Chapter 17

The dreams finally shook Hutch awake after a couple of hours. His throat felt just as raw and sore as before the doctor had put him under again but his head had stopped pounding and the cessation of pain allowed him to think more clearly about Dobey's visit earlier that morning. Who would have believed that the woman who had professed her undying love to him for over three months would turn out to be the daughter of his and his partner's arch enemy- James Gunther? How cold and calculating could the woman have been for God's sake! She must have been planning this for the four years it had been since they'd put her father away for life. Damn it! Hutch knew he needed to get to her to talk to her, but he also knew that Dobey would have none of it. As the victim of a crime, Hutch could hardly go in all guns blazing to interview Sue, but there was nothing to stop him being present – watching in another room. Well, nothing except the fact that he was stuck in hospital hooked up to drips and monitors.

For a moment, Hutch thought about calling the doctor and asking for the medic to release him, but having heard in the dim recesses of his drugged mind the conversation that the doctor had had with Dobey, he didn't think for one minute that he'd be discharged that easily.

He needed a different plan and turning over with a muted groan, Hutch reached for the bedside phone and asked for the number for the Pits. Huggy Bear usually got to work at about 11:00am and so the phone picked up on the second ring and the black barkeep's laconic voice sounded down the phone.

'Huggy Bear, don't be square.'

'Hug?'

'Hutch, my man! How are you doin'?' Huggy sounded genuinely relieved to hear from the blond, considering that the last time they'd been together, Hutch looked as though he was at death's door.

'Been better, but I need to ask a favour.'

'Anythin'. You know better than to ask.'

'Hug, I need to get outa here. I need your help' Hutch hissed urgently into the phone.

'Oh now, hold it Blondie. You is sick with a capital S. You need to stay put and get well, that's what you need.'

Hutch sighed, having anticipated the reaction from his friend. Huggy had his best interests at heart, but he needed out. Now. He tried again. 'Huggy, please. Just bring me a set of clothes and some wheels an' break me out huh?'

'Why the urgency?' Huggy asked, hedging for time.

'Because I just found out who the girl I thought was my girlfriend really was an' I need to be there to see what she has to say when they interview her' Hutch explained.

'Well you know who she is. An evil little bint called Sue Gardener.'

'Uh uh. Try again Hug. Seems Starsk an' me were suckered into all this by one Susan Gunther.' The blond paused letting the name sink in with his buddy.

'You mean Susan Gunther as in…..?'

'One and the same Hug. My girl is the daughter of James Gunther. She's planned all this for years and Hug, she knows where Starsky is. I need to find out.'

There was a rattled quality to Huggy's voice. The barman was shaken to the core by the revelation and for a moment he could find no words to express his feelings. Finally he cleared his throat. 'Oh my God! Course ya do. You think he's still alive - Starsky?'

'Yeah, I think so. I've thought so all along, but for how much longer is anyone's guess. Hurry Huggy. Just hurry huh?' Hutch smiled to himself as he heard the phone go dead at the other end. He could always count on Huggy Bear to come through in a crisis and now he led back, and waited.

Within an hour, the door to Hutch's private room opened and with the air of a secret agent on the run from the Russians, Huggy inserted his lanky frame between door and lintel and closed it behind him. He grinned at the man in the bed and waved a small holdall in the blond's general direction.

'One escape kit a la Huggy. Are ya sure you wanna do this Hutch? You still look like shit man.'

Hutch threw back the sheets and with care swung his legs over the edge of the bed. If he was to be honest, he felt like shit too, although not as bad as a couple of hours ago. He took the black BP cuff off his right arm and fumbled with the sticky tape holding the cannula in the back of his left hand. Wincing slightly, he pulled out the inch and a half plastic tube from his vein and stuck his thumb over the tiny puncture wound as it started to bleed.

Wobbling as he stood, Hutch managed to get dressed with relative ease. He felt as though he'd been kicked in the stomach by a mule and his throat was sore and raw as though someone had cleaned down it with sandpaper, but at least he was able to stand upright this time without losing his last cup of tea onto the floor. Within five minutes, the blond was dressed in jeans and tee shirt, socks and loafers and although the clothes didn't cling quite as tightly as they had two weeks ago, they hid the plough furrow ribs and jutting hip bones. With a final sigh he looked over at the bar man who'd been keeping lookout.

'Ready?' he asked.

Huggy checked outside again and nodded. 'Coast is clear, it's now or never.'

Hutch stood up from the bed a little too quickly and made a grab fro the nightstand as he fought for control, heaving deep breaths to keep his stomach in check. Huggy raised his eyebrows.

'You sure about this Blondie?'

'Hug, don't argue, just get me the hell outa here huh?' Hutch said, ignoring the room that was spinning like a top around him. He placed a hstily scribbled note explaining his absense onto the empty bed and then staggered over to his buddy and, hanging on tightly to Huggy's arm, the two men made their way quickly and silently out to the waiting car.

The cream coloured caddy was a luxurious refuge for the two escapees and as Hutch got in, he closed his eyes, panting hard. The short walk down to the parking lot had taken it out of the blond and he felt exhausted but at the same time glad to be out of the hospital and on the move.

Huggy got into the car and turned on the engine. 'Metro?' he asked although he knew the answer.

'Uh huh. And quick' the blond panted, leaning his head back against the headrest.

'Hutch are ya sure you should be goin' there? I mean she's one slippery chick, an' you aint exactly Captain Marvel at the moment. Are you sure this is the right thing for ya to do?'

'I have to Hug. Just drive huh? Maybe I need to sleep a little' Hutch said fighting the waves of exhaustion that threatened to wipe him out.

'Fine. Give it the Zzzs for a while. I'll wake ya when we get there.'

Hutch closed his eyes and within seconds was once again asleep, unhappy with just how weak he still was. Huggy drove confidently and smoothly down town and within ten minutes pulled up outside the police headquarters. Gently he prodded the blond's shoulder.

'Hey Blondie. Metro ahoy. Wakey wakey huh?'

Hutch pulled himself up out of his sleep and rubbed his eyes with his knuckles, reaching for the door handle. Walking wasn't quite so easy this time and he leaned even more heavily on Huggy's arm, taking the elevator down to the basement and the interview rooms rather than walking down the steps. As he pushed open the door to the corridor leading to the interview rooms one of the sergeants on duty looked up in astonishment.

'Hutch! I thought you were in the hospital Pal'.

'I was, but I um….got out today. I needed to be here Joe. Has Sue Gunther's interview started yet?' Hutch asked, trying to keep himself upright and not looking like something that would fall over at a second's notice.

'Yeah, about ten minutes ago. Room sixteen. But you can't go in Hutch. You know the rules.'

'I can watch from fifteen though' the blond grunted. 'Who's doin' the questionin'?'

Joe checked his sheet of paper. 'Dobey and Joan Meredith. At the moment Dobey is playin' good cop.'

'Fine. You know where I'll be' the blond snapped as he started off down the corridor. The floor seemed to tip and he made a grab for the wall, correcting himself a moment later as Joe called after him

'Dobey thought you might get here. He told me not to let you down there. You don't look so good Hutch. Is this a good idea?'

'That's just what I been askin' him. But he's stubborn as a mule an' twice as ornery. You aint gonna stop him' Huggy offered as he followed the flaxen haired cop down the corridor. He found Hutch looking through the two way mirror separating rooms fifteen and sixteen. The blond leaned his head against the wall as he listened to the questions and answers through the intercom. Gently, Huggy brought up a chair and eased his buddy down into it as Hutch continued to stare at the woman through the mirror.

Sue Gunther seemed composed. She sat with her back to the door, facing into the mirror, her back ramrod straight and her hands folded on the table in front of her. Captain Dobey was perched on the table to her side and Joan Meredith prowled along the back of the room providing an intimidating presence.

The two men in room fifteen listened.

'We know what you did to Ken Hutchinson. We want to know why.' Dobey was asking.

'You didn't know shit till I confessed. He deserved to die. Both of them did for what they did to my Father.'

'So you admit you took David Starsky too?'

Sue glared at him, but remained tight lipped as Meredith planted her hands down on the table so that her face was inches from Gunther's.

'It aint polite to ignore a question lady. Tell the man what he wants to know.'

Sue snickered. 'Take your dirty black face outa my sight nigger. I won't talk to you.'

Meredith grabbed Sue's collar and drew the woman towards her. 'Don't give me that nigger shit. You took the man that I once partnered and I'm gonna make you sweat till you tell me where he is. Got that, lady?'

'You'll never find him' Sue snorted. 'Never.'

'So you do admit you took Starsky.'

'Fuck you!' Sue said. In the next room, Hutch had stiffened at the semi admission and Huggy watched as the blond's fists balled and he clutched then to his sides, fighting for control. Softly he put his hands on Hutch's shoulders.

'Easy man' the black man whispered. 'Let 'em do their job huh?'

'She took Starsk' Hutch said in a pained voice. 'She took him. If she can do that to me, what's she done to him?'

Inside, the interview was continuing as Dobey pushed Meredith gently away. 'What my friend is trying to say is that we'd like to know where you took him and what you did to him' Dobey said, locking eyes with the woman. 'This aint doin' you any good Sue. Maybe if you tell us and we get to him, we can cut a deal huh?'

'Cut a deal? Like you did with my Daddy? Starsky should have died back in that garage' Sue snapped, her face changing from impassive to angry. 'Daddy saw to it that they paid when they missed killing him. He watched all the news reports – taped every single one of 'em so that he could listen to how that pig suffered time and again. And when he got better I made damned sure he'd live to regret it. I….'

Suddenly the door to the interview room was flung open and a blond whirlwind cannoned into the room, aiming straight for Sue like a radio guided golden missile. Huggy hadn't seen it coming. Hutch had been sitting watching the woman intently, but when she'd started badmouthing his partner, the flaxen haired cop had leapt from his chair and bolted out of the room before the lanky black man could stop him.

Now Hutch had his ex girlfriend by the throat backed up against the wall of the interview room. He slapped her once, full force across the face before staring deep into her eyes.

'You tell me where my partner is right now, or so help me I'll kill ya right here, right now' the blond yelled at her, his hand circling her throat. As Sue smiled up at him, mocking him with her eyes, Hutch started to squeeze, his fingers locking around her throat.

'Kill me an' you'll never find him' Sue gasped.

'Tell me where Starsky is' the blond grunted. 'Tell me now, or so help me…'

Behind him, Dobey put a restraining hand on the blond's shoulder. 'Hutchinson, back off' the Captain thundered trying to pull the grief stricken cop away. Hutch shrugged the hand off and squeezed harder on Sue's throat so that she started to gasp and cough.

'You tell me now you evil little bitch or you're gonna die.'

The woman managed a final smile. 'He'll be dead before you get to him. He's hurt – bad. And all the time he was being hurt he called for you until he told us he hated you because you never came for him. Think on that Ken. Take that with you to the grave. Your partner died cursing your name because you couldn't save him.'

Hutch's control snapped. With a blood curdling scream he drew back his fist to drive it into Sue's smug face. As it started forward on its way to it's target, a meaty black fist caught it and held it in a powerful grip. Hutch whirled and launched a punch at Dobey, incensed that he couldn't carry out his threat to kill the woman. She was lying he knew, but the words hurt and the vision of his partner crying out for him stayed with him.

'Noooo. Lemme go. Lemme get at her. I'm gonna kill her. I'm gonna fuckin' kill her' Hutch sobbed as Joe and another officer came in and dragged him bodily from the room. As he was hauled away Sue yelled after him.

'Remember Ken. Dave hated you in the end.'

With a final gasp, the emotions caught up with the weakened cop and as Joe took a hold of him around the waist, he collapsed against the sergeant, his head falling forward as he passed out in the corridor.

Back in the interview room, Sue looked on in satisfaction, confident in the knowledge that the brunet would never be found until it was far too late.