A BEEP

Mud's splashing.

"Maybe Enos had an accident," Daisy looked outside the truck's window, "maybe he's unconscious, in his car," her eyes tried to catch everything white along the road, "we should find his patrol car."

Uncle Jesse drove carefully along muddy roads heading to the town, "Yeah, maybe Enos had an accident driving to town from Chalk Hills," he glanced at Daisy, worried for her optimism, "whereas Bo, Luke and Rosco look for him in the Hills we're goin' to talk with those detectives and with folks. We need the town's help in order to find Enos."

Daisy kept on looking outside the window, swallowing against the lump in her throat when she felt uncle Jesse's glance on her: she needed to hang on that possibility, that hope. What a strange hope: Enos injured in car accident wasn't a positive hope, but in that moment it was the most optimistic possibility.

Along the road to the town, her eyes fixed outside the window in order to find Enos' car, Daisy lost the sense of time, and, before she realized they were already in town, uncle Jesse stopped his truck in front of the Police Department, his friends already there: his call as soon as he left the farm was their law.

Coming out the truck, slowed down by her cast and crutches, Daisy walked to the bearded men waiting for uncle Jesse. Moonshiners: they knew hills better than everybody else; they knew how to use their shotguns; they could find Enos and save him from the bomber… if Enos was still alive and if the bomber really kidnapped him.

Her mind was slowly setting aside her initial supposition, moving from the car accident to the idea of Enos alive, kidnapped by the bomber and waiting for help somewhere in the hills; her mind was still refusing the terrific idea of Enos dead, killed by the bomber (or by those detectives), his body abandoned somewhere in the hills.

Despite her mind's fight against the most terrific supposition, the image of Enos dead poked to her mind with more and more strength, and she had to walk away from the little crowd in front of the Police Department, like if they were sucking air away from her; she sat on the stairs and she wrapped her arms around her waist, unable to understand if rain or tears were flowing on her face.

Rain's ticking.

Inside The General Lee just the rain's ticking until Luke's words.

"It's my fault. Daisy's right. We should have asked uncle Jesse to go to the Hospital and bring Daisy back home whereas we kept an eye on Enos."

Bo's fists squeezed the wheel, "It's OUR fault. I was with you at the Hospital. We both forgot about Enos 'cause we were worried for Daisy, and we couldn't think we were goin' to wait so much at the Hospital. We spent almost the whole day there, waiting for Docs' examinations and worrying for Daisy."

"And it happened. Enos is missing because we weren't there to help him," Luke rubbed his curly dark hair, "if Enos is dead, I won't forgive me. Daisy won't forgive me!"

"Stop blaming yourself, Luke," Bo casted a painful look at Luke, "WE had to protect Enos."

"I was the one suspecting of those detectives. I was the one telling you and Daisy about my suspicion about them. And I let down my guard. So…" Luke's fist hit the dashboard,"… STUPID. I can't believe I've been so stupid and naïve."

"You haven't been stupid, Luke. WE both let down our guard. After Daisy got injured, we were shocked, and worried, and, yeah… we let down our guard. But now it's pointless to cry over it. We have to find Enos, hoping he's still… alive," Bo's voice cracked, "and saving him from the bomber."

"Daisy loves Enos. If Enos dies, how will she…," Luke shook his head, controlling his voice better than his younger cousin, "how will WE…"

"Hey! Look!" Bo suddenly stopped the car, "Enos' patrol car!"

C.B.'s buzzing.

Daisy observed uncle Jesse turning to his truck and then walking to it, his quick walking (a mix of running and walking) and his glancing at her when he grabbed the C.B.'s receiver.

Her legs and arms soft as wax, she stood up and she came closer her uncle: it was like walking on sands, and her crutches didn't help her.

"Bo and Luke found Enos' car. It was in a ditch, with several dents on it. It seems an accident: Enos' car left the road probably because of the mud."

Uncle Jesse's voice woke her initial hope: just an accident. Enos' car left the road; maybe he was unconscious, or maybe he simply had a broken leg and he was unable to move, his C.B. didn't work so he couldn't call for help. She thought of her visiting him while he stayed at the Hospital, teasing him because of his driving skills and taking care of him.

"But Enos isn't inside the car. Bo and Luke looked for him nearby, but he isn't there. No blood, no sign of him."

Uncle Jesse's new words slapped her, and the image of Enos smiling at her as she entered his room at the Hospital faded. She was so stupid, her imagination always out of focus.

"Maybe he had a concussion, and he's walking in the hills, confused."

The Hospital's image regained strength.

"Or… maybe the bomber found him after the accident, taking advantage of his weakness and kidnapping him."

Another slap. Daisy rested her head on her uncle's shoulder, crying her hope's death.

Silence.

Lying on the wooden floor, Enos didn't hear anything, his mind lost in a dark fog.

From time to time, his body sent him painful signals: his right temple and right eye pulsed, his hands and feet were asleep and when he tried to move he felt like if thousands of ants were walking from his hands and feet up to his arms and legs, his left cheek rubbed against the rough floor, the chains around his ankles and wrists provoked a strange itching.

What time was it?

The man was snoring peacefully.

He fought against his chains, taking advantage of the man's sleeping, but it was a useless fight.

He decided to sleep, sparing his weakening strength: he probably was going to need that strength the day after.

"Your friends are probably looking for you in Chalk Hills"

He recalled the man's words and his hoarse laughing.

Chalk Hills: he was patrolling in Chalk Hills before it happened (though he didn't know exactly what happened), but, due to the man's words, now ne knew he wasn't in Chalk Hills.

Birds' twittering.

Exhausted, Daisy was sitting in uncle Jesse's truck (her night spent inside the truck, looking at the flashlights in the woods, giant and cold fireflies, praying for Enos and regretting her uselessness), her uncle and cousins around her, on their face the same look: disappointment.

Disappointment also on everybody's else face: uncle Jesse's friends, Rosco and Cooter.

Disappointment also on Catherine Burns' face: not surprisingly, she took part of that search, managing to convince some moonshiners to bring her with them. Daisy wondered, with scorn, if Catherine Burns was disappointed simply 'cause she was losing her scoop.

Not disappointment but an illegible look on detective Colt and Molise's face: Sphinges.

No sign of Enos in Chalk Hills. How many abandoned stills, barns and cabins did they explore? Enos wasn't there, not in those stills, barns and cabin, neither walking in confusion in the woods.

"Maybe Enos had a car accident here, the bomber found him and he decided to kidnap him. And now Enos is…" Luke looked around, his right arm tracing a circular imaginary line, "… somewhere out there, away from here," he let his arm fall along his body, shaking his head, "in order to look for Enos, we should ask for help to folks. We aren't enough to explore every possible place where that bomber is hiding."

"Or every possible place where deputy Strate's body is lying after the bomber killed him," detective Colt looked at the high pines and oaks surrounding the small glade where they left their cars.

Daisy's heart skipped a beat and her hands' palm became sweaty.

"I don't think deputy Strate is dead, James," detective Molise glanced at Daisy (in his eyes, was it compassion?), "if deputy Strate had an accident, as it seems looking at his car, and if the bomber found him after the accident and kidnapped him, for sure he didn't kidnap him to kill him: if he had wanted to kill him, he would have killed him here, and we would have already found deputy Strate's body. If the bomber kidnapped deputy Strate, for sure he wants to use him as sort of commodity, or distraction; until our attention is on deputy Strate's search, the bomber can move more easily. He's probably trying to push us in a given direction as he moves in the opposite one."

Luke half-closed his eyes, studying carefully the older detective: in his blue eyes respect (he recognized that detective Molise was clever and sharp) but still suspect. He didn't know if trust the detective, and his being so clever was both a threat (was the bomber the one who was trying to push them in a given direction whereas he was moving in the opposite one, or was detective Molise the one who was trying to use them?) and an help (having someone like him by their side could be really useful, if he was really by their side).

Detective Molise caught Luke's staring at him, and his dark eyes met Luke's blue eyes, eyes into eyes, until Luke looked away, his eyes now on Daisy.

"It's time to go to the town and make a plan. We have to involve more people as possible."

Daisy nodded, she took her crutches and came out the truck, walking to the General Lee, "I'm coming with you."

"And, while you go back to town, I'll help Cooter to recover Enos' patrol car," uncle Jesse looked at Cooter, "your truck has been destroyed in the blast, but we can use my one."

"Good idea. In Enos' car we could find something helpful," Bo helped Daisy to enter The General while Luke was already behind the wheel, ready to reach the town.

"Hey, wait for me," Catherine Burns ran to the orange car, "I want to come with you," her right leg already inside the car, preventing any possible refusal, "Please, let me come with you."

Daisy sighed and moved aside, accepting Mrs. Burns' presence by her side on the back seat, "OK, but please, Mrs. Burns, don't ask me anything. I'm not in the mood for talking."

"OK, I'll keep my mouth shut. Promise."

"Thanks," Daisy averted her eyes from Mrs. Burns, looking outside the window, her last sight being Enos' patrol car in the ditch at the side of the road.

The light filtered through the dark cloth on his eyes.

"Goodbye, deputy. Enjoy the fireworks."

Steps walked away from him, the door opened and then closed, inside the room a regular and scaring beep, similar to beeps of Hospital's monitors, but it wasn't checking his heartbeat: it was marking his last time before his death.