Hutched paced the floor of the hospital.  He’d been in this room too many times over the past years. He looked at the attempts to comfort the family and friends who waited—the blue, slightly stuffed chairs, the pictures of flowers that hung on the wall, the coffee machine sitting next to a television set.  All the effort was lost on him.  He had been here too many times and being here now made him angry. He found himself asking again—how much could one man endure before he broke?

Hutch heard the sound of footsteps.  He schooled his features to present the cool demeanor of a cop.  He watched as a large, dark-skinned man entered holding a bag.  Dobey handed the bag to Hutch and took a seat in one of the chairs.  Hutch noted how uncomfortable he looked as he pushed his hefty form into one of the small chairs.

“How is he, son?” the captain asked, looking with concern at his detective.

Hutch put the bag on the table next to him and took a seat, his long legs stretched in front of him, his hands rubbing his eyes.

“Don’t know.  He collapsed. Just collapsed.”

“Did he seem sick earlier?”

“I thought he looked kinda sick, but you know Starsky.” 

“Yeah,” the large man said.  “Hates people fussing over him.”

Hutch hated keeping the truth from Dobey.  He was close to Dobey, closer than to his own father.  But he didn’t want to share a confidence with the captain.  Not without knowing what was wrong.   Something had terrified Starsky to the point of collapse. He picked up the bag the captain had given him and discovered a sandwich wrapped in paper.  He was hungry so he quickly unwrapped the sandwich.  He smiled gratefully at the captain and took a hearty bite from the veggie burger.

Hutch thought back to the moment Starsky had seen the victim.  His face had gone white the minute the girl’s face was revealed.  He wondered if the resemblance to Morgan Harlow had caused his friend to pass out.  The girl was blond and about the same size. Still, thousands of girls resembled Morgan.  Why would this one cause the severe reaction Hutch had witnessed? 

Hutch finished the burger and stood as a familiar red-head doctor entered the room.  He’d treated Starsky after he’d nearly drowned less than a year ago.  Hutch crossed the room, content in the knowledge that Starsky once again had the more than competent Dr. Rickert as his physician.  

“We meet again,” doctor Rickert said, eyeing Captain Dobey.

“This is Captain Dobey,” Hutch said, indicating the portly man as he joined them.  “How is my partner?”

“He’s fine.  No indication of anything.  I suspect it was the heat.  It’s almost ninety-five degrees and you guys are wearing jackets. We’ve had more than a few people come in here today with the same problem.”

Hutch took a relived breath.  “Is he conscious?”

“Yes, and demanding to leave,” the doctor smiled.

Hutch was not entirely convinced that it was the heat that caused his partner to pass out.  He still remembered the look of shock, the white face, Starsky running to get away from the sight of the dead girl.

 “You sure it’s just the heat?” he asked.

Doctor Rickert was aware of Starsky’s medical history and he knew about the Harlow family plot as did most people who lived in Bay City.  The story had been front page for months.  It had all of the intrigue of a novel— a wealthy woman bent on revenge, a cop driven to the brink of insanity, a beautiful woman, dead before her time.  It was sex, murder, revenge, all tied into a neat story on the front page of every newspaper in Bay City.  It hadn’t help that Starsky was the same cop who had nearly been assassinated by Gunther’s goons less than a year previously. 

Doctor Rickert looked reassuringly at the blond detective.  “We’re running test to make sure, but I’m pretty certain it was the heat.  I suggest he not return to work for a few days.  Give us time to get the results back and maybe it will get a little cooler.  I’m going to release him now.  Take him home.  Make sure he gets enough fluids.    He was rather dehydrated which could have compounded the effects of the hot day we’re having.”  Doctor Rickert put his hand on Hutch’s arm.  “He’ll be fine, detective.  Go see him.  Take him home.”

****                                                                                                                               **** 

“Nothin’ but the heat Hutch.  I’m as healthy as they come so stop worrying I was too hot and I didn’t drink enough water.  The doctor said so himself.”

Hutch looked at his friend.  They were standing in Starsky’s kitchen while Hutch prepared a late lunch of fried chicken and mashed potatoes.  Starsky was energized almost to the point of making Hutch tired just by looking at him.

“We haven’t got the test results back yet.  Till then, you’re taking it easy. I’ve only got one best friend and partner.  It’s my job to make sure he’s fit to hang out with me.”  Hutch said, enjoying the easy banter.

The food was ready so Hutch put chicken and mashed potatoes on two plates and sat them on the table along with a large glass of water.  “Have a seat.  Your dinner is ready.”

Starsky grabbed a napkin from the counter and took a seat at the table.  “Mother Hen, that’s what you are.” He said smiling, a teasing tone to his voice. 

Hutch became somber.  “You wanted to tell me something earlier, before Dobey interrupted.”

“It was nothin’” Starsky said, taking a sip of water. 

“Didn’t sound like nothing.”

“Hutch, I don’t wanna talk about it now, okay.  Maybe…”

The sound of the doorbell interrupted the two detectives.  Starsky stared gratefully at the door.  Hutch could see the look of relief in his eyes. 

“I’ll get it,” Hutch said getting up from the table.  He couldn’t believe they’d been interrupted again.  It was like the universe was conspiring to prevent him from finding out what was wrong with Starsky.   He took a deep breath then opened the door.

Jennifer Reese stood at the door, her soft blond hair pulled into a ponytail.  She was the precincts first female detective.  In the past there had been a few women who had been assigned to the precinct on a temporary basis.  These women were usually there for one case and moved on.  Jennifer had been given a partner and a full case load.  Sadly, her partner had been killed only a few months ago. 

“Hey Hutch,” she said smiling and entering the apartment.  “Heard about the curly one and thought I would stop by and see what’s shaking.”

“Ain’t me,” Hutch heard Starsky scream from the kitchen.  “I’m as sound as a rock.”

Jennifer headed to the kitchen.  She brushed her hands across Starsky’s hair and took a seat.  She grabbed a piece of chicken from Hutch’s plate and proceeded to eat it.  Hutch shrugged as he grabbed a chair and sat down next to her. 

“So Reese, why’dya really stop by.  I know it’s not because you missed my handsome face.” Starsky said flirtatiously in a Bogart voice. 

Jennifer grabbed his hand and looked seductively at him.  “I always miss your handsome face,” and they both burst out in laughter.

Hutch shook his head.  Starsky couldn’t help himself.  He enjoyed flirting with every woman who had ever worked at the precinct.  But Jennifer came with special orders from the captain.  “I don’t want you two Casanovas flirting with the new detective.” Dobey had said a week before Jennifer was scheduled to start.  The captain was aware of the Kira fiasco and was not eager to see it repeated and frankly neither was Hutch—it had nearly cost him the friendship of the most important person in his life.  Dobey pointed out that he didn’t want to see his precinct become a singles dating service.  “We’re professionals,” the captain admonished.  “And I expect every man in this precinct to behave.” Which wouldn’t have been difficult if Jennifer hadn’t been so beautiful and Starsky not such a hopeless flirt. 

Hutch cleared his throat, “So what really brings you here?”

Starsky gave Hutch an evil glare as Jennifer answered.

“Well,” Jennifer said, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at her mouth.  “The captain wants me to work with you two guys on this case.”

An uncomfortable silence followed.  Hutch locked eyes with Starsky and communication took place without a single word being spoken.  They had only been forced to work with other cops a few times and neither had enjoyed it.

“Okay guys, enough with the silent communication.”  Jennifer said, looking at them with her soft brown eyes.

“What, the cap’n don’t think we can handle it,” Starsky said angrily.

Jennifer put her hands up.  “Woa.  Captain only wants me to do a little research while you two are holded up here.  He said Starsky was going to be off a few days he didn’t want the case getting cold.  I’m just around to do a little leg work, that’s all.  I’m sorry if I’m stepping on toes.” Jennifer said, hurt apparent in her voice, her eyes cast downward. 

Starsky took her hands in his. “Hey, I’m sorry about the outburst.  Didn’t mean anything by it.  Been a tough day for me, that’s all.  I’m sorry.” 

Jennifer looked up, the smile returning to her face.  She and Starsky looked into each others eyes and just for a moment, Hutch felt like an intruder at an intimate moment.  And then Jennifer removed her hands and took a sip of water from Hutch’s glass.  “I think the captain also had an ulterior motive.”

Both men suspected what that motive had been.  Jennifer was an excellent detective, but her partner had been killed in the line of duty only a few months ago and it had been difficult for Jennifer to adjust after the shooting that had ended her partner’s life.  The captain had tried to put her with several detectives and it had never worked.  Either the detective had refused to work with a woman or Jennifer had made life difficult for them and they had finally requested another partner.  Either way she was at odds with the force and in serious jeopardy of leaving.  No doubt the captain had decided that she could work with his two best detectives until something could be arranged of a more permanent situation.

Starsky stood.  “Listen, it’s okay Jennifer.  We could probably use your input.  Right now, I think I need a shower, so I’ll leave Hutch to catch you up.”

“Sounds good,” Jennifer said, eyeing the dark-haired detective as he left the room.  She turned her attention to Hutch. “Sorry about eating your chicken.  I was just nervous about coming over here.  I eat when I’m nervous even if it isn’t my own food.”

“It’s okay,” Hutch said standing.  “There’s plenty more.”

****                                                                                                                               **** 

Starsky was grateful that Jennifer had arrived when she had.  He was saved from having to explain what had been bothering him.  Starsky stripped his clothes and got into the shower. The cool water refreshed him as he thought back to the young woman they’d found in the rose garden.  He had recognized her instantly.  She was the woman in his dreams.  He could still recall seeing her standing under the streetlight, the glare illuminating her blonde hair.  She’d smiled when he walked up to her and then he had the knife in his hands. 

Starsky stepped from the shower and dried himself.  He used the towel to wipe the steam from the mirror.  His reflection smiled back at him.  Jennifer was indeed a beautiful woman.  He closed his eyes as he recalled the scent of her perfume, the way the sunlight brought out the golden strains of her hair.  He pictured himself caressing her face.  He opened his eyes and saw the face of a killer.