Chapter 7

The next morning, Starsky and Hutch began their search for Nick Hunter. They suspected him of being the anonymous caller who had pointed the finger at Corday as Blaine's killer. They felt certain that Sugar, the cross dresser from The Green Parrot, would know where to find him but first they had to find him. They doubted if the bartender at the club would tell them anything, so they turned to their best source on the street. Huggy Bear. They found Huggy hawking one of his get rich schemes on the streets near The Pits.

"We need your help, Huggy." Starsky said as he eyed his old friend solemnly. "We think a cop killed Blaine."

"A cop?" Huggy said with a sneer. "Thought you guys had enough problems without knocking each other off."

"We only got a day, Hug." Starsky said impatiently.

"It's always good to be needed." Huggy said in a chipper tone.

"You know Sugar? Entertainer over at the Parrot club?" Hutch asked

"Does a fly know flypaper?" Huggy Bear replied with a smirk

"Does the fly know where Sugar lives?" Starsky asked

"1324 Ridgefield. Apartment 316."

"Wait a minute," Hutch said "How'd you know that so quick?"

"It's part of my great knowledge of trivia." Huggy answered with a straight face. "And don't knock it."

"Oh, I'm not." Hutch reassured him.

"There's something else." Starsky told him

"There's always something else with you two." Huggy said

"We want you to go undercover with a friend." Starsky told him

"Well, that's easy. I've been undercover all my life."

"As a gay dude in the Green Parrot?" Starsky asked with a smirk.

"Oh, man…you don't want much, do ya?" Huggy asked. "Okay. When?"

"Tonight." Hutch said

"Where are you two gonna be while I'm playing gay?" Huggy asked

"Oh, don't worry. We'll be there." Starsky told him "Be there by nine."

The two detectives walked away to put the next part of their plan into effect. Starsky drove to the address Huggy had given them for Sugar. It was a moderately priced apartment building close to the club where he worked. They climbed out of the car and took the elevator to the third floor.

Hutch's knock was answered by Sugar himself. He had obviously just stepped out of the shower. His hair was still wet and he was dressed in a dark blue robe.

"Well, hello there." He said when he saw who his visitors were.

"We're looking for Nick Hunter." Hutch told him

"He's not here." Sugar said with a flirtatious smile. "Will I do?"

"Yeah, you'll do fine. Mind if we come in?"

"Got a warrant?" Sugar said, his mood changing from friendly to guarded in an instant.

"Do we need a warrant?" Starsky asked

"Get lost." Sugar growled as he started to slam the door. Starsky threw out his arm to stop the door from closing completely. Sugar glared at the two detectives and snapped "I don't know anything!"

"If you see Nick tell him we know who killed Lawford." Hutch said as Starsky moved his arm and Sugar slammed the door. The two detectives exchanged a glance and stayed where they were, waiting patiently. A few seconds later, the door flew open and Nick Hunter stood there. He stopped in surprise obviously not expecting the two detectives to still be standing in the hallway. In a resigned voice, he said,

"It was me that called you."

"Yeah, we figured that." Hutch told him "There's an APB out on you. Now, if your friend will let us come in, maybe we can help each other out."

Nick glanced at Sugar who shrugged his shoulders. Nick stepped aside and ushered Starsky and Hutch into the apartment. As Nick closed the door behind them, Starsky said, "Suppose you start by telling us your story. From the beginning."

"Okay, okay." Nick said "I picked up Blaine at the Parrot and went back to his hotel with him. I figured he'd be an easy hussle, ya know?" When neither Starsky nor Hutch replied, he continued, "When we got to the Saint Frances, I told the manager to give me the key to his room. I saw Corday there. He was in the back behind the curtain but I still saw him. I took Blaine up to his room and he passed out on the bed. I took his money and then I split. I didn't know nothing about him being killed till you two busted me and I sure as hell didn't know he was a cop."

"What about Lawford's murder?" Hutch asked

"Lawford put up my bail. He called me and told me to meet him. He figured I saw Corday that night and he said he'd give me enough money to get out of town. When I got there, Corday was there. He had a gun and I knew he was going to shoot me. I busted a window and ran." Nick said "Lawford was alive the last time I saw him."

"That's pretty much how we figured it went down." Hutch said

"If you help us nail him, we'll make sure you come out of this whole thing clean." Starsky told Hunter.

"What do I have to do?" Hunter asked in a resigned voice.

"Act as bait to help us catch him." Hutch said. He laid out his plan to Nick and Sugar, who both agreed to help them go after Corday. They worked out the details and Nick agreed to accompany Sugar to the Green Parrot that night at nine. Starsky and Hutch returned to their own apartments to wait for evening to carry out their plan.

At nine o'clock that night, Hutch, Starsky and Huggy were all in place inside the bar. Shortly after nine, Sugar, dressed up like Marilyn Monroe, came into the bar, accompanied by Nick. They immediately disappeared back stage, while Hutch mingled with the crowd, watching the entrance. Starsky was already in place in the back.

Five minutes later from his vantage point in the back of the room, Hutch saw Corday slip through the doorway. He immediately headed for the back of the club. Hutch followed at a safe distance, careful not to be seen.

Corday glanced in the various dressing room as he passed by. He saw Sugar sitting in front of her dressing table, putting on her makeup. She was alone, so he moved on. The next two rooms were empty. In the third, he saw Hunter sorting through some costumes on a rack.

"Hunter!" he yelled as he stepped into the doorway and fired his gun. The mirror across the room, which had been sat so that it reflected Nick's image, shattered when the bullet hit it. At the same time, Starsky jumped out of hiding, his gun held in a two fisted grip and yelled, "Drop it, Corday!"

Corday fired off another shot at Starsky. It went wild but it still forced the brunet to duck for cover. Corday ran down the hallway with Starsky in pursuit. Unfortunately, Sugar picked that moment to come out of his dressing room. Corday immediately grabbed him and used him as a human shield to hold Starsky at bay. Hutch had appeared at the opposite end of the hallway but couldn't take a chance on shooting because he might hit Sugar.

"DROP YOUR GUN, STARSKY!" Corday ordered "OR I'LL BLOW HIS BRAINS ALL OVER THE WALL!" To emphasize his point, he ground the barrel of his revolver against Sugar's temple. Starsky let his weapon fall to the floor, unwilling to take any chances with Sugar's safety. He began to walk backwards down the hallway, keeping both Starsky and Hutch in sight as he tried to make his escape.

As Corday disappeared through the curtains that led into the main part of the club, Starsky grabbed his gun up from the floor and joined Hutch to run after him. Screams could be heard from the club as Corday appeared with his hostage and his gun.

Corday fired at them as the two detectives burst through the curtains. Starsky went left and Hutch went right, seeking cover behind some overturned tables. The club was in chaos as customers screamed and ran for safety amidst the sudden gunfire that had erupted in their midst. Starsky and Hutch both returned fire, taking care to avoid hitting any innocent bystanders.

In his haste to escape, Corday fell backwards over an overturned chair. Sugar managed to get away and ran for cover behind the bar. Starsky saw his shot and took it, hitting Corday in the right shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon. Before he could react, Hutch ran across the room and handcuffed the wounded man's behind his back.

"You're under arrest, Corday." He snarled "For the murder of John Blaine and Gary Lawford."

"And all the other charges we can find to pin on ya." Starsky added, holstering his gun as he joined his partner. Hutch pulled Corday to his feet while Starsky went to find a phone to call for assistance. It was almost three o'clock in the morning before they had things wrapped up enough to call it a night.