CHAPTER 3

The next morning instead of going straight to work, Hutch drove to the suburbs where Kelly Starsky had lived. The tiny one story house seemed a sharp contrast to the 'party girl' image that most people seemed to associate with the murdered woman. His knock on the door was answered by a mousy looking woman with short brown hair and dark rimmed glasses. She was dressed in a shapeless gray sweatshirt and a pair of baggy blue jeans.

"Who are you?" she asked in a nasal voice as she peered at Hutch through the partially opened door.

"Ken Hutchinson. I'd like to ask you a few questions about Kelly Starsky."

"Kelly Abbott," the woman corrected him sharply. "She took back her maiden name after the divorce. You a cop?"

"No, I'm a lawyer. How well did you know Miss Abbott?"

"She was my cousin. She needed a place to live after Dave kicked her out, and I told her she could stay here."

"And your name is?

"Susan. Susan Snyder."

"May I come in and talk to you for a few minutes?"

Susan was indifferent. "I guess you might as well. Since you're already here."

She stepped aside and let him into a dimly lit room that smelled of stale cigarette smoke and cat urine. Old newspapers and trash littered the tiny room. The entire house gave Hutch a claustrophobic feeling that put him on edge.

"You wanna sit down?" She gestured to a threadbare sofa covered with cat hair.

"No, thank you. I won't take up that much of your time."

"Suit yourself." She shrugged her thin shoulders as she picked up a pack of unfiltered cigarettes from the coffee table, and shook one loose. She offered it to Hutch, but he shook his head.

"No, thanks. I don't smoke."

She shrugged again, flipped open a Zippo lighter and took a deep drag as the tip of the cigarette flared.

"When was the last time you saw your cousin?" Hutch asked, resisting the urge to wave away the large plume of smoke she exhaled in his direction.

"I don't know. Three or four days ago. She pretty much came and went as she pleased."

"Weren't you worried when you didn't hear from her for a few days?"

"I figured she met somebody and was shacked up with them for a few days." She took another drag from the cigarette, but this time blew the smoke over her shoulder.

"So her lifestyle didn't bother you?"

"Why should it. If she wanted to slut around that was her business, not mine.

As long as she paid me what we agreed on each month, why should I care what she did?"

"How well did the two of you get along?"

"Okay. She didn't bother me and I didn't bother her."

"Did you know her ex-husband?"

"I met him once or twice. He seemed like a nice enough guy. Too nice for the likes of Kelly but he still shouldn't have killed her."

"What makes you so sure that he did?"

"Because Kelly treated him like shit," she said, flicking cigarette ashes in the general direction of an ashtray. "And because she told me once that he threatened her all the time, usually when they were fighting over money."

"Did you ever hear him threaten her?"

"No, I was never around them that much when they were a couple." She smiled thinly "But, I overheard enough of their fights on the phone after Kelly moved in here."

"Can you think of anyone else that might have had a motive for hurting your cousin?"

"We didn't have that much in common. I had my friends and she had hers."

"Okay, I think those are all the questions I have for now. I'll be in touch if I need anything else. Thank you for your time."

"Whatever." Susan had obviously become bored with the conversation "But, if you wanna talk to somebody who really knew Kelly, you should talk to her best friend, Amber Wilkes."

"Do you know where I can find her?"

"Sure, she's a dancer at a club downtown called Ruby's Lounge. She dances every night from nine till two."

"Thank you. You've been very helpful." Hutch nodded politely and showed himself out.

Grateful to be out of the stifling atmosphere inside the little house, he took a deep breath of clear, fresh air as he walked to his car. Since it was too early to talk to Amber Wilkes, he decided to pay a visit to Al and Rose Starsky.

The Starskys lived in a lower middle class neighborhood of single story brick homes with two car garages. Located at the end of a cul-de-sac, their bungalow had well-kept lawn and rose bushes growing alongside the front of the house.

Hutch's knock was quickly answered by Rose Starsky. If she was surprised to see him standing on her front stoop, she didn't let it show.

"Mr. Hutchinson," she said graciously "Please come in." She led him into a comfortable living room and gestured towards a sofa which faced a large picture window overlooking the street. "Please have a seat. I'll let Al know that you're here."

Hutch smiled his thanks and surveyed his surroundings while Rose went to another part of the house to get her husband. This room was a stark contrast to the one in Susan Snyder's home. The furnishings here were inexpensive but well cared for, and the walls were painted a pale beige with white accents. Among groups of pictures on the walls were several that appeared to be of a younger David Starsky, both as a teenager and as a rookie police officer posing proudly in his new uniform.

Hutch was distracted and didn't realize that Rose and Al had returned until Rose spoke. "Can I get you something to drink, Mr. Hutchinson? Coffee? Juice? A soda?"

"No, thank you," Hutch said politely "And please…call me Ken."

"Have you decided to take David's case?" Al asked gruffly bypassing the small talk and again getting right to the point.

"Yes, I have. I think all the evidence they have against him is circumstantial and I don't want to see him railroaded into prison because of inadequate representation."

"Oh, thank you!" Rose gushed happily "Thank you so much!" she flashed a relieved smile at her equally grateful husband.

'The arraignment is scheduled for three o'clock this afternoon and I assume that the two of you will be there."

"You better believe we will," Al said firmly. "That boy has lived with us since he was thirteen years old and we're not about to turn our backs on him now."

"Does David have any other family here in Bay City?"

"No." Rose shook her head. "His mother and younger brother both live back in New York. Brooklyn to be exact. His father was a cop too. He was killed when David was twelve. That's why his mother sent him out here to live with us. She was afraid that he'd get in trouble without a man's influence in his life."

"Rosie and I were never blessed with children of our own," Al added. "So David's been like a son to us."

Hutch nodded. Now that he took a closer look at Al, he could see the strong family resemblance. He had the same rugged features and deep blue eyes as his nephew. And, even though Al wore his hair cut short, there was a hint of the same unruly curls in the brown strands that were liberally interwoven with gray.

"He's lucky to have you," Hutch said, thinking about his own strained relationship with his parents. He had been raised in a cold, sterile environment that had produced a reserved and socially withdrawn adult. "I wish all of my clients had the same support that David seems to have."

"You don't turn your back on somebody you love," Rose said with a tilt of her chin.

"Thank you for stopping by to let us know you're taking the case," Al put an arm around his wife's shoulders. "We want the best for David…no matter what it costs."

"We can talk about that later," Hutch said, smiling warmly in an effort to put the elderly couple at ease.

Hutch left the Starsky home and drove to his office. He spent most of the day catching up on some paperwork and returning some phone calls; routine tasks that required little effort on his part. He was in the middle of updating a file on a closed case when Richard Peterson, one of the firm's senior partners, entered his office.

"I heard you've got a new client." Richard's voice was nonchalant as he glanced around the office.

Hutch looked away from the file in front of him and turned a deliberate eye on his boss, who was just as deliberately avoiding eye contact with him. "That's right."

Reluctantly, Richard met Hutch's steady gaze. "Don't you think you should have discussed it with one of us before doing something so rash?" He hated it that he could so often be intimidated by this young upstart.

"The last time I looked, I was free to pick and choose my own clients." Hutch said pointedly. "When did I start needing your approval?"

"You know this isn't the type of case this firm normally represents."

"Why? Because the accused is a cop, and that's not impressive enough for you?"

"Because it's obvious that he's guilty, and you'd just be wasting your time and this firm's money."

"So since you've already passed judgment on him, he doesn't deserve adequate representation?"

"I didn't say that." Richard's voice was suddenly stern. Maybe upstart was too kind of a word for this kid. "I'm just saying that you might want to reconsider your decision. There's no reason to put your own career in jeopardy by taking on a case that you can't win."

"That remains to be seen, doesn't it?" Hutch kept his voice tightly controlled. He had known that the senior partners might not be pleased with him for taking the case, but he felt that he had enough seniority of his own to warrant taking risks. He had specialized in criminal law when he was in law school, but instead of following his own dreams, he had allowed Vanessa and his family to pressure him into joining a more prestigious law firm when he graduated. "And I'm taking the case pro bono so the firm won't be losing any money."

"Have it your way," While Richard was obviously not pleased with Hutch's decision, he was also unwilling to confront him about it any further. "Just don't expect this firm to come to your rescue when this case blows up in your face." And with that, he left the office.