Author's Note: Hmmm...my reviews have gone down, methinks. Maybe I can get some more this time 'round. Thanks to all who do review...your words keep me writing!

Chapter 8: Puzzle

The pain—it felt like somebody jammed a giant cue-tip into his ear. Bo's eyes watered as sounds swirled around in his head...he realized with alarm that he couldn't hear anything out of his right ear. He heard shouting to his left and saw Luke moving toward him, then crumple to the floor, unmoving. There Tom stood, holding his pistol high and grinning wickedly. Bo saw his eyes and at once recognized them as belonging to one of the lawyers from the church.

"I know who you are! Y'all ain't really lawyers at all!" he said accusingly, hand still clamped tightly over his right ear.

"Well, well. Look who finally recognized us," Jake commented dryly. "Now I don't got to tell you that I'm losin' my patience. We want that money. We get it, or your buddy here dies."

Desperation filled Bo's voice. "I told ya I don't have the money!"

"Well, then you better get it!" Jake yelled. "We'll give ya three days. Hear me? Three days! On Wednesday we're gonna call here, and if you don't answer, we're gonna go after your family. Startin' with Brenda, then Cindy, then him..." he nudged Luke's still form with his boot. "And don't think for a minute we can't track ya down with the rest of your family." He stepped forward and knelt down to glare Bo right in the eyes. "And if you try and trick us, hayseed, you'd best stock up on the tombstones, because we won't rest 'til you're the only livin' kin you got. You understand me boy?" Bo nodded, jaw set. "Good. Remember...three days. Let's go, Tom."

They disappeared like thieves in the night. As soon as they left the room, Bo scrambled to Luke's side.

"Luke? Luke! Come on, wake up, cousin!" With his ear injury, Bo couldn't tell how loud he was yelling, but it must have been pretty deafening, judging from the scrunched-up look on Luke's face as he came to.

"Ya gotta yell like that? I ain't deaf, ya know," he mumbled as he slowly sat up.

"Are you alright?" Bo asked urgently.

"Yeah...wait, where'd they go?" Luke craned his sore neck to look about the room. "What happened? Are you okay?" Bo almost chuckled. Even with a head injury, Luke was still as protective as ever.

"They left. I don't know where. How's your head?" Luke put his hand back where he was hit and winced.

"Sore but I'll live." He stopped abruptly, and his piercing blue eyes got wide. "Holy smoke, where's Brenda?" Bo's mouth dropped open. 'How could they have forgotten her?'

"Go check on Brenda," Luke ordered, giving Bo a shove.

Bo stumbled out of the room, trying to ignore the intense throbbing in his bleeding ear. He took the steps downstairs two at a time, practically running over to Brenda's room. The door was ajar, and there was nothing but silence. Dreading what he would find, Bo took a deep breath and gently pushed open the door.

There, lying on the floor bound and gagged, was Brenda. He hurried to her side, mumbling a quick "sorry", when he startled her.

"You okay?" he asked after untying her and removing the gag. Tears streamed from her eyes and her face was pale--she was terribly shaken.

"Oh! Bo! I thought you boys were dead! Oh my—I'm so sorry, believe me I never meant..."

"Easy, easy. They're gone, it's okay," her high-pitched wailing was making his ear hurt even more, and Bo did his best to get her calm. "They left. Everythin's okay now."

"W-where's Luke?" She asked as she regained her composure.

"Upstairs. He got hit over the head pretty hard." Wordlessly she followed him upstairs.

When they reached the top landing, they found Luke teetering on his feet, leaning heavily on the wall for support.

"Hey, sit down 'fore ya fall down, cousin," Bo instructed, easing Luke to the floor.

"S'Brenda okay?"

"I'm fine—oh here let me turn on some lights." As the hallway lights flickered alive, Luke caught a glimpse of the side of Bo's head and frowned.

"What the heck happened to your ear?"

"Oh, uh, that Jake guy shot his gun right near my ear. Hurts like heck." Luke leaned forward and peered at the injury.

"Can ya hear out of it?" Bo grimaced.

"Not really."

"That's it, you boys are going to a hospital. Wait here while I get dressed," Brenda ordered, scurrying downstairs.

Half an hour later she found herself in a waiting room, reflecting on all that had happened and waiting for news on the boys. It was her fault, she knew. If only she had admitted to knowing Tom and Jake from the start, this wouldn't have happened. Now the boys were hurt, her house was a wreck, the police were involved, and she had put herself and many other innocent people in danger.

Finally, she stood as Luke walked out of the exam room area, followed by a doctor.

"Hello Ms. Wheeler, I'm Dr. White. Your nephew here has a slight concussion, but nothing serious. He should take it easy for a while, and I gave him some pain medication." Brenda didn't bother to correct about the 'nephew' part. He turned to Luke. "Experiencing slight dizziness, headaches, and some nausea is normal. If the pain gets too bad, or these symptoms worsen, come back here right away."

"Right, thanks doc. How's my cousin?" Luke prompted.

"Dr. Lanford is running some tests on him now. He should be back in a few minutes." As the doctor walked off, Luke turned to Brenda with accusing eyes.

"We need to talk." She bit her lip, anticipating Luke's speech. She followed him over to a window as he folded his arms and looked out at the lightening sky.

"Well?" she asked. Was that anger in his eyes? Hurt? She couldn't tell.

"You knew them, didn't you?" She nodded slowly.

"Jake Fowler and Tom Griffin. They used to be buddies with Robbie. That is, until they flew out to Las Vegas and let him 'borrow' their money. Robbie played well and won big, but then blew it all, and came home broke. Jake and Tom were miffed, to say the least, and wouldn't stop bugging him about it. Robbie'd always make some excuse, and they'd go away.

"When word got out that he was sick, the boys got worried they'd never get their cash, and started getting real mean. Guess greed took over, then. Last time Robbie saw them he was on his deathbed...I didn't know they'd gotten into the house. There was shouting, and I threatened to call the police. They left, but the argument had left its toll on Robbie—he was scared for me, I know. Somehow I'd hoped that after he died they'd go away. Guess I was wrong."

"Yeah, guess so," Luke replied evenly. "How could a guy blow fifty grand?"

"He just never quit. Always thought he could do more. Never did, though. I didn't even know that it was that much money, though." Then, as if realizing her situation for the first time cried, "What am I gonna do?"

"Don't suppose ya got fifty grand layin' around here somewhere?"

"Heavens no." Luke sighed.

"Well, we gotta get it somehow. Bo's life depends on it."

Balladeer: Now, I don't think they know that the bad guys already told Bo he had to get the money in three days. Huh. This thing's got more twists than a rollercoaster ride.

Just then Dr. Lanford walked out, holding a manila folder in his hands.

"For Bo Duke?"

"How is he?" Luke asked as he and Brenda stepped forward.

"Well he definitely ruptured his eardrum," the doctor said grimly.

"What's that mean?" asked Brenda.

"He told me that a gun went off near his ear, which has caused a tear in his eardrum. I cleaned it out pretty good, but it's quite painful. The real bad news, though, is that he can't hear out of that ear."

"You sayin' he's deaf?" Luke asked.

"No, not necessarily. In most cases, hearing loss is only temporary. What we really have to watch for is infection. I gave him some painkillers and an antibiotic, but you'll have to keep an eye on him for a while.

Also, he's showing signs of exhaustion—told me he's only had about five hours of sleep in the past two or three days. That is simply not healthy. He needs some serious rest."

"Can we see him?" Luke asked.

"Certainly. We're not admitting him, so you're all free to go home." As they entered Bo's room they were surprised to see a cop standing there.

"Ma'am, are you Ms. Wheeler? I need to ask you a few questions privately, please." They stepped outside, and Luke went to sit in a nearby armchair.

"How's the head?" Bo asked, buttoning his shirt. (The nurse made him take it off while she was cleaning out his ear, so he didn't get blood on it).

"Alright. How's the ear?"

"Fine. I just wanna get back an' get to bed. I'm beat."

"Yeah, me too. Hey Bo?"

"Yeah?" Luke sat up straighter, wanting to watch Bo's reaction to what he was about to say.

"What happened after I was knocked out?" Bo froze for a moment, hastily thinking up an alternate story.

"Nothin'. Lot of yellin'. Then they just run off. Guess they finally believed I didn't have that money."

Balladeer: That boy is baaad liar. Thing is, why didn't he just tell the truth? Somethin' tells me Bo's got somethin' up his sleeve. An' I hate bein' left in the dark.

"Guys like that don't just forget fifty grand, Bo," Luke said in a patronizing tone.

"I don't wanna talk 'bout it right now, 'kay Luke?" Bo said, rubbing his tired eyes. Luke dropped the subject only out of empathy for his young cousin's condition. The conversation could wait.

They didn't get back home until nearly 4 a.m., and the boys went right up to the guestroom and collapsed, exhausted. Brenda conked out on the couch a little later.

When Luke finally awoke around nine, he was met with a splitting headache. He stumbled out to the bathroom and splashed water on his face, downed two painpills, and headed back out to the bedroom. It was then that he noticed Bo's made-up futon, a white paper folded neatly on the pillow. Opening it up, Luke's chest tightened as he read the words, hastily written in Bo's familiar chicken scratch.

Luke,

Don't worry about me. I gotta do something. Don't follow me, neither, or else other people could get hurt. If I ain't back by Wednesday, go home and get Jesse and Daisy and run. Go in the Witness Protection Program, or something. Sorry but it's my responsibility.

Love,

Bo

"Oh no," Luke breathed, a sinking feeling in his gut. Bo had run off in the night, though for what Luke couldn't fathom. And he had no idea what to do, where to look, or why his cousin had done something so foolish.

Balladeer: Ya know, this reminds me of a broken jigsaw puzzle, with the pieces strewn out all over the floor. An' 'ole Luke don't even got a picture to go by. Friends, this is a pickle.

TBC...