Chapter eight, and I hope no one missed chapter seven, remember I'm posting two at a time. I think some people might have missed chapter five, to judge by the stat counter.
Anyway, hope you enjoy. I still don't own anything.
Chapter Eight - The Gathering of the Hunt
Once again Kolchak spoke into his recorder:
"The trip back to Madam Yram's building to pick up her crystal ball was uneventful, as was the trip to the small cottage the detectives were staying at. I had my ear bent with gossip about the two, mostly a recitation of the cases they had been involved with, and a recap of the near-death of Detective Starsky in the Gunther case. Madam Yram was obviously a fan, and had been for some time. If I'd been planning on writing a story about their careers, she would have been a major source, and as it was I gleaned some interesting insights into their professional style. She finished up with some more intimate information."
"Mr. Kolchak, there's one thing. I hope it won't bother you too much."
"Call me Carl. What's that?"
"Well, they're, you know, together."
"You mean...?"
"Yeah. I saw it in Starsky when I read his aura. That's not going to bother you, is it? 'Cause it's really important that you guys can work comfortably."
"No, no, it doesn't bother me." He didn't mention that he'd already guessed it anyway. It didn't matter. After a few years of working with Ron Updyke's melting glances, being with two gay men who were interested in each other rather than him would be a relief.
"I knew as soon as I saw Detective Starsky again that he was important. It's the glow, ya' know." She paused thoughtfully. "You can't see it, though, can you, Mr. Kolchak?"
"Glow? Uh, no. What glow would that be?"
"Well, it's from where he was kissed by the angel Michael when he was dead."
"That's.... fascinating. And he told you that himself?"
"Oh no. I knew it when I saw him. That's what I do, I see auras. But he agreed with me when I told him I knew."
"So Detective Starsky confirmed that he was associating with angels? That's very interesting... very interesting." Kolchak trailed off, thinking about how that would work into a story.
"Oh! Don't tell him I told you! This has to be off the record."
"Off the record? Where'd you learn to talk like that?" Kolchak asked, with an ingratiating grin. Darn it. That might have been good.
"Oh, I know all about how you reporters work. I watch Lou Grant every very week," she said.
"Oh, you can't believe everything you see on that." Kolchak had watched the popular series himself, but wasn't quite so impressed. No one on the show had ever so much as run into a vampire, much less a swamp monster or rakshasa.
"Well maybe not, Mr. Kolchak, but I know that if I say it's off the record you can't use it in a story."
Kolchak sighed. "You drive a hard bargain."
Madam Yram giggled.
When they got to their destination Detective Starsky was waiting outside for them.
"Nice car!" he said in admiration, running his hands over the Mustang's bright yellow finish.
"It gets me where I want to go," Kolchak said modestly.
Madam Yram had been getting herself and her belongings out of the car. Now she wiped her hands on her skirt and looked around nervously. "Hey guys, I hate to break this up, but maybe we should get moving inside, you know what I mean?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Come on, folks." Detective Starsky politely took an armful of Madam Yram's equipment and led the way into the little cottage.
Just before he entered, Kolchak took a last look around. Must be about two blocks from the ocean. Looked like a nice neighborhood. Pretty little cottages... but who was that guy lurking across the street? Ugly looking, with a receding forehead and practically no ears, huge feet, and a pasty, gray colored skin. No one who looked like he belonged in this quiet, tasteful cul-de-sac. Under Kolchak's gaze, the lurker shambled away. Kolchak shuddered in distaste, shrugged, and followed the other two into the house.
Inside, a small dog bounced up to them, barking. Detective Starsky laid Madam Yram's things down on the couch. "Euripides! Behave!" he said sharply to the dog, who stopped, and looked at them apologetically.
"Awww! He's so cute!" Madam Yram knelt down and petted the little dog, who wriggled enthusiastically.
"He doesn't bite, does he?" Kolchak asked dubiously.
"Never has yet," Detective Starsky assured him. Kolchak gingerly patted the dog on the head. The dog yawned and wandered over to the hearthrug to lay down.
"Well, you wanna' get started?" Madam Yram asked. Her voice had a note of forced cheerfulness, as if she didn't really want to. "Can I use the coffee table?"
"Sure, good idea." He started clearing some knick-knacks off. "Set everything up, but we'll wait for Hutch."
"Yeah, OK." She spread a dark cloth over the table and set up a crystal ball on a small stand.
"You guys want anything to drink? We have beer, I think there's some wine..."
"I'd love a glass of wine, but I need to keep a clear head if I'm really going to try this," Madam Yram sighed. "Maybe afterwards, though."
Now that he knew what to look for, Kolchak noticed how she kept stealing glimpses at Starsky, presumably to reassure herself by looking at his aura. "I'll have a beer, thanks." He always figured he might as well take anything he could get for free. It was an attitude he'd come to over the many lean years in his checkered career.
Starsky brought a bottle from the kitchen for him. "Hutch should be back soon," he remarked.
Kolchak felt a brief flash of nervousness. What if Hutchinson recognized him from the bar that afternoon?
"I comforted myself with the thought that it was unlikely that I had been noticed at all. As time was soon to show, however, I was drastically wrong."
Once again, Kolchak put away his recorder.