To Chase a Friend
By: Valerie Strate and Kristy Duke

Luke's knuckles whiten as he grips harshly onto the black leather steering wheel as they turn out of their uncle's farm's driveway. Skeptically he glances over at his cousin; Bo who sits uneasily in the passenger seat glaring out his passenger window and the green scenery that the bright sun kisses down upon. The day was sunny and bright, birds were chirping, crickets singing and the breeze was blowing lightly.

However for a certain Hazzard County Sheriff's Deputy it could have been raining outside and he wouldn't notice. Enos's stomach tightens in knots as he sat in his patrol car waiting for his superior officer's battle cry.

"You go any slower," Bo gripes nervously in the passenger seat in dread of going into town in fear of running into his now ex-girlfriend, "if you only let me drive we would have been there and back by now."

"Relax Bo," Luke says as he smiles calmly at his cousin in understanding how his cousin is feeling, "If Nichole is there, I'll side track her way from you or something, she is harmless as a fly. We all been there and she is only human."

"Yeah, a human that was cruel and harsh," Bo complains with saddened blue eyes, "She was only using me to get to Dobro, you believe that? What if she is there and then expects me to talk to her? Or to understand? I never used anybody for nothing and this is what I get?!"

As the Duke boys were squabbling over girlfriend matters, little did they know that Sheriff Coltrane was hiding in the brush with his cruiser ready to snap. Rosco peered down the road with his binoculars and see the orange dot come into view.

"Enos, you get ready now, ya 're! Those Dukes are commin' my way. When they pass me I'm gonna chasin' down. I'll tell ya when they are coming. We'll then sandwich'em like a tuna on rye! Khee! Khee!" Rosco giggled in delight as he talked into the CB.

"10 -4 Sheriff, I'm ready," the reluctant Deputy replied then hung up the CB.

"Nichole is just another person, Bo...just forget her and move on, move onto something better. I was the one that tol' ya in the first place that you deserved something better than her," Luke shrugs, "Not to say I tol' you so or anything because I've been there myself. We all just need to move on."

"I guess," Bo answers almost inaudibly as the unmistakable sound of a piercing siren abruptly cuts through the silence out of the orange car, "Luke, you better step on it...Uncle Jesse will skin our hides if we get us another ticket."

Rosco pushes the gas as he sees the General speed up.

"Dipstick this is yer superior officer speakin', I'm in hot pursuit of them Dukes! Get yer posterior on Cripple Creek Road and put plan Tuna on Rye in place!" Rosco ordered into the CB.

"Tuna on Rye? Sheriff, I ain't hungry yet!" Enos squeaked.

"No you Dipstick! Just get yer tail down here and set up a road block before I block you!" Rosco barked.

"Oh, yes Sheriff! I'm gone!" Enos replied and revered up the engine as he torn off of the side of the road and headed South to Cripple Creek Road to head off the Dukes.

Wearily Luke glances into the rear view mirror to find the local country sheriff growing closer to the tail end of their orange stock car. "I wish for once they'd leave us be,"

Luke gripes as he harshly presses upon the accelerator and smiles in satisfaction as the car kicks ahead and the powerful engine purr aloud, "Jesse will skin our hides if we don't get that grain he's askin' for as well."

"Well you know they ain't about to leave us be, Luke...the day they do that, we'll be watching the cow jump over the moon," Bo replies watching the sheriff's car through his side mirror.

"Cute cuz, real cute," Luke smirks glancing ahead in time to find the deputy's patrol car parked horizontally across the road.

"Dang it!" Luke yells out in frustration as he swings the car in a one-eighty to be facing the sheriff's car, "Watch this, cuz...we'll see who's chicken and who'll win."

"OOOooooo! Rosco hoots as he sees the orange car head back at him. He swings the patrol car horizontal to trap the boys in.

Rosco grips the wheel waiting for impact. Enos watches in dread as the Charger barrels down on its target.

"Hang tight there cuz," Luke warns as he slightly taps on the stock car's break for it to slightly slow down as he races into the nose of the sheriff's car. Luke smiles as the sheriff's car is shoved back into a vertical position. Quickly, Luke races past the freshly dented patrol as they both glances back in time to find Rosco shaking his fist at them.

"Jit, jit! Them Dang Duke boys! Ya'll see ya'll see. I'll put ya under the jail fer that!"
Rosco yammers on.

Enos smiles lightly as to not show his relief of not having to pursue his friends on trumped up charges for now.

"Well, Dipstick don't just sit there! Go after'em!" Rosco commanded.

The Strate knew his relief was too good to be true. Enos pulled the car onto the road and passed his superior officer's damaged patrol car. He then darted to the orange dot in the distance.

"We once again, got company, cuz," Bo replies to cut into the thick silence that lingered between them as he watches Enos quicken behind them.

"Dang it...any more ideas?" Luke wonders out loud as he watches Enos fight his way through the General's dust as he floors the accelerator, "Not only are we headin' in the wrong direction now, but we got Enos on our tail. Great."

Bo nods silently as he glances up at the hills that lie off in the near distance, looking as if reaching the sky. "Well...you could call in Cooter," Bo pauses as a big bird flies ahead of them, "you could call in Cooter for help, he could cut Enos off or something like that . . .Enos wouldn't suspect a thing other than just an accident."

Luke glares over at Bo as he thinks of Bo's ideas and how they could work out. "Hey we could do that...good thinkin' cuz, "Luke comments looking over at Bo to find him smiling slightly at his compliment, "That may just work...he just may need a tow truck by the time ol' Cooter arrives. Call him up...use channel eight this time."

"Yes sir," Bo smiles jokingly before he reaches down to grab the black CB handle and changes the channel before he calls in for Cooter.

Meanwhile in the white cruiser the Deputy Sheriff's heart raced. He didn't want to do this. He knew they were innocent and he wanted to drop the whole thing, but he knew he was stuck. Silently he prayed that some type of distraction would block his mission. Anything, anything at all to keep him from catching the Dukes, would satisfy him just fine.

Suddenly the white wrecker pulled out infront of the Deputy Sheriff's car. Enos slammed on the brake petal. The white Plymouth screeches as it heads into the side of Cooter's wrecker. The wrecker came out with a dented side panel while the Plymouth didn't fair as well. Cooter knew he could drive his truck back into town but the patrol car needed a tow.

Spontaneously, the boys watch as Enos slowly steps out of his patrol car as does Cooter where they meet up in front of the tow truck. "Good job, cuz," Luke smiles giving Bo a high five Bo who is smiling proudly, "I always knew I could count on you."

"Yeah sure," Bo shrugs as his smile slowly disappears; "Now we need to get back to town to get those supplies.... without getting ticketed or caught."

"How you want to do that, cuz?"

"Daisy will do it for us if we do her chores for the next couple of weeks. You up for it?" Bo gradually and regretfully nods in agreement before he rings up the farm over the CB to ask Daisy to get the supplies.

"Thanks Country," Bo replies hanging up.

Cooter looked at Enos as the Deputy got out of the car. He noticed the Strate was smiling and not even saying a word.
"Oh Enos I'm sorry I pulled out infornt of ya! I didn't even see ya commin'" Cooter replied giving Enos the shuck and jive.

Enos smiled, "Don't worry 'bout it Cooter. I'm just glad I get a ride back to town cause I sure don't wanna walk all the way back."

Cooter smiled. Somehow he knew what the Strate was feeling. Yes, folks it's good to have friends in Hazzard County.