"I hate the rain." Hutch tried to avoid the larger puddles that had were quickly developing all over the sidewalk.
"Quit gripin' will ya? It's only a shower…"
"Only a shower? Starsk I've seen sea-lions look dryer than we do…."
"Yeah well if we'd gone for dinner a half hour ago like I wanted then we wouldn't a' got the call…our shift ended an hour ago ya know." Starsky grumbled, and followed this with a yelp of annoyance as a car driving by sent a shower of water all over the front of his jeans.
Hutch merely rolled his eyes and pulled the collar of his green and white jacket up around his neck. "We were just round the corner Starsk, we'll just stay till the cavelry gets here.
"Yeah, well whoever said the sun always shines LA was wrong, very wrong."
They rounded the corner to where 2 officers stood at the door of a very delapidated looking apartment block. Starsky recognised the younger of the duo. "Hey, Greenwood, some night huh? What have we got?"
Hutch couldn't help but notice the rookie cop's pale countenance and the beads of sweat on his forehead. "Must be an ugly one...not easy on a rookie" he thought to himself.
"Um, it's a woman, I'd say late teens…looks like an OD, think she's been there for a while…" he trailed off, the memory of what he just saw turning had obviously affected him.
Hutch smiled sympathetically at the younger man. "You're first really bad one, right?"
Greenwood nodded.
"Doesn't get much easier kid, but you'll learn to deal with it" Hutch's hand automatically went to the man's shoulder and he gave it a quick squeeze as he and Starsky made their way inside the building.
The building itself was obviously being used as a squat of some kind. It smelled heavily of cannibis and smoke residue, stale liquor and other more nauseating substances. Even so, neither man was prepared for the overwhelming stench that greeted them as they entered the room where one other officer was standing with a hankerchief over his nose and mouth. An old blanket was over the body lying in the middle of the room.
"Rather you guys than me" the officer standing just outside the door commented. Starsky quickly pulled his own t-shirt up over his nose. "Any ID?" he asked the officer. The man pulled out his notebook and began rapidly filling Starsky in on what he knew.
Hutch moved away from them and towards the body. He squatted down, mentally preparing himself for what he might see. Bodies that were left for more than a day or so deteriorated rapidly and were often barely recognisable.
He used one hand to pull his green t-shirt up over his nose and with the other gently pulled back the top corner of the blanket….
…This body he recognised, the face that stared blankly up at him from under than old dusty blanket. Small pretty features, black curly hair…
Mickey
"Aw Mickey…" it came out unknown to him, almost in a whisper. He could feel his stomach tie itself into a knot. Mickey, who only a couple of months previously had come off heroin and gotten herself a job selling men's cosmetics, Mickey who'd come into the office not that long ago and sprayed Starsky and he so liberally with foot spray..
'She was only nineteen'
The body had obviously been lying there for some time, that much was evident.
Not wanting to, but knowing he had to, Hutch pulled the blanket down a little further. Mickey, thankfully was fully clothed but the light t-shirt she was wearing left her arms exposed. Trackmarks were clearly evident on both her arms. Looking around he saw the remains of drugs paraphanlia on the ground; syringes, and an old dirty tie that must have been used as a tourniquet, spoons and pieces of tinfoil. He could also see an old dirty mattress lying in one corner and some empty tin cans in another.
Hutch laid one hand on Mickey's forehead before replacing the blanket.
"At least no-one can hurt you now Mickey. Sleep peacefully."
Then he paused before adding "I'm sorry"
A sudden feeling of nausea washed over him and he stood up and turned quickly making for the door, and almost knocking over his partner who'd been just about to join him.
"Hutch, Blintz, whats wrong?" Starsky followed the rapidly retreating figure out into the dark wet sidewalk.
Hutch was slumped miserably against a side wall, having brought up both breakfast and lunch.
The rain has eased slightly, but was still falling nonetheless… for once Hutch was grateful, anything to get rid of the smell, of the memory.
When he didn't reply Starsky turned to go back in and see for himself.
Hutch caught his partner by the arm to stop him, "Wait, Starsk…… It's Mickey."
"Mickey? Amboy's Mickey?" he sounded incredulous. "It can't be…the last time we saw her…"
"…she was working and looked like she'd got it together. Hutch looked up, his eyes reflecting the pain in Starsky's expression. "I know Gordo. Guess we were wrong."
Starsky sat down heavily beside his partner on the bonnet of the waiting patrol car.
Both men sat there in silence, seemingly forgetting about the rain. Eventually an ambulance arrived, entered the house and emerged all too quickly. Starsky stopped them as they loaded the ambulence, and pulled back the corner of the black body bag, not wanting to, but knowing he had to see Mickey's body himself to believe it.
He looked, then averted his eyes quickly, nodding that the ambulence men who quickly loaded up and departed for the county morgue.
Sighing heavily, Starsky walked back over to the car and slumped heavily on the bonnet beside his partner.
"Hey, do you guys know the next of kin?" Greenwood the rookie cop came walking over to them.
"No, we don't." Hutch snapped shooting an icy glare at the younger man as he spoke.
"S'alright Greenwood, we'll do the follow up..." Starsky spoke softly, one hand automatically going to his partners arm. Greenwood turned and went back to his partner who was busy trying to secure the front door of the building. At the same time another car pulled up, revealing two other detectives from Metro, Doherty and Chambers.
"Come on Hutch, night shift's here." Starsky tugged gently at his partner's arm. "I'll buy ya a beer."
"Yeah." Hutch shot one last glance at the abandoned apartment block where Mickey had spent her last lonely night and scrubbing quickly at his eyes, he followed his partner back to the Torino.
&&&&&&&&&&
"Hey Huggy? Think we're gonna go home now." It was 4am and 'The Pits' has long since been emptied of its regulars. All except for the owners two favorite officers.
Hutch sat slumped in a chair near the bar, absently tearing the label off the by now warm bottle of beer in his hand. Starky had wanted them to get drunk, really drunk, to blot it all out for one night, but somehow Hutch hadn't been able to; everytime he raised the bottle to his lips he could see Mickey lying there, her beautiful black hair matted and dirty, her once pretty face grey and mottled…
Hutch shook his head and, realising that he hadn't seen his partner for a while now he looked around the bar.
"Starsk, Starsky?" For a moment he couldn't see him anywhere but a sudden snore alerted him to the body sprawled across the pool table in the corner, a little line of drool escaping the corner of his mouth.
Hutch couldn't help smiling as he moved across the room towards him. 'Typical Starsk, sleep anywhere'
"Starsk? Wake up will ya?" He nudged him on the leg, softly at first and then more violently. "Time to go."
"Wha'sa matter Hu'ch?" Starsky mumbled sleepily
"Time to go home Gordo. Hey Hug?" He looked over to the bar where their informant and friend was standing polishing glasses. "Help me out here huh?"
Between them Hutch and Huggy disentangled Starsky from the pool table and got him to his feet. Slinging one arm around his shoulder Hutch led Starsky towards the door.
"You okay Hutch?" Huggy asked. And I don't just mean now…
"We'll be fine" Hutch managed a faint smile, but Huggy could see the shadow that passed across his face all too clearly.
'Maybe this one's gonna take longer than usual' Huggy thought to himself as he watched the two men make their way slowly up the steps and onto the sidewalk.
The streets were almost deserted, not a taxi in sight. Starsky sat down heavily on the footpath and patted the space beside him. "Sid-down Hu'ch" he hiccuped as he spoke.
"Starsky you nut, its all wet" Hutch protested.
"S'not really" Starsky glanced up at his partner, with that look that he knew always won Hutch over.
Sighing he sat down heavily beside him, his back resting against the front door of 'The Pits' For a while neither man spoke, each lost in their own thoughts.
Eventually Hutch broke the silence. "You okay?"
"Na, not really. You?"
Hutch shrugged "I just dunno what went wrong Starsk. She was..she was clean, you know, had a job, had a place to live, prospects, ya know. Huggy said that she was stayin clean, got out of the game altogether; he said she had a boyfriend. I just…I just don't understand."
"Jus' happens I guess…maybe she just ran outta money, or maybe she just wasn't strong enough, another loud hiccup escaped him.
Hutch sighed, his head back against the wall. "I guess that's what I'm scared of Starsk." He suddenly felt so tired…
Starsky too yawned and laid his head against his friends shoulder, tucking one arm in behind Hutch's
"Not gonna happen Blintz." he said sleepily.
"How d'ya know?" Hutch moved slightly so that his blond head rested lightly against his friends still damp curls.
"Me 'n thee…Hutch...me'n thee." And with that Starsky fell fast asleep.
Hutch smiled softly and patted his friend on the leg. "Me and thee….thanks buddy."
Hutch moved his arm so that it was around Starskys shoulder…and settled back to wait for the sun to rise…