Author's Note: Oh my goodness. I cannot believe I missed the typo in the last chapter saying Luke was in the Army. *Embarrassed laughter* I will correct that as soon as I have more time, and I apologize for the misprint. Hope you guys enjoy the next chapter, and as always, reviews and concrit is welcome! (And if there are any more misprints please let me know! :) )
DoH DoH DoH
Bo was so intent on the cave he did not see the large bearded man walking up behind him with gun drawn.
But he did hear him.
Bo spun around and kicked the gun in one motion, instinct and four years of high school football taking over.
"What the-?" The man blinked owlishly as Bo doubled his fists and threw a right cross. This time the man was prepared, however. He grabbed Bo's fist in his meaty paw and held it, unconcerned as he took in Bo's face.
"Do I know you, sonny?" He asked as he effortlessly caught Bo's other hand and held that one too.
Bo tried to pull his hands free, but to no avail. "I doubt it; I would remember that ugly mug."
"That's funny, boy. I don't think you understand how much trouble you're in." The man leaned down to Bo's level. "I could kill you and leave your body in these caves. No one would ever find you."
Bo wisely remained silent.
"But I'm not going to; you didn't mean anything by coming here, did you?" The man smiled and released Bo's wrists. "I didn't mean to frighten you, son. I just don't get to many visitors out here, truth be told."
Bo relaxed and shook his head. "I reckon I startled you too, mister. But I'm looking for someone; I thought he might be here."
The man nodded. "They call me Snake, you know. What's your handle, sonny?"
"Bo Duke, Mr. Snake."
"Aw, no mister about it. They just call me Snake because I used to train 'em for a circus. You want some coffee, Bo?"
Bo shook his head. "I really need to be looking for my cousin, mister."
"Well, I can tell you he ain't here. I've been here three years and nobody else lives 'round here." The large man shook his head. "Sorry."
"You're sure?"
"No one's been over this way for three weeks, excepting yourself."
Bo grunted in frustration. "Well, thanks anyway." He turned, then heard the large man clear his throat.
"Now, then, yesterday I saw an old blue van going down one of the side roads real sneaky like. Would that interest you?"
Bo turned back ."It would interest me very much. Which side path?"
Snake shook his head. "Tell you what; you have a cup of coffee, some polite conversation and I'll tell you, okay?"
Bo sighed. "Do I have a choice?"
Snake laughed. "'Friad not, son. I don't get too many visitors, and I get lonesome sometimes."
Bo shook his head. "Then I would be glad to have a cup of coffee."
He followed the larger man into one of the caves, suddenly nervous. He saw three large cages, full of snakes, leaning against the cave wall. One of the larger ones stared at him as he crouched beside the fire pit Snake put the coffee pot over.
"Your cousin…what's his name?" Snake asked as he rummaged up two cups from some unlit corner of the cave.
"Uh…Luke." Bo answered, keeping his eyes on the large black snake that was coiling a little too close to the edge of his cage for Bo's liking. "Say, um, much obliged for the coffee and all, but I best get going before it gets dark."
"Now you just sit, now, and be friendly." Snake smiled and Bo realized how similar the man resembled his namesakes.
"Luke, huh?" The man paused, then smiled again. "I knew a Luke once, but he was a seventy-three year old Baptist preacher passing through. Probably not the same person, right?"
Bo chuckled. "No sir; Luke ain't nowhere near seventy-three, and he sure ain't no Baptist preacher."
Snake chuckled alongside Bo. "I figured." He handed Bo a speckled and battered mug filled with a blackish sludge.
"Eh…thanks." Bo sniffed the 'drink' suspiciously. "Now, you were saying about this van?"
"Oh, yes." The larger man leaned back. "Well, it was an older model, looked like it had seen better days. Had a long scrape on its driver side. The driver was going awful slow, like he was trying not to make any noise."
Bo leaned forward. "That's a start. Did you see which way it went?"
"It turned down past that clump of trees at the fork, 'bout a mile down? It looked like it turned right, but I couldn't be sure."
Bo was disappointed that was all the man knew, but thanked him anyway and stood to leave.
"Hey, you know, something dropped out of the back of that van, which I happened to pick up…"
Bo looked at Snake, frowning. "Oh?"
"Yeah, I just remembered it." The man shifted and pulled out a small bundle from his back pocket. "Don't know how much help it is to ya, but you're welcome to it."
Bo took the bundle, recognizing it as a large scrap of Luke's blue plaid shirt. There were splatters of blood on it. "This came out of the back? How'd you see it?"
"I didn't like the look of that van; I followed it on foot until it hit the clump of trees. Like I said, it was driving real slow. This fluttered out of the window when he turned."
"Well, much obliged, mister. You've been a help." Bo shook hands with Snake and pocketed the cloth.
"Say, would you mind signing my little book here?" Snake handed a slim green notebook to Bo. "I like to remember my guests."
"No problem." Bo smiled, figuring it was the least he could do for the lonely hermit. He took the proffered pencil stub and signed his name with a flourish.
"To use your phrase, much obliged." Snake smiled, but it was an unsettling smile. Bo hastened to the General and took off down the little side path Snake had indicated. He could see tire tracks, and sure enough they turned right. He followed, excitement rising.
What he didn't see was the way Snake's eyes followed him until he disappeared. Once satisfied he was gone, Snake grinned at the cages of snakes, then began moving them to a truck hidden not far from the caves. Once finished loading up his supplies and pets, he got behind the wheel.
Snake then reached up and pulled off the wig and beard he had been wearing, unable to stand the sweltering heat any more. Once the hair was removed, Preston's face was leering back at himself in the rear-view mirror. What luck he happened to spot Luke's cousin. Now he had a little leverage.
He started the truck and went the opposite direction he had steered Bo, chuckling all the way.
"Now, my little buddies, we're going to have some fun with Mister Luke." He grinned evilly with a backwards glance at the snake cages.
Do any of y'all like snakes? I don't. Scaly, fanged, poisonous, fanged, mean as tarnation little fanged rascals. And this Preston feller has plans for Luke involving snakes. I don't like that. Did I mention they got fangs?
"Alright, Rosco, it's been 24 cotton-picking hours. I'm here to file that report." Bo slammed his hands down on the sheriff's desk.
"Oh, ijiit, I, uh.." Rosco clutched his hands in his signature 'I don't know what to do' gesture. "Eh…Enos!"
"Yes, Sheriff?" The well-meaning-but-klutzy deputy tripped over the broom he had been pushing over the spotless floor. "Sorry, sir. What can I do, sir?"
"Take care of this little middly-piddly case; I have important business with Boss Hogg." Rosco strode out of the room before Bo could react.
"Middly-piddly? Middly-piddly! I'll show him-" Bo stepped forward, jaw clenched.
"Bo, what's goin' on?" Enos's voice was concerned as he stared at the younger Duke boy.
Bo breathed out deeply, trying not to take his frustration out on the Deputy. "Luke's missing, and I have jumped through more hoops then a circus dog trying to file a report!"
"Luke's missing?" Enos's voice went two octaves higher than normal, showing his worry. "What?"
Bo relayed the story as quickly as possible, ending with the story the hermit had given him. "I followed those tracks, but they ended as soon as they hit a grassed-over path. Now I got nothing but a blood-stained scrap of my cousin's shirt and that ain't exactly reassurin'." Bo slammed his fists against the desk again. "And I'm plumb sick of all the grief Rosco's giving me about this!"
"Bo, I'm awful sorry about everything." Enos was hurrying to get a missing persons report. "Is there anything I can do?"
Bo grabbed a pen and started filling out the form. "Well, you can keep a sharp eye out for anything that might help us find Luke."
Enos nodded quickly. "Done, Bo. Say, Bo?"
"Hmm?" Bo looked up briefly.
"Do you think Sheriff Rosco has anything to do with this?" The deputy looked about to cry. Bo weighed his words carefully; it was Enos's boss and idol he was talking about.
"I don't know, Enos." He said honestly. "I don't think he would be knowingly mixed up in anything that would hurt someone."
"I hope not, Bo." Enos bit his bottom lip. "He's been awful upset 'bout something, ever since yesterday afternoon."
Bo stiffened. "Yesterday afternoon?"
Enos nodded. "Yeah, right after he talked to Boss. He came in all in a tizzy, and started yellin' at me for no good reason."
"I hate to say this, Enos, but that sounds like every other day." Bo commented as he finished the form.
"Well…I guess…but he ain't never smacked me before." Enos said quietly.
"He did what?" Bo's head shot up.
"I spilled Rosco's lunch on him yesterday and he…well…he back-handed me." Enos pointed to a dark bruise on his cheekbone.
"That's not like Rosco at all." Bo frowned. For all the Sheriff's bluster and name-calling, he had never raised a hand against his loyal deputy. "Not like him at all."
"I know." Enos dropped his head. "But I did deserve it."
Bo put his hand comfortingly on the shy deputy's shoulder. "No, you didn't, Enos. Rosco hasn't been himself; you said it yourself. And I'll find out why, I promise."
"Naw, Bo, you got enough to worry about, what with Luke missin' and all." Enos said, shrugging off Bo's hand.
"Enos, I have a sneaky feeling that Rosco's acting funny and Luke's being missing might have something to do with each other." Bo chewed his bottom lip. "Now, he said he was heading over to see Boss...I wish there was some way we could know what they've been talking about."
Enos nodded. "We can't know what they've said, but we know what they're gonna say."
"What do you mean, Enos?" Bo frowned.
"Sheriff Rosco just got this delivery from Capital City. They're these new listening bugs, and we've been dyin' to try 'em out." Enos grinned. "I guess slipping one under Boss's desk would be a good test run, right?"
"Enos, that would be great! But won't you get in trouble with Rosco or Boss?" Bo asked.
"Bo, if Rosco's in trouble, I want to help him. And if he has anythin' to do with Luke's being missin', I wanna know." Enos stated stubbornly. Bo decided to let the matter drop.
"I'll keep looking for Luke, and if you can let me know what you hear on that bug, that would be great." Bo clapped Enos's shoulder and could not miss the flinch Enos showed. "You're a good man, Strate."
Enos smiled for a second "Thanks, Bo."
Bo headed over the Cooter's Garage to see what his pal had turned up. He walked into the open barn and looked for the mechanic.
"Cooter?" He called; puzzled that he couldn't see his friend.
"Over here." The voice was strangely quiet, coming from a darkened corner of the shop where Cooter kept old boxes and trunks.
"Cooter?" Bo stepped over to him. "Are you okay?"
"No, Bo. I don't think so." Cooter stepped out into the light, holding a yellowed paper in his hands. "I've been bothered ever since you told me about that Snake character."
Bo nodded; he had told Cooter everything before heading over to Rosco's. Cooter had been acting strangely when he told him about the hermit.
"Yeah?" Bo prodded.
"Well, I found this old newspaper in one of those boxes and I have a sneaking feeling you're gonna want to look at it." Cooter handed the paper he had been holding to Bo.
Bo took it and read, growing more serious with every word he saw.
Samuel 'Snake' Preston was charged yesterday afternoon for the murder of Dan Webber. Webber, the owner of renowned 'Jolly's Circus' and Preston's boss, had been beaten savagely with a pipe. Police also discovered snake bites on the victim. Preston, the headliner in the Mystic Snakes attraction, had had several arguments with Webber prior to his death, many suspect over money. The trial will begin next week, and the public will be kept informed.
Bo looked up at Cooter. "What does that have to do with that old hermit? I mean, sure they have the same nickname and they both worked for a circus, but that doesn't mean much."
Cooter nodded. "I know, Bo. But there's more." He motioned to the other pages Bo was holding.
Bo continued reading; the next page picked up after the trial.
Samuel 'Snake' Preston was convicted yesterday afternoon for the murder of Dan Webber. Preston admitted to beating the circus owner to death, after allowing his trained snakes to torment the man for several hours. Police will not release all the details, but they suspect Webber was tortured for several days before his brutal beating as well. Preston did not offer a reason for his actions, other than the statement 'I just wanted to hurt him. And it felt good.' Preston was not given the death penalty, but instead life without the possibility of parole.
Bo looked up again. "Cooter, I really don't understand why you're showing me this."
Cooter did not say a word, simply reached for the paper. Bo surrendered it willingly. Cooter unfolded a corner of it, then handed it back to Bo.
Bo looked down briefly, and then did a double take. He was staring at a picture of the hermit, only this man did not have a beard. He was shaved bald, with a prominent scar. His eyes were completely cold, without feeling.
Bo swallowed. "That's him."
Boy, don't that thicken the stew? That picture's getting awful dark for Luke, ain't it?