Chapter 5

Hutch poured through the files, studied faces and asked questions. He asked so many questions that Jones felt he was repeating himself, but Hutch was looking for nuances, any inconsistencies that would jeopardize the caper. He memorized the players, learned their names, and stored every piece of data in his head just in case he needed it. He became pensive, spending an hour just staring out the window, but he wasn't looking at anything, he was just staring and thinking. At five o'clock that evening, he stood up, took his jacket and said to Starsky, "Meet me at Huggy's tonight."

Jones caught him by the arm and asked, "What do you need from us?"

Hutch looked at each man from the C.I.A., the clean cut all American federal agents. They did everything but wear a neon sign that read CIA AGENT. Suppressing a snort, he replied, "Nothing. You've done your part, now let me do mine."