For crying out loud! Not again. He looked around trying to pinpoint where the shot came from this time.
The wicked marksman had once again struck his target. The blossoming smile on his partner's face would be funny if it weren't so scary. His friend was in his own world again. He was fast losing hope that his partner would escape the same nightmare he faced so many years ago. Ok, three years. But it seemed like longer. It had taken him so long just to get the crap out of his system, and here was Starsky, being subjugated to the same thing right before his eyes. He suspected his partner had been hoping to be hit with this last shot. He rubbed his hand over his face and chanced a look over the rock.
Nothing.
How did he get himself into this nightmare? He was supposed to be on a romantic date with Abby and Starsk had his own date with…what was her name? She was cute, that's for sure, but he was so tired he could not remember her name.
Starsky's breathing started evening out, and his eyes stared at something only he could see. Hutch had maybe 15 or 20 minutes before Starsk started up again. Trying to control him as he came down was getting harder and harder to do. Hutch was getting scared. Watching and fighting his friend was becoming an impossible task as the drugs being fed to Starsky right before his eyes gained the upper hand in Starsky's system.
And it started out to be such a simple assignment. Dobey had told them that they had to escort a witness to a safe house. Sure. They had done that before. No problem. Simple assignment. Into hell. Now if he could just pull himself and Starsky through the next 48 hours it would be a miracle...
"HEY Starsk!"
"What?"
Hutch motioned to his partner. "Come here, you are gonna love this one." Starsky stood up and stretched. He rubbed his eyes and pushed away from the stack of paperwork he had finally finished.
"Come here." Hutch motioned again.
"This better not involve anything about this weekend," Starsk said as he approached. His partner had recently come out of Dobey's office where he had gone to tell him that they were done and were heading off for their first free weekend in a month. Hutch had a look of anger and frustration in his eyes. "I have plans with a certain young lady, and I ain't changing 'em."
"Yeah, Abby and I had big plans too."
Shit. "Had?"
"Cap'n wants us for an escort detail." Hutch's eyes burned angry acceptance. He had just received all the details on the case and was going to fill Starsky in now that he had gotten over his anger.
"Again! Hutch, that's the third one this month!" A recent drug bust had seen a huge shake down of a local organization, and the Fed's had witnesses crawling out of the woodwork. The partners had both been extremely pleased with the takedown, but they were playing babysitter way too much these days. It was time to move on to the next investigation, and let the courts take it from here.
"Starsk, he wants us to move this one today."
"Crissy will kill me!" Starsk replied. "I promised her this weekend was guaranteed. Dobey will just have to understand…" With that, Starsky whirled and opened their Captain's door.
"Starsk!" Hutch warned. He grinned to himself and followed. He had already had it out with Dobey, and knew it was useless. "If nothing else, this will be interesting"
"Cap'n! I need to talk with you!" Starsky started.
"You will take the assignment!" Dobey bellowed, not looking up from the paperwork he was reviewing. "I don't care who you want to shack up with or what your plans are, this is a high level witness, and they asked for you!"
"Why us, cap! Why this weekend!" Starsky returned. Jez, they had finally gotten a three-day weekend and now this.
"Because. This needs to happen now, and you are the only officers I have available at the moment!"
"What about Ryans? He's free."
"Starsk, he broke his leg and is in traction over at County General." Hutch added helpfully from where he stood just outside the door.
"Oh. Abrams then."
"NO! NOW GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF MY OFFICE!"
Starsky paused at the door.
"Butler?"
"GO!"
Hutch hustled out of his partner's way as he slammed the door and marched out of the office. He suppressed the urge to laugh. Hutch knew what his partner was going through. He had just had the time to digest it a bit. He walked around the desk and put his hand on the phone. Starsky went over to the coffee machine and looked for a non-existent mug.
Hutch leaned over the desk with the telephone's receiver in his hand. "That went well." Starsky smiled.
"Yeah, well…" He grabbed the phone and put it back on the receiver. "This job is getting in the way of my love life."
Hutch leaned over and said "Abby just told me she is giving up and moving back east."
"Again! Guess one day she might actually do it, and where will that leave you? Singing to your house plants."
"So who's this Crissy? Is she the girl you met at the taco stand?"
"You mean who was this Crissy," Starsky said with a pout. "Just the most beautiful, intoxicating woman I know who loves burritos as much as I do."
"A match made in heaven." She was pretty good-looking as Hutch recalled.
Sighing dramatically, Starsky pulled the phone over and started dialing.
"It'll be hell soon. Hello, Crissy. Yeah, me too." Starsky looked up at Hutch and made shooing motions, "You mind?" He mouthed.
"Oh no, go right ahead." He didn't move.
Starsky stared at him for a moment, made a face and hauled the phone as far away as he could get it.
Hutch watched, amused as his partner started making excuses to his girlfriend. With this job you had to find humor wherever you can get it. Too bad the women in their life did not understand that. Abby was simply resigned. She seemed to know that their weekend in the country was going to be interrupted. Women's intuition – and experience. Across the room, Starsky was beginning to get flustered. Obviously Crissy was taking the broken date in stride.
"I know I promised you! Come on! I was promised! Hey, come on…that's not fair. I'll be back before you know it and we can pick up where we left off. Hello? Hello? Damn it!"
Hutch snickered.
"Let's get this over with, partner." Starsky snarled as he yanked his jacket of the chair.
"Sounds like you already did."
"Yeah, well, I might stand a chance if we get back early."
"Give her your Bogey. Scares them off every time."
"Yeah, then maybe I should try it out on the Cap. Let's go."
THE phone rang in the darkness. "They're on their way." A high-pitched silky voice declared. "Good. When you and your sister get them to the old preserve, I'll take it from there." Robert had been planning this for years. "Just remember love, if this doesn't go the way you plan, I had nothing to do with it." Robert frowned, but did not let it pass into his voice. "Understood, but you make sure your sister gets them there. Then, in a couple of days, you can see my finest work." Robert knew Julie enjoyed his sadistic games. She had helped him for years. She just did not know how important this one was to him. Finally, he would be able to redeem himself in Monk's eyes. He could not forgive himself for letting his boss down on the day they were to ice that cop. For that, he had paid, and dearly. Maybe, just maybe, this weekend Monk's voice would go away.
"WHY do we have to ride in this hunk of junk? We could have gotten a better one from the police pool."
The mood clearly had not lifted.
"Starsk, how could you say that? I'll have you know, my car is not a hunk of junk! It is a unique creature that fits my needs perfectly."
"The creature from the black lagoon that is. When was the last time you had it tuned up?"
They had gone through this a million times.
"Is this it?" Hutch pulled the car over in front of a house. The car shuddered and smoke started wafting in through the open windows.
"No." Cough, "3402 Hutch." Starsky shot Hutch a dirty look and started to roll up the window as an acrid smell began building. "Not 3204 Hillside Lane. Your creature is burning oil again." Hutch had to stifle a laugh when the handle came off in his partner's hand. He looked over his shoulder and pulled out into the road again.
"When are you going to get yourself a real car, Hutch? You don't even have to get something as nice as mine, just something that isn't screaming for a tow truck and a junk yard."
"Junk! I'll have you know..." Starsky cut Hutch off before he could get started. "Cut the excuses, here it is." Hutch pulled over and looked at his partner. With a look of disgust, Starsky threw his weight against the door that reluctantly gave way to his effort. Hutch snorted. Starsky gave him a warning look, and then he was out of the car and headed up to the door. Anything to get away from the black cloud billowing from that disaster of a car his partner and friend insisted on keeping. Smoke wafted slowly away from Hutch's car as whatever new oil leak burned off of the hot engine. He paused and looked around the neighborhood. So far, nothing seemed out of order. Mentally he reviewed the information he was given in order to identify the witness they were transporting.
He strolled up to the door and knocked lightly three times in rapid succession.
"Yes?"
"Police ma'am. Do you know Jane Smith?" Starsky asked as he flashed his badge.
"Yes, but I thought she was Jane Doe."
Starsky smiled and said "We are here to escort you to the safe house, ma'am." He studied his new assignment with a detective's eye. She was thin and willowy. Her skin was a little too pale, but he suspected it was assisted by make-up. What he could see of her looked healthy enough. She did not have the appearance of those who participated in the drug trade she was to testify against in a couple of weeks. Her face was filled out with puffy cheeks and large lips glossed a deep red commanded attention. "Jane" wore large black sunglasses to match her black leather cap pulled over long black hair. He suspected a wig. She wore a dark blue turtleneck and black jeans. She looked like a cat burglar. Or a drug runner. Didn't matter. His job was to get her from point A to point B where she would stay safe until she reached point C – the witness stand. After delivering her, he could get back to his point C – Crissy.
"Do you need any help ma'am?" he asked, feeling chivalrous and professional, while motioning to the dark room behind her.
"Jane. No, I'm ready." Jane said while picking up what looked to be an over-stuffed sea bag and flung it over her shoulder. He made a move to take the bag, but Jane threw him a frosty "don't touch" look as she stalked past him. Starsky followed behind watching Jane stride purposefully to the car. He thought he caught a look of disgust cross her face as he opened the car door. He didn't blame her.
Hutch started up the car as they approached and the engine belched out yet another cloud of noxious fumes. Hutch reached out to grab her bag, but Jane tossed it in herself and slid into the backseat of the Ford. Her face remained neutral and stony as she settled herself into the seat.
Starsky climbed in and wrenched the car door shut.
"I'm Detective David Starsky. This is my partner, Ken Hutchinson." Jane barely graced him with a nod. Starsky turned around and rolled his eyes. "We are to take you to a safe house in the mountains…"
"I know. I requested it." Jane interrupted. She did not add anything to her terse comment.
"You look upset. Is there anything that has you concerned that we should know about?" Starsky took his job seriously, and if there was anything she was scared of, he wanted to know.
"No" was all she said and she looked out the window. Conversation over. She did not look scared. She looked like the ice queen back there. Starsky sighed.
Hutch gave his partner a knowing look as he eased into traffic. It was going to be a long and quiet trip.
THEY delivered Jane to the safe house without incident. Motioning Jane to stay put, Hutch went into the cabin first to check it out. She gave a loud sigh and stared straight ahead, but she did not move. Starsky, gun pulled, walked around the perimeter of the cabin. There was nobody to meet them in the one room cabin. It seemed unusual for the Fed's to leave her alone there. He stated as much when he went out onto the porch. Jane gave Hutch a cold look.
"Nobody knows of this place, that is why your department approved it. It belonged to a great aunt who passed away last year. It has a phone, in her name, and adequate protection, if I need it. I can take care of myself. You may go now."
Hutch matched her cold look. "Fine. Do you know who will be bringing you to the trial?"
"Yes," was her stiff reply. She walked up to the door, walked into the cabin and closed the door behind her.
Hutch stared after her. With a disgusted shake of his head he turned back to his car. He was glad Dobey said all they had to do was get her to the safe house, because despite his cool cop demeanor, if he had been forced to stay here over the weekend, he could have easily strangled her himself. He glanced back as Starsky was walking up from checking out the surroundings. "Nothing."
"Good. Assignment's complete. Lets get back to the station and clock out."
"What about Helga there?"
"She says she can take care of herself, and I believe her." Hutch looked back at the quiet cabin and back at his partner. "Lets go."
They walked back to the car and Hutch got in. Turning his key in the ignition, he turned to the passenger door where Starsky was fighting with the door. "Get in!"
"I'm trying!" He flung back as he put his back into forcing the door open. A billow of smoke blew up in his face as he finally got the reluctant door open enough to slide in. "From now on, I am DRIVING!" Starsky shouted at his partner. The car's smoke clung to him and drifted around his collar and hair.
Hutch shot Starsky a hard look. "You can't. The tomato needed a tune up." Hutch reminded his clearly disgusted partner and smiled to himself as he eased his car back onto the narrow mountain trail they had followed to get up to the cabin. Jane was forgotten as they argued down the mountain on their way back to Bay City.
THE phone rang once. "Yeah"
"They are on their way down."
Robert hung up and smiled. The girl flinched. Let the games begin.