| Bear Trap: Part 3 |
| Huggy stayed downstairs for a while and helped Diane until the lunch rush was over. After the bar had quieted down, he decided to go upstairs for a quick shower and a nap. There was nothing more he could do until his own sources got back to him, or Starsky and Hutch found something at the station. Business would be slow for a few hours, until the dinner rush, so he might as well catch a few z's. He walked into the small room, then stopped. Huggy frowned as he thought back. He could have sworn he'd locked the door when he left earlier. "Hello, snitch. Long time, no see." Huggy swung around at the sound of the voice. His heart dropped into his shoes as he recognized his uninvited caller. "Tony. How did you get in here?" Tony Foxx laughed maliciously. "You don't think that flimsy lock was a problem for me, do you, punk? I was picking better locks than that before I could shave." "What do you want, Tony?" "I thought it was time we had a little chat, Brown. I think you've been spending a little too much time with your pig friends lately. You haven't forgotten the agreement you made with Jimmy, have you?" "Jimmy's dead, Tony. I ain't got any secrets worth keepin' now. I can't hurt him anymore." "That's true, but a deal is a deal. Jimmy told you what would happen if you ever told anybody about Ruby. You got out of the neighborhood, but Cora Lee and Julius are still there. So are a lot of your other friends. Cora Lee is a friendly gal and Julius isn't as young as he used to be. I'd hate to see anything happen to them." "Ruby was a good person, too! Yeah, she was a hooker and a junkie, but she had a good heart. Jimmy didn't have any right to kill her." "Ruby was a leech. She was always whining to Jimmy, beggin' for junk and wanting him to put it on her tab. He was a fool. He should have known better than to trust a junkie." Huggy stepped forward, then stopped when he saw the gun. "He trusted her because he knew she was good for it! She never stiffed him. She always paid her tab!" Tony laughed again. "I know. Ain't that a kick in the head? An honest hooker. Who would have believed it? You'd think that her brains were so fried that she couldn't keep track of what she owed Jimmy, but she always knew. She wasn't goin' to pay twice for anythin', either. Any other junkie would have kept their mouth shut and just paid up, but Ruby had to argue about it." Tony's words unlocked a hidden memory. The last piece of the puzzle fell into place as Huggy's mind flashed back to the night in the alley. He saw Ruby standing in the glow of the neon sign, gesturing wildly and haranguing the figure in the shadows. His dark brown eyes widened as the truth finally dawned on him. "I remember now. Ruby wasn't talking TO Jimmy; she was talking ABOUT him. She was arguing with somebody. I heard her say something about money and dope, but I thought she was trying to make a buy. She was really talking about her tab. She said she wasn't going to fall for it this time, that she was never so high that she'd forget if she'd paid or not." The older man nodded. "I told Jimmy that you heard too much that night. He said to forget about you, that you were just a street punk. I told him you were gonna be trouble, but he was too dumb to take you out back then. He only made that deal with you as a favor to me." "You? If Jimmy wasn't worried, why were you? Unless.... Oh, man, I get it now. Jimmy didn't kill Ruby. YOU DID!!!!" "Congratulations bro'. You finally got it right. Give the man a cigar." "I ain't your bro'!! Why did you have to kill her? What did Ruby ever do to you?" "She got in the way of a little action that I had goin'. Jimmy was always too soft hearted. He's let these junkies sucker him out of his dope, and let them pay their tab whenever they could. He never was much of a business man. So, I figured I'd make a little extra green on the side. I kept a list of the one's that owed him, then I muscled them for the money. The bums couldn't remember that they'd already paid, so Jimmy never knew about it. Everything was goin' great until Ruby started gettin' mouthy. She paid up the first time, but when I tried to run the same scam on her again, she pitched a bitch about it. I didn't plan on takin' her out. Ruby could have talked all day and Jimmy would still have took my word over hers. I wasn't worried about that. She should'a never hit me, though. No junkie whore is gonna hit me and get away with it. She scratched my face with those long nails and I saw red. Before I knew it, I had the knife in my hand and Ruby was lyin' on the ground. That's when I saw you hot-footin' it up the alley. I made up a story to tell Jimmy, and tried to get him to take care of you. He wussed out, though. He said he didn't cater to offing kids, even if you were a punk." "You rotten, slimy, stinking son-of-a-bitch! Ruby was a good woman. She never hurt anybody and SHE WAS MY FRIEND!!! Jimmy shouldn't have listened to you. He shoulda thrown you out with the rest of the garbage!" The gun in Tony's hand came up. The barrel was pointed at Huggy's chest and never waivered. "Careful, punk. I don't want to take you out right here, but I can. One gunshot in this neighborhood ain't gonna mean much. Remember who you're talkin' to." "I'm talkin' to scum! You're worse than scum. You stole from your own customers and you did it behind Jimmy's back. He trusted you. Ruby had more honor in her little finger than you do in your whole, sad body. I ain't talkin' to nobody." Tony threw his head back and cackled. "Honor? Look who's talkin' about honor! You really think you're somethin', don't you? You ain't nothin' but a snitch. You think this crummy dive makes you better than me? I make more money in one day than you do in a month, Brown. You were nothing but a skinny brat back then and you're nothin' but a punk, now. And in a little bit, you're gonna be a dead punk." Tony motioned toward the door with his head. "Get goin', Brown. We're gonna go down the back stairs and out the door, all friendly like. If anybody asks where you're goin', you tell'em we're goin' for a little drive. You do as I say and nobody else will get hurt. If you don't, I might have to shoot up this crummy bar a little bit." Huggy spread his hands out in front of him and slowly walked in front of Tony. The blood was pounding in his ears as he obeyed the grim figure. He said a silent prayer as he moved down the stairs. OK, guys, where are you? Things ain't lookin' too good for your favorite Bear. It's time for the cavalry to come over the hill. |
| Starsky slammed the driver's side door shut and started the Torino as Hutch jumped into the passeger side. The blonde hit the siren and slapped the mars light on the roof as Starsky tromped on the gas. Hutch raised his voice so he could be heard over the siren. "Zebra 3 to Dispatch. We are in route to 406 Main, Code Three. Possible hostage situation." "Roger, Zebra 3. Are you requesting back up?" "Not at this time, Dispatch. Will request back up if necessary. Zebra 3 out." Starsky pushed the Torino as hard as he could without causing an accident. They were only a few blocks away from the Pits when the radio crackled. "Dispatch to Zebra 3. Stand by for Captain Dobey." Seconds later, they heard Dobey's voice. "Hutch? What's going on? 406 Main is the Pits, isn't it?" Hutch spoke without taking his eyes off the street in front of them. "That's right, Captain. We think Tony Foxx is going after Huggy." "Tony Foxx? Why the Hell would he be after Huggy?" "We think Tony is the one who set Huggy up. Huggy saw Jimmy Blanks kill a woman a long time ago, and we think Tony was with Jimmy when he killed her. Look, Captain, it's a long story. We'll explain it all to you after we make sure Huggy's all right." "Well, it makes a strange kind of sense. Tony definitely has the resources to pull a frame like this. I think I know why he's picked now to go after Huggy, too. Stuart Connely called a few minutes ago. Judge Shaw ruled on the motion to dismiss. He said it was an illegal search, and dropped the charges against Huggy. Connely called to see if something was wrong. He'd been trying to call the Pits and all he got was a busy signal." "Well, that makes sense, but how did Tony know about the ruling? If Shaw only did it this morning, Tony has to have someone in the courthouse in his pocket." "We'll worry about that later. Just get Huggy out of there before Tony gets to him. Let me know if you need any help." "OK, we're almost there. If we need help, we'll yell loud and clear. But for now, keep everybody back. Tony has an itchy trigger finger and we don't want it going off." Hutch turned the siren off when they were a block away from the Pits. The mars light cast a red tint on the outside of the bar. The blonde detective took the radios out of the glove box and tossed one to his partner. With a quick nod, he went around to the back of the building while Starsky went through the front door. Hutch had barely rounded the corner when the back door opened. Huggy walked out, followed by Tony Foxx. Hutch didn't have to see the gun that was jammed against the black man's back. Huggy's body language told him that this wasn't a casual stroll. Hutch spoke softly into the radio. "Starsk, they're coming out the back door now. Be careful. Tony's got a gun aimed at Huggy's back." Starsky quietlly responded. "Roger. I'm on my way. Don't start the party without me." Hutch pressed his back against the wall and craned his neck to see around the corner. Tony stopped Huggy with a hand on his shoulder. "That's far enough, snitch. Now, we're gonna walk down this alley a little ways and we're goin' into the pawn shop on the corner. It's been closed for a couple years, so it will be nice and private. I figure they should find your body around Christmas time." Huggy fought to keep his voice steady. "It's not going to work, Tony. Starsky and Hutch know I'm supposed to stay put. If they call and find out I'm not here, they'll come looking for me. I told them all about Ruby. They'll figure out who really killed her, then they'll come after you. I might be dead, but you'll be in the slam." Tony laughed sadistically. "I wouln't worry about that. Ruby's dead and so is Jimmy. After I take care of you, there won't be anyone left that knows the story. Those two pigs won't be able to prove nothin'. Now, get movin'." Huggy walked slowly down the alley. He'd only taken a few steps when Hutch stepped out in front of them. "Put the gun down, Tony. It's all over. I heard everything." Tony jammed the gun harder into Huggy's back. "Stop right there, cop. If you so much as blink, I'll blow your precious snitch away." "Then you'll be going down for two homicides instead of one. Or, is it three? Jimmy was supposed to have had a heart attack, but we checked the autopsy report. The coroner said Jimmy's heart was in perfect condition. Jimmy might have been a two bit thug, but he took better care of himself than a lot of people half his age. What did you do, get tired of playing second fiddle?" Tony sneered. "Let's just say Jimmy outlived his usefulness. I wanted to make some changes in the organization. I wanted to diversify, but Jimmy liked things the way they were. This ain't the forties. Jimmy was happy with a little piece of the pie, but I wanted it all. You're smart cop, too smart. If it leaks out that I killed Jimmy, I'll have a mutiny on my hands. Drop the gun and turn around. I said, DROP IT! Or, I'll shoot this punk right here and now." Tony stiffened as he felt the gun barrel against his cheek. A soft voice whispered in his ear. "I don't think so. Go ahead. Blink. You'll be dead before you can squeeze the trigger." The gun dropped from Tony's nerveless fingers and right into Starsky's hand. Huggy jumped away, putting some distance between himself and the two men. Hutch walked up behind Tony and yanked the thug's arms behind his back, handcuffing him. Then he gave Tony a shove, sending him toward Starsky. The blonded turned to their friend. "You can relax now, Huggy. It's all over but the crying, for Tony at least." Huggy ranted. "Well, it's about damn time! Where have you guys been? What took you so long?" Starsky grinned. "We thought we'd stop and take in a movie on the way. There's an old Bogie film I've been wantin' to see." "Well, I'm glad you two think this is funny! You might be used to havin' a gun pointed at your back, but it kinda ruins my day. It ain't that I'm not grateful, mind you, but next time you might try to hurry it up a little bit." Hutch teased his friend. "Hey, don't worry, Hug. We had you covered. If Tony had pulled the trigger, we would have called an ambulance right away. You would have made it to the hospital in plenty of time, I think." "Thanks, Blondie. I'm glad you were thinkin' about me. That makes me feel so much better." Hutch cocked his head and grinned. "Are we feeling a little testy today? Come on, Hug, let's get Tony down to the station. By the way, Connely called Dobey earlier. Judge Shaw dismissed all the charges. You're a free man." Huggy grinned a huge grin. "Well, why didn't you say so? That's the best news I've heard all week. Let's go." Starsky led their prisoner by his arm and put him in the back seat of the Torino. Hutch opened the passenger door and waited for Huggy to climb in the front seat. The slim man stopped with his hand on the door. "Hey, wait a minute. Why do I have to go?" Starsky explained patiently. "We need your statement, Hug. Tony's lookin' a little peaked, don't you think? We figure he could use a nice, long vacation right about now. With your statement, he's gonna get just that." "Oh, OK. Let's go. I've been waiting to tell this story for a long, long time." |
| Starsky, Hutch and Huggy led Tony into the booking room and turned him over to the Sergeant on duty. Minnie Kaplan was coming down the hall and stopped when she saw the three men. She wrapped her arms around Huggy. "Huggy, darlin', are you all right? Did that mean old mobster hurt you?" Huggy put his arm around her shoulder. "I'm OK, Minnie. It got a little hairy, but these two yahoo's finally showed up and did their job." Then he turned to the two detectives. "At least SOMEBODY was worried about me. That's more than I can say for you two." Hutch laughed. "She's only worried because she wants you for your body." Starsky pouted. "Minnie! And here I thought I was the love of your life." Minnie grinned mischieviously. "I believe in spreadin' happiness around, darlin'. You're still the one that makes my heart go pitty-pat." They all laughed out loud, then Starsky turned back to Minnie. "Do me a favor, will ya? Take Huggy and get him a bite to eat if he wants it, then set him up with a stenographer. He's got an interestin' story to tell about our friend here. Take good care of him, OK?" "Sure, Starsky, but where are you two going?" "We've got a few loose ends to tie up. We'll be back as soon as we can, Hug. Just sit tight for a while." "Whatever you say, Starsk. Now that I know I can leave any time I want, this place ain' t as creepy as it was." Starsky and Hutch left their friend in Minnie's capable hands and went straight to Dobey's office. He was on the phone, but motioned for them to sit down. "They just came in, Stuart. I'll tell them what you said. Thanks for all your help." Dobey sat back in his chair. "So, did you get Foxx booked?" "Yep, he's gonna be coolin' his heels in a cell for a long time. Huggy's sittin' down with a stenographer right now. By the time he get's finished, Tony will rot in prison for the rest of his life." "Good. I have some information for you. It looks like I owe you an apology, Hutchnson." Hutch looked surprised. "Me? What for, Captain?" "I thought you were letting your personal feelings color your opinion about Saul Mitchum. After what Stuart Connely told me, I'm not so sure about that." Both detectives sat forward in their chairs. Starsky glanced at Hutch. "What's goin' on, Cap?" "When Judge Shaw ruled on Connely's motion, Stuart saw Saul Mitchum in the courthouse. Saul was sitting back in the courtroom, close to the door. He could tell that Saul was angry when the judge dismissed the charges, but Saul just got up and left the courtroom. As Stuart was leaving, he noticed Saul on one of the public telephones. He couldn't hear what he was saying, but he could see that Saul was very agitated. Stuart didn't think anything about it at the time, but when I told him about Tony Foxx going after Huggy, he thought he'd better tell me about it. I've turned it over to IA. It's their case now, but there's no regulation against you talking to Saul first. I can't figure out why Saul would throw his career out the window like that." Starsky cleared his throat. "I understand what you're sayin', Cap, but Saul ain't exactly a big fan of ours. I don't think he's gonna talk to us." "No, but you are the arresting officers on the case. If you give him a chance to cooperate, IA might take that into account. If he's on Tony Foxx's payroll, he could be looking at criminal charges instead of just a departmental reprimand." Hutch sighed, then stood up. "OK, Captain, we'll give it a try. I don't know if it will do any good, though. We'll let you know what happens." They found Saul Mitchum in the garage. He was putting some boxes in the trunk of his own car. Starsky and Hutch stood on each side of him. Hutch kept his voice neutral. "Going somewhere, Saul?" Saul slammed the trunk shut and turned around. "What are you doing here, Hutchinson? Did you come to gloat? Your fink did it again. He got off scott free." Hutch held his temper. "Huggy didn't do anything wrong. We know who framed him and we know who tipped you off about the dope. The only thing we don't understand is why? You had to know we'd figure it out. What did Tony pay you? Was it worth your career?" Saul gritted his teeth. "You don't know anything! I've been on this lousy job for nineteen years. What has it gotten me? Huh? I'll be lucky if I pay off my mortgage before I retire. When I do retire, if I live that long, all I'll get for my blood is a lousy pension. I see people every day like your punk friend and Tony Foxx. They do what they want and just rake the money in. All I get for my trouble is an ulcer and high blood pressure. When Tony called me, I said no at first. Then I thought, why not? Huggy Bear is just another rat fink. We couldn't put Jimmy away when he was alive, and we won't be able to get Tony, either. If I can finally put some money in my savings account, why not do it? It's more than I ever got from this department." Starsky replied evenly. "Huggy is more than a snitch, Mitchum. He's a good friend of ours. More importantly, he's a citizen. Like Hutch told you before, he has the same rights as everybody else. The only thing Tony can do for you is take you down with him. We got him for two homicides, and we can prove it. We also got him for the attempted murder of Huggy. Since you called him and told him about the charges bein' dropped, we can get you for accessory. The only way out you got now is to come clean with everything. If you testify against Tony, maybe the DA will work out a deal with you. Losin' your job is a lot better than losin' your freedom. And by the way you're talkin', the force ain't where you need to be anymore, anyway." Saul looked skeptical. "You would do that for me? Why? What do you get out of it?" Hutch sighed. "Maybe we just want to help. Nineteen years on the force is something to be proud of. Despite what you think, the world isn't out to get you, Mitchum. We aren't, either, believe it or not." "OK, I'll do it. You set it up, and I'll talk to the DA. Maybe you're right. It's time I got out of this job. If a creep like Tony had tried to bribe me a few years ago, I would have knocked him on his ass. I think it's time to get out of this town and start over. I can't tell the bad guys from the good guys any more." |
| Later that night, Captain Dobey joined Starsky and Hutch at the Pits for an impromptu celebration. Saul Mitchum had agreed to testify against Tony and the department had agreed to let him resign without prejudice. Without Tony as the figurehead, the loosely knit drug ring would fall apart in a few months. A new one would take it's place before long, but at least they would have a break for a while. Huggy Bear had opened up his best bottle of champagne. He poured the three men a glass and poured one for himself. He raised his glass in the air. "I'd like to make a toast. Here's to good friends, the sun shinin' outside, and freedom. I owe you guys a lot, and I won't ever forget that." Starsky grinned. "Don't worry, Huggy, we won't let you forget it." The other men laughed, but Huggy held up his hand. "I'm being serious here. I thought for a while I was gonna have to kiss this bar good-bye. It ain't much, but it's all I got. If you guys hadn't stuck with me, Tony would still be walking the streets. You kept him from filling this beautiful black body with bullet holes, and for that I'm grateful. When I first saw that dope, I thought I was going to end up being a Bear in a gilded cage." Starsky and Hutch moaned at that one. "Oh, God, Huggy. You can do better than that." Captain Dobey put his hand over his stomach. "I think I'm going to be sick." Huggy frowned in mock anger. "Here I am, trying to say thank-you, and you all are making fun of me. But, no matter. I have a gift for all of you, as a token of my appreciation. And don't even mention the word 'bribe', cause you know it ain't." Huggy reached under the bar and sat a small box in front of Captain Dobey. "For you, Marshall, a six pack of my best German beer. I know you don't partake very often, but this is the smoothest lager you'll ever taste. If the missus don't hold with alchohol in her refrigerator, I'll keep it in the back room for you. Anytime you get thirsty, just come on down and have a nip." "Why, thank-you, Huggy. I just might do that. And, I think it would be best if we kept this our secret. Edith isn't a tee totaler, but with the kids in the house, she prefers that we keep alchohol out." "Say no more, Marshall. It's here whenever you want it. Now, for you two bozos. I know you got your bail money safely back in the bank, but I still wanted to repay you somehow. I know you didn't have to go the extra mile for me. I could have mortgaged the Pits, but I didn't have to because of you. So, I thought I'd pay you back in kind. As of now, your tabs are clear. You don't owe me a penny." Starsky and Hutch both grinned. Hutch said, "Why thank-you, Huggy! That wasn't necessary, but it's nice of you, anyway." Huggy spread his hands out. "You're quite welcome, my blonde brother. It's the least I could do." Starsky started to say something, then frowned. "Wait a minute. Didn't we just pay our bill?" Hutch thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, the other day. Wait a minute, Huggy. Just what did we owe? A couple of bucks?" Huggy looked at the paper in his hand. "Two dollars and seventy-six cents to be exact." Starsky sputtered. "Two....!" He jerked his thumb in Dobey's direction. "He gets a six pack of imported beer and we get two lousy bucks? Thanks, friend!" Huggy looked wounded. "Hey, didn't yo momma ever tell you that a penny saved is a penny earned?" He ducked down under the counter as two pairs of hands reached for his throat. The End |
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