CHAPTER 8
Hutch sat behind the wheel of his car waiting for Starsky. He glanced at his watch a bit impatiently. It was already three-thirty. A tap on the side window startled him. He turned his head to see one of the other men who worked at the escort service peering through the pane.
Rolling down the window, Hutch frowned and said in an arrogant tone, automatically shifting into his undercover persona as Starsky's ex-boyfriend.
"Yeah? What do you want?"
"If you're waiting on Davey you're wasting your time. So why don't you just split? He made it pretty clear the other day that he didn't want to talk to you."
"Why don't you just mind your own business?" Hutch suggested with a sneer.
"Look, pal…just split or I'm gonna call the cops."
Hutch hesitated for a moment and then his lips drew into a thin, hard line. "Fine, I'll just catch David later." He twisted the key in the ignition, the engine sputtering to life. As he pulled away from the curb, the other man stood on the sidewalk watching until he was out of sight. Whatever had delayed Starsky from meeting him Hutch knew that his partner would catch up with him when he could.
When he still hadn't heard from Starsky two hours later, Hutch signed off duty and went home. After a long, refreshing shower, Hutch put some pork chops on for his dinner.
While the chops were broiling, he made a salad with fresh vegetables. He had just finished his meal preparations when the front door opened and Starsky strutted in.
"About time you showed up, partner," Hutch said "Hungry? There's enough for two."
"Great. I'm starved." Starsky said with a grin. "I didn't have a chance to eat lunch."
"What happened to you anyway? I waited on you till almost three-thirty until one of your friends from the escort service basically told me to move along before he called the cops."
"Yeah?" Starsky said with a grin. "Who was it?"
"Your friend, Matt. Where were you?"
"Me, Rick Jenkins and two of the women, Cindy and Jo Ann were hired to dress up a bachelor party. It was all set up before I even checked in today. It wasn't over until about half an hour ago." Starsky explained.
"What did they want escorts at a bachelor party for?"
"They wanted us to put a show. Rick and me were supposed to make out with the girls and then the girls were supposed to turn on the groom."
"That's a new one on me." Hutch said as he removed the chops from the broiler and prepared two plates. "So which one did you get paired up with?"
"Cindy. Jesus, Hutch. I felt like I was robbing the cradle just by touching her." Starsky grumbled.
Hutch laughed as he sat one of the plates and bottle of beer on the table in front of Starsky. "Don't worry, buddy. Your secret is safe with me."
After enjoying their meal, the two friends spent the rest of the evening watching a movie on TV and just enjoying each other's company. It was late when Starsky left to return to his rented room at the hotel.
Hutch was up at his usual time the next morning. Six a.m. Dressed in his running clothes, he left his apartment for his mile run. Health conscious, he tried to eat organic food and exercised on a regular basis. Of course, eating healthy with a junk food junkie like Starsky for a partner wasn't always possible.
The early morning air was brisk and the sun was already peeking over the mountains. Hutch began his daily run taking his usual route through his neighborhood. His long muscular legs fell into an easy, practiced jog. Jogging always rejuvenated the blond. Sometimes he was even able to convince his reluctant partner to join him for a run.
On the mornings he couldn't run because of the weather he went to his gym and worked out before going to work.
Twenty minutes later, he returned from his run slowing down to a walk about a block from his apartment. He had just passed an alley on the opposite side of his building when he felt someone grab him from behind, pulling him into the garbage strewn passageway. Before he had time to react to the sudden attack more hands grabbed him and threw him to the ground. The left side of his face scrapped against the asphalt and a sharp pain shot though his right knee.
A hard kick to the small of his back made Hutch yelp in pain. A second kick to his right temple made him feel as if his head exploded. In a flurry of violence more kicks followed from at least three different assailants. The best that Hutch could do to protect himself was to curl up in a fetal position and try to protect the more vulnerable parts of his anatomy. The beating continued even after Hutch lost consciousness.
Starsky had just stepped out of the shower when the phone rang. He grabbed the receiver on the third ring. "Yeah?" he said without bothering to identify himself since only a few select people had this phone number.
"Hutch was just taken to the emergency room at Memorial," Captain Dobey's voice said in his ear. "Somebody beat the hell out of him."
"On my way," Starsky said hastily, slamming down the receiver a bit harder than he intended to. He hurried to dress so he could get to his injured partner's side. Less than twenty minutes later he was roaring into the parking lot at the hospital. Pulling up in front of the emergency entrance, the Torino jerked to a halt as he slammed on the brakes. He jumped out of his car without bothering to turn off the engine and ran inside.
Captain Dobey immediately intercepted his anxious detective. Grabbing Starsky by the arms, he said firmly, "The doctor is in with him now. They'll let us know how he is as soon as they're done."
"What happened?" Starsky asked breathlessly as he let Dobey guide him over to one of the cheap plastic covered sofas in the waiting room.
"We're not sure. It looks like someone attacked him as he was returning from his morning run. One of the employees in the café on the first floor of the building found him when he came to work at seven. He knew Hutch by sight so he called it in."
"Nobody saw anything?"
"Not as far as we know. Evidence suggests there was more than one assailant, probably three or four. Hutch was outnumbered. He never had a chance to fight back." Dobey said somberly. "Hopefully, Hutch can tell us more when we get a chance to talk to him."
"How bad is it?" Starsky asked anxiously.
"A lot of cuts and bruises, maybe some broken ribs. Looks like the assailants kicked him instead of using their fists."
"Damn," Starsky muttered "I should have stayed there last night."
"Even if you had, you probably couldn't have done anything to stop it. He was coming back from his run."
"But, I might have found him sooner. I know his routine…I know how long it takes him to make his run. I would have known that something was wrong if he was late coming back."
"You can't blame yourself. You know that."
"Yeah, I know…"
Just then a doctor walked into the waiting room and announced, "Family for Hutchinson?"
Starsky jumped to his feet and bounded across the room to stand in front of the startled doctor.
"How is he? Can I see him? Is he all right?" Starsky peppered the doctor with rapid questions.
The doctor held up his hand and said, "Are you a family member?"
"I'm his partner and the closest thing he has to family in the city. I also have medical power of attorney."
"Partner?" The doctor said with an arching of his eyebrows and a disapproving tone in his voice.
"This is Detective Sergeant David Starsky and I am Captain Harold Dobey, Bay City P.D. Metropolitan Division. What is Detective Hutchinson's condition?" Dobey demanded in a firm voice.
"He's being moved to a room. I'd like to keep him overnight just as a precaution. He has numerous contusions and lacerations, three broken ribs and a slight concussion. He also has a badly sprained knee. He's a very lucky man. It could have been much worse. He'll be sore for a week or so but he should recover without any complications."
"Where is he? I want to see him." Starsky demanded
"He's been sedated. He won't be awake for hours. Why don't you come back to see him this afternoon?" The doctor said
"I'm not leaving until I see him. Now where is he?" Starsky said in a fiercely determined voice.
One look at Starsky's smoldering eyes and the doctor wisely decided not to argue. "He'll be in room 302. You can wait for him there if you wish." With those words, the doctor turned and hurried back into the emergency room.
"Go on." Dobey told Starsky "I'll wait for you here." He knew that Starsky would refuse to leave the hospital until he saw for himself that Hutch was okay. The heavyset black man settled into a nearby chair as the dark haired detective hurried over to the elevators to take one to the third floor.
On the third floor, Starsky ignored the nurse's station and walked down the hall to room 302. Within a few minutes, two orderlies pushed a gurney into the room with an unconscious Hutch lying on it. Starsky stood aside as they carefully transferred Hutch to the bed, put up the side rails, and then left the room.
Quietly Starsky stepped up to the side of the bed. There was a patch of road rash on Hutch's cheek and he had a black eye as well as a stitched gash on his forehead. The hospital gown hid most of the bruises and other injuries except for a long scrap along Hutch's left forearm.
"Hey, buddy," Starsky said softly as he reached out and ran his fingers through Hutch's wispy bangs. "If you wanted some time off all you had to do was tell the Captain." He gave his partner a weak smile even though Hutch wasn't awake to see it. "You're gonna be okay. The doc wants to keep you overnight but I'll be here later this afternoon to keep you company and I'll be here bright and early in the morning to spring ya." His eyes misted with unshed tears. "Try to stay out of trouble while I'm gone. Okay?"
Straightening up, Starsky squared his shoulders and left the room. As far as he was concerned the escort murders took a back seat to finding out who had hurt his partner.