GUTTERS AND ALLEYS

CHAPTER THREE

Good day...thank you for being here..I hope you are still enjoying a night with the guys. I like to pretend I am riding around in the back of the car with them...as they drive from event to event. Of course, they don't know I'm there...ease dropping. LOL.

Enjoy! And thank you again for coming along for the ride.

10-103f Disturbance by fight

The car was library quiet as we continued on our shift. I rubbed the back of my neck and yawned, barely able to keep my eyes open.

"Starsk, you don't look like you're going to make it much further without a real night's sleep, pal."

"I'm wide awake," I said, feeling Hutch's suspicious eyes on me.

I glanced over at my partner. "What? You don't believe me?"

"Nope," Hutch laughed.

I suppressed another yawn and stretched. "It's true," I fibbed. "Besides, you look like you're about to fall asleep at the wheel. Why don't you let me drive?"

"No thanks, buddy -- don't want to end up in a t-tree or in a d-ditch," my over-caffeinated partner stuttered.

"Hutch, are you trying to tell me something?" I slunk down in my seat with a low groan, my whole body hurt.

"You catch a few more winks, Starsk. I'll drive. Trust me, you're going to need it. We got a long night ahead of us."

"Hutch, I got a better idea."

"What's that?"

"I'll sleep and you drive," I gave a sleep-drunken snort. "Just give me ten minutes," I said as we both got quiet.

I had to shake this cold, and what better way to do that, than with a little more shuteye.

"Zebra Three. Zebra Three."

We both jumped nearly out of our skin when dispatch broke the stillness. Some crazy call about a couple of drunks and a hooker who had stolen their wallets and car keys. "Respond Code Three." (Lights and sirens).

I was wide-awake now.

When Hutch and I arrived at the trailer park, we didn't expect the gunfire but it wasn't hard to pin down which trailer the bullets were coming from. Hutch radioed in to dispatch, 'shots fired, and pulling the car as close as we dared. Cutting the engine, Hutch left the mars light spinning and the high beams spotlighting the trailer. We both drew our guns, slipped out of the car, and squatted down behind the rear bumper. Bullets flew every which way, like an angry beehive that had been poked with a stick. Most of the trailer's windows were already busted out and I could see inside. There were three people, two male and one female. One of the men was visibly larger and dressed head to toe in shiny black leather.

We held our positions, not wanting to catch a stray bullet, and trying to decide how to handle this one, as dispatch had informed us they were trying to find our closest back up.

"Did you think you were going to get away without paying me?" I peered out from behind the back bumper to see the larger of the two males inside the trailer. He screamed at the other man. "You think this shit is candy? It don't come cheap! Pay me now!" he yelled.

"No! Stop!" The woman screamed, then fell out of sight as more bullets pinged against metal, and finally busted out the last remaining windows.

This was no ordinary shakedown. I gave a quick glance around. There were several other trailers close by, and I could see a few folks peeking out from behind curtains and cracked doors. We had to get the situation under control fast before someone got killed.

I eyed Hutch, who had moved to squat near the front of the car. A terrific idea suddenly flashed inside my brain. Thinking fast on my feet was something I'd learned as a kid. However, back then thinking fast didn't do me much good when playing cops and robbers. Of course, I was always the cop and my pretend partner Billy Radison was always in zombieland. He could never read my silent signals, and we almost always got squirt gunned, loosing the game to the robbers.

I'm lucky that in my real life cops and robbers game, I got one of those really good partners who could always see that "I got a plan" look in my eye.

I straightened my shoulders and gave Hutch 'the look'. He was the best partner anyone could ever have as he nodded giving me the go-ahead. Hutch would follow my lead.

I rose up from behind the car and yelled.

"Police! Come out with your hands up!" I commanded.

"Fuck off, pigs!"

The gentleman lacked sophistication, like I figured.

Hutch and I hit the dirt, as gunfire was now directed our way. We didn't fire back, still worried about all the trailers and innocent bystanders. When the bullets stopped flying, I scrambled back up into a crouched position once more, my eyes cutting straight to Hutch's. He looked a little shaken but waved a hand, reassuring me he was fine.

'Some plan',' he mouthed, and rolled his eyes.

'What?' I mouthed back. So, the old cliche 'come out with your hands up' only worked in the movies. Was worth the try.

I couldn't see where the men had gotten to and there was no ground cover. I was certain they were still in there as I could hear rummaging around inside. Plan B-- charging the trailer wasn't a good idea -- I knew a bullet could pin one of us before we made it to the front door. No way Hutch and I could apprehend these guys alone. The word 'alone' suddenly turned a light bulb on inside my brain. Plan C.

I held up a finger and wiggled it at Hutch letting him know to hold his position.

"This is the Bay City Police Department!" I shouted with as much authority as I could. "Come out now or I'm sending in S.W.A.T.!" I bluffed.

Hutch looked at me wide-eyed, and I shrugged modestly -- worth the try, partner.

All was quiet, so I gave the command again. "Come out with your hands in the air!"

No response. I reached around me and found a large rock.

"Hold your fire, men!" I yelled over my shoulder. "Sergeant Harley, hit them with the tear gas!" I stood and lobbed the stone as hard as I could through a half-shattered window. "Get the K-9 unit in there now, Matthews!" I barked like a dog -- literally.

Hutch snickered, "Starsky that's not going to work, that…is…the dumbest --"

Suddenly, two men, and a pale and shaky woman emerged, illuminated by the high beams of Hutch's car. They stood very still on the porch just outside the shot-up doorway with their hands in the air.

"It was them. They tried to kill me!" The smaller man shouted his accusation.

"I can't believe you!" Hutch scratched his head as he stood, gun raised and pointed at the suspects. "Nobody move!" he ordered all three of them.

"What the hell is going on?" Leather Pants shouted. "Where's everybody, where's the dogs?" he asked, hands nervously shaking in the air and eyes darting around.

I was right at my partner's back, trying to hide my satisfied smile, just now hearing our backup fast approaching.

"Here they come now." I hiked a thumb over my shoulder, and gave a deep bark. "Come on, Fancy Pants." I laughed at his disgusted smile as I gripped the man's full grain leather lapel, dragged him roughly off the porch and cuffed him.

"You lying bastard!" The woman spit in my eye, her angry gaze nearly drilling a hole in me.

I was glad when Bernie trotted up and slapped the cuffs on her, so I didn't have to.

"It's over, folks." Hutch smiled and waved politely at the few worried residents who still were peeking out from behind curtains and cracked doors. "You're lucky, pal." Hutch turned to me and gave my back a hearty pat. "You know what they say about a woman scorned."

"No, Hutch, what do they say?"

"Hell hath no fury like a lady scorned," Hutch gave a soft laugh.

"Lucky for me, that..." I pointed a stiff finger at the spitting screaming wild haired demon being shoved into a police cruiser, "...is no lady."

With both bad guys and one bad girl stuffed securely in the back seat of a black and white, we watched them speed off.

Everything now was quiet as a grave, as Hutch and I walked back to the car. I suddenly felt shaky and weak. Even though there was a cool breeze, I felt hot and I was sweating. Just as I got to the car, I woozily grabbed hold of the door handle. I blinked and shook my head a little, that seemed to clear away the pesky black dots that tried to take over my vision.

"Hey," Hutch called as he glanced over the dented roof at me.

"'S all right," I answered my partner's unspoken question.

Hutch opened his mouth and I could see the concern written all over his face, and knew what he was about to say. But the speech never came as he looked away.

"You hungry?" He asked when he turned back toward me.

"Yeah." I smiled, as I knew how hard it was for Blue Eyes to squash the urge to mother me.

"Al's?" Hutch suggested much to my surprise.

He never wants to eat there. I must look pretty pathetic for him to offer that.

"Sounds terrific," I said, as we both got back into the car, some of my wooziness subsiding as I thought about our next destination. Maybe I could try and stomach some food.

TBC