Despite Ken's protests, Joshua and Starsky drove him to the hospital where Big Ben also was a patient. Ken's tests revealed a mild concussion and bruising. Joshua was called to help in ER with the extra patients.

Starsky gave into his partner's insistence that they visit Big Ben.

Big Ben still had a warm smile as he recognized Ken. He shook hands with both. "The famous Bay City detectives. You both look a little rough."

Starsky explained about the car hitting Hutch. He insisted Hutch sit down.

Big Ben whistled. "They're after you, too. Be careful. Jed was a good man, one of the best." Shrewd brown eyes studied them. "Jed was also one of the best detectives and one of the best at ferreting out crooked cops and putting the pieces together on mob bosses. I was against making Jed Mickey's new partner. Sorry about Mickey, Ken. She is very strong, but when Jed was killed . . . I knew both had gotten very close – too close, I think."

"Apparently so," Starsky concurred. Hutch looked away.

"Did Jed tell you anything about who he suspected?"

Big Ben hesitated.

"Of course, if this puts you in danger, you might not want to say." Starsky added.

"I'm not afraid of danger. I don't have long to live now, anyway." He stopped the startled words of compassion. "Don't. I would rather go out being a cop than dying of cancer."

"Does Mickey know?"

"Not yet. She's had too much going on. I didn't want to add to her being in danger. She was already in too deep with Jed."

"Do you know a Russell Williams?"

"Jed mentioned him a couple of times. In your city, right? Jed had him down for a fink." Ben continued, "He told me because he did know I was dying. Jed believes Williams fingered his friend, Officer Jerry Banks. Williams was Banks' partner. Jerry and Jed were close. Jed believed Banks was close to finding out about Williams being a snitch. And Banks had told Jed he heard Williams talking to someone in Duluth."

"Jed transferred to Duluth PD. To find the Duluth snitch." Hutch surmised.

"Right. You know that Mickey came under early suspicion because of her connections to Bay City."

"You mean us," Hutch said flatly.

"No one above suspicion . . . but she proved herself. I do believe the snitch at Duluth had been planting suspicions about her – and some other Hutchinson family members being tired to drugs. But each time there was a possible setup, she didn't fall for it and that cleared her in most of the eyes of the department."

Hutch and Starsky's eyes met.

"Do you know or possibly guess who the snitch here might be?"

Big Ben frowned. "No. I suspect more than one. I have given this a lot of thought."

"Mickey didn't trust hardly anyone in uniform. Except Jed and you."

"She doesn't trust Red?"

"She told me she didn't," Starsky confirmed.

"Or McCallum," Hutch added.

Big Ben whistled. "The only hunch I can go by is that Red was very anxious to step up as Mickey's permanent partner after Jed was killed and he has stuck to her closely. He was very shaken up when Jed was killed. It could be for her protection – or maybe he was trying to find out how much she knew – how much Jed had told her. And McCallum wants her transferred – again, it could be for her protection or . . ."

"He is afraid she knows too much and wants her out of the way," Starsky said flatly. "If someone wanted her out of the way, why didn't they kill her? Sorry, Hutch, but logically,"

"Logically they didn't want to kill a Hutchinson in Duluth. It would have brought down too much of a spotlight, a demand for justice. Jed didn't have that kind of connections and prestige. Therefore, the transfer request. But she refused. Then conveniently for the bad guys, she had a breakdown and was rendered ineffective."

"Conveniently," Starsky echoed. "It does seem too convenient. Losing Jed, blaming herself, if I know anything about Hutchinsons," and he glanced at his partner, who had his head in his hands. "The attempts at intimidating her, toying with her until she doesn't know which way is up."

"Toying with her!" Big Ben exclaimed. "Of course! Nothing she could prove, so she would not be believed. And backup plans if that didn't work." He stared sharply at Hutch. "Did you have any near misses last year?"

Hutch stared at Starsky. "Nothing beyond the usual. There were setups, but I don't think they were aimed at me."

Starsky snapped his fingers. "Three months we received a report of a drug deal near a warehouse." He looked at Big Ben. "Hutch would have been killed if he weren't such a klutz and tripped. Two shots flew over where his head would be." He shuddered. "It happened so fast, I thought he had been killed. He hit his head and it was bleeding. Our backup arrived and whoever did the shooting took off. They never shot at me."

"Do you remember anything else?" Ben asked Hutch.

"No," he replied, embarrassed. "I was knocked out. When I came to, Starsky was screaming and shaking me."

Starsky shuddered, remembering the fear he felt. "Our backup caught them. The two men never made it to trial."

"Tying up loose ends," Hutch murmured. He stood up and just as quickly sat back down.

Starsky was beside him in a flash. "Are you all right?"

"Just a bit dizzy," Hutch admitted. "I'll be fine. It's just . . . trying to solve puzzles. Makes me head hurt."

"The concussion is why you head hurts," Starsky scolded him. "We should find a place for you to lie down and rest."

Big Ben looked over to the cot next to him. "I don't have a roommate anymore. Ken, why don't you lie down and relax?"

Hutch was murmuring in the negative, but Starsky pulled him up and helped him to the cot, settling him in and pulling off his shoes. "Stay there," he admonished sternly. "I'll locate Josiah so he can check you out. Don't go anywhere."

"Don't worry; I will sit on him if I have to," Big Ben laughed.

The threat was unnecessary as a tired Hutch fell to sleep instantly.

TBC