Chapter 19

'He'll see me and if he don't, then the Bear is gonna huff and puff and blow his house down. Now get out of my way before I really lose my cool huh?'

Captain Dobey looked up just in time to see one of the younger detectives trying to stop a tall, lanky black figure from pushing into his office. The Captain sighed, put down his pen and waved the younger cop away. 'It's fine Hackmeister, thanks.' Dobey sat back in his chair and regarded Huggy Bear angrily.

'What the hell gives you the right to ramraid your way into my office?' he grunted.

'When my friends look like their back up has gone out of the window, it's up to the Bear to get them back on track.'

'Are you saying I've deserted my men?'

Huggy sank into the chair that his friends usually occupied and fixed the Captain with a stare which was not exactly friendly. 'That's pretty much what I'm sayin' yeah.'

'Get out Huggy. Get out and stay out' Dobey's voice rose another decibel.

'Uh uh. Not till you get the show on the road again.'

'What the fuck do you think I've been doin.'

'Not a clue Cap'n, but from where I'm standin' I can tell you what you aint doin'. You aint lookin' for Starsky and Hutch and you aint lookin' for whoever's got 'em.'

Dobey looked as though he were about to explode. 'I have had APBs out on them since the moment they disappeared. I've had every spare uniform in the city on the lookout for them or anyone else that might have information. I've sat here every day and night for so long that Edith thinks she's single again. What else can I do? Tell me what else I should do an' I'll do it.'

'Find Terry Nash and ask him about what went on at the place in the desert. Ask him how the operation worked. Pump him for information, just like I told you to do a month ago.'

The big black Captain slammed his ham fist on the desk, making the photos of his kids bounce in their frames. 'Terry Nash doesn't exist. A guy that thinks he's Nash is out of state right now. He's in therapy trying to forget how to be Nash and remember how to be who he used to be. He aint no help at all. We've had this argument countless times Huggy. Nash has nothing to do with Starsky and Hutch's disappearance. They never turned up to Durniak's funeral, no-one has seen them since, the Torino is a wreck and last time the Feds spoke to me, they were still banging on about the $10,000 found in Starsky's apartment – Durniak's money. Now you tell me what you would think if you were a cop huh?'

Huggy shook his head. 'And I thought you were their friend as well as their Captain. Seems to me the Feds have fed you a line and you've tried and convicted your men without even putting up an argument!'

'Shut up Hug, before I take my fist and shut your mouth for you' Dobey yelled, all acts of composure suddenly in tatters.

In response, Huggy bounced out of his seat and leaned over the table until his face was inches from Dobey's. The look on the lanky barman's face was like nothing Dobey had seen before and Dobey sat back involuntarily. Huggy's voice was quiet and icy calm.

'Fine. Shut me up. Take your aggression out on my pretty face. But when you've done I want you to sit back and really examine your feelings. I'm betting my last dollar you're gonna realise you've been suckered by the Feds. Think on it Harold….' The use of his first name brought Dobey's eyes back into focus and his eyebrows rose. '….they are your best men. They've saved your life before now. They saved Edith and Rosey and Cal and they never even stopped to think. Now it's your turn. Don't listen to the suits. Listen to your feelings. Listen to them Cap'n and act on them coz my friends are out there, I know they are. And I'll move heaven and earth to get 'em back. I just hope you do too.' With that, Huggy pulled himself up straight and with more dignity than Dobey had ever seen, the bar tender opened the door, paused and then closed it behind him leaving the Captain feeling small and very thoughtful.

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Hutch paused a moment to watch his buddy stalk off down the path before picking up his bag and hurrying after Starsky. He should have been angry; he should have been hurt at the very least and yet the overriding feeling in Hutch's mind at that moment was relief that the smaller man was relatively unharmed.

Catching up, he grabbed Starsky's arm and whirled him around to face him. 'You're welcome' Hutch said softly. 'But whether you wanted to thank me or not, I just wanted to get you to agree – there are bad men out here looking for us.'

Starsky snorted. 'Ya think?'

'Ok, so you agree. I know you don't believe me about the other stuff and I know you still think of me as the enemy, but there's a bigger enemy out there. Do you at least agree that we work together to eliminate them and get off of this island?'

The brunet seemed to consider for a moment. He was way more than confused right now and the absence of memories was keeping him constantly off balance as though he were participating in a play where everyone knew the plot except him. Thoughtfully he nodded, because the incident with the gunman had shaken him more than he wanted to let on. 'Sure. You seem to be the one with all the answers. Lead the way Cochise.'

Hutch smiled and Starsky immediately frowned. 'What?'

'You used to call me that sometimes, when you felt I was acting like a know all.'

The brunet nodded. 'I don't know you Pal, but if I did, I'd say my assessment of you was right. You do act like you're a know all.'

'Uh huh. And a klutz, but I saved your ass back there. Do you at least trust be a little bit?'

Starsky shrugged his shoulders. 'Get us off this island in one piece and without getting our feet wet and I'll reconsider.'

'Deal. Now there's the other guy to deal with and I have a plan.'

'Wanna share?'

'Remember the pit – the one you um….'

Starsky touched the front of his shorts. 'Oh yeah. How could I forget?'

'OK, well, we lure him up the path, he falls into the pit, we kill him.'

'I like everything apart from the last. I don't kill. Not unless I have to' Starsky said immediately.

'You were hell bent on breakin' my head a while ago.'

'Different thing.'

Hutch stared. 'Why? How come it's different?'

The brunet shook his head. 'Just outline the plan huh?'

'No. Not until you tell me why you'd kill me and not the guys who are intent on blowing off your head.'

Starsky stopped a moment, seeming to consider. 'They were just doing their job. They were paid to do it, so it wasn't their idea to kill me or you. As for me….. lets just say I chose to come after you. My idea.'

Hutch shook his head. 'Not your idea. Someone planted it there, whether you remember that or not. We're friends Starsk, again whether you remember that or not. We're friends and so far as I know friends don't go around killin' each other.'

Tiredly Starsky shook his head. 'I've only your word that we were friends and right now I'm all out of people to trust so I'm goin' it alone.'

'Does that mean you won't try to kill me?' Hutch asked.

'For now it does. When we get back to the mainland? The jury is still out.'

Hutch gulped. He knew Starsky. He knew that when the brunet set his mind to do something he was like a charging bear. Nothing would stop him. Something about the set of the smaller man's shoulders told Hutch that when they did get back to the mainland he was either going to have to get help, or be very, very careful.

An hour and three quarters later, and fumbling around in the dark, Hutch had finally covered his pit with more greenery. In the dark, the hole in the ground hardly needed any cover and Hutch had warned Starsky to stay back to avoid falling in again. The brunet smirked, but stayed back anyway and finally the blond had the pit and its camouflage to his satisfaction. He stood back and wiped his sweating hands down the sides of his legs.

'What now?' Starsky asked,

'Now we find ourselves a man.'

'Easy enough, considerin' they want to find us.'

'You'd think so, yeah, but I would have thought they'd have come after us by now. After all, he's bound to have found his friend.'

Starsky cocked his head on one side and set off that ache in Hutch's gut. Every move the brunet made was so familiar, so easy……so Starsky. Hutch felt that he had his friend back whenever he saw those familiar gestures and yet when Starsky opened his mouth and started once again to talk of killing Hutch in such a dispassionate way, it made the blond's mouth go dry.

'So what're ya sayin'?' Starsky asked.

'If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, then Mohammed is gonna have to go to the mountain.'

'Meaning?'

'We go find ourselves a bad guy.'

Starsky grinned for the first time that day. He still felt antsy and pumped up, but not as much as he had done that morning. Now, the feelings had faded to a mild anger at the world rather than feeling he needed to rip the head off of the nearest individual. He bowed to Hutch. 'Allow me.'

'What will you do?'

'Look. We need the man in the pit. Even I get that. So I'm gonna go find us a man, bring him back here and voila.'

'As simple as that huh?' Hutch asked, slightly amused.

'Simple as my Ma's blintzes.' For the space of a heartbeat Starsky paused.

'You remembered?' Hutch asked, his mouth gone dry at that familiar pet name being used so casually.

'Yeah…..I think I remember. Mom made the best blintzes on the east coast. See ya later.' The brunet flipped a cheeky salute and was gone into the darkness before Hutch could say anything more.

That moment had been agony for the blond. He was waiting for the flood of memories that would return to Starsky. He was waiting for the smaller man to clutch at his head as he, Hutch had and start to remember after that one word. He was waiting for Starsky to look up at him with those intense blue eyes and tell Hutch how sorry he was and how he remembered everything. Instead Hutch was left feeling empty, alone and just a little scared by the Starsky he was dealing with – a man Hutch knew could be utterly ruthless if the need arose. The blond's heart skipped a beat. Would it truly come down to a fight to the death between them? Could that happen?

And if it did, who would win?

There seemed to be years past as Hutch sat in the dark, alone with his thoughts. The island was quiet. The birds had taken to their beds and only the noise of the cicadas broke the quiet evening. The heat of the day had gone, to be replaced by a gentle warmth and Hutch felt himself drifting away on a tide of weariness as the gentle, warm breeze caressed his overheated skin. In fact he became so relaxed that he jumped as he heard a shout in the distance.

Starsky seemed to have done his job as there was the sound of vegetation cracking underfoot and then more shouts and ominously a gun shot shredded the silence. Instantly Hutch was on his feet peering into the darkness. Caution told him to stay back. Even superman couldn't see well enough to shoot straight in this light, but he did risk a rough shout

'Starsk?'

In answer, there were more footfalls and then a curly headed missile shot into the small clearing, leapt over the pit and stood facing the way he'd come with his hands out, fingers flicking in the time honoured "come get it" sign.

Starsky was closely followed by the final gunman and somehow Starsky seemed to have him so rattled that despite the gun in his hand, the man had not used it to shoot his quarry. Instead, the man charged down the small animal track like a wounded rhino, saw Starsky egging him on and took his last step ontp the loose vegetation and down into the pit.

Immediately both Starsky and Hutch moved forwards, edging closer to the edge to see the man laying in a broken heap at the bottom, his leg folded under him at an odd angle.

'Any holes in you?' Hutch asked quietly as he started to reach down into the pit.

'Not a one. This is hellish effective' Starsky grunted, joining the blond as he hauled the unconscious body of the gunman out and onto the flat ground. 'What do ya wanna do with him now?'

'What I really want to do is wake him up and get him to tell you the truth of what's going on, but we don't have time if we're gonna get to the boat and get back to the mainland by dawn.'

'So we leave him?'

'So we take him back to his friend. We tie them both up together and we get off of this fuckin' island.'

Starsky stood up and dusted off his hands. 'Sounds like a plan. Are you always so decisive?'

Hutch snorted. 'You'd better believe it Pal. Now gimme a hand here. The sooner him and his friend are tied, the sooner we can get out.'

Starsky looked down at the blond man and nodded. So far, he'd gone with what the doctor had told him. Hunt was a drug runner and a killer. He needed to be taken out. So far, Starsky had gone along with Hutch's story of him being a cop just to stop the blond man from talking but now….?

There was still so much confusion and fight left inside the brunet. It was like a cancer, growing and growing until sooner or later it would have to find an escape somewhere, somehow. But right now, the blond – Hutch….Hunt – was right. They needed off the island to finish whatever it was had been started.

Quietly Starsky followed his new found friend, never quite trusting Hutch and never quite relaxing.

There would be time. There was always time.