The Hit
The candy apple red and white Torino cruised slowly down the dark streets of Los Angeles. Its two passengers scanned the curb line with a trained eye. David Starsky and Ken Hutchinson had been partners for quite a while now and they worked together like a well-oiled machine. Starsky drove as Hutch kept a keen eye peeled for anything out of the ordinary.
"It’s only five o’clock and it’s dark already," Hutch observed. "I hate that about winter. It seems like we have no daylight at all. I don’t know about you, but I need to see the sun."
"We’re in LA not Alaska," Starsky said. "I wouldn’t exactly call this winter." A sly grin crept across his face.
"OK, then I hate that about December. Is that better?" Hutch looked to his partner, annoyance showing in his voice.
"Yeah, I’ll accept that." David smiled.
"What are you doing tonight after work. Anything special?"
"I got a date," Starsky answered as he checked his rearview mirror.
"Who with, Angie?"
"Who else?"
"Just make sure you make it to work tomorrow." Hutch warned Starsky.
"Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. It all depends on how the date goes." Both men laugh.
Starsky had been seeing Angie exclusively for the past four months. He had never felt so much for a girl in such a short time as he did for Angie. He had been a bachelor for a long time but was seriously considering settling down. All he had to do was get up the nerve to ask her.
Hutch’s eyes were drawn to a dark figure on the sidewalk.
"Hey Starsky. Look." Hutch pointed to the man approaching a nearby restaurant.
"Menneno. Let’s go!" All joking was put aside as serious business began. Vincent Menneno had been alluding the two detectives for weeks. Starsky expertly maneuvered the Torino into a spot across the street from the "Happy Dragon" Chinese restaurant. The two detectives exited the vehicle and crossed the street. As they approached the door they saw Vincent Menneno. He carried a briefcase as he headed upstairs to the restaurant offices.
"Now, I wonder what a nice Italian boy like Menneno wants to talk to Mr. Wong about?" Starsky asked Hutch softly. Hutch shrugged his shoulders.
"Maybe they are working on a recipe for sweet and sour manicotti." Hutch wondered.
"Maybe. Let’s find out." The pair entered the restaurant and was approached by the hostess.
"Table for two?" She asked with a smile.
"No, thank you. We’re just looking." Starsky said as he walked past the pretty young girl and headed towards the stairs.
"In a restaurant?" Hutch whispered to his partner.
"You never know."
"Your really weird."
"Don’t knock it, partner."
"Hey Starsk. Look. There he is." Hutch pointed to the opening door at the top of the stairs.
"You mean here he comes!" Starsky said as he stopped dead in his tracks and Hutch didn’t, bumping into his partners back.
"Your right. Duck!" Hutch whispered urgently.
"Where?" Starsky asked looking around the room.
"Just get out of sight!" They quickly moved to the side of the restaurant that was not visible from the stairs. As Menneno descended the stairs, Starsky and Hutch positioned themselves to confront Menneno. Starsky moved his leather jacket aside to reach for his gun. A female patron sitting at a nearby table saw the weapon and panicked.
"Help! He’s got a gun!" The woman screamed. Menneno turned and saw the two detectives quickly approaching him. He drew his own gun and aimed at the pair.
"Everybody, get down! Police!" Starsky yelled as he knocked over some tables in front of him. Menneno fired at the detectives who began to run and dive behind tables in every direction to avoid the flying bullets. Starsky finally made his way to the bar and dove behind it. With a thump, his body slammed into the body of his partner who was already crouched down there.
"What are you doing here?" Hutch asked his partner, surprised by his sudden appearance.
"Trying not to get killed." Starsky said trying to catch his breath.
"I’m hiding here." Hutch explained. Starsky looked confused.
"Can’t we share?" He asked innocently.
"I guess so." Hutch conceded.
"Never mind. I’m going over there." Starsky pointed to the counter by the front door. "Cover me."
"Right." Hutch fired at Menneno to keep him cornered in the rear of the restaurant as Starsky positioned himself by the register. The pair was now on either side of the suspect, both holding their guns on him.
"OK, drop your weapon, hands behind your head!" Starsky ordered. Menneno saw that he was surrounded and had nowhere to go. He dropped his gun and did as he was told. Hutch kicked the gun away from him as he approached to cuff him.
"OK, everyone. The dinner show is over." Starsky announced as they ushered Menneno out the door and into the car.
###################################
The typewriter bell dinged as the carriage came to the final line of the arrest report.
"God, I hate paperwork," Starsky complained. "I didn’t think we’d ever finish."
"What time are you picking Angie up?" Hutch asked.
"What time is it now?"
"Seven-thirty."
"Half an hour ago." Starsky sighed.
"Well, you’d better hustle."
"Yeah. You're not kidding. Can you wrap things up here?"
"Sure. Get going. You don’t want to keep your lady waiting."
"Thanks. You're a doll." Starsky winked at Hutch as he headed for the door.
"Just remember that the next time I’m late for a date." Hutch called to his partner then returned to the arrest report.
##################################
The small Italian restaurant was dimly lit. The candles on the tables provided soft illumination for the patrons. Starsky sat with Angie at a secluded table in the corner. They held hands across the table as they quietly talked.
"I’m really sorry about being so late." David apologized.
"That’s all right. I wasn’t ready at seven anyway." Angie’s brown eyes sparkled in the candlelight. Her long wavy brown hair draped softly over her shoulders. She looked lovingly at David.
"Are we still on for tomorrow night?" She asked.
"It’s hard to say. I’ll probably be even later tomorrow night. Maybe we should just cancel." He squeezed her hand lightly and patted it with the other hand.
"Let’s just wait and see. Why don’t you call me when you know what’s going on." Angie smiled at David.
"Your something else, you know that?" A smile lit up David’s face making his blue eyes sparkle even more. He had such strong feelings for this woman. He could deny her nothing. "OK. I’ll call you as soon as I know what’s going on."
"OK. I’ll look forward to that call." David put her hand to his lips and lightly kissed it. He knew Angie was the girl for him and soon he would make it official.
###################################
Hutch sat on the bench in front of his locker. He polished his gun with a soft cloth as he whistled a happy tune. Starsky burst into the locker room and stormed over to where Hutch sat. He opened his locker and then slammed it shut just to make some noise. Hutch lifted an eyebrow at his partner.
""What’s your problem?"
"Menneno."
"What about him?"
"He got off!" Starsky paced in front of Hutch.
"What?" Hutch exclaimed, the smile disappearing from his face. "How?"
"Insufficient evidence."
"Bull shit! We had him dead to rights! How did he manage that?"
"He got himself some fast talking, hot shot lawyer who claims the briefcase full of drugs he was carrying wasn’t his. There was nothing in the case to identify it as his. He was wearing gloves and there are not even any fingerprints. He’s claiming that not only isn’t it his but we planted it on him. There were no witnesses to the actual exchange so now were screwed. Damn!" Starsky pounded his fist into his locker leaving yet another dent in its already pockmarked surface. Hutch threw the cloth he was using into his locker and holstered his gun. Starsky plopped down on the bench next to him.
"Now we’re back to square one." Hutch sighed. He rubbed his face with his hand. "So, tell me some good news. How did your date go last night?" A smile crept over Starsky’s face.
"It was great."
"Did you make it on time?"
"No but Angie wasn’t ready on time anyway."
"You two were meant for each other. So you had a good time?"
"Oh yeah. She’s some gal, you know."
"Yeah. She has to be to put up with you. Are you seeing her tonight?"
"Depends on when we get done here. I thought we’d probably be pretty late tonight."
"Well, most of our work just walked out the door so maybe we’ll be outta here early."
"I hope so. Well, come on partner. Let’s get moving." Both men got up from the bench and headed out the door to start their day.
################################
Vincent Menneno paced furiously back and forth. Two men sat in front of him and watched as he punched his hand with his fist.
"Those two lousy cops are screwing up everything. Everytime I turn around, there they are. Something’s gotta be done."
"Anything special, Boss?" Tony asked.
"I just want them out of my hair. But make sure it can’t be traced back to us. Make it look random."
"You got it, Boss." Mickey said as he and Tony left the room to complete their assignment.
###############################
Starsky sat in the driver's seat nervously looking at his watch. He and Hutch were parked in front of an old warehouse. Hutch was slumped down in the passenger's seat watching the front of the building.
"Starsk, will you stop looking at your watch. They’ll be here."
"It’s getting late. Our relief was supposed to be here an hour ago. I’m never gonna have time to see Angie at this rate." Starsky whined.
A car pulled up behind them. The two passengers got out and approached their car, knocking on the window.
"Well, it’s about time." Starsky complained as he rolled down the window.
"Good to see you too, Starsky." Bill remarked. Hutch rolled down his window.
"Hey Ed, Bill." Hutch acknowledged their relief.
"Hiya Ken," Bill said. "Can’t you teach this partner of yours some manners?"
"I’ve tried. He’s a lost cause." Hutch smiled at Starsky who gave him a cold stare.
"So, anything been happening?" Ed asked.
"No, it’s been quiet." Hutch told the men.
"I don’t think anything is going to go down tonight." Starsky commented.
"OK. Well, you guys can take off now. Maybe you can take your partner here to obedience school or something." Bill suggested to Hutch.
"I’ll look into that, Bill." Hutch waved as Starsky started the car and sped off.
"You know, you were kind of rude back there." Hutch informed Starsky.
"So what do I care. It’s 8:30. I’ll never get to see Angie tonight at this rate." Starsky whined.
"Why don’t you call her and have her meet you at the station. You could still catch a late dinner."
"Hey, that’s not a bad idea." Starsky pulled the car into a gas station and hopped out to go to the pay phone.
"Hello?" Angie answered the phone.
"Hey baby, it’s me."
"David, it’s good to hear your voice. So what’s up for tonight?"
"We’re on our way back to the station. Can you meet me there? Then we’ll go and get some dinner."
"Sounds good to me. When I didn’t hear from you earlier I thought I wasn’t going to get to see you tonight."
"Yeah. Me too. I’ll see ya in a little bit. I love ya."
"I love you too, David." Starsky went back to the car with a big smile on his face.
"We’re all set to go. She’s meeting me at the station." Starsky filled in Hutch as he climbed into the car.
"There now, see, things worked out after all. You got yourself all upset for nothing."
"Yes, mother." Starsky mumbled as he pulled out into traffic.
#################################
Angie waved from her car when she saw David and Ken coming out of the station. They both waved back to her as she stepped from her car. As she crossed the street no one noticed the dark sedan slowly approaching her.
"What took you guys so long?" Angie asked, as she approached the pair.
"Sorry," Hutch answered. "We were unavoidably detained."
Starsky reached out and took Angie’s hand and pulled her to him. He kissed her on the cheek just as the dark vehicle pulled in front of them. An explosion of gunfire erupted from the vehicle. Hutch dove behind a nearby car. Drawing his gun, he began to return fire. Starsky pulled Angie to him and got her down behind another car. He held onto her tight as the gunshots stopped as quickly as they had begun and the car sped away.
"Damn!" Hutch yelled as he tried to see the license plate on the car. "Starsky, are you all right?" Hutch asked. His partner was still on the ground holding onto Angie.
"Yeah, I think so." Starsky said slowly. "Hey Angie, you OK?" He loosened his grip on his girlfriend and she slid limply to the pavement. Starsky could now see that his hand was covered in blood.
"Oh man, she's hit! Hutch, get an ambulance!!" Hutch saw the panicked look on his partner's face and ran into the station for help. Starsky tried to comfort Angie. He took her back into his arms, holding her tight. Many people had begun to gather around the scene, both civilian and police.
"Come on, Angie. Don’t leave me." Starsky whispered as he held her to his chest and rocked her gently. "Come on, baby. Say something." Starsky whispered. "Please, say something."
Hutch finally made it back to the scene and pushed his way through the crowd.
"The ambulance will be here soon." Hutch informed his partner, breathlessly.
"It doesn’t matter," Starsky said softly as tears rolled down his cheeks. "She’s gone."
"Are you sure?" Hutch asked as he knelt down next to the still rocking couple. Starsky replied by nodding his head. Hutch reached over and gently took Angie's hand and felt for a pulse. Her body was still. Hutch sat cross-legged on the pavement next to his partner and his girlfriend and placed his head in his hands.
The darkness of the night was now bright with lights from squad cars and spotlights. Red, blue, yellow and white lights assaulted the eyes as they flashed rhythmically from their perches atop the assorted vehicles present. The sound of police radios and sirens bombarded the air. The chaos of the scene dwarfed the three small forms that sat silently in the middle of the sidewalk.
#################################
"Damn it!" David Starsky pounded his fist on his captain’s desk. "It was Menneno and you know it!"
"Calm down, Starsky. We have no way to prove it was his men." Captain Dobey said from behind his desk.
"But Hutch saw him!" Starsky had a desperate plea to his voice.
"Hutchinson, can you be absolutely sure that the man you saw in that car was one of Menneno’s men?"
"I’m sure, Captain. It was Tony Reale. We’ve busted him before."
"How can you be so sure?" Captain Dobey asked. "It was dark. The car was moving and you were being fired at."
"He said he was sure," Starsky insisted. "Let’s pick him up."
"Starsky, you know that’s not enough. It would never stick." Captain Dobey tightened his fists in frustration.
"Well, maybe you can’t but I can!" Starsky stormed out of the office, slamming the door.
"Starsky!" Dobey yelled. "Hutchinson, can you do anything with your partner?"
"I’ll try, Cap." Hutch left the office to pursue his partner. He followed him down to his car.
"Starsk!" Hutch yelled. Starsky turned to see Hutch running over to him.
"What!?"
"Come on, Starsk. You can’t go running off half cocked."
"Wanna bet?"
"You know as well as I do, Dobey’s right. We don’t have enough on Menneno to arrest him."
"Who said anything about arresting him?" Starsky got into his car and started the engine.
"Your not going to do anything stupid now, are you partner?" Hutch asked as he leaned into the window.
"Get out of my way, Hutch." Starsky and Hutch locked eyes for a moment then Starsky gunned the car engine and pulled away, tires screeching.
"Starsky!" Hutch cried out to him. "Damn!!" Ken watched as the taillights of the red Torino disappeared from view.
#################################
It was a quiet night at "The Pits". Hutch picked a spot at the bar and popped a handful of peanuts into his mouth. Huggy Bear spied Hutch and came over to him.
"Hey Hutch, where’s your shadow?" Huggy asked looking around for Hutch’s partner.
"I was hoping you might know." Hutch said as he chewed another handful of peanuts.
"Not me. I haven’t seen him in here tonight. How’d you lose him? I thought you two were joined at the hip."
"Angie was killed tonight."
"His girlfriend? Man, that’s rough. What happened?"
"Vincent Menneno happened. Two of his goons opened fire on us outside the station."
"The police station? Those cats got nerve! But why would they hit Angie?"
"I think they were aiming for us. She came to meet Starsky to go to dinner."
"So I guess he’s taking this pretty hard, huh?"
"You got that right. He took off and I haven’t been able to find him. I’ve gotta find him before he does something stupid."
"And we’re talking Starsky here, so we know he’ll do something stupid." Hutch nodded his head in agreement.
"Look Hug, I gotta get out on the streets and find him. Keep your eyes and ears peeled, OK? Let me know if anything turns up."
"You’ve got it, Hutch." Hutch waved as he left the bar. His partner was normally impulsive. In the condition he was in when he left the station there was no telling what he might do.
#################################
Vincent Menneno sat behind his desk. He was engrossed in some paperwork he was working on when the door to his office flew open, slamming into the wall. An angry David Starsky stood in front of him with a gun pointed directly at his head. Vincent looked at Starsky calmly as his hand reached under his desk pushed a small button.
"Can I help you, Detective Starsky?" Menneno said in a cool, even voice.
"Get up!" Starsky ordered, not taking his eyes off of his prey.
"You are obviously upset over something but I assure you I have no idea why?"
"You know damn well why I’m here."
"I’m sorry detective, but I do not have a clue."
"Don’t play dumb with me, Menneno." Starsky spat the words out. "Your responsible!"
"For what?"
"You sent those men to take us out. They missed us but they hit Angie. So, now I’m gonna take you out!" Starsky held his gun with a tight grip, his finger itchy for the trigger.
"You're making a mistake, Detective Starsky."
"Am I?"
"Yes. I had nothing to do with it."
"Like hell." Starsky maneuvered around the side of the desk, the gun still poised at Menneno. A pair of Menneno’s henchmen came in through the opened door.
"Are you all right, boss?" They asked cautiously, surveying the situation.
"I’m just trying to explain to Detective Starsky here, that I had nothing to do with the little trouble he had this evening." The men took a few steps farther into the room.
"You two just stay right there. This is between me and him." Starsky motioned towards Menneno with his weapon. "Now, BACK OFF!"
##############################
Hutch drove aimlessly around town, searching desperately for some sign of his partner. That hot head of his had gotten him in plenty of trouble before and Hutch figured it was pulling him in that direction again. As he turned the corner, his eyes spotted what he was looking for, a red and white Torino. He pulled up behind it and got out of the car. As he approached the driver's side he realized Starsky was not in the vehicle. He looked around to see where his partner might have gone. He knew Menneno kept an office in the building across the street so he headed in that direction. There was a dim light on in a second story window. Hutch could make out the figure of a man standing near the window with outstretched arms.
"Shit!" Hutch exclaimed under his breath as he realized it was his partner. He reached for his gun as he ran for the door. Taking the steps two at a time, Hutch ran for the office. He could hear voices as he reached the top of the stairs. Slowing his pace, he pressed his body against the wall, as he approached the open door.
Starsky still held Menneno and his men at bay. Beads of perspiration had gathered on his forehead and his finger stayed poised on the trigger. His breath came in a short, fast cadence as he nervously shifted his feet. Hutch eased himself into the room, his gun held at the ready. Starsky’s eyes shifted back and forth between Hutch and his quarry.
"Go away, Hutch!" Starsky blurted out at his partner.
"Come on, Starsk. Put the gun down." Hutch said in a soft voice as he slowly inched his way into the room.
"Your partner here is nuts, Hutchinson!" Menneno informed Hutch.
"Shut up, Menneno." Hutch ordered sternly. He turned his attention back to Starsky and spoke to him in a calm, quiet voice.
"This isn’t the way to handle things, Starsk. We both know that." Hutch inched his way closer to Starsky.
"What do you know. Just back off, Hutch. He’s mine." Starsky did not take his eyes off of Menneno.
"Put down the gun, Starsky." Hutch reached out and placed his hand over Starsky’s, attempting to remove the gun from his hand. Starsky resisted, clutching the gun even tighter.
"Give me the gun." Hutch said practically in a whisper. Starsky looked at Hutch and their eyes met. "This isn’t the way to handle this. We’ll get him but we’ll do it the right way. You and me." Starsky’s arms began to relax. Slowly, finger by finger, he released his grip on the gun, relinquishing it to his partner.
"Good boy." Hutch said softly, slipping the weapon into his pocket.
"Keep your crazy partner away from me, Hutchinson or I’ll have you both charged with harassment." Menneno called out as Hutch ushered Starsky out of the room. Hutch turned and pointed his weapon at Vincent.
"You think this is harassment? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, buddy! We are gonna be like your shadow. Everytime you turn around we’ll be there. Every move you make, we’ll see. And the first time you slip up, BAM! We’re gonna nail you and nail you good." Hutch placed his arm around Starsky’s shoulder as they walked through the door.
"Your both crazy." Menneno mumbled. "Your both crazy!" he yelled at the men as he paced behind his desk. He turned to his men, who were still in the room.
"Get Tony and Mickey. I want to see them, Now!"
#################################
Dobey’s fist slammed onto his desk.
"That was stupid, Starsky!" Dobey’s face puffed out in anger. Starsky sat in a chair against the wall, staring blankly at the floor.
"Come on, Cap. Take it easy on him. He just lost his girlfriend." Hutch said trying to calm down their Captain as he sat perched on the edge of Dobey’s desk.
"I feel for him, Hutchinson but that doesn’t give him the right to run around town like a mad man."
"Your right but he’s calmed down now. He knows what he did was wrong. He won’t do anything else like that again."
"He better not!" Dobey leaned back in his chair.
"I’m sitting right here and I can talk for myself." Starsky informed the pair. "I’m not sorry for what I did and I wish I had blown Menneno away! But your right Hutch, there are ways to bring Menneno down without bringing myself down with him. That’s what we’re gonna do."
"No way, Starsky. Until further notice you're on a leave of absence." Dobey ordered the detective.
"I don’t think so. Hutch and I are goin’ out on the streets and we’re gonna nail that son of a bitch, whether you like it or not!" Starsky stood and headed for the door.
Hutch rose and followed his partner. A slight grin came to his face over his partner's determination. Hutch closed the door behind him. Captain Dobey rubbed the side of his face with his hand.
"My kids don’t listen to me. My men don’t listen to me. I might as well be talking to a wall."
#############################
The tan sedan sat a block away from an abandoned factory. Hutch sat in the drivers seat slumped down behind the wheel, a pair of binoculars in his hand. Starsky laid on the back seat, attempting to get some sleep. It had been more than 48 hours since the shooting and neither man had slept much. It was still dark outside but the slightest hint of light was beginning to break on the horizon. Starsky tossed and turned on the back seat.
"Can’t you sleep?" Hutch asked.
"I can’t get comfortable." Starsky began to throw magazines, soda cans and other assorted articles into the front seat. "Have you ever considered cleaning out this car?"
"I just did." Hutch answered as he peered through the binoculars. They had gotten a tip that a big deal was going down at this factory and they were sure it would involve Menneno. They had staked out the location but so far there had been no sign of anything happening. Suddenly, Hutch straightened up in his seat as he gazed through the binoculars.
"Hey Starsk."
"What?" Starsky poked his head up over the seat.
"A car just pulled up."
"Is it Menneno?"
"I can’t tell. It’s too dark."
"Let me see." Starsky grabbed the binoculars out of his hand to look through them, almost strangling Hutch in the process with the strap.
"Starsk!" Hutch croaked, reaching for the strap that cut into his throat.
"Oh, sorry." Starsky smiled at his partner as Hutch lifted the strap over his head.
"Your right. I can’t tell either. Wait a minute. Another car just pulled up. I think something’s gonna go down." Hutch picked up the radio mike.
"Zebra 3 to central. Suspect sighted. Send back up to our location. Request silent approach." Hutch replaced the mike.
"10-4 Zebra 3."
Starsky and Hutch left the vehicle and headed for the factory. They kept themselves out of sight by staying low and darting from tree to tree. A row of bushes lined the curb across the street from the two suspicious vehicles. The two detectives lay on the ground with guns drawn, spying through small cracks in the foliage.
As the detectives watched, the doors of the two vehicles opened. Vincent Menneno slipped from one and Sal Manning stepped out of the other. Both men carried briefcases as they approached one another. The drivers remained in the cars as the two men met in the middle. A few words were spoken and then they exchanged cases. They placed them onto the hood of the car Sal Manning had just gotten out of and examined their contents.
"Now!" Starsky said as he and Hutch jumped over the bushes, guns drawn. They ran across the street surprising the dealing pair.
"Freeze!" Hutch ordered. Both drivers now leapt from their vehicles brandishing guns. The dim light of the morning made distinguishing individuals difficult and the men squinted to focus on their targets.
Sal and Vincent both grabbed their respective cases and reached for their guns. Starsky ran straight for Vincent, diving at him before he had a chance to fire his gun. Menneno swatted at the detective with his briefcase as Starsky sailed through the air. The case smashed into the side of Starsky’s head, knocking him to the ground. The contact sprung the latch open, spraying the pavement with bundles of cash.
Meanwhile, Hutch was having his own problems. Sal Manning had taken off sprinting through the deserted parking lot with Hutch in hot pursuit ten paces behind him. His driver aimed and fired at the running detective, missing by only inches. Hutch began to weave as he ran, attempting to avoid the bullets. The driver took aim and pulled the trigger again. This time the bullet made contact and the running man fell to the pavement.
Squealing tires announced the arrival of several black and white units at the scene. The uniformed officers jumped from their vehicles to aid the two detectives. Chaos ruled the day as men were running, shots were being fired and bundles of cash were strewn across the asphalt. The uniformed men quickly joined in to assist their plain clothed counterparts.
Starsky’s head spun from the sudden impact to his cranium, his body knocked breathless from its collision with the ground. As he climbed to his knees, the sound of shots being fired drew his attention in Hutch’s direction.
"Get him!" He called to the uniformed officers, pointing at Menneno, as he took off in the direction of the shots. The gunman stood behind the open car door, unaware of Starsky’s approach. As he aimed his gun to fire yet again, Starsky threw himself on the man’s back, forcing him to the ground. The jolt knocked the gun from the man's hand as the dark haired detective landed on his back. Starsky reached for his handcuffs and had the man’s wrist cuffed and attached to the car door before he knew what hit him. Starsky kicked the gun towards the approaching officers and left the dangling prisoner to search for Hutch. He could make out a figure on the ground and another standing over it. In the dim light of the morning, he could not identify the forms. Running for all he was worth, Starsky made his way to his destination, gun drawn.
A wave of relief rushed through Starsky, as it became clear that the man who was standing was Hutch.
"Hutch!" Starsky called out breathlessly. "Your OK!"
"Of course." The blonde detective smiled confidently. "Do you believe it? Manning got hit by his own man!" Sal Manning clutched his leg as he writhed in pain on the pavement.
"I need a doctor!" Sal cried out.
"You’ll get what you need soon enough." Hutch informed his prisoner. A squad car pulled up and two officers stepped out.
"Hey! Radio for an ambulance." Hutch called to the uniformed men. He shook his head and smiled at the thought of Manning’s own gunman taking him down. As the two officers took charge of the prisoner, Hutch turned his attention back to his partner.
"Hey Starsk." Hutch said but his friend no longer stood beside him. Hutch scanned the area. A single tree stood near the factory entrance with a lone figure seated beneath it.
Starsky hugged his legs to his chest and rested his head on his knees. The sorrow and grief he had been holding in for the past several days now rushed to the surface. Wave after wave of uncontrollable sobs wracked his body.
Hutch knelt down next to his grieving partner, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Slowly, Starsky lifted his head to look at his friend. Their eyes met and the pain Starsky was feeling became all too real to Hutch through their empathic bond. A small stream of blood trickled down Starsky chin. Hutch reached over and wiped it away with his thumb.
"What happened here?" Hutch asked softly.
"I bit my tongue." Starsky mumbled, the swelling of his injury apparent in his speech. The corners of Hutch’s mouth raised to a slight grin. His partner often had a certain childlike quality about him, which always brought out a mothering instinct in Hutch.
Hutch lowered himself to the ground next to Starsky and placed an arm around his partner. The sobs had subsided but his face was still streaked with tears. Starsky brought his hands to his face and wiped away the remnants of his emotions, attempting to regain his composure.
"You know I’m here for you." Hutch told his partner in a hushed tone. "Two shoulder, no waiting." Starsky smiled at Hutch.
"Yeah, I know. We got him this time, didn’t we."
"We sure did. And this time it will stick."
"Good." Starsky took a deep breath. "Hutch?"
"Yes partner?"
"Can we go home now?"
"We sure can." Hutch stood and reached a hand out to Starsky. Together they slowly walked to the car.
##############################
Starsky awoke to the sound of voices in the other room. He slipped on the pair of jeans that lay at the foot of the bed and sleepily staggered into the living room. Hutch sat on the sofa with the phone to his ear. The TV played softly in the background. Hutch had just wrapped up his phone call when he became aware of Starsky’s presence.
"Hey, Rip Van Winkle. You finally woke up." Hutch smiled at the dark haired man.
"Yeah, what time is it anyway?"
"It’s 7:30am."
"Oh." Starsky looked a bit confused. That would mean he only slept for an hour.
"That’s 7:30 am tomorrow. You’ve been asleep for over 24 hours."
"Oh." That made more sense. "No wonder I’m hungry."
"I figured you would be so I made some scrambled eggs. You want some?"
"Yeah." The two went into the kitchen and Hutch began to warm up the eggs as Starsky poured himself some coffee and took a sip.
"Ummmmmm. This is good."
"Thanks," Hutch smiled.
"You didn’t put anything weird in those eggs, did you?" Starsky asked looking over Hutch’s shoulder into the pan.
"Weird, like what?"
"You know, your usual weird, seaweed, tofu, protein powder, anything sprouted."
"Nope. None of the above. Just eggs and a little salt and pepper." Hutch scooped the warmed food onto a plate and placed it on the table. Starsky hungrily dug in.
"These taste really good." Starsky mumbled through a mouthful of food.
"Thanks. I figured eggs would be soft enough for you to eat even if your tongue was still sore." Starsky shook his head in agreement. His tongue was indeed still sore and the eggs were easy to slip down.
"Who was on the phone?" Starsky asked after swallowing his mouthful.
"Dobey."
"What’d he want?"
"Two bodies were fished out of the harbor yesterday. One was positively identified as Tony Reale." Starsky stopped chewing and stared wide-eyed at Hutch.
"It looked like a professional hit. His gun was still on him and the ballistics report matched the one used in Angie’s shooting."
"Anyway to link him with Menneno?"
"Yeah. Menneno’s driver sang like a canary. Vincent was pissed cause Tony botched up the hit on us, so he had him and his partner hit. We’ve got him, Starsk. Dead to rights. And this time it’s gonna stick."
Starsky looked down at his plate. He thought he would be elated at the news of Menneno’s downfall but he just felt numb. A thought came to him and he looked at Hutch.
"If it’s tomorrow then that means the funerals today."
"Yeah, at nine o’clock. So you better get moving." Hutch said as he began to clean up the kitchen.
A cold emotional wave crashed over Starsky, chilling him to the bone. His anger and quest to nail Menneno had kept the reality of the situation from sinking in. Only now did he realize he would never see Angie again. He swallowed hard as he looked at Hutch.
"I don’t know if I can do this," he whispered.
"Sure you can. I’ll be there for you all the way." Hutch came over and sat down next to Starsky. "We’ll get through this together."
Their eyes locked for a moment. Hutch could feel the fear emanating from Starsky’s eyes. Loss was something Starsky did not accept well and saying his final good bye’s to someone he loved terrified him. Hutch broke eye contact first as he rose from the chair.
"You better get moving, partner." Hutch said softly. Starsky nodded and rose from his seat. Hutch kept a watchful eye on his friend as he walked into the bedroom and closed the door.
##################################
Starsky stepped from the bathroom with a towel wrapped loosely around his hips. He opened the closet door and removed his navy blue suit from its garment bag and placed it on the bed. He went to the dresser and rummaged through some cassette tapes that were thrown in a shoebox. Choosing one, he placed it into the tape deck and hit play. The mournful strains of the Rolling Stones song "Angie" played as Starsky began to dress.
Opening his top dresser drawer to retrieve a pair of socks, Starsky found a picture of Angie staring up at him. He sat on the edge of the bed, the picture in his hand. Angie’s face smiled at him playfully, her brown eyes sparkling. Starsky remembered the day he took the picture. They had been on a picnic in the park and they had been so happy. The day had been full of planning for their future. Who would have guessed this beautiful scene would have such a tragic end.
Starsky went to his dresser and tucked the photo in the edge of his mirror as the song on the tape came to an end. He reached over and hit the rewind button. Never had the words to a song had so much meaning as they did at that moment. He stood gazing at the picture as the guitar began to play its sorrowful melody again.
###############################
Hutch listened from the living room as the song played for the third time. Glancing at his watch, he stood and went to the bedroom door.
"Starsky, are you all right?"
"Yeah, be right there." Starsky answered from behind the door. As the last chord of the song echoed, Starsky emerged from the bedroom. He seemed pale in comparison to the dark suit he wore. Hutch smiled and went over to him and fixed his shirt collar that was sticking up.
"Are you ready?" Hutch asked.
"I guess." Starsky sighed. Hutch held the door open for his partner as they left for the services.
################################
The tan car pulled up in front of the funeral home. Hutch began to get out until he noticed Starsky was not moving. Sitting back down, he looked at his partner.
"We’re here." Hutch spoke quietly to his distraught friend.
"I know." Starsky replied, staring straight ahead.
"Are you going in?" Hutch asked. Starsky nodded his head. The two men sat in silence for a moment. With a deep breath Starsky broke the silence.
"It should be me in there, Hutch."
"But it’s not."
"But it should be. They were after us, not Angie."
"I know but there’s nothing you can do now to change things."
"Isn’t there?" Starsky looked at Hutch. Hutch knew that look. He had seen it before when things got rough.
"You gonna quit?" Hutch asked calmly.
"What do you think?"
"I think your hurting right now. I think you want to quit and get as far away from here as you can. But running away isn’t the answer. You need to face this to get through it. You need to go in there and say your good-byes. Then you need to move on with your life. It will hurt for a while but you have to move on. You can’t let yourself die along with Angie."
Starsky listened patiently, gritting his teeth to control his emotions. When Hutch finished speaking, Starsky took a deep breath and looked at his friend. His eyes told Hutch all he needed to know. Starsky wasn’t about to quit. Being a cop was who he was, what he was meant to do. It might take a little time but soon he’d have his friend and partner back.
"You ready?" Starsky asked.
"Yeah." Hutch whispered.
The two men ascended the stairs to the funeral home, together. Friends and partners. And that’s how they will stay.
The End