*takes the cup with a nod of thanks, taking a sip, looking over silenty as Bo came in the.room*

*Takes a sip at the exact moment Luke does, then turns to Bo*

Well, Sheriff, did ya git a name?

Sure did, wrote down all the information they had on him...

*hands his Uncle the piece of paper triumphantly*

*takes another sip from his cup*

*puts on reading glasses, looks at information then mutters something that neither boy could understand*

*In the meantime, Mabel Tillingham has been listening in. She calls Boss and tells him about the whole conversation*

*frowns looking at him* Well?

*Puts down reading glasses and paper. Stares at wall in deep thought trying to recall something*

*takes eyes off wall and looks at paper*

Carl Crosby? Carl Crosby. It says here that he goes by different last names but never different first names. Hmmmmm. Oh, now I remember where I heard that name before! His folks was Earl and Leona Crosby from over there in Choctaw. They was dairy farmers over there.

After they passed on, little Carl inherited the farm and turned it into a safehouse for mobsters from Atlanta. He got caught and served quite a bit of time in the federal slammer. In fact, I didn't even know he was out. Shoot, I didn't even recognize him. I wonder what he's gotten himself into this time. Poor Earl and Leona. Little Carl was their only child and was bad from the first time he ever saw the light of day.

*shakes his head thoughtfully* Nothin good...you can bet on that

*frowns deeply* Why would they be lookin' fer you Uncle Jesse?

*face expresses his confusion*

Well, I sure can't imagine why he'd be after any of us.

*picks up his coffee cup and looks at it but doesn't drink any*

Ya know, Earl Crosby was quite a story teller. *pauses and smiles* On occasion he even told one that was true. Before he went on to meet his Maker, he told me that little Carl turning bad was his only regret in life.

*the room is silent for awhile as Jesse thinks some more. He then gets up, walks over to the door and grabs his red hat*

I'm heading into Hazzard. After Earl passed on, Leona moved into Oxford's Boarding House. I reckon it's about time I paid her a visit.

*frowns not quite understanding his uncle's train of thought there, but stays quiet about it* You want Bo or me t come along Jesse? *he didn't ask if Jesse wanted both of them- the least amount of time he spent with Bo the least likely they were to argue*

"You sure as heck shouldn't be goin' by yerself in case one of them guys shows up again...it ain't gonna be long before someone in town points ya out to them. An' knowin Cooter, if they claim t'be our friends then he'll tell em without thinkin twice about it..."

*points out as he leant against the side, not looking in Luke's direction.*

*in gruff voice*

I been takin' care of myself fourty years before you kids was even thought of. I reckon I can do it the next couple hours!

*screen door slams behind him*

*cringes as Jesse slams the door, sighing a little*

*TWO HOURS LATER*

*Jesse arrives back at the farm safely. Luke is splitting firewood and Bo is working on the tractor. He slams the truck door and walks toward the house as he yells for the boys*

Bo, Luke!! Drop what yer doing and git on in here. We got something to talk about!

*frowns taking his shirt from where it hung on the porch, and following Jesse inside*

*jumps a mile as Jesse slammed the car door, banging his head on the underside of the tractor with a yelp of pain, barely hearing the shouted words as a ringing went through his ears but seeing Luke grab his shirt and walk inside, does the same. He was still rubbing his head as he came through the door*

What's goin' on Uncle Jesse *asks as he he started to snap up his shirt*

*sits down at kitchen table and catches his breath while Bo finshes wiping greasy hands with a rag and Luke uses his shirt sleeve to wipe sweat from his forehead*

Well, me and Leona got to talkin' about old times and....well......we ain't exactly sure but we may have figured out what her boy is up to.

*raises an eyebrow* Well what?

Well, according to Miss Leona, Carl met that Lefty feller that he's hanging out with in prison. Now Carl is kinda of a simple minded feller and he'll follow Lefty though Hades door if Lefty asked him to. Now she's not exactly sure what they're up to but she did hear them taking about a contract with some big wig in Atlanta. I ain't got no idea what kind of contract she was talking about but it couldn't be good.

*phone rings and Jesse answers it*

*watches Jesse go, mulling things over a little...though it was difficult when his bump he was sure was forming under his bouncing blonde curls throbbed painfully. Bigwigs in Atlanta usually meant trouble...especially with people who had been in and out of Jail...or who were working for Boss.*

*Jesse on phone*

Hi there Leona

*pauses*

I see

*pauses*

Boss Hogg huh

*pauses*

Well thank you very much fer your time mam. I know this has been tough on ya. Now don't be afraid to call if ya need anything.

All right. Good bye now.

*hangs up phone*

*shakes his head with a slight smirk...Boss Hogg....they should have known better really. Where there was trouble, it was a 9 and three quaters out of ten chance that Boss was somewhere causing it.*