CHAPTER FOUR

Two days later, Alice and Huggy were on their way to Mesa, Arizona. Alice had arranged to take a few days off using the excuse that she was visiting an aunt who was ill. She hated lying to Brad and Shane but she knew if she told them where she was really going and why, they would try to talk her out of it.

Alice had always had a soft spot in her heart for her 'handsome Hutch' even though she knew that he'd never reciprocate her advances. She'd felt his pain almost as acutely as he did after Starsky had been murdered. She had watched him change over the years, as he slowly destroyed himself in his grief. If it had been within her power to take away his pain, she would have done it, no matter what it took. That was why she had to check out the man in the picture. In her heart, she knew it couldn't really be Starsky in the picture, but she had to be sure. There was something about the man's face that she just couldn't get out of her mind.

"So," Huggy said as he drove along the interstate towards Arizona. "You got any idea how to find this guy once we get there?"

"I don't know." Alice admitted "I guess we'll just have to go to the bar where Brad found the girl working and show some people the picture and see if anybody knows who he is."

"And what if that doesn't work?"

"I don't know…I guess if we don't find him that way, then we'll have to go back home."

"What? You expect us to come all this way and then just give up like that if we don't find him right away?" Huggy said in a surprised voice.

"Well, do you have any better ideas?" Alice demanded in a flustered voice.

"Maybe," Huggy assured her with a wide grin. "I happen to have a cousin who lives in Phoenix and he might be able to help us find our mysterious friend in the picture."

"How?"

"It's probably better if you don't know all the details." Huggy smirked "Let's just say that he has ways of finding people that don't necessarily want to be found."

"I knew there was a reason that I wanted you to come along with me." Alice said with a giggle. Truthfully, she was grateful for the black man's company on this little trip.

He was one of the few people who had never looked down on her or treated her any differently when she was working as a hooker. Huggy was a valued friend to the unfortunate people who lived on the street. He was always there when they needed help with a free meal, a few bucks or even a place to stay for the night.

It was early evening when they finally arrived at their destination. Huggy had arranged for them to stay at the home the cousin that he had mentioned earlier. Huggy's vast network of relatives scattered all over the United States came in handy at times.

They spent a quiet, relaxing evening resting up from their long drive. They planned to visit the bar where Brad had found the missing girl the following afternoon. Even though she had just met Huggy's cousin, with her natural charm and southern hospitality, Alice fit right in. It was the same charm that made her so popular with her clients when she was working the streets.

The next morning, Alice made them all an old fashioned southern breakfast which went over well with the two men who appreciated her thoughtfulness and kindness. Over their bjections, afterwards, she insisted on washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen. Alice's parents had raised her to repay a kindness with a kindness and it made her happy to being doing simple domestic chores in exchange for a place to stay while she was in town.

That afternoon, Huggy drove to a little club called The Rebel Rose on the edge of town. Since it had only been open for a few minutes when they arrived, there was nobody there that early in the day except for the staff on duty. It didn't take them long to show all the dancers and waitresses the picture of the man in the picture but, unfortunately, none of the employees seemed to know who he was. One girl said that she remembered him coming in a couple of times in the past but, not very often and she didn't know his name. She said that he was always polite and she remembered that he was a good tipper but that was all she knew. Although Alice was disappointed, she wasn't ready to give up yet. Maybe Huggy's cousin would have better luck.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all," Alice said in a discouraged voice as they walked back to Huggy's white Cadillac.

"Don't give up hope yet." Huggy said firmly as he turned on the engine and backed out of the parking lot. "I'm sure Curtis will come up with something."

When they returned to his cousin's house, they were happy to discover that Curtis had indeed come up with some useful information. Huggy glanced at the slip of paper his cousin handed him and read aloud, "His name is Mitch Conners and he lives at 3307 Arrowhead Drive Apartment 4 B." Huggy skimmed through the rest of the information and then continued, "He's lived here for the past four years and he works for some sort of consulting firm. " Huggy frowned as he read the rest of the notes his cousin had jogged down for them. "Other than that, nobody seems to know much about him at all. He's single, doesn't seem to have a steady girlfriend and keeps to himself."

"When can we go see him?" Alice asked anxiously.

"No time like the present." Huggy said, almost as anxious to meet the mystery man as Alice was. Thanking his cousin for his help, they left the house and climbed back into Huggy's car. After a couple of wrong turns, Huggy finally found the address on the paper.

It was a two story building with a walled in courtyard. Each apartment had a separate outside entrance with a covered breezeway leading up to the second floor of the building. Apartment 4 B was on the second story. Huggy and Alice climbed the steps to the step floor balcony and easily located the correct apartment. Huggy knocked on the door and waited for a minute before knocking again, louder and more insistently. There was still no answer.

"Damn," Alice muttered when she realized the man they were looking for didn't seem to be at home. "What should we do now?"

"Well," Huggy said slowly "We could come back later or…since we're already here…we could let ourselves in and take a little look around." He looked around furtively to make sure nobody was watching them and then pulled a small slender tool out of his jacket. He looked at Alice with a grin and whispered, "Don't ask." Within seconds, he had picked the lock on the door and had it open. He and Alice quickly ducked inside and closed the door behind them.

Alice stood in the middle of the sparsely furnished living room and looked around. There were no pictures on the walls, no books or magazines lying on the coffee table and no dirty dishes visible in the tiny kitchenette. The apartment didn't even look lived in. It was too neat, too clean and too sterile looking. A quick detour into the bedroom and adjoining bathroom showed them to be just as clean and immaculate as the rest of the apartment. Alice looked at Huggy with a sad expression in her soft blue eyes.

"This place doesn't even look like anybody lives here." She said softly. "The poor guy must not have much of a life."

"Something ain't right." Huggy said with a shake of his head. "Like you said, either this guy doesn't have much of a life or he's hiding from something."

"What makes you think that?" Alice asked in a puzzled tone.

"Look at it this way, he doesn't have much to pack if he decides to leave in a hurry."

"You got that right." Alice said, taking another glance around the apartment. She felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow for the man who lived here. Everybody needed somebody in their life they could count on and this guy didn't seem to have anyone.

Even during her darkest days out on the streets of Bay City, Alice always knew that she had friends she could turn to. She looked back at Huggy Bear and smiled "So what now?"

Before Huggy had a chance to answer her question, the front door slammed open and a deep voice growled menacingly, "What the fuck are you doing in my apartment?"

Huggy and Alice turned their gaze towards the doorway and found themselves staring down the barrel of a gun pointed straight at them and being held by a very angry man.