OPENING ACT
The Academy of Country Music Awards are being held in Bay City and it's up to Starsky and Hutch to protect a nominee from an obsessed fan.
CHAPTER 1
Ken Hutchinson dug his keys out of his pocket and unlocked the door to his apartment with a weary sigh. His job as a detective with the Bay City Police Department was both challenging and demanding. And while it had its rewards it also had its drawbacks, one of which was an increasing number of enemies. After too many unwelcome visitors over the years, he had finally stopped leaving his key above the door frame.
David Starsky, his partner and best friend, stood at his side.
The two men were as different in appearance as they were in temperament. Hutch had the lean, muscular build of an athlete and the long legs of a runner. His blond hair, fair skin, and ice blue eyes reflected his Nordic heritage. To most people, he appeared cold and arrogant,but that was just his way of covering up his natural shyness and awkwardness.
Starsky was the direct opposite of his partner. His lean, muscular build was more compact and he had a broader chest. His dark, curly hair, deep blue eyes, and olive-toned complexion had been passed down from his Slavic ancestors. Unlike his college-educated partner, he was a product of the streets who had received his higher education courtesy of Uncle Sam and the jungles of Viet Nam.
"Your turn to pay for the pizza," Starsky tossed over his shoulder as he strolled into the kitchen to grab two beers from the refrigerator.
The phone rang just as Hutch was reaching for the receiver to call in their order.
"Hutchinson." He threw his partner an apologetic smile as Starsky fumbled through the kitchen cabinets searching for the bottle opener.
"Hutchinson," rumbled the familiar voice of his commanding officer, Captain Harold Dobey. "Is Starsky with you?"
"Yeah."
'I need you both back in my office. I have a new case I need you two on."
Hutch hung up without answering and looked across the room at his partner. A slight smile tugged at the edges of Starsky's mouth even as he replaced the beer. "We gotta go back to work…" It was more of a statement than a question. Being on call twenty-four hours a day was just another drawback of their chosen career.
The two men went back down to the street where two cars were parked. One was a battered, brown ford with a dented fender and worn tires. The second one was an eye- catching candy apple red with a broad white stripe that went across the roof in front of the rear window, down both rear side panels and then forward, tapering to a point on the front fender. Starsky automatically ignored the brown ford and unlocked the doors of the red Torino.
Hutch had barely settled into the black leather seat before Starsky twisted the ignition. The powerful engine roared to life and he pulled into the street with a shrill squeal of the rear tires.
The sudden forward motion pushed Hutch back into the seat. When Starsky made a sharp left at the corner, Hutch grabbed his seatbelt and clicked it securely in place. He trusted Starsky's driving. He was the best offensive driver on the force, but there was no sense in taking unnecessary risks.
Despite the early evening traffic, they made it back to police headquarters in record time. Starsky parked in his favorite spot in front of the building, and the two men went inside. They exchanged greetings with fellow officers as they walked through the main lobby to the elevators. Their reputation in the department commanded both respect and admiration from their peers.
They stepped out of the elevator on the fourth floor and walked down the hall to their squad room. Although they shared space with the homicide/robbery bureau, Starsky and Hutch were part of the elite Zebra team. These were specialized two-man teams that not only handled a regular case load, but also patrolled an assigned distract of the city on a routine basis. Starsky and Hutch's district included the inner city, one of the roughest sections of Bay City.
Instead of entering the main squad room, they entered Captain Dobey's private office using an unmarked door in the hall. Dobey, a burly black man in his late forties, sat behind his desk. A second man, one that neither detective recognized, sat in one of the two chairs facing the desk.
The stranger was in his late thirties with neatly cut black hair and steely blue eyes. He was dressed in a cream colored western style suit with dark brown piping. His attire included a cream colored cowboy hat and a pair of brown leather cowboy boots with silver toe tips.
"Starsky, Hutch, this is Ray Lewis. He's the road manager for several of the performers coming into town from Nashville for the Academy of Country Music Awards. I'm sure that you two are aware that they are being held in Bay City this year."
"I read something about that in the paper," Hutch commented as he sat in the second chair while Starsky perched on the arm at his side.
"Some of the entertainers will be wrapping up their current tours here in Bay City," Ray Lewis spoke up. "Part of my job is to ensure the safety of all of the entertainers while they are guests in your city."
"So, what's that got to do with us?" Starsky asked in a mildly curious voice.
"Has either one of you ever heard of Mandy Reed?"
Starsky and Hutch exchanged a glance, and Hutch answered for both of them. "No, I can't say that we have, but then we don't have time to keep up on the latest who's who in the entertainment field."
"She's one of the nominees for the best new female vocalist of the year," Lewis explained. "She's on her first major tour right now."
"So what's that got to do with us?" Starsky repeated
"An obsessed fan that has been leaving notes and flowers either on her tour bus or in her dressing room before her shows," Captain Dobey clarified for his men. "Sue Anne Granger remembered how helpful you two were when she was in a similar situation, and she requested that the two of you take a look before someone gets hurt."
"Where is Miss Reed now?" Hutch asked
"She has dates booked solid for the next two weeks until the awards show," Lewis told them. "Right now she's doing a show in Tucson. Tomorrow she has a date scheduled in Phoenix."
"The two of you will be joining the tour in Phoenix," Dobey said. "Sue Anne has already helped set up your covers. Starsky, you will be joining the tour as part of the road crew." He glanced at his blond detective with a straight face. "Hutch, you will be the opening act for Miss Reed between Phoenix and here."
"What?" Hutch exclaimed in an alarmed voice. He looked at Starsky for support. "I'm not qualified to be anybody's opening act."
"Well, Sue Anne thought you were good enough that she told you she could get you a contact with her record company," Starsky reminded him with a pleased smile. "And she wouldn't have set you up as an opening act if she didn't think you could handle it."
Starsky had enough confidence for both of them when it came to Hutch's God-given talents. The blond could have had a successful career in music if it weren't for the stage fright he experienced whenever he stepped in front of an audience.
"I'm afraid there isn't enough time to come up with another cover on such short notice," Dobey told him. "You'll need to leave for Phoenix first thing in the morning in order to be there in time for tomorrow night's show." He shifted his gaze to Starsky. "As far as anyone else on the tour knows you two are friends, and Hutch is the one who got you on as part of the road crew. Miss Reed obviously knows who you really are. " He turned his attention back to Hutch with a thin smile. "And, by the way, you also need to make it look like you and Miss Reed are an item. We're hoping that will draw the stalker out into the open."
"Terrific," Hutch muttered under his breath. Ignoring Starsky amused chuckle, he rose to his feet in one fluid motion. "If we have to leave in the morning, we need to get packed." He grabbed Starsky by the arm and pulled him out of the room.
In the hallway, Hutch slumped against the wall and looked at his partner anxiously, his fear of performing in front of an audience showing clearly in his eyes. "Starsk, I can't do this! I can't get up in front of all those people and open a show for anyone!"
"Yes, you can," Starsky soothed his anxious partner. "I've got faith in you, Blintz. Just close your eyes and pretend that it's any other case. Besides, you only have to do a couple of songs, right?"
"More like four at least," Hutch grumbled as he straightened his shoulders and headed down the hall with Starsky trailing along behind.
"So, do some of your own songs," Starsky suggested helpfully. He was the only person who had ever been allowed to hear most of Hutch's original compositions, a privilege he didn't take lightly.
"Starsky, my songs aren't exactly 'country'. I'll have to work up a couple of standards by Hank Williams or maybe some bluegrass numbers like the Stanley Brothers or Bill Monroe."
"Hey, you could do some Jim Croce. He's country, isn't he?" Starsky's choice of music leaned more towards rock and roll despite Hutch's best efforts over the year to get him to appreciate other styles of music.
"Actually, he's more of a folk singer, but, yeah, I might be able to work a couple of his songs into the act," Hutch said as they left the building.
As he climbed into the Torino, Hutch began to mentally run through the songs he knew, trying to decide what he could sing without embarrassing himself. Distracted by his musing, he was startled when Starsky pulled over and parked in front of a downtown music store.
"What are we doing here?"
"I figured we better find an album by Mandy Reed so we at least know what she sounds like," Starsky explained as he headed into the store.
"Oh…yeah, that makes sense…" Hutch trailed along behind his partner. He felt guilty that he hadn't had the same idea himself.
Twenty minutes later, they left the store with the two albums that Mandy Reed had released so far. Hutch studied the liner notes on the ride to his apartment. There were several cover songs on both albums, a mix of songs that were currently on the charts plus some old standards. The single from her first album was titled "That's Just How It Goes" and her second single was titled "Mama Won't Be Waiting Up This Time".
Back at his apartment, Starsky put the records on the turntable, and they listened to her music as they ate a light meal and began to pack for their undercover roles. Mandy Reed had a pleasant voice with a distinctive southern drawl that could be heard in some of her phrasing. To Hutch, she sounded like the majority of other female country singers on the charts without anything that really set her apart.
"She sounds okay," Starsky said, voicing Hutch's thoughts. "But, she sounds like all the other 'girl' singers out there today.
"Yeah." Hutch folded a shirt and tucked it neatly into his bag. "Nashville seems to be falling into a rut…it's not so much about the music anymore. It's about how much money you can make and looking good while you do it."
"Well," Starsky said with a wolfish grin as he picked up one of the albums and looked at the picture on the front. "You gotta admit, she does look good."
Hutch chuckled under his breath, but he had to agree with Starsky. Mandy Reed was a very pretty brunette with porcelain skin, brown eyes, full lips, and a well-endowed figure. In her early twenties, she was a bit young for Hutch's taste, but that only added to her appeal to the younger crowd.
By the end of the evening, they were both packed, and Hutch had picked out a list of six songs that he felt confident enough to perform in a live show. Hutch set his alarm for 6 A.M. so they could get an early start the next morning. It was approximately a 7 hour drive to Phoenix from Bay City. Barring any unexpected delays, they should arrive in Phoenix around 2 that afternoon. That would give Hutch ample time to do a sound check before the eight o'clock show.