CHAPTER 2

The church was filled with people, so crowded that some of the men and women had to stand at the back of the room. Starsky and Hutch, both wearing their dress uniforms, sat in a pew halfway down the aisle. Virginia Tanner and her two children sat in the front pew, directly in front of the silver casket that stood on the riser at the front of the church. The mother and the youngest son were both crying softly, wiping at their eyes frequently as they shared a concealed hanky. The oldest son sat beside his mother, his head held high and his eyes dry.

Starsky's gaze kept drifting towards the oldest son, remembering himself reacting in a similar fashion at his own father's funeral. Even at that young age, he had felt the responsibility of being 'the man of the family' suddenly thrust on his shoulders, a burden he was totally unprepared to accept. And that meant not shedding a tear, at least not in public where everyone could witness his overwhelming grief. He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder. Grateful for the distraction, he flashed his partner a somber smile.

Starsky turned his attention back to the words of the Catholic Priest, unfamiliar words spoken in Latin that were meant to comfort the mourners. The only comfort that Starsky needed was sitting by his side. There had been more times than Starsky cared to remember that he had desperately needed that touch to stay grounded and focused. The funeral was stirring up memories and feelings Starsky thought he had buried deep in his mind. This whole case was making him uneasy.

The service finally came to an end and the mourners slowly filed out of the church to return to their cars. Starsky and Hutch climbed into Hutch's battered LTD with Starsky slumped in the passenger's seat. Although the brunet usually did the driving when they were on duty, he hadn't objected when Hutch had volunteered to drive that morning. Starsky stared out of the side window as Hutch started the engine and carefully pulled into line behind the other cars following the hearse to the fallen officer's final resting place.

"Ballistics said the weapon used for the shooting was a high powered rifle," Hutch said as he followed the motorcade thru the streets to the cemetery.

"They found the car this morning," Starsky added "Abandoned in a vacant lot off Monroe. Wiped clean. It was reported stolen and the plates were stolen from a different vehicle. So, that's a bust too."

"There had to be at least two men, the shooter and the driver." Hutch said, thinking aloud as he drove.

"Yeah, and if this was a professional hit, they probably didn't even know each other. The driver was probably some poor dumb ass down on his luck who was offered a few bucks to drive the car. He probably never realized he was getting involved with the murder of a cop."

"And we could end up finding him with a bullet in his head." Hutch said solemnly "If the shooter was a pro, he won't leave anyone behind who might be able to identify him,."

The two men fell into a comfortable silence as Hutch pulled through the gates of the cemetery and parked behind the other cars. The two men climbed out of the car and walked across the neatly trimmed grass to the final resting place of the fallen officer

They stopped a short distance away from the crowd of mourners, sheltered under the branches of a large oak tree.

After a few words at graveside, seven uniformed officers stepped forward, each shouldering a rifle and taking aim at the sky. In perfect unison, they shot three shots a piece, performing the traditional twenty-one gun salute to their fallen companion. As soon as they finished, the honor guard stepped forward and carefully folded the US Flag covering the casket. When he finished, he stepped forward, respectfully presenting the flag to the widow.

As soon as the officers raised their guns to fire the salute, Starsky stood rigidly at attention, one hand raised crisply to his forehead in a sharp salute. He held the stance until after the widow was presented with the flag, and then he shifted into a perfect parade rest position. It was Starsky's way of showing his highest respect and regard to the grieving family.

The two friends blended in with the other mourners as they began to drift back to their own cars to either go to their own homes, to return to work, or to join the family at their home. Starsky and Hutch would be stopping at their own apartments to change out of their dress uniforms before reporting to duty for their afternoon shift.

Silence filled the car on the short drive from the cemetery to Hutch's Venice apartment. They had both attended too many formal ceremonies to honor fallen comrades in their years on the force. It always left an empty feeling in the pit of their stomachs and an eternal gratitude in their hearts that it hadn't been either one of them who had given their life for the badge that they wore.

Starsky and Hutch planned to spend most of their shift going over the statements from the Tanner family's neighbors looking for anything they might have missed the first time. They would also be checking for any similar crimes within a three state radius of Bay City. It was just another tedious but necessary part of any investigation.

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Starsky tossed the file to one side and stretched his arms over his head to work the kinks out of his neck and shoulders. He glanced across the desk at Hutch who was still bent over a file examining the contents. Needing a break, Starsky's stomach growled reminding him that he hadn't eaten since early that morning.

"Hey, Hutch…let's knock off and go get something to eat." He suggested "My treat."

Hutch glanced at his partner with the arch of an eyebrow. "Not one of your ptomaine infested taco joints." He informed his friend "I want some real food."

"Let's go to Huggys. Maybe he's heard something on the streets we can use."

Hutch nodded agreeably and gracefully rose to his feet. Huggy Bear Brown was a close personal friend and informant of the two detectives who owned a popular bar and grill not far from Police headquarters. The prices were fair and the food was good. The menu included a variety that appealed to both Starsky's junk food cravings and Hutch's healthier choices.

Hutch pulled into the alley behind the brick building with the sign out front that read THE PITS.He parked between the back entrance and the dumpster in a spot that was usually reserved for deliveries. The two men climbed out of the car and walked in the back door that opened into the kitchen area of the bar.

Originally, the bar had been housed in the basement until Huggy had managed to get a small business loan to buy the building and expanded his business, moving the bar to the first floor and adding two small furnished rooms on the second floor. Both Starsky and Hutch had taken advantage of the upstairs rooms at one time or another over the years.

Angie, the cook, and his two helpers, Leroy and Eddie, ignored the two men as they passed through on their way to the bar. They were frequent visitors and the employees were accustomed to them entering the establishment through the back entrance.

Since it was only two in the afternoon, the bar wasn't busy. Only two tables were occupied, both by regulars who spent most of their time drinking their days away. Starsky and Hutch immediately headed for their favorite booth in the back of the room. They sat across from each other with Hutch facing the front entrance.

Belinda, one of Huggy's waitresses, immediately walked over to their booth, smiling brightly. She enjoyed flirting with both of the handsome detectives even though neither one of them had ever shown any interest in asking her out. She wouldn't have accepted even if they had. She had a jealous boyfriend with a mean streak so flirting with the two men was nothing more than a little harmless fun to brighten up her day.

"Hey, guys. What can I get ya?" she said, throwing back her shoulders so that the tight white tee shirt she wore stretched tighter across her bust.

"What's the special?" Starsky asked, giving her one of his trademark grins, as he let his eyes sweep over her figure.

"Country fried steak and gravy with a biscuit and mashed potatoes." She told him as she returned his smile with a flirtatious one of her own.

"Sounds great. That's what I'll have and a large coke."

Belinda wrote down his order and then looked at Hutch. The blond hesitated, considering his choices, and then said, "I'll have the same thing but give me a salad too with ranch dressing on the side and a glass of buttermilk."

"You got it." Belinda said

"Is Huggy around?" Hutch asked before she could walk away.

"He's in the office. I'll tell him you're here."

"Thanks, schweetheart." Starsky said, favoring her with his Bogart impersonation and receiving a patient smile from Belinda in return. She turned and walked away with an exaggerated swing of her hips.

Within a few minutes, a tall thin black man sauntered across the room towards their booth. He was flamboyantly dressed in neon blue pants and a lemon yellow shirt with a red vest.

"Damn, Hug," Hutch said, blinking his eyes at the bar owner's outfit. "Do you offer sunglasses with that get up?"

"Unlike you, Blondie, the Bear has an image to uphold." Huggy said smugly as he postured to show off his attire. "What can I do for you jive turkeys this fine day?"

"You heard anything on the streets about the shooter that wasted Jim Tanner?" Hutch asked

"That cop?"

Starsky nodded exchanging a somber look with the black man "He left behind two little boys and a young widow."

"That sucks." Huggy said. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Word has it that there was a heavy dude asking around a couple of weeks ago for a driver. He was looking to pay five big ones for a wheelman that could be guaranteed to keep their mouth shut afterwards. Rumor has it that he had something planned that involved a cop."

"You got a name?" Starsky asked "For the driver or the shooter?"

"Can't help you on the shooter but I heard that little Mo Mo brokered for the driver."

"Little Mo Mo, huh?" Hutch said "Does he still hang out at that pool hall over on fifteenth?"

"Last I heard and if he ain't there, then check with Orphan Annie. She usually knows where he is."

Hutch nodded and slid his hand across the top of the table to the barkeep. Huggy reached down and scooped up the twenty dollar bill that Hutch slipped him. Starsky and Hutch were well known on the streets for being fair with their snitches and informants, paying good money for righteous information. Huggy pocketed the money and strutted away just as Belinda returned with their drinks and food.