jmhenderson

   "I don’t get it. I don’t know how you do it," Starsky said, shaking his head at his Hutch, who stood before him, grinning proudly as he made the forth strike in a row. "You been messing ‘round with magnets again?" he asked, making his friend laugh.

   "Skill, Starsk. That’s all there is to it. Just plain skill," Hutch answered, smiling as he wrote down his score. "You just need to practice more, that’s all," he offered. Starsky stood up and faced the alley, but turned back around at his friend's comment.

   "I HAVE skill. It’s these shoes. I mean, look it. You can’t have a perfect game wearing these," he said, waving his hand downward. "Who thought up this design, anyway?" he asked sarcastically. He brought his left foot up in the air to emphasize his point. Hutch snickered at him, shaking his head.

   "Are you going to bowl?" he asked. Starsky shrugged, putting his foot back on the floor as he grabbed his bowling ball.

   The commotion at the entrance of the bowling alley made him stop just short of rolling his ball. He saw that Hutch had also turned around, looking to see what was going on. A young man had come in, probably not even eighteen years old, and was almost hysterical; yelling for the girl at the counter to call the police. Starsky and Hutch wasted no time as they approached him.

   "Please get the police here! My girlfriend is out there with her now!" he said, turning around to go back out the door; running directly into Hutch.

   "Whoa there! Who’s out there?" Hutch asked, catching the young man as he tried to go around him.

   "There’s a lady … she’s out back of the bowling alley. My, my girlfriend is out with her now. She needs to go to the hospital real bad, real quick!" the teenager said as he looked back and forth between Starsky and Hutch; his eyes wide and wild looking, still filled with panic. Starsky reached for the phone on the bar and pulled it towards him, calling headquarters as he requested back up and an ambulance on the scene. Hutch put his hands on the boy’s shoulders.

   "It’s all right son, we’re cops. Now I need you to take me to where your girlfriend and the lady are. Can you do that?" he asked, his tone more a request than a question. They took off running out the door, and Starsky was not far behind them.

   They wasted no time getting to the back of the bowling alley; all three of them stopping beside the boy’s car, looking at the sight before them. His date was sitting on the ground, crying hysterically while she held the woman, unable to let go of the body. Hutch walked over towards them, checking for a pulse amidst the bloody hair that matted to her neck. He turned to Starsky and shook his head.

   "What’s your girlfriends’ name?" Starsky asked the young man who stood trembling beside him. The young man forced himself to look away from the blood on the ground that he had just noticed all around them. Slowly, he looked at Starsky.

   "Stacy." he said quietly. Starsky walked over to the girl and knelt down beside her, looking at Hutch and nodding at him, letting him know he’d try and get her to calm down. Hutch nodded back to him, knowing his friend had a calming effect unmatched by anyone he’d ever watched; a talent better than anyone at soothing and comforting. He turned his attention on the boy, whom it looked like at any moment was going to be ill.

   "Stacy? Stacy, my name is David. Can you look at me honey?" Starsky began, placing his hand on her arm, trying to make her focus. She was sobbing, holding the woman as she looked towards him slowly. Her face looked up at him as the tears continued to stream down. Her eyes met his, and for a moment, went blank, then she began looking around. She saw her boyfriend across the alley with Hutch, bending over as he heaved uncontrollably. She looked back at Starsky. He smiled a warm, sympathetic smile. He was speaking to her, but she could not hear the words. She didn’t even hear the sirens of the approaching emergency vehicles. Then she looked down and gasped. As if for the first time, she saw the body of the woman she held in her arms.

   As if in slow motion, she backed herself out from under the body, and Starsky helped her to stand. He tried to keep his eyes focused on hers, and not the blood that covered her. She wasn’t breathing. He could tell as she stood that she was holding her breath. Then it came. The hysterical screaming. Chilling and ear splitting, she tried to run, wanting to get far away from where she’d just stood. But Starsky knew it instinctively and caught her, restraining her as she fought to release herself from his grip. He held her tightly as she struggled, then went limp in his arms, still crying, but too mentally exhausted to continue to try and escape his hold. They both went to the ground, Starsky holding and talking gently to her, Stacy sobbing softly in his arms.

   Hutch had stood by the boy until his vomiting had subsided, then stood above him as he sat against the wall of another building, looking very pale and shocky. He began talking to him, and Starsky walked over to them as the paramedics looked over Stacy and made sure she was okay. They stood listening to the boy, finding out that his name was Jimmy and he and his girlfriend had driven back here for a somewhat innocent time of necking. They had only been back there about five minutes when they began hearing someone moaning. When they got out to investigate, they found the woman. Stacy had gone to her while Jimmy went for help. She’d apparently held her as she took her last breaths of life.

   Starsky and Hutch backed away from Jimmy as a paramedic came over to check on him, and looked around the scene in time to see the coroner arrive and cover the body. Starsky shook his head.

   "Those poor kids. Neither has even seen a dead body before, much less one like this. I mean, this one, well, you know?" he said, looking back and forth between Stacy and Jimmy.

   "Yeah, it’s gruesome all right. Worst I’ve ever seen, pal," Hutch said, sharing in his friends’ dismay. "You know what this means, don’t you? It means we’ve got ourselves a serial killer on the lose," he said, his tone hushed but intense.

********

   The drive into headquarters the following morning was a silent one; both men reflecting on the images they’d been forced to look at these past few weeks. They’d seen their share of mangled bodies before, but not having the slightest idea or clue as to finding this murderer had them both at a loss for words.

   They walked into the lobby and were greeted by Millie, who looked at them with concern as she noticed their somber faces.

   "Hey, how are you guys doing this morning?" she asked as she put a hand on their shoulders. "You don’t look so hot," she told them.

   "Rough night, Millie," Hutch said, halfway smiling at her.

   "And probably going to be a rough morning, too," she began, "Dobey wants you two in his office right away." Starsky looked at her and sighed.

   "Thanks, shweetheart," he said, giving her a half grin and a wink as they left her and headed upstairs. She watched as they left and shook her head, knowing what was going down and how much it was already affecting them.

   The Captain was frowning when they walked in, putting down a file as he looked carefully between the two detectives. He noticed their tired appearance as he waited for them to sit before he spoke.

   "You two all right?" he asked gruffly. Starsky and Hutch both nodded at him.

   "Yeah, Cap. This one, well, it was worse than the last two," Starsky told him.

   "This guy is a pure psycho, Captain," Hutch began, "each victim is mangled and tortured worse than the last."

   "Yeah, we got us a real sicko on the loose," Starsky added.

   "Well, we just may have found a link between the three victims," Dobey said, making Starsky and Hutch sit straight up in their chairs. "There isn’t much that matches up between these women. We know the motive isn’t robbery because all of the victims’ personal items were still on them. These ladies have, I mean, had, respectable jobs and normal lives and we haven’t seen any kind of connection between them other than being single, brunette, and one more thing," he said, looking at the detectives.

   "Well don’t keep us in suspense for God’s sake. What is it?!" Starsky said. Dobey chose to ignore the detectives’ brisk and demanding tone rather than yelling at him to back down. Hutch was grateful.

   "Except for what?" Hutch asked, his tone calm and direct.

   "Except for the library. The main branch downtown. In each of the victims’ personal effects, there was a library card for the Washington Public Library. It’s the one and only link we’ve found so far," the Captain told them. He looked back and forth between them. "So I’m going to send you two in there undercover," he said, still looking at them both. "With a lure."

   Starsky and Hutch looked at each other, both raising an eyebrow at their Captain’s words. Then they watched him as he picked up the phone and dialed four numbers, simply telling whoever was on the other end of the line to ‘send her in’. Within a few moments, there was a knock on the door.

   Captain Dobey yelled ‘Come in’ as the two detectives turned to see her walk into the office. Standing at 5’6", the hazel eyed, brown haired lady walked in and smiled at everyone as she closed the door behind her. She was very attractive, dressed conservatively in a dark blue skirt and blouse with matching heels. Both detectives practically fell over each other in an attempt to introduce themselves. But Dobey very suddenly and very loudly cleared his throat, making them both sit back down.

   "Detectives David Starsky and Kenneth Hutchinson, I’d like you to meet Detective Rose Larkinson from the Eighth Precinct. She matches the general description of the victims closer than anyone we have around here, so, as a personal favor to me, her Captain has ‘lent’ her to us to help with this case," Dobey told them gruffly. Starsky stood up and extended his hand to hers.

   "Call me Dave," he said, smiling as he took her hand and shook it gently. She smiled back at him. Abruptly, they were interrupted by Hutch.

   "And I’m Ken. Welcome aboard," he said, shaking her hand as well. She smiled politely at them both.

   "Thank you. I’ve heard quite a few things about you two," she said

   "And you’re still smiling, so it can’t be all that bad," Starsky told her, giving her his famous lopsided grin. She laughed at him.

   "Your work is famous in our neck of the woods. Very impressive," she told them. "Oh, and please, call me Rose," she added, making the men smile even more.

   The Captain cleared his throat again, then stood up and pulled another chair around for her to sit in as he briefed them on the next steps to be taken for their sting operation. Hutch, Starsky and Rose would simply be patrons; coming in around the same times of day, but not acting as if they knew each other. The plan would be put into effect the following day.

   "Starsky. Hutchinson. I want you to take Rose here with you today when you go to do the follow up on the latest victim. Catch her up to speed on what you know so far and figure out how you’re going to work this operation through," Dobey told them, sounding very official as he stood up. "Rose, I’m placing you in very capable hands here." Starsky and Hutch looked at each other and grinned.

   "Your Captain says you are very good at your job. Well, so are my men here, and that means I’ll be expecting some results from the three of you very quickly!" He added as he put his hand out towards hers. She stood up and gripped it, shaking it firmly. Starsky and Hutch also stood up.

   "Yes sir." She said, smiling.

   "All right then," Dobey began, looking at the three of them. "What are you doing standing around here then? Get to work!" he said in a commanding tone. Rose remained facing him.

   "It’s an honor to work with you Captain," she told him. The look of gruffness left his face as he grinned at her, melting down from Captain to gentleman. Starsky's eyebrow raised as he watched her.

   Hutch opened the door as Rose walked out from the office, and Starsky tried to go through it as well, stopped short by Hutch, who quickly followed behind her. Starsky walked out the door, closing it behind him after giving the Captain a glance and a wink. Dobey waited until the door closed before he laughed out loud.

********

   There wasn’t much to learn about the latest victim. Her name was Judy Ferguson and she lived within three miles of the precinct. She lived alone, with her cat, and her closest relative was a half sister, Linda, that lived in Fresno. She was at the apartment when they arrived, crying, then almost hysterical at the sight of the detectives knocking on the half opened door. Rose had a calming effect on her; sitting down with her and talking to her about her sister and how much she would be missed, letting Starsky and Hutch do the investigating as they looked through the apartment in hopes of finding any clues. When they were ready to leave, Linda had even hugged Rose, thanking her for coming by. The other two detectives were impressed.

   Their day of work was finished with getting Rose set up with an apartment close to the library. They then got her acquainted with her new alias, which they had decided on as Rose Wilson, and Starsky and Hutch became Simon and Henderson, just to be on the safe side since their names were well known in the area. Not knowing what resources the murderer might have available, they were not taking any chances with something as simple as names.

   Rose was also set up with a part-time job; which just happened to be as Huggy’s newest waitress at The Pits. Luckily, The Pits was within walking distance of the library, as that was where her temporary new apartment was.

   The apartment upstairs was perfect for keeping Rose safer than most other places, and the detectives knew that Huggy Bear would look out for her. Even though they also knew she could look out for herself, a little added protection didn’t hurt. This murder could be luring his victims from their homes for all they knew, and they didn’t want to take any chances.

   Finishing up, they went back to the precinct and briefed the Captain on all the days events and planning, then stood outside his office in an awkward silence before Starsky’s eyes lit up, putting his hands on Rose and Hutch’s shoulders.

   "Hey! Ya know what? I’m starving! Let’s say we go back over to Huggy’s and get something to eat, and then you can get settled in and get to know everyone real good over there?" he said, looking at Rose with hopeful eyes. She looked at him and grinned, then looked at Hutch.

   "How about I meet you guys there? I have to go home and get some things together and, well, you know, get ready to move, I guess," she answered, smiling. She then looked back at Starsky. "Do you think you can hold off eating until I get over there?" she teased. Starsky looked at her, then Hutch, then back at her; his eyes showing a desperation as he spoke.

   "If I gotta wait for a woman to pack her things I could die from hunger!" he said, trying to keep a serious look on his face, all be it unsuccessfully. Rose playfully hit his arm.

   "I’ll meet you two there in an hour," she said, laughing as she turned and walked out from the squad room.

   "I think I like her," Starsky said, grinning ear to ear as he looked at Hutch. Hutch smiled at him, chuckling at his friend.

   "We’ll see if you feel the same way if she’s a few minutes late," he teased. Starsky looked at him and grinned.

   Starsky and Hutch arrived at the Pits and sat at their favorite booth. Huggy brought them over a couple of beers, then sat down beside Hutch, staring at Starsky and grinning.

   "What?!" Starsky asked him, his tone a little hostile because of the stare he was given.

   "Nothing, man. I’m just waiting for you to either tell me where you’ve already eaten at or else melt into a puddle of starvation over there," Huggy said, his mouth twisting sideways into a sarcastic smirk. Starsky looked at him.

   "I’m being a gentleman and waiting. Very patiently too, I might add," he said, giving Hutch a glare. Hutch laughed lightly.

   "She’s not even late yet, Starsk. You’ll survive." He teased.

   As if on cue, Rose came in and spotted them, quickly walking over to the booth, taking the available space beside Starsky as she sat down. She had changed clothes, coming out of her business attire and getting more comfortable in a pair of tight fitting jeans and a snug pink T-shirt, showing every inch of her curvy figure. Starsky smiled, obviously pleased by her wardrobe. When she sat down beside him, she brushed up against him, giving him a warm, tingly feeling. Huggy smiled at the lady.

   "Well if it isn’t the newest employee of my fine establishment. Come to bring a little class to these two turkeys?" He asked, standing up.

   "Lucky for you if she adds some class to this restaurant of yours," Starsky sneered.

   "Ouch!" Huggy said, his face squinting. "You’re more hungry than I thought!" he said, laughing at the dark haired man in front of him. "I’d better get you some food real quick. So, what’ll it be?" he asked.

   "How about a cheeseburger, loaded, with fries?" Starsky said, his eyes filled with anticipation.

   "And how about you, Ms. Rose? What would you be interested in for your dining pleasure tonight?"

   "How about a big salad?" she asked, looking hopefully at the thin man in front of her.

   "Dontcha want a nice big cheeseburger to go with that?" Starsky asked as he looked at her, smiling.

   "I can really appreciate your appetite. Makes a girl wonder if you have that kind of appetite for everything," she began, winking at the dark haired man who smiled even more broadly at her.

   "I don’t eat meat," She answered, looking back at Huggy, a snide little grin creeping across her face. Starsky put his head in his hand as he propped his arm up on the table, looking at Hutch and raising his eyebrows.

   "And what would the lady like to drink?" Huggy asked, untouched by her vegetarian lifestyle, doing his best to keep his business-like composure.

   "You wouldn’t happen to have any twig tea here, do ya?" she asked. Huggy rolled his eyes.

   "What? Now I gotta deal with two of you health nuts? What the heck is twig tea, anyway?" he asked, smiling. Hutch laughed out loud. Rose looked at everyone, then sighed.

   "Okay. How about a regular glass of iced tea?" she asked, trying to be accommodating. Hutch ordered a burger for himself, silently letting Starsky know he wasn’t being out-numbered; making his friend smile.

   It took Huggy a few minutes, but he returned to the table with a glass of iced tea for Rose. Inserted in the glass, he had taken a branch from one of the plants beside the bar.

   "It’s the closest I can figure to something called twig tea," he said, making everyone laugh out loud.

   They ate their meals and talked socially, learning more as they became comfortable and got familiar with each other. Once Starsky and Hutch began ‘picking’ on each other, Rose began to feel more welcome and accepted. All three were smiling when Huggy came over, his facial expression serious.

   "Captain Dobey’s on the phone, says he needs to talk to one of you guys right now." he told them. Hutch got up and went to the bar, then quickly returned, putting his napkin on his plate.

   "The party’s over folks. Another victim just showed up over near the impound garage." Both Rose and Starsky looked at Hutch, the smiles dropping from their faces.

   They were out the door before Huggy could get back over to their booth. He looked down at the table full of unfinished plates and sighed, picking up the money that had been tossed down for their meal.

********

   The latest victim had been found by a worker in a building near the impound lot. The man had been taking his trash out, finishing up his evening, only to be startled by the woman's’ limp body beside the dumpster. Her body was still warm. He was shaken up, but able to talk to the three detectives as they investigated the scene. Starsky and Hutch were asking him the usual questions: No, he hadn’t seen anyone else or any unfamiliar cars around the area; no, he hadn’t seen anyone suspicious lurking in the neighborhood, and yes, he would call if he thought of anything else. Hutch gave him their card as Starsky looked over at Rose, who was standing by the body, leaning over it, staring.

   He walked over to her and gently placed his hand on her shoulder, making her jump unexpectedly.

   "Hey, you okay?" he asked, looking at her pale face as she steadied herself beside him.

   "Yeah," she began quietly. "I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so, uh, brutal, I guess. But I’m fine, really." She told him.

   She gave him half a grin and shrugged, then leaned over, pulling out a pencil from her pocketbook as she noticed something shiny beside the body. She took the pencil and lifted it up. It was a bracelet. Thick and gold, it was almost too large for a woman, but nowadays, women wore just about anything. She looked at Starsky, then Hutch, who had walked over to join them. Rose held the bracelet that dangled from the pencil up for them to see.

   "Could be hers. Or could be the murderers," she said, pulling a baggie from her purse and placing it inside. A sudden chill hit her, making her body shudder.

    ****

   The shadowed figure watched carefully as the three of them examined the bracelet. A hand came up on the wrist of the shadow, muttering lowly in disgust at the loss of such a precious item. The form continued to watch the detectives; studying them from an upstairs window across the street.

    ****

   "Did you two find out anything from him?" Rose asked, pointing to the man who had found the body, giving his statement to a couple of uniformed officers.

   "Nope. He just came up on her takin’ out the garbage. Didn’t have much more to say," Starsky answered, shrugging his shoulders.

   "C’mon. We’ve done about all we can do here. Let’s make some room for the coroner to do his job. We can go get you settled into your new place. We’ll swing by the precinct real quick and maybe get back to Huggy's’ before he closes," Hutch offered, taking Rose by the arm and heading towards the Torino. They made their way through the officers that stood around, ducking under the tape around the crime scene. They climbed into the car silently; Rose getting in first, as Starsky and Hutch looked at each other over the top of the car before getting in, concern for her and this growing case silently understood between them.

****

   The figure watched closely, making sure that the image of the three detectives was committed to memory; more so easier in that out of place car they drove off in. Through the shadows that danced inside from the police lights and oncoming traffic, a smile was evident.

****

   Hutch held the door for Rose as they walked back into the Pits and this time continued to hold the door for Starsky, who was toting Rose’s luggage in from her car parked near by. Starsky gave him a smug look, not sure if his friend would continue to hold the door for him until after he’d walked through it. Rose had been quiet during their trip from the crime scene, over to the precinct, then over to Huggy’s. But she was fine, concentrating on what she’d just seen; studying it in her mind.

   The bar was much less crowded than before, giving them almost free reign as they walked about, still settling in at the detectives’ favorite booth. Rose excused herself to take her belongings upstairs, turning down Starsky's’ offer to take them for her. She asked them to order her a beer, promising to return momentarily. Starsky watched her carefully as she left, waiting for her to head up the stairs before turning his eyes to Hutch.

   "Think she’s going to be all right?" he asked, his face showing concern.

   "Sure, Starsk. She’s just taking it all in, that’s all. She’s sharp and I don’t think she’s easily shaken," he answered.

   "Sounds like some kinda fancy mixed drink to me," Huggy said, smiling at his two friends. "What’ll it be, gentlemen?" he asked.

   "Three beers, hold the wise cracks," Starsky said smugly.

   "Rough night?" Huggy asked, looking between the two men.

   "Another murder. Just as ugly as the last three. You get any leads for us since we were gone?" Hutch asked, his face hopeful.

   "Phone’s been dead all night, man. Sorry." Huggy answered, turning towards the bar. Rose came back down the stairs, looking differently as she had taken her hair out from the confinement of its’ ponytail.

   "I’m back," she said, smiling as she sat down beside Starsky.

   "Thank goodness," Hutch began, "He just isn’t much of a conversationalist," he said, pointing towards Starsky.

   "Gee, thanks partner," Starsky retorted. Rose laughed at them, watching Huggy as he brought over their beers.

   "Yes, watch my very unique moves, Miss Rose. Tomorrow night this job is all yours," Huggy said, turning himself around, trying to primp as he twirled, almost losing the beers from the tray in the process. Everyone laughed, including Huggy. "Of course, you can add your own style to the moves," he added, gladly placing the still full beers in front of them. He brought an extra one, helping himself to it as he sat down beside Hutch.

   "Yes, I guess tomorrow starts my brand new life," she said, sighing, looking around.

   "Hey, it’s not all bad," Starsky began. "At least you’ve got us to keep you company." he said, his words of encouragement bringing yet another smile to her face.

   "Well, that makes it all worth while then, doesn’t it?" she said, lifting her glass. The men all brought their glasses to join hers, clinking them together in unison.

********

   The next few days proved to be uneventful, which in a way was good for Rose, helping her get into her new routine as waitress for Huggy and new client at the library. Starsky and Hutch were always near by, not letting her out of their sight, which she secretly found very comforting. Huggy was more than accommodating; helping her learn the ways of the bar and handling his customers, especially his regulars, and helping her make some very impressive tips. After five days of the ‘new life’, she was already finding herself at ease with her new surroundings.

   By Saturday night the bar was hopping and Rose had found her speed as she waited on the tables like a pro. She handled the patrons well, charming them and teasing them, mingling with the crowd. She also handled the ones too drunk to be served with finesse.

   Starsky and Hutch came in around nine PM. They sat at the bar, letting Huggy cater to them as they watched her, impressed with her new found abilities.

   "Yep. I’m gonna hate to see this one go," Huggy told them, following their eyes towards her. "She could really be an asset to this little gold mine," he added, looking at the two detectives. They grinned back at him, both bringing their eyes to face him at the same time.

   "Maybe you could talk her into a part-time gig here, Huggy. She’d probably jump at such a fine opportunity," Starsky teased, speaking in a sarcastic tone. Hutch laughed at his friends’ remark.

   "Laugh all you want, but that girl is making a killing in tips here. Probably better pay then her piddley cop’s salary!" Huggy answered defensively. "And speaking of making some money … Are you two gonna eat, or just keep the barstools warm tonight?" he added, still speaking like he was mad at his friends.

   "Food?" Starsky said, his eyes lighting up. "I could go for some of that," he said, smiling as he looked from Hutch to Huggy.

   "Yeah Hug. I could get into a little nourishment myself," Hutch began, "Even though it’ll be hard to find here," he added, laughing with Starsky at his teasings.

   After two hours, the detectives had eaten, played a little pool, then finally settled into their booth. The long week was catching up to them. Both relaxed comfortably and watched the bar as the patrons began to thin out. Rose walked over to them, and, sitting down beside Starsky, leaned herself into him, letting out a sigh as she closed her eyes for a moment. Starsky could smell her hair, enjoying the softness of it against him as he inhaled the floral fragrance.

   "Is all this running around finally catching up to ya?" Huggy asked, walking over to the booth, bringing Starsky and Hutch another beer and Rose a tall glass of iced tea. Of course he had inserted a branch from his plant, making his attempt at twig tea once more. She looked up at him, giving him a big smile as she sat up, readying to go back on the floor.

   "Whoa! Don’t bother yourself little lady! Your shift just ended five minutes ago! Sit back and relax… you earned this one," Huggy said, handing her the tea.

   "Thanks Hug. This has been some evening!" she replied, gratefully accepting the glass. Starsky smiled at her.

   "You really do handle working the floor well. In fact, Huggy here was just talking to us about trying to get you to work part time around here permanently!" Starsky teased, chuckling at the prospect. Rose smiled at him.

   "That might not be a bad idea," she told him, pulling wads of money out from her apron. She sat there and began counting, pleased with herself after finding out she’d made $63 and some change.

   "Wow," Hutch began, "maybe we should’ve gotten you to buy our dinner." He said playfully.

   "That probably wouldn’t have taken too much persuasion!" she said happily, putting the money back in her apron. Starsky’s eyebrows raised, hopeful in his thoughts as he mingled over the prospect.

   They talked and carried on, enjoying each other’s company as they played pool and pinball. When they finally sat back down in the booth, Starsky was long gone in a world of his own.

   He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. She was dressed in tight jeans and a light blue blouse that was unbuttoned just enough to show off her cleavage. Each time she had leaned over the pool table, he found he was fighting himself not to stare. And he knew she was flirting with him; at least, he was almost sure. There was a definite attraction. He wanted to explore the feelings that were calling to him. All three of them got along well, talking with one another as if they’d known each other a lot longer than merely a week. Yeah, she was special all right.

   His thoughts were suddenly interrupted as he noticed Hutch’s hand waving in front of him.

   "Finally decided to come back to us? Where were you?" he asked, making Starsky smile at him.

   "I was right here, pal. Never left," he said, grinning sideways at him, then smiling as he looked at Rose.

   There it is, Hutch thought to himself. That look. That lost little puppy dog look that he starts getting when he’s falling for a lady, where his eyes are big and hopeful as he watches them. He knew his best friend all too well. Hutch chuckled out loud.

   "Guys, I am beat. Would you mind terribly if I go on upstairs and call it a night?" Rose asked, looking between the two men, taking her hair with one hand and pulling it away from her face. She looked at Hutch, then Starsky, grinning broadly. Hutch thought he might be recognizing that same look on her face as well. Was he watching the makings of a new courtship? Certainly looked like a possibility to him.

   This time it was Starsky’s turn to pull Hutch from his daze. He was snapping his finger, looking him dead in the eyes when Hutch noticed. Starsky laughed.

   "Yeah, I don’t think it’ll be much longer before we’ll need to hit the road as well," Starsky began, watching Rose as she stood in front of them and stretched, then turned herself around to lean down on the table. Starsky admired the view.

   "Okay, I guess we can call it a night then," she said smiling, looking almost infatuated at Starsky, who eagerly returned the look. For Hutch, it seemed like minutes before Starsky finally broke the stare and spoke, since Rose had no intentions of breaking it first.

   "Hey, what are your plans tomorrow? Got any?" he asked, trying not to sound too eager. Rose laughed.

   "Well, you’re not going to believe it, but Huggy asked me if I could help him with his brunch crowd in the morning since Janet is off this weekend, and I told him I would!" she said, half laughing at herself for feeling so excited about it. "But after one PM, I’m off the whole day with nothing to do," she said, her words spoken innocently. "What did you have in mind?" she said, again, an innocent tone being offered.

   "We could go and find something to do, maybe get our minds off this case for a little while," Starsky answered, trying to keep the innocent innuendo afloat.

   She looked at him, her face still grinning, then looked at Hutch. Hutch shook his head.

   "Not me. I have a whole days agenda planned full of house work and repotting some plants and then a nice evening with Meagan," he said, looking between the two people in front of him.

   "Awe. That’s a shame," Starsky said, a devilish grin slipping across his face as he winked at his partner, acknowledging the gesture just made on his behalf.

   "When should I pick you up then?" Starsky asked, trying to control the eagerness in his voice.

   "How about three?" Rose asked, smiling broadly.

   "Perfect," Starsky answered her. With that, she said ‘goodnight’ and turned around, walking over to Huggy at the bar as she said her goodnights to him, then headed up the stairs. Starsky and Hutch watched her, then Hutch couldn’t help but stare at his partner with a huge grin spread across his face.

   "What???" Starsky asked, shrugging his shoulders. Hutch laughed out loud.

****

   The figure sitting in the shadows of the bar was slightly amused with watching the interaction between the three. Hidden nicely in a booth in the corner, the person studied them, taking mental notes while trying not to look conspicuous. They would not get in the way, no matter what. No cops were going to interfere. She looked just like the others. Taking care of her out would no doubt keep those other two preoccupied, at least for a while. She really looked more like the one than the others had. So much so, it was becoming hard to remember that she wasn’t the one. The hair. The flirtatious grin. Her movements. Maybe it was her; staking out her latest conquests. Maybe hell. It was her. The face showed anger as the realization hit that the female detective was really that damned woman. She would have to be taken care of. Taught a lesson before she died. That slut. She would do anything to get a man, including playing it up to a couple of cops.

****

   Starsky and Hutch got up and walked to the bar, saying their ‘goodnights’ to Huggy as they walked past the booth in the far corner to leave. No one was there.

********

   Starsky was anxious and excited about the date he and Rose would be having; almost nervous like a teenager. Waking at 8:30am, he caught himself smiling in the mirror, whistling an off key tune and knicking himself as he shaved. But it was okay. The sun was shining and he had something to do other than laundry and cleaning up the apartment. Although he would get them done, it didn’t seem like such a chore today. He went to sleep thinking of her, and woke up with the same thoughts. She was special. She was beautiful. And she was all his this afternoon. Even the phone ringing did not jar his happy train of thought.

   "Starsky’s bar and grill, how may we serve you today?" he answered cheerfully, holding his toothbrush in his hand as he spoke. He was surprised to find Huggy on the other end of the line.

   "Huggy, how are you doing on this fine morning?" he asked, putting the toothbrush back in his mouth.

   "Well, I’d be doing better if you’d give me back my waitress so I can open this joint up," he answered, sneering.

   "What are ya talking ‘bout, Hug? She’s upstairs. Go wake her up. You probably worked her too much last night and she’s over slept is all," he answered, continuing his dental grooming.

   "Naw man. She left here first thing this morning, saying something about police business and a lead and that she’d be back in time to open. I figured that was just code for going to your place and getting a little," Huggy told him. Starsky’s face dropped.

   "What police business?" he asked, his face filling with concern.

   "Don’t know, man. All I know is she got a call around eight this morning and was dressed and outta here in a flash, rushing past me like her pants were on fire," Huggy told him.

   "Call Hutch. Tell him to meet me there. Oh! And Huggy, call Dobey too, will ya? Tell the Cap we’ll call and keep him informed as soon as we know something. I’ll be there in a few minutes." Starsky didn’t wait for his friend to answer before hanging up the phone. He was dressed and in the Torino in a matter of minutes, his mind racing at the thoughts of what could be going down.

   He arrived at The Pits within fifteen minutes, siren blaring as he screeched the car to a halt in front of the entrance. He ran inside, feeling the knot that was forming in his stomach, trying his best not to think the worst.

   Hutch walked in quickly behind him, looking around, wondering what could have happened. Huggy had called him, briefly telling him what was going on and telling him to get there to meet Starsky. The two detectives jumped the stairs heading to her apartment, followed closely by Huggy. Turning the handle, they found the door locked. Huggy quickly used his key to let them in.

   Looking around, nothing seemed out of place. There were still things left unpacked, and clothes hung neatly in the closet, but nothing looked out of the ordinary. Her car keys were sitting on a table beside the telephone, along with a notepad and pencil. Starsky looked at it, then Hutch looked closer.

   "Starsk." Hutch said, making him turn around to see what his partner had found. Hutch began taking the pencil to the pad, gently rubbing the lead over the paper, showing what had been written on the page before.

   ‘Library. Main building. Third door on right of left side of building.‘

   "What the hell?" Starsky said, his face a mix of anger and fear. He raced out the door and down the stairs, Hutch right behind him.

   Rose had a restless night, trying to sleep in her still unfamiliar surroundings, and was still a bit groggy when the phone rang. When she answered, a woman dispatcher from Metro told her that they had received a call with specific instructions for her and Starsky and Hutch to meet someone with information on their case. She stood up, completely awake, writing down the directions of where to meet up with everyone, and asked if she should contact the other two detectives. Once told that they were already in route, she got dressed quickly and headed out the door, grabbing the note she had written her directions on. She sped down the steps and past Huggy, stopping long enough to tell him she had a lead on the case and would be back in time to go to work.

   She walked to the vacant library, looking around, figuring that she had arrived before her counterparts. She waited impatiently. Knowing she should wait for Starsky and Hutch to get there. Knowing this was their territory and she was an outsider to it. She paced back and forth for what seemed like an eternity; waiting. Looking at the note she brought with her, she walked around to the side of the building, going towards the third door. She waited a little bit longer, but the anticipation of getting a good lead on this case was nagging at her to move forward, with or without them. What if the person willing to give them the information decided to leave?

   Easing herself beside the door, she turned the handle. It was unlocked. Not wanting to take any chances, she pulled her gun from her purse, then walked inside.

   The hall was dark and the air smelled stale, telling the buildings’ age as the wooden floors creaked beneath her feet. There was a light further up towards the end of the hallway, and she focused on it, not realizing that someone had come up behind her. She felt the burn of the metal as it hit, slamming her across the side of her head. It brought her to her knees instantly, surrounding her in a graying fog. The pain was unbearable, and she slumped into the floor; her gun falling beside her.

   Her lifeless body was dragged into another doorway then kicked until it rolled down a flight of steps. The menace that had brought her there began to laugh, looking at the still form slumped over at the bottom of the stairs. The shadowy figure slowly descended, pulling out what looked to be a machete, raising it higher in the air with each step downward.

   "You’ll never be able to ruin another life again! You evil little home wrecking bitch!" the voice was a shrill as the form lifted the machete in the shadows, taking aim at the body below it. Had it not been for the sound of the approaching siren, it surely would have cut her body in half. But the siren had startled the attacker, enough so that the first instinct coming to mind was to flee. The darkened figure ran quickly, escaping into more shadows.

   Starsky and Hutch ran to the side of the building. With guns raised, they opened the third door quietly, aiming their weapons inside before entering. A few steps into the dark corridor lead them to finding Rose’s gun, laying on the floor. Starsky's’ face scowled with concern. He looked up at Hutch as he bent over and picked up the weapon, finding Hutch returning his look of worry. They took a few more cautious steps, which lead them to the half opened door of the basement.

   They began to enter, guns raised, when they heard a door closing further ahead. Silently, Hutch motioned to Starsky to go in as he went ahead to investigate. Starsky carefully stepped in the doorway, reaching his hand over the walls in search of a light switch. Finding it, he flipped it on and looked around, squinting as his eyes adjusted to the brightness. That’s when he saw her. The lifeless mound of a body at the bottom of the stairs.

   His gun still drawn and ready to fire, he looked around frantically as he flew down the stairs. He was calling her name as he searched for anyone else in the basement. She didn’t answer him. Once he had secured the area, he fell to his knees in front of her, pulling the hair from her face, seeing the blood that covered it.

   "Oh my God," he said out loud, panic trying to take him over. Her body was twisted and bruised everywhere he looked. He kept calling her name, his hand shaking as he checked for a pulse. He found it, and finally taking a breath, let out a deep sigh of relief. He wanted to see the extent of her injuries, but knew better than to move her. He continued to call her name, touching her gently as he ran his hand along her face, hoping for any kind of response and praying that Hutch would return quickly.

   "Rose? Rose honey, it’s me. Dave. Rose? Can you hear me? I need you to answer me, okay?"

   A low moan came from her as she tried to move, wincing in pain before ever reaching a fully conscious state. Starsky’s face wrinkled as if he could feel the pain himself.

   "It’s okay, shhh, it’s okay honey. Shhh." Starsky did his best to comfort her, trying to keep her from moving too much as she started coming around.

   "Rose. I need you to focus on me. Can you say something?" he asked, his voice pleading as he gently stroked her hair away from her eyes. Finally, her eyes opened, seeing him as he watched her. She could see the fear and concern in his eyes.

   "What do you want me to say?" she asked weakly. Starsky smiled at her, laughing nervously.

   Hutch appeared back at the top of the stairway, and Starsky looked up, hollering for him to get an ambulance. When he looked back down at Rose, she was unconscious again.

   "Just hang on. You hear me? Just hang on. You’re gonna be okay," Starsky said, still stroking her hair as he held her hand.

PART TWO