medical expenses, go and see Doc Higgins. Henri-Mae, I want to speak to you privately in my office. Rosco, go ahead and put those papers away."
That seemed to make her snap. "Boss, what--?" she started, her voice elevated to a nearly screechy state.
"Nobody is pressing any charges," Hogg said. "It's your word against his."
Balladeer: I spoke too soon.
Even she couldn't believe the next words that came out of her mouth. "But the Dukes saw it!"
Farrell chuckled nastily. "Please, Henri-Mae. After the job you pulled on Bo Duke, do you think even they believe you? What they saw was me trying to defend myself. This is what happens when you cry wolf one to many times -- or in your case, cry rape."
Bo saw it. Henri-Mae's fist had bunched, and she was cocking back her arm. He was going to reach forward, to stop her, but Boss' voice thundered over her, freezing her.
"Henri-Mae! My office, now!"
She turned and stormed over to his office, and Bo saw those first tears of pure rage begin to slide down her cheeks as she disappeared.
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"I can't believe you don't believe me," Henri-Mae said, sitting on the couch, hands pressed against her cheeks. She was doing everything she could to keep her tears from streaming and it wasn't working. Boss looked down at her, a bit coldly.
"Henri-Mae, you should know better," he said. "Of all people, you know no one's going to believe you."
She glared up at him. "Not even you? All the times you've lied, and how mad you get when you're telling the truth and no one believes you? You of all people should—"
"I, of all people," Boss said, emphasizing his words in his strange Southern drawl, "know a shuck and jive when I see it."
This froze her. "What…you mean you really think…I'm lying?"
"Don't see any other way around it," Boss said with a shrug. "Come on, girlie, you know that's your angle. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me."
Slowly, Henri-Mae stood. She stared at him like a wounded puppy. She simply couldn't believe this. She wished, for a half-second, that Rosco had pulled her aside instead – he would never have belittled her like this.
Boss gave her a stern look, undaunted by her display of outrage. "Now," he said, "the reason I called you in here was for the sake of not embarrassing you in front of the Dukes, but I'm only going to say this nicely once. Drop it." His tone booked no argument. "Understand?"
She nodded, numb. Then she slowly crossed the room and went out the back door.
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There was no way she could set foot in the main office, not and see Danny's gloating face, see the pity in Bo's eyes, or worse, the righteousness there, of knowing she'd gotten a taste of her own medicine.
The shame was too much to bear. Like a whipped pup, she crawled back to the boarding house to lick her wounds and indulge in a good bout of self-pity. She was into it for a good hour or so when there was a knock at the door.
She didn't ask who it was. She had locked the door, even pulled the chain to keep anyone from getting in with the master key.
"Henri-Mae?" came the voice of Gabrielle Stone. "I know you're in there. I can hear you breathing."
The woman pressed her face deeper into her pillow. She had taken off her clothes and promptly scaled herself with a very hot shower, possibly using up all the building had to offer. Wrapped in a pale blue robe, her skin seemed even more lobster red.
"Come on, Henri-Mae, I'm not the enemy," Gabrielle pleaded. "Please let me in?"
"Why?" Henri-Mae asked, then disbelieved that she'd even spoken.
"Because I believe you. Come on, open the door."
With a heavy sigh, Henri-Mae slowly pulled herself to her feet. She pulled back the chain and undid the lock, but she didn't pull the door open. Instead she went back to her fetal position on her bed.
Gabrielle came in and closed and locked the door behind her. She was dressed in street clothes, the suit gone and replaced by a pair of jeans and a T-shirt that read, "Warning: Has an attitude and knows how to use it." "How are you?" she asked.
Henri-Mae just looked at her.
Gabrielle cocked her head to one side and then perched herself on the room's only chair, by the single writing desk. "Look, if it's any consolation, I went to Boss Hogg and told him that Agent Farrell is prone to this kind of behavior, and that more than likely you were telling the truth."
"He didn't believe you," Henri-Mae said, flatly, "because you didn't see it."
"Yeah, that's what he said. He said you can't judge a man by his reputation. I said then how does that explain your attitude toward the Dukes? He flustered a bit and then ushered me out."
In spite of herself, Henri-Mae cracked a grin. "Sounds like Boss," she said.
Gabrielle nodded. "Look, something tells me that this isn't like you, to take a smear like this lying down."
Henri-Mae chuckled. "Normally, you're right. But I can't skip town this time because my bike is in the shop."
"About that," Gabrielle said. "I was at Cooter's Garage. That's where I heard the story. It was the Duke boys that told me your side of things, by the way."
Henri-Mae didn't reply.
Gabrielle went on. "Cooter says your bike is fine. He doesn't understand why it wasn't running before. Which is what tipped me off."
"Tipped you off to what?" Henri-Mae asked, interested in spite of herself.
"Look," Gabrielle said slowly, standing up and entwining her fingers together, a touch nervously. "I'm going to come clean with you, okay? I'm going to tell you what Farrell and I are really doing here in Hazzard. Are you willing to listen? Do you want to get some payback for what Farrell did to you?" She leaned in a little closer. "What he would have done to you if the Duke boys hadn't come along?"
The other looked at her, unsure. "You're saying you believe me?"
"I'm saying that he did something to your bike so it wouldn't start," Gabrielle said, her tone grim. "Don't ask me how I know, but I do. Took off a distributor cap or something, I don't know, do bikes have distributor caps?"
Henri-Mae just looked at her.
"Regardless," Gabrielle went on, "if the Duke boys hadn't come along when they did, you might have really gotten hurt. Worse than now, and he wouldn't have been any sorrier for it then, either. Would have made up a worse story, believe me. Trust me, that boy needs to be put in his place."
Henri-Mae sat up. "You're going to help me get even against your own partner?"
"Farrell isn't my partner," Gabrielle said, pulling the chair closer to the bed and speaking in more hushed tones. "I was assigned to him temporarily, because we think he's got some very shady dealings going on. Normally I work with another man, but for this job I had to go it alone, gain Farrell's trust."
"That man trusts people?" Henri-Mae snorted.
"Nope," Gabrielle said. "Nearly every other sentence he's spoken to me has been a lie. I'm very good at detecting lies – I'm often called the Human Lie Detector." She paused, flipping a random curl back over her shoulder. "I brought him here because of Boss Hogg's reputation for corruption. I figured you put two magnets together, they're sure to attract. And I've been attempting to overturn every rock I can around here. First I went to the Duke boys and played off this big story about how I was investigating Boss Hogg. I even asked them about you – mentioned your criminal record." She shrugged at Henri-Mae's sudden scowl. "Hey, I was playing all the bases, what can I say? I wasn't sure if Farrell was going to go for Hogg or for you, but either way I wanted those boys' eyes open."
"So why are you telling me this?" Henri-Mae asked, her voice bitter. "Sounds to me like you're just wanting to use me like a pawn. Like all of this is some kind of game."
"This isn't a game, Henri-Mae, it's an operation. And I'm telling you because you are the one who has a reason now to get back at Danny Farrell," Gabrielle said simply. "I figured you for a person who couldn't resist a chance for some payback. You can call that using you, sure, but I'm wiling to pay for your services."
Henri-Mae's expression collapsed into a frown of puzzlement. "Excuse me?"
"You did a lot of damage to Danny boy, and that's good," Gabrielle said, "but it was inefficient. And I'll bet you hurt your head like hell when you butted him." Her eyes drifted up to the bruise that was forming. "Am I right?"
Reluctantly, Henri-Mae nodded.
"And the secret is to hurt them, and not let it show. You've got a lot of potential…I'd like to teach you a few things."
"You mean hand to hand?" Henri-Mae asked.
"I've got multiple belts in various disciplines," Gabrielle said, not a touch of haughtiness in her voice. Just matter of fact. "I'll teach you whatever you want to know."
Henri-Mae considered. "Well, it beats sulking around here," she said.
"I thought it might," Gabrielle said with a wink.
Henri-Mae considered it. The woman had balls, to come clean with her like this. "All right," she said. "What have I got to lose?"