Kitty Chapter 6

"That kid's got good instincts" Starsky commented as they strolled to the LTD. "Get him with the right partner and he should go far."

"Yep, I hope he takes our advice" Hutch opened his door, the horn blared, he winced and got in and shut it. Leaning over, he unlocked the rider's door.

"When are ya gonna get that damn thing fixed?" Starsky carped as he got in.

"Never! Its part of the LTD's charm" He smiled at his friend.

"Ain't no charm, nor has there ever been, any charm, to this car"

"Starsk, you're just missing the inner beauty of the LTD" He patted the steering wheel affectionately.

"Ha! Inner beast is more like it! Smells bad too" Starsky rolled the car window down.

"And whose fault is that!" 'OH NO! Why did I say that?!' Hutch mentally slapped himself as he rolled his window down. 'Here we go again!'

"YOURS!"

"Starsky, I'm sorry. I just..." Hutch rubbed his forehead and winced.

"Headache?" Starsky asked. He let the subject drop. He had ridden Hutch enough about the skunk and camping for one day. Tomorrow, however...

"Mm fine"

"Want me to drive?" Starsky waggled his eyebrows at the blond.

He rolled his eyes "No, I'm good" and put the car in gear.

Starsky leaned over and checked the fuel gauge "A little low, why don't we go back to that station on the edge of town?" Hutch needed some aspirin. And if Hutch needed it, he would get it. Hopefully that station would have some.

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Harry had decided that more money was needed. 'Gotta pay rent' He continued to drum the steering wheel. He did not want to push his luck. But tomorrow was the 5th, rent was due. If they didn't pay in full today, they would have to pay extra for each day they were late. They might get into trouble, if they were late paying rent.

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Hutch drove to the edge of town and prepared to turn into the gas station's lot. Turn signal on, he saw something that caught his eye and he stopped the car in the middle of the road.

"What's goin' on?" Starsky looked at the blond.

"Don't look at me, look there" Hutch whispered and pointed to the gas station office.

"A light brown LTD... Ya don't think..." Starsky whispered back.

They exchanged a look.

"It's them!"

"Gotta be!" Starsky then cocked his head to the side "And why are we whispering? I mean, we're across the street and sitting in a car, they can't hear us"

"Staaarsk" Hutch groaned as he shook his head. He then put the car in gear and moved down the road a piece, out of sight. He backed the car into a driveway and cut the lights.

"Should we radio this in?" They were out of their jurisdiction but they could still contact help, should they need it.

"Yeah, we could, but what if it's not them?"

"Good point. But if we're right, Good old Roy'll have kittens if we nab the culprits in his town... And the odds of three, crappy, light brown LTD's being in the same town at the same time..."

"That would be your version of Hell, wouldn't it, Starsk?"

"Ha! Oh, yeah! Three sets of people, in the same town, at the same time, all with no taste in cars...positively frightening!"

"Boggles the mind!" They grinned at each other.

Their expressions changed and they became all business as they prepared themselves for whatever situation presented its self. They would be ready. They checked their weapons, then moved quietly back towards the gas station.

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The attendant was scared. The ski masked robber pointed a gun in his face and demanded the money from the till. He handed it over. No point in doing anything else. Forty-seven dollars and some change, it wasn't worth it.

"That all you got?" 'Still not enough for rent, damn it!' "Give me the money out of your wallet!" Harry was not gonna pay a late fee. He watched the clerk fumble for his wallet. It was kind of intoxicating, this power he felt, holding a gun on someone and telling them what to do. Better then breaking and entering. Much better. Now, where was that damn dumb brother of his?

Outside, Starsky and Hutch peeked into the station and dropped back down out of sight. They noted the LTD, parked near the entrance with both doors open and the car left running. From their vantage point, they couldn't see anyone in the car. They exchanged looks and parted ways. Hutch headed to the front of the building. Starsky to the back, where the restrooms and rear exit were located.

Hutch crouched low and moved to the car, magnum drawn. He checked it, no one was in it. The one perp was in the station, where the hell was the other guy? He turned the car off and took the keys. He edged back to the building and peeked in through the window again. The robber was motioning to the clerk with his gun. The clerk was fumbling for his wallet.

Starsky snuck around back, keeping close to the building. He heard a toilet flush. Perp number two must have just finished taking a 'number one'. He smiled to himself and moved towards the restroom door, beretta at the ready, safety off.

Duane stepped outside, with his gun in hand (Harry had told him to 'keep it handy') and inhaled the dawn air. Then he wrinkled his nose "Eww, fucking skunk!" He pulled the gun up and looked around for the offending animal. Damn thing was gonna be dead. Harry got to hold people up, alls Duane got to do was watch, well this time he was gonna get to use his gun, even if it was just on a skunk.

Starsky stood up from his crouched position next to the door and put his gun to the man's head "Police! Don't move!"

Duane startled and inadvertently jerked his finger, the gun went off. Scared, he dropped it.

"Oookay, don't move AGAIN!" Apparently this perp was a little slow. Starsky kicked the gun away. "Hands against the wall and spread 'em!"

Meanwhile out front, Hutch heard the shot, as did his suspect. His heart sped up. That wasn't a beretta and there was no other shot. SHIT! His suspect ran out the door, Hutch tripped him and had him cuffed in record time. "STARSKY!" 'Please let him be ok!'

"What?" Starsky appeared from around the corner of the building with his suspect in tow.

"Christ! You scared the shit outta me!"

Starsky grinned fondly at his partner and ruffled his hair "S'okay Hutch!"

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After a lot of phone calls, a mountain of paperwork, much explaining and several dirty looks from their new "friend" Officer Palmer, they left for home.

Hours later, with a bag full of skunk musk removal supplies for each of them, Hutch dropped Starsky off in front of his apartment.

God! Had it been only twenty-four hours since he and Hutch had left to go camping? He rolled his head around, trying to loosen the knot that had formed in the back of his neck. He let out an exhausted sigh and dropped his head to his chest. Then something, a movement caught his eye. Something small. Something black and white. Something that was moving towards him. "SHIT! Not AGAIN!" Starsky bolted to his apartment as fast as his Addis could carry him.

A very confused cat sat down on the sidewalk and watched the human run from it.

"Meow?" It gave a cat version of a shrug and sauntered off.

The END