BLOOD IN, BLOOD OUT
Starsky and Hutch travel to New York when Starsky's brother, Nicky, dies under suspicious circumstances. Although I do not consider this a crossover story, a major character from another series makes an appearance.
A/N: Sorry for the long delay in posting. Real life has been chaotic lately. I have temporary custody of my granddaughter's newborn and it's been quite a while since there's been a new baby around the house. LOL
CHAPTER 1
Ken Hutchinson, known as Hutch to his friends, sat on the sofa strumming his guitar as he relaxed from a long day at work. His job as a detective with the Bay City Police Department was challenging and demanding. It had its rewards but it also had its drawbacks. One of those drawbacks was the lack of time for a social life. Marriages and personal relationships were often sacrificed when duty called.
There was a soft knock at the front door. Hutch glanced up as his partner and best friend, David Starsky, opened the door and stepped into the apartment. The two men were as different in appearance as they were in temperament. Hutch had the lean muscular build of an athlete with 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 with a broader chest and wider shoulders. His dark curly hair, deep blue eyes and olive toned complexion was 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.
One look at the grief stricken look on Starsky's face brought Hutch to his feet immediately. Instinctively, he reached out and pulled Starsky against his chest in a comforting embrace. The physical closeness they displayed towards each other set them apart from their peers but, for them, touch was just another unique way of communicating.
"What's wrong, buddy?" Hutch asked in the soft gentle voice he reserved solely for his partner. "What happened?"
"Ma…" Starsky's muffled voice said against the soft fabric of Hutch's shirt.
"Did something happen to your mom?" Hutch asked in a deeply concerned voice. He knew how close Starsky was to his mother despite the distance that separated them.
Hutch felt Starsky shake his head. "Not Ma," Starsky told him in a ragged voice. "Nicky's dead." Hutch felt the shudder that ran through Starsky's slender frame even as he said the words.
"Dead?" Hutch repeated in a stunned voice "Nicky?" Nick Starsky was his partner's younger brother who still lived in New York with his mother, Rachel. Hutch may not care for the man but he had never wished him any harm. "What happened?"
"All Ma knew was that he was found in an alley not far from the house. He'd been beaten to death. The police aren't sure if it was a mugging or some sort of gang attack." Starsky pulled away from his partner and began to pace around the living room.
Hutch silently watched his partner's agitated movements. He knew that the naturally hyperactive brunet needed to work off some of his tension and frustration. Despite his estrangement from his only sibling, Nicky was still blood and Starsky needed to vent his grief.
"Have you called Dobey?" Hutch asked quietly. Starsky shook his head without pausing in his restless pacing. Hutch nodded in sympathetic understanding and walked over to the phone on the end table. He picked up the receiver and dialed his commanding officer's home number.
After three rings, a high pitched childish voice said breathlessly, "Dobey residence."
Hutch smiled "Hey, Rosie," he said immediately recognizing the voice of Captain Dobey's nine year old daughter. "Can I speak to the Captain, please?"
"Sure, Uncle Hutch," Rosie said brightly. She was fond of both detectives and affectionately called both of them 'uncle'. She was a spirited and precocious child who was blessed with a maturity far beyond her years. There was a muffled thud as she laid down the receiver. In the background, Hutch heard her yell, "Daddy! Uncle Ken is on the phone!"
A few minutes later, Captain Dobey's gruff voice came over the line, "Hutchinson?"
"Hi, Cap. I'm calling for Starsky,' Hutch explained the reason for his call. "He's gonna need some time off. His mom called and told him that his brother died."
"Tell him he has our sympathies," Dobey's voice softened as he spoke. "I'll put him on compassionate leave effective immediately. Tell him to take as much time as he needs." There was a pause and then Dobey added, "Do you need some time off too?"
Hutch glanced across the room at his partner. Starsky had stopped pacing and was slumped on the sofa with his face buried in his hands. He made an immediate decision based on their friendship and Starsky's emotional needs. "Yeah," he said "I'm going with him."
"All right. I'll take both of you off the roster for two weeks. Let me know if you need any more time than that." Dobey said.
"Thanks, Cap." Hutch said gratefully. Although Dobey had the reputation of being a tough boss it was a fact that Starsky and Hutch were not only his prize team of detectives but, that he had a soft spot in his heart for the pair and that he had bent the rules for them more than once. Hutch hung up the phone and turned to face Starsky. "Dobey gave us two weeks off."
Starsky dropped his hands and looked at his partner his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. A wobbly smile tugged at his lips as he shot Hutch a pleading look "You're coming with me. Right?"
"Of course I am." Hutch reassured him with an affectionate smile. "I'll call the airport and see how soon I can get us on a flight to New York." He immediately turned back to the phone. Ten minutes later Hutch had two seats booked on
a red-eye flight to New York.
After completing their travel arrangements, Hutch brewed a fresh pot of coffee and poured a cup for Starsky. He added plenty of cream and sugar just the way the brunet preferred. Starsky flashed Hutch a ghost of a smile as he accepted the cup and took a cautious sip.
"Let me pack some things and then we'll head over to your place," Hutch said as he gave Starsky's shoulder a comforting squeeze. Starsky nodded absently lost in his own thoughts for the moment. Hutch turned and walked into his sleeping alcove. He pulled a suitcase out of the closet and laid it on the bed. Opening it, he began to pack. He remembered to pack some of his heavier clothes. It would be chilly in New York since it was still early March.
He finished in record time and shut the suitcase. Picking it up, he carried it into the living room and sat it down beside the front door. "Ready to go?" he said quietly as if speaking too loudly would startle Starsky.
"Yeah, I guess…" Starsky said with a heavy sigh as he sat his empty cup on the coffee table. He slowly rose to his feet and followed Hutch out the door with heavy steps. They walked down the enclosed stairway to the street level. Squinting against the glare of the setting sun, Starsky walked over to his car, a distinctive looking Ford Torino painted candle apple red with a broad white stripe that ran across the roof and down both sides of the vehicle.
He was parked in front of Hutch's latest old beater, a battered silver Ford with cream colored front fenders and a variety of dents. The two men climbed into their cars and Hutch followed Starsky through the early evening traffic to the brunet's apartment.
Starsky lived across town from Hutch's Venice Place apartment. His apartment was in a secluded neighborhood in the foothills that surrounded the city. It was quiet and peaceful but still close enough to all the amenities of the city to satisfy the inbred city boy in Starsky.
Starsky pulled into his driveway and Hutch parked behind him. The two men climbed out of their vehicles and walked up the short flight of steps leading to the deck that bordered the front of Starsky's apartment. Starsky unlocked the front door and they went inside. It was cool and dim inside the apartment. Starsky reached out and flipped the switch beside the front door that lit the lamps sitting on end tables at either end of the sofa.
"I'll be ready in a few…" Starsky mumbled as he walked into his bedroom to pack. He pulled a battered olive drab duffle bag out of the closet and tossed it on the bed. Unzipping the bag he began stuffing it with shirts, jeans, and clean underwear without really paying attention to what he was packing. He walked into the adjoining bathroom and gathered up his shaving kit. He stowed it in the duffle and zipped it shut. Slinging the strap over his shoulder, he rejoined Hutch in the living room. "Let's go…" he said flatly as he walked through the front door. Hutch followed him in silence.
Without exchanging a word they automatically climbed into Hutch's car for the drive to the airport. Hutch knew that Starsky would never leave his precious car in the long term parking lot at the airport until they returned. Starsky leaned his head back against the seat and closed his eyes as Hutch backed into the street.
The drive to the airport was made in silence. Hutch pulled into the long term parking lot and parked in a space near the back. The two men grabbed their bags from the back seat and walked across the vast parking lot to the entrance to the large, busy terminal. Even though it was almost ten o'clock at night the building was milling with passengers arriving from incoming flights and passengers departing for various destinations. Business men in three piece suits mingled with harried mothers carrying crying children, chattering teenagers in revealing clothes, couples on vacation, tourists visiting the city for the first time and the occasional airport hooker looking for a quick trick.
They made their way to the proper counter and picked up their tickets. They still had over an hour before their flight left so they decided to stop at one of the snack bars in the terminal complex. Neither one of them had an appetite so they simply ordered coffee.
Starsky sighed and stared down into his cup. "I can't believe he's dead…"
"I know. We'll find out what happened when we get there," Hutch told him "Maybe it was just a mugging."
"Yeah…and maybe I'll win the lottery." Starsky said with a snort. He raised his head and looked at Hutch solemnly. "We both know what kind of stuff Nicky was into."
"You think maybe he stepped on the wrong toes?"
"Or tried to pull one scam too many," Starsky said in a resigned tone. Despite his loyalty to his family he had no illusions about Nicky's lifestyle or the possible reasons for his death.
"How's your mom holding up?" Hutch asked in a concerned voice. He genuinely cared about Rachel Starsky. She had unofficially adopted him as her third son the day they met.
"As well as can be expected I guess,"
"She's been through a lot."
"Yeah, first pop, then me and now Nicky." A bitter tone crept into Starsky's voice "I don't know how much more she can take,"
"You'll be there to help her get through it."
"And you'll be there to take care of both of us," Starsky said with a thin smile. Hutch returned the smile at Starsky's veiled reference to Hutch's tendency to become a mother hen where Starsky was concerned. He finished his coffee and shoved his cup to one side. "We better go before the plane takes off without us."
Hutch tossed some bills on the table and they left the snack bar. Thirty minutes later they were in the air and on their way to New York.
