| For One Brief Moment: Part 3 |
| Starsky wasn�t thrilled with the Captain�s decision, either. *Terrific! He�s out of Avery�s sight, but he�s out of mine, too. How am I supposed to know if Avery says something to trigger his memory? Oh, well, I�ll just have to be careful.* Starsky wasn�t in the best of moods when he got inside, and he let Avery know it right away. �Look, punk, I really don�t feel like playing games, so I�m going to let you know exactly where you stand. I know you were paid an undetermined amount by an unknown individual, or individuals, to murder Christine Phelps. I know this because you have been running your mouth to anyone who will listen to your slimy story. So don�t waste my time by denying it. The only thing, and I mean the only thing, that you have to bargain with is the name of the person who hired you. That�s what you can do for me. Now, I�ll tell you what I can do for you. You�re going to take a fall, friend. It can be an easy fall, or a hard one. If you tell me what I want to know, I�ll see that you do your time in that new maximum security prison they just built up the coast. You�ll have a TV, three squares a day, and even a gym where you can work out. That�s a lot better than what you�ve got right now, right?� �What if I don�t roll over for you, cop? What are you going to do, put me in jail?� Avery snickered. �I�ll tell you what I�m going to do, scum. I�m going to make sure they send you to the State Pen, and you can forget the cushy digs. You�ll spend your days in filth, eating garbage and losing your tan. The only thing you�ll have to look forward to is a whole new dimension to your love life, if you get my drift. The inmates up there aren�t going to care how young you are, or how good-looking you are. The only thing they care about is whether you�re breathing or not, and sometimes they aren�t too particular about that! Do we understand each other?� Starsky sat back and watched Avery. Avery turned pale as Starsky�s words hit home. �You can�t send me there, man! I�ve heard about that place. I won�t last a week. You-you might as well cut my throat right now. It would be a whole lot better than that place.� �Then tell me what I want to know, Eddie. That�s all you have to do. Tell me who hired you and you�re on easy street. If you don�t, you�re in a living Hell for the next twenty years, if you survive that long.� Avery laughed hysterically. �That�s just it, cop. If I spill my guts to you, I won�t make it to trial, let alone the pen. So whether I go to the Taj Mahal or Death Valley doesn�t matter. I ain�t gonna live long enough to go to anywhere. These people are big and crossing them ain�t healthy.� �Eddie, you�re not thinking clearly. If you turn these people, they�re going to be in the pen, too. They�re not going to hurt you. You�ll be the one on easy street, and they�ll be the ones in Hell. Think about it, Eddie. Which one sounds better? You can have a safe place to do your time, or it can be your worst nightmare. That, little man, is the only choice you have. Think about it.� Starsky got up and headed for the door. �Wait! Give me a minute, I gotta think.� Starsky leaned across the table. �Eddie, you don�t have anything to think ABOUT. All I want is a name. If you say anything else, you�re wasting my time.� �OK, OK! I�ll tell you what you want to know. You have to give me your word that I�ll keep breathing, cop. If these people find out I ratted on them, my life ain�t going to be worth squat.� �I already gave you my word, Eddie, so quit stalling. TALK!� �OK, already, here goes. A couple of weeks ago, this guy comes into the Biltmour. Don�t ask me what day it was, �cause I don�t remember. He was a fancy looking prick, you know, really out of place. I asked him if he was slumming. He sort of turned his mouth up, like he wanted me to know how funny I wasn�t. He said he got my name from some mutual acquaintances. I thought that was really a gag, us running around in the same circles. He asked if I was interested in a job, and I asked what kind it was. That�s when he got real secretive. He made this big show out of making sure we were alone. He said he worked for someone real important and this guy would pay real good. He said it might lead to other jobs, if this dude like the way I worked. He said I�d be real important, like top dog. So I said sure and he laid it out for me. He said there was this reporter chick, and she was nosing around where she didn�t belong. He kinda let me know that it wasn�t healthy to get too close to the boss� business, so I didn�t ask too many questions. I kept my mouth shut and let him tell me the when and where. He told me to hang loose, and be ready to move when he called. He said it would go down fast, when it happened. So I did as he said and hung loose.� Avery stopped to light a cigarette, then continued. �A few nights ago, he called. I was supposed to go to this bar and tail this chick. I was to follow her, and when she was alone, waste her. I barely made it to the Regal Inn, when she walked in with this guy. They got a table and had a drink. They were sitting there, and talking. I looked around and spotted fancy pants sittin� in the back. It didn�t take a genius to know he didn�t want to be noticed, so I played dumb. Things were going OK, until the broad headed for the john. I guess she spotted fancy pants on the way back. Next thing I know, she�s grabbing her boyfriend and flying out of there. Man, I really had to hustle to get to my car before they got out of sight. Well, I followed them for a while, hanging back so the boyfriend wouldn�t get hip to what I was doin�. They ended up on Skid Row, and went into the Broadway. I couldn�t figure a classy broad like that going in there, but it didn�t exactly break my heart. The only thing the desk clerks care about is gettin� their money. They don�t pay attention to who goes in or out. I waited to make sure no one was nosing around, then I went in through the back. I put on a ski mask and gloves, and sneaked up the back stairs. I didn�t see anybody in the hall, so I made my move. I listened at the door and figured they was too busy to notice me, so I kicked in the door. Man, did I freak when the john she was makin� it with rolled off her and pulled a piece! I didn�t wait around to see if she was dead. I lit out of there and went for my car. I didn�t find out until a couple days later that he was a cop.� They sat in silence as Starsky tried to control his stomach. He knew Hutch had heard every word, and his soul cried out for him. �All right, Eddie, so you did the job. How did you get paid? Did this fancy pants get in touch with you?� Avery nodded. �The next day, he comes into the hotel with this envelope full of money. Man, I never saw so much green in my life! He told me that the boss was real pleased with the way I handled things. He even said it was OK that I didn�t waste the boyfriend. Fancy pants said the boss wanted him alive for now. He told me that I was going to be his top mechanic, and that he�d be in touch. That�s all I know, cop, I swear.� �OK, Eddie. Does fancy pants have a name?� �Yeah, and it was as fancy as the rest of him. I ain�t likely to forget it, either. His name�s Howard K. Hamilton.� �What does he look like?� �Well, he was kind of old, maybe fifty or so. He�s shorter than me, and soft lookin�, too. He wasn�t fat, just pudgy. He was losin� his hair. It was dark brown, and thin at the top. He wore it in that short preppy cut like high class lawyers wear. The suit he was wearin� had to cost at least two bills, with a fancy vest and tie to match. His shoes were so shiny that I could see myself in them. He had brown eyes. He was sportin� this wimpy little mustache. There wasn�t a hair out of place. His eyes really got to me, you know? It was like settin� up this dame was all in a day�s work for him. It really didn�t mean anything to him. You know?� �Yeah, I know. Is there anything else you can tell me? Do you know the name of this big boss?� �Are you jivin� me? Fancy pants never said and I sure as Hell didn�t ask! Do you think I wanted to end up like that dame?� �I get the message, Eddie. Did he tell you why he wanted her boyfriend left alive? That doesn�t seem too smart to me.� �I had the same thought myself, considerin� I was the one he could finger. Fancy pants said that the boss wanted him alive. He told me not to worry about it. After that, he clammed up. He said that he�d be in touch, then left. I haven�t heard squat from him since that day.� �All right, Eddie, that�s enough for now. Sit tight while I work through this. I�ll post a guard outside, so you�ll be safe. They won�t let anyone in except me.� �You�ve got the ball, cop. I can�t testify if I�m dead, so it�s up to you. Don�t forget our deal, got it?� �Yeah, Eddie, I get it, loud and clear." |
| John M. Clairmont, CEO and principal stockholder of ClairCo, wasn�t happy with his top attorney. �I want that story, Hamilton! That�s why I left Hutchinson alive, so he would lead us to it. I�m getting tired of waiting.� �Now, John, don�t get upset. We�ll find the story, don�t worry. Now that Phelps is dead, all we have to do is sit back and wait. Hutchinson doesn�t have a hint of what she was doing, so we�re not in any danger.� �You�d better be right, Hamilton. If I go down, I�m taking a whole lot of people with me. Besides that, there�s a great deal of money to be made. I�m not going to let one nosy reporter ruin it for me. How much does this punk, Avery, know?� �He doesn�t know anything, John. I�m the only one he�s seen, and when the time comes, I�ll take care of him. Even if he were busted for more than drugs, there isn�t anything he can tell them. He also knows the only way to stay alive is to keep his mouth shut.� �I�m holding you responsible for him, Howard. Meanwhile, find that article! I won�t rest until it�s found and destroyed. Keep your eyes on the cop. If he makes a move, you�d better be right on his heels. What other leads have you got?� �Phelps had a roommate here in San Francisco. I�m going to send some of my men over to their apartment tomorrow. I�ll wait until she leaves for work, so we�ll have plenty of time to look around. If we don�t find anything, I�ll have a little talk with her.� �Good. Keep me posted, Howard. The sooner this threat is eliminated, the better we�ll all sleep.� Ken Hutchinson sat on the bench outside the interrogation room. His rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes. He fought a silent war with his stomach, ordering it to behave. He felt Starsky�s hand on his arm. �Well, I guess that does it. At least we know who pulled the trigger.� �Yeah.� �Hamilton�s the next step. He�s not the top man, but it�s a start.� �Yeah.� Hutch took a deep breath and looked at Starsky. �Now what?� �Now we go talk to the Captain.� Dobey wasn�t pleased with his top detectives. He waited until Starsky finished his report, then pointed his finger at him. �So far, all you�ve got to go on is the word of a junkie. That�s not going to stand up in court. You�d better find out who Howard Hamilton is, and who hired him. As it stands, the D.A. wouldn�t even attempt to go to trial.� Hutch answered him. �We know that, Captain. We�ll keep Eddie under wraps until we track down this Hamilton. Eddie�s a loose end, and Hamilton might be waiting for us to turn him loose so he can take care of him. No one with any sense is going to make Eddie their top hit man.� Starsky continued, �As long as we have Eddie, we�ve got the first link in the chain. That�s where you come in, Captain. If we can keep the other three dealers in custody, it will make our smoke screen a little stronger. It�ll give the impression that Eddie was picked up along with them on a routine drug bust. Maybe it will buy us a enough time to find Hamilton.� �All right, I�ll see what I can do. What are you going to do now?� �We�ll put Hamilton�s name and description into the computer and see what happens. If we can find out who he works for, we�ll have our next link.� Howard Runyan met them at the door. �I�ve been looking for you two. I might have something that will help you. It�s not much, but maybe it�ll help.� �Well, spill it, Hal. What did you find?� �John Clairmont is not only the biggest stockholder in ClairCo, he�s the CEO, too. Clairmont Construction might appear to be squeaky clean, but some of its divisions aren�t. Several smaller companies have filed official protests against Clairmont�s L.A. division. They accused Clairmont of using political influence to win the contract for the new prison that was built last year. As far as I can tell, nothing ever came of the protests.� �John Clairmont has enough clout to squash any protest, and the companies who made them.� Hutch looked at his partner. �Looks like Chris might have stumbled into a hornet�s nest. By the time she realized who she was fighting, it was probably too late. I still don�t understand why she didn�t tell me! I could have helped her.� Starsky could guess why she didn�t, but only said, �She knew that you�d have to get involved. She wasn�t ready to give it up, yet. Whatever her reasons were, you have to let go of it, Hutch. All the guessin' in the world ain't going to change what happened, and neither is blaming yourself. We have to concentrate on finding the people responsible for her death. If Clairmont�s monopolizing the construction business, this could get hairy. We�d better start watching our backs. Which brings us to why we�re here, Hal. We want you to run this name and description, and see if any priors come up on the guy. Also, see if you can find a connection with this guy and ClairCo.� �OK, when do you want it?� �It�s getting late. Do you think you can have something for us by morning?� �I don�t know, Starsk. I should have something definite by noon, though. If it comes together before that, I�ll give you a call.� �That�s great. We�ll be in touch.� The next morning, the two detectives were catching up on paperwork when Captain Dobey came out of his office. �I just heard from the San Francisco P.D. That roommate of Chris Phelps, what was her name?� Starsky answered, �Cindy Friedman, Cap. What about her?� �She came home from work early and surprised a couple of apes that were ransacking her apartment. They attacked her, then left. She�s in the hospital. She told the detectives assigned to the case that they were looking for some papers that belonged to Chris Phelps. I�ve booked you on the next flight out. Your plane leaves in an hour; get to it.� Grabbing their jackets with one hand and the plane tickets with the other, the two men rushed for the airport. Cindy Friedman resembled thousands of other young women in San Francisco. Cindy was simply an ordinary citizen, going about her rather ordinary life. The only excitement that Cindy had in her life came from her roommate. When Cindy first advertised for a roommate, she only hoped for someone responsible to share expenses. Being on her own in the big city was hard; rent was high if you wanted a decent place to live. When Chris Phelps answered her ad, Cindy knew she was perfect. It wasn�t that Chris was rich, although she always paid her half of the expenses, it was more about who Chris was. She was a real live reporter, someone Cindy had only read about. Chris brought excitement to Cindy�s mediocre life, and for that, Cindy adored her. Chris was everything Cindy wasn�t. She was beautiful, sophisticated, and adventurous. Cindy could maintain her own safe, secure life while taking part in Chris� vicariously. The two women would sit for hours, eating ice cream, while Chris talked about all her adventures. Lately, though, Chris had been quiet and subdued. When Cindy asked her what was wrong, Chris only said that it wasn�t her work. Cindy never pried into Chris� life, but knew her well enough to know something was wrong. Then, suddenly, Chris� mood changed. She was happy and excited, almost glowing. She told Cindy that she had something to do, and when she was finished, she would tell Cindy all about it. The next day, Chris left for L.A., and Cindy never saw her again. When the police told her that Chris was dead, Cindy was devastated. It felt like she had lost a sister, not just a roommate. A big part of her life was gone; routine and humdrum replaced the excitement and adventure. Her whole life was just a shade darker without Chris. About the same time Starsky and Hutch were starting their shift, Cindy Friedman�s day was already turning sour. The alarm clock didn�t go off again, so she had overslept. She rushed to get ready for work, and ripped a button off her brand new blouse. When she finally made it to the office, the hussy she alternated shifts with was waiting for her. Cindy was one of only two secretaries that worked for a local tabloid. Karen told her that she needed the afternoon off, so they were going to switch shifts. Cindy could go back home and return at four o�clock. If Karen had asked her nicely, Cindy wouldn�t have minded, but Karen was always so demanding. She simply ordered Cindy to do her bidding. Cindy was still angry when she returned to her apartment, so she didn�t notice the absence of Oscar, the doorman. Still griping to herself about the rotten morning she�d had, she stomped into her apartment. She was halfway into the living room before she noticed the room. She stopped and looked around her. The place was destroyed! Then, the alarms started going off in her head. Cindy wasn�t dense, but years of living in her apartment without incident had made her comfortable and secure. It took her a few minutes to equate the mess in the room with possible danger to herself. Unfortunately, it was a few minutes too long. As Cindy turned to run, two of the largest men she�d ever seen came out of Chris� bedroom. When they saw her, they stopped talking and stared at her. Obviously, she wasn�t supposed to be there. They grabbed her before she escaped, and she started to cry. �Please, whoever you are, don�t hurt me! Take anything you want. I won�t tell anybody, I promise. Take what you want and go. Please!� �Well, missy, we�d do that if we could find what we came here to get. We can�t find it, so you�re going to help us. If you do, then no one gets hurt. If you don�t-� �What do you want? I can�t help you if you don�t tell me what it is.� �We want Christine Phelps� papers, the one�s she was working on before she died. They have to be somewhere, and we�re not leaving here without them. Do you understand me?� �I don�t know where they are! Chrissy never talked to me about her work, honest. I thought she took them with her. If they�re not in her room, then she did. We don�t have a safe, or anything. The building doesn�t have one, either. I swear, I don�t know anything about them!� She screamed as they moved toward her, �Don�t hurt me! Please, God, don�t kill me! I don�t know anything!� It was a full hour before a neighbor heard Cindy sobbing from inside her apartment. He called the police and an ambulance, but the thugs were long gone. |
| Arriving a few hours later, Starsky and Hutch went straight to the hospital to talk to Cindy. As they were about to enter her room, they met the doctor that was assigned to her case. They introduced themselves, and asked about her condition. �She�ll recover completely. There weren�t any life threatening injuries, just bruises and two cracked ribs. We�ll keep her for a few days for observation because she does have a slight concussion. She could go back to work in a few days, but she�s still very frightened. Apparently those men terrorized her completely.� Hutch said, �We understand, Doctor. There�ll be an officer outside her room while she�s here, and she�ll have protection when she�s released. It won�t make what happened go away, but maybe it will make her feel safer. Can we talk to her? It�s important, or we wouldn�t ask.� �Yes, but don�t upset her, and don�t stay too long. Maybe it will help her state of mind if she knows the police are taking this seriously.� �Believe me, Doctor, we�re very serious about this case.� The two detectives introduced themselves to Cindy and listened to her story. When she was finished, Starsky looked at Hutch. �Well, as usual, they�re one step ahead of us. Miss Friedman, you said Chris never talked about her work. Can you think of anything she might have told you that would help us?� �No, I�m sorry, but Chris was really strict about that. She said it was for my own protection. She said that the less I knew, the safer I�d be. Considering what happened today, that�s really funny!� Cindy laughed shrilly. �I told those men the same thing, but they didn�t believe me.� �Do you still think that Chris took everything with her? Would she have done that if she thought someone was after her?� Cindy nodded. �There isn�t anyone in San Francisco that she�d trust with something that important. In fact, I can�t think of anyone at all that she�d trust with her work.� Hutch changed the subject. �How did she seem lately? Was she worried, or scared?� �With Chris, who knows? She didn�t let anyone see what she was really feeling. She could have been terrified and still pretended everything was OK. It was normal for her to be cautious when she was working. Maybe she thought she could finish whatever she was working on before anyone could get to her. I�m sorry I can�t be more helpful. All I can do is guess about what was going on in Chris� head.� �We understand, Miss Friedman. What about in general? Can you tell us anything about her state of mind?� Cindy smiled as she thought back. �She was in great spirits. Chris was always up, you know, she loved her work and her whole life. Nothing ever got her down for long. She was always telling me to lighten up, and to quit taking things so seriously. Do you know what I mean?� Hutch looked away for a moment. �Yes, I know. She was always like that.� Cindy looked closely at him. �You�re Ken, aren�t you? She told me about you.� He was startled. �She did? What did she say?� �She said you were the one thing she missed about L.A. She always said that if she ever settled down, she would go back there. She said you were the one person who made her think about staying in one place. Then, she would laugh and say the only way she would ever settle down was if she were...dead.� Starsky was feeling very uncomfortable about the way the conversation was going. It was getting entirely too personal. Ever mindful of the secret he carried, he ended the meeting. �I�m sorry, Miss Friedman. I know this has been difficult for you. I�m sorry you were dragged into this. We promise you, we�ll get the men who attacked you. You have our word.� �Thank-you, that helps. I was dreading going back to my apartment. I was afraid they would come back and maybe even kill me this time. I feel better now.� As the two men started to leave, Cindy stopped them. �You know, Chris was so happy the last time I saw her. She was excited about something, but she wouldn�t tell me what it was. It�s so hard to remember how good she was feeling about everything. It�s so unfair!� Before Hutch could question her further, Starsky answered, �Yes, it is. Good-bye, Miss Friedman, we�ll be in touch,� and practically threw Hutch out of the room. Hutch pinned Starsky with a bemused look. Starsky said quickly, �She was starting to get upset again. I didn�t think it would be good for her condition. She�s supposed to rest and stay calm.� �OK, so what next? Should we take a look at her apartment?� Starsky sighed with relief. �No, I don�t think it would do any good. Why don�t we check in with the local PD, and see what they�ve got so far? Maybe we can get a description of the suspects and try to match it with what we�ve already got.� �Sounds good to me. I�d like to get back to L.A. soon, so we can check in with Hal. Maybe he�ll have something for us.� Cindy had given the local police descriptions of the men that attacked her. Starsky and Hutch picked up copies of the file, and headed back to L.A. to talk to Hal. Hal was waiting for them. �Starsky, Hutch, I�m glad you�re back. I�ve got something for you.� �Well, don�t keep us in suspense. What have you got?� �It was sticking out like a sore thumb, guys. The minute I ran this Hamilton�s name against Clairmont Construction, up he pops. He�s a lawyer all right. In fact, he�s the senior attorney for ClairCo. He answers only to John M. Clairmont himself.� �I guess Eddie was telling the truth. So, Chris was investigating ClairCo. and Clairmont got nervous. She must have found something big if he was willing to commit murder to stop her.� �Well, Chris couldn�t be bought, so he probably figured he had no choice. This helps a lot, Hal. We�ve got some more information for you, too. Can you run these descriptions against ClairCo�s personnel records? We�re looking for any possible connection with Clairmont, or Hamilton.� �Sure, no problem. When do you want it?� Starsky barely concealed a yawn. �It�s getting late, and we�ve had a long day. We�ll check with you first thing in the morning.� �That�s good. It shouldn�t take long.� Hal was waiting for them when they got to the station. �I�ve got your match, guys. The descriptions you gave me match the files of two men who�ve been working on that new building over on South Main. Their names are Tony Manson and Greg Towers. They�ve worked for ClairCo for two years.� �Now, isn�t that interesting? Well, Starsk, I think we need to have a little chat with Mr. Hamilton, don�t you?� �I think that�s a very good idea, Ollie. Let�s go talk to the Captain.� Captain Dobey was slightly more receptive when they gave him their report. �Well, at least you�re making headway. So far, everything points to Clairmont. How are you going to play this?� Starsky shrugged. �We�ll go in the front door, Cap. If we can get a warrant, we�ll bring Hamilton in for questioning. If we can convince him we�ve got a tight case, he might talk.� Dobey pointed his finger again. �You don�t have a tight case. True, you�ve got more than you did a few days ago, but it still has a lot of holes.� Hutch smiled. �He doesn�t have to know that, Cap. Eddie�s name should be enough to shake his confidence. Remember that he doesn�t have Chris� article. We might be able to convince him that we do.� �All right, I�ll call Judge Shaw. You�ll have your warrant within the hour.� |
| When they arrived at Hamilton�s penthouse apartment, Hamilton answered the door himself. Neither Starsky nor Hutch noticed the flicker of recognition in Hamilton�s eyes when he saw Hutch. �Yes, gentlemen, may I help you?� �Howard K. Hamilton? I�m Detective Starsky and this is Detective Hutchinson. We�d like to ask you a few questions, if you don�t mind.� �Of course, please come in. What is this about, Detective?� �We�d like to ask you some questions about Eddie Avery and the murder of Christine Phelps. We�ve had Eddie in custody for a while now, in case you didn�t know that. He told us all about you.� �I�m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I don�t know anyone named Avery, and I certainly don�t know anything about a murder.� �Is that so? We think you know all about it, Hamilton. You�re under arrest for conspiracy in the death of Christine Phelps. You have the right to remain silent...� �Come, come, Detective, I am an attorney after all. I know the Miranda decision by heart. Shall we go?� Hutch didn�t protest when Dobey sent Starsky in alone to question Hamilton. Starsky got to the point quickly. �I�m going to make this easy on you, Hamilton. We�ve got you cold. We have Avery�s testimony, which connects you directly with Chris� murder. We also have more than enough circumstantial evidence to take to the D.A. For the past several months, if not years, Clairmont Construction has been underbidding for state, as well as federal, contracts. That, in itself, is a felony. Add to that the tiny fact that you answer to the big man himself, and you have conspiracy in capital letters. So, naturally, when Christine Phelps started digging and uncovered your dirty little scheme, she became a distinct liability. So being the inventive little soul you are, you came up with a foolproof plan to get rid of her. It almost worked, too. Unfortunately, you goofed by leaving a witness. Leaving Avery alive wasn�t too smart, either. When we told Eddie that he was going down for murder one all by himself, he started singing. As if that wasn�t enough, you sent those gorillas over to Cindy Friedman�s apartment. They work for Clairmont Construction, so that ties them with you. So, Hamilton, you can either go down all by yourself, or you can take the real idea man with you. Which is it going to be?� Hamilton�s expression didn�t change, but Starsky could see he was starting to sweat. �Avery�s testimony won�t stand up in court. I know that. He�s a convicted felon. A defense attorney fresh out of law school could tear him apart on the stand. Without him, your so-called evidence isn�t worth beans. You�re fishing, Starsky, and I�m not biting.� �You think so, Hamilton? We have an eyewitness who nails Avery as the murderer. Avery, himself, names you as the one who hired him. We have ClairCo�s personnel records that link you, Clairmont and the goons that roughed up Cindy Friedman. To my way of thinking, that adds up to one vicious circle. Of course, it�s only a matter of time before we find Chris� story, and all the research she did along with it. That, in itself, will be enough to hang you and Clairmont. I�m not in the mood to play games, Hamilton. You can either start spilling your guts, or you can sit in solitary and take this fall all by yourself. We can always haul Clairmont in after we find the story, which won�t be that long. It�s your choice. Either way, it�s all the same to me.� �You�re bluffing. You don�t have a clue as to where Chris Phelps hid her story. Hutchinson hasn�t-� Starsky moved closer to Hamilton. �Hutchinson hasn�t- what? You pretended not to know Hutch when we arrested you. Why is that? Is it because you and your boss were depending on Hutch to lead you to Chris� article? Is that why you left him alive? Of course it is. Why else would you take a chance like that? It�s true, isn�t it? Well, think on this. What makes you so sure that Hutch doesn�t have the story already? We may already have this case sewn up.� �You think you have all the cards, don�t you Starsky? OK, what if I deal? What can you get me?� �Oh, no, Hamilton, not this time. You�re going down for conspiracy and murder. There ain't going to be any deals. The only thing I�m offering you is the chance to take your boss down with you. Don�t take too long to decide, Hamilton. While you�re sitting in the slam, Clairmont�s probably already trying to buy his way out of this. As the old saying goes, money talks. Are you so loyal to him that you�re willing to spend the next thirty years in prison?� Hamilton walked over to the barred window. He spoke softly, almost to himself. �That�s exactly what you would do, isn�t it, John? You�d throw me away without a second thought. I�m sure you have a judge or two in your pocket, so you�d slip out of this. What was it you said? If you went down, you�d take a whole lot of others with you. Well, by God, I�m not going down alone. I�m not the one who�s been raking it in these last few months. The retainer you pay me is only a fraction of what you�ve made.� He turned back to Starsky. �No, Detective, I�m not that loyal. So, do you want to hear the words? John Clairmont put out the contract on Christine Phelps. He ordered me to find someone who would do it, and to keep him out of it. Phelps was getting too close for John�s comfort. He wanted her and her story silenced before she ruined a lucrative business.� �Was this a routine chore for you, Hamilton? Was setting up a young woman all in a day�s work?� �No! It wasn�t like that! I approached her several times about stopping the story. At first, she was like some crusader. She preached about how it was her civic duty to expose the scheme. When I offered her a great deal of money for the story, she acted offended. The last time I saw her, I gave her a blank check. I offered her anything she wanted, but she refused. She said she already had more than anything I could give her. The story was her chance to have it all. When I told John what she�d said, he was livid. He said he wasn�t going to let one nosy reporter ruin everything. That was when he ordered her killed. So, I found Avery and set the plan in motion.� Something in the back of Starsky�s mind was screaming for attention. He had heard those words before. Cindy Friedman had said the same thing when she talked about Chris� last days in San Francisco. The article she had written, exposing Clairmont, had become her ticket to happiness. No amount of money could tempt her to give up what it would bring her. What was screaming at him was the fact that Hutch was behind that two-way glass, watching and hearing everything Hamilton had just said. Starsky shook himself out of his reverie. Frantically, he tried to think. �All right, Hamilton, my suggestion to you is this. Use your one phone call and hire yourself a good lawyer. When he gets here, I�ll send someone in to take your statement. Then we�ll take it to the District Attorney.� With that, he ran to the door, told the guard to stay put, and ran straight for Hutch. On the way, he ran into Captain Dobey. �Captain, please tell me he�s not still in there.� �Who? Hutch? As far as I know, he is. Why? What�s wrong?� �Maybe everything, maybe nothing, I don�t know. Maybe he didn�t make the connection. I don�t know!� �Starsky, what the Hell are you talking about? You�re not making any sense.� �I�m talking about the real reason why Hutch can�t remember what happened in that hotel room. I know why Chris really came to L.A. that night. It was all in the final autopsy report.� �What final autopsy report? That�s not in her file. Starsky, you�d better have a damn good reason for withholding that report from me!� �I�m not withholding it from you, Captain. I�m trying to keep it away from Hutch.� He told Dobey what the Coroner had found. �My God, do you think something Hamilton said triggered his memory? What�s it going to do to him if it did?� �I think it will kill him, Captain. I�ve got to get in there.� �Maybe we�re making too much of this. Maybe Hamilton didn�t say anything to jog his memory.� |
| Hutch listened to Hamilton as he confessed to Starsky. He heard the truth in Hamilton�s words. Chris believed it was her duty to inform the public. Money couldn�t buy her silence. Chris was like that. The more he thought about her, the more he remembered. He was transported back to that night in the hotel room. After they left the club in such a hurry, they simply drove around with no destination in mind. Hutch knew that Chris was in trouble, but he didn�t know how serious it was. Stubbornly, she refused to tell him. She kept saying that she would tell him later. Even though she denied it, he knew it had something to do with her latest project. When they ended up at the Broadway, he protested loudly. Chris was adamant, saying that she needed to talk to him alone, and no one would think to look for them there. He signed the registration card with a fake name, and they went to the room. Still, she seemed reluctant to tell him what was on her mind. One thing let to another, and before he knew it, they were in bed together. Afterwards, when he came back from the bathroom, she was crying softly. �Chris, if you don�t tell me what�s wrong, I can�t help you. Please tell me. I want to help, whatever it is.� �It�s not what you think. Ken, I have something to tell you. Quite frankly, I don�t know how you�re going to react.� She paced around the small room. Then, she laughed strangely. �I never thought I�d be saying this to anyone. My God, I�ve been married twice, and this never happened to me! I�m too smart to let something like this happen. I�ve always been so careful. I don�t know what to do.� �Chris, whatever it is, you can tell me. We�ll deal with it together.� She sat down beside him. Taking a deep breath, she blurted it out. �Ken, I�m pregnant, and it�s your child.� If he had sat for hours and tried to guess what she was about to say, he would never have imagined she would say that. Stunned, all he could say was, �Are you sure? I mean, have you seen a doctor?� �Yes, it�s been confirmed. I�m about thirteen weeks along.� �Thirteen? How long have you known?� �I found out last month.� �Last month? You�ve known for a month that you�re carrying our baby and you didn�t tell me? Why?� �I had to be sure of what I wanted to do, Ken.� He thought about that for a minute, then it hit him. �Abortion? Chris, how could you think about doing that without talking to me? Don�t I have a right to be a part of this?� �Of course you do, but I had to know what I wanted first. This was an enormous surprise to me. I was taking the pill, and I thought I was protected. Obviously, I was wrong. Don�t you understand, Ken? I was so confused. I had to know what I wanted before I talked to you.� �Do you know, now?� �Yes. I want this baby, Ken. I�ve never imagined myself as a mother, until now. My life, because of my work, has always been so hectic. Now that it�s happened, I realize that I want this baby. I know it�s not going to be easy, and I know it�s going to mean a big change in my whole life. I can make this work, Ken. We can make it work.� He breathed a sigh of relief. Thank God she didn�t want an abortion. He felt a quiet joy. He was going to be a father. When Vanessa had walked out on him, he had given up on marriage and the possibility of ever having a family. Now, the dream he didn�t dare dream was coming true. Then it was his turn to surprise her. He took her hand in his and said the words. �Marry me, Chris. I want to give our baby a real home.� She began to cry softly again. She touched his face gently with her fingertips, then moved away. She turned back to him and replied quietly, �I can�t marry you, Ken.� �Why, Chris? Why can�t you marry me? It�s the sensible thing to do.� �That�s why I can�t marry you. It wouldn�t be for the best. No, don�t say anything yet. If I hadn�t told you that I was pregnant, would you have asked me to marry you? No, I can see by your expression that you wouldn�t. I love you, Ken, in my own way. I believe you love me in your own way, but we�ve both been in bad marriages before. We know how hard it is, and we know that our careers make it worse. That�s not the only reason. Our relationship has always been without ties. We�ve always been free to see other people. Look at me, Ken, and tell me that you don�t see anyone else. Tell me that you�ve never slept with anyone else since we�ve been lovers. You can�t, and if I told you that I�ve never been with anyone else, I�d be lying. That�s not what we were about. We were happy with the way things were. A baby isn�t going to change that. If I were to marry you now, this baby wouldn�t guarantee that we�d have a good marriage. We�d only end up resenting each other. I care far too much for you to let that happen.� �It�s my baby, too, Chris. I want to be a part of its life. I want to be there for the baby, and you.� �You will be. I wouldn�t take that away from you, no matter what. That�s why this article is so important. It�s so big that I can walk in to any newspaper in this town and write my own ticket. I can settle down here and still do what I love to do. We can both have our own careers, and be happier because of that. If I�m here, you can be a part of this baby�s life. I want it to know you. I want it to know what a wonderful, caring father it has. Who knows? Maybe this baby will bring us closer together than we�ve ever been and we�ll decide to get married. The whole future is ahead of us, Ken. All we have to do is give it a chance.� �What about this story, Chris? You�re in trouble, and I think it has something to do with the article. Won�t you at least let me help you?� �I can�t. If I told you what was going on, the cop in you would jump out and take over. I can�t take that chance, not yet. Tomorrow, Ken. Tomorrow I walk into the L.A. Times and plunk down the biggest scandal since Watergate hit the Whitehouse. Then I�ll turn my research over to you. You�ll have enough evidence to bring down one of the most powerful men in this country. Just give me one more day. That�s all I ask.� He looked at her fondly and smiled for the first time. �Do I have a choice?� She sat beside him and took his hand in hers. �No.� She kissed him gently and smiled back. �Hi, dad.� He took her in his arms and lay back on the bed with her. Joyfully, he made love to the mother of his child. Then, the door crashed open and his whole world exploded. |
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