Chapter 73 - How NOT to Spend a Holiday Weekend
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Pauline Duke was a strong woman when she had to be, but John David had for the most part taken care of her so long that she hadn't had to be a real strong person since his running around days. Pauline couldn't help taking the time to drive back to the farm from town to yell at her husband who could no more hear her, than the tears she shed over her daughter did to make anything any better. All too soon Pauline was pulling up to the farm house and even before she got parked Daisy was out the door.
With both twins asleep in their bassinets in the living room, Daisy went out on the front porch. The way the car was parked Daisy couldn't tell if Karen was with Pauline or not. When she seen her aunt get out of the car, "Aunt Pauline, how did everything go?" As Pauline started toward the house, Daisy still had not seen Karen.
"Let's go in the house and I'll tell you about it." Pauline said.
Daisy nodded and followed her aunt back inside. Not seeing Karen with Pauline more than worried Daisy.
Pauline set her purse down and headed to the kitchen to start dinner.
"Let me get you a cup of coffee Aunt Pauline. Set down a minute and relax." Daisy insisted.
Pauline took her niece up on the offer and sit down.
Daisy came back to the table with two cups of coffee and sit across from her aunt. She took at sip of her coffee and waited for her aunt to tell her what happened.
Pauline also took a sip of the hot brown liquid. It was soothing, so she took another drink before she started, her voice ragged and shaky, "Karen, ... won't be home for seventy-two hours."
"Oh my!" Daisy gasped and placed her hand over her mouth trying to regain her composure for her aunt's sake.
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Patty looked up from her place at the table where a puzzle was in the process of being put together. She could tell that these four girls had never been in trouble before in their lives. "Are you all just coming from court?"
Jackie answered for the group, "Yeah, how did you know?"
Patty guessed, "You went before Hardcastle at 4pm."
Charlene asked innocently, "How do you know that?"
Patty gestured to herself and the other girl across the cell on her bunk, "That's when we saw him. We're both waiting to be transported out to the Women's Correctional Facility down in Claxton." She sighed before continuing, "It wasn't long ago I was tired of working a dead end job, taking care of a house, husband and kids. At the time I would have given my eye teeth for a vacation, ... be careful what you ask for, ... I got one, ... an eighteen month one, here."
Peggy replied, "Oh, wow! What did you do?"
Patty replied, "I was in the wrong place, wrong time with my husband. How was I supposed to know he was picking up a load of shine when we went for a ride?"
Karen spoke to the other girl on the bunk, "What about you?"
"Well, I was supposed to go to court on a Monday. After a couple of the people I was with had seen the Judge, the rest of our court hearings were put off until Friday at 4 pm. As for what happened, some 'friends' of mine, and I now use the term loosely, talked me into riding to a liquor store with them. How was I supposed to know that they planned on robbing it. I was the only one camera. Just being in the car, on the passenger side, got me a two year trip up river." Sharon replied. While she was talking, Sharon had moved from her bunk to the table where the others were standing. She layed a letter down on the table that she had been replying to when the four other girls arrived.
Karen had been glancing at the puzzle as they talked and couldn't help but to see a return address on the envelope that the girl had layed down. "Are you from Hazzard?"
Sharon replied, "No, why?"
"Well, I couldn't help seeing your envelope with a Hazzard return address on it. I just thought you may be from there." Karen explained.
Sharon shook her head, "No, I'm not from Hazzard, but I know a couple people there. Is that where you are from?"
"No, but I do have some cousins there." Karen replied, then added, "Most people around there know the Dukes."
Sharon nodded 'yes', "You mean Luke Duke is your cousin?"
Karen replied, "Yes, him, Bo and Daisy." She couldn't help but hope that Luke wasn't involved with this girl with her being in so much trouble.
"I don't know any of them well, but I don't think Luke likes me too much. I've dated a friend of his on and off for awhile, ... Mark McCormick, ... that's who the letter is from. I think Luke used to date his sister, Robin." Sharon explained.
Karen nodded 'yes', "Yes, he did. I've heard of her, maybe seen her at the farm a couple of times on holidays and stuff, but I don't think I know Mark."
Sharon nodded, "So how long are you here for or are you going up with us?"
"No, we're here for seventy-two hours." Karen said thankfully.
Peggy added, "Just long enough to ruin any plans we had for the Fourth."
Patty replied, "I don't know why you all are here, but after seeing Hardcastle, you should be glad that's the only plans that got messed up."
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At Jesse Duke's farm, dinner was far more quiet than usual as the teens ate in silence, each busy with their own thoughts. Just as everyone was getting up from the table, stacking the dishes, cleaning up or heading to the porch the phone rang.
Jeb wanted to answer the phone, but Jesse was closer. He tired to listen to Jesse's end of the conversation as Jesse spoke softly to the caller.
"Duke Farm, this is Jesse Duke." Jesse answered. Hearing his sister-in-law on the other end of the phone line Jesse asked, "So how did things go today?"
As Pauline replied, her voice cracked as she spoke, "Oh, Jesse, ... things went terrible, just terrible."
"What happened?" Jesse asked, knowing that Pauline was likely being over dramatic.
"That Judge, that horrible man, that Luke and John went before in Court, ..." Pauline began.
"Uh-huh, ..." Jesse said trying to encourage Pauline to go on with the details.
"He, well he had the nerve to lock up those kids. All of them." Pauline said.
Jesse shook his head 'yes'. He hated to admit it, but this really didn't surprise him, "How long?" He heard Pauline sniff before she replied.
"Seventy-two hours." She said as if it were severnty-two years. Pauline hadn't been real concerned with the fine or the suspended sentence, all she was concerned with was how long her daughter would be in that place.
"I see." Jesse said knowing full well that all the kids were listening to his part of the conversation. "Are you alright?"
"I don't know Jesse, I just really don't know." Pauling said with a sob, "I know them out drinking and such was wrong, but John and I could have dealt with her about that. Jesse she just looked so scared, I'm not sure what I can do to get her out of there."
Jesse hated to be the bearer of bad news to Pauline, but with John not at home, it looked like he was going to have to be the one, "Pauline, there is no more that you can do for Karen than I could for Luke or John. She got herself into this. Karen is an adult now, Pauline, there is just somethings you can't make go away."
"I know all that Jesse, really I do, but I keep seeing the look on her face as they were taking her out of the courtroom." Pauline explained.
Jesse well remembered the look on Luke's face as Rosco was taking him out of the courtroom. "I know all about that Pauline. Have you heard from John?"
"He called last night to see if I wanted you to go with us today, but I just didn't see you coming all this way for that. He is supposed to call about eight tonight, which is why I called you early." Pauline said, then added, "How is Jeb, is he alright?"
"He's fine, would you like to talk to him or do you want me to tell them all what happened?" Jesse asked.
Pauline was tired, bone tired. "Jesse, I'm just not sure I can tell this again. Would you mind? I still have to talk to John David in an hour or so."
Jesse replied, "That's fine, I'll take care of it. Now you just get a cup of coffee and relax awhile, there is nothing else that can be done, I assure you of that."
"Thanks Jesse." Pauline said.
"You just tell John I was asking about him. If you or Daisy need anything let me know. The boys will be at your house sometime tomorrow night. I think they are going straight to the track from here." Jesse said.
"I'll tell him. You just tell those fool boys to stay out of trouble and to be safe in that foolish race." Pauline didn't like the idea of the boys racing a car anymore than she had liked it when John David used to insist on racing that blame car of his.
Jesse hung the phone up and knew that three sets of eyes were on him even before he turned around. As he turned, he was not disappointed.
Jeb spoke first, "What happened?"
Jesse reached out an layed his hand on the young man's shoulder, "Karen's lucky. She got seventy-two hours."
Luke let out a sigh of relief, he knew Karen could have fared a lot worse.
Bo shook his head. He couldn't believe that in the last six weeks his Uncle and two of his cousins had been arrested and sentenced to jail. Now at the age of seventeen, he wondered just how long he'd make it without being arrested once he turned eighteen.
Jeb frowned. He would agree with his mother on this issue, Karen or no other girl should have to be in jail. He just couldn't imagine seeing his sister behind bars like he had seen Luke, but he also knew that Jesse was right, ... she was lucky to only get seventy-two hours.
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John looked at the others in the cell. Green was standing in front of the table looking at something on television, two of the others were playing cards, and Dean and Danny were on talking on Dean's bunk. John made his way, unnoticed by the others to the phone on the other side of the cell. He dialed the number and waited for Pauline to finally answer the phone.
"John David?" Pauline said.
"Honey, are you alright?" John asked already knowing what she was going to tell him.
"I'm fine." Pauline tried to sound fine, even though she was still way out of sorts. "John, ..."
Stopping her before she could say more, "Pauline, Honey, I already know."
"But, how?" Pauline asked.
John tried to be gentle as he could with his wife, "I have a new roommate, ... Karen's 'friend' Danny."
Pauline wasn't sure why it hadn't came to her before now, but she just realized that Karen and John were in the same jail. "So, Karen's there with you?"
"Somewhere, here. I think they house the females upstairs." John answered.
"So, you haven't seen her?" Pauline asked.
John replied, "No, and I doubt that I will see her."
"But, how? Why? You said Danny was with you?" Pauline asked. She had no idea how things worked at such a place. The only time she'd ever been in a jail was the time she had insisted on going to see Luke.
John rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, Danny is here with me. I'm not sure where the others are. He said the girls were taken down the hall while the guys were processed."
"John David you have got to go check on her. She looked so scared when they took her out of the courtroom." Pauline insisted.
"Pauline, ... I plan to ask and see if they will tell me how she is, but as for me going to see her, ... I just don't see that happening." John tried to explain.
"Well, why not? I mean she is your daughter and all. Surely you could go see her for just a minute." Pauline said.
John looked at the three quarter inch steel bars that separated his cell from the main hallway. It wasn't like he had free reign of the place and could go anywhere he pleased. Yet, he had created the naive being that he was talking to by sheltering her every chance he'd gotten. When he heard that she had insisted going to see Luke, her favorite nephew, in jail a month ago, John nearly couldn't believe his ears. "Pauline, Honey, it's not like I can just run up there."
"Well, I don't see what harm it would do, ..." Pauline said without thinking that John David was locked in a cell behind bars and her daughter was locked in a room behind a steel door.
John decided to try to satisfy his wife, "Alright, Honey, I promise to try to check on her, but she will be home soon."
"Not soon enough." Pauline fumed.
John grimaced. He felt for his oldest when she did get home since he wouldn't be there to run interference for her.
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The evening passed slowly for the girls as they talked and became acquainted with the other two females in their cell which was a closed in cinder block room with thick square glass windows that let light in but did nothing for you as far as seeing anything outside.
Charlene had been beside herself with worry about what her parents would think or do to her about all this once she got home. She was sure that she was now an embarrassment to her entire family.
Peggy like Jackie figured by dating Larry that she would eventually get into trouble, but the thing was, she hadn't figured it involving a holiday weekend in jail.
Lights out came far too soon and yet not soon enough. Karen tried her best to get comfortable on the thin noisy fire resistant mattress on the hard steel bunk with the same type pillow that rattled every time she made a move. With so much happening today, it was only now that she had the chance to think back to the Judge's words about the guys. At first Karen tried to convience herself that she knew Danny, but then she began to wonder just how well she knew him, if at all.
She whispered to avoid waking anyone, "Jackie are you still awake?"
"No." Was Jackie's simple answer.
"I've been thinking about what the Judge said today." Karen said.
Jackie couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Really?"
"I mean the part about the guys trying to get us drunk to take advantage of us." Karen explained.
Under other circumstances Jackie may not have told so much about her private business but it seemed right to do so now, "Well, as for Frank, he knew he didn't have to get me drunk."
Karen couldn't hide the surprise on her face even in the dim light the night light provided. "You mean, ... you've done, ... that before?"
Jackie shrugged her shoulders before replying without giving exact information, "Frank and I have been together over a year now."
Karen was still a bit surprised but asked, "So what do you think about Danny or the others?"
Jackie thought for a minute before answering, "Larry, I wouldn't put it past him. I'm not real sure how much Roy had to twist Peggy's arm to get her to drink that much. She likes to drink. As for Danny, I don't know. He doesn't hang out with Frank and Roy that much, at least not when I've been around. Besides, you was with him. What do you think?"
"That's just it. I'm not sure. I really thought that he liked me for me. He did make me feel very different from when I've went out with other guys, but then again, I was drinking." Karen said in defeat.
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Thanks for sticking with me and continueing to read adn review! Even if you are jsut joining the story, reviews of past chapters are more than welcome.
Now buckle your seatbelts and get your helment on, the boys are off to the races! and we get to join them!