Chapter 18

Ronnie was smart enough to realize that nothing good was going to come of this association with Diaz. He wasn't sure he believed that Diaz knew where he lived but he couldn't take that chance.

He needed help to get away and hoped Starsky would somehow know what to do. So he worked up his nerve and dug out the card with the cop's home and work numbers that he had been given. He went to the corner phone booth and placed the call to the cop's home.

On the third ring, Ronnie was about to hang up when the cop answered.

"Starsky here.."

The young boy didn't respond right away and even wanted to hang up but….

"lo? Who's this?" Starsky sounded annoyed when empty seconds went by without anyone speaking.

"It's Ronnie. You said I could call you anytime." The boy tried to control the fear in his voice.

"Hey, Ronnie! What's up?" The detective sounded glad to hear from him so the teen continued before he lost his nerve.

"Can I meet you somewhere? There's somethin' I need to talk to ya about. But promise…" Ronnie almost hung up again but put his trust in the phone call.

"…Nobody from Child Welfare Services, right?" Starsky stood in his living room and paced as far as the phone cord would let him. Perhaps the boy was ready to believe in him.

Ronnie shifted from foot to foot and glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to see Diaz lurking about.

He swallowed before answering. "Yeah." He flipped the hair back off his face. He was afraid of Diaz but didn't want to get anybody hurt, especially Starsky. Ronnie just wanted to set this up and be done with it.

Starsky eagerly suggested the time, not wanting to give Ronnie the chance to back out.

" Meet me at Parker Center tomorrow, about two, okay? Gotta be somewhere in the morning but go right to my desk. It's the one with the piggy bank."

"OK. See ya tomorrow." Ronnie plopped the receiver back in the cradle and rested his forehead against the hand set. He backed away and gently touched the fresh cut to his cheek. It had stopped bleeding but it stung. He didn't want to know what Diaz had planned but he refused to believe that anyone would be hurt further. He'd do what the older boy asked, get his lighter back and get the hell out of Bay City. In order to do that he needed more money. He hadn't worked for Merle in over a week and doubted the old man would take him back even if he showed up. Instead, he'd rely on his skill at stealing wallets and was sure he could filch several hundred bucks and perhaps get out of the city before Diaz found him again.

As Starsky hung up the phone, he turned in time to see Hutch scowling at him. He wasn't in the mood for another argument. There was too much to look forward to.

"So that was Ronnie?" Hutch set the guitar on the floor and leaned back against the chair. He waited for his friend to answer who continued to pace, this time the length of the living room.

"Ronnie wants to talk, so after I see the doctor, I'll meet him at the precinct."

Starsky looked forward to the appointment because he felt certain that he'd be released to go back to work. He hadn't had a headache in days and he felt strong and rested again.

Just yesterday, Hutch had been cut loose from physical therapy and would turn in his own return to work slip. Belatedly, he remembered that they'd made plans to meet up at the squad room, hand Dobey their releases and celebrate at Huggy's.

Rubbing the crease between his eyes, Hutch resisted saying what he thought. It wasn't the fact that their plans had been changed but the reason for the change. He couldn't put his finger on his misgivings about Ronnie. He didn't know anything about the boy except negative things. He couldn't get the image of Starsky lying on the ground bleeding from a head wound and Ronnie standing over him with the bloody board. The kid even ran away rather than defend his reason for being there.

Sensing Hutch's mood, Starsky wanted to reassure his friend that it was just one small step toward a friendship. The dark-haired man wanted to reach out to the young boy, make sure he had someone in his life that he could count on.

"All we're doing is talking. I just want to help him." He crossed to the center of the living room and plopped down on the couch. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he faced his friend.

"Besides, he fixed your car didn't he?" Starsky watched as Hutch relaxed and truly smiled this time. His blue eyes reflected amusement.

"I'll give him that Starsk… no added fuzzy dice or leopard striped seat covers. That car runs like a dream!" The mood of both men brightened as they continued to discuss the young man's success with the LTD.

Starsky wanted to keep Hutch's mood light and away from the negative thoughts about Ronnie. Teasing his friend about the LTD was always bound to make their talk friendly again.

"Yeah, that heap hasn't stalled out or over heated." Starsky followed Hutch into the kitchen, eager to continue the light hearted exchange but also it was his friend's turn to cook and he was hungry.

The blond stalked into the kitchen, anxious to drop the subject. He didn't understand Starsky's willingness to give the boy the benefit of the doubt. For Hutch it all added up to a life gone wrong. Petty theft, life on the streets with no personal direction was all he could see.

"So it's settled." Starsky sat on the counter waiting for his friend to start dinner.

"What's settled?" Hutch scratched his head as he brought his attention back to the present.

"We'll meet at the precinct tomorrow, hand Dobey our back to work orders then talk with Ronnie."

Hutch sighed, as he smiled slightly. "You'll talk to Ronnie and I'll meet you at Huggy's. Remember, I got a car that runs now." He bent down to retrieve a few potatoes for dinner.

A few more well placed digs from Starsky, followed by defensive praise of his car and Hutch let himself relax as he began to prepare their meal.

He took out steaks from the refrigerator along with the ingredients for a salad. When Starsky went to work on cutting up the veggies, Hutch knew that they were back in sync again. He pushed down his misgivings and prepared to enjoy the rest of their evening.