Chapter three
They were on the road again. Hutch was driving while Starsky was engrossed in Sammy Grovner's memories.
"Did you know that he started as a magician? He's explaining some tricks here, for example how to unleash yourself. Hey, I could impress the ladies with it…!"
"Starsk, keep in mind that not every lady likes bondage …" Hutch tried to remain serious and Starsky looked embarrassed.
"Sure, of course I would ask Terry before we…" Now he grinned mischievously and snapped his fingers. "We have a tow rope in the trunk. Tonight I'll practice with you, p-a-r-t-n-e-r!" He wiggled his eyebrows and Hutch laughed heartily.
"Then I'll tell Terry! By the way, don't forget to enjoy the landscape. Isn't that a vineyard over there?"
Starsky craned his neck. "Can't wait to taste some wine. We should do this more often; getting away from all the shit we see on the streets and spend some time somewhere else. How can I thank all the guys at the precinct for their caring? I didn't ask you about the costs. You know my account doesn't look so well…" Starsky sounded worried.
"Don't fret about it. Hug used his special connections as a travel agent, and our friends wanted to contribute and collected some money for us to attend a guided tour through a winery, including a three course dinner." Hutch said.
Starsky gave a short whistle. He was sure though, that it was primarily Hutch's money that made this trip possible. He put his hand on Hutch's thigh, lingering there for a moment.
"You okay?" Hutch asked, glancing sideways, and Starsky nodded. No soapy scenes here!
"If you want me to drive for a change…" Starsky said instead, and Hutch agreed.
"Then I can look at the map and tell you the exact way. I think, if we use this road, it's a little shorter." They stopped, changed places and Starsky enjoyed the outlook. More vineyards came in sight and the late afternoon sun let the fields glow in a golden light.
Once, they took the wrong way and landed on a little sandy road. Abruptly Starsky stopped the Torino and got out of the car. Hutch waited patiently thinking his friend needed to take a leak.
"Hutch, c'me here, you gotta try it!" Starsky said. Confused, Hutch left the car, and went over to Starsky, who was standing in the second row of a vineyard.
"What are you doing?"
"Try these grapes. They taste quite sour though…"
"I don't think it's allowed," Hutch muttered, taking some grapes out of Starsky's hands.
"You're right, they're sour. But let's move on now. It's getting dark and a dinner is reserved for us." He needn't say it twice. Starsky was already heading to the car, and waited impatiently for Hutch.
Back in the car, Starsky went into reverse to drive back and braked hard after looking into the rear mirror.
"What's up?" Hutch asked.
Starsky said: "There's a rover vehicle blocking the path."
They kept their seats and watched a man get out of the car and approach them.
"Gentlemen, what're you doing here? This is private property." He sent a taxing glance through the open window.
"Sorry, we lost our way. Can you tell me where we are exactly?" Hutch showed him the unfolded map and the man looked a little friendlier.
"I'm Jake Hanson," he said, extending his hand. "This is the Whitehall Lane Winery.
Where are you supposed to stay for the night? Maybe I can help you."
After a short conversation, Hanson let them pass.
"Wow, I hope he didn't see that I picked some grapes," Starsky said.
"Yeah, he's responsible that no one enters the winery without permission as he told us." Hutch leafed through their documents for the trip and whistled. "The Whitehall Lane Winery is where the guided tour takes place. Buddy, we're almost there."
It was dark when they arrived at an illuminated mansion, called "Silverado Resort". A porter appeared at once to carry their bags and park the Torino.
"Looks exclusive, doesn't it?" Starsky marveled. He followed Hutch into the lobby and saw comfortable suits and dimmed lamps that gave the impression of a high level establishment.
"The honeymoon suite was reserved for you. Maybe there was a misunderstanding." The receptionist blushed lightly and Starsky couldn't resist the remark: "Well, no problem for me. I'll call Terry and we'll find a little storeroom for you, partner."
"Or the other way round!" Hutch countered, keeping in mind that he had to ask Huggy about it.
An elevator took them up to the second floor and it was an impressive sight that met them when they entered the room. On the right side there was a large area with comfortable seats, a couch and a coffee table. The flames of the fireplace bathed the room in a warm light.
"If this doesn't work, I'll never fall in love with you," Starsky joked, and startled when he heard a cough behind him. The pageboy was standing there with their bags, waiting for a tip.
"Sorry. Here you are." Hutch gave him his tip and closed the door.
"Hutch, honestly, we can never pay for this room," Starsky said. Then, to the left, he noticed the only bed in the room; a double king-sized bed that occupied the far wall. "Where's my bed?" Starsky hurried to the door next to the large bed. "Maybe here," he mumbled and gave a cry of surprise. "Hutch! What's this? Can't be a bed, can it?"
"Dummy. It's a Jacuzzi. Like an oversized bathtub, ya know," Hutch peeked over Starsky's shoulder, whistling approvingly.
Starsky looked around searchingly.
"Don't bother! This is the honeymoon suite and that's our bed. Capice?" Hutch pointed to the large bed, smiling, and Starsky let out his breath in a rush.
"It's not that we haven't shared a bed before," Starsky admitted, thinking of the bad times when he had needed Hutch nearby. And when Hutch got addicted with heroin, it had been Starsky who had taken care of him, holding him in his arms till they both fell asleep. Hutch locked glances with his best friend and only nodded.
Silently they unpacked their bags. Then Hutch opened the door to a large balcony and stepped out. "Starsk, Sonoma must be over there. Can you see the lights?" Starsky joined him - and started chuckling.
"Nervous before our "first" night?" Hutch teased and Starsky said unimpressed:
"D'you know this one? Little Mary and Tony are standing on a balcony looking over the darkness and watching the lights of the city. Says Little Mary: 'Tony, would you like to see where they did surgery on my appendix?' 'Of course!' Tony says. 'Over there, where the lights are – it's the Memorial hospital.'"
"And so?" Hutch asked.
"It's a joke – from Sammy Grovner's book!" Starsky looked disappointed when Hutch didn't show the expected reaction. "Wait, I remember some more, gimme a minute," Starsky said thinking hard.
"Stuff it and let's have dinner," Hutch ended the conversation rolling his eyes. That his partner could be entertained so easily…
The dinner left nothing to be desired. Contented, Starsky patted his belly and suppressed a yawn.
"I feel good, ya know that? What're we going to do now?"
"We can take a walk to see the surroundings. It seems that the hotel belongs to the winery. Look at the pictures on the wall with the members of the DuPont family. Look at this one," Hutch got up and pointed to a picture right next to their table on the wall. " George DuPont. He must be the boss of all this. The owner of the Whitehall Lane Winery and the Silverado Resort. And here it says he also owns an art gallery you can visit."
"They must have made a lot of money with it," Starsky added and got up too.
Together they walked outside following the driveway till they saw the illuminated sign: "Whitehall Lane Winery."
"This is where the guided tour starts tomorrow," Hutch said, remembering the information Huggy had given him about their activities during the week. "Oh, remind me to call Huggy and ask him about our suite." Hutch closed his jacket. Though it was only late September the climate was different from Bay City.
"I'm freezing. You too?" he heard Starsky say, and he looked at his partner in a concerned way. Starsky had had the flu several times this last year. Since the poisoning, his body's defenses had weakened and he had to take better care of himself to stay healthy.
"If you are, we should head back. Take a bath in the Jacuzzi and study your book in front of the fireplace. Tomorrow we'll have our first wine-tasting," Hutch said softly. He put his arm around Starsky's shoulders and they walked back to the hotel entrance.
At one time, Starsky looked back as he felt he was being watched, but in the dark he couldn't see anything strange. The bushes on both sides on the driveway looked almost black and only a few of them were illuminated. Did he see a shadow moving? Starsky shuddered and concentrated on the path in front of them.
"You okay?" Hutch asked and tightened his grip around his shoulders.
"No worries, Blondie," Starsky answered, as they entered the bright lobby of the hotel.
"A Jacuzzi is something I could get used to." Starsky emerged from the bathroom, dripping on the heavy carpets, as he draped a towel around his waist. "It's your turn, babe," he said affectionately, approaching Hutch and scattering enough droplets to get Hutch wet.
"Hey, you soaked my book!" Hutch objected, closed it and got up. Heading for the bathroom, he said: "I've put some more wood into the fireplace. Should be warm enough. And dry your hair!"
"Yes, mom," Starsky chuckled. He rummaged through his bag for his pajamas. Normally he slept naked but he really didn't feel so warm right now. Shit! He had forgotten to pack them. His briefs and a t-shirt would do. He changed and put on the white robe with the hotel insignia on it, and then slumped into the big armchair in front of the fireplace and looked into the flames.
Images of the past year crossed his mind. The poisoning hadn't been the first close call for him. When he'd gotten shot in the Italian restaurant, he'd almost given up hope that they would get out of the mess alive. Thanks to his partner they had all survived and Robin, now Sammy Grovner's wife, had expressed her thankfulness. Why did they always get into these dangerous situations? Stupid question! Starsky answered himself. It was their job that brought them close to the scum of the streets; gangsters who sought revenge, nuts and criminals, like Joey, who didn't see a purpose in life. They were the risks their job brought about. Starsky sighed. How lucky he was that he had a partner who watched his back - who stayed by his side no matter who threatened his life. This vacation was a special gift and he planned to enjoy it to its fullest.
"You asleep?" Hutch's soft voice near his ear startled him a bit, and he had the impression that he had really dozed off.
"Yeah, it's so cozy in front of the fire." A large hand tangled in his curls.
"Your hair is still wet," Hutch said. "You didn't dry it. Wait here."
"No big deal," Starsky mumbled, looking into the fire. He wasn't surprised when he felt a towel draped around his head and soft massaging fingers rubbing his hair dry.
"Thanks. Anything to drink?"
"Of course. Chateau Whitehall," Hutch exclaimed, holding a bottle in front of Starsky's nose.
"Where did you get that?" Starsky was fully alert now.
"It was in the fridge. Just the right temperature." Hutch opened the bottle and looked around for glasses.
"Over there on the shelf," Starsky got up to fetch them.
"To a special occasion!" Hutch said, clinking his glass with Starsky's.
"To a special person!" Starsky answered, and then they drank, Hutch perched on the arm of Starsky's chair.
"By the way, I forgot my pj's, what about you?" Starsky looked at Hutch's bare legs in the white robe.
"Why? They're in my bag. At least I packed them. You need mine? Are you still cold?"
"Nah, I think I'm gonna sleep in my briefs and a t-shirt, if that's okay with you." Starsky sounded a little insecure and Hutch laughed.
"Doesn't matter at all, buddy. Are you up to a little game?" Hutch looked into his bag again and brought out the monopoly game.
"Hey, I can't believe it! How long has it been since we played?" Starsky was excited and soon the floor in front of the fireplace was covered with paper money and little figures and houses and hotels, and the next hours flew by. The bottle became empty and at last Starsky had to admit that he had lost the game.
"Tomorrow I'll get revenge!" Starsky was sure.
While Hutch packed the game away, Starsky went to the bathroom. He felt a little drowsy and lightheaded, probably because of the wine. But he felt good. One year earlier his life had almost ended. There was no future, no hope – and now he had survived one more year. And his partner was still by his side, watching his back.
Back in the luxurious room, Starsky shed the robe and dove under the silken covers.
"Hutch?"
Nobody answered and Starsky got worried. If Hutch wasn't in the room it meant he had gone to get something, maybe the brochures from the car. But he would have told Starsky about it.
Starsky got out of the bed, and paced through the large room. He checked Hutch's bag and saw that his pajamas were still in it. Where had Hutch gone this late? It was after midnight. Starsky's heartbeat went up. The concern for his partner always had the same impact on him. Then he saw that the door to the balcony was ajar. He stepped nearer and opened the door. It took a while till his eyes had adjusted to the darkness.
"Hutch?" he said lowly and finally he heard the familiar voice from the right.
"What're you doing outside? You must be freezing." In two strides Hutch was by his side, feeling the goosebumps on Starsky's skin when he touched him.
"Didn't know where you were," Starsky said, feeling embarrassed, while Hutch led him back into the warm room.
"Just wanted to take in some fresh air." Hutch said. "C'mon, let's go to bed."
He made sure that Starsky was tucked in securely, then undressed himself and lay down on his side of the bed.
"You still cold?" Hutch asked and Starsky shook his head. Hutch switched off the lamp; only the light from the fireplace let him see the outline of the furniture of their suite.
It bothered Hutch that Starsky hadn't regained his old self confidence yet. In the past, he had been the tough cop never fearing what could happen. Then there was the shooting in the Italian restaurant and, one year ago, Bellamy's assault. It was as if Starsky depended more on him than ever before, but Hutch was willing to fulfill this need. He turned onto his side facing Starsky. The dark curls stood out from the white pillow and Starsky seemed to be asleep. The covers had slid down his shoulders and Hutch carefully reached over and pulled them up. Starsky made a little appreciative sound that made Hutch smile. He let his hand linger on Starsky's shoulder. Soon he was asleep, too.
TBC
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