Chapter Nine

Captain Dobey opened his door as quietly as he could and surveyed the scene through a small gap in the doorway. He could see Hutchinson sat on his usual chair: he had turned it around and it leant against the desk so had his back to the Captain. His shoulder was leaning against Starsky's legs, while his partner sat on the desk next to him, feet on a chair, chin on both hands, his elbows balanced on one knee.

Bailey and Smith were sat on chairs facing them, looking enthralled.

"So how did you know when to go in?" Smith was asking Starsky.

"Well, Hutch told me to give him five minutes and then go in," Starsky explained, lifting his chin from his hands and using his fingers to underpin his explanation.

"He did?"

"Yeah, you remember our little conversation about going for beers."

Bailey and Smith looked at each other, trying to recall what had been said.

"Well, I told Hutch we'd go for beers at ten: that meant I was planning on moving in ten seconds. I mentioned my natural leanings: that means going left cos I'm left handed. Hutch said relax for five: five minutes till we go in."

"Do you use codes like that all the time?" Bailey asked.

Hutch interjected: "Not always - just depends on the situation -but the main thing is you and your partner have to know each other well. Then find out what works for you."

"We use a short-hand for things like covering each other," Starsky said. "Pinball means taking it in turns to move our way up the sides of an alley or street." Abruptly, he jumped up and crossed the room to the water cooler.

Hutch was saying, "You've learned all the suggested hand signals for ops. Just add (cough) in a few (cough) of your own."

A cup of water appeared in his hand as if he'd used telekinesis to make it appear. Hutch coughed again. "Thanks partner."

"You're welcome."

Starsky went back for another cup of water while Hutch downed his in one gulp. The rookies exchanged amused looks, clearly wondering if Starsky had known ahead of time that his partner was going to cough or whether it was just a matter of good timing. Dobey smothered a laugh. It looked to him like Starsky and Hutch had definitely got their mojo back. He felt like cheering but instead he closed his door carefully and made his way back to his desk.

As he sat down to read through the reports of the warehouse siege, he acknowledged that both of his best detectives had the rookies hanging on their every word and in his opinion that was a good thing. What those two knew about police work and keeping each other safe would fill several manuals and probably make better reading than half the stuff the cadets at the academy were asked to read. Maybe there was a way he could utilise all that knowledge for training purposes and still keep the duo together. He would have to think on it for a while.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Minnie came into the bull pen with a sheaf of papers in her hand and placed them down on the desk in front of Starsky.

"Here's the DMV information on a Gus Wilson and his vehicle ownership record."

"Thanks Minnie, you're a star."

"Mm-hmm." She looked round the quiet squad room. "Why are you all on your lonesome? Where's that partner of yours?"

"He'll be back in a bit. He's just running an errand," the curly haired detective replied. He picked up the first sheet of paper and pored over it.

"Well, I'll leave you to it honey," Minnie said as she headed for the doors. "Anything else you need, you just let me know."

"Thanks Minnie," Starsky called after her.

A few minutes later, Hutch came in through the doors. "Hey buddy, how's it going?"

"Very interesting!" Starsky exclaimed. "Come and take a look at this."

The dark haired man thrust the sheaf of papers under his blond partner's nose.

"See, at the time of Bartholomew's death, Wilson's car was a red Ford Thunderbird. It fits the description of the car that did the hit and run, same size and colour."

Hutch grimaced. "So do a lot of cars buddy. The witness description was too general."

"Yeah, but look, he reported the car stolen on the same day as the hit and run and a couple of weeks later he changed to the green LTD he has now."

Hutch looked through the rest of the papers. "It says here, the stolen car was eventually found, crashed into a telegraph pole…Wouldn't there have been photos taken at the scene?"

"That's what I was thinking," Starsky said excitedly.

Hutch looked at him. "Don't get too excited. It's a long shot that they'll be any photographic evidence that will link it to the hit and run. It may just have been joyriders."

"But it may not. Let's head down to robbery and see if we can get hold of the report," Starsky was already heading towards the doors.

Hutch hurried to catch up with his partner. They jogged down the stairs to get to the floor where the robbery team were located. As they entered, Bernie Lewis called out: "Well, what do we have here? Come slumming with the robbery squad, have you boys?"

"Hey, Bernie, how you doing man?" Starsky asked as he shook the older man's hand. "We need your help."

Hutch took over the conversation: "Eighteen months ago, there was a stolen car reported. Looked like it had been used by joyriders and then abandoned when they crashed. We think it might be linked to a murder. We need to take a look at the photos, see if there's anything we can use."

Bernie pulled himself out of his chair and told the two detectives to follow him. He led them to a filing cabinet at the back of the squad room.

"All the joyriding case files are in here. In date order. Knock yourselves out."

"Thanks Bernie," Starsky said as he pulled out the first drawer. He and Hutch quickly located the files that had the correct date, up to and including two weeks after the hit-and-run, and extracted them from the cabinet. There were about twenty so they took half each. Hutch settled himself at a free desk. Starsky sat cross-legged on the floor next to him, oblivious to the amused looks of the robbery squad detectives coming in and out.

"Here we are Hutch. Red Thunderbird." Starsky handed the file up to Hutch and jumped up. They looked through the photos together. One picture, showing the front edge of the car on the passenger side, documented a broken light and a scrape that looked as if it had silver paint in it. They looked back through the report in the file and found the entry noting: scraped area containing silver metallic paint.

Hutch looked at Starsky with thinly disguised excitement. "Think we've got another link in the chain partner."

Starsky put the rest of the files back in the drawer and they thanked Bernie asking if they could keep the file then they headed back upstairs.

"It won't be enough for a warrant will it?" Starsky said.

"No, we need something else. Like was Wilson ever at the same bar as Dunn."

"The bar's not close to his home but it's not far. They show sports there: that's what Dunn used to go there for. Maybe Wilson goes to watch baseball or something?"

Hutch nodded. "I think we need to find out when the next sporting fixtures are and stakeout his place. If we could prove he knows the bar, maybe we could get a warrant to search his house and find out if he still has rat poison on the premises."

"We'd better run all this by Dobey," Starsky pointed out.

"Definitely."

They reached the bull pen, stopping at their desks to pick up all their notes and the cold case files, before knocking on the Captain's door. When he called for them to come in, they went inside and filled him in on what they'd found out.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

It was early evening and Hutch was sitting in the front passenger seat, watching the door of the small two up two down house that the two of them were staking out. It was where Coach Wilson lived and this was their third attempt at linking him to the bar Dunn frequented. There was a baseball game being televised tonight at "Harry's Bar" that they hoped might draw the man out. If they could get photographic proof of him entering and being in the bar then that would go a long way towards getting a warrant to search his house for the poison he'd used on Eddie Dunn. If the search was successful, they could hopefully get him to confess to running down James Bartholomew as well.

Hutch kept his eyes glued to the door, periodically taking absent minded sips from his wheat-germ, blueberry and goats milk smoothie. Starsky had called it his 'super gloop' when he'd bought it for Hutch on the way to the stakeout that evening.

Suddenly speaking from behind his comic book, Starsky asked a question, "Hutch? Do you think men have a biological impressionist?"

Hutch was glad he'd just swallowed otherwise he would have been wearing his super gloop. "I think you mean biological imperative Starsk…and what are you trying to tell me?"

"Just wondering…'cause I was reading this magazine-"

"-What magazine?" Hutch interrupted.

"Oh, Health and Beauty or something like that. Anyway-"

"-Starsky, why are you reading women's magazines?

Starsky's head came up over his comic and he raised an eyebrow at Hutch. "Is there a better way to understand the female mind?"

Hutch rolled his eyes. "So did you pay good money for that magazine or did you steal it from the physio waiting room?"

Starsky huffed in frustration and returned to reading his comic. "Never mind. Forget I said anything."

"Sorry Starsk, it just struck me as funny."

Starsky ignored him and Hutch realised that he must really be upset. His friend was only ever quiet if he was really mad or really hurt. Hutch reached over and pushed the comic down enough to see Starsky's eyes.

"Sorry buddy, I'm listening now."

"Forget it."

"No, honestly, I'm-"

"-Hutch, forget it. We gotta go, Wilson just came out of the door and is heading towards his car."

Hutch scrambled across to the driver's seat and started the engine as the tall, thin man unlocked his car door and climbed in. Starsky clambered over the front seat in an ungainly fashion and flopped down on the passenger side. As quickly as he dared, Hutch pulled the car out into the lane of traffic and followed the dark green Ford LTD he'd seen Wilson get into.

As he settled into position two cars back, he glanced at his partner and said, "Ask me your question later over a beer. I promise to be serious."

"Okay," Starsky replied and the look he gave Hutch was one that said 'Thanks.'

Hutch nodded at his partner then turned his attention back to the job in hand. They followed Wilson as he drove the four blocks to the street where Harry's Bar was situated. They pulled over opposite the entrance and watched as the coach parked his car. Starsky had the camera ready to take a photo of the man as he headed into the bar. He snapped the shot and then he and Hutch waited till Wilson was safely inside, before getting out and crossing the street. They peered through the doors and sighted Wilson sat at the bar, ordering a beer.

When Starsky was ready, Hutch opened the door enough for Starsky to take another photo of Wilson but not wide enough so as to be noticed. Mission accomplished, they headed back to the precinct to set the wheels in motion for a search warrant for Wilson's home.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Hutch nearly choked on his beer, sending some of the golden liquid spraying down his shirt. He grabbed a paper napkin and wiped himself down. "Really, you could warn a guy before you say things like that!"

"So, what do you think?"

"Starsky, do we really have to have a biological imperative conversation?...It's not going to be as embarrassing as the 'birds and bees' speech my father tried to give me, is it?"

Starsky fixed him with a glare. "Of course not Blintz. All I'm saying is: we already know we both want children. After all, we wrote it in black and white on our notes for Tom but what are we going to do about it?"

"Are you sure you've had the 'birds and bees' speech yourself Gordo?"

"I'm serious Hutch. What are we going to do about it?"

Hutch opened his mouth but nothing came out. He closed it again. Starsky took a sip of beer and looked out across the busy tables and bar of The Pits.

"If we want kids buddy," Starsky said quietly, "we've gotta start dating again…but dating the right sort of women."

Hutch sighed and drained his beer to the bottom. He caught Huggy's eye and indicated he'd like two more beers. "And what's the right sort Gordo?"

Starsky appeared to give this some thought. "Well, for a start, they need to be not nuts."

Hutch smiled wryly. "You've got my agreement on that one."

"Gotta be someone who doesn't mind us being cops."

"That's a tall order," Hutch commented.

"Someone who doesn't mind us being friends."

"An even taller order!" Hutch said. "Although Terri never minded. She understood how close we are."

They both looked into their empty beer glasses, lost in memories. Huggy appeared carrying a tray holding three beers and a dish of chips. He passed the beers round and sat down next to Hutch.

"I could see the blue cloud descending on you honkies from across the room. What gives?"

"Women Huggy," Starsky informed him. "Where do you find the good ones?"

"It's a mystery my man…Although my philosophy is: if you stop looking, the thing you're looking for will turn up. Applies to keys, cats and women."

Hutch raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure it works with cats?"

Starsky broke out laughing, which is what Hutch was hoping for. Huggy smiled at both men, glad to see the cloud was dispersing a little. He passed the chips over to Starsky, who took a handful and shoved them in his mouth.

"So what are you looking for?" Huggy asked. "Beauty, brains or benevolence?"

Hutch snorted. "Beauty seems to get me in to trouble every time. Maybe it's time to go for brains or benevolence."

Starsky frowned. "What's that word mean Hug?"

"Kind my man," Huggy replied. "Kind-hearted. Bighearted. The bigger the heart, the bigger the happiness."

He finished his beer and stood up. He winked at them both and said, "Well, this barkeep needs to get back to his bar," and glided away.

Starsky mulled Huggy's words over for a bit. Then he dragged his notebook and a pencil out of his pocket. "I think Huggy might be on to something. We should make a list of what we're looking for."

"Another list?" Hutch groaned.

Starsky swatted at his head and Hutch ducked out of the way.

"All right, all right, if you want a list, I'll make a list. Not that it will do any good. What are you going to do: send it up the chimney to Santa?"

Starsky responded with: "If that's what it takes…"

Hutch shook his head and then began thinking out loud: "Okay…so the perfect person for me would be…into music, likes the beach…er…likes you, of course…"

Starsky grinned.

Hutch continued: "She's got to be better at monopoly than you though. I need a worthy opponent."

Starsky stuck out his tongue at him.

"Oh and she's gotta like plants. There. Done."

"Mac likes plants," Starsky observed and noticed Hutch flushed slightly. "You asked her out yet?"

"No."

"You gonna?"

"Thinking about it."

"What's stopping you?"

Hutch sighed and looked his friend in the eyes. "I don't exactly have a great track record at picking people. Maybe she'd be just another mistake."

Starsky frowned for a moment then smiled. "You're not picking her. I am. Do it buddy, ask her out. My gut instinct, and I seem to remember you telling me you trusted my gut, is that she'd be really good for you."

"Maybe…What about you?" Hutch said, turning the tables on his friend. "When are you going to ask that Art Teacher of yours out?"

"What?" Starsky looked surprised.

"Starsk, you talk about her every time you come out of class."

"Do I?"

"Yes," Hutch asked. "Does she seem nice? Is she pretty? Do you like her?"

"Yeah," Starsky confirmed, "I like her and she's pretty….Seems like a real nice person too."

"Well, we've only got two more evening classes left. Going to do something about it?"

"I dunno. Me and a teacher…I'm too dumb for her, I think."

Hutch stopped half way through taking a sip of beer. "Hold it partner…Back up there. One: you are not dumb…Two: you know a heck of a lot about art – that's got to be a good starting place for a conversation with her."

"Maybe. I'll think about it, Hutch…Now, drink up. We'd better be heading out. After all, we've got a search warrant to implement tomorrow."