CHAPTER 4

After a quick shower, Starsky retired to Hutch's bedroom and fell asleep on the big brass bed. Hutch had insisted that Starsky take the bed knowing that he would sleep better there instead of his usual spot on the sofa. Hutch got a sheet and an extra pillow out of the closet for himself. Trying to find a comfortable position on the sofa for his lanky frame, Hutch set his watch to go off in two hours so he could wake Starsky up throughout the night.

Starsky complained about being woke up during the night, but he seemed alert and oriented with each two hour check. Hutch felt as if he had just fallen asleep when he was awakened by the ringing of the phone. He grabbed the handset, almost falling off the sofa in the process.

"Yeah?" he grumbled into the receiver.

"I want you and Starsky in my office right now!" Dobey's voice barked in his ear. "And I want a full report on what happened yesterday!"

"We'll be there as soon as we can, Captain." Hutch mumbled, hanging up before Dobey could continue with his tirade. He groaned as he raised his stiff body off the sofa in time to see Starsky coming out of the sleeping alcove.

"I told you that you should've let me sleep on the couch." Starsky said "Your back is gonna give you hell all day. Who was on the phone?"

"Dobey. He wants to see us in his office right away."

"Terrific." Starsky muttered as he sauntered into the kitchen to put on some coffee. He needed his morning jolt of caffeine to wake up the rest of the way. He had a feeling that it was going to be a long day.

Hutch grunted a reply as he stumbled into the bathroom to take a shower. Twenty minutes later he came out dressed in a pair of tan slacks, a cream colored turtleneck and his favorite tan leather jacket. As usual, he reminded Starsky of a male model who had just stepped out of the pages of GQ magazine instead of an undercover cop in one of the roughest sections of Bay City. Joining his partner in the kitchen, he began to prepare the health drink he made every morning before work. Starsky sat on the edge of the kitchen counter drinking his third cup of coffee and eyeing the mixture Hutch was putting in the blender suspiciously.

"I don't see how you can drink that crap every morning." He said as Hutch added a liberal amount of skimmed milk to other ingredients, turning the entire mixture a sickening shade of gray.

"I told you before its good for you. It contains your daily dose of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients."

"It still looks like something someone puked up." Starsky told him with a grin as he finished his coffee and put the cup in the sink. He slid down off the counter and stretched his arms above his head, reminding Hutch of a big cat stretching in the sun.

"How's your head?"

"I'll live."

"Good thing you got a hard head." Hutch bantered back.

"Not as hard as yours." Starsky shot back with a grin. Hutch finished his drink and the two men left to head in to work. Dobey was already bellowing their names as soon as they walked into the squad room.

"How does he do that?" Starsky whispered as they headed into Dobey's office. "I swear he must have this place wired or something."

"Shut the door and sit down." Dobey growled in a deep, gruff voice. He waited until the two men did as he ordered. "Now, tell me exactly what happened yesterday and don't skip any of the details."

"I got a call from Prudolm. He said he had a kid and he was going to kill him if I didn't meet him where he told me to." Starsky said. He glanced at his partner for emotional support. "He told me to come alone."

"Where were you when this call came in?" Dobey asked Hutch gruffly, glaring at Hutch.

"I needed a file from records." Hutch said in his own defense. "I was down there getting it. I wasn't gone but for a few minutes."

"So, you just took off and didn't wait on your partner." Dobey barked turning his attention back to Starsky. "What part didn't you understand when I said nobody was to go after Prudolm without backup?"

"Cap, he said he had a kid. I couldn't take a chance on him killing some kid because of me." Starsky said. He knew Dobey would understand his decision to handle things by himself instead of taking the risk of putting an innocent child at risk.

"That's not the point!" Dobey said gruffly "I gave a direct order that nobody was to go after Prudolm alone!"

"Okay, I got it!" Starsky snapped, his patience stretched to the limit. "I fucked up. It won't happen again."

"I have no choice, Starsky." Dobey said as he lowered his voice to a lower level and glowered at his detective. "I have to write you up disobeying a direct order."

"Yes, sir." Starsky bit off sullenly. He wasn't surprised. He had been expecting a formal reprimand.

"Finish telling me what happened yesterday." Dobey ordered.

"I left and went to meet Prudolm." Starsky said with a smirk as he stated the obvious.

"And when I came back he was already gone." Hutch added as he picked up the story from there. "Martinez told me that Starsky got a phone call and took off like a bat out of hell. I figured it probably had something to do with Prudolm."

"So what did you do?"

"I checked a car out the motor pool and went to look for him. When I turned the radio, I heard a call about Prudolm being spotted and the dispatcher gave the address so I headed there."

"Anything else?" Dobey demanded.

"I called to let the other units know that I was on the way. I also told Starsky if he was listening to stay put until I got there."

"I take it you never got that message." Dobey said drolly, glaring at the dark haired detective.

"I got it," Starsky admitted sheepishly "But I didn't want Prudolm to get away."

"So you deliberately ignored your partner's radio call and went in after him by yourself." Dobey said, his voice starting to rise along with his blood pressure. He glared at Starsky who wisely decided it was in his best interest to remain silent. "Where did you find Prudolm?"

"He was hiding on the third floor. He must have heard me coming. I heard him running up the steps towards the roof so I followed him."

"Was there anyone else at the scene when you chased him up to the roof?"

"No, none of the other squads had arrived yet." Starsky admitted.

"What happened when you got to the roof?"

"He jumped me and we started fighting. I managed to get him subdued and started to put on the cuffs. I got the cuff on his left hand and then he hit me in the head with something. It stunned me enough that he was able to get free." Dobey remained silent waiting for Starsky to finish his version of the events. "I managed to get to my knees and looked up in time to see Prudolm backing up to the edge of the roof. He put his hands behind his back and snapped the cuff on his other wrist." Starsky paused and took a deep breath. "Then he looked at me and said I'll see you in hell…just before he stepped off the roof backwards."

"What did you do then?"

"I managed to get to my feet and I leaned over the edge of the roof in time to see him land on the hood of a black and white that had just arrived on the scene. Then I'm not sure what happened, I passed out or something. I don't remember much after that until we got to the hospital."

"When did you get there?" Dobey barked at Hutch.

"Just after Prudolm ended up on the hood of the squad car. I looked up and I saw Starsky looking over the edge, then he just disappeared. So I ran up to the roof to make sure he was okay."

"Was he?"

"No, he seemed to be confused and disoriented. He wouldn't respond to me at first. I didn't see any injuries until I got in the car and we were on the way to the hospital. That's when I saw the blood on the side of his face and in his hair. "

"Was there anyone else on the roof with Starsky when you got up there?"

"No."

"How much trouble am I in?" Starsky asked with a level gaze at his Captain.

"IA is already snooping around, asking questions." Dobey told him gruffly "None of the officers at the scene can agree on how Prudolm fell. Some of them said it was an accident and others say that it looked like he was pushed."

"Oh, come on, Captain!" Hutch snapped in an irritated voice. "You can't sit there and tell that you believe for one minute that Starsky pushed him!"

"It doesn't matter what I believe." Dobey said loudly. "We need evidence to prove that things happened the way Starsky says they did! Otherwise, Internal Affairs is gonna crucify him."

"Who caught the case?" Hutch asked

"Who do you think?" Dobey grunted "The top headhunters themselves. Simonetti and Dryden."

"Jesus, I'm screwed." Starsky muttered "They've been after my badge ever since I became a cop."

"I'm sorry, Dave…I'm going to have to suspend you without pay pending the outcome of their investigation." Dobey said solemnly.

"Hear that?" Starsky said with a tight smile at his partner. "It must be serious. He called me Dave." Starsky rose to his feet and reached underneath his windbreaker to remove his weapon from his shoulder holster. He laid the gun on top of the desk in front of the Captain and then dug the leather case out of his hip pocket that held his shield and official ID. He laid it beside his gun and then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the office.

"Well, don't just stand there." Dobey growled at Hutch "Go take care of your partner."

Hutch hurried after Starsky but the brunet had already disappeared down the hallway. Hutch burst through the front doors just in time to see the tail end of the Torino disappearing around the corner. For the second time in two days, he was left behind without any transportation. He flagged down a black and white that was just getting ready to pull out of the parking lot and begged a ride to his apartment so he could pick up his own car.

The uniformed officers were more than happy to oblige. Everyone in the department knew the dynamic duo and rumors were already spreading about the showdown between Starsky and Prudolm. Opinion varied. Some officers were stanch believers in Starsky's innocence while others believed that he was guilty of pushing Prudolm off that roof. Regardless of how Prudolm ended up dead, most of them felt that Starsky had more than enough motive to want to see Prudolm six feet under.

Hutch headed for The Pits hoping to find Starsky there when he arrived. The bar was crowded with the usual crowd when Hutch arrived. Power drinkers, a few hookers looking to pick up a trick, college kids out slumming, and a few wayward spouses looking for a one night stand. Huggy was working the floor, helping deliver drinks and food orders to his customers. When he saw Hutch walk into the bar, he nodded his head towards the farthest corner of the bar by the pool table. Glancing in that direction, Hutch saw Starsky in an animated conversation with another man.

As Hutch drew closer, he overheard a heated exchange between the two men.

"That was a long time ago, Levi." Starsky said sharply, his eyes flashing with anger.

"Oh, come on, Davey…you and me…we're both the same." The man that Starsky had called Levi said with a smirk. "You mighta cleaned up some, but underneath it all, you're still the same two bit punk you always were."

"Speak for yourself, Levi." Starsky growled "I'm a cop and if you play dirty on my patch, I'll run ya in."

The conversation ended abruptly as the other man scowled and walked away, his eyes smoldering with anger. Hutch stepped up to his partner and said, "What was that all about?"

"Nothing." Starsky said in a tightly controlled voice "Just some hustler I used to know a long time ago. Seems like he's hooked up with some of the big boys back east and now he thinks he's a big shot."

"Why did you take off like that? Why didn't you wait on me?" Hutch asked changing the subject.

"I had to get out of there, Hutch, before I started breaking something." Starsky said gruffly. "I mean…I know Dobey didn't have any choice. He had to suspend me until IA finishes their witch-hunt…but it was the last straw, ya know?"

"Yeah, I know." Hutch said, settling a comforting hand on his partner's shoulder. "Come on. I'll buy the first round."