"Hello? Hello?" Jesse asked into the phone. "Mabel, I know you's listenin'. Where'd that call come from?"

"I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse, but that was a direct dial. I didn't have anything to do with the connection." Mabel replied.

Without responding, Jesse hung up and looked at Luke. "I ain't sure I like this."

"Well what did he say?" Luke asked.

"He said he'd bring Bo home on his way to pick up some supplies from the Hazzard Hardware Store. Only problem is, he didn't say when that'd be."

Luke spent a few minutes thinking on the situation. "Well, I ain't comfortable with him bein' away from home any longer than he has to. Not since I noticed he left his inhaler behind yesterday. Maybe I oughta go over there and see if I can find him."

"I'm all for huntin' Bo at this point, but you can't go to Chicasaw. Not without breakin' probation."

"I know, but I'll be careful. Even if I's caught I'm sure Boss would be alright with it, long as he understood why I's there."

"Ya can't never tell with J.D. No, I'll go. You can help out by goin' over to the hardware store in town and see if Elmer might can tell you where this Mr. Krandall lives. Most everybody that shops there has a store account."

Luke would have much rather gone to Chicasaw but could understand Jesse's reasoning. "Sounds like a plan." He nodded.

"I volunteer to ride shotgun." Cooter added, pointing at Jesse.

"Ya sure yer up to it?" Jesse asked.

"I'll be fine long as ya don't ride down no roads with a sharp drop and no guardrails." Cooter assured him.

"Well I guess that leaves me to warm the passenger seat of Dixie." Daisy announced, circling her arm around Luke's waist.

"Well let's go then!" Jesse said, leading the group out the kitchen door.

XXXX

"Hey there Elmer!"

"Well if it isn't the lovely Daisy Duke." Elmer replied, kissing her hand and offering her a mischievous smile. He was still a flirt even in his early seventies.

Don't reckon ya'll know of anybody else that'll more than likely turn out that way someday, do ya?

"Elmer, you make my heart melt every time." Daisy replied with a giggle. "I wonder what your wife would say if she could see us now."

"Don't reckon there's much Rebekka could say. We're both suckers for good looking youngsters. Yer cousins can confess to that. I bet they've wiped the equivalent of a whole tube of her lipstick from their cheeks over the years."

Daisy nodded as she looked at Luke. She remember how, especially when they were younger, Luke and Bo would often sit near the back of the church on Sunday Mornings. It was the best way to make a quick escape after service and avoid Ms. Petty's weekly parade of kisses.

"So, what can I do for you kids today?"

"Well Mr. Petty, we's wonderin' if you could give us Seymour Krandall's address." Luke asked.

"Krandall……Krandall." Elmer Petty repeated, shaking his head. "Name don't ring a bell, Luke. And I thought I knew everybody in Hazzard."

"Well he ain't from Hazzard. Seems he's a resident from over in Chickasaw County, but he told us he's comin' over here to pick some stuff up today. We thought you might have an account on him."

"Well I ain't sayin' he won't, but it wouldn't make much sense for him to buy supplies here, not with that big chain hardware store over there in the city limits. They can offer better prices than me too. Ain't seen no one from Chickasaw in here since they put it in near two years ago."

Luke nodded and knocked on the counter a couple of times as he thought. "Thanks a lot, Mr. Petty." He said before he and Daisy turned to the door.

"Sure thing Luke. Tell your Uncle Jesse them bolt cutters he ordered oughta be here tomorrow."

"Will do." Luke replied as he closed the door.

"What do you make of that?" Daisy asked with worry as she turned to Luke.

"Elmer's just goin' on theory." Luke replied. "If this Mr. Krandall's bringin' Bo home like he says, It'd make sense for him to get whatever he needed from Hazzard. 'Specially if he lives near Deer Creek Falls. It's practically on the county line."

"You reckon Uncle Jesse and Cooter found out anything yet?"

"There's only one way to find out." Luke replied, motioning toward Daisy's jeep. He and Daisy climbed in before she got on the CB. "This is Bo Peep callin' shepherd, you got your ears on?"

"This is shepherd, come back." Uncle Jesse replied.

"Uncle Jesse, we didn't find out anything at the hardware store. Mr. Petty ain't never heard of this Seymour Krandall before."

"I's afraid of that. It just so happened that Sheriff Little had a checkpoint set up across the county line and we had a chance to ask him about this feller too. Turns out he ain't never heard of 'em either."

"Maybe he's one of them ole' backwoods hermits that only comes outta the hills once ever two years." they heard Cooter suggest.

"Hmmm……that wouldn't be likely. Seein' how he'd claimed to be usin' the phone at his own place, he'd at least be getting mail and paying bills- if he existed."

"Are you thinking somebody's givin' us a bogus story?" Daisy asked.

"I don't know." Luke replied, although he couldn't shake that nagging feeling.

"Listen. It ain't gonna hurt none for me and Cooter here to walk over to the falls and see if maybe we can see some sorta trail goin' off in the woods. In the meantime, why don't you kids go back over toward Carter's Lake and see if you can find anything there, since that's where we saw the General last."

"Ten-four shepherd." Luke replied. He nodded toward Daisy and she started Dixie, heading off in the direction of the lake.

XXXXXXXX

"It's getting pretty dark, Luke." Daisy announced as they rounded the lake for what must have been the tenth time.

"Just one more time, Daisy. I just got this feelin' we shouldn't give up yet."

And Luke's feeling served him well, because when the cousins rounded the next bend, a familiar figure met their sight.

"Bo!" Luke shouted out as Daisy slammed on the brakes. Both of them jumped out and ran up to him where he had stopped his stroll on the road.

"Hey ya'll." Bo said.

"Whaddaya mean 'hey ya'll'? You've been gone from home two days and all you say is 'hey ya'll"! Where ya been?" Luke asked.

"Luke, Uncle Jesse's 'bout worried himself into a tizzy. Why don't we get Bo home and show him he's okay then we can all listen to the story at the same time."

Bo smiled. "Boy, I sure would like to go home!"

"Well let's go then sugar." Daisy replied, grabbing his hand and pulling him toward the jeep.

"But I can't." Bo replied, pulling his hand out of her grasp.

"Why not?" Daisy asked, noting a look of confusion on Bo's face.

"Because….because….."

"Because what?" Luke pressed.

Bo continued to look confused as he replied. "I don't know."

"Where did you get that hat and coat?"

When Bo didn't answer, Luke continued. "You ain't makin' any sense. I'm sure you're exhausted. Let's get you home so you can rest and….."

"I told you I can't go home!" Bo said forcefully.

"Now listen, little cousin. We've been looking for you all day and now that we've found you, we ain't gonna let you go again, so you might as well climb in that jeep 'fore I have to put you in myself."

Bo just shook his head and began walking away. That's when Luke grabbed hold of his arm.

As he pulled Bo toward the jeep, Bo struggled to loose himself. When he finally did, the pull was so great he simply fell to the ground. When he attempted to get up again, Luke grabbed on to him again.

That put Bo into a rage. With all the strength he had, he pushed Luke away from him. When Luke came at him again, he swung his fist out, catching Luke squarely on the jaw. Daisy watched in shock as Bo turned and dashed into the darkness of the forest as Luke slunk to the ground--unconscious!

I wouldn't be surprised if ole Luke ever decided to go back into the Marines. Seems it'd be a might harder to get hurt in battle than it is by livin' in Hazzard.