DISCLAIMER; I DO NOT OWN ANY PART OF THE STARSKY AND HUTCH FRANCHISE. THE FOLLOWING IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY.
LEFT IS RIGHT
Chapter 1
The two detectives sat in the Torino trying to stay awake. Starsky was getting bored with the trivia game and Hutch just wanted to call it a night and go home.
"Starsky, this is a waste of time. We don't even know who or what we're waiting for. We've been stuck at this warehouse for three hours without even a cat running out of the building." Hutch poked Starsky in the ribs to wake him up.
He was greeted with a grunt and a yawn.
"Okay Blondie. But are you ready with a quick response when we get back with nothing for Dobey? You ready for his yelling?"
"Well it's not our fault that Big Tiny's tip didn't work out. A vague hint about a drug running operation somewhere near the warehouse isn't much help if you want to know the truth. But somebody soon's got to know about where all that stuff is coming from and where it's going." Hutch stretched against the seat and threw the magazine to the back.
Starsky growled at Hutch for littering but started the Torino and headed back to Bay City.
"What we really need is a tip on those bizarre murders going down lately. Huggy doesn't have anything and I guess Big Tiny doesn't either."
Starsky thought out loud but then smacked the steering wheel in frustration.
"I gave up a hot date with Jennifer for this!" Starsky lamented, thinking of his latest girl and the night club scene.
Hutch shook his head and yawned again. He was already bored with Starsky's latest fling and tried to come up with another reason he didn't want to double date with them. He appreciated Starsky wanting to include him, but even for Starsky, Jennifer wasn't much more than a dance partner with nothing in the brain catagory to offer. Hutch wasn't interested in an empty date. He craved an intelligent, honest relationship but he just didn't have the time lately to work at it.
"Jennifer and I are meeting at The Purple Onion tomorrow, wanna come?" Starsky quickly steered out of the way of a van pulling out of an alley and didn't see Hutch's frown.
"Starsky, no I do not want to go dancing with you and your marshmellow. I'm not interested, so just leave me out of it. What's up with her anyway? How come you always meet her there and never go back to her place? What do you really know about her, huh?" Hutch thought that maybe stating the obvious and questioning him would get Starsky off his back about the date.
"I know all I need to know buddy! Look, I know Jennifer is nothin' more than just a fling for now. But god, can she dance! They've got a contest going at the club and I know Jen and I can win! Don't ya wanna see that?" Starsky laughed and poked Hutch in the thigh to make his point.
"No. Just drive please. Drop me at my place and I don't want to see you again for two days. I'll pick you up and don't be late!"
The Torino came to a stop in front of Venice Place and Hutch gratefully got out. Hutch ducked to glance in the window and wave good bye before he headed up the steps to his apartment.
Starsky drove home and slipped bonelessly into bed. Before he drifted off, he thought about Hutch's questions regarding Jennifer but hell, all he cared about at the moment was having fun and Jennifer provided that. It didn't matter for now that he didn't know much about her or that he'd never been to her place.
He rolled over with a sigh and wondered himself about the 'whys' of this new relationship. Well, The Purple Onion was no place to hold an intelligent conversation so maybe he'd suggest going out to dinner first. But then again, he realized for the hundreth time, he never even got her phone number. They had gone out a couple times after meeting at the dance club but she always insisted on meeting him there.
He rolled to the other side and put the pillow over his head to stop Hutch's voice from invading his thoughts. The blond had hit the right buttons and now Starsky was more curious than ever about Jennifer. He vowed to talk to her tomorrow night and get a few things straight. He only wanted to treat her like a lady and not the 'marshmellow' that Hutch had called her.
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The next evening, Jennifer stood under the street light waiting for David. She didn't often reflect on her life but lately, time with David was so special. She would give anything to have him pick her up at a fancy address and she pictured him wrapping a fur around her as he kissed her on the ear. But no, reality of it all was that here she was sneaking around behind her dangerous boyfriend's back waiting for the sexiest man she'd ever known to meet her here like she was some common hooker. David wasn't the first lover she'd had but he certainly was the best looking.
Unfortunately, there was no way she could tell David or any of her 'dates' that she belonged to Jimmy Blackmore. He was well known in the drug community and she was not about to endanger her position with him. According to Jimmy, he owned Jennifer. At first that made her mad. She wasn't his play toy but one night she'd refused to 'put out' and Jimmy had beaten her. Nothing serious but it was enough that Jennifer understood just what she'd agreed to when she'd accepted Jimmy's bail money.
Jennifer wasn't a hooker but Jimmy had saved her from time in jail for shop lifting once and she had been so grateful and so impressed with the wad of money that Jimmy had flashed to bail her out with, that Jennifer willingly let herself be taken care of by the short, round man.
But she had also learned never to call Jimmy a drug dealer in his presence. He might be fat but he could move quickly if he wanted to and when she'd called him a dealer, he had pushed her against a wall and got his point across. But what scared her wasn't so much what he said, but how he'd said it. He had his arm across her throat but in a quiet, sweet voice he had reassured her:
'Honey, I'm no dealer. I'm a purveyor of medicinal suppliments.'
Jimmy could be real scary sometimes. But Jennifer took advantage of the fact that he wasn't home much and after awhile, figured out she could do pretty much what she wanted. She began having affairs because she was bored with Jimmy and just wanted to prove to herself that she could attract other, more decent men.
So here she was, under this glaring street lamp, feeling very much like a street walker. But as she stared down the street, her heart thudded against her chest as she saw David walking toward her. He really made her feel special but she dreaded the question that he was bound to ask sooner or later.
Starsky got the chance he was waiting for to ask his questions but didn't get the results he expected. He met Jennifer out front of The Purple Onion. She was dressed to kill. Spike heals shaped her legs which were encased in black spandex which led the eye up to the gauzy peasant blouse just low enough for Starsky to view luscious cleavage. She was standing outside of the club waiting for her lover. As soon as she saw him walking toward her, a wide smile crossed her soft features and reached her bright green eyes. Even in the dark, Starsky could tell she was glad that he was there. Her long auburn hair was pulled into a high pony tail which further accented the curves of her face.
He pulled her close to him and their lips met in a hungry kiss. They stepped apart with difficulty as Starsky got his mind back on the question he needed to ask.
"Hiya Jen! Waitin' for me were ya?" Starsky teased as Jennifer pulled him close again and whispered into his ear. He actually blushed at the remark but again, got his mind back, with difficulty, on his question.
"Why don't we go for a late dinner first then come back and dance until morning? Better yet, we could dance now then go back to your place for breakfast, how's that?" Starsky waited for the answer that he longed for.
Jennifer tried to hide her disappointment. She couldn't tell Starsky the truth. Not after he'd already told her that he was a cop.
She played with the collar of his shirt, giving herself time to get herself back in the moment. There was no way she could ever tell David who she lived with. She had to think fast and hope David would believe her.
"David sorry, but I can't take you back to my place. Would you believe I still live with my mother and she's a nosy old woman?" Jennifer played with the buttons on Starsky's shirt and slipped her fingers in between. She successfully diverted his attention from her question.
"Well, if that's your story and you're sticking to it? We sure don't want to give your mother a free show!"
Starsky couldn't think of what the hell he had started out to ask her but all he could think of now was either going inside the club or going home and forgetting all about dancing for the night.
"See, I knew you'd understand! C'mon Davey, lets dance!" Jennifer brushed up against Starsky and felt his silent greeting to her presence. She wouldn't be able to keep David in the dark forever, but for tonight, her secret was safe.
Once inside, talk was useless so Starsky guided her to a vacant table. The dance club was packed, noisy and hopping. It was Bay City's newest dance craze. The DJ provided all types of music from disco to jazz to current favorits. But the most popular was the rumbling, sultry dance tunes that provided the hottest moves and was the subject of the latest dance contest. Jennifer and Starsky had met here and were now known as regulars and the couple to watch.
They ordered their drinks but got up to join the commotion on the floor. The music was so loud that it buzzed through Starsky's veins and he felt the heat from Jennifer. Once they were swaying and moving, he forgot all about needing to know more about this beautiful woman.
Starsky lightly held onto her hips as they both swayed in time to the thumping, addictive music. Jennifer dipped her chest forward and practically nose to nose, the couple moved back and forth. Starsky grabbed at her waist and pulled her into him. There was no space now at all between them from foot to hip. The dance of love took place on a crowded floor but to the couple, they were the only ones there. Starsky grabbed Jennifer's hair and kissed her while still moving his hips.
The music suddenly changed course and became soft and slow. Starsky grabbed her hands and twirled Jennifer around the floor. Her hair and her blouse flowed out around her until Starsky met her again in an intimate embrace. The music slowed more and stopped for the DJ to announce a break until the next set.
Starsky led Jennifer over to the table and they both gulped at their drinks. Before they had set them back on the table, two more drinks appeared before them.
They only had eyes for each other and they leaned into each other, trying to carry on a conversation. Neither was aware at first of the man across from them who'd been watching their moves on the floor.
All of the sudden, Jennifer looked over Starsky's shoulder and shuddered. Her time with this most exciting man was coming to an end. She'd been found out again. Henry was proof that Jimmy had his doubts about her. Seeing Henry made her sad.
She had known for some time that Jimmy was having her followed. It made her jumpy at first when she realized that Jimmy was having the men she'd been seing killed. His jealousy was getting worse and she discovered through snooping that Henry was the hitman. Jimmy relied on Henry for a lot of street information but also now his job was watching and getting rid of Jennifer's boyfriends. She didn't like the outcome but she had also figured out that being watched turned her on. She really didn't care that the guys she'd been seeing ended up dead. Jimmy bored her and to tell the truth, once or twice with each new guy quickly got old. After the first man stood her up, she cornered Henry once and just asked. She loved teasing the man with her body and found out that all she had to do was flash a little skin at Henry and he'd tell her everything she needed to know.
She was not bored now. She licked her lips and reached over to run her fingers through Starsky's hair. She smiled at him but suddenly felt alone and depressed. She really liked David and wished she could save him from Henry. But she didn't know how. She realized she should never have tried to keep anything from David. Now she had no choice but to give him up.
Henry sat at the table enjoying his third beer. His heart raced and he felt himself sweating as he watched Jennifer with her newest boyfriend. She had a great body and knew how to move. He'd found out she was dating David Starsky, a cop! Mr. Blackmore better pay him well for this information. He rubbed his hand against his leg as he thought of the one time he'd pissed Jimmy Blackmore off. But he did not have many options and this job might just be the bargaining chip he had been waiting for.
Henry was not a handsome man. He was short and that really bugged him. He was 5'7". He had worked hard though to build his upper body and was proud of his muscular chest and arms. His build served him well though and he was able to accomplish a lot of things that he attributed to being short. His face was marked with scars because of the Chicken Pox he'd had as a kid. They'd been so itchy that he scratched in spite of his mom's warnings, The scars had faded somewhat but he still had a pitted, rough face. His mustache was full and thick. His dark, stringy hair hung down past his collar.
He rubbed what was left of his pinkie finger as he recalled the one and only time he'd disobeyed the fat man's orders. He had taken a little too long to watch Jennifer and was late with the details. Mr. B had taken a wire cutter and calmly snipped off a piece of Henry's finger. He remembered staring at it stupidly. He watched as the piece of flesh fell onto the floor and watched the blood seep out. After that, he'd screamed bloody murder and fainted.
Since then he learned never to question Mr. Blackmore and he always did as he was told. But he swore the man would never get him in such a vulnerable position again. He found it necessary to play the part of a sniveling, weak man but Henry was far from being that way.
He was a small time player in the world of crime but a some time handy man for Jimmy Blackmore. By handy, that meant that whatever Jimmy needed, Henry provided. Jimmy was up and coming in the world of drugs in Bay City. He had taken over a smaller dealer and was now involved in building up his clients and his dealers. He also ran numbers but on a smaller scale. But right now, Jimmy wanted to keep his girlfriend in line. Henry was instructed to keep track of Jennifer. She was a very pretty woman. But she had a nasty habit of cheating on Jimmy.
Several times, Henry had been instructed to follow Jennifer and the man she was sneaking around with. Henry would follow the couple and while they were occupied, he'd either sneak into the room or peek through a window. He'd report back to Jimmy and then would follow up with the murder of the unlucky man who'd fallen under Jennifer's spell.
With Jimmy's connections, the murders were never associated with Jimmy or Henry. For this reason, Jimmy was very pleased with Henry's services. He never questioned how Henry did it and he only wanted the details of the hit after it was completed. Henry enjoyed himself immensely. Most of the time he would follow the guy for a day or two then pick the time and place. He had all sorts of creative ways to kill someone. But once, he had killed Jennifer's lover in her presence. He was delighted that murder seemed to turn her on as much as it did him. In fact, Jennifer was so juiced up on the death that they'd had sex right next to the dead body. It turned both of them on and they enjoyed their secret. Both felt some measure of power. It gave them great satisfaction that they could enjoy each other, almost as if Jimmy had given them his own approval.
But now, Henry got his mind back to the present. What a rush when he'd caught Jennifer's eye. She was nuzzling the cop's neck but she flashed a smile at him.
Henry raised his drink in her direction and smiled. Soon after, he got up and walked right up to Jennifer.
"Hey sweetness, wanna dance?" He leaned over her and nibbled at her ear.
"Excuse me, but the lady is with me. Why don't you just keep walking right out the door?" Starsky stood up to his full height in order to intimidate.
Henry got a good look at the cop and filed the memory away in his brain. He could use that information for later. The cop obviously had a quick temper but kept it under control.
Jennifer shuddered at Henry's touch. Starsky assumed she was upset but actually the thrill of being caught and the fear of the future was intoxicating. She didn't say anything until Henry had left. The little man gave Starsky another quick glance as if to size up his chances but backed off and walked toward the exit.
Starsky sat down and cupped her face in his hand. He searched her eyes for signs that she was okay. He was rewarded with a shy, hesitant smile.
"Oh baby, let's get out of here! That guy gave me the creeps! All of the sudden I sure don't feel like dancing!"
Jennifer pulled Starsky toward her and she burried her face in his shirt. She silently congratulated herself for the good acting job she was doing. Now the fun would begin. She loved being followed and knowing Henry was watching. She did regret the innevitable outcome of her time with the dark haired, sexy man. She hated the thought of losing David. She'd miss him more than the others. Maybe after this, Henry would help her get away from Jimmy Blackmore.