SOP Disclaimer: I do not own Starsky and Hutch. I do not intend to infringe on the rights of anyone. This is for entertainment purposes only! I do not profit monetarily from this.
Trouble for the boys again.
Reviews and feedback are greatly appreciated!
All the Right Reasons
by dnjlwilson
The ride to the station was unusually quiet this morning. At first, Hutch enjoyed it, figuring whatever was on Starsky's mind would come to light soon enough. It was probably a 'what if' or another odd fact known by few that had his partner's brain working overtime. So why couldn't he just enjoy the peace and quiet and leave well enough alone? The closer they got to Parker Center, the more the quiet bothered Hutch.
"Starsk?". No answer.
Louder, "Starsky!".
"Um?" Starsky finally responded.
Not believing he was going to ask the question, Hutch said quietly, "What's on your mind?"
"I been doin' me some thinkin'." Starsky answered.
"Don't hurt yourself there, Buddy." Hutch teased.
"Ha Ha." Starsky replied, slightly annoyed. "I been thinkin' about this little shindig we were invited to."
Surprised, Hutch replied, "Yeah? What's so thought provoking?"
"Don't you wonder why Vice pulled us 'homicide jocks', as they called us, to join their dance when we don't have a clue what's goin' on? Why us? Why not their own guys?" Starsky asked.
Trying to rationalize with his partner, Hutch said, "Maybe they're too close to it. They need a fresh approach."
"And maybe they need a couple of patsies to do the hard work while they come in and take all the credit." Starsky concluded.
"Starsk." Hutch began, "Why don't you just look at this for what it is and go with it?"
"Just what is it then?" Starsky asked.
"What this is, is a sweet trade off for us." Hutch said, confusing Starsky who was not following the train of thought. "Look, how long is this thing going to take? Two or three days? How long were those two cases Dobey pulled us off of going to take? Dobey gave those to someone else. He won't put us back on them."
"I'm sorry Blintz, you've lost me."
"We're due for vacation, am I right?" Hutch asked.
"Two weeks." Starsky added.
"We wrap this up, we're done. Follow now?" Hutch said, hoping he was finally getting through his partner's thick skull.
"Guess so. I still can't shake this feelin'." Starsky answered.
Arriving at Parker Center, the two detectives were shocked by Captain Dobey. "Starsky, Hutchinson, would you step into my office, please?"
"Please! He said please, Hutch." Starsky said with worry in his voice.
"He didn't yell either." Hutch added. "We must be in BIG trouble."
"He woulda yelled for sure if we were in trouble." Starsky reasoned.
Entering Captain Dobey's office, the two were brought up short by the presence of Cheif Ryan. He had his back to them, staring out the window.
"Sit down, please." Dobey requested, very politely.
The Cheif took over. "I'm sure you're wondering about this new assignment."
"One of us was." Starsky said, not even looking at Hutch.
"I'll tell you now," Ryan continued, "I requested you, not Vice. There's more to this than even Vice knows."
"Hutch." Starsky said, looking at his partner.
"I know, I know. I'm getting that same feeling, Buddy." Hutch replied.
Dobey interrupted, "Hear him out, but hear me, you are NOT being forced to take this. You can walk away."
"Captain Dobey," Ryan cut him off, "I'm sure they know I would never force them into anything they did not agree with."
"I wanted to make sure they knew that." Dobey replied.
"Excuse us," Starsky interrupted. "Why us? We're not exactly your favorite cops, Cheif."
Ryan smiled. He genuinely liked these two men, although he could not let them know. "I guess we have had our differences."
"To say the least." Hutch put in his two cents.
"I may not agree with how you do your jobs, but you are undeniably two of the best I have ever worked with. I respect Captain Dobey's opinion greatly and he feels the same way. He also says I can trust you implicitly." Ryan said.
"Don't get the big head." Dobey added with a gruff voice.
"Okay, now that we're all buttered up, what's the deal?" Starsky asked.
"Yes. The deal." Ryan began. "The bottom line to this 'deal', as you call it, is a missing doctor. She was last seen in Mexico about three weeks ago."
"She?" Hutch questioned.
"Yes, she. Her name is Cassandra Ryan and she is my daughter." Ryan said, his voice a mixture of fear and pride.
Stunned by the revelation, both detectives suddenly became very serious.
"Go on, Cheif." Hutch said softly.
Seeing he had their undivided attention, Ryan showed them her picture.
"She's beautiful." Hutch said, looking at Starsky.
"She looks like her mother." Ryan said proudly.
"Starsky!" Dobey yelled, effectively cutting off the remark he had seen coming from the mischievous detective.
"I was gonna say," Starsky said defensively, "I see a little of you too, Cheif." Starsky looked at Hutch, who rolled his eyes.
"Can we get on with this?" Dobey asked, commanding more that questioning.
Ryan continued, "She was working with a charity mission in a branch of the Peace Corps. She does this every summer, going to a different needy country every time. With the drought in Mexico this year, the children there have been sick and hungry..." Ryan faltered.
"Take your time, Cheif." Starsky said.
Getting his thoughts in order, Ryan continued, "Three weeks ago, five masked gunman came to their camp and demanded a doctor. I'm told Cassandra more or less volunteered. After they left, the camp received information about where she had been taken. Either of you two ever heard of Louis Campo?"
Both detectives shook their heads silently.
"His men took her. He is ill and needed medical attention."
"Who is this guy?" Hutch asked.
"Louis Campo is the undisputed drug king pin in Northern Mexico. He owns every body and every thing." Ryan informed.
"Do you know where they took her?" Starsky asked.
"He has a compound about twenty miles east of Mexicali, which is just south of the border. We are certain that is where she is."
"Still?" Hutch asked.
"Yes. We staked out the compound immediately and no movement has been made. We have a tentative plan, but I'm sure your input will change what we have in mind."
"Who is 'we'?" Starsky questioned.
"DEA, FBI, and even a special unit from the Peace Corp. We have good information and a complete layout of the compound." Ryan replied.
"I repeat my question." Starsky said. "Why us? You've got all this firepower and you bring us in. Somethin' fishy about that, no disrespect intended, Cheif."
"None taken, yet." Ryan said. "You two are the only people who will know the real mission. No one can be trusted. It would pay you to remember that."
"So, we'll be there with no back up or support?" Hutch questioned.
"Not entirely." Ryan answered. " There is a ranch about 11 miles from the Campo compound, near the Colorado River. They are really a monitoring facility. They are watching Campo very closely. The ranch is where you will go. They are a fully staffed medical facility as well as a satellite center, complete with GPS tracking capability straight from NASA. Pretty impressive, huh?"
"Are they in on this?" Dobey asked.
The appropriate people have been apprised of the situation. They will protect you once you are inside. Until then, you are essentially on your own." Ryan stated, plainly.
"That's where the Vice angle comes in?" Hutch asked.
"Yes."
"We go in as muscle for the buyers, snatch the Doc, and run like hell for the ranch. Am I right?" stated Starsky. Hutch was amazed at the way Starsky could cut to the heart of a matter, no matter how confusing it was.
"It seems you have a good grasp of the situation." Ryan answered. "In or out?"
"Cap?" Hutch asked.
"Your decision. Talk about it and let us know soon. We will have a lot to go over and arrange." Dobey said.
"Give us an hour?" Hutch requested.
"One hour." Ryan answered.
"We will be back in an hour." Starsky promised.
Starsky and Hutch left Parker Center and headed to the Torino. "Where to?" Starsky asked.
"Just drive. We gotta talk." Hutch replied.
"I don't see what good talkin' is gonna do. We don't really have any choice." Starsky said.
Hutch replied grimly, "We're not talking about what we are going to do. We're talking about how we are going to do it."
TBC