Chapter 35

The Waverly Hotel stood bold and proud in the centre of down town Bay City. As Starsky drew up outside the huge edifice, he looked up at the tall, stone built building and snorted to himself. In the words of one of those inscrutable Chinese philosophers, where better to hide than in plain sight? This was no disused factory or crumbling wreck out in the boon docks. This was arguably the trendiest hotel in the city – just the sort of place where the cops would never think to look.

'What are we doing here?' Kane asked also studying the hotel curiously.

'The guy I'm interested in – Sal Milano – is holed up on the top floor. We go in, we take him down and we bring him out. Think you can handle that?' Starsky said, checking his gun and putting it back into his holster. He'd pumped a bullet into the chamber and then put on the safety. Cocked and locked they called it and when quick fire was the order of the day, the split second difference it made had saved Starsky's life more than once.

Matt Kane took out his Glock and checked his weapon too. So this was it – what he'd been dreaming of. A real life shoot out and the opportunity to prove himself. Kane had never had to draw his gun in anger. In his two years as a beat cop, he'd plodded the privileged areas of the city and the worst he'd dealt with was neighborhood disputes and quarrels over who's dog had done it on who's lawn. He'd felt bored and stunted and longed for action, taking down murderers and rapists and earning himself medals for bravery. He'd done well on the shooting ranges at the Academy and had honed his skills when he joined his Father's rifle club and yet he'd never drawn a gun in anger. Now was his chance, but for some reason, his throat had gone inexplicably dry.

'I think so. How many of them are there? Just Milano?'

'Dunno. He had two men with him last time I had the pleasure, but one of 'em was taken out then. Maybe he has the other guy with him, maybe not.'

'I love surprises' Kane said dryly. 'Anything else you want to tell me before we go in?'

'Uh huh. First, keep your head down, keep yourself safe and watch my back. I'll do the same. Second. If we find Milano inside, you leave him to me. After all he's done, his ass is mine, got it?'

Kane nodded quietly, seeing a different side to the man he'd thought of as something only marginally more advanced than a Neanderthal.

The two men got out of the car and walked into the plush reception hall of the hotel. Decked out in dove grey marble and the blackest granite, the vast area echoed to their footsteps and the pretty receptionist looked up and graced them with a beaming, if fake smile.

'May I help you?' She said, already lost in the indigo blue depths of the handsome cop's eyes.

'Yeah, maybe' Starsky smiled. 'Can you tell me which room Salvador Milano is using?'

The woman shook herself visibly. 'I'm sorry Sir, I can't tell you which room, but I could telephone head to Mr Milano's room for you?'

'I don't think that would be a good idea' Starsky grinned and held out his shield for her to check. 'I think we'd like to keep our visit a surprise.'

The woman nodded knowingly and seemed impressed. 'Oh, um…..yes' she dimpled. 'I shouldn't really…..but you're cops and um….. it's 509 on the fifth floor. Turn right out of the elevator and its half way along the corridor.'

Starsky smiled at the girl, reached out and took her hand and planted a kiss on its back, all the time transfixing her with his sapphire gaze. She melted, hardly breathing until the brunet released her and walked away. At his back he heard a muffled snort.

'Smooth. Very smooth' Kane chuckled.

'Glad there's something us thickies can teach you college guys' the older cop grunted as he stepped into the elevator car. As the door closed, the receptionist picked up the telephone and dialed room 509.

'Mr Milano. You have two cops coming up to see you right now. I thought you should know.'

The voice on the other end of the line sighed. 'Thank you Melissa, you're very kind. I will have a little extra something slipped into your wage packet at the end of the week.'

Starsky watched the lights in the elevator car wink in and out counting off the floors as they climbed higher. As he waited, he took out his gun and slipped it into the waistband of his jeans. Kane watched him curiously.

'Better being safe than sorry' the brunet explained as the car stopped. The doors opened with a quiet whoosh and the two men stepped out onto a close carpeted corridor framed by subtle and nondescript paintings on the wall. As they started walking down the hall, however, a door opened behind them and Starsky heard the click of a hammer on a gun being pulled back.

The brunet reacted quicker than a rattler could strike. Even before Kane had chance to yelp, Starsky had dived sideways and had knocked the younger man to the ground, huddled behind a chest of drawers upon which was an oversized floral display. A bullet whistled past their hiding place and impacted with the plaster of the wall a yard from Starsky's head, sending plaster fragments spraying across the corridor.

'What the….' Kane stammered, his face whiter than a ghost.

'Radio – Sal's main man' Starsky muttered under his breath. 'Shudup and keep your head down and when I say ready, cover me, huh?'

'Cover ….? Oh yeah, cover you. Right' Kane mumbled, fumbling with his pistol to disengage the safety.

'You ready?' the brunet hissed. 'I'm gonna make for the door over there. If I can get to Milano while you hold that goon off, we got this sewn up. Ready?'

For a moment, Matt Kane thought he was going to throw up right then and there on the beautiful deep blue carpet. He hadn't expected to feel this way. His Father had ensured that he'd had easy assignments throughout his career so far – enough so that he could look as though he were doing well, while still being able to keep safe. Now, however, he was in the thick of it, and it didn't feel like he thought it would. Kane had expected to feel like a hero, saving the beautiful woman and coming out bloodied but unbowed to receive medals and commendations from the Mayor. Now, however, he felt only nausea. His head pounded and his hand could hardly grip the gun for the trembling in his arm. He swallowed hard, tried to get his pounding heart under control and nodded.

'Gotcha' he managed to whisper through lips gone bone dry.

Starsky gripped his own gun tighter, got to his knees and ducked his head over the flower display. Radio was standing by the door to the connecting room to 509 and looking directly at the two cops. He had them pinned down, but Starsky hadn't come this far just to back down now. He wondered briefly how Milano had known they were here and grunted. It could only have been the pretty girl downstairs.

The brunet patted Kane's shoulder. 'Ready? One, two, three' and with that, the brunet stood, making a dash for the doorway to 509. Behind him he could hear Kane laying down some kind of covering fire, but it stopped abruptly as Milano appeared at the door of his room, his own gun pointing at Starsky.

The brunet backed up and chanced a look over his shoulder at his partner. Kane was on his feet, held tight with Radio's arm around his neck and the flake's gun drilling into his neck. Kane's face was white, his lips almost blue with fear and his eyes were wild, but to his credit he said nothing and fixed his gaze steadfastly on Starsky.

Starsky for his part turned his attention back to Milano. Slowly and deliberately, the brunet bent, one hand in the air as the other dropped his gun to the ground. Straightening, he resumed reaching for the sky and stared back at Sal.

'Nice, Mr. Starsky. It's so easy when I don't need to tell people what to do for their own good. Now kick the gun over to me, nice and quiet.'

The curly haired cop did as he was bid. 'Let the kid go Milano. It's me you wanted. He don't mean nuthin to ya. He doesn't even know why we're here.'

Milano looked thoughtful. 'And why are you here?' he asked.

Starsky gave a crooked grin. 'You need to ask? Look, you can do what you want with me, just let him go. You've done with Hutch, his head is still so fucked he don't know what he's doin'. You've taken my Captain out. If you have me too, no one else can trace ya. Let him go huh?'

For a second, Milano seemed to contemplate the request and finally he nodded at Radio who reluctantly released his hold of Kane. The tall blond man turned away from his captor and for a moment it looked as though he would immediately turn tail and flee down the corridor but as Radio turned his attention back towards the brunet, Kane aimed his gun at Radio's chest and fired point blank. The big man shot backwards and hit the wall, leaving a bloody red trail down the pale blue wall as his dead body slumped to the floor. Kane looked at the bloody mess he'd inflicted, paled to a ghostly white, covered his mouth with his hand and fled the scene without a backwards glance as Starsky sighed and contemplated his fate.

Sal glared at the dead body of his henchman for a moment and then dismissed it as though it were so much garbage. He smiled at the brunet wolfishly. 'Well that saved me a job, he was expendable anyway, but back to you, detective. I knew you'd find me. It seemed inevitable.'

'I aim to please' Starsky snapped gruffly.

'Oh and I aim too, especially with this in my hand' Sal responded wagging the gun threateningly. 'Now, as I seem to hold the winning hand, I'd like you to lie down on your belly on the floor please.'

Starsky glared at him defiantly. 'Why?'

In reply, Sal shot a bullet into the thick carpet by Starsky's right foot and then aimed at the brunet's head again. 'Because I asked nicely and I even said please.' At that moment a resident of the hotel stuck his head bravely around his door.

'What the…..?' A shot silenced him and he retreated hurriedly. Starsky could only hope that he would be phoning the cops, but feared it would be too late to save his own hide. He regarded Sal's gun cautiously.

'I see your point' the brunet muttered and slowly got to is knees and then onto his stomach on the carpet.

'Hands behind your head.'

Again, slowly, Starsky laced his fingers behind his head and breathed deeply. This was it. His "partner" had gone and he was finally alone. He flinched as he heard the gun cock behind him and saw fleetingly the toe of Sal's shoe appear by the side of his face. Milano obviously knew what he was doing. This was a classic execution position. The bullet would enter Starsky's curly head, be stopped by the floor on its way out and there would be less mess to clear up as a result. Terrific!

Fleetingly, Starsky thought one last time of Hutch. It wasn't as though his life were passing in front of his eyes, so much as he lad one last memory of the blond and the good times they'd had together. At least of Sal disposed of him, Hutch might yet find away to arrest the bald headed man. The brunet closed his eyes and braced himself, but nothing prepared him for the voice sounding loud and confidently down the corridor.

'Back off Milano.' Hutch's voice snapped into the deathly silence and Starsky drew in an involuntary breath. How had the blond known where to find him? And how had he…. Forget it Davey boy, he's here now. Turning his head sideways, Starsky could see Hutch's Colt aimed squarely at Sal, while Sal still had his gun aimed at the brunet's head. It was a standoff and suddenly time seemed to stand still.

'My oh my Ken. You look so much better than the last time we spoke' Sal said smoothly.

'I told you to back off' Hutch snarled again.

'Back off? From him? Why would I do that? Remember what we talked about Ken? Remember how we discussed friendships and who you could trust? You can trust me can't you? Remember how this turkey treated you? How he started you on horse? How he messed with your young friend? Kiko wasn't it?'

Hutch's gaze never wavered. 'You're wrong Milano. You're the guy I shouldn't trust. You fucked with my head, now its time for you to pay.'

Sal flinched and gripped his gun tighter. 'Come on Ken, you have to know he's worthless. He'd turn his own Mom in for a dime' the bald headed man said silkily. As if to reinforce the sentiment, Sal stepped over Starsky's supine figure and stamped hard on the brunet's left knee. Starsky screamed just once before clamping his mouth shut.

Above him, sweat shone on Milano's bald pate as he grinned over at Hutch, but the bald man's mirth was short lived as Hutch shot a bullet into the floor by Milano's foot as a warning.

'Listen good punk. I want you to drop your gun and back away from my partner.'

'Partner? I thought you hated him?' Sal said a little less confidently.

'You thought wrong. Now back off before I put a bullet where that brain of yours should be.'

Sal tore his gaze from Hutch and looked down at Starsky who had curled into a ball and was clutching his left knee tightly. Indecision stopped the bald man from moving for a moment, but then Milano saw the futility of carrying on any more. Sal finally dropped the gun and kicked it away from him, his toe "accidentally" catching Starsky's back and the brunet arched backwards in pain.

In that moment, Hutch saw red. This was the man who had screwed up his life so royally and before he could contemplate stopping himself, the blond's forefinger squeezed the trigger of his gun, letting loose a bullet that ploughed through Milano's chest.

A second slug joined the first as Sal's eyes stared heavenwards in shock and his body teetered a moment before crumpling to the ground to lie in an untidy heap. Starsky backed away from the fallen man's body as Hutch launched himself at Milano with an animal scream. As Starsky looked on, the blond tore into Sal's body with his fists and feet in a frenzied attack against the dead man, taking out all his hurt and the months of torture on the body on the ground. 'You fuckin' bastard, you're to blame, this is all you' he almost wept as his fists connected again and again with the body. Starsky was for a moment staggered by the ferocity of the attack and it took him a moment to come to his senses.

Finally the brunet staggered to his feet and limped over to the blond, grabbing Hutch's arms to pull him away.

'Hutch don't do this buddy' he muttered as he struggled with the crazed cop. 'Hutch, c'mon buddy, it's over, it's all over now. He's gone. You did it. It's all over.' Starsky held his partner tightly, his hands entwined around the blond's shoulders as Hutch's struggles faded and finally the flaxen haired man slumped against the brunet's body. Together, the two sank to the ground. Starsky soothed Hutch's trembling body, running his hands though the wheaten bangs. For long minutes they remained that way until finally the blond heaved a deep breath and pushed himself away from his friend's grip.

'I killed him Starsk - in cold blood. I'm just like him. I'm no better'n him' the blond said falteringly as he looked at the body opposite.

'No Hutch, you saved my life, how could ya be as bad as him huh?'

'But I killed him. I didn't give him a chance, I just…..I shot him. There's no excuse. I'm gonna be charged. I'm gonna have to hand myself in and….'

Starsky shook his head. 'You did what you had to do. We're gonna take care of this, don't worry. If they asked me I'd say what I saw was Sal pointing the gun at you. Ya had no choice. You had to shoot him.

Hutch looked at the brunet as though seeing him for the first time. All the terrible things he'd said and done to the brunet ran through his head and yet Starsky had held him. The brunet was still prepared to watch his back. Hutch's face crumpled into despair.

'God Starsk I'm so sorry. I don't know if I'm ever gonna be able to make it right with us. I've said….I've done…..shit I can't even bring myself to….'

Starsky sighed. 'You've been there through a shedload of my madness, Blintz. I know it wasn't you saying those things. You mean more to me than that.'

'Can you honestly forgive me? Even after this? Coz I'm not sure I can forgive myself.'

Starsky snorted. 'You were sick, what's to forgive? Give yourself a break huh? And next time, listen to your partner and don't take crap assignments.'

'You still wanna partner me?' Hutch asked incredulously.

'Hey, they saddled me with a teenage computer. I prefer my blonds dumb! But there is one thing. After all we've been through, there's one thing I really need to ask.'

'Anything buddy…..anything at all.'

Giving his trademark crooked grin, Starsky cocked his head to one side. 'Sal had me pinned for sure so um……what kept ya?'

(authors note - final chapter tomorrow)