Miami Vice vs Starsky and Hutch 

by

Cynthia

            Sonny Crocket and Ricardo Tubbs sat in the darkness as the boat slowly approached the dock.  They were both on edge.  They had been on this case for over two months and this was the first time they would have Salvador Montoya and the drugs in the same place.  He was bringing the dope in by the ton and he always kept his distance.  They only hoped this was one time the candy was too sweet to stay away.

            The boat reached the dock and Sonny watched as Montoya stepped out of the car sitting not far from the dock.

            “Here we go”, Sonny spoke quietly into his radio.

            Just as Montoya was about to shake the hand of the man who had brought the cocaine to him, something reflected in his eyes.  He turned towards Sonny’s direction and looked around. 

            “Shit”, Sonny bit out.  “Something’s got him spooked.”

            Sonny clenched the radio tightly in his hand as Montoya jumped into the car and it sped off. 

            “Move”, Sonny yelled into the radio.

            Before anyone could even reach the dock, the boat exploded.  Sonny looked over at Rico who was just as shocked by the scene as he had been.

            In Castillo’s office Sonny paced back and forth in front of the desk.

            “We’ve been on Montoya for two months and the DEA just had to crash the party!  Ten million dollars in snow gone!”

            “Montoya’s skipped town”, Castillo told them.  “He’s has to find a new source of distribution for the cocaine.”

            “The Columbians won’t be kind when they get wind of what happened”, Rico offered.

            “Montoya’s killed two of their agents”, Castillo told them.  “The DEA are willing to do whatever is necessary to bring him down.  The suggestion is to keep you on him for the duration.”

            “We have to find him first”, Rico told him.

            “He’s setting up shop in Los Angeles somewhere.  You both are being attached to one of the smaller departments.  I’ve spoken with the captain and he wants to put you with his two best cops.  They know every in and out.”

            “That’s just great”, Sonny interjected.  “We’re going in as tourists and we’ll be sitting on our hands while they go for the glory.”

            “You’ve been guaranteed full cooperation by the commissioner.”

            Sonny and Rico still weren’t satisfied with the arrangements, but they wanted Montoya.  As they left the room, Sonny looked over at his partner.

            “I’ve never been to California”, Sonny told him with a smile.

            “Fine women”, Rico replied.

            “Think we’ll see any movie stars”, Sonny responded with a sarcastic smile.

            Rico laughed as they walked out of the squad room.

            Hutch was breathing hard as he chased after the perp.  He had just robbed a liquor store and Hutch laid chase just as the guy left the store.  He could hear the siren not far from him and he wished he had decided to take his car today instead.  The guy rounded into an alley and Hutch kept on his tail.

            The perp crossed off into another street where a fruit vendor was sitting.  Hutch was finally on him and made a grab for his jacket and both went tumbling into the fruit and vegetables.  Hutch wrestled with him amongst the fruit ignoring the squashed fruit.  He was finally able to get the handcuffs on him.  After two slippery attempts to pull the suspect up, Hutch pulled him out of the mess.

            He looked over as Starsky pulled up in his car and the uniformed cops pulled up behind him.

            “Where the hell were you”, Hutch asked his partner.

            “I was coming”, Starsky told him.

            Hutch handed the suspect over to the uniforms and walked over to the car.

            “You’re not getting in my car”, Starsky yelled.

            “The car will be fine, Starsk.”

            “It’s leather upolstry, Hutch.  You sit in it with that mess and I’ll never get the smell out.”

            “Tough”, Hutch told him as he took his jacket off.

            Starsky didn’t say anything as Hutch got in the car and slammed the door closed.

            “Take me to my place”, Hutch told him.  “I need to clean up.”

            “Thought you liked all that healthy stuff”, Starsky said with a grin.

            Before Hutch could respond to the remark, the radio went off.

            “Zebra three, respond.”

            “This is Zebra three”, Starsky replied.

            “See Captain Dobey at the precinct.”

            “We’ll be there in thirty”, Starsky told him.

            “The order is now, zebra three.”

            Hutch sighed as Starsky turned the car around and headed to the precinct.

            A few minutes later, Starsky and Hutch arrived in the squad room to an applause from the fellow officers.  Hutch wished he could fall through the floor.  He had never been seen in such a mess.  They walked into Dobey’s office and before they could sit Dobey started.

            “Where the hell have you two been”, he demanded.

            Neither spoke for a moment.  They looked over to see two other men standing on the other side of the office.  Hutch noticed how the white guy was giving him a sly look.

            “These are Detectives Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs. They’re out of Miami.”

            Hutch took a step forward and held his hand out.  Sonny walked over and shook his hand.  When Hutch let go, Sonny looked down at his hand and saw the red mush on his hand.  He gave Hutch a dirty look and Hutch gave him a small smile in return.  Rico handed Sonny a handkerchief and Sonny looked over at Hutch as he cleaned his hand.

            Dobey opened up a file and pulled a black and white photo.  He handed it to Starsky.

            “Oh, it’s Salvador Montoya”, Starsky stated.

            Hutch leaned over and looked at the photo.

            “He’s getting some gray”, Hutch replied.

            “Running drugs will do that to you”, Starsky joked.

            “Do you boys have any more to offer than one liners”, Sonny asked.

            “Sure”, Hutch told him.  “We’ve had him under surveillance for a week now.  What does this have to do with Miami?”

            “Montoya killed two DEA agents a while back”, Rico told them.  “He’s also a major receiver for the Columbians and he’s opening up shop here.  He’s getting desperate to unload his cargo.”

            “That still doesn’t explain you”, Hutch told them.

            “The commissioner and the DEA want the four of you to go after Montoya.  Crockett and Tubbs have experience with men like Montoya and Starsky and Hutch know the area and they know the connections Montoya will be looking for.”

            “Captain”, Hutch said.  “We’ve got Montoya.  We don’t need Miami coming in here to take over what is our case.”

            “Since when does Montoya smuggle tomatoes”, Sonny told him snidely.

            Hutch stood up and walked over to Sonny.  Rico moved forward and Starsky moved to a standing position next to Hutch.

            “Captain, we don’t have time to play tour guide to a couple of party boys who’s here on a weekend pass”, Starsky told him.

            “Settle down”, Dobey yelled.  “Crockett and Tubbs, take a step back.  These are my two best men.  I’ve had a talk with Castillo in Miami and you both as of now answer to me.  It’s been done.  You four find a way to work this out and bring this perp down!  Get out and get to work!”

            Sonny lit a cigarette and looked over at Starsky and Hutch.

            “I can tell that working with Butch and Sundance over there this is gonna be a barrel of laughes”, Sonny told the room.

            “I’m Butch”, Starsky said.  He pointed to Hutch.  “He’s Sundance.”

            Sonny mumbled under his breath clowns and he walked out of the room with Rico following behind him.  After they left Starsky and Hutch turned towards their captain.  Before they could say a word, Dobey held his hand up.

            “Those men are damn good cops”, he told them.  “I expect the two of you to work with them and I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

            Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and left Dobey’s office.  When they walked into the squad room, Sonny and Rico had already made themselves at home at a pair of desks which had been moved next to Starsky and Hutch’s.

            “Just great”, Starsky mumbled.  “The supermodels have moved in.”

            Rico turned towards them wish a slight smile.

            “Don’t worry, we’re just leasing”, he told them.

            That night the four men were in an abandoned apartment building looking through a telephoto lense at a party going on at an expensive home.  Sonny scanned the party with the camera and snapped pictures.

            “It looks like all the guests have arrived”, he said out loud.

            “I see Montoya and I recognize a couple of his goons.  The chicks are new.  Don’t know any of these players.”

            Sonny stepped away from the camera.

            “Why don’t one of you girls take a look and see if any of your buddies have made the guest list.”

            Starsky walked forward and began scanning the various people through the windows.

            “Probably a few lawyers”, Starsky mumbled.

            After a few minutes Starsky chuckled.

            “I’ll be damned.”

            “What is it”, Hutch asked.

            “How in the hell did that little weasel get an invite to this shindig”, Starsky asked.

            He turned towards Hutch and offered him a look.  Hutch looked through the window and a small smile came over his face.

            “Think you wanna let us in on the guest”, Rico told them.

            “It’s Jimmy”, Hutch told them.  “He runs numbers for one of the local bookies.”

            Sonny walked over and looked at the skinny guy talking to a girl.

            “He must be one hell of a social climber”, Sonny told them.  “Does he know you’re cops?”

            “He knows I am”, Starsky told him.  “Don’t think Hutch has ever done a face to face with him.”

            “He might be the guy to get us in”, Hutch volunteered.

            “Now wait just a second”, Sonny told them.  “We do this, Tubbs and I are the ones going in.  Any number of these bozos on the street could finger you guys for cops.”

            “You won’t get in unless we get you the invitation”, Hutch told him.  “Starsky and I know who we’re dealing with.  We’ll do it.”

            “It makes sense that one of you goes in with one of us”, Tubbs told him.

            “Rico, I don’t know either one of these clowns.  You know how this shit works.  Gotta have the trust for this to even get to first base.”

            “We’re not going in right now”, Starsky told them.  “We’ve got to do some pavement hunting first.  Tubbs will go with me and we’ll run down Jimmy.  Hutch and Crockett will talk with Huggy.  We’ll take it from there.”

            “I don’t think so”, Hutch told him.  “Mr. Sunshine over there isn’t too keen on rubbing elbows with his better.”

            Starsky looked over and he saw Crockett shaking his head. 

            “Fine”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “Crockett, we’ll go deal with Jimmy.”

            “No way, sport.  I’m not lettin’ anyone in this town know I’m a cop.”

            “Hard man to please”, Hutch said to no one in particular.

            “If you think I’m gonna let any cover I hope to have slip to a little punk like this Jimmy character, you’ve got another thing coming, Hutchinson.”

            “Fine”, Hutch said.  “Tubbs and I will deal with Jimmy.  You and Starsky can talk to Huggy.”

            “Well, I don’t know about you girls, I need my shut eye”, Sonny announced.  “Tubbs if you’ll do the honors like we agreed.”

            Rico pulled a quarter out of his pocket and flipped it in the air.  Hutch called heads right before Sonny did.  Sonny gave Hutch a cross-eyed look.

            “Tails”, Rico told them.  “What’ll it be, Sonny?”

            “Curly, looks like I’m bunking with you”, Sonny said with a sly smile.

            Hutch walked into his apartment and tossed his jacket on the couch.  Rico followed him and looked around the apartment. 

            “Nice”, Rico commented.

            Rico noticed the guitar laying next to the couch and he walked over and picked it up.

            “You play”, he asked Hutch.

            “Some.  Beer”, Hutch asked.

            “Sure.”

            Hutch tossed him the beer and both guys sat on the couch and drank their beer quietly for a few minutes.

            “Can’t be easy to have a couple of out of towners nipping at your heels”, Tubbs told him.

            “Your partner is about as much fun as a trip to the dentist”, Hutch told him.

            “Sonny is a unique guy”, Rico told him with a smile.  “Don’t let the sarcastic attitude and the clothes fool ya’.  He’s a hell of a cop.”

            “He strikes me as a guy who likes to go solo.”

            “He lost his partner a while back and I wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when we met.”

            “Tight”, Hutch asked.

            Rico nodded.

            “Sonny Crockett can get a bit on the unorthidox side, but he knows what he’s doing.”

            “What’s you’re story”, Hutch asked. 

            “I invaded his territory”, Rico said with a smile.  “My brother was taken out by a major player and I went vigilante.  If it hadn’t been for Sonny, I would be dead.”

            “Starsky and I’ve been partners for a while.  Sometimes I don’t think I know where one begins and the other ends”, Hutch admitted.

            “I hear ya’”, Tubbs said with his raised beer.

            Hutch returned the toast and they both finished off their beers.

            Sonny walked around the house.  Starsky returned with a beer in hand and handed it to him.

            “I like you’re place.  Roomy”, Sonny told him.

            “It works.”

            “Living on a boat no bigger than a sardine can makes you appreciate what you don’t have”, Sonny snickered.

            “Boat”, Starsky asked.  “I could do it.”

            “Not mine, pal.  I’ve got a nice little pet by the name of Elvis who would take you and your California raisin with just one bite.”

            Starsky gave Sonny an odd look.

            “Alligator”, Sonny supplied.

            “You have an alligator”, Starsky asked.

            “Elvis and a free safety didn’t get a long and so I invited him to live with me.  Sometimes I think it’s more his place than mine.”

            “The most aggressive pet I know is Elaine.  Hutch’s creeping violet”, Starsky told him.

            “Plants?  He don’t strike me as a guy with an affinity for plants.”

            “Hutch is an oxymoron”, Starsky told him.  “He’s got this health kick with oats and barley.  The next second he’s within inches of getting his ass shot off by some perp.”

            “So how long have you and Goldilocks been partners”, Sonny asked.

            “Hell, it seems like we’ve always been partners.  Hutch’s had some dark days, but he’s a hell of a cop.  He’s there when the shit hits the fan.”

            “I can’t say I haven’t had a few nightmares here and there.  Went on a year long vacation in the far east.”

            “Saigon here, pal.”

            Sonny smiled and leaned forward.  Starsky and Sonny tapped their beers together and finished them off.

            The next afternoon, Hutch and Rico sat in a small bar looking at the door.

            “You sure about this”, Rico asked.  “We’ve been here almost an hour.”

            “Starsky says Jimmy always makes this a part of his regular route.  He gets a beer and chases it with tequila”, Hutch told him.

            “Guess you have to start early in his line of work.”

            “I don’t think he has any intentions of a career change.”

            Both men sat up straighter as they watched Jimmy walked through the door.  Jimmy was a slime ball who was now wearing an expensive double- breasted suit.

            “Looks like our buddy did some shopping”, Rico told him.

            “Guess he wants to fit in with his new friends.”

            Both men rose and walked over to the bar where Jimmy had just downed his shot.

            “Hiya, Jimmy”, Hutch told him with a smile.

            Jimmy looked back and forth at both men.

            “Who the hell are you”, he asked.

            “We’re looking for a seller, Jimmy”, Rico told him.

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about”, he told them nervously.

            Hutch grabbed Jimmy by the collar and led him over to the table where him and Tubbs had been sitting.

            “I think you do, Jimmy”, Hutch stated.

            “We need to supply some party favors and we’re looking for a major supplier”, Rico told him.

            “I don’t you assholes from Adam”, Jimmy said with a snicker.  “What makes you think I’ll do you any favors?”

            Hutch still had his hand behind Jimmy’s neck.  Suddenly Hutch slammed Jimmy’s head on the table and he held it down while Rico slid a card in front of his face.

            “We need references”, Hutch whispered.  “We expect results, Jimmy.”

            “If you give us what we need”, Rico offered, “You could find yourself in a better establishment with a respectable clientele.”

            Both men rose and quietly left the bar while Jimmy held his bleeding nose.

            Starsky and Crockett sat in Huggy’s and when Huggy sat down across from them he gave Sonny the once over.

            “Hey, Starsk. How’s it hangin’ my man”, Huggy asked.

            “Good.  Looks like the place is really movin’.”

            “We have atmosphere.”

            Huggy gave Sonny a hard look when he watched him sigh heavily blowing smoke out of his mouth.  Sonny looked over at Starsky.

            “Why don’t we get down to it before you girls start getting cozy”, Sonny told Starsky.

            “Boy, who dresses you?  You like you just fell off the Macy’s day parade.”

            “At least I have help.  I like my colors to match”, Sonny said with a sly smile.

            “Let’s play nicely”, Starsky told them.  “Huggy, we need to get in good with Montoya.”

            Both men looked at him while a small chuckled escaped from his lips.

            “You don’t ask for much”, Huggy replied.  “Montoya is bad news and I won’t even send my worst enemy to the guy.  Besides, I’m an outsider.  He likes playing it close to the chest.”

            “Huggy, you’re the best pal”, Starsky told him.  “You’re talents would be tremendously appreciated.”

            Sonny looked up and saw the hesitation in the man’s eyes.  He put his cigarette out in the ash tray.

            “Starsky, we don’t have time for you to play nice with the stoolie.  We’ll find another in.”

            Huggy suddenly stood over them and he gave Sonny a hard look.

            “Hey, punk!  You just got off the boat and you think you’re gonna play me!”

            Starsky stood and pulled Huggy away from the table.  Sonny watched as the two men talked.  He smiled when he saw the angry gestures coming from the skinny black man.  After a few minutes, Starsky came over and they quickly left the bar.

            When they were standing outside, Starsky rounded on him.

            “Do you always shoot off your mouth off”, Starsky asked him angrily.

            “Did you get anything”, Sonny asked.

            “Nothing we didn’t know already.  Jimmy”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “Huggy’s gonna do some asking around.”

            “Curly, your pigeon in there don’t know me from Adam.  I’m an outsider with no history to him.  He wasn’t gonna open up with me right there.”

            “So you pushed his buttons so he would do it for ego’s sake.”

            “You got it, Cowboy.”

            Starsky smiled as him and Sonny got in his car and headed down the road.

            The four men met up at the precinct and they all knew their only in would be Jimmy.  As they sat at their desks, they looked at each other.

            “The only way I see us even getting an invite is to make ourselves very popular”, Sonny told them.  “We have to stay on Montoya.”

            “The surveillance team reports show the guy likes the women and he likes to party”, Starsky offered.

            “We’ll have to just party as hard as them”, Rico said with a smile.

            “I know some of these places.  Very high class”, Hutch told them.

            “Rico and I will play the high rollers”, Sonny told them.  “Back us up at the bar.”

            Sonny looked over at Hutch to see how he would take the suggestion and he almost smiled when he saw the nod of Hutch’s head.

            That night, the four detectives were sitting in one of the most expensive clubs in town.  Starsky and Hutch hung at the bar and slowly drank as they watched Rico and Crockett working the floor.

            “The guy is amazing”, Hutch told Starsky.

            “Oh”, Starsky asked.

            “Look at him.  Him and his partner hittin’ on every chick and buy them drinks like the well is gonna dry up tomorrow.”

            They kept watching as Rico and Sonny danced with a variety of women.  They flashed the cash and women seemed to flock to the duo from everywhere.  Hutch watched as Montoya’s party arrived and they were seated in a reserved section of the club.  After another hour, Starsky noticed something.

            “Hey”, he said with a nudge to his partner.  “Look.”

            Hutch looked over and saw that Montoya and his people were taking notice of Sonny and Rico.  A couple of the women had made their way over to where Crockett and Tubbs were holding court with several other women. 

            Sonny stood and walked over to the bar where Hutch was standing.

            “It didn’t take long to get his attention”, Hutch told him.

            “Dirtballs like that have delicate egos.  Hopefully, we didn’t offend him too much.”

            “Maybe you’re playing the game a bit too aggressively”, Hutch told him.

            “What the hell is that supposed to mean”, Crockett asked with steel in his voice.

            “Oh, come on, Crockett.  You can’t tell me that you aren’t enjoying the attention you and Rico are getting from every walker in this place.”

            Sonny lit a cigarette and gave Hutch a side look. 

            “We’re here for one reason and one reason only.  It sure as hell isn’t to get my rocks rubbed.”

            Hutch was about to say something when he noticed the cold look in Sonny’s eyes.  Sonny wasn’t looking at him.  Hutch turned around and he froze when he saw Montoya approaching them.

            “Are you enjoying yourself, my friend”, Montoya asked Sonny.

            “As a matter of fact, I’m waiting on some champagne”, Sonny told him.

            Montoya looked back and forth at Hutch and Sonny.

            “I hope you would be kind enough to return our women to us”, Montoya said with slight leer in his face.

            “Of course, I will personally escort them to your table myself”, Sonny assured the man.

            Hutch watched as Sonny walked back to the table to join the little party.  A few minutes later, Sonny was walking two of Montoya’s women back to the private section.  He watched as Sonny smiled and spoke with the man.  After a few minutes, Sonny was back at his table with Rico and the beauties.

            Early the next morning the four men sat in a small café drinking coffee.

            “I feel like hell”, Rico muttered.

            “Pal, I’ve got a headache that could have its own zip code.  I hope we don’t have to have too many of these nights”, Sonny responded.

            Starsky looked over at them and then at Hutch.

            “Huggy’s not getting anywhere”, he told them.  “How in the hell does Montoya even do business like this?”

            “Back east it was easy.  He knew the players”, Sonny said as he lit a cigarette.  “Here he wouldn’t know who to tag with.”

            “That leaves us, Jimmy”, Hutch told them.  “We need to pay him another visit.”

            “Jimmy may not have enough pull to get us in the end zone”, Tubbs told them.  “He’s still a bit down the social ladder when it comes to Montoya.”

            “Somebody intervened on the little pukes behalf and got him inside.  I would suggest looking into the family tree”, Sonny told them.  “That’s the only way I see him getting his foot in the door.”

            “That doesn’t help us any”, Starsky told Sonny. 

            “Let’s tail him for a few days and see what he’s doing.  Maybe he’s trying to break into the big leagues”, Rico told them.  “We might find a way inside that way.”

            The four agreed.

            Starsky and Hutch sat in the Torino, while Sonny and Tubbs stood outside leaning against a building.  They were waiting for Jimmy to come out of the small bar he frequented. 

            Starsky looked over at Hutch and he could see the edginess in his eyes.

            “Relax, will you”, Starsky told him.  “We’ll get it done.”

            “It’s not that, buddy.  Crockett’s a loose cannon.”

            “He’s played it cool with what I’ve seen.”

            “Look in his eyes, Starsk.  That guy has battle scars and he’s seen too much.  He’s spent too damn much time on the street.”

            “He’s seen his fair share of shit”, Starsky admitted.  “He doesn’t strike me as a guy with a loose screw.”

            “Partner, Crockett has spent so damn much time undercover it make me wonder where his perspectives really are.”

            “Same as ours, Blondie.  We all wanna get the bad guys.”

            Sonny took a drag from his cigarette and looked at the red and white car with Starsky and Hutch sitting in it.

            “Rico, if those guys blow this case, I’m gonna personally take it out of their hide.”

            “Style, Sonny.  It’s all about style.”

            “Did you see the cannon Hutch carries around”, Sonny asked.  “I’m tellin’ you he is all business when it comes to that thing.”

            “You’re always telling me to keep it straight and not let it get to you.  Hutch and his partner are more like us than I think you even want to admit.”

            “True, Ricardo.  I’ve got to admit those two have a proven track record.”

            Jimmy made his appearance out of the bar.  He looked a little unsure of himself as he walked down the street.  He was unaware of the two guys walking the opposite side of the street paralleling him.  Jimmy was oblivious to the red torino with the large white stripe which began slowly pulling forward.

            As Jimmy walked forward he stopped and talked to someone.  The four detectives stopped in their respective positions to watch as he made conversation with a guy standing with a girl.  Suddenly, Jimmy looked back and broke into a run down the street.

            “Shit”, Sonny yelled.  “Son of bitch made us!”

            Sonny and Rico ran across the street with guns pulled and the torino tore down the street.  Jimmy took a short cut down the alley and before Sonny and Rico could run after him, they were cut off by the torino tearing down the alley.

            Sonny cursed loudly as he watched the torino chasing after Jimmy.  They stood for another ten minutes waiting for Starsky and Hutch’s return.  Sonny gave Rico a look and motioned for him to follow him.

            When Sonny arrived back at the precinct with Rico, he walked in the squad room and he walked into Dobey’s office without knocking.

            “Knocking works real well”, Dobey told them.

            “Maybe if your boys wouldn’t be so damn hungry for a bit of guts and glory, I’d be a little more polite”, Sonny told him sarcastically.

            “We were left in the dust while they chased down a perp”, Rico told them.

            “The perp you are talking about is down in the interrogation room as we speak.  I suggest you two get down there.”

            Sonny and Rico gave Dobey a look and they angrily stormed from the office.  They found the interrogation room and the two way mirror with Hutch watching Starsky talk with Jimmy.

            Sonny walked over and grabbed Hutch and threw him angrily against the wall.

            “Your little John Wayne act left your back up in the dust”, Sonny said with gritted teeth.

            Hutch looked at Sonny squarely and he glanced over at Rico who stood in the background doing nothing.

            “Wasn’t much you and Tito could do on foot”, Hutch replied.

            “I don’t appreciate being left out of the loop, pal.  I suggest you put your ego on the back burner for the duration.”

            “You’re ego”, Hutch said with a laugh.  “From day one, you’ve tried to call the shots on this case.  Remember, Crockett.  You’re the tourist.”

            Sonny had an angry look on his face and before he could respond, he heard a voice.

            “Let go of him”, Starsky told him evenly.

            Sonny looked back and he saw Starsky standing not far from Rico.  He could see the cold steel in his eyes.  Sonny let go of Hutch and took a step back.

            “Is the bird singing”, Sonny asked Starsky.

            “Nope.  Montoya’s his best friend.”

            Sonny looked back over at Hutch with an iron gaze.

            “We’re right back at square one”, Rico stated.

            “Jimmy’s not talking”, Hutch told them.  “We’ll find another way.”

            Hutch left the room and Starsky stole a lethal look at Sonny before following him.

            “Just great”, Sonny said with a small laugh.  “I think the raisins are pissed.”

            “You do know how to bring on the charm”, Rico said with a smile.

            When Crockett and Tubbs walked back into the squad room, one of the guys told them to head into Dobey’s office.  Sonny almost smiled as he and Rico headed into the office.  When they walked in, Hutch turned and gave Sonny a cold look.

            “This isn’t working out, Cap’n”, Hutch told him.  “These guys are coming on like gangbusters and we don’t have the time to clue them in to all the players on the street.”

            “If Goldilocks over here would remember what the game is all about maybe he wouldn’t be so jealous of a couple of out of towners who want to take this guy down as bad as he does”, Sonny said with a sly smile.

            “I agree, Cap’n”, Starsky said.  “Crockett and Tubbs are banging heads left and right.  At the rate we’re going in we’re never going to get the goods on Montoya.”

            “Crockett.  Tubbs”, Dobey asked.

            “We’re beating a dead horse, Captain”, Sonny admitted.  “Let Tubbs and I approach Montoya up front with the deal.  At this point, I don’t see any other way.”

            “Cap’n”, Hutch said, “Starsky and I are local.  We’d be more legitimate in Montoya’s eyes.”

            “No way”, Rico told him.  “Jimmy’s made your partner for a cop.  He wouldn’t be able to sit on that little piece of information.”

            “We’ll keep in on ice”, Starsky said.  “As long as we keep our hands on him, he won’t run to Montoya.”

            “Right, Starsky”, Sonny stated.  “How long can he sit here?  He’ll make his phone call and have a high priced lawyer here so fast you’ll think you were writing jaywalking tickets on a beat.”

            “Cap’n”, Hutch asked. 

            Dobey sighed heavily and he knew how well his decision would go over.  She shook his head.

            “You’re not getting anywhere as it is right now.  Crockett, Tubbs.  You two have the ball.  Hook up with Montoya.”

            “Cap’n”, Hutch interrupted and Dobey held his hand up to silence him.

            “It’s too risky sending you and Starsky in.  You both will be the back up.”

            Hutch looked over and saw the satisfied smile in Crockett’s face as he lit a cigarette.  He really wished he could punch the guy’s lights out.  Sonny and Rico left the office and Hutch looked over at his boss.

            “This is one time I have to go with these guys”, Dobey told them.  “Get in there and put the strategy session together.”

            Hutch looked over at his partner.  He clenched his fists as they walked out of the room.  Both detectives sat at their desks and looked over at Crockett and Tubbs.

            “The best way to start legitimizing our cover is by leaking the word about a couple of major players blowing into town to buy some major snow”, Crockett told them.

            “Think your pal Huggy will do it”, Tubbs asked.

            “Yeah”, Starsky told them.  “You won’t have any references.”

            “We’ll flash some cash his way”, Sonny told them.  “Maybe that’ll bring a smile to his face.”

            Starsky looked over at Hutch and he could see his partner had something on his mind.

            “Hutch, what is it?”

            “I think your friend over there is pissed ‘cause we stole his thunder”, Crockett said with a look towards Hutch.

            Hutch sighed heavily and turned towards Rico and Sonny.

            “This isn’t going to work”, Hutch told them.

            “This is gonna be good”, Sonny said with a little laugh.

            “Jimmy knows Rico and I are players.”  Hutch looked over at Sonny and Rico.  “It stands to reason that he may have already told Montoya about us.  You show up with Sonny to deal with Montoya and he’ll run the other direction.”

            “Montoya already saw me with Rico at the club”, Crockett told him.

            “He doesn’t know you’re in the game”, Hutch told him.  “All he’s seen of you so far is that you like to party and you have a way with the ladies.  I’ve already made my introduction to Jimmy.”

            “I knew you’d try to weasel your way in this”, Sonny said with a glare.

            “He’s right”, Rico admitted.

            Sonny looked at his partner and sighed heavily.

            “If you show up there with me, he’ll be suspicious”, Rico told him.

            “Sonny”, Starsky said.  “It’s gotta go down this way.”

            Sonny slammed his hand down at the desk knowing that they were all right.  He stood up and stormed from the squad room.

            “He’s never been squeezed out of a job before”, Rico told them.  “We’ve always done this operation together.”

            “Understood, Rico”, Starsky admitted.

            Rico caught up later that day with Sonny over at Starsky’s place.  Sonny sat with a beer in hand and a cigarette.

            “Rico, I don’t mind the fact I’ll have to stand on the sidelines while a major deal goes down”, Sonny told him.

            Sonny took a long drag from his cigarette and looked at his partner.

            “I don’t trust Hutch”, Sonny told him honestly.  “He’s hotshotting around this city like he owns it.”

            “Hutch does own it”, Rico told him.  “Him and his partner.  They’ve ran these streets for a long time, Sonny.  They know who we’re dealing with as well as we do.”

            Sonny took a long drink from his beer and took a drag from his cigarette before putting it out in the ashtray.

            “I trust him, Sonny.  Isn’t that what counts?  You’ve always said you’ve got to trust your partner.”

            “Leave it to you to throw back at me all my corny sayings”, Sonny told him with a little laugh.

            Hutch and Rico walked into the club and immediately they saw Montoya with his party and they looked at each other.  Hutch noticed Jimmy sitting not far from them and taking a long drink from his glass.  He set it down and ordered another drink.

            “Jimmy’s well on his way to blitz city”, Rico said with a smirk.

            “This’ll work”, Hutch responded.

            Both men made their way over to Montoya.  When they stood in front of Salvador Montoya, he looked up at them.

            “Gentlemen”, Montoya said.  “This is a private party.”

            “We saw our friend Jimmy”, Hutch told him.

            “You know Jimmy”, Montoya asked.

            “We spoke with him”, Rico told him.  “He didn’t mention our conversation to you?”

            “My sister-in-law’s nephew”, Montoya spit out.  “He’s worthless.”

            Rico and Hutch watched as Montoya motioned to one of his men.  The man walked over and picked up a very drunk Jimmy and hauled him from the club.

            “Is this business”, Montoya asked.

            “Yes it is”, Rico said with a smile.

            “Who am I going to consider doing business with”, Montoya asked.

            “Hutch Dawson”, Hutch told him.  “This is my associate Ricardo Cooper.”

            “I remember you”, Montoya said to Rico.  “You were here with some playboy.  Where is he now?”

            “He’s out of town on business”, Rico responded.

            Hutch looked over at Rico and he knew that Sonny still had a cover in the operation.

            “What sort of name is Hutch”, Montoya asked as he lit a cigar.

            “German”, Hutch told him with a cold smile.

            Montoya laughed and motioned for the men to join him.  After Hutch and Rico sat down, Montoya saw to it that both men had drinks.

            “Tell me of this business.”

            “We have customers to satisfy”, Rico answered.  “They are looking for top dollar snow.”

            “Our clientele is very selective”, Hutch told him.  “Money is no object and we are looking to widen our distribution.”

            “How much”, Montoya asked.

            “Ten kilos to start”, Rico told him. 

            “There is a long term profit margin”, Hutch explained. 

            “Expensive”, Montoya sighed.

            “Can you meet customer demand”, Rico asked.

            “Yes, depending on future sales.”

            “20 kilos a week every two weeks”, Hutch answered him.

            Montoya took a long drag from his cigar and looked at both men.

            “40 a ki.”

            “Make it 37”, Rico told him.

            “Agreed.”

            Montoya shook both men’s hands and smiled.  He had had very little progress in making deals since he had been sent here.  The Columbians would be pleased.  Montoya snapped his fingers to one of his men and the man handed Rico a business card with a number on it.

            “Call me in two days for the specifics”, he told them.

            Rico looked over at Hutch and smiled.  Neither were aware of three men walking through the club with a sense of purpose.  Rico looked up and saw shock in the eyes of Montoya.  He looked back and watched as the men pulled machine guns out and aimed it at Montoya.

            Rico and Hutch went for their guns just as they opened fire.  Hutch looked over and saw Montoya’s men returning fire.  The customers in the club were screaming and running wildly through the club as the shots rang out.  One of Montoya’s men were shot in the chest and Hutch grabbed Montoya by the jacket and yanked him on the floor.

            Rico saw what Hutch had done and he turned back and took out one of the men who were trying to kill Montoya.  Hutch shot at the one of the other men who were trying to hide behind a table and he fell over.  The last man had found a place behind the bar and Rico and Hutch couldn’t nail the guy.  Rico looked up and watched a young woman crawling on her hands and knees.  He knew she would be killed if she didn’t get out of there.

            “Cover me”, he told Hutch.

            “Wait”, Hutch yelled.  Rico was already running over to the woman and Hutch shot a barrage of bullets at the man behind the bar in order to protect Rico.  He had fired his last round and he watched as Rico grabbed the woman and shoved her out of the line of fire.  Hutch pulled the gun out of the dead bodyguard’s hands and before he got a shot off, the man aimed his gun at Rico and fired. 

            Hutch let off several rounds and they landed in the man’s chest instantly killing him.  He looked back and he felt his heart stop as Rico laid on his back with a bullet in his stomach.

            Hutch ran over to him and put his hand over the wound.  He could see Rico was still breathing.

            “Hold on, Rico”, Hutch whispered.  “Hold on.”

            Hutch pulled Rico close to him and ignored the blood getting on his shirt.  Hutch could only pray the ambulance would get there soon enough.

            Hutch sat in the waiting room waiting for the doctor to tell him the news about Rico.  He sighed heavily and he wished Starsky was here.  Rico is a good cop, Hutch told himself.  Hutch thought of Sonny and he could feel his gut clench at the idea of telling him his partner was dead.  He heard a door open and he looked up to see Starsky walking in with Sonny right behind him.

            Sonny froze when he saw Hutch.  He clenched his hands at the sight of Rico’s blood on Hutch’s clothes.  Sonny ran over and grabbed Hutch by the shirt and he swung his fist into Hutch’s face.  Hutch fell back on the floor and before Sonny could take a step closer, Starsky grabbed Sonny by the arms and pulled him back.

            “You son of a bitch”, Sonny breathed. 

            “Easy, Sonny”, Starsky told him.

            Sonny pulled away from Starsky and took a step closer to Hutch who still sat on the floor.

            “Anything happens to my partner and there will no place…”

            Before Sonny could finish he heard a door and turned around to see the doctor walking in the room.  Hutch stood up with Starsky’s assistance and the three men waited for the doctor.

            “How’s my partner, doc”, Sonny asked.

            “He’s in surgery right now.  He lost a lot blood, but it looks like he’ll be fine.  He’ll be here for at least a week.”

            Hutch stepped back and breathed a sigh of relief.  Starsky walked over to him while Sonny spoke with the doctor.

            “Are you okay”, Starsky asked.

            “Yeah.  Everything was going fine.  We got in.  Suddenly all hell breaks loose and we’re in the middle of a shootout.”

            “The competition doesn’t like being squeezed out”, Starsky told him.  “It won’t take long to get a line on who it was.”

            Hutch nodded and looked back over at Sonny.

            “Jesus, Starsky.  I think I know how he feels.”

            Starsky patted Hutch on the shoulder and they watched as the doctor left.  Sonny walked over to them and he gave Hutch a deadly look.

            “Sonny, it was a mafia hit.  They were going after Montoya”, Starsky told him.

            “How in the hell did you come up with that one”, Sonny asked angrily.

            “It has all the makings of one”, Hutch explained.  “The mafia has no tolerance for outsiders.”

            “Excuse me if I don’t take your word for it, pal.”

            “Listen…”, Hutch tried to explain.

            “Save it!  You get sent in with my partner for one simple job.  To get in with Montoya.  Ten minutes into the party, he’s shot by a rival and you walk without a scratch!”

            “What the hell are you saying”, Hutch bit out.

            “I’m saying it’s awful convenient”, Sonny whispered.

            Before Hutch could respond, Starsky moved in front of him and stood face to face with Sonny.

            “Crockett, I know you’re wound up pretty tight with what happened to Rico so I’m gonna forget what you just said.  Don’t say it again!  Take a step back.”

            Sonny could see the seriousness in Starsky’s eyes and he backed off. 

            “Go home, Hutch”, Starsky told him.  “Crockett needs to see to his partner and you both need to cool off for a while.

            Hutch nodded and slowly left Starsky with Sonny.  As Hutch left he was blaming himself for what happened to Rico as much as Sonny did.

            Dobey sighed heavily as he looked at the men.  Starsky and Hutch sat in the chairs in front of him and Crockett stood off to the side nursing a cigarette.

            “Starsky and Hutch were right.  It was a mafia hit on Montoya.  Guess they got the word that Montoya was looking for business and they didn’t want his Columbian ass doing it in their territory.  It’s over boys.  We’ll have to find another way.”

            “Goddamn”, Sonny yelled.  “This investigation is almost three months old and we can’t just walk away from it!  Montoya is expecting a call from your cop tomorrow!  If he doesn’t follow through with it we lose any chance of nailing him!”

            “I’m not sending one of my guys in there alone”, Dobey yelled.  “It’s too risky!  There’s a gang war brewing and I’m not going to have another cop get caught in the crossfire!”

            “Cap’n”, Sonny said.  “This is a one shot deal.  We have our foot in the door with Montoya and if we don’t take it Montoya walks.  Who knows if we’ll get another shot at him?”

            “He’s right”, Hutch whispered.

            Everyone looked at Hutch and waited for what he would say next.

            “Cap’n, Montoya remembered Rico.  He asked were Sonny was and Rico told him he was out of town on business.  Sonny can go in with me.”

            “Jimmy’s still the wildcard”, Starsky told him.  “He could blow this thing wide open.”

            Dobey looked at Hutch and then over at Sonny.

            “You two haven’t exactly gotten along since this thing started”, he told them.  “If Montoya thinks you two hate each other’s guts, it’ll work against you.”

            “I can deal with that”, Hutch told him.  “I saved Montoya’s life and he knows it.”

            “Hutch is in good with Montoya”, Sonny said with a small smile.  “It’s exactly what we need.  Columbians have this thing about someone jumping into the fire to help them.”

            “I’ll see if I can track down Jimmy”, Starsky offered.  “I’ll keep him on ice personally.”

            “Starsky, we are bordering on violations here.”

            “Cap’n, I’m willing to risk whatever it takes to keep him out of the loop.”

            Dobey sighed heavily and looked at the men.

            “Do it”, Dobey said with finality.

            The men left the office and when Hutch walked over to his desk, he looked over at Sonny.  Sonny just looked at Hutch.  Sonny gritted his teeth tightly and left the precinct.

            “Rico, this thing is being played too tight, buddy”, Sonny told his partner.

            Rico looked over at his partner who was looking out the window.  He sighed as he looked down at the large bandage covering his wound.

            “It’ll work, Sonny.  Hutch is right.  It’s the only way to get Montoya.”

            “I know”, Sonny said with a sigh.  “I still don’t trust the guy.  Looking at you in that hospital bed is enough to convince me not to turn my back on the guy.”

            “Have you even bothered to read the reports”, Tubbs asked with a bit of surprise in his voice.

            “Let’s see, my best friend gets shot and winds up almost dying.  I’d say burying my nose in reports wasn’t exactly at the top of my to do list.”

            “Sonny, Hutch didn’t have anything to do with my getting shot.  In fact, it was my own stupidity.”

            Sonny turned around and walked over to the bed were Rico laid.

            “What are you talking about?”

            “You know me, partner.  Always the knight who wants to save the girl.  Hutch told me to wait, and I didn’t.  I’m convinced I’d be dead if it wasn’t for him.”

            Sonny looked down at Rico and for whatever reason Rico chuckled.

            “Either I have something on my face or you’re really losing it, Rico.”

            “No”, Rico said with a laugh.  “It’s just that since we got here, you and Hutch have been at each other’s throats since day one.  I just thought it was opposites banging heads.  You and Starsky hit it off okay and Hutch and I got a long pretty well.  But now I know why you two can’t stand each other.”

            “I’m just full of anticipation”, Sonny said with a smile.

            “You two are alike.  In fact, you both are a hell of a lot alike.”

            “What the hell kind of drugs are the nurses giving you here”, Sonny almost laughed. 

            “Sonny, I can’t believe I didn’t realize it till now.  You and Hutch are so passionate about your jobs.  It’s not just your jobs, it’s who you are.  Who we all are.  Plus, you guys would give your own lives with out a second thought for me and Starsky.  I don’t doubt it for one second.  On top of all that, you both are so damn by the book, it’s almost sickening.”

            “I’m not sure if that was an insult or a compliment, partner”, Sonny told him.

            “Seriously, Sonny”, Rico told him earnestly.  “Hutch has it.  He’s a damn good cop and he’ll back you up.  You’d do the same, wouldn’t you?”

            “Yeah”, Sonny breathed.  “I guess I would.  He’s a cop and we’re fighting on the same side.”

            Rico patted Sonny on the hand and smiled. 

            Hutch set the phone down and looked up at Starsky who had just finished up on a thick folder regarding Montoya.

            “Well”, Starsky asked.

            “Montoya wants to meet with me right after the funeral for one of his men that were killed during that shootout.”

            “You should take Sonny with you”, Starsky told him.  “Have him hang in the background before making formal introductions.”

            “I was thinking about that.  It’s going to be tricky.  Hope I don’t scare Montoya off.”

            “Hutch.”

            “Yeah.”

            “You’re not going to like this suggestion, but I gotta make it.”

            “Oh.”

            “Sonny needs to stay with you while all this is going down.  You guys have got to get your stories straight and be ready at a moment’s notice.”

            “I don’t know about that, Starsk.  Sonny and I aren’t exactly exchanging recipes.”

            “He’ll see the right of it, buddy.”

            “What is it about that guy”, Hutch asked.  “We have damn near came to blows more than once since they got here.”

            “Two guys on the same field with different playbooks”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “Hutch, just remember.  Sonny is one of the good guys.  I think he’d be there if the shit hits the fan.”

            “I remember when you almost died, buddy”, Hutch admitted.  “I almost lost it.  I knew how Sonny felt when he laid into me at the hospital.”

            Hutch suddenly stood and put on his jacket.

            “Anything on Jimmy”, Hutch asked.

            “I’m waiting on Huggy to call.”

            “I’m heading home.  Think you could drop Sonny off at my place when he gets here?”

            Starsky nodded and watched as Hutch left.

            Hutch was busy working in the kitchen when he heard a knock on the door.  He stopped what he was doing and sighed.  Knowing who was on the other side of the door, he went ahead and walked over.  Hutch opened the door and he saw Sonny standing there with a small bag in his hand.

            Both men stood and stared at each other for only a minute.  Hutch turned around and walked back to the kitchen.  Sonny took a few steps inside and closed the door behind him.

            Sonny looked over at Hutch who was busy chopping vegetables in the kitchen.  Sonny set his bag down near the couch and walked around the small apartment.  He pulled his pack of cigarettes from his jacket.  He looked back at Hutch and Hutch gave a nod of his head.

            As he lit a cigarette, he noticed a guitar sitting on the floor.

            “How are you on this thing”, Sonny asked.

            “Okay.  I can strum a few things.”

            “Same here, but I prefer the piano.”

            “I would have thought Starsky would have came in”, Hutch told him.

            “He was chasing a lead on our boy Jimmy.”

            “Good”, Hutch replied.  “I’ll feel a lot better once that pinhead is boxed up.”

            “I know what you mean, pal.  Loose ends suck.”

            Hutch smiled a little at the last comment.

            “We’re meeting Montoya at his man’s funeral tomorrow.  I figured then was as good as time as any.”

            Sonny nodded and looked back over Hutch who was still busy working on dinner.

            “Don’t take this the wrong way, pal.  But is the rest of your wardrobe as off the rack as what you’re wearing?”

            “What I wear will do”, Hutch told him with a sly look.

            “No way, buddy.  We are dealing with top of the line slime balls here.  If you don’t dress the part, you won’t come across as authentic.”

            “You don’t need to tell me how to do my job”, Hutch shot back at him.

            “Take a step back, Sundance.  I just think a little change in the looks department might work to our advantage.”

            Hutch didn’t say anything as he finished up his dish and stuck it in the oven.

            “Looks good, Hutch.”

            “Vegetable lasagna.”

            “Sounds great.”

            “You’re kidding, right?”

            “About vegetable lasagna?  No way.  I love the stuff.  Aside from this nasty habit I keep, I love the healthy side of eating.  If I could convince Rico, that would be a miracle.”

            Hutch laughed a little at the peculiar similarity and he went to get dishes down.

            “After we eat, why don’t we head to some of these trendy shops California is so famous for and I’ll help suppliment your closet just a bit.”

            “All right”, Hutch responded.  “Deal.”

            Half an hour later both men were seated across from each other and eating.  They hadn’t spoke much to each other during the meal.  Hutch looked over at Sonny and took a small sip of his wine.

            “You called Montoya a top of the line slime ball”, Hutch offered.

            “Yeah.  He’s got his whole operation streamlined down to the last boat.  He treats it like a corporation and runs it like Castro.”

            “He’s got a weakness in there”, Hutch told him.

            “Do you realize we’ve been running neck and neck with the bad guys for the last 30 years or so?  In the next ten years the bad guys will get smarter and more high tech.  While we sit back waiting for a warrant to be hand walked to us, they’ll be using their computers to move cash.  Gone are the days if busting purse snatchers, Sundance.  We’ll be going after white collar criminals with degrees and limos.”

            “Never knew you were so cynical, Sonny.”

            “No, pal.  Just realistic and I follow the trends.  It’s easy for a cop to go dirty these days.  While they’re struggling to pay the mortgage and raise a couple of kids, they see these guys moving more cash than they’ll ever make in an entire lifetime.”

            “Guys like Montoya can’t keep it up forever.  It all has a maximum life span.”

            “True.  Won’t be long and we’re gonna be reduced to traffic cops.  We’ll be directing traffic and when we do bust the big players, there’ll be another one to take his place.”

            “I guess I’m the optimist”, Hutch told him honestly.  “I’d like to think we’re out there doing some good.”

            “Yeah, we are”, Sonny said as he lit a cigarette.  “Anytime we can keep one less kid from hitting the dope, we are doing good.”

            After they finished dinner, Sonny and Hutch headed down to the car to shop for Hutch some suitable clothing for their meeting with Montoya.  As soon as Sonny saw Hutch’s car, his mouth fell open.

            “What”, Hutch asked.

            “Don’t tell me that you drive this crate on wheels”, Sonny said with a laugh.

            “There is nothing wrong with this car”, Hutch told him with an offended look.  “It’s a classic.”

            “Yeah, it’s a classic alright.  It should have been buried at the junkyard years ago.”

            “This is a great car.  It has character”, Hutch said with pride.

            “Which character?  Bella Lugosi?  Montoya catches us in this car, he’ll dump us with the rest of his trash.”

            “I know that.  I was planning on getting something from the impound.”

            “I’ve got a better idea, Hutch.  We’ll take my rental.  It’ll make the right impression.”

            Hutch nodded and walked over to his car.  He opened the door and looked over at Sonny who still stood on the sidewalk.

            “Let’s go, Sonny.”

            “I’m almost embarrassed to be seen in this bucket.”

            “Get in the damn car”, Hutch said with gritted teeth.

            Sonny laughed as he walked over and opened the door.

            Starsky sat with Huggy and the news wasn’t good. 

            “He’s gone underground, Huggy.  Ever since he was yanked out of that damn club, we haven’t seen hide nor hair of the guy.”

            “I can’t a line on the guy at all, Starsk.  I’ve rattled every snitch and lowlife I know.  He hasn’t made an appearance since you ran him in.”

            “Montoya’s got him on ice somewhere”, Starsky sighed.  “Makes me a little uneasy knowing somebody’s got their hands on the little shit.”

            “Why would they keep him underground like this”, Huggy asked.

            “That’s another thing I’d like to know.  Maybe we rattled him and he was gonna squeal.  Montoya won’t kill him because he’s family.”

            “That would be out of character, Starsky.  Montoya would just as soon blow the guy away than to let anything risk his operation.”

            “Was Jimmy still running numbers for Erickson”, Starsky asked.

            “Naw.  Just before all this went down, he was runnin’ for Forrester.”

            “Not the same…”

            “No way.  Word is the guy is on the way up the ladder in the Alexander operation.  He started out as a small time muscle guy for Nathan Alexander.  He proved himself after a year or two and the old man gave him his own store.”

            “Could be Forrester found out about Jimmy’s connection with Montoya”, Starsky said.

            “I wouldn’t be surprised if the guy wanted a piece of that action.  Forrester is known for his ambition to improve his lifestyle and reputation.”

            “This has more questions than answers Huggy.  Find out what you can about Forrester’s operation.  Also, see if you can rattle some cages.  I’m wondering if Forrester snatched Jimmy to get Montoya’s playbook.”

            “I’m glad I’m not as popular as Jimmy is”, Huggy said with a sly look.  “Oh, I know you’re gonna run Forrester.  His name is Michael Forrester and he sticks to the east side for the most part.”

            “Thanks, pal.  Call me when you know something.”

            Huggy nodded and watched Starsky leave. 

            Sonny and Hutch looked through the men’s clothes in the trendy shop on Rodeo Drive.  Hutch looked over at Sonny.

            “Married”, Hutch asked.

            “Divorced”, Sonny replied.  “Her and the cop lifestyle just didn’t mesh.  It was hard on her.  You?”

            “I was”, Hutch told him.  “Being the wife of a cop didn’t give her the status she was hoping for.”

            “Or the paycheck”, Sonny said with a smile.

            “She was probably hoping I would go to work with my father.”

            “Oh?”

            “He’s a high profit business man”, Hutch told him.  “Got any kids?”

            Sonny grabbed a couple of things and handed them to Hutch.

            “Yeah.  Great kid.  His name’s Billy.  Kinda tough on the kid with my hours.  He stays with his mom.”

            Hutch took the clothes and went to the dressing room to try them on.  A few minutes later he came out.

            “Now way”, Crockett said with distate.  “You look like you should be roasted over an open fire.”

            Hutch sighed as he turned around and walked back into the dressing room.

            Starsky had just gotten off the phone when he heard a slew of whistles and hoots coming from the guys in the squad room.  He looked over at Hutch and smiled.  Hutch was wearing black slacks with a black turtleneck and a dark gray blazer.

            Starsky chuckled as Hutch went to his desk and sat.  He looked over at Sonny who sat at his desk with humor in his eyes.

            “You look like a gigelo”, Starsky remarked.

            “Stow it, Starsk.”

            “It’s better than those earth friendly clothes you’re always wearing.”

            “Pal, you could use a make over yourself.”

            “Girls, I don’t mean to interrupt, but anything new on the operating front”, Sonny asked.

            “I’m still working on getting a line on Jimmy.  It does however look like Nathan Alexander’s boys hit the club.  I think he might have leased a couple of his boys to one of his managers.  A guy by the name of Michael Forrester.”

            Starsky looked at Hutch who had a worried look on his face.  Starsky knew how sensitive Hutch was about the name alone.

            “He runs a small time bookie operation in Alexander’s operation.”

            “What does this have to do with Jimmy”, Sonny asked.

            “That’s who Jimmy was runnin’ numbers for when Montoya blew into town.”

            “I can’t see them getting worked up over a little pecker like Jimmy”, Sonny told him.

            “Well, Forrester is ambitious.  I’m leaning more towards he may be looking to up his status in the world”, Starsky told them.

            “Think he’s trying to expand his business into the drug business”, Hutch asked.

            “Could be.  Jimmy would know Montoya’s moves.”

            “Stands to reason that Forrester might have Jimmy to get the goods on Montoya”, Sonny replied.

            “Shit”, Sonny said suddenly.  “I just thought of something.”

            “Spill it”, Hutch told him.

            “What if Jimmy’s playing both sides”, Sonny told them.  “It sure has hell would give him some bargaining power.”

            “He could be going after his own little piece of the pie”, Hutch told him.

            “I had R & I do a background on Forrester.  Nada.  The guy hasn’t so much as a parking ticket.  Up until four years ago, the guy was non-existent”, Starsky stated.

            “An alias”, Sonny said with a heavy sigh.  “Anything else?”

            “No”, Starsky told him.

            “Think one of your boys in blue will drop me off at the hospital.  Rico’s got to be going insane.”

            “Sure.  Check in up front”, Hutch told him.

            “I’ll hook up with you at your place”, Sonny said. 

            Sonny walked out of the room and after a thought he walked back to the doors.  He stopped when he saw Starsky and Hutch in serious conversation.  Hutch looked tense, Sonny thought to himself.  Hell, the guy looked like he was gonna bust a screw.  Sonny changed his mind about going in and left.

            “Are you sure”, Hutch asked.

            “Hutch, I had some of the same thoughts”, his partner told him.  “Ben Forrest’s operation is non-existent.  We tore every piece of it apart.  He’s in prison with no where to go.”

            “He’s still got connections, Starsk.”

            “Hutch, I know.  I pulled Forrest’s jacket and his family is either dead or in the joint.  There is no connection between him and this Forrester.  At least none I can find.”

            Hutch shook his head and gave Starsky a side look.

            “I’m sorry.  I guess I’m still a little paranoid.”

            “Hey, buddy.  Don’t worry about it”, Starsky assured him.

            Sonny stood at the payphone with the phone to his ear.  He was at the hospital and Rico was getting some tests done.  He made the decision impulsively to call Gina in Miami.

            “Gina, I need you do something for me, sweetheart.”

            “Me, me, me”, she said with a laugh.

            “You know I love you, darlin’.”

            “I’m a pushover for the needy ones, Sonny.”

            “It’s one of the detectives here.  Detective Sergeant Ken Hutchinson.”

            “Asking for a lot”, Gina told him. 

            “Mum’s the word on this.”

            “Sonny, if I start poking around about this guy his department is bound to get wind of it.”

            “Do your best, Gina.  Just keep it to yourself.”

            “You know me”, she said with a smile.

            Sonny smiled and gave her the numbers on where to reach him.

            Sonny walked into the hospital room where Rico was staying.  Rico sat up looking at the food on his tray.

            “Looks like you’re enjoying yourself”, Sonny said with a smile.

            “This is the worst crap I’ve ever seen.  It has no taste”, Rico said with a disgusted look.

            “I don’t envy you.”

            “Sonny, get me something, buddy.  I need nourishment.  Not this poison.”

            “No way, Ricardo.  Doc says you have to be on a strict diet for a while.  I’m not about to gainsay him.”

            “Anything new”, Rico asked.

            Sonny gave Rico the run down on how everything was progressing.  When he finished Rico looked over at Sonny.

            “Something else bugging you”, Rico asked.

            Sonny almost laughed.  Rico knew him better than he knew himself sometimes.

            “Hutch”, Rico said with a sigh.  “I thought you were getting’ past this.”

            “So was I”, Sonny said with a sigh.  “There’s something going on with him, Rico.  I don’t know what it is.”

            “Like what?”

            “I don’t know.  During the briefing he lost all color.  After I left, I saw those two having a pretty serious conversation.”

            “What are you going to do”, Rico asked.

            “I’m having Gina run a check on him.”

            “Partner, is that such a good idea?  Maybe you should just ask him.”

            “Rico, if you had seen Hutch’s face…I just have to make sure this guy doesn’t have something that’ll come back on us.  Can’t afford to jeopardize this operation.  If I start asking questions, I’ll get the cold shoulder.”

            “Do what you have to do, Sonny.  Cover your bases.”

            The cars filed out of the cemetery one by one.  Hutch and Sonny sat in convertible watching Montoya talking with some people.  When Montoya looked over at them, Hutch knew it was his cue.

            “Here goes nothing”, Hutch said with a sigh.

            Hutch got out of the car and walked over to Montoya. 

            “I have known Carlos since he was a boy”, he told Hutch.  “His mother brought him to me when he was sixteen years old.”

            “I’m sorry for your loss”, Hutch told him.

            “His mother’s loss, I’m afraid.  How is your associate?”

            “He’s doing well.”

            Montoya looked at Sonny who stood outside leaning against the car.

            “I see your friend has returned.”

            “He came as soon as everything went down.  Any ideas on who it was?”

            “Damn mafia”, Montoya said angrily.  “They think they own everything.”

            “Are you going to retaliate?”

            “I would if I knew where Forrester operated.  He moves that business of his frequently.  The man is almost as paranoid as I am”, Montoya said with a chuckle.

            “I’ve heard Jimmy used to work for the man.  Has he been any assistance?”

            “I have people looking for him as we speak.  I’m having a get together of some associates tonight at my yacht.  I would cancel considering the circumstances, but there is much business to conduct.  Bring your friend.”

            “I would be honored”, Hutch told him.

            “We’ll work the details of our arrangement and you and your friend can relax with some of the women.”

            Hutch smiled and both men shook hands.

            Back at the precinct, Starsk, Hutch and Sonny were in Dobey’s office. 

            “I don’t like it”, Dobey told them.  “Not knowing where Jimmy is what has me nervous.”

            “Not knowing who the guy is talking to and not knowing which side of the coin he’s on is the big question of the day”, Hutch said.

            “This has all the makings of going bad”, Dobey said with a heavy sigh.  “Nathan Alexander is one of the biggest crime bosses on the coast.  We shake the boat too much and we’re looking at a major war.  This would give the mafia families just the excuse they need to unite and go at it with the Columbians.  We’re looking at a major war on both coasts.”

            “We’re due to hook up with Montoya tonight on his yacht”, Sonny stated.  “Hutch can play Montoya’s best friend and maybe we can get a gander at the other major players in this little soap opera.”

            “Anything on this Forrester guy”, Dobey asked Starsky.

            “He’s on the move quite a bit.  He keeps his operation pretty mobile.  I still haven’t got anything on the guy, Cap’n.  We think this name is an alias.”

            “See Nathan Alexander.  Maybe an official visit might convince him to keep the peace and he might give us Jimmy in order to preserve it”, Dobey told him.

            As the detectives left, Sonny looked over at Hutch.  He could see how quiet he had become and he wondered why.  There was something there and he wished he knew what it was. 

            “Crockett”, Dobey asked.  “Something on your mind?”

            “No, Captain.”

            Sonny walked out of the office.

            The yacht was huge, Hutch thought to himself as he waited at the bar for his drink.  He looked over at Sonny who looked quite at home nursing his beer in the opulent surroundings.

            “This seems to fit you”, Hutch told him. 

            “Pal, this is a fishing boat compared to some of the rides in Miami.  These boys know how to spend money and they do it well.”

            Hutch chuckled and took a small drink.

            “Looks like our host finally made an appearance”, Sonny said.

            Hutch looked over as Montoya appeared with several people.  He watched as Montoya walked away from them and headed towards him and Sonny.

            “Salvador Montoya, this is my associate Sonny Burnett”, Hutch told him. 

            Both men shook hands.

            “I hope you won’t deprive me of my women tonight, Mr. Burnett”, Montoya told him.

            “I think there’s enough women on board tonight for the both of us.”

            “I have spoken with my people and it looks as if we’ll have no problem filling your orders.  We both would like to see a long term partnership”, Montoya told them.

            “How soon can we expect delivery of the first shipment”, Hutch asked.

            “It will take a few days for the arrival.  I will contact you when I know.”

            “Big question is”, Sonny asked.  “Will you be there?”

            “I always personally oversee every delivery, Mr. Burnett.  I have people to satisfy, as well.”

            “You’ll have to excuse my associate.  He’s not too trusting”, Hutch explained.

            “No need, Hutch.  Now, if you both will excuse me, I must see to my other guests.  Feel free to enjoy yourselves.”

            Hutch nodded and watched as Montoya joined the party.

            “He’s not one for long conversations”, Sonny told him.

            “I think he prefers to get business out of the way first.”

            “I hope that partner of yours has luck with Alexander.  It would make everyone a little more relaxed getting their hands on Jimmy.”

            Hutch nodded.

            Starsky sat outside the Regency hotel and watched as Nathan Alexander enter the building with several bodyguards.  The older man looked to be pretty fit and Starsky hoped he didn’t get his ass kicked before he even got in to see the man.  After they had been inside for a few minutes, he got out of his car and jogged across the street.

            Starsky stepped off the elevator and walked over to the bodyguards standing outside Alexander’s door.  He sighed as he looked up.  The big goon had to be at least 6’ 4”, Starsky thought. 

            “Mr. Alexander isn’t receiving guests”, the goon told him.

            “Well, maybe he’ll see this guest”, Starsky told him as he pulled his badge out. 

            The goon motioned with his hand and Starsky found himself spread eagled against the wall while they searched them.

            “I’m gonna take that personal in a minute”, Starsky shot to them.

            He watched them take his badge and his gun.  He was left in the hallway while the goon took them inside.  After waiting a few minutes, Starsky was led inside to the penthouse.  He was guided to Nathan Alexander who sat on a couch with a man who looked like an accountant and a stack of documents in his hand.

            Alexander handed the man the documents and after he left, Starsky got the once over.

            “Bad thing about business, is all the paperwork.  Invest in computers”, Alexander told him.  “Trust me.”

            “Is that a bribe”, Starsky asked.

            Nathan Alexander laughed loudly and picked up the badge which had been sitting in his lap.

            “Detective Sergeant David Michael Starsky.  You’re old man was a cop.”

            Starsky looked at him with cold eyes at the mention of his father.

            “I didn’t know the man”, Nathan told him.  “I have some associates back in the old neighborhood.  They say your father was one of the most righteous cops they knew.  Couldn’t be bought.”

            “I didn’t come here to discuss ancient history”, Starsky told him.

            “I’m not here to discuss my business with you”, Nathan said with lethal eyes.  “You’ll need a warrant for that.”

            “Michael Forrester”, Starsky told him. 

            “Detective, I don’t have time for games.  You know I’m not about to acknowledge any acquaintances I have with anyone.”

            “Mr. Alexander, this visit is off the record.  I’m here to prevent a war.  I think Forrester is looking to widen his business dealings.  It was your men at the club the other night.  They almost killed a cop.”

            “It’s a messy business”, Alexander said with a sigh.  “I’ll level with you detective, but any of this conversation makes it to official channels and I’ll have your organs fed to my dogs.  Drugs aren’t something I deal with.  It’s too messy and unreliable.  My father thought so and I agreed with him.  Too many want a taste of their own merchandise.  Michael came to me and told me that this Montoya was going to flood our territory with cocaine.  He said he would handle it.”

            “His little escapade may start a war with the families and the Columbians”, Starsky told him.  “Just so you know, he’s got an inside guy who ran his numbers that is related to Montoya by marriage.”

            “What does that mean to me, detective?  Michael knows how I feel about this sort of thing.  I’ll leave it to him to rid the streets of the likes of Montoya.”

            “If you do, you’ll be starting a major war”, Starsky told him.  “It’ll hit both coasts and the blood will flow.  We want to take Montoya down ourselves and we can’t do it unless we get this distant relative of his on ice.  For all we know he may be playing both sides.  If you take him out, you will still risk a war.  The best bet any of us has is by getting him turned over to us.  We’ll take Montoya out and you can continue business as usual until we get something on you.”

            Alexander looked at Starsky seriously and suddenly he laughed loudly.

            “I like you, Starsky.  Even though we stand on opposite sides, I like you.  What makes you think Michael would go into business for himself?  He knows that’s very unhealthy.”

            “How long did it take for him to get his own store”, Starsky asked.

            Nathan gave him a cold stare for a moment.

            “Our conversation is finished, detective.”

            Starsky retrieved his badge and gun and quietly left.  Nathan Alexander sat on the couch quietly for a moment going over the conversation with the detective in his head.  He looked at one of his men.

            “Get me Michael Forrester”, he told him. 

            “He’s in Vegas, sir.  Won’t be back till tomorrow afternoon.”

            “Get him on a damn plane, now!”

            Alexander stood up and stormed from the room.

            The next morning, Sonny was searching Hutch’s fridge when the phone rang.  He looked over to see Hutch wearing a robe and picking up the phone.

            “Sonny”, Hutch said.  “For you.”

            Hutch sat the phone down and went to the bathroom.  Sonny walked over and picked it up.

            “Yeah.”

            “I have to remember the time change”, he heard Gina say on the other end.

            Sonny looked behind him and saw that the bathroom door was closed and he could hear the shower running.

            “Anything, Gina?”

            “Could be nothing, but I’m not sure.  You’ll have to tell me what you think.  He’s got a great record and I have to say he is easy on the eyes.”

            “Darlin’, I’m getting jealous”, Sonny said with a small smile.

            “Some years back, he disappeared for four or five days.  Nobody knew where he was.  I’ve got the missing persons report right here.  His partner was tearing the streets apart looking for him.  An APB was put out and he was found.  Suddenly he was put on emergency leave for almost three weeks.”

            “What happened to him?”

            “That’s the thing, Sonny.  I don’t know.  He was checked out at a hospital and he saw a doctor while he was off.”

            “Gina, so far you’re not impressing me.”

            “Normally things like this have a mountain of paperwork stacked behind it.  IA does an investigation with an official report going to the commissioner.”

            “What does the report say?”

            “It’s been restricted.”

            “What?”

            “I don’t get this, Sonny.  The guy disappears for days at a time, then goes on emergency leave.  There are visits to doctors and nothing else.  The IA reports are restricted and squashed.  He got put back on active duty and he made an arrest the day he came back to work.”

            “I can’t believe the guy hit the streets so damn fast”, Sonny observed.

            “Well, he must have really wanted this Forrest guy.”

            “What did you say?”

            “Forrest.  Ben Forrest.  Him and his partner arrested him after his girlfriend agreed to turn state’s evidence.”

            “Gina, find out if there is any connection between Michael Forrester and Ben Forrest.  You’ll have to do some digging.”

            “Yeah, I know”, she said with a smile.  “I’ll have to call in some favors.  You owe me on this one.”

            “Sweetheart, as soon as I get back home, we will do the town.”

            “Don’t make me any promises, Crockett.”

            Sonny laughed as he set the phone down.  Right after he hung up the phone and he watched Hutch come into the room.  Talk about cutting it close, Sonny thought to himself.  Hutch pulled some orange juice from the fridge and poured himself a glass.

            “Girlfriend”, Hutch asked.

            “Once.  We found out that two cops on a personal basis just don’t cut it.  Cuts in on the job.”

            “Sounds pretty”, Hutch told him.

            “Gina is certainly one hot little number and she has a heart of gold.  She’s got some of that little Italian blood which gives her a hellacious temper.”

            “Sounds like you’ve felt the brunt of it.”

            “It’s not a pleasant experience, my friend”, Sonny said with sly look.  “I deserved it.”

            Hutch laughed a little and he wondered what she was really like in person.

            Late in the morning Michael Forrester stood in front of Nathan Alexander’s desk.  He could see the man wasn’t happy.

            “I get a visit from a cop and he tells me he needs this little weasel of Montoya’s.  Only I find out the weasel belongs to you, Michael.”

            “Mr. Alexander, I’m protecting what’s yours.  I told you that we needed the hit on the club and we’re close to taking Montoya out.”

            “Michael, why didn’t you tell me that this character was related to Montoya?”

            “I didn’t know until recently”, Michael answered. 

            “I don’t like it, Mike.  His loyalties are in question which is a liability to all of us.  He could be spoon-feeding information to Montoya.”

            “No way, Mr. Alexander.  Jimmy’s cooling his heels in Vegas.  I put him out there as soon as shit started going down.”

            “I see, Michael”, Nathan said with a smile. 

            Mike looked a bit nervous and looked around the room.

            “I don’t like you keeping things from me”, Nathan told him.

            “Sir, I was doing it to protect you.  If Montoya got his hands on him, there was no telling what he was going to do.”

            “Stop protecting me”, Nathan yelled. 

            Alexander took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

            “Tell me something, Michael.”

            “Sure.”

            “What are you getting out of all this?”

            “I protect you and in the process I protect myself.”

            Alexander didn’t let on he didn’t like the answer and he leaned forward towards Michael.

            “I need to know where that little weasel’s loyalties lie.  Bring him to me and keep quiet about doing it.  If he tells me what I want to hear, I’ll hand him over to the cops with one of my best lawyers at hand.  He can work a deal to take out Montoya and in the process keep us in the clear if he knows what’s healthy for him.”

            “Yes sir.  I’ll have him here tomorrow.”

            Michael left when Alexander nodded and as he headed to his car he had his fists clenched.  This wasn’t going like he planned and Jimmy was starting to become a liability.  At the same time, letting Jimmy out wasn’t an option either.  The little punk was weak and giving Alexander even one minute with him was not an option.  He would sing louder than Aretha Franklin.  Michael considered just killing the little pecker, but he still needed information.  He needed to find out who was inside of Montoya’s operation.  There was a huge deal in the works.  One that Michael wanted to be a part of.  One way or another, Michael was going to take over Montoya’s business.  He considered Alexander weak for not taking advantage of a money making market.  If he played his cards right, even the old man would be ripe for the taking.  Michael had a small smile on his face as he headed to the airport.

            Hutch arrived at the station with Sonny and headed straight for his desk.  He started studying the new surveillance reports while Sonny worked on the reports from the club shooting. 

            Starsky walked in and motioned to Hutch.  They both walked out to the hallway totally ignoring Sonny.

            “What is it”, Hutch asked.

            “I just talked to Minnie”, Starsky told him.

            Hutch watched as Starsky took a deep breath.

            “Starsk.”

            “Somebody’s been doing some nosing around, buddy.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “They’ve pulled your file and that’s not all.  They got a hold of that missing person’s report on you from the Forrest case.  They’ve also tried gaining access to the files in IA.”

            “Shit”, Hutch cursed.

            Starsky watched him pace for a minute and Hutch swung back at him.

            “Who is it?”

            “I don’t know.  It was easy enough to get ‘em, but when they started going for restricted reports it sent some red flags up.”

            Starsky could see his partner wasn’t taking the news very well and he really wished he had better news to offer.

            “I’ve already talked to Dobey and everything is getting pulled and locked up.  He’s even getting the hospital records and the visits with the psychiatrists locked up as well.”

            “What about Bernie”, Hutch asked.

            “I don’t think he’ll talk, Hutch.  He just went on vacation and he’s not due back for another two weeks.  If he hasn’t talked now, he’s not going to.”

            “I hope you’re right”, Hutch told him.  “It’s my career if this were to get out.”

            “I know, buddy.”

            Starsk patted him on the shoulder and they both walked back to the squad room.

Sonny studied them closely as they sat behind their desks.

            “Everything okay”, he asked.

            “Yeah”, Hutch said as he tried to smile.

            “Listen”, Sonny told him.  “If there is something that has to do with this case…”

            “No, it doesn’t”, Starsky interrupted.  “It’s personal.”

            Sonny could see that there was something going on and he wondered if Gina’s searching had done something to rattle these two guys.  Of course it was, he thought to himself.  Something had happened.  Now it was trying to figure out what it was. 

            Starsky sat in Dobey’s office and neither man spoke for a moment.

            “I had thought this mess would be behind us”, Dobey told him quietly.

            “So did I Cap’n.  Hopefully, we got everything buried in time.”

            “We’ll know soon, I suppose.  How’s Hutch taking it?”

            “As well as can be expected, I suppose.  I sent him home with Sonny.  They’re going to cool their heels until Montoya calls.”

            “Damn, I’ll be glad when this mess is over.  Hutch and Crockett are under in a drug operation, Jimmy’s still underground somewhere, we’re trying to prevent a war and now someone’s trying to get the goods on Hutchinson.”

            “Cap’n, I don’t think Alexander wants a war any more than we do.  I think I planted enough seeds for him not to trust his man Forrester.  I gave him enough incentive to turn Jimmy over to us.”

            “Does he have him?”

            “I don’t know.  If he does, he didn’t give any indication one way or the other.”

            “Find Michael Forrester and tail him.  I want to know every movement he makes.  I can’t do anything about Alexander.  The feds have him in their sights.”

            “What about Hutch, Cap’n?  We’ve got to find out who is nosing around.”

            “I’ll make a few calls and see what I can find out.”

            “It might take me a bit to find Forrester.  He’s always on the go.”

            Dobey nodded in understanding and watched as Starsky left.

            Jimmy nervously paced back and forth in his hotel.  Forrester was on his way and he couldn’t get here any faster, Jimmy thought to himself.  He knew his life was on the line.  Montoya and Alexander both would have his head no matter which direction he was going to.  He hoped Forrester knew what he was doing.  Ever since Forrester had found out about his little family connection, this whole plan had been in the works.

            When Jimmy heard the knock at the door he quickly opened it.

            “Did you even bother to look”, Micheal asked him.

            “So what’s going on”, Jimmy asked.

            “Relax, Jimmy.  It’s almost over.  Alexander wants to see you.”

            “Shit!”

            “Don’t worry about it, Jimmy.  Have I ever let you down yet?”

            “I can’t go see Alexander!”

            “You’re not going to see him.  He’s going to think that Montoya grabbed you.”

            “How long”, Jimmy asked.

            “Not long.  I need to know about those men that came to see you, Jimmy.”

            “I’ve already told you about them.  Besides, I didn’t even tell Uncle Sal about them.”

            “There is a huge deal brewing and I think they may have made their own introductions.”

            “I would have thought they would have blown town after you hit the club.”

            “Given how much is at stake, I don’t think so.”

            “One was a tall blonde dude.  Pretty intense guy.  The other was a black dude.  He looked like he just didn’t belong.”

            “Explain.”

            “I don’t know, Mr. Forrester.  He was wearing a silk suit while the other guy looked right at home.”

            “Well, the man in the silk suit may be dead”, Michael said with a sigh.  “He was shot when the club was hit.  In any case, there is a chance that either the blonde is doing this deal alone, or he brought in someone new.”

            “Why are you so interested in this blonde dude”, Jimmy asked.

            “I just want to know who I’ll be in business with, Jimmy.”

            Michael sighed heavily at the question.  This punk sure asked a lot of questions and he wasn’t about to supply any more information than necessary.

            “Sit down, Jimmy.  I’ll explain exactly what the plan is next.”

            An hour later, Michael emerged from the hotel room with a smile on his face.  He found one of his men and gave him a huge smile.

            Hutch nervously paced his apartment while Sonny sat on the couch smoking a cigarette.  Sonny took a long drag before putting out in an ashtray.

            “Sundance, you’re wearing a hole in that carpet of yours.”

            Hutch stopped and walked around the couch to sit down.  He looked over at Sonny.

            “Too many loose ends on this thing”, Hutch told him.  “I guess it’s got me a bit wired.”

            “Take a breather, cowboy.  This whole thing would make a cat uptight in a room full of Dobermans.”

            Hutch sat back a bit and took a couple of deep breaths.  Sonny gave him a side- glance.

            “Hutch, you’ve been under before”, Sonny asked.

            “Of course, I have.”

            “Ever done things you didn’t like?”

            “There’s been a few, I guess.”

            “I remember a case where we had gotten this big time dealer’s wife to help us nail him.  It seemed like a perfect setup.  We had the whole place wired with cameras and bugs.”

            “What happened?”

            “We had to sit back and watch him use her for a punching bag.  It wasn’t pretty.”

            “Damn”, Hutch whispered.

            “In the end, we lost the case.  He walked.”

            Hutch looked over at Sonny while he lit another cigarette.

            “She won, though.  He was walking out of the courthouse and she added lead to his diet.  After watching all of that go down, I wondered if I was any better than he was.”

            “You had no control over what he did”, Hutch told him quietly.  “If you had even made an anonymous phone call to send units over there, it would have blown the case out of the water.”

            “It was blown the minute he stepped out of that courtroom.  We were going to keep on him.  He had enough intel for us to knock out some major players.  It was a waste on one end and justice on another.”

            “I guess we’ve all had to walk that fine line in order to get the bad guys, Sonny.”

            “What about you, Hutch?”

            Hutch was silent for a moment as the memories came crashing down around him.  He remembered Jeanie’s face and he remembered the hell he went through afterwards.  Even now he would sometimes wonder about his own sanity.

            “Hutch?”

            Before Hutch could answer, the phone rang.  He sat forward and picked it up on the second ring.

            “Hello.”

            “Is Sonny there”, a pretty voice on the other end said.

            “I take it, this is Gina”, he said looking at Sonny.

            Sonny shook his head and gave him a small smile.

            “Why, yes it is.”

            “Sonny speaks very highly of you.”

            “I hope so”, she told him.  “If he didn’t I’d kick his butt from here to Tucson.”

            Hutch chuckled.

            “And you are”, she asked.

            “Ken.  Ken Hutchinson.”

            Hutch heard a long silence over the phone.

            “Gina”, he asked.

            “I’m sorry”, she said.  “I need to talk to Sonny about a case we’ve got.”

            “Oh, sure.”

            Hutch handed the phone to Sonny.

            “Gina, darlin’.”

            “My god, Sonny, I had no idea…”

            Sonny covered the receiver with his hand and looked over at Hutch.

            “Is there someplace where I can talk?”

            “Sure, bedroom”, Hutch told him.

            Sonny set the receiver down and walked to the bedroom.  He picked up the phone and yelled to Hutch that he got it.  Sonny heard the click.

            “All right, we can talk now”, he told Gina.

            “Sonny, are you nuts!  What the hell is going on over there?”

            “You know about, Tubbs?”

            “Yeah.  I heard you were going in with someone else.  Is it this guy?”

            “Yep.  I just have to make sure there isn’t anything that’s going to jeopardize getting Montoya.  I didn’t expect you to call me back so soon.”

            “Well, once I get my hooks into something…”

            “I know”, Sonny said with a smile. 

            “Ben Forrest is residing in the local penal colony in California.  He was one of the top crime bosses in his day.  He had a massive organization and it stretched from drugs to extortion.  You name it. His hand was in it.  It wasn’t until his girlfriend decided to turn state’s evidence that it all started unraveling.  Just with her testimony alone, it brought it all down.  You won’t believe who had her in custody.”

            “Come on, Gina”, Sonny told her.  “I’m dyin’ over here.”

            “Detective Ken Hutchinson and his partner, Starsky.”

            “You’re shittin’ me.”

            “Nope.  And this was before he was snatched.”

            “Jesus.”

            “Well, the prior information didn’t give the whole story.  It wasn’t until I pulled his jacket that some of this started making some sense.  Your buddy Hutchinson didn’t arrest Forrest when he came back from emergency leave.  He did it right before.  I’ve got all the dates right here, Sonny.”

            “Forrest might have snatched Hutchinson, Sonny.  It’s the only thing that’s making sense at this point.”

            “If that’s the case, what in the hell happened to the guy to make him have to take three weeks off”, Sonny asked.

            “I don’t know.  There are no hospital stays at any of the local hospitals.  Even if he was injured, there would be something.”

            “Okay.  Let’s say that Forrest snatched Hutchinson”, Sonny speculated.  “He has the guy for four or five days.  Why all the big secrets?  Reports are buried and any other information is conveniently gone.  I don’t like it one bit.”

            “Michael Forrester is another big question mark”, Gina told him.  “He’s got to be an alias.”

            “That’s what we figure over here.”

            “If there’s a connection, I’m not finding it.  I’m still waiting on some stuff on Ben Forrest.  I’m checking his family tree.”

            “Good idea.  Get back to me as soon as you know anything.”

            “Sonny, be careful.”

            “You know me, babe.”

            He heard Gina’s laugh as he hung up the phone.

            Starsky walked into Dobey’s office.

            “I heard you wanted to see me, Cap’n.”

            “Yeah”, Dobey said with a heavy sigh.

            “Important enough to talk to me personally.”

            “It’s not good, Dave.”

            Starsky sat down.  He knew when the captain called him by his first name, he was gonna get a case of bad news.

            “Jimmy’s been found.”

            “Not breathing, I take it.”

            “In the Nevada desert.  His own mother wouldn’t recognize him.”

            “Any ideas of who made the hit.”

            “He had one of Alexander’s goons with him.  He took it in the back of the head.”

            “Damn”, Starsky groaned.  “Montoya must have somehow found him.”

            “That’s what we think.”

            Starsky could see there was more.

            “Spill it, Cap’n.  I can see there is more.”

            “Ben Forrest’s jacket was pulled.  When that happened we got a line on who was checking out your partner.”

            Starsky could see him take a deep breath.

            “It’s coming out of Miami.”

            “Goddamn”, Starsky yelled as he stood up.

            “Take it easy”, Dobey yelled back.

            “You’re kidding, right?  This is all Crockett, Cap’n!”

            “Maybe so, but remember he’s under with your partner!  If you as so much breathe a word of this to Hutchinson, the entire case is over!  If Hutchinson gets wind of who is doing this…”

            “I got ya’.  But it doesn’t mean that I can’t have a little one on one with Sonny Crockett!”

            As Starsky stormed out of the room, Dobey yelled his name but he knew it was useless to stop the man.

            Michael sat back in his chair with a slow easy smile.  It was all coming together, he thought.  Not long and they would have everything they want.

            Starsky had pulled up to Venice Place and when he stepped from his car, he saw Sonny in the darkness smoking a cigarette.  Starsky broke into a run and when Sonny saw him he never had a chance.  Starsky slammed into Sonny and pinned him against the wall.

            “You son of a bitch”, Starsky bit out.  “You’ve been the one investigating my partner!”

            “If you want explanations, you’ll get ‘em better by letting me go!”

            Starsky shoved himself away from him and took a step back.

            “What do you know”, Starsky asked angrily.

            “I know that you’re partner went MIA a while back.  He’s found, makes an arrest and takes leave for three weeks.”

            “Leave it alone”, Starsky told him.

            “IA reports buried, witness reports conveniently disappear.  This has all the makings of a cover-up”, Sonny challenged him.

            “You’re a visitor and you think you can just go digging around”, Starsky asked him with a raised voice.  “I’m warning you to back off!”

            “Take a step back, Butch!  I’m putting my ass on the line and the first indication I get is seeing your partner turn ghost white at the mention of a name of a guy who is smack dab in the middle of our investigation!  If that partner of yours has something I need to know about, I’ll get it whether you like it or not!  I’m not about to get my ass shot off because you’re best friend has a screw loose!”

            “Hutch is fine”, Starsky yelled.  “He’s the best damn cop I know.”

            “Have you even looked at the guy”, Sonny yelled.  “He’s wired to the ceiling!  Ever since that day in the squad room, he’s been fit to be tied!”

            “I’m warning you, Crockett”, Starsky said with a lethal voice.  “Back off.  Hutch knows what he has to do and he’ll do it.”

            Starsky turned around and got in his car and left.  Sonny watched the red torino burn rubber and speed down the street.  He cursed loudly and headed upstairs.  When he walked in he found Hutch strumming on his guitar.

            “You okay”, Hutch asked.  “You look like you’re about ready to kill something.”

            “Yeah, fine.  I’m gonna head to the hospital for a bit.”

            “Sure.  Need a ride?”

            “I’ll grab a cab.  You know how to reach me in case…”

            “Yeah.  I’ll call.”

            Hutch was silent as Sonny left and he knew something was wrong.  He sighed as he stood up and grabbed a beer from the fridge.  Hutch had been watching TV for almost half an hour when the phone rang.  He turned off the TV and picked up the phone.

            “Yeah.”

            “Hey.”

            “Starsky, I was wondering if I’d hear from you today.”

            “It’s been a busy day.”

            “Anything new?”

            “Jimmy’s dead, Hutch.”

            “Shit.  I guess now we don’t have to worry about our cover’s getting blown.”

            “We just have to keep a war from erupting is all.”

            Hutch laughed a little.

            “Any ideas of who took him out”, Hutch asked.

            “Looks like it was Montoya.  He had one of Alexander’s goons with him who was offed as well.”

            Starsky waited for a response from Hutch, but didn’t get it.

            “Where’s Sonny”, Starsky asked.

            “He’s headed to the hospital to see Rico.”

            “He’ll be getting out of the hospital in a few days”, Starsky said distantly.

            “Are you okay, buddy?”

            “Fine.  You?”

            “Okay.”

            “Just okay?”

            “I want to find out who’s checking me out.  Any ideas?”

            “That’s the million dollar question”, Starsky told him.

            Starsky sighed heavily and he hated having to keep this from his best friend.  He wished there was a way around it, but at this point it was all he had.

            Sonny sat in a chair next to Rico’s bed and rubbed his face with his hands.  He looked over at his best friend after telling him everything they had learned.

            “I think I really screwed this thing up”, Sonny told him.

            “I think you’re being too hard on yourself, Sonny.  This thing has all the ingredients to blow up in your face.  You know you have to cover every single base.  Maybe you should talk to Hutch about it.”

            “No, Rico.  I thought about it and I don’t think the guy trusts me enough to open up about what happened to him.  Hell, I have no clue what it is.  All I know is that we’re all wound up so damn tight a lead pipe would crack under the strain.”

            “It’ll be over soon, Sonny.  Montoya will make the deal and he’ll be out of business.”

            “I have a feeling it won’t be that simple, pal.  The mafia and the Columbians both have their hands in this thing.  I’m afraid it’ll get worse before it gets better.”

            The door opened and a nurse poked her head inside.

            “Are you Detective Crockett”, she asked.

            “Yes.”

            “There’s an important call for you at the desk.”

            “Thanks.”

            He watched as she left.  He looked over at Rico.

            “I know, partner”, Rico told him.  “I wish I could be there.”

            Sonny gave Rico a pat on the shoulder and left the room.  Sonny picked up the phone.

            “Crockett.”

            “We have 24 hours”, Hutch told him.

            “I’m on my way.”

            Early the next morning, Sonny, Hutch and Starsky sat in Dobey’s office going over the plan.  Everything had to be times perfectly for the drop.  After they had finished everyone was silent for a while.  The interruption came when Minnie dropped the M.E.’s report from Nevada on Jimmy.

            “I think we have everything covered”, Hutch stated.

            “We need to have the wires double checked”, Starsky stated.

            “Damn”, Dobey shouted.

            “What”, Hutch said.

            “This is the report from Nevada.  It’s not Jimmy’s body that was recovered.”

            “No way”, Sonny said evenly.

            “No match on the dental records”, Dobey announced.

            He angrily slammed the file closed and looked at the men.  Sonny saw the angry look coming from Dobey and he knew it was about his little investigation on the side.

            “I don’t get it”, Starsky said.  “Why would Montoya fake Jimmy’s death?”

            “Montoya is sure putting on a good show hunting for Jimmy”, Hutch mentioned.

            “Alexander might have set it up, but the question would be why”, Starsky told them.  “He’s not keen on going at it with the Columbians over somebody like Jimmy.”

            “That still leaves us, Forrester”, Dobey told them.

            “Cap’n, I’ve been hittin’ the streets hard, pulling in favors and Huggy’s doing the same.  Forrester is on the move so damn fast, by the time we track him down, he’s moved his operations.”

            “How hard can it be to track this guy down”, Sonny asked.  “If he’s got Jimmy living and breathing that means he’s got something at stake in this thing.”

            “He’s playin’ his hand so carefully”, Starsky said with a sigh.

            “He’s got to be using Jimmy to build his status”, Hutch offered.  “It’s the only thing that even comes close to making sense.”

            “What if he’s not doing that at all”, Sonny said with a small smile.

            “Talk, Crockett”, Dobey demanded.

            “Forrester has Jimmy to get the inside details of his operation.  He takes out Montoya and makes it look like the mafia did it.  He starts a war and when Alexander isn’t looking, he takes over.  With Montoya out of the way…”

            “He takes that piece of the pie”, Hutch finished.

            “Jesus”, Starsky said.  “It makes sense.  Forrester could take over Montoya’s pipeline and Alexander’s territory.  Making him extremely powerful and dangerous.”

            “This had to been planned months in advance”, Dobey told them. 

            “I could take this to Alexander”, Starsky offered.  “Alexander might give us Forrester and we could take out Montoya tonight at the drop.  It would prevent a war.”

            “Are you kidding”, Sonny said with a laugh.  “Alexander would prefer to serve us Forrester with his head on a platter if he got wind of this.”

            “It’s the lesser of two evils”, Starsky answered.

            “Think so?  Well, Butch I think you’ve been watching too many old movies.  How long do you think you can keep Forrester breathing even if Alexander turned him over to us?  Forrester will sing like the proverbial canary to save his own ass and he won’t even reach the front steps of the courthouse to testify against your boy, Alexander.”

            “Give me something to work with, Crockett”, Dobey yelled.  “At this point I’ll take anything to keep this thing from coming to a head.”

            “Jimmy”, Hutch whispered.  “We still have to get Jimmy.  When Forrester gets everything he can out of him, he’ll waste him.”

            “Starsky, you have to go out there again.  Rattle the cages, kick some ass and whatever else you have to do.  Hutchinson and Crockett, double-check everything.  Hell, triple-check it all.  I want everything covered on this buy.  Not one single mistake.”

            Both men nodded and everyone turned to leave.

            “Crockett”, Dobey said. 

            Sonny stayed back and as soon as the door closed, he was looking at a very angry Captain Dobey.

            “I don’t know where the hell you get off running your own little investigation against one of my men…”

            “Captain…”, Sonny tried to tell him.

            “Shut the hell up!  I’m not finished.  Hutchinson is one of the best cops I’ve ever seen.  If there is so much as a letter from Miami concerning my detective, I’ll have your badge.  Have I made myself clear?”

            “Yes, sir”, Sonny replied in a cold voice.

            “Don’t get any ideas of going to Hutchinson with this.  I need him on his toes.  Dismissed!”

            Sonny did an about face and walked out of the room.

            In Miami, Gina was working through a stack of files.  She knew there was something going on and it wasn’t this cover-up about Hutchinson.  Her gut told her there was a connection.  She looked up to see Castillo watching her.

            “It’s here”, she told him.  “I just have to see it.”

            “If there is a connection we have to find it.  It puts Sonny and Hutchinson at risk.  I’m not liking where this is going in the first place.”

            “He looked up to see Zwiteck and Vito walking into the room.

            “Anything?”

            “The Columbians are nervous”, Vito told him.  “Hard to imagine the disappearance of a guy down the totem pole can make so many people this uptight.”

            “Given how much information he has about Montoya’s operation, it makes sense.  My hunch is that there is a new player.”

            “I don’t think Jimmy has exactly a high I.Q.”, Trudy told him.  “He didn’t even finish high school.”

            “Someone else is pulling the strings”, Castillo told them.  “Trudy, work with Gina and find the connection.”

            Castillo walked into his office and stared out the window.  He hated not being there with one of his men going into a lion’s den.  There were too many unknowns and backing out was not an option.  This thing was going to break and it would happen soon.

            Rico sat upright in bed flicking through the channels and when he saw the door opened, he smiled as he watched Starsky walk into the room.

            “Hey, Starsky”, Rico said.  “From the look on your face, this isn’t a social call.”

            “It’s about Crockett.”

            “What’s wrong”, Rico said with a worried look.

            “He’s fine.  He’s been doing a little investigating on the side about my partner.  Did you know anything about it?”

            Rico turned off the TV and looked at Starsky.

            “Yeah, I knew.  Sonny had some misgivings.  I told him to cover his bases.”

            “Rico, this whole case hasn’t been an easy one from day one.”

            “Hey, if it’s any consolation, Sonny’s having second thoughts about what he did.”

            “It’s not”, Starsky told him.  “Sonny should have came to me or Dobey about his reservations instead of going behind our backs.”

            “And what would you have told him”, Rico asked.  “Would you have leveled with him about what ever happened to your partner.”

            Rico could see the answer in Starsky eyes and he continued.

            “Sonny hates unknowns.  Unfortunately it’s what we deal with in this business.  He’s had things blow up in his faces too many times and it’s usually due to some piece of information that someone thought wasn’t relevant.  Starsky, I’m not going to apologize for what Sonny did.  He’s a damn good cop and I’ll back him up on this.  If there is something he should know about your partner, you need to come clean with him so he’ll at least know what he has to deal with going in there.”

            “I can’t”, Starsky told him.  “Hutch is my best friend and telling someone else…”

            “Starsky”, Rico told him gently.  “This is one of the most dangerous cases I’ve ever seen.  Our best friends are going into a major drug deal that could head south real quick.  If it goes sour, we are talking about a major war that will rip into the middle of our departments.  Sonny has a right to know.  Hutch doesn’t even have to know you told him.  I know my partner hasn’t given you a reason to trust him and I’m asking you right now to trust him.  I think he’ll listen to whatever you have to say with an open mind.”

            Rico wasn’t sure if he had gotten through to Starsky as he watched him leave the room.  He was glad he was getting out of here tomorrow.  He needed to be there for Sonny.

            Sonny sat in the darkness of the quiet bar.  He looked over at the clock.  Four hours till the meet and he could feel the tension in his chest as he thought about it.  He was glad Hutch had suggested he take off for a bit.  He looked up and saw Starsky slowly walk over.  After he sat down with him, he told the waitress he wanted a cola.

            Sonny lit a cigarette as he studied Starsky.  The waitress brought over the cola and the men sat in silence for another few minutes.

            “Hutch has saved my life more times than I can count”, Starsky told him.  “He’s closer to me than my own brother and he is the only man I can say I love other than my father and my brother.”

            Sonny could see the turmoil in Starsky’s eyes and he knew he was about to find out what had happened to Hutch.

            “If Hutch knew I was telling you this, I could lose him.”

            Sonny remained silent.  He was afraid if he spoke, Starsky would change his mind.

            “Some years back, Hutch and I had Ben Forrest’s girlfriend in custody.  She was turning state’s evidence.  Hutch fell for her pretty hard.  The guy was in love with her and even though I knew that it wouldn’t end in the happily ever after story he wanted, I stood by.  Forrest and his goons had followed Hutch to his place and took him.”

            Sonny watched as Starsky took a drink from his glass and took a deep breath before continuing.

            “They beat the hell out of him to find out Jeanie’s whereabouts, but Hutch didn’t say a word.  Finally Forrest found the perfect way to make him talk.”

            Sonny could feel a cold dread coming over him and he didn’t know why.

            “They got Hutch hooked on horse”, Starsky whispered.  “They kept shooting it in him and shooting it until Hutch was so addicted, he told them where she was.”

            “Oh, god”, Sonny whispered.

            “I finally found him four days later.  If I hadn’t…Well, I got him to a place where no one knew where he was and he went cold turkey.  It was hell on earth.  We got the bust on Forrest.”

            Starsky turned towards Sonny and looked at him squarely.

            “We buried it, Sonny.  If anyone were to get wind that he was a junkie, it would end his career.  Hutch took the time off to get his head together.  He had to make sure he wasn’t what he thought he was.  Maybe it was to make sure I didn’t think the same thing.  I don’t know.  He’s got this thing beat, Crockett.  I don’t know how I’ll ever convince you, but he does.  Hutch is a top rated cop.”

            “Jesus”, Sonny breathed.  “It all makes sense.  No wonder he looked the way he did when you mentioned the Forrester name.  I sure as hell didn’t help matters by sticking my nose in the middle of it.”

            “You had no way of knowing”, Starsky said.  “You checked into it and smelled cover-up.  I probably would have done the same thing if the positions were reversed.”

            “Starsky, I haven’t given you a reason to trust me.  I won’t breathe a word of this to anyone.  Rico won’t even know.  I’ll call Gina when this is over to give it a rest.”

            “This Gina must be pretty resourceful”, Starsky told him.

            “You have no idea.  If it hadn’t been for her know how, I’d still be in the dark.”

            “So even with what she’s dug up, she’s still going at it.”

            “She’s tenacious as hell.  She’s working on finding a connection between this Ben Forrest and Michael Forrester.”

            “How extensive can she go”, Starsky asked.

`           “That girl has more contacts than anyone I know.  She could probably bring in the guy on the grassy knole if she put her mind to it”, Sonny said with a little laugh.

            “I got a blank slate.  If you talk to her, keep her at it.  We’ve drawn a blank on Forrester.  Maybe she can dig up something about his operations that we’re missing.”

            “Starsky, I have this feeling that you somehow blame yourself for what happened to your partner.”

            “I guess I always will.  I play it back in my head like a bad movie.  Even now.”

            “That’s cops for you”, Sonny said with a bitter laugh.  “We are great at kicking ourselves in the ass.”

            Hutch and Sonny sat quietly in the black convertible.  Neither spoke.  They knew that Starsky was hidden away  at the drop location and in three minutes, they were to leave.

            There was so much at stake and both men knew that anything could happen at this point.  Forrester was still out there with Jimmy and the unknowns had both men on edge.

            “Sonny”, Hutch said.

            “Yeah.”

            “I’m sorry about Rico.”

            Sonny looked over at Hutch and sighed.  He played with his cigarette.

            “I know, Hutch.”

            They both sat in the corvette and Sonny checked his watch.

            “I’m sorry, too”, Sonny told Hutch.

            “For what?”

            “For everything.  For acting like a jackass.”  And for digging too much, Sonny thought to himself.

            Hutch nodded and both men sat quietly in the car.  Sonny finished his cigarette and tossed it out the window.  He looked at his watch and looked over at Hutch.

            “Let’s do it”, Hutch told him.

            Sonny started the car and it sped quickly down the darkened street.  Both men were silent as they drove down the silent street.  Neither speaking and neither looking at each other.  Sonny thought back to a time to when him and Rico had taken this same road it seemed.  He gritted his teeth.

            Hutch kept going over the plan in his head and he gripped the briefcase tightly with the cash in it. 

            A black car pulled out in front of them and Sonny had to slam on the breaks to keep from hitting it.  He set the car in reverse and before he could move another black car pulled out in front of him.  Sonny and Hutch froze as men stepped from the car carrying guns.  They looked at each other and slowly raised their hands.

            Starsky sat on an abandoned building.  He felt his frustration building as he looked at his watch.  The boat should have been here by now and the deal was due to go down soon.  It was too quiet, he thought to himself.

            Sonny and Hutch were pulled from their car and spread eagled against the hood of the car.  They stared at each other as they were frisked.  They didn’t flinch when they felt the wires pulled from them.  Their hands were tied behind their backs and they were blindfolded.  Hutch and Sonny were shoved in the trunks of the black cars.  They knew there was nothing they could do about the fact they were now separated.  Sonny clenched his teeth in frustration when he heard a voice saying to get rid of the car.

            Starsky whispered a curse and picked up his radio.

            “Cap’n.”

            “Go ahead.”

            “It’s a no show.”

            “I haven’t heard anything from Hutchinson and Crockett.  They may not know.”

            “I have a bad feeling, Cap’n.  Hutch would never even be late for something like this and Crockett doesn’t strike me as a guy who would show up late for a party.”

            “We’ll wait ten minutes.  If nothing happens, we’ll fold up.”

            Starsky set the radio down and looked at his watch.  This was going to be the longest ten minutes of his life.

            Hutch shifted his body weight to get some of the pressure off of his hands.  He felt like he had been in this cramped space forever.  He hoped Sonny was fairing okay.

            Starsky met up with Dobey at the precinct and the news wasn’t good.

            “I’ve got an APB on Crockett and Hutchinson.  We’re just going to have hope something breaks.”

            “Cap’n, I’ve talked to Sonny about his checking out Hutch.  He’s got this friend who’s been doing the work and he tells me she’s the best.  We need to call Miami Vice.”

            Dobey nodded and picked up the phone.

            Gina felt her heart pounding as she read the file.  This was it.  She had finally found it.  She jumped up and ran into Castillo’s office.  He hung up the phone and looked at her.

            “I’ve got it”, she said.  “We have to get this thing called off!”

            “Crockett and Hutchinson are missing”, Castillo told her.

            “They know Hutchinson’s a cop”, she whispered.

            “It’s a safe bet they know Sonny is one also.  Call the airport.  I want to be in the air in an hour.  Any idea on where they would take them”, He asked Gina.

            “I’ll know by the time we leave.  They’ll want to make sure we have no way of getting to them.”

            Castillo nodded and as she left he clenched his fists. 

            The car suddenly stopped and he felt himself lurch forward in the trunk.  He heard the trunk open and he found himself pulled out of the car.  He could barely stand and he heard shuffling going on not far from him.

            “Hutch”, he asked.

            “Shutup”, he heard someone yell at him.

            Sonny was yanked forward and he could tell he had been brought on board a boat.  After a few minutes of him being guided by the unknown hands which tightly gripped his arms, he was finally thrown into a chair. The blindfold was pulled off and he squinted his eyes in order to adjust to the bright lights.

            He looked to his left and saw Hutch being sat in a chair not far from him.  After his blindfold was pulled off, Hutch looked back at him.  They were silent as they watched a man they didn’t recognize walk into the room.  He looked at both men and smiled.

            The smile he gave them was cold and empty.  He pulled a cigar from his jacket and lit it.  After he took a long drag from it he smiled once again.

            “I’m glad you gentlemen could join us.”

            The man walked over and picked up the briefcase Hutch had been carrying.  He opened it and he smiled even more at the large amount of cash.

            “Nice”, he said with a smile.

            “Well, you got what you wanted”, Sonny told him.  “Why don’t you deliver and we’ll finish our business.”

            Sonny felt his heart grow cold at the laugh coming from the man.

            “I would have thought you cops were smarter than that”, the man told him.

            Sonny looked over at Hutch who had an angry look on his face.  He could see him straining against the ropes around his hands.

            “You know how I knew you were a cop”, he asked Sonny.  “I knew because of him.”

            Sonny looked back over at Hutch as the man walked over to stand in front of him. 

            “We thought we’d get both him and his partner.  And we got you, Detective Sonny Crockett.”

            “Michael Forrester”, Hutch whispered.

            “Very good, Detective”, the man said with a small smile.  “You see, we wanted Hutchinson.  We knew we could kill two birds with one stone.  But you, Crockett, you were a bonus.  It took a while, but we finally found out who you were.  You have something we want as well.”

            “Forrester, why don’t you quit playing around and just spill it”, Sonny told him.

            “Everything is ready”, a familiar voice behind them said.

            Sonny and Hutch turned their heads and watched as Montoya walked over and stood in front of them.  They looked at each other as they felt the boat move.

            “So, you both want the whole tamale”, Hutch told them.  “You’re willing to start a bloody war because of greed.”

            “I’m willing to start a war to have Alexander’s territory”, Montoya told them. 

            “What about Jimmy”, Sonny asked.

            “Jimmy served his usefulness”, Montoya told him.

            “I don’t know, Montoya…”, Hutch said.

            “We don’t have time for this”, Forrester interrupted.  “Make sure everything is ready for our guests.”

            Montoya left the room.

            “So Montoya doesn’t know the whole story”, Sonny said with a half smile.  “When are you going to kill him?”

            “I never give away the ending”, Forrester told him.

            He walked over to a desk and pulled a tape from the desk.

            “Hutchinson, I have someone who wants to say hi.  I guess you could say it’s a blast from your past.”

            Forrester walked over and put the tape in the large VCR.  He flipped on the TV and Hutch could feel a sudden coldness wash over him as Ben Forrest stared out at him with a leer in his face.

            On the private plane, Castillo picked up the phone and dialed a number.

            “Captain Dobey.”

            “Dobey here.”

            “This is Lt. Castillo with Miami Vice.”

            “Castillo, we’re doing everything we can to find your missing officer.”

            “I think we know where they are headed.  If I’m right, then we’re the only ones that can get them out.  Captain, their covers were blown.”

            “How in the hell did they find out?”

            “Forrester is a distant relation of Ben Forrest.  One of my detectives found the link.”

            “Jesus.”

            “Captain, we’ve got an island that’s just on the other side of international waters not far from the coast.  It belongs to Ben Forrest.  Apparently when his estate was seized, it was missed.”

            “Give me the coordinates”, Dobey told him.

            Starsky watched as Dobey scribbled some numbers.

            “I know where we can hook up”, Dobey told him.  “Pier 34 in four hours.  Can you get to it?”

            “We’ll get there”, Castillo promised him.

            Castillo hung up the phone and looked at his people.

            “We’ll get ‘em”, Zwitech promised.

            Dobey pulled a large map from his desk and unrolled it.  Starsky walked over.

            “Cap’n”, he asked.

            “Their covers are blown, Starsky.  There is a connection between Michael Forrester and Ben Forrest.”

            “Shit”, Starsky breathed.  “Cap’n, Hutch is toast unless we find him and Sonny.”

            “Here it is”, Dobey said as he pointed to the map.

            “What is it?”

            “It’s a small island.  I guess Forrest had a little retirement set up for himself.”

            “It’s a hell of a long trip”, Starsky said with a sigh.  “God, I hope we make it in time.”

            “Crockett’s buddies are flying in.  We’ll meet them at the pier and put a plan of action together.  Come on Starsky.”

            Starsky followed him and his eyes widened as he opened up the arms room.  Dobey told the young officer to pretend he didn’t see him and promised everything would be returned in its proper place.  The young officer scooted out of the room.  Dobey started pulling weapons down and when he turned around Huggy and Tubbs were standing behind Starsky.

            “You think your gonna have a party and not invite us”, Huggy asked.

            Starsky turned around and smiled at Huggy.

            “Rico, you up for this”, Starsky asked.

            “You couldn’t keep me away”, he said with steel in his eyes.

            “Hutchinson”, Ben said with a leer.  “I bet you thought you’d never see this old face again.”

            Hutch wanted to die.  The memories of that man’s face brought a cold fear in his heart.  He clenched his fists tightly not to give away what he was feeling inside.

            “I’ve been all cooped up in this tin can and you know what I’ve been doing with my time?  I’ve been doing research.  They have an extensive library here.  For instance, I found out  that you have kept in touch with Jeanie.  I know she’s still in the witness protection program and you know exactly how to reach her.  I guess I must still love her.”

            Ben chuckled and then he suddenly stopped and leaned closer to the camera.

            “Nope, I don’t think so.  You see, the bitch cost me everything.  I spent years building my organization and now it’s gone.  I guess blood is thicker than water”, he said with a laugh.  “Michael has been tremendously supportive of helping me to gain what I lost.  I told him that in order for the victory to be complete was to bring you down.  It was perfect.  We found a new pipeline and the booby prize was you”, he said with a smile.

            Michael turned off the TV and looked at Hutch.

            “You’ve done all this work just to give that old fuck an organization”, Sonny said with a laugh.  “I’m sorry Michael, I don’t mean to laugh, but why in the hell would you do all this work just to turn it over to that old man?”

            “That old man is family”, Michael said angrily.  “Your buddy over there helped put him away and while he sat in that prison, we’ve been looking for the chance to rebuild everything he lost!  It was a pure stroke of luck finding Montoya.”

            “I bet that bomb on his boat in Miami wasn’t luck.”

            “Naw.  We just thought it would speed things up a tad.  You see Sonny, we didn’t expect you.  But when you became a part of this little team, we just had to find out what you were all about and boy, did we find out.  You have a very impressive record”, Michael told him. 

            Michael looked back over at Hutch.

            “Your friend over there is one of the top vice cops in his department.  He has more drug arrests and more undercover time than any other cop I’ve ever seen.  This guy is full of information.  He’s got contacts and I would bet my last dollar he knows every major player working out of Miami and details of their operations.  Just to get a tenth of what he knows would put us in the ball game.”

            “Forget it, Forrester”, Sonny bit out.  “You’ll just be pissin’ in the wind.”

            Forrester laughed and looked at Hutch intently.

            “Take them below”, he told his men.

            Dobey, Starsky, Huggy and Rico waited patiently at the pier.  He kept looking at his watch and he took a deep breath.

            “Relax, Cap’n”, Rico told him.  “They’ll be here.  Sonny’s pulled our ass out of the fire so many damn times and there is no way in hell they’d miss this party.”

            Just after he finished, two cars pulled up and five people emerged.  No one spoke as they pulled their own cache of weapons.

            “Lt. Castillo, I presume.”

            “Captain Dobey”, he said.

            “Wished we could have met under better circumstances”, Dobey told him.

            Dobey at the crew from Miami follow him in to the warehouse and a man sat inside looking over a map.

            “This is Dustin Reynolds”, Dobey told them.  “Tell them what you told me.”

            “I know the island”, he told them.  “It’s pretty small and the house isn’t very big.  It’s got a fairly deep basement.  I used to runs supplies out there on a regular basis before the old man got sent up.  I haven’t been out there in a while, but I don’t think it really has changed too much.”

            “What makes you so sure”, Trudy asked with a cold stare.

            “Because of the island.  It’s small, and there isn’t much more they can do with it as far as building expansion.  The old man went there on vacation from time to time.  Unless they’ve totally renovated the house, it should be basically the same set up.”

            “Lt.”, Vito asked.  “I hate to even bring this up, but what if…”

            “No”, Starsky said.  “It’s an even bet that Forrest still wants Jeanie for what she did and getting at Hutch is the only way.  He’s still been able to maintain some contact with her.  He’s one of three people that know where she is.  Forrest doesn’t let go too easily.”

            “Sonny has a lot of information about the drug trade in Miami and the keys.  If this Forrester is as you say he is, he’ll want to expand his operation.”

            “How can you be so sure”, Huggy asked.

            “It’s what I would do.”

            Starsky looked at Castillo and studied him long and hard.  There was something about the man.

            “All right people”, Dobey said.  “Let’s get to work.”

            “What’s the easiest way to reach the island”, Gina asked.

            A few hours later the boat was docked at the small island.  Hutch and Sonny were led down to a basement and when they entered the room, Hutch saw something and he violently struggled with the men in his arms.  He kicked at them and one grabbed him and landed two hard punches to his side.  He was shoved to the floor and he fell against the cement wall.  Hutch laid on his side with his back to the wall as one of the men put a foot there to keep him down.

            Sonny looked at the desk and he saw what had caused Hutch to react as he did.  He pulled back and the men sat Sonny in a chair in front of the desk.  He looked wildly around the room and his eyes went to Hutch.  Sonny struggled as much as he could while the men ripped his blazer from him.

            “Hutch”, Sonny yelled.  “Look at me, man.”

            Sonny continued to fight with them while they began to sit him in the chair.

            “Hutch!  Look at me, dammitt!”

            Hutch turned his head just enough to see Sonny being tied to the chair.

            “I know”, Sonny told him.  “I know about everything.”

            “Goddamn”, Sonny yelled as they wrapped the ropes around him.  “Hutch!  I know about what happened!  I know what Forrest did to you!  I know about Jeanie!”

            Sonny thrashed about as he felt the tourniquet being wrapped around his arm.

            “You were alone, man.  No one was there!  I’m here this time, Hutch.  I’m going through it with you.  Jesus!  We’ll get through it together, Hutch.  I swear, man.”

            Sonny’s eyes widened when he watched them filling the syringe.

            “Look at me, Hutch!  I’m here!  Don’t you close your eyes!”

            Sonny suddenly felt the needle in his arm and it wasn’t long before he felt a liquid warmth pulsating through his body.  He mumbled Rico’s name and his head rolled about.  He focused on Hutch who still laid on the floor.  He felt his arms come loose and he was thrown to the floor.  He reached for Hutch who was violently yanked up and thrown into the chair.  Sonny could only lay there and watch as they tied Hutch to the chair.  He felt a tear on his face as they prepared a syringe for Hutch.

            “Oh, God”, Hutch breathed.  “No.”

            The last word had been a whisper and Sonny struggled to move.  He looked at Hutch and felt better when their eyes met.  When Hutch’s head fell, he was untied and thrown to the floor not far from Sonny.  After the room was emptied and the door locked, Sonny moved his arm out to Hutch.  Hutch could barely move as he pushed his arm over to Sonny.  Both men laid on the floor and they clasped each other’s hands.

            A boat quietly skimmed the waters and nine people sat quietly waiting to arrive at the island.  Starsky was loading a rifle and he looked over at Castillo who was staring straight ahead.  He quietly walked over to him and looked in the same direction as Castillo was.

            “Odd, don’t ya’ think”, Starsky asked.

            “What is it”, Castillo replied.

            “A CIA guy working as a cop.”

            Starsky looked over at Castillo and he didn’t mistake the deadly look in his eyes.

            “I spent a few years in country to know what you spooks look like”, Starsky told him.

            Castillo was silent as he moved away from Starsky to the front of the boat.

            Forrester sat in his office as Montoya walked into the room.  He had a huge smile on his face.

            “We’ve just started with them.  In another few days, they’ll be begging to tell us what they know”, Forrester said with an easy laugh.

            “Interesting”, Montoya said with a smile.  “Turning cops into junkies is one thing I had never thought of.”

            “Montoya, I took lessons from the master.”

            “So no one knows of your connection with Forrest.”

            “No.  I lived overseas for too long.  It’s an interesting family history and no one thought of checking the branch across the Atlantic.”

            “We have to put our next plan in action”, Montoya said.  “I want Alexander’s territory.”

            “Actually”, Forrester said with a smile.  “I already have.”

            Montoya heard the door open and when Jimmy walked through the door, he looked like he had seen a ghost.

            “You’re dead”, Montoya whispered.

            “Actually, you are”, Jimmy said.  He pulled a gun out and shot Montoya three times in the chest.  Montoya fell to the floor dead and Forrester stood up and walked over to Jimmy.

            “He always hated me”, Jimmy spat.  “He looks better dead.”

            “Yes”, Forrester told him.  “Just as you will.”

            Before Jimmy could utter a word and knife appeared from behind and he felt something warm flowing down his chest.  He looked down to see his blood running through his clothes.  He fell to the floor and gasped as he fell.

            Forrester looked at his man with the knife and gave him a small smile.

            “Make sure they are found by the Columbians”, he told him.  “I want them to see how the families treat their enemies.”

            Forrester walked to his desk and sat back as he watched the bodies being pulled out of his office.  It’s all ours, Ben, he thought to himself.

            In the basement, Sonny lifted his head.  He looked over at Hutch who still lay on the floor with his eyes closed.  Sonny slowly crawled over to Hutch and shook him.

            “Hutch”, he whispered.  “Come on, buddy.  Open your eyes.”

            Hutch groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

            Sonny could feel the drugs in his system and he knew he had to stay focused.  It was all he could do to sit up and pull Hutch close to him.

            “How”, Hutch whispered.

            “You know me, pal”, Sonny told him.  “I come on like gangbusters.”

            “I should kick your ass”, Hutch slurred.

            “After this is over, you can kick my ass all you want.”

            “I can’t do this again.”

            Sonny could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke.

            “We’re in this together, Sundance.  Butch is on his way here with the rest of the gang.”

            “They can’t find us”, Hutch whispered.  “Starsky.”

            “Remember, Gina”, Sonny said.  Even as groggy as Sonny felt, her face floated in front of him with that pretty smile she always had.

            “The Italian girl.”

            “She’ll know.  She could find a button in field of hay.  They’re coming, Hutch.  Just hang on.”

            Hutch tried to move away from Sonny and Sonny refused to let go.

            “Hang on, Sundance.”

            “Sonny, I can’t let them…”

            “I know, buddy.  No matter what happens from here on out, we’re in this together.”

            “You…”

            “I feel like I’m back in one of those Saigon clubs.  You couldn’t even walk into one of those places without getting a lung full of opium.”

            “They’ll give us more, Sonny”, Hutch whispered.  “They’ll keep doing it.”

            “Not for a few more hours, Hutch.  Just enough time for the calvary.”

            “If, I get hooked again…”

            “Listen to me, Hutch.  We could both get hooked and we’ll beat it together.  I swear.”

            “The pain was so bad, Sonny.  You have no idea.”

            “Hutch, I’m here buddy.  No matter what, we’ll do it together.”

            Sonny held Hutch tightly and looked up.  Come on, Rico, he whispered.  You and Starsky need to get us out of here.

            The motor to the boat was turned off and the crew rowed the boat quietly to shore.  The sunset provided just enough cover for everyone to quietly leave the boat.  Dobey pulled out the high powered rifle with the scope and scanned the house.

            “I see three men.  They’re just on the east side”, he told them.”

            Castillo motioned for Zwitech, Vito and Starsky to move in.  The three moved in with the remainder giving them cover in case they were discovered.  Zwitech and Vito used silencers on the men and Starsky jumped the third.  He pulled knife and thrust it violently in the man’s throat.  He looked back and motioned for the rest of them forward.  He had turned around towards the house and a shot landed in his shoulder.  Starsky fell back and a loud gunshot rang through the air hitting the man in the chest.  He looked back and saw that Castillo had been the one to fire the life saving shot. 

            Out of nowhere, gunfire erupted and everyone took cover.

            Forrester stood up at the noise and motioned for his men.

            “Get the boat ready”, he told one of them.  He looked over at the other one.  “Bring Hutchinson.  We’re not leaving without him.”

            “What about the other cop”, the man asked.

            “Kill him.”

            As they left, Forrester pulled a gun from his desk and walked out the door.

            Sonny’s head was starting to clear just a bit when he heard the gunshots.  He looked down at Hutch who was beginning to sit up.

            “What’d I say, partner.  They’re here.”

            Hutch gave him a half smile and Sonny helped him sit up.  They heard the door unlock and both men saw one of Forrester’s men walk in with a gun in hand. 

            Sonny could feel his heart grow cold as he saw the gun raised at him.  Before he realized it, Hutch kicked the chair and it flew against the guy causing him to trip.  Sonny jumped up and hit the man several times until he was unconscious.  Sonny picked up his gun and staggered over to Hutch.

            “You ready to blow this pop stand”, he asked him with a smile.

            Hutch raised his hand and Sonny grabbed it and helped him stand up.

            “Let’s get the hell out of here”, Hutch told him. 

            Both men had to hold on to each other as they stumbled out of the room.  They made their way up to the basement and found the living room. 

            As the shooting continued the crew continued to move forward as they took out Forrester’s men one by one.  Castillo yelled for Starsky and Rico.  They made their way over to him.

            “You two hit the house and find Sonny and Hutchinson”, he told them.  “Trudy and Gina will sit here with Zwitech and Vito to keep us covered.

            “What about Forrester”, Starsky asked.

            “Dobey and I’ll get to the boat.”

            They nodded at each other and Starsky and Rico began working their way to the house.

            Sonny and Hutch turned around to head out the door and they were met by Forrester who held a gun on them.

            “Do you think it’ll be so easy to fire that gun, Detective and hold on to your friend at the same time”, Forrester told him.

            “It’s over, Forrester”, Sonny replied.

            “If you don’t drop that gun right now, Hutchinson is dead.”

            “Sonny”, Hutch said.”

            “Yeah.”

            “If you drop the gun, he’ll take me with him and he’ll kill you”, Hutch told him.

            Sonny knew he was right, but he wasn’t sure if he was willing to risk Hutch’s life in the process.

            “I would rather die than to go with him, Sonny.  You know what he’ll do to me.”

            “Yeah, I know”, Sonny said with gritted teeth.  “Just to tell you, Hutch.  You are a hell of a partner.”

            “You’re not so bad yourself”, Hutch breathed.

            Sonny raised his gun at Forrester knowing that one of them would die.  Sonny knew how badly Forrester wanted Hutch and he wouldn’t kill him.  Sonny knew that Forrester would kill him instead.  He also knew how hard, Hutch would fight him and it would buy him enough time for Starsky to get to Hutch.

            Several shots rang out and suddenly Forrester had an odd look on his face.  Sonny and Hutch watched as he dropped to his knees on the floor and he then fell forward at their feet.  Both men looked up and saw Starsky and Rico with guns in their hands.

            Hutch and Sonny breathed a heavy sigh of relief as Starsky and Rico came over to them.

            “You look like hell”, Hutch told Starsky.

            “You’ve had better days”, Starsky said with a smile.

            “What took you so long”, Sonny asked Rico.

            “Traffic was a bitch”, Rico replied.

            A few minutes later everyone stood on the beach as patrol boats arrived at the small island.  Sonny looked over and saw Dobey shaking Castillo’s hand.  He looked over at Hutch who was walking over to him with Starsky’s assistance.

            “You better get that looked at”, Sonny told him as he pointed at the shoulder wound.

            “It’s nothing”, Starsky told him.

            Rico walked over and stood behind Sonny.

            “We found Montoya and Jimmy”, he told them.  “Any chance we can throw some more time on Ben Forrest for this mess?”

            “Probably not”, Hutch told him.  “Forrest is too smart for that.”

            Hutch looked over and watched a very attractive women with thick jet black hair saunter over to where they stood.

            “You must be Detective Hutchinson”, she said with a pleasant smile.

            “Gina”, Hutch said as he gently shook her hand.

            “I’m glad we were finally able to meet in person.”

            “You are even more attractive than you sounded on the phone.”

            Rico, Sonny and Starsky all looked at each other as Hutch laid on the charm.

            “Why thank you”, she said.  “I had better get back.  I just wanted to meet you before I shoved off.”

            “I was hoping we could get together for a drink sometime.”

            “I wish I could”, she told him.  “Castillo wants to get home before the bad guys know we’re gone.”

            Hutch watched as she walked over to the boat.  He had a huge smile.

            “This guy is unbelievable”, Sonny told everyone.

            “Tell me about it”, Rico commented.  “He almost gets killed and he still has it to lay the charm on.”

            Everyone laughed and they made their way over to where Dobey was waiting for them.

            EPILOGUE

            Starsky, Hutch, Sonny and Rico were walking along the beach.  Sonny and Rico were leaving for Miami in a few hours and they all wanted a chance to talk before they went their separate ways. 

            Hutch stood by Rico and watched as Starsky and Sonny were talking.

            “I’m sorry about what happened”, Hutch told him. 

            “I’ve done smarter things”, Rico told him.  “Hutch I wanna say I hope we do it again sometime, but I’d be lying.”

            “Yeah.  Maybe we can all get together under better circumstances”, Hutch offered.

            “Well, who knows?”

            Starsky turned towards Sonny.

            “Who would have thought we’d be saying goodbyes like this”, Starsky told Sonny.

            “I would have thought I’d be giving you a belt across the face as a goodbye gift.”

            Starsky laughed.

            “Same here.  Thanks for being there for Hutch”, Starsky told him.  “I don’t think he could have taken going through that hell again.”

            “Starsky, I was totally off base about your partner.  I called it wrong from day one and for that, I’m sorry.”

            “I sure as help didn’t help matters any.”

            “Let’s just leave it at poor communication on our part.”

            Starsky smiled and shook Sonny’s hand.  Starsky walked over to Rico and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

            “Do you fish”, Rico asked Starsky.

            “Are you kidding”, Starsky told him.  “I hate it.”

            Rico laughed and both men walked away leaving Sonny and Hutch staring at each other.

            “I hope you’re not pissed at your partner for telling me what happened.”

            “I would have been, but now I understand why you had to know.”

            “I pushed Gina to do it, Hutch.”

            Hutch clenched his teeth and kept silent at the new information.

            “I have no idea of what kind of hell you went through, Hutch.  Don’t you think it’s about time you came clean with this thing?  If I could find out what I did, it doesn’t mean someone else couldn’t.”

            “Anything having to do with what happened has been sealed”, Hutch told him.  “Not even your Gina could get access to it now.  If I was popping pills or even snortin’ flake, it probably wouldn’t make a difference.  Heroin is a whole new animal.  Being fingered for a junkie doesn’t do much for career mobility.”

            “It wasn’t your fault, man.  I know, I know.  A lot of people won’t see it that way.”

            Hutch turned to Sonny and gave him a serious look.

            “Listen, I know you and I haven’t gotten along through this whole mess, but I have to thank you for everything.  If you hadn’t of been there, Sonny…Well I’m sure you know what I’m getting at.”

            “Sundance, you and I have more in common than you know.  I’ll have to tell you about it sometime.”

            “Sonny, after everything that’s happened, I think of you as a friend.  A good friend.”

            “Same here, pal.  If you’re ever in Miami…”

            “I know”, Hutch told him.

            Sonny pulled Hutch close and gave him a tight hug.  Hutch returned it and patted him on the back.  Sonny caught up with Rico and Starsky made his way to Hutch.  They both smiled at each other and walked in the opposite direction.

            THE END?     

            I’m working on a part 2 of this story as we speak.  I’d like to see an old nemesis of Starsky’s get mixed up in the middle of Sonny and Rico’s case.  Hutch has some unfinished business with Gina and it won’t be a moonlight stroll and romance.  Starsky has a major problem with Castillo and they do share a history from their Vietnam days.  Just wait and we’ll see Starsky and Hutch in Miami.