SUPPOSITIONS

HAZZARD

The Dukes moved silently inside the kitchen during breakfast; the sunlight entering the window wasn't cheering them up, nothing could cheer them up.

Four days since Enos' missing and no sign of him, yet.

"Daisy…" uncle Jesse rested his hand on Daisy's shoulder, "eat something, please. It's since…" No need to complete his words, uncle Jesse simply squeezed Daisy's shoulder; his unsaid words were like a heavy and dense fog poisoning them.

Daisy stood up and walked to the window, folding her arms and looking outside, waiting for something; waiting for everything could stop that terrific limbo; waiting for everything but also fearing that 'everything', 'cause 'everything' could mean also the thing Daisy, and the Dukes, rejected.

Rosco was reading Enos' past reports, trying to find any clue about what happened to his deputy; he rubbed his eyes after that long sleepless night, sleepless night after sleepless night alternated to days spent looking for Enos in any spot inside Hazzard County.

Inside Hazzard County… if Enos was still in Hazzard County.

Rosco had a deep sigh, pushing away his most terrific suppositions, but, day after day, his suppositions became darker and darker.

Reports: maybe the Dukes were right. Rosco scratched his head and focused on those reports, but the fax's pesky hoot interrupted his task.

Annoyed by that hoot, he stared at the paper coming out the fax and at its header: Rockdale County Sheriff Department.

"Do you think Rosco found something in Enos' records?" Bo glanced at Luke, resting his fork on the dish, unable to eat.

Luke shrugged, "I don't know. We're goin' to the town to find it out."

Daisy turned to them, "Maybe we're goin' to find something helping us to understand what Enos was working on, and so if he was somehow in danger, and what kind of danger."

Their only hope along the last days: if they couldn't find Enos, they could find a possible reason for Enos' missing, maybe a case he was working on, and so a possible culprit.

"If only that day…" Bo shook his head.

FLASHBACK

The General Lee stopped in front of Enos' patrol car.

"Hey buddy," Bo came out the car and walked to the patrol car, "are you waiting for people to ticket?"

Luke leaned out of the window, "We are innocent, we weren't running," he glanced at Bo and smiled, "this time."

Enos came out the car, "Hi Bo. Hi Luke. No, no fine for you, this time."

"Before to ticket us, you have to catch us, buddy," Bo patted Enos' shoulder, but his smile faded when he realized Enos wasn't smiling as usual, just a tired smile from him, "Are you OK? Something wrong?"

Enos shook his head and looked down, his lips pressed in his disappointed look, "Just police business," he gently touched his hat's brim, lifting it up a bit.

"Do you need our help? We are friends, you know," Luke came out the car and reached Enos and Bo.

Enos shook his head again, "Police business… I can't talk to you 'bout it. It's really…," he looked around as if someone could hear him and he lowered his voice, "… private."

Bo glanced at Luke and Luke glanced at Bo.

Enos shrugged, "Anyway, nothing to worry 'bout. Thanks for your offer," he smiled.

Bo grinned and patted Enos' back, "OK, but call us if you need some help," then he turned to Luke, "Come on, Mary Beth and Katie are waiting for us."

The cousins walked to The General Lee, ready for their date with Mary Beth and Katie, two pretty twins; Bo turned to Enos before to get into the car, "Hi Enos."

"Hi Bo. Hi Luke. Say hi to uncle Jesse and Daisy," Enos beckoned and smiled, looking at The General Lee leaving.

"It was nearly one month ago, and Enos didn't talk 'bout it anymore," Luke stood up, "we met him several times, since then, but he didn't look worried, so probably he solved that… police business."

"Yeah… we met him several times, but… not so many times, if you think 'bout it, like if he was really busy. We should have insisted and found out what's goin' on," Bo kept on his self-charge.

"Bo, Luke," uncle Jesse stared at his nephews, "it's pointless to talk about it. IF… IF… IF… Stop it and think of how to find out what's happened to Enos."

"Uncle Jesse is right," Daisy walked closer her cousins, her hands on their shoulders, "Bo, Luke, go to the town and ask Rosco if he found something interesting in Enos' reports."

Bo shook his head in frustration, "Absurd. Rosco not knowing 'bout Enos' job."

Luke folded his arms, "Enos is the only real police officer here, and folks ask Enos for help. He'd do everything to help people."

Daisy nodded and held back her tears, "And, now, WE have to find a way to help him, whatever happened to him."

Luke hugged Daisy, "I promise you, we're goin' to find him."

ATLANTA MEDICAL CENTER

"Nobody for him, yet," nurse Dolly glanced at the man lying motionless in the bed, "John Doe is still John Doe."

Nurse Emily gently removed the bandages covering the man's belly, checking the surgical wound and finally dressing it, "It isn't so easy to find his identity. He was found in Rockdale County but we don't know where he comes from; for sure he doesn't come from Rockdale County. For what I heard, nobody knows him in Rockdale County: it's a small County where people know each other."

Dolly handed Emily some new bandages, observing the careful job of the older nurse, "What a wound. The surgical wound is so visible whereas the wound provoked by the bullet is nearly invisible."

Nurse Emily nodded, "Of course, Dolly. Damages of bullets are internal: entry's small hole but big internal damages. Surgeons did a great job, saving his life, though this scar is going to recall him what he faced, for the rest of his life."

"He's still in coma," Dolly folded her arms, "if only he woke up, he'd tell us his name."

"Head injury," Emily covered the man with the blanket, "but he's showing positive signs, and doctors say he's going to wake up. They don't know when, but he's going to wake up."

"I'm curious to know who is and what happened to him," Dolly checked the monitor and registered the man's vital signs in the nursing record.

"Me too, and I hope we aren't going to wait so long."

HAZZARD

Rosco's patrol car stopped in front of the farm, its tires creaking because of the abrupt stop.

Hearing the car's tires, the Dukes dashed to the door and came out the farm, staring at Rosco walking to them, a paper in his hand.

"Rosco, did you find something in Enos' reports? Any clue 'bout where he is and what happened to him?" Daisy grabbed his arms, frantically.

"No. I didn't find anything in his reports. But this morning I had this from Rockdale County," Rosco passed uncle Jesse the paper.

Uncle Jesse took the paper from Rosco's hand, "Rockdale County?" he looked in confusion at the Sheriff and then at the paper, reading it, "Man… white… between the age of 25 and 35, brown hair and hazel eyes… Height 6'2"… Weight 200," he glanced at Rosco, his mouth dry, and then he kept on reading, sharing just some fundamental words of the paper with his attentive audience, "head trauma and gunshot wound… Atlanta Medical Center… critical conditions…" his eyes opened wide as he stared at the paper and then at Rosco.

"What's that?" Daisy looked alternatively at uncle Jesse and at Rosco, "What does it mean?"

"The night Enos left the Boarding House a man was found in Rockdale County; he was severely injured because of a gunshot wound and head trauma. He had no ID with him, so Rockdale County's Sheriff couldn't identify him. Paramedics brought him to Atlanta Medical Center."

Silence, the men looking at each other and Daisy hugging uncle Jesse and burying her face against his chest.

"Enos' wallet was in his car," Bo swallowed against the lump in his throat, trying to verbalize the puzzle they were composing in their mind, "Man… white… between the age of 25 and 35, brown hair and hazel eyes. Maybe… that man is Enos."

"What about that man, Rosco?" Luke stared at Rosco, his voice low and his blue eyes fixed in Rosco's ones.

Rosco shook his head, averting his eyes, "I don't know. It isn't a medical bulletin but a dispatch about a man found injured in Rockdale County."

Uncle Jesse held Daisy tight, pondering his words, necessary and obvious words, "Nobody called us from Atlanta Medical Center, and that dispatch means that police officers don't know the man's identity, yet. So… the man is dead…" his arms clasped Daisy, trying to stop her trembling, "… or he is unable to say his name because of his critical conditions. It's why his identity is still unknown to doctors and to police officers."

"Well, we have just one way to find it out: go to Atlanta Medical Center, understand if that man is Enos… and so find out if …" Luke stopped, unable to echo uncle Jesse's rational suppositions about the man's destiny.

The men nodded to Luke's words, silently, while Daisy trembled in uncle Jesse's arms.