Merle the Earl
Merle was known for his ability to breathe life back into the most derelict, garbage looking and just plain junk cars. In fact, he was the best in Bay City and everyone knew it. If Merle couldn't fix it, it didn't need fixing-it needed to be demolished. He could do it all, from body work to customized paint jobs and repair everything from one bumper to the other.
His day started out just like every other day. He had three cars that were in different stages of being painted. A white '73 Camaro was getting fire flames painted on the hood going down the sides. It was a special customized job for an old friend of his. He had put the primer on the day before and was waiting for the special paint to be delivered, which would be arriving in a day or two. Next on his list was a solid black van. The owner wanted a golden dragon painted on the side. Merle was more into stripes and flames and took this on as a personal challenge. He had never painted anything like a golden dragon before. The primer had been put on a couple of days ago and he was ready to start the outline of the dragon. He walked into the garage and looked at the third car. It was brought in yesterday after a fender bender and the owner wanted a whole new paint job. He didn't want anything fancy though. He only wanted the blue car painted a nice shade of green. He decided to put the primer on then start on the golden dragon.
It was mid-afternoon before he emerged from the garage to take a short lunch break. He sat in his small, cluttered office and took the sandwich out of his lunch box. He took a bite of it and drank some of the soda when a man walked in. "Are you Merle?"
"I'm not just Merle. I'm Merle the Earl." He put his sandwich and soda down, stood up and reached his hand out to shake the customer's hand.
Instead of his hand out to shake Merle's, the customer pulled a gun out. "Come with me."
"Say what? I ain't going nowhere with you."
"You are if you want to live."
"Man, I've got work to do. I ain't got time for…" he looked around a moment, "I ain't got time for whatever you have in mind."
"I repeat, if you want to live you'll follow me. My boss has a business…let's say opportunity he wants to discuss with you."
"It sounds like I don't have a choice now, do I?"
The man shook his head. Merle took another quick bite of his sandwich and set it back down.
"I'm tellin' you Hutch, something's wrong. I've known Merle a long time and he would never leave a job half done like that," Starsky said as they exited the garage.
"Maybe he got a phone call. Maybe there was an emergency at home or something. Just cause he's not here doesn't mean there's a problem."
Starsky walked into the office and noticed the half-eaten sandwich on the desk and the soda beside it. He picked it up, "In the middle of lunch. Come on, Hutch, you can't tell me you don't think that's peculiar." He dropped the sandwich back on the desk.
Hutch started at his partner a moment. Starsky was his partner and his best friend and if Merle's disappearance was upsetting him that much, he knew he needed to take it seriously too. "Okay. What do you want to do?"
"Let's check out his place, it's not far from here."
Hutch nodded, "Let's go," and he turned toward the striped tomato as he affectionately called Starsky's car.
Starsky knocked on the door of Merle's small trailer. "Merle, open up it's Starsky and Hutch." He waited. He knocked again and again there was no answer.
"He's not home, now what?" Hutch asked. He was beginning to worry about Merle too.
"Let's go back to the shop and see if we can find anything there." Hutch nodded in agreement.
Merle's hands were tied before being placed in the car. He was surprised he hadn't been blindfolded as well and easily recognized the warehouse he had been taken too. It had been abandoned years ago but before that, it used to house crates that came off the big ships. As a young boy, he used to roam this warehouse as if he owned it. He knew every inch of this place. His father was a maintenance supervisor and Merle used to go to work with him during the summer when school was out. The owner didn't mind and Merle learned a lot about working on machines from his dad and the other men who worked on the forklifts, big rigs and other vehicles that came in and out of there. It was almost like being home.
The driver drove around to the back and sounded his horn. It wasn't long before the door was opened and they were inside. When the car stopped another man opened his door and dragged him out. "Now, be nice to our guest, Phillip. We don't want to scare him." Merle heard a voice say.
Merle almost fell down but managed to keep his balanced. The room was pitch black except for one spot light that was on a big red tow truck that had Merle's name on the side. "It's okay, you can touch it after all, it's yours." The man said.
Merle wasn't sure what all this was about but he liked the idea of owning his own tow truck. He slowly walked towards it. "Mine. I don't understand."
The lights came on and Merle noticed that he was standing in the middle of a huge garage that had been stocked with everything a top mechanic could dream of. "All of this is yours."
Merle turned toward the voice and saw an older man wearing a dark blue suit. He also saw six men standing around holding guns. He glanced at the men then the tow truck and the rest of the garage. He knew very few things in life were free, especially when guns were involved. "And what do I have to do for you?"
"I'm glad you asked. It's very simple really. I just want you to work for me. I hear you're the best and I want the best." There was coldness in the man's voice that frightened Merle.
"That sounds nice but I have started work on some special jobs I need to finish. Can I sleep on it and get back to you in a couple of days?" He asked not really expecting to be let go. The men holding the guns all laughed. Merle shuddered.
"Of course, Merle, you can take all the time you need." The man in the suit pointed to another room in the far right corner. "I've taken the liberty of arranging sleeping quarters for you."
"Oh, umm that looks nice and all. I assume you have a car you would like me to work on. How soon can I get started? And, what should I call you?" He was hoping to obtain the name of his captor.
The man nodded, one of the big doors opened and a bright yellow 75' Corvette was driven in. "You can call me boss and you can start by painting this black. I think yellow is such a bright eye-catching color, don't you?" A red 74' Mustang was driven in and the boss said, "I want you take this car apart. I have a need for its parts."
Merle took a deep breath. 'A chop shop. They want me to run this chop shop.' He thought. He decided to let the boss think he was all in, at least for now. At least until he could find a way out of this mess. He smiled and even laughed a little. "Hey, I'm all in. I never did like yellow anyway." He started toward the car but stopped after a couple of feet. "What's in it for me? I mean, I'm good but this kind of perfection," he pointed to himself, "ain't cheap. I come with a price."
The boss smiled and tossed a bundle of money at Merle. "Here's a grand for the paint job." He tossed another bundle of money at him, "And here's two grand for the other job."
Merle picked up the bundles of money and put them in his pockets. He gave his boss a big grin and said, "I can handle that. How much time do I have?"
"Since you're the best I'll give you twenty-four hours."
"I may be good, but ain't nobody that good. It'll take that long for the primer to dry on that bumble bee then another day to paint it." He shook his head and added, "And it will take another two days to paint it and then you can't drive it out of here for two more days until the paint dries." He looked at the other car and calculated how long he would need to take it apart. He pointed at the Mustang and said, "It's going to take me two days to take all the parts that are worth anything off that."
The boss smiled. He knew how long it would take. He was just testing Merle to make sure he was really all in and going to rush and try to get away. "Okay, I'll give you four days for both cars and you can have Frank here to help."
"Okay, you got yourself a deal. I never finished my lunch and I ain't too keen on working on an empty stomach." He took one of the bundles of money out of his pocket and asked, "Can I order a pizza?"
The boss looked at the man who picked him up and said, "Carter, go get him a pizza."
Carter asked Merle, "What do you want on it?"
"Cheese and pepperoni." Merle watched as Carter left out of a small side door.
Frank was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties at the most. He was eager to learn anything Merle showed him. "Because we have to wait so long to apply the paint after the primer, we'll start with the Corvette." He explained that they had to apply primer first and let it dry before they could paint. Merle looked like he was working very hard to complete as much of the work as he could that first day. The boss and the other men never left the garage. Merle turned off the sprayer and said, "That's all I can do today. It's late and I've got to get some shut eye or I won't be any good tomorrow."
He started walking toward the door. He heard the distinct sound of the hammers of two guns being cocked. "Hold it right there, Merle."
Merle stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, pointed toward the door that led to his room and said, "Oh yeah, that's my room," and went to his room. He heard the door being locked behind him.
"I'll be right here so don't try anything," he heard Phillip say.
"Figures," Merle whispered. He looked around his new room. It wasn't too bad he thought. It was bigger than he thought. There was a bed, a dresser with a TV on top of it, a small closet and a bathroom. He opened the closet and found five uniform overalls. He took one off out and set it on the bed. It was light brown and had a patch with his name on the left breast. He hung it back up and sat on the bed. "I sure could use your help Starsky and Hutch. I seem to have gotten myself in a pickle." He lay crossways on the bed and fell asleep instantly.
Starsky and Hutch searched Merle's shop and didn't find anything. "There's no sign of a struggle, that's good at least," Hutch said hoping to ease Starsky's tension.
The dispatcher called them on the radio. "Zebra three, come in Zebra three."
Hutch got to the car first and answered, "Zebra three here, go ahead Central."
"Zebra-three you have a message from a Huggy Bear. He said he needs to see you right away."
"Damn it," Hutch said, annoyed the call interrupted the search, before keying the mic. "Zebra-three we copy and are on the way." He tossed the mic on the seat and yelled, "Starsk, hey, Starsk."
Starsky came out of the garage and said, "What?"
"That was Central they said Huggy wants to see us right away. We'll have to come back later."
Starsky looked back at the garage, "Yeah, okay."
He walked over to Hutch and stopped. "What?"
"I think I should lock up. I don't think Merle's coming back today."
Hutch nodded, "Good idea." He got in the passenger seat while Starsky locked up for Merle.
They walked into The Pits and Huggy nodded for them to sit in the back corner and they did. Huggy met them a minute later and handed them each a beer. He sat next to Starsky. "What's up, Huggy?"
"Nothing good, I'm afraid."
"We figured that or you wouldn't have called us," Hutch said.
"I have some news on that chop shop ring you've been trying to bust for the past six months." Starsky and Hutch perked up. "I don't have much but word is that the top boss wasn't happy with the work his mechanic was doing so,"
Hutch interrupted him, "He kidnapped a mechanic, didn't he?"
"You got it."
"Merle," Starsky and Hutch said simultaneously.
"Merle, your mechanic?" Huggy asked surprised.
"Starsky stopped by at lunchtime to schedule another tune up and he wasn't there."
"You think he took Merle?"
Starsky lowered his head and Hutch nodded, "Yeah, we do."
"It makes sense Hutch. Merle's the best in the city who wouldn't want him?" Starsky said.
"Man, I'm sorry guys. I like Merle too."
"Do you have any idea where they would have taken him or who this boss is?" Starsky asked.
"If someone took him to work for him then he'd have taken him to a place big enough to work on all those cars, right?" Huggy said.
Starsky and Hutch nodded, "There must be over a hundred places in the city big enough." Hutch said.
Starsky stood up and reached in his pocket as he walked away from the table. "Where's he going?" Huggy asked.
"To put an APB out on Merle."
"You know, Hutch, if Merle doesn't play along…" He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
"He's a dead man, I know. We've got to find him, Hug."
Starsky returned, "Well, the APB's out for him now. Everyone's looking."
"Let's go," Hutch stated.
"Where?" Huggy asked.
"Back to Merle's. We'll get the crime lab to go over the place with a fine tooth comb."
Starsky and Hutch left The Pits and met the crime lab at Merle's. "It's no use guys. There's so many prints all over the place. Too many people have been in and out of here it's like grand central station."
"Thanks for trying, Harry," Hutch said.
Starsky went inside and sat at Merle's desk. He rubbed his forehead. "There's got to be something here, Hutch."
Hutch sat on the corner of the desk and put his hand on Starsky's shoulder. "Then let's look again. Now that we know for sure Merle was kidnapped we'll find something."
They searched until the wee hours of the morning before deciding to call it quits for the night. Starsky dropped Hutch off at his place. "I'll pick you up at eight," he said before heading home.
Merle was woken by Frank vigorously shaking him. "Get up. Merle, get up, the boss is here and wants us to start working."
Merle opened his eyes. He couldn't believe it was morning already, he felt like he just went to sleep. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. "I'm up. Just let me throw some water on my face."
Frank opened the closet and tossed one of the uniforms on the bed. "Mr. Saunders wants you to wear this."
Merle nodded as he headed toward the bathroom. He quickly splashed some water on his face to help him wake up. "What time is it anyway?"
"Six."
Merle put the brown overalls on went into the garage. The boss, whom he now knew was a Mr. Saunders, was sitting at a small table. He pointed to an empty seat, "Merle, I would like very much for us to be friends. Come, have a seat enjoy breakfast and have a cup of coffee before you start work."
Merle cautiously sat at the table and took a sip of coffee. He was an avid coffee drinker and enjoyed that first cup in the morning. "I would like that too, sir. I mean, Boss."
Mr. Saunders chuckled and handed Merle a plate. "Here, have whatever you wish."
"Thank you." Merle took some scrambled eggs, bacon and toast and started eating.
"I must say, I didn't think you would take to this job so quickly," Mr. Saunders said.
Merle took a sip of coffee and said, "I don't think I have much of a choice and besides, who can argue with the money. It would take me three months to make that much after I pay for the lousy shop I own." He secretly cursed himself for referring to his shop as lousy. He had worked very hard to build what he had and he was very proud of it. It wasn't the biggest shop in the city by a long shot but he was one of the best mechanics and people came to him from all over the area. He was hard working and honest. And the thought of working for some crime boss in a chop shop was killing him inside.
"I've some work of my own to do today but have no worries; my man Frank will be assisting you again. Phillip and Mathew will remain here to make sure my investments remain intact. If you need anything just ask one of them. I have instructed them to get you anything you wish."
Merle looked at the two cars he was working on, the tool box, and the rest of his equipment and said, "I think I have everything I'll need, thanks." He stood up and stretched, "I think I'd better get started."
The first thing he did was finish applying the primer to the once yellow Corvette. The next morning, Merle started painting the Corvette with Frank's assistance. "It's starting to look good, even if I do say so myself," Merle said as he stood back and admired his work. "You do good work, Frank."
"I do?" Frank questioned his own abilities.
"Hey, I wouldn't have said it if I didn't mean it."
Frank smiled, "Thanks."
Merle showed Frank where to start on the Mustang. He thought it was a shame to tear apart such a fine piece of machinery. He had to appear happy even though he was crying on the inside. "You uh, like working on cars, Frank?"
"Sure do, ever since I was little. I taught myself a few things but I'll never be as good as you."
"Aw, I ain't so good." Merle laughed, "Wait, what am I saying-I am the best. You are learning from the master." Merle glanced at Phillip and Mathew who were sitting at a table playing cards. "Tell me, how'd you get hooked up with this gang?"
"My older brother used to get cars for them until he got busted last year."
"He's in jail and you took his place?"
"Not quite. He died in prison about a month ago. I tried looking for a real job but the bills, my mom. She needs the money."
"It is good money, I'll give you that."
"I'm in too deep now to get out."
"It's never too late," Merle whispered.
"I've done too much. I've seen too much. Besides Saunders makes sure I'm with one of them all the time. They don't trust me like they did my brother. What about you? I thought you were all in to this."
Merle had to be careful and said, "I am, but I'm an old man. You're just beginning your life." He wanted to change the subject so he showed his young apprentice how to dismantle an engine so the pieces could be easily sold without it being traced.
Merle and Frank worked a second grueling day and were exhausted by the time Phillip told him to call it quits for the rest of the day. "Frank, you do good work." He was taking a liking to the young man.
"You think so?" Merle nodded and headed to his room.
"I don't know what else to do, Hutch. He's been missing three days now. Not a trace of him anywhere."
"I know, I know." Hutch rubbed his head. "We'll find him, Starsk."
"Zebra-three call Huggy Bear," the radio blared.
Hutch picked up the mic and asked to be patched through while Starsky made a u-turn in the middle of the street almost hitting two cars in the process.
"Hutch, I need to see you and Starsky at my place right away."
"We're on the way, Hug."
At The Pits, Huggy informed Starsky and Hutch that there had been three more cars that had been stolen within the past two days.
"We know that, Huggy. We get reports on these things, ya know," Starsky said.
"Yeah, but do you know whose selling the cars after they've been painted? And who's running that chop shop?"
Hutch sat up a little straighter in the booth, "Do tell, my friend."
"That's more like it." Huggy was sitting opposite of Starsky and Hutch and leaned closer to them. He whispered, "Have you ever heard of a cat named Saunders?"
Starsky and Hutch thought for a couple of moments before Starsky said, "Yeah. Hutch you remember we busted him years ago for stealing muscle cars."
"Oh, yeah. I remember him."
"Well, he's graduated from stealing to running the whole enchilada."
"Ya mean he's running the chop shop?" Starsky asked.
Huggy nodded, "Uh uh. Not only that but I hear he's got a huge operation that runs all the way down to San Diego and has dealings with another shop in Frisco."
They started to get up but Huggy stopped them. "Don't you want to know who to see about purchasing a new car? Hutch, you sure could use one but I wouldn't drive that heap of yours to the meeting. They might not take you too seriously," Huggy mused. Starsky grinned while Hutch frowned.
"Get this, Saunders hired Carter to do his bidding."
"Carter. You mean Carter Anderson, that slime ball?" Starsky asked. Huggy nodded.
"I wouldn't buy a can of soda from that creep," Hutch said.
"What now, Hutch?"
"Huggy, can you arrange the meeting?" Hutch asked.
"Right, we want a nice customized job. Say one of those new European cars. Red, yeah we want a red one and it had flames on the side," Starsky was going on and on about a car he saw in a magazine.
"No we don't." Hutch said.
"Yes, I do."
Hutch shook his head and said, "I know the last car that was stolen was dark blue Jaguar." He slapped his hand on the table. "That's the car you want, Partner."
"A Jag, or maybe even a Ferrari, yeah, I could use one of those," Starsky said excitedly.
"Uh, Starsk, you don't get to keep it, ya know."
Starsky looked disappointed, "Yeah, but could I at least drive it a few days."
"Yeah, I'll arrange a meet," Huggy said.
"You want to do what!" Captain Dobey hollered after they presented him with their plan.
"It's simple, Captain. Starsky and I will pose as buyers."
"Yeah, we're looking to buy a dark blue Jaguar. It's the latest car that was stolen," Starsky chimed in excitedly.
"I know that. I get reports too, you know," Dobey barked at him.
"Look, it's the only way we're going to be able to get Merle outta there," Hutch explained.
"So meet some two-bit punk and buy a car. How's that going to lead you to their shop and Merle?" Captain Dobey asked.
"Simple, we'll follow him after the buy. He'll go back to the shop," Hutch said.
"Why not follow him after you place the order?"
"Because, we need to catch him with the stolen car," Starsky informed him.
"Good point," the captain muttered. He paused a moment before asking the question he didn't really want to ask. "Suppose Merle isn't as innocent as you think?"
"Come on, Cap'n. I've been going to Merle for years. If he is turning cars, I know he's being forced into it," Starsky yelled.
"Okay, calm down, both of you." He stared at one detective then the other. "Okay. How much do you need?"
"Cap'n we're going to go after a hot Jaguar," Starsky said. He knew the department would never give them enough for that.
"For cryin' out loud, Starsky, you know the department will never give you two clowns that much."
"We know that, Captain. We're just going to arrange for the buy and we'll take it from there." Hutch said.
"Then we finally shut the whole operation down," Starsky added.
"Let me get this straight. The two of you are going to arrange to but a hot Jag and when it comes time to pay for it, you're going to show up with nothing?"
"We got that all worked out," Starsky said.
He glanced at Hutch who added, "We're going to ask for a couple more days to come up with the cash."
"You're going to end up DEAD, you know that!" He yelled.
Captain Dobey knew there was no use in arguing with the two of them. He pointed his finger at them but before he could say a word his phone rang. "Hello," he answered. "They're both here." He handed the phone to Starsky, "It's Huggy, apparently he's arranged for a meeting with the seller." He frowned as Starsky took it.
"Yeah, Hug." There was a short pause. "Yeah, we can be there in an hour. Thanks." He looked at Hutch then his captain. "Huggy says we can meet with a seller in an hour at the storm drain under the Thompson Bridge."
"So, the two of you had this figured out all along. What if I said no?"
Starsky and Hutch stood up and headed for the door as quickly as they could without tripping over each other. "You (no comma) say no to us. Never happen, Cap'n," Starsky said as he closed the door behind them.
Captain Dobey flopped down in his chair, opened the drawer in his desk and took a couple of aspirin. "Yeah well, one of these days I might," he mumbled.
Starsky and Hutch had enough time to change clothes and think of identities for themselves. Hutch was posing as a famous doctor-to-the stars and put on an all white suit complete with a white hat and shoes. "You don't know nothing about plastic surgery, Buddy," Starsky said as Hutch put the hat on.
"Maybe not, but I'm betting they don't either."
"Good point."
"Come on, Starsk, get dressed."
"I'm almost done," Starsky called out from his bedroom. He stepped out a moment later. "Well, what do think?"
"Ramón, again."
"What's wrong with Ramón?"
"Nothing, come on let's go."
"Yeah, we still gotta meet Huggy and get that 74' T'bird."
As they were leaving Starsky's apartment Hutch asked, "Where did he get a T'bird from?"
"He said he got it from a cousin."
"That's right. My cousin Vinnie knows this guys who owes him a favor and Vinnie owes me big time," Huggy said handing the keys over to Starsky. He added, "And now you both owe me big time."
"We always do, Hug," Hutch replied.
"Just don't let anything happen to her is all I ask."
"You got it," Starsky said. He took the keys and said, "We'll leave the Torino out back and pick it up later."
"Man, you're gonna junk up my alley with that piece of…"
Starsky pointed a finger at him, "Watch it." Hutch grinned.
Hutch took the keys from Starsky. "Why do you get to drive?" Starsky asked.
"Because you're the one who's in the market for a new car, remember?"
Starsky frowned, "Okay, okay."
They had been at the storm drain about ten minutes when they saw a black four-door sedan pull up. Three men got out. All of them were wearing dark blue suits, black shoes and dark sunglasses. One was about three inches taller than the others. The driver was wearing black gloves. The tall man and the driver had moustaches. Starsky and Hutch didn't recognize any of the men and they sighed a big sigh of relief.
Hutch stuck his out to shake their hands, "Hi. I'm Doctor Anderson and this is Ramón." The men all shook hands.
The driver pointed at Hutch, "Him I get, but what are you supposed to be?" Hutch held back a giggle.
"I, sir, am Ramón. I teach dance. I happen to teach famous all over the world." Starsky was talking with the same accent he did the last time he was undercover as Ramón. "Perhaps you've heard of me."
"No. Can't say as I have," the taller man said.
"What can we do for you gentlemen?" One of the men asked.
"I'm in the market for new wheels. I'd like something flashy and quick like a Jaguar," Ramón said.
"And what about you, Doctor Anderson? Are you in the market for a vehicle?"
Hutch rubbed the hood of the T'bird and said, "Who me? No. No, I love Bell (the girl's name is spelled Belle) here just fine. I just drove him here."
"I may be able to help ya. What color do you have in mind?"
Before he could even think about it Starsky blurted out, "Red."
"You know, they ain't cheap."
"How much?"
"It just so happens I just got one in a couple of days ago. I'll get back to you on the price."
"Okay. It's a deal," Ramón said nearly spitting as he continued to talk with a thick accent.
"All in good time. Leave me your card and I'll call you when it's ready," the tall man said. Starsky and Hutch figured he was seller and the other two were his bodyguards.
"Cards. Cards, I don't have no cards. Everyone knows who I am," Ramón said.
Doctor Anderson reached in his coat pocket and wrote down the number they could be reached. "Just leave a message when you call."
"We'll be in touch in a day or so," the tall man said.
"Pardon me, but I did not get your name," Ramón said.
"I don't have a name," he said. The three got in their car and left.
Hutch removed his hat and tapped Starsky with it, "Let's get this back to Huggy before something happens to it."
"Whose number did you give him anyway?"
"Huggy's."
Merle had been forced to chop two more perfectly good cars with Frank helping him. It had been three days now and he was getting tired, physically and emotionally. He had no way of knowing if he would ever get away. He started planning a way out. He overheard Saunders talking to Phillip about taking Frank out to obtain, as he put it, more merchandise. Merle was working under one of the cars when Frank joined him. Merle whispered, "Frank, what if I told you there was a way outta this mess?"
Frank looked around to make sure no one was near, "What do you mean?"
"I know a way to get up both outta here."
"I told you, I'm in too deep to leave now. Besides, they'll go after my mother if turned on them."
Merle banged on the muffler with a hammer to make some noise. "I can make sure she's protected. If you help me I'll put in a good word for you. The way I see it, you've been forced to work for them, I can see that. You said you're always with one of them. What about at night when you leave here, where do you go?"
"I go home. I live with my mom."
"Do you want a way or not?"
"What's your plan?"
"I'll give the number of a couple of friends of mine, they're detectives. They can get us outta here."
"Really? You really think it could work?" Frank asked excitedly.
Merle nodded. He took a small piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Frank. "Their names are Starsky and Hutch. You call them as soon as you can. If they don't answer call Huggy at The Pits."
"The Pits, got it."
"Frank, you help me get away and I promise I'll give you a full time job."
"A job. Me?"
"And why not? You know what you're doing and I could use an assistant."
Frank smiled and put the number in his pocket. Phillip approached and told them it was quitting time. Merle went to his and was locked in.
"You're getting pretty close to him, Frank," Phillip said as he opened the door to let Frank go home for the night.
"It's just shop talk. He's teaching me a lot of junk. You know how it is."
"I know you'd better not get too close to him."
"He's okay. He likes the money." Frank leaned close to Phillip and said, "He told me he didn't even want to go back to his old shop.
"Be here by six," Phillip said as he closed the door.
He banged on Merle's door and said, "We got a lot to do tomorrow so Mr. Saunders wants you up and ready by six."
"Yeah okay," Merle responded trying to sound as if he liked his new job. He took off his dirty jumpsuit and took a hot shower. He flopped on the bed, "Please, find me, Starsky and Hutch."
Frank drove home thinking about everything Merle said. He figured he had two choices. The first was to let Mr. Saunders know that Merle was trying to get away and couldn't be trusted. That would gain him a lot of trust with the boss and he would be able to have more responsibilities and freedom. The second choice was to call Starsky and Hutch and tell them where Merle was. He said aloud, "There comes a time when a man's got to be a man. He has to make a choice." He hit the steering wheel as he turned in his driveway.
It had been a long day and it was getting late so Starsky and Hutch went to The Pits for a bite to eat before calling it a night. "Okay, so we're buying the car, how's that going to tell where they're hiding Merle?" Starsky asked Hutch.
"Simple, we'll tell them we only want to deal with the boss. Just say you don't trust the hired help."
"And just like that, they'll show us the shop?"
"I doubt it."
"You're not making any sense ya know."
"Yeah, I know. Listen, Starsk. I think you'd better tell them you're in the business. Tell them the dance instructor thing is just a rouse to get to some high priced fancy cars."
"We can start by selling the T'bird," Starsky said. Hutch nodded and took a sip of his beer.
"Yeah, only you have to drive it to the shop yourself."
Huggy approached the table. "Someone on the phone says he would like to speak to either one of you."
Starsky removed a coin from his pocket and tossed it in the air. Hutch called tails. Starsky flipped the coin onto the back of his hand and said, "Heads, you take the call. If it's Dobey tell him we're busy."
"Why is it you always win," Hutch grumbled as he got up.
He returned to the table and said, "We gotta go, now!"
Starsky knew his partner well enough to know he meant business and slid out of the booth. "What's up?"
"I'll put this on your tab," Huggy called out to them as they headed out the door.
Once they were inside the car, Hutch picked up the mic and said, "Zebra three to dispatch. Patch me through to Captain Dobey, it's an emergency."
"Hutch, will you please tell me what's going on?"
"That was someone named Frank he says he knows where Merle is. Says Merle told him to call us but he needs protection for his mother before he can tell us anything. We're going to meet him now at Miller Park. Hit it."
Hutch put the tear drop red light on the hood while Starsky started the car and hit the siren. "Captain Dobey to Zebra three."
"Hutch, Captain. We got a lead on Merle." He continued to tell him about the meeting they were about to have with Frank and what he had said about needing protection for his mother.
"Be careful, it might be a trap. I'll start a patrol car your way."
"Just tell them to stay back until I call for them."
Starsky slowed down and turned the siren off and Hutch removed the tear drop red light about a block away from the park. "He said to meet him on the far side by the slides."
"I see it." Starsky parked and they both checked their guns. They nodded at each other as they got out.
Frank approached them with his hands in the air, "Are you Starsky and Hutch?"
"Yeah, you Frank?" Hutch said putting his weapon back in its holster.
Frank nodded. He was visibly shaken, "Merle said to call you. He said you could help."
"We can. Frank, you said you needed protection for your mother. Where is she?" Hutch said. He put a reassuring hand on the young man's shoulder.
"It's okay. Take a deep breath. It'll be okay. Tell us where she is."
"I'll take you to her. She doesn't know anything so if you go busting in there you'll scare her. I gotta talk to her first."
"Okay. Frank, come with us."
Frank nodded and got in the front seat. Hutch sat beside him. "Is Merle okay?"
Frank nodded, "He was when I left and they put him in his room. They don't bother him after they lock him up." Hutch picked up the mic and told the patrol unit to follow them. "Turn left on Broad Street."
Starsky nodded, turned and said, "Then what?" Hutch turned around to make sure the patrol car was still behind them.
"Make a right on Brook Street. We're in the first house."
Starsky and Hutch went to the door and waited outside while Frank explained things to his mother. Starsky and Hutch convinced her to let the uniformed officers take her to the station for her protection. They promised it would only be for a little while. They helped her put her coat on and introduced them to Officers Baker and Snow. Hutch promised that they would make sure Frank would be safe.
"I don't know the name of the place, but I can show you," Frank said after he was back in Starsky's car. It was ten minutes before they were at the warehouse.
"Frank, how many guards are in there now?" Starsky asked.
He checked his watch. "Probably two and I believe Saunders is still there. He works late most of the time. He checks Merle's work after they lock him up. Then he goes over the books with Carter. There's a small door on the left side that opens into the shop. It's kept locked all the time. The garage doors open from the inside. There's two of those in the back."
"We can open that. Where's Merle's room?"
"It's on the far right corner." Starsky got on the radio and called for backup.
"How sure are you that Saunders is still in there?" Hutch asked.
"Pretty sure. Like I said, he stays late. There's an office just to the left of the door when you go inside. Be careful it's got a window so they can see the bay."
"Hutch, I don't like it. He could leave before backup gets here and we wouldn't know it if he goes out that back door."
"I don't either."
"Well, let's go in the small door on the left then." Starsky asked.
"Frank, stay here. No matter what, stay in this car and for God's sake, keep your head down," Starsky said. Frank climbed in the back seat and curled up.
Starsky had no trouble picking the lock to get inside. He slowly opened the door. Not seeing anyone, they went inside and crawled under the window. They could hear someone talking from the office. Their plan was to get Merle out then arrest everyone without incident. They made it to Merle's room and Starsky managed to get the door open with ease. Starsky saw Merle sleeping lying crosswise on the bed. Hutch shook him gently and whispered, "Merle."
Merle was understandably startled and took a swing at Hutch before he knew who he was swinging at. Starsky blocked the punch and Hutch put his hand over Merle's mouth. "Shhh. It's us."
Merle was fully awake now and hugged them both. "Bout time you guys found me."
"Well, we have been looking," Starsky said.
"Hey, let's get outta here before they see us," Hutch said.
Starsky was first and was followed by Merle with Hutch bringing up the rear. They got down on all fours and started crawling when they reached the window. Starsky stopped when he saw a pair of black shoes blocking his way. He looked up to see Carter standing in front of him. "Uh oh," Starsky said. Hutch drew his weapon.
"Going somewhere?" Carter asked.
Starsky recognized Carter as the man who was going to sell him the Ferrari and stood up. That was when he noticed Mr. Saunders. Hutch held his gun out and said, "Freeze."
What Hutch didn't know (no comma) was that Phillip was behind him and put his own gun in the middle of Hutch's back. "I don't think so, Officer. You, hand over your weapon."
Hutch glanced at Starsky and winked. That wink was an unspoken message for Starsky to hit Saunders at the same time Hutch hit Phillip but to wait for his signal. Starsky nodded back so slightly that only Hutch saw it. Hutch used his body to push Merle down to get him out of the way. When Hutch did that, Starsky threw a hard left hook at Saunders so hard it knocked him into Carter. Hutch hit Phillip and Phillip hit Hutch back.
Hutch's gun ended up on the ground and Merle scrambled for it but Carter beat him to it and shot Hutch. The force was so hard it knocked Hutch into the wall. His body crumpled to the floor. He eyes were closed and Starsky couldn't tell if he was even breathing. Starsky stopped fighting and went to Hutch's side. "Come on, Hutch, wake up."
Saunders, Carter and Phillip tried to make a run for it but were stopped by the uniformed police who had just arrived. They were taken into custody without further incident. "Call an ambulance," Starsky yelled at the top of his voice. He cradled Hutch in his arms and rocked him back and forth. "You're gonna be okay, Buddy. You have to be." Hutch remained motionless.
Merle sat next to them and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, Starsky. It's all my fault. It's my fault."
"Not your fault," Hutch weakly said.
"You're gonna be fine, Partner."
"It feels pretty bad this time."
"No. No, it's not," Starsky said with tears streaming down his face.
Hutch tried to reach his hand up to wipe Starsky's tears away but he was too weak and his body went limp in Starsky's arms.
Starsky rode in the ambulance with Hutch. He didn't think about Frank or his Torino. He didn't need to. Captain Dobey drove Starsky's car to the hospital himself and he made sure Frank was taken care of. He had two uniform officers take him to the station to be with his mother.
Captain Dobey and Starsky were in the waiting room much longer than either of them thought they should be. "He's going to be okay, Captain. I just know it."
"I sure hope so, Dave," Captain Dobey replied.
Huggy walked quickly through the doors and asked what happened. Starsky was filling him in when the doctor entered the room. "He's lost a lot of blood and it will take some time before he's a hundred percent, but your partner's going to be fine."
Starsky sighed a big sigh of relief. "When can I see him?"
"Not until morning. He's under heavy sedation. He won't wake up for about twelve hours. Go home, get some sleep. I promise I'll call if there are any changes."
Starsky hated to leave Hutch but he was in intensive care and there was no way he could stay in there with him. Captain Dobey convinced him to go back to the station and talk to Frank.
"Frank, we're going to post a patrol car outside your place tonight, but Carter told us everything. We know who Saunders chop shops are in the other cities and their being arrested now. Besides, no one knows you helped us. They didn't see you."
"It's safe to go home?"
"It's safe. I'll drive you and your mother there myself."
Starsky was at Hutch's bedside early the next morning. He had pulled a chair up close to the bed and held Hutch's hand. "The doctor's say you're going to be okay, Hutch. You're going to need time to heal. I have some vacation time saved up what'dya say we head up to the cabin when you get outta here?" Hutch didn't respond. Starsky didn't really expect him too, he just wanted Hutch to know he was there. "No cabin, okay. What about…"
"Cabin sounds great, Starsk," Hutch said as he opened his eyes. He gave Starsky's hand a gentle squeeze to let him know he appreciated him being there.
"Is Frank okay?"
"He's fine. Hey, we got them all, Hutch. I mean the whole operation. They busted it up in San Diego and San Francisco. Carter sung like a canary when we got him to the station. Saunders had more men here too," Starsky was excited and talking fast.
Hutch was released a week later and was told to take it easy and keep his follow up appointments. Starsky assured the doctor that he would make sure Hutch followed all the rules. Hutch wanted to see Merle before going home. Starsky opened the car door for Hutch and they went inside. "Frank, what are you doing here?" Starsky asked when he saw Frank about to get under a car.
"I'm working here now. I'm learning a lot and Merle's paying me. It's a real job. A good job."
"I'm happy for you," Hutch said.
"I've got another piece of good news for you. We talked to the DA and because you helped Merle escape and were vital in busting up that chop shop, he's not going to press any charges."
Frank smiled, "That's the best news I've heard in a long time."
Merle came out of the office when he heard Starsky and Hutch. "I can't thank you enough for getting me out of there. Chopping up perfectly good cars is against my religion."
"Mine too," Starsky said.
"Say, Merle, Frank told us you were making some pretty good money while you were working for Saunders."
"I don't have to turn it in do I?"
"As far as I'm concerned, you earned it my friend," Starsky said.
Hutch was in a lot of pain and still pretty weak and almost fell over. Starsky caught him and said, "Come Blond Blitz, let's get you home.
The End