THE CHASE

"I think detective Molise is right," his eyes on the road as he drove to the town, Luke tried to recollect his thought, giving a sense to everything, "if the bomber wanted to kill Enos, he'd have killed him in Chalk Hills. Probably he wants to use Enos as commodity, or as bait." He glanced at the rearview mirror to check detective Molise and Colt's car was still behind The General, and, behind the detectives' car, Rosco's patrol car: disappointed procession to the town.

"So, the bomber wants us to believe Enos is somewhere in Chalk Hills, and whereas we look for Enos, he'll be free to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and for sure it'll be away Chalk Hills," Bo nodded and glanced to his older cousin," but… how to find Enos? He could be everywhere," he shook his head.

"We have to find Enos before it's too late. The bomber will kill him when he won't need him anymore. Moreover, maybe Enos is injured because of the wreck. You saw his car, didn't you?" In Daisy's mind, still Enos' patrol car in the ditch, its dents being a mark of the accident and a warning of possible injuries.

"You're right, Daisy. Deputy Strate is probably injured," despite Daisy's previous advice, Catherine Burns wasn't able to remain silent, "the bomber managed to kidnap him 'cause deputy Strate was weak."

"Thank you for your analysis, Mrs. Burns, but…" Daisy turned to the woman sitting by her side, all her sarcasm and rage in her voice, "but… we don't need your…" her eyes opened wide as she noticed the car passing near The General Lee, "Hey! That man! The man driving that car! I saw him near the Boar's Nest, before the blast!"

Luke stopped abruptly the car, turning to the back seat, "What?"

Detective Molise and Colt's car passed by the Dukes' car then it stopped, and Rosco's patrol car too.

"I remember that car. When I was approaching the Boar's Nest, I noticed that car and that man driving away from the Boar's Nest. I was driving in the opposite direction, so I could see his face. I was planning to call you as soon as I arrived at the Boar's Nest, warning you about that stranger in town, but… before I could call you, the blast… and when I woke up I didn't recall him. I forgot about him, 'til now. I'm SURE I saw him that day, before the blast!"

A brief glance between Bo and Luke, and Luke made a U-turn, starting to follow the blue stranger car.

"Do you think he could be the bomber?" Bo glanced at Luke.

"Well, there's just one way to know it."

The General Lee's characteristic horn dominated any other sound in that early morning, and, as answer to The General's horn, the blue car sped up.

"He's speeding up, and it means just one thing," Luke started the chase, "he doesn't want to meet us, and I guess why."

Bo's hand reached the C.B. receiver, his voice explaining Daisy's suspicion and the reason of that sudden chase.

The previous slow and disappointed procession turned into a frantic chase.

Beep.

Every beep was like a stab.

He couldn't look at the bomb; he couldn't know how much time lasted before the blast.

Every beep could be the last one, and the silence after every beep was ravaging: that silence could turn into an explosion, an explosion killing him.

He was going to die because of that bomb, but he didn't know when it was going to happen: one minute? One hour? One day?

He rubbed his face against the floor, trying to use that friction to remove the cloth covering his eyes. He wanted to know how much time he had for…

… For what? Running away?

He couldn't run away. He couldn't move. He couldn't even see what's going on around him.

But he could shout.

Maybe…. Somewhere…

"PLEASE! HELP ME!"

Sharp curve after sharp curve, mud's splashing.

"Come on, Luke, we have to stop him!" Daisy's voice dominated over the roar, "Come on!"

"Hey! Wait, wait!" Catherine Burns started to panic, "We're speeding too much. We're gonna to die if you keep driving this way!"

"Oh, please," Daisy turned to the reporter, "Stop complaining. YOU decided to come with us, and this is how the Dukes drive!" If the situation hadn't been so dramatic because of Enos' missing, Daisy would have probably laughed at Catherine Burns' scared look.

The blue car in front of the General Lee passed by a big container occupying the right side of the road, the words "Tri-County Moving Storage" on it.

Catherine Burns's scared look turned into a terrorized look when a new car coming from the opposite direction approached the container, so blocking their road: the container on the right side of the lane and the new car now on the left side.

"OH MY GOD! STOP!" bracing herself, Catherine Burns waited for the crash against the container or the approaching car.

Bo and Luke's "YEEHAH!" drowned out Catherine's shout when The General jumped the container.

Catherine's eyes opened in shock as she turned round, looking at the container behind them, still wondering if the orange car really jumped it, or if it was a sort of hallucination, or if they were simply dying.

The back of the container exploded in small pieces as the detectives' car passed through it: they didn't jump the container but they simply passed it all way through.

Catherine's eyes looked frantically for the Sheriff patrol car, noticing it … on a tree.

Holding her breath the reporter turned again to the front seat: she thought her mind, a trained reporter's mind, was used to everything, but she was realizing she was wrong.

"It's time to stop him, Luke! Come on!"

Bo's voice reminded Catherine that the chase wasn't over, yet, and she braced again herself waiting for another jump or whatever else.

Probably surprised by the jump of his chasers, his surprised eyes still on the driving-mirror, the man driving the blue car imperceptibly slowed down, and The General didn't spare him: a sudden new speeding up, a perfect maneuver and a perfect use of wheel and brake, the orange car stopped in front of the blue one whereas the detectives' car blocked the road behind.

The chase was over.

"PLEASE! HELP ME!"

Nobody answered him.

His voice hoarse because of his shouting, the pulsing pain in his head, and still that beep: Enos started to cry, a soft crying, his sobbing provoking a sharp pain in his shoulders because of his forced position.

"Please! Help me! I don't want to die… Daisy…" his voice just a whisper mixed with sobs.

"He's the bomber," detective Molise looked inside the car trunk, his words calm and cold, whereas detective Colt dragged the man outside the car, handcuffing him.

"WHERE'S DEPUTY STRATE?" Moving the man away from the car, detective Colt shouted his rage into the man's ear, "TELL ME WHERE HE IS!"

"I don't know what you're talking about, detective. I don't even know why you stopped me," the man tried to control his voice, pretending surprise and innocence.

"Oh, please, we know what you're doing here. Have I to list you what I've found in your trunk… Mr…?" Detective Molise's voice was polite but cold.

Detective Colt took the wallet off the man's jacket, throwing it to his colleague.

"Mr… Theodore Wright," the wallet in his hand, detective Molise looked carefully at the man's driving license, "Theodore Wright, uh? OK, Mr. Theodore Wright, I think it's a lot better if you answer my colleague's questions."

"I don't know what you're talking about! I really don't know anything about… deputy Strate?"

Detective Colt punched the man, a strong punch hitting the man's stomach.

"Hey…" Luke walked to the detective and the man, "hey, please, he's handcuffed. There's no need to hurt him that way. We can convince him to talk in another way," in his voice surprise for that violence as everything he read about police brutality surfaced into his mind.

And not just into Luke's mind: limping to his cousin, slowed down by her crutches, Daisy looked in shock at detective Colt hitting again the man.

"PLEASE, STOP THIS! DETECTIVE COLT, PLEASE!" It was like her nightmare, though detective Colt wasn't hitting Enos but another man.

As in her nightmare, Detective Molise suddenly popped up behind her shoulders, grabbing her, his strong arm circling her neck, his face near hers, his breath in her ear, "Please, Miss Daisy. You want to see your fiancé alive, don't you? If that man knows where your fiancé is, he's going to talk. Remember: better a bad trial than a beautiful funeral; if that man is going to claim police brutality, I prefer to face the trial instead of seeing your fiancé's funeral. Don't worry, detective Colt don't want to kill him, and he isn't going to injure him; he's just hitting him, hits with no serious consequences, 'til he talks."

Her eyes full of tears, Daisy looked at her cousins, in their eyes the same fight: they didn't like that violence, they wanted to stop it, but they know they had to find Enos before it was too late.

Catherine Burns, instead, looked at the scene with attention and with no visible emotion.

Beep. Silence. Beep. Silence.

It was driving him crazy.

How much was he going to wait until the explosion?

"Enos!"

Daisy's voice? Did he hear Daisy's voice?

"I'M HERE! STAY AWAY! THERE'S A BOMB, HERE, DAISY! STAY AWAY!"

Frantic voices became closer and closer. The door opened and steps came closer him.

"Oh gosh! Enos! Are you OK, honey?"

Daisy's voice was near him as several hands tried to move him away from the spot where he was, vain attempts because of the chains.

"THERE'S A BOMB! STAY AWAY!"

Finally someone took the bandage off his eyes.

He stared at the bomb's timer: 10 minutes left before the explosion.

"We have 10 minutes," detective Molise knelt by his side, "Don't worry, we aren't going to let you die, Enos."

Enos: it was the first time detective Molise called his name.

Detective Colt took his jacket off, he folded it and he gently raised Enos' head, then resting it on the folded jacket, "Don't worry. 10 minutes can be a long time, colleague," he winked and smiled.

Enos nodded, "Yeah… help me… please," then he closed his eyes.