---10---
Luke hid the cold fear that clutched at his heart at the mention of Bo. Gator got up and walked over to Luke. They stood nose to nose.
"Boy put up a good fight."
The muscle in Luke's jaw tightened visibly.
Gator smiled nastily. "But not good enough."
Luke grabbed Gator by the scruff of the neck. "What did you do?"
"You'll just havta be a-wonderin' won't ya?"
Luke slammed Gator against the bunks. Gator pushed back, freeing himself from the hold. He was laughing. "You got some guts, boy."
"What did you do to Bo!"
"Weren't me. Ain't inta that." His lips twisted into a smile. "Saw though. Guards had to drag him away ta the doc."
Luke felt a tide of anger rush through him and he threw himself at Gator, hitting and hitting against the rage inside him. His strength caught his cell mate by surprise and Gator's defence was weak and desperate.
Gator's legs finally buckled and he hit the floor, face bleeding. He stared up at Luke with horror, as the realisation that he'd badly underestimated his cell mate dawned. Luke flexed his fist, knuckles sore.
"What happened to Bo?" Luke demanded.
Incredibly, Gator still laughed. "That all ya got, boy?" He said climbing to his feet. As soon as he was up, he threw a fist at Luke's jaw. Luke ducked back, avoiding the blow only to have Gator knock right into him. The pair crashed to the floor, grappling.
Luke quickly got the upper hand against his tiring opponent and managed to get up onto his knees and straddle the man.
The cell door slammed open. Luke immediately let go of Gator as two guards came in, stepping right back. Gator used the moment to smash his fist across Luke's jaw. One of the guards pulled Gator away. Luke recognised him from the food hall. He had a reputation for meanness and Luke had seen enough to know he'd earned it.
Gator's face faulted a minute as he wiped blood from his mouth. "Collins." He said at the guard holding him.
The guard nodded. "Gator." Collins said and jerked his head in Luke's direction. "Plowboy here teachin' ya some manners?"
Gator shook his head. "Minor disagreement."
Collins went to Luke. "I know he's a piece of farm turd, boy," he said, "but I can't letcha do that."
"He went after Bo."
"Little blondie?"
Luke nodded. "Gator said, he's…" He swallowed back the fear twisting in his guts. "That he's with the doc."
Collins shook his head. "Kid's fine. Only on the ward cos Danny's soft on young 'uns."
Luke felt a rush of relief flood through him.
"Solitary." Collins snapped and roughly shoved Gator at his colleague. "48 hours."
The other guard marched Gator out.
Collins looked at Luke. "Count yaself lucky, boy." He told him. "I'd been sending ya back in there too, if ya hadn't just got out. But I got ya card marked, kid."
---
Sheriff Rosco P Coltrane looked up as his office door swung open and his brother-in-law stalked in. He jumped a little when the door banged shut behind the white suited man.
"I'm a busy man, Boss." He told him and went back to writing out his reports.
Boss slammed both palms on Rosco's desk. "It's about them Duke boys."
Roscoe looked up. "They're in jail."
"I know they're in jail, you numbskull, I want you ta make sure they stay that way." Boss snapped. "There's a no good public defender sniffin' 'round sayin' she's gonna spring those boys."
"Sammy Davies?" Rosco put down his pen. "Yeah she's been in."
"Ya didn't give her that recommendation she was after, did ya?"
"Well of course I did." Rosco said. "I ain't got no desire to see them boys in jail, specially not up in Atlanta. That's a mean prison, Boss."
"Yup, ya heard that right. See, that decision on his pension that turned ol' Rosco crooked is still a couple a months off so what ya see is what ya get – an honest man o' law. Spooky, ain't it?"
"You really do have corn fer brains, don't ya?" Boss leaned over Rosco's desk. "You shoulda said no."
"Why, Boss?" He asked, "them two boys might get the odd speedin' citation, but they don't mean no harm."
"They're runnin' shine!"
"Well I know that." Rosco got up. "But so's half a Hazzard."
Boss ignored this. "They deserve ta be locked up, I tell ya!"
Rosco frowned. "What those boys ever done ta you?"
"They're Dukes!" Boss snapped as if that was reason enough, "an' if you get 'em off, you're sendin' a message ta the people of Hazzard that there ain't not reason ta obey the law! Why should they? When the no-good, push-over of a sheriff'll stand up fer ya an' let ya go on ya way."
Rosco made an 'eijit' noise. "Well, I…I guess I never thought of it that way, Boss."
"That's yer whole trouble, ya don't think." Boss told him. "So whatcha goin' ta do about it?"
---
Daisy invited Sammy and Andy over for supper to fill the two empty chairs at the table, one at her side where Bo always sat, and the other beside Jesse which was Luke's. It was depressing seeing the spaces and this way there wasn't the awful silence that weighted on both her and Jesse when they ate.
Sammy's conversation was animated, she was still spitting over her encounter with Boss Hogg and her opinions about the commissioner had laughter echoing though the farmhouse once again. Andy, who'd tried to warn her it wouldn't be any use, laughed the most at her frustration but never unkindly.
And at least she had did have some good news for Jesse. Rosco had written a character reference for Bo and Luke and she hoped it might sway the judge.
Dinner was some of Daisy's fried chicken and there was a silent agreement not to talk of the trial. They played cards after dinner until the only ones left in the game were Andy and Daisy.
Jesse walked out onto the porch for some air and found Sammy already sitting in the swing watching the sun set.
She smiled up at him. "It's beautiful."
"Guess ya don't get that so much in the big city."
Sammy shook her head. "If it's there, I don't notice." She replied. "Here…here there's enough time to see those things. It's not like that in the city."
The light was casting tones of gold and red over the land and Jesse smiled. "The boys used to play out here in front of the house when they was young uns. Used ta be a tree little way over yonder, with a playhouse up in its branches. Ma granddaddy built it with his own hands." Jesse's eyes clouded and Sammy wondered what ghosts the memory was had brought up. "I tore it down after it were struck by lightning…." He trailed off with a sigh. Then he visibly shook off whatever melancholy he felt and brightened. "Sure looked pretty against the sunset though, leaves looked like they was made o' gold an' that weren't all." He chuckled. "Bo's hair used ta turn bright orange in this light too."
"Kinda like yours right about now." Another voice said.
They both looked around and saw Daisy and Andy step out onto the porch.
Sammy smiled at Andy's comment and the two locked eyes for a long moment.
Daisy glanced at her uncle with a little smile, who cocked a scolding eye at his niece.
"Well who won?" Jesse asked, breaking the silence.
Andy looked sheepish. "Who do ya think? I swear, Daisy could bluff a man right outta his senses."
"Ya know, Daisy don't even need ta bluff."
Jesse gave a pleased smile. "Well who'd ya think taught her everythin' she knows?"
They all laughed and talked some more until Sammy and Andy decided to call it night and said they're goodbyes. Daisy and Jesse stayed on the porch and watched them walk down to their cars.
Daisy laid her head against her uncle's shoulder. The terrible sadness settling back on them now they were alone again.
"I wish…" Jesse began and trailed off for a long moment, before finishing. "I wish I ain't never made that shine."
Daisy's head came up. "Uncle Jesse!"
"I mean it, Daisy."
"Ya'll hear that? That's the sound of generations o' Dukes a-spinnin' in their graves."
"An' I wouldn't make another drop for as long as I'm breathin' if them boys could be free."
---
"Sound carries well on a clear Georgia night an' like my momma always says, from your lips ta God's ears."
Sammy looked at Andy. "Do you think…?"
The revenuer smiled.
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