Chapter 4

Hutch was getting out of his car Saturday night after visiting Huggy when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and he started falling to the ground. The big man that hit him caught him and put him in his four-door white Ford. When Hutch woke up he was handcuffed to a chair with his hands behind him. He had a black hood over his face. He moaned from the headache he had as he tried to sit up straight. "Good, I see you're finally waking up, Lieutenant Hutchinson."

"Huh? What happened? Where am I?"

"All your questions will be answered in good time. First I want to tell you that you cannot escape so don't even try."

Hutch tugged at the handcuffs that were binding him in place, "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Good. Now that that's settled, let's get down to business. I brought you here hoping we can make an arrangement that will be mutually beneficial."

"Mutually beneficial, huh. Okay, you have my undivided attention." Hutch licked his dry lips. "But first, can I have a drink of water."

"Of course, where are my manners? Please, forgive me, Ray, give the man some water."

Ray lifted the bottom of the hood just enough to give Hutch some water. Hutch could feel a glass being held up to his lips and he quickly swallowed some of the water that he was given. "That's better, thanks. You said something about a mutually beneficial arrangement?"

"I know that you and your ex-partner, a Lieutenant Dave Starsky, are having disagreements, am I correct," the man speaking to Hutch said, in a somewhat cold calculating voice.

"You could say that." Before the man could say anything Hutch asked, "How'd you know about that?"

"It's all over the streets. Tell me, do you want to beat him at this little one-upmanship game you have going? Do you want your men to make a lot of arrests and make yourself look good while your ex-partner falls apart?"

"I'm all for that. What do you have in mind?"

"You see, Lieutenant Hutchinson, you and Lieutenant Starsky are in the middle of a drug war."

"Oh, I see. You're fighting over Big John's area now that he's out of picture. Big John had the whole area didn't he; the docks and warehouse district as well as the bus and train stations? I have an idea. Why not tell me who is trying to move in on your turf and I'll bust them for ya?"

"That would be the easy way to go about it, Lieutenant, except, I don't know who that someone is. Now, if you have any ideas, I'd like to know about them and then me and my boys would be more than happy to take care of him without the assistance of the police."

"I see your problem. Am I correct in assuming that you already have control over the train and bus stations and are looking to expand your business to the docks and warehouse district?"

"Your assumptions are correct. Ray, remove the hood so that our guest can see." Ray removed the black hood that was over Hutch's head but it was so dark that Hutch couldn't see anyone but Ray.

"So, if I let you continue to operate in my district, you'll provide me with information on other activities that are getting in your way of expanding. Is that about right?"

"I knew you were a smart man when I first saw you."

"How long do I have to think about it?"

"About a minute."

"It's okay, I don't need that long. That stupid ex-partner of mine won't even talk to me. I don't care about his career anymore. If he can't keep up, I'm not going to cry over it. What do you want me to do?"

Hutch heard at least four people laughing. "A shipment will be arriving on Wednesday at the old abandoned tracks on Railroad Lane, do you know where that is?"

"Are you talking about the one by the small hill, that old place that has about ten empty boxcars?"

"That's the one."

"You want me to keep my people away from it Wednesday, you got it. What else?"

"That will do for starters. Now, you're going back to sleep and when you wake up you'll be in your own place."

Hutch saw Ray pick up a needle from a nearby table. "That's not necessary. I don't care much for needles." Hutch developed a fear of needles as a result of being kidnapped by Forrest and forced to become addicted to heroin a few years ago. Shots from medical personnel were one thing; but receiving a shot from some thug was another. He didn't know what was in the one he was about to receive and he struggled as much as he could. It took three men to hold him down as Ray jabbed the needle into his arm.

Hutch woke up in his own apartment on Sunday morning just as the voice had said he would. His head was past throbbing and Hutch was sure it would make a huge mess when it finally exploded. He stayed in bed until he realized his head wasn't going to explode after all. His memories were very vague. He remembered being blindfolded and handcuffed to a chair. There was something he was supposed to do…no it was someplace he was supposed to keep away from. He managed to stumble to the kitchen and get a glass of water. The memories of what happened came back to him slowly. He knew he needed sustenance to make his headache go away so he made his usual morning shake and sat down on the couch. By the time he finished his protein shake, his memory of last night's events were back. He wasn't given any instructions except to keep his men away from the train station on Wednesday and that should be easy enough. He went back to sleep for a couple of hours and his headache was gone by the time he woke back up. Feeling much better, he decided to see Huggy.

Wednesday came and Starsky had Manning, Forrest, Stevens and his partner Edwards along with some black and white units waiting to make the bust when the shipment came in. As it turns out, the information Starsky received was better than he thought. There was over a million dollars of heroin that came in.

Starsky was sitting on the back of his chair laughing as Forrest described the surprised look on the face of the man who delivered the good. "He honestly thought there would be no cops there, man was he surprised." Everyone broke out into laughter.

Hutch slammed the door to the squad room as he entered it. Daggers shot from his eyes as they met Starsky's. "Mad 'cause we got the drop on your beat, huh," Starsky taunted.

Hutch pointed that long index finger at him and yelled, "You stay out of my beat. Got it." He looked at Starsky's men and pointed at them saying, "that goes for all of you." He turned and walked away, shutting the door to his office, rather loudly.

Starsky watched as Hutch went into his office, he turned back toward Forrest, "Don't worry about him. He'll be fine."

"But it's not right, Lieutenant," Forrest said.

"It was his beat. He should have been on the bust," Manning added.

"There wasn't time."

"Where did you get info from anyway," Edwards asked.

"An anonymous tip came in just minutes before I called you guys."

Two days later Hutch received a tip about a shipment coming in the fish market that was in Starsky's area. His men made the arrests and it was Starsky's turn to be mad. Hutch laughed at him, "One good turn deserves another one right, old buddy!" He yelled at Starsky before retreating into his office. Laughing as he shut the door.

Starsky told his men to get back on the streets and he went into his own office, slamming the door behind him.

The next few days seemed pretty tense at the station. Hutch's men, Steve Reynolds and Bill Thomas, made the arrest on the car theft ring they were working on. It was a huge success for Hutch and he didn't mind gloating about it in front of Starsky.

Starsky and his team made an even a bigger bust than the one at the train station. This time, it was almost two million dollars worth of heroin that came in on a bus. It seems a group of tourists were carrying much more than clothes in their luggage. Hutch didn't say a word when he found out about it; instead he just lowered his head as he walked past Starsky and went into his office.