The Bank Job

Chapter 1 1:50 PM

"OK, you two sit tight and I'll be right back," Detective David Starsky directed the two teens seated in the back of his red Ford Torino. "I have to cash my paycheck. You two keep making the Honor Roll and Hutch and I will end up in the poor house. But a deal's a deal. Wherever you want to go, it's on us. Movie and dinner, right?"

"Animal House is supposed to be hilarious, we'll pick a place to eat later. Hey, Starsky, will you leave the keys so we can listen to the radio?" This request came from Neko, one of the two fifteen year old boys in the back seat. "We promise we won't do anything stupid, right Caleb?"

"Right. I mean how much trouble can we get into…" Caleb, Neko's best friend, trailed off but gave him a jab in the ribs. They both shared a conspiratorial grin.

Starsky couldn't help remembering the first time he and Hutch crossed paths with the two boys. They had been living on the streets and had taken up company with two very unsavory characters. The boys' tight connection with each other reminded him of the connection he shared with Hutch and the mentorship sort of stuck. "You forget, you ain't dealin' with an amateur, gentlemen. I'll leave the keys and you leave your mitts off everything. Capisce?"

"Capisce," the boys chimed in together.

" 'K, I'll be back in a few." Starsky exited the car, but gave a knowing nod to the boys. "Don't even think about it," he warned again.

With a quick jog, David Starsky zigged and zagged his way through the parking lot and into the Citizen's Fidelity bank. From the force of habit, he quickly scanned the lobby, then queued up at the teller counter.. Even though the bank was fairly empty, it was clear that the line had stalled out.. "C'mon, c'mon, " he mumbled to himself.

The couple at the front of the line were completely oblivious to the ever expanding tail that was growing behind them. There were three people ahead of Starsky but thanks to the head couple, no one was going anywhere. "Uh boy!" he muttered under his breath.

Just in front of Starsky, an attractive thirty something woman and her adorably cute, but fussy, infant son turned around and gave Dave a sympathetic grin. "Never fails, does it?" she commiserated. "Gregory, here, is about five minutes away from a DEFCON 1 type explosion. He's hungry, wet, and we are quickly approaching nap time. It's gonna get ugly."

"I know how he feels," Starsky grinned. "What in the hell-I mean- world is going on up there?"

"From what I see, it looks like they are counting out coins. Oh, yeah, the teller just pulled out some coin wrappers." The woman jostled the fretful child to try to distract him. "Pardon me," she turned back to Starsky, " But could you fish through this diaper bag and see if you can find his pacifier? It should be in one of the side pockets. By the way, my name is Lisa."

"Sure, my pleasure. I'm David." After a few seconds the pacifier was located and Gregory's meltdown was postponed.

"Thank you so much. He's kind of a handful. Oh thank God! Looks like we are on the move again."

The elderly couple responsible for the diminished line movement, casually strolled out of the bank, ignorant of the back up they had caused. Starsky had to laugh because it seemed like someone had let the stopper out of the tub. Suddenly the teller line was moving smoothly. Lisa and baby Gregory quickly finished up their business and were headed to the door when Starsky noticed two people flanking the bank's entrance, who were not there when he came in. His cop instincts kicked in as he saw another new arrival deliberately move into position by the bank manager's desk.

David shifted his attention back to the teller he had been joking with a moment before. "Listen. We may be in for some trouble."

The dubious teller was uncertain whether this was a warning or a punchline, "Huh? Wait. What?"

"Just keep looking at me. What's your name?"

"R-r-ryan."

"OK, Ryan. See those two guys by the door and the other one by the desk? They could be trouble. Just stay calm and keep looking at me. Look at me... and Ryan, if you have a silent alarm, now would be a real good time to use it."

The young man went from confused to terrified and back to confused in a split second. "Mister, what are you saying? I can't do that unless there is a rob… Are you telling me this is a robbery?!" A look of panic swept his face.

Starsky worked hard to maintain a calm exterior, but six years on the front lines had taught him to trust his hunches. "Ssshhh Ryan, it looks like something heavy is getting ready to go down. Don't panic, just reach over and press the alarm. If I'm wrong, I'll take the heat. I'm a cop." he said tersely. "Do what I tell you and hopefully we can all walk out of here."

Then, their window of opportunity slammed shut. The three people that Starsky noticed moments before, had donned identical rubber clown masks to disguise their identity.

Starsky heard Lisa scream. Spinning around he saw one of the masked lookouts grab the woman and her baby. The other pulled the shade on the windows and dead bolted the door.

"Everyone hit the deck and maybe no one will get hurt. You, at the drive up window, pull the shade and get over here," the powerfully built man by the desk bellowed. He continued to bark commands, "You! Behind the counter. Start filling this bag." He tossed a red Adidas duffle bag over the teller cage to the terrified young man. "Don't try any cute stuff, I'm warning you, or that cute little baby will be minus his cute little mama." This man was muscle from head to toe. He, by all appearances, was the brains and the brawn of this hold up operation.

Although completely caught off guard, the remaining patrons and employees dropped to the floor.

"Hey hero, that means you too!" The smallest of the three sneered at a defiant Starsky.

"Sorry, I couldn't understand ya. You have a mask on." As he slowly lowered himself to a prone position on the cold, dusty linoleum floor, Starsky filed away what he could remember of the three before they donned their masks. He continued to concentrate on what he could discern from floor level. The three were all very different in build and height. The one closest to the door, holding on to LIsa, appeared to be the weak link, size wise. Though no more nervous and every bit as belligerent as the other two, something didn't add up. Risking a quick look at the suspects hands and feet, he confirmed his suspicion. The smallest one was a woman. "Not that it makes a difference, since she probably has a piece," he mused. "But it's always nice to know what you are up against." He lowered his head back on the floor and began to formulate a plan.

Chapter 2 2:30 PM

"Dang! What is taking him so long?" Caleb exploded. "He said he'd only be a minute. It's been over a half hour!"

"It's burning up in here!" Neko complained. "I'm gonna to see what's happenin'. It better not be a girl." He threw his five foot seven inch wiry frame over the car's front bench and slid out of the driver's side door. "I'll be right back, don't go away."

"Very funny," Caleb groaned. "Drag him out if you have to. The movie starts in a half hour and we still have to get Hutch."

Neko ran across the parking lot shared by the bank and neighboring businesses. His attention was caught by a lone motionless car at the bank drive-through window, honking in frustration. Once on the sidewalk in front of the bank, a weird sensation caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand up. Slowing his walk, he looked around. Neko's dormant street smarts were surfacing and he felt something wasn't right. "Geez, man, chill out" he chided himself. Just to appease his inner street kid nerves, Neko approached the bank door with caution. The blinds were drawn shut. "That's weird," he mumbled. He reached carefully for the door only to find it was locked. According to the business hours posted, they should be open. Something bad was happening inside, he just felt it. And Starsky was in there.

Caleb saw Neko coming back through the lot and immediately read something was wrong. He hopped out of the car and met his friend half way, "Hey man, what's wrong. Where's Starsky?"

"I don't know, I mean, I didn't see him. The bank's locked up. There's something goin' on in there, and it ain't good."

"What do ya mean?" Caleb dragged his worried friend around behind a parked truck. "Talk to me."

"I just got a feeling. Caleb, you know me and my hunches, they are usually pretty solid. Everything is locked up tight. I couldn't get in and nobody came out. That's not normal for this time of day."

"You're thinkin' what I'm thinkin'." Caleb's lake blue eyes locked on Neko's almost navy colored eyes.

Neko's face was a study in concentration. "A hold up, yeah. But I guess it could be a million other things. Let's take a look around…"

"Starsky told us to stay put. He'll be pretty pissed if he comes back and we ain't there."

"Have you ever known me to disobey a direct order from Starsky or Hutch?"

A familiar sparkle lit up Caleb's face…"Well, ok then, what's the plan?"

The dark haired Neko smiled, "I don't have one, let's just walk around and see what we can see."

The two teens crossed the street and casually crossed back once they passed the bank. Keeping their eyes peeled for any kind of action, they hovered for a few minutes just out of the sightline of anyone who might be looking out the bank's door. Caleb nudged Neko and they both headed back up the street. "Let's go around to the alley, there might be some kind of get away car or something back there, 'cause the street seems pretty clear."

Neko agreed,but then hesitated, "You think we ought to let somebody know?"

"Yeah, but let's go check around back first."

The alley did not turn up any solid clues, much to the boys' disappointment. There were several cars, probably belonging to the people that worked at the bank and one of those weird car/truck things that always made Caleb crack the same joke. "Hey Neko! There's one of those cars that couldn't decide what it wanted to be when it grew up!"

Neko rolled his eyes, "How many times do I have to tell you, it's an ElCamino! Daang, I don't know what I thought we'd find.," Neko added dejectedly .

"One of those cartoon bubbles with a big arrow in it?"

"Right! The arrow would say BAD GUY CAR!" Neko laughed, but quickly changed gears. "I still think something bad is happening. Starsky should have been out a long time ago."

"You got a dime? We could call Hutch."

Neko slapped himself in the head, "Duhh, you are a genius." He quickly patted himself down in hopes of finding some spare change, then finding none, started rifling through Caleb's jacket pockets as well. "So much for that idea, all we have between us is a set of car keys and a pencil stub."

Caleb's eyes lit up, "You thinkin what I'm thinkin?"

"As always. This is an emergency. Last one to the car rides shot gun…"

The two kids took off running back towards Starsky's Torino. Each one was sure Starsky would be forgiving if it led to the stopping of a bank robbery.

Chapter 3 2:35 PM

The only sound inside the bank was the incessant wail of a baby who was way past his normal feeding and nap time. It was clear the baby's crying was fraying the ring leader's nerves beyond what might be healthy for anyone involved.

"Get that damned kid to shut up, or I will!" he threatened. "You! Hurry up and fill that bag! What is takin' so long?"

The young man stammered, "I-I-I'm sorry." Remembering what Starsky had said about the silent alarm, he inched down the counter to reach it.

"Keep your hands where I can see them, kid! That's the only warning you'll get." The agitated man stared menacingly at the teller and waved his Ruger.

The teller returned to his task of filling the bag. "If I can't hit the alarm, I can at least include a surprise in the bag," he thought. And cautiously he secreted a dye pack in with the stacks of bills. He zipped up the bag and threw it back over the cage to the thief.

The other hostages lying on the floor were beginning to show their anxiety. One of the bank employees was displaying signs of an asthma attack, while a patron started to sob in fear. The situation was deteriorating, and Starsky knew he had to do something.

"Shut that kid up or else." The third accomplice , a thin wiry man sneered. He made a gesture as if to back hand the crying baby.

Lisa's maternal instincts took over as she jerked loose of the woman that was holding her. "He's a baby! Babies cry. Touch my baby and I'll tear you apart myself! You creep! Just let us go, we haven't done anything to you!"

It wasn't ideal, but Starsky had to work with what he had. "She's right, you know," he piped up. "There is no reason to keep us all pinned down here. Junior, has finished your withdrawal. What are you going to do? Take us all hostage? You have to let us go sometime." Continuing as calmly as possible, David tried to reason with the robbers. "Right now, no one has been hurt. Let's just keep it that way. Take the money. Leave. A robbery is a lot less time in the joint than an assault with a deadly weapon or murder."

"Shut up, Curly. What are you, a cop?" the female thief snarled.

The young teller blurted, " He is a cop! He told me!" Then realizing what he had done, the young man cringed.

"T'rrific, " Starsky muttered.

"Well, well well, a real life action hero. Reach with your off hand, cop, and throw your gun over here. Nice and slow or somebody is checking out permanently." The leader moved from the teller station towards where Starsky lay on the floor.

"I'm off duty, Bozo. I'm not armed." David answered back.

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"I don't care if you believe it or not. "

"Hector! Go check it out."

The lanky robber, who up until now had remained blocking the door, approached a still prone Starsky, and delivered a powerful kick to his midsection. "Stand up, pig!" he demanded.

Starsky struggled to his feet, gasping. "Sure thing, Clarabelle."

Hector grabbed David roughly by his navy windbreaker and tore it open. Finding nothing, he pulled the shoulders down around Starsky's elbows, pinning his arms to his sides. "He was telling the truth. Imagine that. Looks like all we have is a toothless lion." Pleased with his turn of phrase, Hector celebrated by cuffing Starsky savagely across the face then sweeping his feet out from under him. "A toothless, clawless lion."

Starsky fell to the ground, but he dared not make a fight of it for fear of what could befall the other hostages.

"That's enough, Hector. I have to think. Our cop here was right about one thing though. Getting out of here won't be as easy as getting in."

"Well whatever you decide, make it quick. Street traffic is beginning to take notice. There were a couple kids snooping around the front door," the lone female robber offered up.

Starsky grinned, he knew full well who those kids were. Hopefully, they were sharp enough to figure out something was wrong and go for help.

Chapter 4 2:45

Hutch was beginning to fume. "How could a guy, with so many watches, be so late… so consistently? They were already late for the 3:00 showing of Animal House. That certainly was not on his list of movies to see but Neko and Caleb were insistent and Starsky threw his vote in with the boys'. "As if there was any doubt," Hutch shook his head. His bemusement was interrupted by a sudden banging on the door. "Finally! I'm comin'." Hutch opened the door only to be nearly taken down by Neko and Caleb. "Whoa guys, there is another showing at 5PM. But, I'm ready, we'll probably just miss the previews."

Hutch was confused when the boys didn't move. "Come on." Then seeing the look on the guys' faces, stopped in his tracks. "Hey, what's going on? Where's Starsk?"

Caleb punched Neko. "He's at the...bank?" Neko said hesitantly.

Hutch stared in confusion. "What do you mean he's at the bank? How did you two get here?... Damn, not again!" You stole Starsky's car and came here? Guys this is not funny, in my world this is grand theft! You two are smarter than that!"

"No! No, you got it wrong! We did take the car, but it was an emergency!" Caleb shouted over Ken's continued thundering.

"There is something bad happening at the bank! Starsky went in, but he never came out!"

"Stop. This is serious, Neko." Hutch growled.

"Just listen to him, please," Caleb pleaded. "Go on, Neko, tell him."

"OK, just listen, then you can yell. Starsky went to the Citizens Fidelity Bank on Chandler to cash his check. It was before 2:00. He left us in the car with the keys so we could listen to the radio. He said he'd be right out, but he never came back. We waited in the car for over a half hour. I told Caleb I was going to check things out, figuring Starsky had found a girl or something."

Hutch choked back a laugh. These kids had Starsky figured out. "Then what. Get to the part about you stealing the car."

"Then...," Neko continued, "I checked the bank out, but the door was locked and the window shades were pulled down. I thought that was weird, so I went back to the car to tell Caleb. Then we both walked around to check things out. No one went in or left the building. Isn't that weird for the middle of the afternoon? And… then we didn't have any money to call you, so we kind of took the car and came here." The last part came out like one long word in hopes of lessening the impact.

Hutch shook his head in wonderment, "Come on then, MY car…! Let's go check your story out. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope there was something happening at the bank!"

Chapter 5 3:00

After a few minutes of concentrated thought, the muscle bound ring leader began..."OK, here's what we are going to do. We'll take the lady and the kid with us. The rest of you, except the cop, get back behind the counter...into that storage closet. Someone might notice you are missing and come looking for you... in a day or two. No funny business, cop, or the kid gets it."

Starsky could see the hold up leader's plan was born of desperation. "Look," he said calmly. "Just let these people walk out of here, all of them. You can have me for your hostage. Surely a cop is worth more than a civilian on the hostage scale."

The thieves looked at each other as if weighing Starsky's proposition in their heads. Then the leader called his accomplices over for a conversation. "We have to make the best of a bad hand," he said.

"And that is what, L.J.?" demanded the female. Her patience had clearly reached its end. "This was supposed to be a quick in and out job. Isn't that what you said? No one ever uses this bank in the afternoon, you said. Easy take, you said. You sure screwed this up! I say we take the cop up on his offer and get the hell out of here. I ain't going to be responsible for hurting no baby. Take Curly here, and let's split while we can."

Hector looked at the girl, "Jess is right. I'm sure not taking any baby hostage. We don't need to take nobody. Just lock 'em all in the closet. They didn't see our faces or nothin'. Let's just GO!"

The ring leader was beginning to panic. His plan had started to unravel and his accomplices were losing their nerve. He had to make a stand. " Shut up! I am in charge here. OK everyone! One at a time, get up off the floor. Move! In the storage closet. Cop, you stay where I can see you. You're coming with us."

The handful of fearful captives were herded behind the teller counter and into the cramped supply closet. Starsky watched as the last person was wedged in, then feigning ignorance, pretended to go in himself. Hector was preparing to close the door, when Starsky made his move. Whirling around, he body slammed Hector and knocked him to the floor. In one smooth move Starsky rolled over the struggling Hector, snatched his gun, and kicked the closet door closed to protect the hostages. "If there's a lock, LOCK IT!" he shouted to the people inside.

Three to one were not the best odds, but at least he had something with which to defend himself. Starsky rolled behind a desk and covered L.J. and Hector as he cast his gaze quickly around for the woman. "Throw down your weapon, Bozo! Clarabelle, hit the deck. Come on. On the floor." As the two men began to lower themselves compliantly to the ground, the report of a gunshot echoed throughout the bank. Starsky felt a white hot burning in his right side. Wide eyed with pain, he spun around to face his assailant. As he fought to maintain his balance, his legs gave out and his head connected with the corner of a marble countertop. He was out cold before he hit the ground.

The three assailants looked at each other. Jess was the first to move. "Somebody had to do something! You two are useless!" she hissed as she pulled off her clown mask in disgust and shoved her Beretta into the waistband of her Wranglers.

"Is he dead, boss?" Hector's voice quavered as he asked the question.

L.J. walked cautiously towards Starsky. After retrieving Hector's gun, he roughly flipped the fallen detective over and checked for breathing. "He's not dead yet, but he's bleeding like a stuck pig. We sure can't leave him here now. Jess, I can't believe you are so dumb! This cop spelled out what shooting him would mean! Regardless of whether he lives or dies, we are screwed. Let's get out of here, we'll figure a plan later. Jess, bring the car to the back door. Hector, help me get him out of here!"

Jess grabbed the duffle of money and let herself out the back utility door. Looking up and down the alley, and seeing no one, she eased into the driver seat of the rusted out, banged up beige and orange 1967 ElCamino. After a few feeble starts, the engine turned over and she pulled it alongside the bank exit. Hector and L.J. had an unconscious Starsky under the arms and were dragging him through the bank and out the door. The muffled cries of the hostages echoed throughout the empty bank.

"Umm, where do we put him?" Hector inquired. "There ain't no room in the cab."

"Hector! I am surrounded by idiots!" Jess spat. "I can't believe I let you all talk me into this! Just throw him in the back, cover him up. He won't be going anywhere."

L.J. , looked at what his big plan had devolved into and groaned. "Can we just get out of here? We will divide the money at the barn, get rid of the cop and then I NEVER want to see either of you again."

They dumped Starsky unceremoniously into the bed of the pick up, covered him with a dirty horse blanket, piled into the truck, and peeled out of the alley.

Chapter 6 3:10 PM

Hutch radioed into the station to report the boys' story. He was surprised to learn that several people had related the odd happenings to the precinct station already. There were several black and white units on the way. "It looks like you guys might have been telling the truth," Hutch said after signing out.

Neko and Caleb exchanged genuinely hurt looks. "You don't think we would make something like this up just to get out of trouble, do you?" Caleb said softly.

"Starsky is our friend too! You aren't the only one worried about him." Neko corroborated with a touch of anger.

Hutch realized how his comments must have been construed by the boys and apologized. "You're right. I did think it might have been just one of your stories, but I should have known better. You two deserve better than that. I'm sorry."

"Forget it, let's just find out what happened. Do you think Starsky is ok?" Neko voiced the question all three were thinking.

As they pulled up to the bank, they saw a couple of black and white units already there. Four uniformed policemen were ushering people outside. They were all visibly shaken.

Hutch instructed the boys to stay put . "I mean it guys, stay in the car 'til I can find out what happened."

Neko and Caleb were less than pleased with this directive, but knew better than to push it. They could tell Hutch was very concerned to see that Starsky was not one of the hostages out on the sidewalk. "Caleb? I don't see Starsk, do you? You think he is still inside talking to the other cops?"

"Probably? Hutch'll find him," Caleb said confidently. "He's ok. Right?"

Hutch had flashed his badge to the uniformed policemen that had started to interview the released hostages. The bank employees seemed to garner the most interest from the police so Hutch zeroed in on a small group standing off to the side. Walking over he introduced himself and began to question. " Excuse me. My name is Detective Hutchinson. I know you just lived a nightmare, but I need to ask you all a few more questions. Primarily, I am looking for my partner. He was last seen going into this bank right before 2:00. His name is David Starsky...about 5 foot 10 inches, brown curly hair and blue eyes. Do any of you remember seeing him?"

The bank patrons shared uncomfortable looks with each other before Lisa spoke up. "Officer, I remember seeing him. I talked with him. He was right behind me in line."

"OK. Can you tell me what happened...is he still inside the bank?"

Again, Hutch's question was met by awkward stares from the rescued hostages. Lisa continued, "I'll tell you what I saw, maybe others saw something different. David and I were talking in line. Nice guy. It took forever and I wasn't sure who was more irritated about the delay; David or my son Greg." She smiled and nodded to the sleeping child she held in her arms. "Anyway, the line finally started to move. I finished my business and was on my way out of the bank, when somebody grabbed me."

"You were grabbed? By who? What happened next?" Hutch exclaimed in rapid fire succession.

"I am trying to remember exactly, because up to the time I was grabbed, I was more intent on getting Greg home for his nap. Mmmm... there were two people standing by the door. One grabbed me, and another one pulled the shades down on the door and locked it. Next thing I know, a third guy was yelling for everyone to get down on the ground. He was farther inside the bank, not at the door."

"So there were three people in on it? Can you give me any descriptions? Where was Detective Starsky during this time?"

"Like I told the other policemen, the crooks were all wearing these creepy clown masks. I know that doesn't help. Although I think the one that grabbed me was a woman. David was at the teller window. Once everyone got on the floor, things started to fall apart. The robbers were real nervous and jumpy. Every little sound set them off. Gregory's crying really got to the leader. The other two called him L.J.. He and the other guy started to threaten me and my baby. I kind of went into Mama Bear mode and yelled back."

Hutch had to smile at this description. "Mama Bear?"

"Yeah, you know, claws out and teeth bared. Anyway… a few of the other hostages were starting to panic too. David must have seen how this might go and told the creeps to let us go because up to that point it was just a robbery."

"Did anyone know he was a cop?" Hutch inquired.

"Ummm, no. Not up to that point. But then the teller yelled out, 'He's a cop!' It kind of went downhill after that."

Hutch grimaced. "Great. What happened then?"

"Well it went bad for David. One of the goons, Hector, I think they called him, didn't believe David when he said he was off duty and didn't have a gun on him. Hector went over and saw for himself that David was telling the truth. That made him even madder and he really beat up on David. Your partner is really tough. He just took it like it happens everyday."

"Yeah,he would. But where is he?" Ken continued.

"That's it. I have no idea. The robbers were going to take me and my baby as hostages , but Detective Starsky talked them out of it and offered to go himself. We were all shoved in the closet at that point, so I am afraid that is all I know." Lisa looked panicked for a minute, then added. "David made sure we were all safe in the closet but he never went in. Once he kicked the door closed we didn't see him anymore. But…. there was a gun shot. I'm so sorry I can't be of more help. Like I said, the others might have seen things I didn't. Gregory was my main focus." The events of the day caught up to Lisa and it was all she could do to keep from crying. "I'm sorry, this has been kind of overwhelming. I am worn out. I do feel that your partner saved mine and Greg's life. Those people were nuts. "

The mention of the single gun shot went through Hutch like an actual bullet. "Thank you, Lisa, you have been a big help. You are free to head out," then pulling out a pad of paper and a pen wrote the precinct phone number on it and gave the paper to her. "Just in case you think of anything else... ask for Hutch."

Chapter 7 3:25 PM

As the truck bumped down the streets of Bay City, Starsky began to regain consciousness. It was a toss up which hurt more, the gash and accompanying goose egg on the side of his head or the rip in his side. He was very clear on how he received the injury to his side, but unsure of what happened to cause the injury to his head. "Terrific," he moaned. "Hutch ain't never gonna believe this. He always gets so pissy when I'm late for anything." Testing his arms and legs, Starsky was very surprised to find them untethered. For whatever reason, these turkeys neglected to tie him up. His mental gears began to grind and Starsky started to calculate his escape. Scanning the back of the truck David took note of the cargo. There was the smelly blanket that had been carelessly tossed over him, a pitchfork, a pair of dirty boots, and lastly, a saddle. "What weird stuff," he mused aloud. "But that pitchfork could come in handy in an emergency." Moving slowly so as not to restart the bleeding from his side, Starsky cautiously turned back the blanket and began to take notice of the cityscape whirring by. Now that he had a fix on the location, he could tell they were headed for the freeway. His time to make a move was limited to a few short blocks.

As he turned over and attempted to get into position to make his exit, the truck slammed to a dead halt. Starsky was thrown forward. "Umpff," he grunted. He saw stars as his already aching head slammed into the front of the truck bed. "Oh crap," Starsky muttered as he rubbed his head. A new gash had opened and blood was once again streaming down his face. He was half expecting the goons to get out to check on him, but all he could hear was a very animated argument about which way to turn to get to 'the barn.' "A barn! That would certainly account for all this stuff. Enough time for detective work later, I have to get out of here. A prisoner's first job is to escape," he smiled ruefully, remembering a line from a movie he watched as a kid.

The truck started to regain momentum, and Starsky knew there were only a couple more stop lights before the ramp to the highway. "It's now or never. Next stop I'm outta here." Peering out from under the blanket, Starsky recognized the sign from a flea bag hotel and the corner on which it was situated. As soon as the ElCamino began to slow again, Starsky slid the horse blanket back and made ready to escape. "Careful here. It won't do to jump out, just to get hit by a car. Wait for it…."

The truck rolled to a complete stop and Starsky made his move. There wasn't time for an abundance of caution or to think about the pain. He threw one leg over the side of the truck and rolled out onto the road. To buy some time, in case the robbers sensed his exit, he slithered under the closest parked vehicle. David gasped in pain. He had escaped but it had thoroughly zapped every bit of energy he had. "Move dummy! You can't stay here!" he chided himself.

A number of pedestrians saw Starsky as he made his escape. Some stopped in their tracks, it wasn't everyday they saw someone roll out from the bed of a pickup truck. If that wasn't odd enough, this man had a shirt saturated with blood and his face was blood streaked as well.

Starsky army-crawled his way under the parked pickup and out to the sidewalk. Using the truck for support, he staggered to his feet, but not for long. Dizziness set in and he slumped to the pavement. "Call the cops!" he pleaded.

He was vaguely aware of people circling him and yelling instructions. "Find a cop!" "Call an ambulance!" "My God, somebody help this man!" They all sounded like excellent ideas to him, but David passed out before knowing if anyone was going to act on them.

Chapter 8 3:35 PM

Hutch ran inside the bank, roughly pushing gawkers, witnesses, and uniformed police aside. "Get out of my way!" he barked. Once in the bank he began to frantically look around. No Starsky.

"What have you got?" he demanded of the policewoman leading the robbery investigation.

"Who the hell are you?" she fired back. "I am conducting an investigation here!."

Hutch back-pedaled, "I-I'm sorry. My name is Detective Sergeant Ken Hutchinson." He pulled his badge and ID out for the policewoman to inspect. "My partner, David Starsky, was in this bank during the hold up, and he has not surfaced. "

"Well, OK then. I am Officer Lettie Crown. Let's start over shall we, Officer Hutchinson? We haven't been here that long ourselves. From talking to some of the witnesses we've learned there were three people involved in the hold up. Two men and a woman. According to what we have learned from several of the bank employees, it seemed like a poorly planned operation that began to come apart at the seams as soon as it was discovered one of the customers was a cop. Your partner, I assume.."

"I would assume. What happened to him?" Hutch deadpanned.

Pulling out a notebook, Officer Crown began to look over the witness responses. "The witnesses corroborated on all key points.. The perpetrators entered the bank around 2:10. Two stayed by the door and one made his way to the bank manager's desk. The two by the door grabbed a woman and her infant. All were forced to lie face down on the floor. It was a very tense situation.'

"I don't need editorial comment, officer, I need facts. What happened to Detective Starsky?" Hutch growled in a barely audible whisper.

"They threatened to take the baby and his mother hostage but the officer volunteered to go in their place.'

"OK. What about the gun shot? "

"I was getting to that, " Officer Crown said, her patience wearing thin. "No one saw what happened because they were in the storage closet, at that point, Detective. The door was slammed shut, some said by the one who claimed to be policeman. Others weren't sure. But all agreed that the shot rang out after a scuffle was heard in the lobby."

" A scuffle? Did anyone have a description of the officer?

"The bank teller, Ryan McCarthy. Let me see, the guy was about five feet ten inches, dark curly hair, blue eyes. He was wearing a navy windbreaker, jeans, and a red t-shirt. That sound like Officer Starky?"

"Detective Starsky. And yeah, that's him. What else can you tell me.'

"Really, detective. I am conducting this investigation, I don't have the time or inclination to fill you in on every…

"What else!" Hutch thundered.

Officer Crown was thrown by the anger and frustration in Hutch's voice. Clearly he would not be intimidated. 'We found blood on the floor, over by the closet door and on the corner of the teller counter. A spent bullet was extracted from the back of the chair at the manager's desk. We have sent it to the lab for analysis. Now, if that is all...We will let you know as soon as we hear something. I have a job to do".

"Job hell!" Hutch exploded. "This is my partner, a missing police officer, we are talking about, not some stray dog, not some damn statistic! You go on with your investigation, but don't think for a minute that I won't be conducting one too. And if you don't like it, file a complaint with Captain Dobey!" His pointer finger waved menacingly in Officer Crown's startled face. He had a rage building that had just about hit critical mass.

Hutch blew past Officer Crown straight to the place on the floor where the blood had been found. He traced droplets out to the back door. His mind was spinning. Taking a deep breath, he struggled to calm the chaos. "Hutchinson, slow down. Don't make things worse by jumping to conclusions. Don't antagonize the people you need." Then he addressed the small clutch of bank employees that had made their way back into the bank. "May I have your attention, folks? Just for a minute? As you may know, an officer is missing. I need your help to find out what happened to him. I know you have talked to other officers and you just want to go home and forget this day ever happened. I can understand that, I would too. But I can't. Detective David Starsky is my partner. Good partners are hard to come by and partners like Starsky are a once in a lifetime find. Now, I have learned that Detective Starsky may have been wounded, and if that is true, it is even more imperative that he is found. So please, tell me what you know, what you saw, what you heard,... anything. It may not seem important to you, but it might just be the piece that completes the puzzle for me. Help me find my partner. " Hutch hated to beg for information and he knew he sure didn't have Starsky's knack for striking that perfect chord between 'hail fellow well met" and hard nosed cop. He could only hope his plea was enough.

"Umm Hutch?" A very hesitant Neko spoke, snapping Hutch out of his reverie.

Hutch rounded on him. "I told you two to stay in the car! Can't you ever do anything you're told? Get out of here." He regretted the outburst as soon as it left his mouth. Then in a calmer, kinder voice he continued, "Sorry. But please just go back outside. I'll have someone take you home." The next thing he knew Neko's arm was around his shoulder on the left and Caleb was on his right.

"Hutch, it's us," Caleb said quietly. "If anybody knows how you feel, it's us. If something happened to Neko, I know I'd want to tear somebody's head off. We couldn't just sit in the car, doing nothing. Starsky is our friend too. If we've learned anything from you two it's that when it comes to helping a friend..."

"...Sometimes you can't think, sometimes you just gotta do ," Neko continued.

"So we did.," they boys finished together.

Hutch stopped in his tracks, " Did what?" The impulsiveness of Neko and Caleb, no matter how well intended, had him nervous.

Neko gave Caleb a look of solidarity and encouragement. Caleb got in front of Hutch, so the two would be face to face. "We did some looking around on our own and found somebody that saw what happened."

"I have a bank full of people that saw what happened, until they didn't! That's no help in finding Starsk!" Hutch's face was a mirror of the helplessness he was experiencing.

"Hutch, stop, and clear the noise out of your head. Listen for a minute. The person we found, SAW what happened as the crooks left the bank. Do you want to talk to her?" pleaded Neko.

"You sound just like Starsky, ya know? Then, sighing in resignation, Hutch followed the two friends outside. "Well," he demanded. "Where is this mystery witness?"

"She is kind of shy around police. They make her real nervous," Caleb whispered.

"You two do know I have other things going on, right? Where is she?"

"Over here. Just come on. Her name is Jazz. We used to run together sometimes."

"Promise you won't bark at her. I think she could really help us out." Neko pleaded.

"I don't bark," Hutch said sulkily. "Yeah fine, just hurry up and get her over here."

Caleb disappeared around the corner of the bank building and brought back with him a young woman of about 16. She was about five and a half feet tall, dressed in the uniform of teens; jeans and a t-shirt. Her hair was black and in meticulously neat cornrows. "Hutch, this is our friend, Jazz." Then looking at the young woman, "Jazz, Hutch here is a cop, but he's OK. He's Neko and my friend."

"Hi Jazz, I hear you saw something that could help me out. Just tell me what you saw, please." Hutch looked her squarely in the eye and was pleased to see that Jazz didn't back down.

Jazz started in a calm and matter of fact voice, "They told me you are OK, so I'll believe 'em.

My grandma always said never judge by the group, so I try to live by that. Sometimes people make it hard, you know."

Hutch smiled, "Yeah, believe me, I know. But it's ok, just tell me what you saw, then you are free to go."

She looked again at the boys. They nodded then she began. "I was in the alley behind the bank, making my weekly rounds. I rummage through those big dumpsters you find in alleys. You can always find cool stuff in the trash. Sometimes I sell it, but mostly I use it to make other cool stuff. Arts and craft stuff, you know. I can sell it too. Anyway, earlier today I was up to my neck in a trash pile when I heard someone trying to start their car. It took a few minutes, like the starter was going bad on it, ya know…"

"Jazz is real good with cars, Hutch. She can fix anything," Caleb interrupted.

The girl gave an embarrassed smile. "Anyway it went on long enough to get my attention. The car was a beat up orange ElCamino, maybe a 66 or 67. Once it started, the driver pulled it up by the bank's back door, over there. Like they were waiting for something. Sure enough, a couple minutes later, two guys opened the back door. They were dragging a third guy between 'em. He was kind of a mess. Looked like blood all over his face, you know. On his shirt too."

"Was the injured man alive?" Hutch couldn't help himself.

"Maybe? It looked like he was kind of shuffling his feet as the two guys dragged him. The two that brought the injured guy out, and the one driving the car started arguing about something, then they dumped the hurt guy in the back of the truck, got in the cab and took off. The truck was making an awful racket, like the muffler was ready to fall off. It was a real P.O.S."

"That's terrific, Jazz. Is there anything else you can tell me? Other than all the noise it was making, can you tell me anything else about the ElCamino or who was driving it? Anything?"

"Umm… it was an ugly color orange. Real faded, you know. The top was one of those nasty vinyl jobs. It was sunbaked and shredded, like it had never seen a garage. The whole thing was spattered with dried mud. There were two dudes and a lady. She was the driver. The bigger of the two men had red hair and was really white, if you know what I mean, like he had never seen the sun before. The other guy was super thin and had a scraggly ass beard. The lady was pissed, and blaming the two guys for getting her into whatever mess they were in."

"Tell him what else, Jazz." Neko prompted.

Once again Jazz looked embarrassed. "That's stupid, that won't mean anything."

"Please," Hutch said, " Anything you can tell me is more than I know. Nothing is too weird or insignificant."

"It's just that I love horses and cowboys. So I notice that kind of stuff," she shrugged. "This truck had a saddle blanket and a saddle in the back. They threw the saddle blanket over the hurt guy, to hide him I guess. "

"Sounds like you notice a lot of stuff, Jazz," Hutch said warmly. "You have given us some terrific leads to follow up on. Thank you for talking with me. You can go now, or if you need a ride…"

"Nah, I'm ok. One more thing about the truck. It had a ranch rodeo bumper sticker on the back bumper...next to the trailer hitch."

"Ranch rodeo? What's that?" Hutch inquired.

"Some of the bigger ranches put on rodeos for their hands and neighboring ranches. They're not fancy like the big ones you have heard of, more for fun and bragging rights. Anyway, the sticker looked new. It was for a ranch called the Flying R. It didn't have a license plate."

"We can put an APB on the truck. And every ranch in California has to register their brands so that shouldn't be too hard to track down either. Thank you again Jazz, you'll never know how much help you've been."

Neko and Caleb gave Jazz a hug and thanked her for her help. "Hey Jazz," Caleb spoke up. "If you need anything, look us up. We'll be around." Then, nodding at Hutch, "We know a guy that's good, if you find yourself in a tight spot."

"Yeah," Jazz acknowledged. "You two take care of each other. See ya." And with that she disappeared around the corner .

Chapter 9 4:30 PM

Starsky opened his eyes as the medics began to load him onto the stretcher. "Hey, how do I look?" he whispered hoarsely.

The medics were taken by surprise at this weird question. " What? You look like a guy who has had one lousy day. Can you tell us what happened?"

"I know exactly what happened, I was shot in a bank hold up. I need you to radio Captain Dobey at BCPD . They might be looking for me."

"That call's gonna have to wait, fella. Just lie back, and let us do our job. "

"There was a bank robbery on Chandler… Took me hostage, but I escaped...Hutch is gonna think I'm dead," Starksy mumbled as he gave into the care the medics administered. "He's gonna be ballistic…."

In a matter of minutes, the ambulance pulled up to Memorial Hospital. As the medics wheeled Starsky into the Emergency Room for admittance, they received another call. Starksy's request to put in a call to the BCPD was forgotten in their rush out the door.

Chapter 10 4:45 PM

Jazz's information was like gold to Hutch. He now had a place to start his search. "Neko? Caleb? I really can't thank you enough for getting Jazz to talk to me. Her info was worth more than anything I learned from the bank employees or Officer Crown. But I think you two have had enough excitement for the day. I'm gonna have to take you home now."

Neko sighed. He was still running in overdrive and the last thing he wanted to do was go back to his foster home. "Hutch, can't we stay with you? We won't get in the way…"

Caleb took up the plea, "And we will do whatever you tell us. Please?"

No, I'm sorry guys, but it won't work. Not this time. I promise to call as soon as I have anything to tell you." Hutch could see the disappointment in their faces, "I'll drop you at home and as soon as I find anything out, I will let you know. And please, stay put! I have enough to worry about with Starsk missing…"

"But…" the boys chimed in together.

"Ahhh the teen age national anthem. I said 'No.' Don't push me anymore on this, fellas. It's been a long day for all of us" The ice cold silence from the back seat, let Hutch know he had some fence mending to do at a later date. "OK here we are. You got a key? Don't slam the

…(BANG followed by the protracted whine of a car horn) door, please. I promise I'll let you know!" Ken watched as the boys stomped to the front door. He mused, "They even walk in step!"

Chapter 10 5:15 PM

A short freeway trip later, Hutch was pulling up in the parking compound of the police headquarters. Several officers approached him about the robbery; some expressed their concern about Starsky, and the worry Hutch must be experiencing. He wasn't feeling particularly chatty and made a straight line to his desk.

Captain Dobey was waiting for him. "Ah, Hutchinson. I had a feeling I would see you here tonight. What have you got?"

"What I don't got is a partner!" Hutch snapped back. "I suppose Officer Crown has been up here telling you what a jerk I am…"

The middle aged police captain loosened his tie and unbuttoned his top collar button. He hated to see one of his favorite detectives have to travel the missing partner road but there was protocol that had to be maintained. "Simmer down. Yes, Officer Crown was up here about a half hour ago. She did have some less than flattering things to say about the way you conducted yourself during her investigation. While I can't condone your methods, I can appreciate why you felt forced to take that approach.."

"Captain! Look I'll tell her I'm sorry later, but right now I have to find Starsky. He could be dead for all I know. Did Crown tell you any results from the ballistics check?"

"Hutch, WE have to find Starsky. We have a Missing Officer, APB out on him. We have alerted neighboring precincts and sent his description to area hospitals, just in case. You aren't the only one that cares about Dave around here. And yes, Officer Crown brought the ballistics results in a few minutes ago. Blood and fabric threads were embedded in the bullet. They said the bullet had blood on one side, meaning it probably grazed the victim."

"God I hope that is the case! I know I am not in this alone, Cap." Hutch said with a modicum of repentance. "It's Starsky though… well you know….Did anyone cross check the blood on the bullet and what was found on the teller counter?"

"They are working on it now. Hutchinson, this isn't our first rodeo. We will find him."

Hutch rubbed his hands wearily across his face, and slumped down in the well worn leather chair. "I'm sorry, Captain. This whole thing is just so bizarre." Then Hutch's head snapped up, "Wait, what did you just say?"

A confused Dobey looked back at Hutch, "We will find him?"

"NO, you said this isn't our first rodeo! The get away car from the robbery had a rodeo bumper sticker on it!" He pulled out the notepad where he had written down the information Jazz had given him… "A witness told me that the gunmen drove an orange El Camino with ranch equipment in the back and a Flying R Ranch Rodeo sticker on the bumper."

"Right, I'll check the Bureau of Livestock Identification. See if there is Flying R brand registered around here anywhere." Dobey checked the government directory for the number and was readying to dial when his phone began to ring. "Dobey," he growled into the receiver. "Ok I'll send someone over right away. And thanks.'" Turning his attention to Hutch, he smiled. "We just located that missing partner of yours. An ambulance brought him into Memorial Hospital about a half hour ago. He's gonna be…"

Hutch was out the door and down the hall before Dobey could finish the sentence.

Chapter 11 5:30 PM

Starsky was resting comfortably in his hospital room when he became aware of a fracas near the nurses' station. The nurses were severely chastising a visitor about his lack of hospital etiquette. "Sir, you cannot just come barging in here like some bat out of hell.!" A particularly feisty intern could be heard to say. "People are sleeping here. Resting... They do not need you barreling through the hallways. Now tell me who you are looking for and I will try to help."

Starsky's grin started at his toes and raced to his aching head. "Only one person I know can be responsible for so much medical mayhem!" He decided to settle in and wait for the show.

Back out in the hall, several more nurses joined the fray. A very quiet and painfully deliberate voice was stating his case. "My name is Detective Hutchinson. Someone from this hospital just called my Captain and said an injured officer was brought in a little while ago. I just want to see this officer...please."

A nurse began to calmly explain to the Detective that only family members were allowed in to visit, "What is your relation to the patient?"

Starsky had been in hospitals enough to know this routine, and how much it irritated both him and Hutch. No, they weren't related by blood, but they were closer than any family member either had ever known. They had spilt blood for each other, that ought to count for something!

Hutch continued, draining any reserve of patience he might have had, "I tell you, I am a cop. The patient I want to see may have been involved in a bank robbery this afternoon. Just let me back to check, and if it's not him, I will quietly fade away. I promise."

Starsky hated that Hutch sounded so depleted and decided to put an end to the scenario being played out in the hall. He picked up the phone and called out to the nurse's station.

"This is Starsky in room 507. How is a person supposed to rest and recuperate with all that racket going on out there?"

A nervous intern replied, "I am so sorry sir. There is an officer out here that insists on seeing someone on this hall. Don't worry, we will call security if he doesn't settle down.'

Starksy couldn't help laughing, which caused the gouge in his side to burn all over again. "Ouch! Terrific," he gasped. He quickly continued. "Call security on a cop? Now that's funny.

Tell you what. Just send him down to 507. Tell him I want a word with him. Disturb my rest again, will he?"

"Sir, that is highly irregular. I don't know if I can do that."

"I will take full responsibility. Just do it. Thanks." Starsky hung up the phone and settled back, waiting for his indignant partner to make an appearance. It didn't take long.

"Look!" Hutch grumbled, "I don't have time to apologize to everyone on the floor!" The familiar pad of his soft soled shoes came closer to Room 507, soon followed by a rap on the door.

"Mister? Did you want to see me? I'm in a bit of a hurry."

Starsky practically turned himself inside out, holding in a telltale giggle. Doing his best to disguise his voice, he groaned. "So much noise!"

Hutch apologized again as he gently pushed the hospital door open a crack. "I'm sorry."

"Young man, perhaps you lack couth," said a familiar East Coast voice with a cartoon-like French accent.

Hutch exhaled, like he had been holding his breath for a week. "I thought you were dead. No one at the bank had any idea what had happened to you. What the hell did happen to you?"

"Not dead, just a little banged up," Starsky grinned back. "That bank job was a real Bozo operation. And I ain't just talking about the masks!"

"Talk to me, are you really ok? I thought you had been shot." Hutch was still a bit shaken. He sat down on Starsky's bed and tried to slow his breathing and release the tension that had his neck and shoulders tied in knots.

"It's ok, partner. I'm fine," Starsky reached over and patted his partner's stomach, their familiar gesture of concern. " Doc says I can probably get out of there tomorrow. One of the turkeys shot at me but it just grazed my side. . My head took the worst of it. I think I must have hit it on something, but can't remember what."

"Thank God it was just your head," Hutch teased. He felt good enough about Dave's condition that sarcasm was just what the doctor ordered for both of them.

"Right? Hey!"

Hutch continued to keep his eye on Starsky. "You hit your head on the marble counter at the bank. Officer Crown and her minions found blood on the floor and the counter. "

"Officer Crown and her what?" Starsky was confused.

"That's a story for another time, partner. You sure you are ok?" Hutch couldn't let go of how helpless he felt earlier in the day.

"I told you, I'm fine. Sorry we missed the movie. Are Neko and Caleb mad?

"Mad? Those two kids are champs! They figured out something was wrong at the bank, did some snooping on their own, then came and got me!"

"They didn't…" A look of knowing spread across Starsky's face. He couldn't decide if he should be mad or proud.

"They did. I was ready to ream them but cooler heads prevailed and we went to the bank to corroborate their story. Those kids are something else. That reminds me, let me use your phone. I promised I would call them as soon as you turned up. After that, I want to hear exactly what happened.

Chapter 12

The following morning, Starsky was chomping at the bit. He was up and dressed and ready to be released from the hospital by 8AM. Lying dormant was ok for the odd weekend, but not when there was a case waiting to be solved. And this case was very personal to him.

By 8:05 he had called Hutch, and was waiting by the hospital exit at 8:30. When Hutch pulled up, Neko and Caleb were bouncing in the back seat like a couple of 8 year olds on their way to Disneyland.

"I told you he would be OK, I told you!" Neko was punching Caleb in his arm to express his excitement. "Starsky! Boy are we glad to see you!"

Starsky had to smile. It was like being greeted by two rambunctious Golden Retrievers. "Good to see you too… guess we'll have to take a rain check on seeing that movie. Now about yesterday…."

Caleb looked a little embarrassed, "Uhh, you heard about that. It was an emergency. We didn't have money for the phone…"

"We've been there, right Hutch? No harm, no foul, I guess. Just don't let car theft become too much of a habit." Starsky was glad to be out of the hospital confines and nothing was going to spoil his good mood. "Hutch, let's get some breakfast. You know hospital food never agrees with me."

"Sure. But after breakfast we need to take Neko and Caleb back home. They have work to do and so do we...if you are feeling up to it."

"Of course. I have, as they say, a vested interest in this case. I'll leave any 'rustum bustum' stuff to you though. Doc says I shouldn't do any heavy lifting for a few days."

Hutch laughed. "That sounds like a good idea." Pulling into the diner parking lot the four friends piled out. "Breakfast is on Starsk! Neko? Caleb? Get whatever you want."

Once they were wedged comfortably in a booth, Hutch began to go over the information he had learned from Jazz. "This friend of theirs was terrific, Starsky. She saw everything and had no trouble retelling it. Dobey tracked down the Flying R ranch from the bumper sticker. It's out just past the canyon. I think that should be our first stop after we drop the boys off…"

"But…," the boys chimed in.

"Ahh..The teen age national anthem, " Starksy and Hutch said in unison.

"Great minds…" all four exclaimed in tandem.

"The answer is still NO, no matter how great our minds are," Hutch said by way of ending that particular conversation.

Chapter 13

The trip out to the Flying R ranch proved to be the right choice. The ranch owner, Frank Robertson, had reported his truck missing two days before. "I couldn't believe anyone could even get it started. That thing is a piece of junk. If you come over here, you can take a look at it. It mysteriously reappeared on the road late last night."

Starsky and Hutch followed Frank down the gravel drive and behind the barn. "No doubt about it. Dat's the truck. I bet if you look in the back you'll find part of my skull embedded in the truck bed! They slammed on the brakes, at one point, and my head slammed into the back of the cab. "

"Mr. Robertson, do you mind if we look around inside the barn too? My partner here remembers them arguing about going back to a barn to split up the money."

"Sure, help yourself. "

"I have a question for you, Mr. Robertson. Do the names L.J.,Hector or Jess ring any bells?" Starsky queried.

Wiping his face with a blue bandana, Frank gave the question some serious thought. "Umm, let me think. One of my hands used to date someone named Jess. She was a real piece of work. That girl had more mean per square inch than anyone I ever saw. She was never going to be happy for long with anyone pulling a cowhand's wage, that's for sure. They argued all the time. She disappeared from here about two months ago. Looking for greener pastures I suppose. Hector...Hector...Hector, wait a minute I do remember a guy named Hector. Tall, skinny guy. He moved from ranch to ranch to greenbreak horses, until he landed on his head once too often. The Haley's from the Lazy H ranch, felt bad for him and kept him on to do odd jobs. That's all I know about him. Can't help you with any L.J. though. Not a name I am familiar with.

"That's ok, you have been a great help. Now I think we'll just poke around in the barn, if you don't mind," Hutch said,

"Go ahead, I have some chores to get to, but holler if you need anything."

David and Ken entered the dusty heart of the Flying R's operation. Inside, the darkness was cut by shafts of sunlight as they poured through the narrow openings between the wood slats. The barn was neatly organized with saddles, bits, bridles and blankets all hanging from wall hooks. The stalls had been mucked and even the bales of hay were precisely arranged.

"I wonder if Gene Autry's barn was this neat?" Starsky mused. "It might make it easier to find something out of place, though. Don't you think?"

Hutch was busy wiping his eyes and sneezing. "Whatever you say, Starsk, let's just make it fast, if you don't mind."

Starksy had wandered off to investigate, and in a matter of minutes he called out to Hutch. "I got it! It was jammed in behind a hay bale."

Hutch miserably shuffled over to his enthusiastic friend, "What have you got?"

Lofting a red duffle bag over his head in triumph Starsky declared, "This is the bag the goons put the money in! Well, well, well, it looks like little Ryan from the bank managed to sneak a dye pack in with the money. There's black dye all over the inside of this bag!"

"That should make tracking the money a whole lot easier. Can we get out of here now? My allergies are killing me."

"Terrific. What do we do now?"

"We get back in the car and visit the next closest town. I can get some Benadryl, and you can check in with the sheriff about any dyed money they might have come across. We can ask about that guy L.J too.

Randomly picking a compass point, the partners headed east to the closest town. It wasn't more than a crossroads in the middle of nowhere. There was no drugstore, and no sheriff, but the town did have a small general store with a post office. Starsky waited in the car as Hutch went in to talk to the store owners. It wasn't much of a wait. Hutch returned in a few minutes with drinks and some snacks. He tossed them through the window at his friend. "Next closest honest to goodness town is Lobo, about a half hour south of here. My vote is we try the friendly folks there. Hey! You doing alright? This is kind of a lot for just getting out of the hospital." Hutch reached over and touched Starsky's shoulder. "Your side bothering you?"

"A little. The bandage keeps tugging at it. But, I'm fine. The sooner we get something on these jokers, the sooner I can shut down for a while. Thanks for the pick me up. You wouldn't happen to have any aspirins would you?"

"Check the glove compartment. Ok, if you are sure, we are Lobo bound." Hutch started his mud colored Galaxie and headed south.

They found the thriving town of Lobo just where they were told it would be. "Now this looks a little more promising," Starsky piped up. Looking up and down the main drag through town they spotted an antique store, a two room schoolhouse, a post office, a ranch supply store and a few bars.

"I'll set you up a retirement villa here when we finish, if you like. But for now let's see if we can find the sheriff." Hutch was relieved to see his partner had perked up after downing the drinks and snacks he had bought.

The sheriff's office was located next to the Stockman's Savings and Trust. "Well, that's convenient! Where shall we visit first?"

Hutch replied, "How about the Sheriff, Ollie?"

"Poifect!" Starsky answered. Entering the office, Stasky was a bit unsettled. "This remind you of anything?"

"No kiddin' It looks just like the office in the town by Dobey's cabin."

"Look the cells are even in…" Starsky broke off mid sentence. His eyes were riveted on the lone figure sleeping in the jail cell. "Hutch, that's him. That's L.J., " Starsky whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"I only saw his face for a second, but I am 99.9% sure that it's him. Where's the sheriff?"

A young man in uniform emerged from an inner office, munching on an apple. "Sorry gentlemen. Was grabbing some lunch. Can I help you?"

Starsky identified himself and Hutch as police detectives from Bay City. "We were hoping you might be able to help us out. There was a bank robbery yesterday in Bay City. We have reason to believe they headed out this way."

"Yeah, I heard something about that. An officer was taken hostage, right? You tracked them out this way?" The sheriff rifled through some papers on his desk. "Yeah, here is the bulletin we received. Isn't a bank robbery a little out of your league? Detectives, right?"

"Not this time, sheriff. It was my partner here that was taken hostage...and shot. That makes it a little more personal, doesn't it Starsk?"

Starsky walked back over to the jail cell and banged on the bars. "I'd say so. What do you think, L.J.?"

The sleeping prisoner jerked awake at the mention of his name. "Hey, what's going on here?

I'm just tryin' to…" It was his turn to stop mid sentence.

Starsky turned nonchalantly around and walked back to Hutch. "Yup, that's our man. I had to hear his voice before I could be sure. Sheriff, what's this fine specimen doing locked up in your cell?"

"My deputy arrested him last night after he beat the tar out of a guy at the bar. The victim is in the clinic down the street. He should be ok, no thanks to that guy."

"Do you have a name on the victim?" Hutch asked.

"Umm let me look. You two look like the cat that just ate the canary. Care to let me in? Oh here it is… Hector Gonsalves. "

The two detectives looked at each other , "Bingo!" they exclaimed in unison.

"I take it, some pieces of a puzzle just slid together, " the sheriff grinned.

"Yup," said Starsky. "The big turkey in your cage was in charge of one of the worst planned hold ups in the history of worst planned hold ups. His punching bag, Hector, was too. Do you know if there was a woman with this lovely couple ? "

"Yeah, now that you mention it. A woman did accompany Hector to the clinic. She was there earlier this afternoon. She kind of scared me. Mean! If you know what I mean!"

"Boy do I!" Starsky rubbed his side gingerly. "She is the one that shot me!"

"You don't say." the sheriff headed towards the door. " I think we should go visit the clinic and check out Hector and his girlfriend. You with me?"

"Terrific. Lead the way." Hutch followed the sheriff out the door, with Starsky right behind.

Jess recognized Starsky as soon as the three walked into the clinic. She made a feeble attempt at escaping but Hutch positioned himself in front of one exit and the sheriff was at the other.

"Hi, remember me?" sneered Starsky. "How's your friend Hector doing? I bet he will be just as surprised to see me as you were, Jess. You really picked up with some winners, didn't you?"

Jess was so furious she just sputtered. "YOU! YOU! YOU! They should have let me finish you off!"

"Temper...temper! Remember, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law." Starsky stared her down. "In other words, I'd shut up if I were you."

Hector feebly opened one eye upon hearing all the commotion. Pure panic washed over his face as he, too, recognized Starsky. To his disgust, he was too weak from his beating the night before to do anything but stare in open mouth terror. The game was up. The nightmare was just beginning.

Hutch turned to the sheriff, "Can you get a guard here to keep an eye on our friend until he is ready to travel? The lady can accompany us back to your jail. We can have someone pick her and your other house guest, L.J. up in a couple days to bring them back to Bay City for arraignment, if that works for you.

The young sheriff was beaming, "The Lobo jail hasn't housed any real criminals in years! We'll hold them as long as you need for us to!"

"Thanks, for all your help. You arresting L.J. last night was the best break we have gotten in a long time, although I am not sure they would agree. You'll definitely be hearing from us within the next couple days. Take good care of our friends, now." Hutch called back over his shoulder as he and Starsky headed for his car.

"Hey, Hutch. In all the years we have been at this, have you ever seen three people less happy to see us? They really looked like they had seen a ghost!" Starsky looked over the top of the car as he and Hutch made ready to leave.

"Well, now that you mention it, you do look terrible. Get in the car, before you scare anyone else today," Hutch grinned at their oft repeated line. It never failed in recentering their relationship after a dangerous episode.

Chapter 14

"C'mon Starsky! Hutch is already mad at having to see Animal House, we don't want to make it worse. Why are you always late?" Neko vented his displeasure at Starsky's leisurely trip through the drug store candy aisle.

"I'm comin' I'm comin' You know how expensive candy is at the theater? Hutch is used to me being late, anyway." Starsky was not phased by the teens' agitation.. "By the way, I am going to have to stop at the bank to cash a check."

The boys looked at each other in disbelief and in unison grabbed Starsky and hustled him out of the door. "This is on us!" they chorused. "Candy, tickets, dinner, everything!"

"Terrific!" Starsky replied with a grin that would put the Cheshire Cat to shame. "Let's go."

The End