I'm extremely sorry for the long delay in posting and want to thank those who continue to read. Real life has been occupying my spare time lately. It's been a long fight that I hope will not only soon end but will see my granddaughter back in a loving, caring home with her family. Thanks again for reading.
Chapter 86
As the Dukes traveled toward Hazzard County, Luther Davenport stopped off at the Boar's Nest for a cold beer to cut the dust in his throat. He'd been out most of the day on the wrecker. First with the car that his own son had likely parked considering where and how the car was parked so that it wouldn't draw attention anytime soon, but also where it would be found. Then, Rosco had managed to run off a perfectly straight dry road on a bright sunny summer day and get bottomed out as he spun to try to get out of his predicament. Now Luther was just coming back from getting a car out of a ditch. It seems the young woman was newly married and in town visiting her husband relatives. She shyly admitted that she had been told to watch out for the section of newly graveled road since she wasn't used to driving on dirt roads. She had driven several years so she failed to take her new husband's advice which had ended her up in the ditch in his new car. Luther had assured her that the car wasn't hurt and soon she was on her way just a bit slower this time.
Luther got his beer at the bar and headed to a table toward the back of the near empty bar. Luther wasn't really here for the conversation, he was good with sipping on his beer and soaking up a bit of air conditioning. As he slowly sipped his lukewarm beverage, Luther's thoughts returned to his conversations with the Sheriff, well, at least the conversations about Cooter. He couldn't for the life of him think where Cooter could be since Saturday with a girl, an underage girl at that. Luther shook his head, the boy had been out to Oklahoma and worked the oilfields for awhile, but other than that Luther could count the times on his hands Cooter had spent the night out of Hazzard County. But, Luther had to give it to Cooter, he could be resourceful, so that left a lot of possibilities open.
In the back room of the Boar's Nest Boss Hogg had been listening to the details of how his Sheriff had managed once again to run up a wrecker bill. "Ding Dang it Rosco! How am I supposed to make any profits if you manage to spend them on wrecker and garage bills? I ain't even had a decent shine run since Cooter made a delivery up to Tennessee Friday night."
Boss Hogg was in running off at the mouth with a full head of steam as Jane opened the office door to bring in Boss Hogg's after lunch snack - three racks of barbeque beef ribs.
"Dat, Dat, Dat!" Boss exclaimed. He rushed to close the door behind the waitress who had entered his office with out knocking, "Sugerpie, don't just open the door like that, knock first. You never know what sort of, ..."
"Dirty, rotten, lowdown, ..." Rosco added as he moved closer to Boss Hogg's snack hoping to snag a nibble.
"ROSCO! Hush!" Boss exclaimed. "What sort of business dealings you could walk in on."
"Ghee, Boss I'm sorry, but with this platter and all it was all I could do to carry it and get the door open." Jane said shyly.
Outside Boss Hogg's door, Luther Davenport replayed the part of the conversation that he'd heard which interested him, 'since Cooter made a delivery up to Tennessee Friday night'. Luther now remembered the conversation with LB about seeing Cooter coming back in from this run. Luther took a drink of beer and thought about that for the next little while until after he'd seen the Sheriff leave. Luther turned up his mug and finished his beer then walked into Boss Hogg's office unannounced.
Around a mouthful of ribs Boss mumbled, "Luther Davenport? What do you want?"
Luther gave the man a hard look, "I hear my son made a whiskey run for you Friday night up to Tennessee, ... I want to know where to and how much you paid him?"
"Well, now, ... supposing, ... just supposing that he did. What has that got to do with you?" Boss Hogg said smugly.
"Hogg!" Luther exclaimed harshly. "Your Sheriff has asked me twice about Cooter's whereabouts, I don't have a clue. If you sent him to Tennessee, I want to know where and how much you paid him. If I know how much cash he has on him I may be able to figure out where he is." Luther explained.
Boss considered Luther's request. He couldn't see how the requested information could hurt him or his buyer, but he also didn't see how it could help the mechanic find his wayward son. "He took the load up to Moore County." Boss shrugged his shoulders, then added, "And I paid him a hundred dollars."
Luther nodded. Now that he had the information he wasn't sure exactly how to use it but replied, "I appreciate it, Mr. Hogg."
Boss Hogg puffed his cigar, "I sure hope it helps you find that boy of yours before he winds up in a heap of trouble."
Luther sent the fat man a glare them stomped out of the office and through the Boar's Nest. Once in the wrecker, Luther thought, "Hogg had paid Cooter a hundred dollars and he knew he had put two hundred and sevety-five in his son's pay envelope. Knowing his fool son, Luther knew Cooter wasn't one to hold on to much money so he shouldn't have much more than three hundred seventy-five dollars on him. For two people that wasn't a lot of money but he knew his son was handy with his hands so he could make money. Now the question: 'Just where would his son go to make money?' " Luther wondered as he drove back to town.
0101010101010101
Luther Davenport wasn't the only one thinking about the conversation he had just had, JD Hogg's wheels were also spinning. He keyed the CB mic and called for his Sheriff.
Rosco grumbled as he picked up the CB mic while trying not to run off the road again, "This is Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane here."
"Rosco get back here to the Boar's Nest pronto." Boss Hogg said.
Rosco replied as he swung his patrol car around in the middle of the road, "Ok, Boss. I'm in Pronto mode back to you."
"Dat, Dat, Dat, just get here now." Boss Hogg said as he tossed the CB mic back on his desk and began to pace impatiently waiting on his hired Sheriff.
Minutes later Rosco stumbled over his own feet as he stepped into Boss Hogg's office without knocking.
Boss Hogg turned back toward the noise and he and Rosco nearly ended up tangled up in the middle of his office floor. Fortunately, though the fat man's weight on his feet kept him anchored and stopped the bumbling Sheriff's fall. "Rosco!" Hogg bellowed, "Can't you even walk up right with out trippin' over your own feet?"
"Jut, Jut, Jut, ... Boss I didn't trip over my own feet, ..." Rosco began knowing darn good and well that is just what he'd tripped over. "There must have been some sort of, ..." He turned toward the open door looking for anything to blame his clumsiness on but seen nothing anywhere near the doorway.
"Nevermind, ALL that!" Boss Hogg shut the door loudly. "Now, the reason I called you back here is a conversation I just had with Luther Davenport about Cooter. He seemed to think that Cooter running that load of shine for me on Friday was pertinent to where he might be at now. Now you have been up to the Lynchburg area since I have, do they still have that one little hole in the wall garage up there?"
Rosco thought a minute then replied, "Well, yeah Boss there is that one there on Main Street. It's the only one I know of. You can get gas or a tire changed but likely not much more."
Boss Hogg shook his head. They were thinking of the same place. Boss Hogg turned to the phone, "Maybelle connect me with Boss Davis up in Lynchburg." Boss puffed his cigar impatiently until the Boss of the small Tennessee County answered the line, "Boss Davis this is J.D. Hogg down in Hazzard."
"JD." The other man replied neutrally.
"Yes, well, well, well and well. It's been a long time since I've been up to your fair city." Hogg began.
Davis cut him off, "Yes it has." And for that the small town Boss was grateful and hoped it would be even longer before the double dealing fat man came back to his town and tried to flimflam his citizens into business deals.
"Well, I was wondering, ... that there one horse garage that you have there on Main Street. It wouldn't just happen to have a new mechanic hanging around there would it?" JD asked.
Rosco only now put two and two together and came up with four as he cut loose with a giggle, "Cooter Davenport!"
Boss Hogg shot the man a glare and waved his hand to hush his Sheriff as he waited for the man on the other end of the phone to reply.
Boss Davis thought for a full minute and did remember seeing a man he'd never seen before at the local garage when he'd gassed his car up earlier that day. The reason for the frown was just how and WHY, JD Hogg knew or suspected a stranger in his town. "Well, now there have been a few new faces around here lately, but what does that have to do with you?"
JD Hogg had played cat and mouse since the game was invented. He wasn't sure if the new faces the other Boss was talking about was Cooter Davenport and the Hibbs girl or not, but they could be. That was good enough for him. "Nothing, nothing at all. It's been nice chatting with you and all but I have to go now."
"Chatting? Go, now? JD, what are you talking about?" Boss Davis asked, more confused than ever.
Boss Hogg simply replied, "I'll be in contact with you again, Davis. Have a nice day! Bye now!" Boss Hogg promptly hung up the phone and turned to his Sheriff, "When does Mr. Hibbs get home from work?"
"Home? Well, he should be getting off here soon from the mill and he usually goes straight home." Rosco offered.
"Well, he won't be going straight home today. I want you to meet him at the mill and bring him here for a nice little chat. I think I have some information that he just might find interesting." Boss Hogg said as he puffed on his cigar.
0101010101010101
Meanwhile the Dukes of Hazzard were making their way home from Placid County. Bo and Daisy were in Luke's Torinto behind Jesse's pickup truck. Much to Luke's displeasure, nothing that he could have said or done would have gotten him out of riding home with his Uncle Jesse. Furthermore, Luke knew that home wasn't their first destination.
Trying one more time, Luke began, "Uncle Jesse I'm really, ... alright. You have the medicine that Doctor, ... Greenwood gave me and all... Can't we just go to the, ... farm? You have always, ... been the one to take care, ... of us." Luke cursed the times that he had to pause for a breath while trying to plead his case about being alright.
"Luke we have been over all this before, you have been hurt nearly a month now and haven't gotten better but only gotten worse under my care. Just listen to yourself, pneumonia is nothing to play with. You ain't well and if Doctor Applebee thinks that spending a few days with him will get you better sooner, then that is just what we are going to do. And, I'll not hear anymore arguments about it." Jesse stated firmly.
Luke could have chewed nails but wisely kept his mouth shut. There was nothing he could say that would change his Uncle's mind about this and he was only wasting what little breath that he had trying to plead his case. It was going to be a long boring while before he got back to his own bed.
0101010101010101
In Placid, Pauline was off to town to find something presentable for her son to wear while in the mounts of plaster that Doctor Greenwood had deemed the necessary treatment for her son. She was hurrying since she had invited the niece of the new banker over for supper to introduce her to Karen and of course Jeb. Pauline felt that Jeb needed to meet more of the 'right' sort of people and leave all those motorcycle people alone.
Jeb had taken full advantage of his mother not being home and was currently on the front porch swing in nothing but his slip on shoes and gym shorts, ... and of course the large plaster cast that covered his entire left arm, left shoulder and entire rib cage. He had one foot across the swing and was swinging the swing with one foot, almost asleep after his latest dose of pain medications.
Karen was more than happy to be home and with her mother gone to town, she hadn't even complained about watching the now sleeping twins as she listened to the radio and carried the last load of laundry out to be hung up on the line.
Once Pauline Duke got home from her shopping trip, she began having Karen get in all the dried laundry off the clothes lines. It just wasn't proper to have clothes hanging on the line with company coming. Before Pauline started dinner she sent Jeb to clean up and get dressed before company arrived.
Jeb had been perfectly content sitting on the swing enjoying the days light breeze until his mother had disturbed him. He had known there was no use in trying to delay so he had taken the bag of shirts his mother had gotten him and headed up stairs.
"Let me know if you need any help Dear." Pauline Duke said as she watched her son going up the stairs. He seemed a bit unsteady on his feet which she figured was due to the weight of the cast.
Jeb only nodded as his mother's offer to help him get dressed. A movement which sent his head swimming. He stopped as he took the last step to let the dizziness pass. Jeb couldn't help but think that the medicine Doctor Greenwood had given him sure had a heck of a punch. For his part, Jeb would have just as soon had a few sips of his Dad's or his Uncle's shine which would have taken the pain away just as well without making him feel like he did right now. After managing to get washed up as best as he could with only the use of his right hand, Jeb made it back to his room where the 'fight' began. First Jeb picked out the largest most comfortable looking shirt that his mother had picked out for him. He was now remembering why he had been insisting on going shopping for his school clothes for the last several years as he looked at some of the shirts he was sure he'd never wear. Getting the shirt on over his head wasn't too bad. Even getting his right arm through the right sleeve had been do-able, but the hard part was getting the shirt pulled down with only the use of his right hand. The plaster its self was now keeping the shirt in place instead of allowing it to be pulled down. After several long minutes of working the material of the shirt over the plaster Jeb had gotten the shirt on as best that he could and was now feeling as if he'd been at football practice for hours. Feeling both the effects of the medication and the workout Jeb had just been through, he turned to go out of his room but saw his bed and it seemed to be calling his name. Jeb figured that just stretching out on his bed for a few minutes wouldn't hurt anything and just might make him feel a bit better. Even in the different position that he was forced to lay in Jeb was soon very comfortably dozing off.
01010101010101
By the time that Jesse Duke pulled up in front of Doc Applebee's office, which also doubled as his home, Luke had drifted off to sleep from the medication and the motion of the truck.
Bo pulled Luke's car in behind the pickup and saw Jesse get out but Luke had yet to open his door. Bo about half way figured that his older cousin was still trying to talk their uncle into going on out to the farm. "Looks like Luke is still trying to plead his case about going home."
Daisy shook her head 'no', "Not from here. To me it looks like he's asleep."
Bo frowned, "Luke never sleeps during the day."
"Not unless he's really sick." Daisy added.
That was enough to get Bo moving toward his older cousin who might as well have been his brother, "Uncle Jesse is Luke alright?"
Jesse nodded, 'yes' as he said letting his voice grow a bit louder, "Luke, ... Luke, ... Luke, son wake up."
"I am awake Uncle Jesse." Luke said with his eyes still closed, then added, "It's Bo's turn to milk Bessie."
Luke talking out of his head might at any other time been hilarious to Bo, but this afternoon it down right worried him.
Jesse seen the concern in Bo's eyes for Luke, "Luke open your eyes and get yourself awake."
It took a good minute, but Luke finally opened his eyes, got his bearings and let out a groan. "Ah, come on Uncle Jesse."
Jesse gave Luke a one word warning that said more than any argument anyone else could have used, "Luke."
With a loud sigh, Luke replied, "I'm coming."
Once the four Dukes were in the office, Doc Applebee took Luke and Jesse back to an exam room. Several deep breaths and a few questions later Luke was being shown to a room with an already made up hospital bed in it. "Come on ya'll, ... This really isn't, ... necessary, ..." Luke got out just before he started to cough.
Doc dropped the side rail on the bed as Jesse turned back the covers.
01010101010101
Pauline almost had dinner ready to put on the table. Karen had gotten the table set for four as instructed by her mother as they heard a strange car pull up. Pauline looked at the clock it was nearly a half hour before time to sit down at the dinner table. Being the good hostess, Pauline turned the stove down and went to the front room to greet their guest.
There was the bankers daughter getting out of the car in skin tight jeans and tub top. This was not the picture Pauline pictured when she had invited the girl to her home for dinner.
Once Angie Day had been invited to dinner at the Duke farm she had done her homework. Mrs. Duke not only had a daughter close to her age, but also a son. From the way the young girl had heard it, he was a very attractive young man that was well known, into most sports, and basically one of the biggest 'catches' at her new school, so Angie had dressed to impress the young man. After all first impressions do count.
The trouble with the girl's first impressions was that to impress the son, it had the total opposite effect on the mother. Pauline Duke bit her tongue and counted ten before saying, "Welcome, Ms. Day. This is my daughter Karen."
Karen had just stepped out on the porch to meet their dinner guest.
Pauline turned and continued, "And this is my, ..." She stopped in mid sentence when Jeb was no where to be seen. Pauline frowned, then asked Karen, "Where is your brother?"
Karen shrugged her shoulders, "I haven't seen him since you sent him up to get ready for dinner, but I'll go check."
"Nevermind. You get acquainted with Ms. Day here and I'll go see what's keeping Jeb. Ms. Day I can't apologize enough for my son's rudeness." Pauline said as she hurried to find Jeb. And, find him she did.
Jeb was laying on his back up against his pillows against the headboard sound asleep when his mother entered his room.
"Jeb? ... Jeb Darlin', ... Jeb Stewart Duke!?" Pauline said getting louder each time.
Jeb finally heard his mother's words through the medication induced sleep. He bolted upright thinking he was late for school or in deep trouble for something. Jeb had totally forgot about his injuries or the cast on his arm and upper body. The weight of the cast caused Jeb to nose dive to the left and end up in a crumpled heap in the floor. The impact shot shock waves through out Jeb's body as his mother's voice echoed in his mind.
"Jeb Stewart Duke! What on EARTH are you doing asleep in the middle of the afternoon? Why, it is unheard of for a Duke to be asleep in the middle of the day like this and when we're having company to boot!" Pauline exclaimed.
Jeb moaned from the pain, then groaned at being reprimanded for sleeping in mid-afternoon. "I'm up. Sorry Mother, it must be the medication or, ..."
"Nevermind all that! We have a guest down stairs and I want you downstairs now!" Pauline fumed.
01010101010101
Rosco met Mr. Hibbs at the mill and told him that Boss Hogg wanted to talk to him. Figuring that this may might just be information on Beverly, Mr. Hibbs agreed to go to the Boar's Nest and speak to Boss Hogg.
Boss Jefferson Davis Hogg proudly invited Mr. Hibbs into his den of his very own lair. Beaming with satisfaction, JD Hogg began, "Mr. Hibbs, I think that I may have information for you concerning your daughter's where abouts." JD Hogg paused, then added, "Now I am not one to get into such piddly things as family disputes and such, but, ... if I can assist you in such domestic type dealings and all I'm sure that you will remember these favors, ... ummm, ... favorably in the future, ... don't ya know."
There it was. The price for help in finding his daughter was spelled out to Mr. Hibbs. Point blank, he'd owe JD Hogg now and in the future if he accepted his help now. Mr. Hibbs saw no other way at the present time and time was of the essences. "Alright, Mr. Hogg, I understand your terms. Anything that is in my power to make things go your way, I'll do without question. Now, where is my daughter?" Mr. Hibbs asked.
JD Hogg replied with a smile, "That's mighty friendly of you, Sir. You might want to start looking up around the Moore County area of Tennessee. Say maybe around Lynchburg. I know they have a garage there on Main Street that just might have a new mechanic that just may be one Cooter Davenport. I am also fairly sure that with a little money, that your influence will go a long way, ... if, you get my drift."
Mr. Hibbs did get JD's drift. He stood up shook hands with the fat fat and said, "Yes, I get your drift. I'm mighty beholding to you Mr. Hogg. In fact I'll just stop at the bank on my way out of town."
"Do have a safe trip now and I hope all is well with your daughter." Boss Hogg said far too friendly for his normal demeanor.
Mr. Hibbs thought to himself as he made his way out to his car, 'Things will be just fine with my girl just as soon as I find her and get my hands on that good for nothing grease monkey that she's with.'
01010101010101
Several minutes later Jeb had pulled himself together and was now sitting at the dinning room table. His mother was shooting daggers at him, their dinner guest was ogling him, and his sister's eyes were dancing with amusement. Jeb wasn't sure which was the most annoying of the three but wished they had just left him asleep in his bed.
Jeb figured part of his Mother's reason for the looks she was shooting at him was over him being asleep when she came upstairs earlier. The other part of the reason was surely the fact that in his rush to get downstairs Jeb had forgotten that he was dressed only in his gym shorts and large baggie T-shirt his mother had gotten him to go over the cast on his arm. Jeb wasn't sure how he'd have managed his jeans but would have at least tried if he'd remembered they were having a guest over, but from where he sat the girl didn't seem to mind his casual dress attire.
0101010101010101
Thanks again for reading. Reviews welcome.