Death of the Snow King

"The Fix" Aftermath story

 

            Detective Sergeant Ken Hutchinson cursed fluently as he watched the man in the white hat get out of his car and walk toward the vacant warehouse. When he left the parking lot of Throgmorten’s Drug Store that afternoon, the last person he expected to see that night was the man he hated, and feared, most.

The small drug store was just a few blocks from his Venice Place apartment. Leon Ames, a two-bit drug dealer that he had busted several times in the past, had called him with a hot tip, or so Leon said. The detective hadn’t heard from Leon in several months, and was curious enough to agree to the meeting.

            Leon’s a harmless little shit. How the Hell did Leon get involved with HIM?

            When he pulled into the nearly deserted parking lot, Hutch had gotten out of his car and stood beside the driver’s side door. He could see Leon coming toward him, slinking out of the alley on the side of the building. The smaller man appeared nervous, but Hutch knew from experience that being nervous was typical for Leon.

            “OK, Leon, what have you got? This better be good. I’ve been working two weeks straight on a murder case and I’m tired.”

            Leon’s squirrelly eyes darted around the lot. “It’s prime, Hutchinson. I wouldn’t jive you, man. Dig. I heard about this new player in town that’s looking to squeeze old Manny right out of the business. He’s selling horse at better prices and the quality is twice as good as Manny’s best. He’s spreading the word around that he can get unlimited quantities in just a few days. Word on the street is he’s connected, big time.”

            “OK, you’ve got my attention. Who is this big player?”

            Leon peered over his shoulder then turned back to the blond. “I don’t know his name, but he goes by the moniker of Snow King.  Get it? Snow. King.”

            Hutch rolled his eyes. “I get it, Leon. I guess it sounds better than Horse Shit. So, where’s this new kid on the block do business?”

            “Now, I ain’t checked this out, but word is he has a warehouse down in the old garment district. The address is 1653 Willow brook Lane.”

            Hutch rummaged around in the pocket of his jeans and found a scrap of paper. He scribbled the address down then took out his wallet. Leon licked his lips when he saw Hutch take out two twenty’s and a ten.

            Hutch held the cash out to him then drew it back slightly. “Here’s fifty now. If we find this guy, there’ll be another fifty in it for you.”

            “Hey, I swear, Hutchinson, this is the real thing. I ain’t been in Dutch with you for a long time. Why would I screw you now?”

            “All right, Leon, I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. Give me a few hours to check this out then call me. If the tip is kosher, you’ll have the other fifty in your hot little hands. But, don’t stiff me, Leon. I’m not in a real charitable mood right now.”

            Leon threw a last look over his shoulder then started backing away from the detective. “It’s kosher, man, I promise. I gotta go now. I’ll call you.”

            Hutch had left the jittery snitch and drove straight to the station, calling Starsky on the way. They met in Dobey’s office and told the captain Leon’s story.             “OK, I want you and Starsky to check this out tonight. If there really is a new dealer down town, I want him out of here, now. How reliable is this snitch of yours, Hutchinson? Can he be trusted?”

            “Leon’s too yellow to double cross me, Captain. He might exaggerate a little, but if he says there’s a new player on the street, you can believe him.”

            “All right, stake the place out and let me know if anything develops. Technically, this should be a Narcotic’s case, but Leon came to you with the tip. I’ll keep them informed, of course, but this is your baby.”

            The two detectives walked to the parking lot together. Hutch’s old Ford was parked next to the Torino. Starsky looked at his partner.

“How do you want to handle this?”

“I think we should take both cars. That way, we can stake out the front and back of the warehouse. I don’t know who this Snow King is, but I doubt seriously if he’ll be alone.”

“Good idea. Dobey won’t put anyone else on this until we know more, so it looks like it will be you and me on the stake out. Besides, that hunk-o-junk of yours will blend right in with those run down buildings.”

“Very funny, Gordo. At least my car doesn’t scream “cop” every time you drive down the street.”

Starsky waited until Hutch got into his car then followed him to the garment district. They split up when they arrived at the warehouse. Starsky took the back and Hutch parked where he could see the front. Now, Hutch stared out his front windshield, listening to his heart pound in his chest. His mouth was dry, but he could feel his palms sweating. Dimly, he heard Starsky clamoring over the radio.

            “Hutch, what’s going on? Do you see anything? Damn it, answer me!”

            With a shaky hand, Hutch picked up the microphone. “Starsk, its Forest. It’s Ben Forest.”

            “Ben Forest is in prison, Hutch. How could he be in Bay City?”

            “I don’t know! But I’m looking right at him. There’s no way I can be mistaken. I’ve seen this scum in my nightmares for years.”

            “Damn it! OK, let me think this through. I’m gonna call Dobey and get some back up. You sit tight and don’t do anything, got it?”

            “Yeah, I got it. I don’t see anyone else, but the windows are so dirty that I can’t see inside the building. I won’t do anything stupid, I promise.”

            “Good. I’ll get back with ya in a sec.”

            Hutch dropped the mike on the seat and shuddered. The pain, the humiliation and the despair he felt at Forest’s hands six years ago came crashing back in waves. He could still feel the bite of the needle and the rush of the heroin as it flowed through his bloodstream. He clenched his teeth in an attempt to stop the moan that escaped. Starsky had hidden him at Huggy’s and helped him kick the addiction, but those few days were the darkest in his life.

            You’re not going to do that to me again, Forest. I don’t know how you got out, but before I’m through, you’ll wish you’d stayed where it’s safe.    

Starsky’s voice brought him back to the present. “Are you there, Hutch? Dobey said back up should be here in a few minutes. Narco’s sending some help, and he’s got patrol cars on the way, too.”

            “OK. He’s still in there, as far as I know, unless he snuck out the back door.”

            “No one’s come in or out this way. I wish we could see inside that building, though. I don’t wanna walk into an ambush.”

            “Me, either. I want this son-of-a-bitch, Starsky. He’s made enough lives miserable. I’m not going to let him go back to business as usual.”

            “We’ll get him, Hutch. Just don’t go off half-cocked. Wait for the cavalry to come over the hill, OK?”

            Hutch divided his attention between the warehouse and the street behind him. Fifteen minutes later, several cars pulled quietly into the lot across the street. Hutch watched as the officers exited the cars and meet out of the view of the building. Finally, he got out of the car and met Starsky coming from the other direction. They joined the other men in the alley closest to the warehouse.

            Starsky glanced at his partner then briefed the others on what they’d seen.

            “OK, here’s what we’ve got. The man in that warehouse is a known drug dealer. He’s a heavy weight, but he’s supposed to be in the pen. I don’t know how he managed to get out, but we’re sure it’s Ben Forest. This guy is dangerous. He never goes anywhere alone, so you can bet he’s got a shit load of goons with him. I want everybody to spread out and stay on your toes. Keep in radio contact at all times. If you see anyone coming, or going, sing out right away. Are you all clear on that?”

            The other men murmured assent then spread out, taking positions around the warehouse. Starsky motioned to Hutch then crept to the front door. He put his ear to the metal door, but shook his head in frustration.

            “I can’t hear a damned thing.” He took the radio off his belt loop and thumbed the button.

            “OK, folks, let’s do this nice and easy. We’re going in the front. We’ll try to get a handle on things and let you know the score. Don’t move in until I give the word.”

            Several voices muttered agreement over the radio then Starsky nodded to his partner. He tried the door knob, but wasn’t surprised to find it locked.  He growled under his breath, took a few steps back, and then kicked the door open with one blow. Instantly, the two detectives separated, going for cover.

            Several things happened at once. The lone sentry standing at the door to the inner office swore loudly and reached for his gun. Starsky shot the gun out of his hands and ducked back out of sight. Immediately, the door opened and several men rushed out.

            He quickly pressed the button on the radio. “Gentry and Marshall, you stay in the back and secure the building. Everybody else, move in now!”

            The noise level rose in the building as everyone started shooting at once. Starsky jumped from cover to cover as he tried to subdue the suspects. Finally, the felons were corralled and put under arrest. Starsky pushed the last one toward a uniformed officer then looked around for his partner. Hutch was no where to be seen. Starsky scowled and searched the interior of the room. Forest had disappeared, also.

            “Hey, Jenkins, have you seen Hutch?”

            The older man motioned with his head. “I saw him chasing a suspect over that way, Starsky. He ran through that door at the end of the building.”

            “Thanks. Why don’t you take these scumbags down town and get started booking them. We’ll be along in a bit.”

            “Sure thing, Starsk.”

            Starsky started walking through the main room of the warehouse, but stopped when Hutch came through the door at the end, closing it behind him.

            “Hey, partner, where did you go? Did you see Forest? He ducked out during the fracas, I guess.”

            “I chased him, but he got away, damn it! I guess we’d better put an APB out on the sucker, for all the good it will do. He’s as slippery as a snake, and twice as dangerous.”

            Starsky laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We’ll get him, buddy. Don’t worry. He’s an escaped felon. He can’t hide forever.”

            “Yeah, right. Come on; let’s get out of here. I want to go home.”

 

            Several hours later, Hutch locked the door to his apartment and trotted down the stairs to his car. He looked around briefly then drove back to the garment district. Bypassing the warehouse, he parked in front of a small storage building and got out. Flicking his eyes around the area, he took the small pipe out of the hasp and opened the door.

            Ben Forest looked at his captor, blinking as the sun assaulted his eyes. His head snapped up when he recognized Hutch.

            “What the Hell are you doing, pig? Where am I?”

            “What am I doing? I’m going against my captain’s orders, Forest. I’m having a private party, with just me and you.”

            “Where are my men?”

            “Well, two of them are dead, and the rest are in the clink. I guess you’ll just have to dip into that flunky pool and find some more goons to protect you. But, you can’t, can you? You’re a little tied up right now.”

            The drug king watched as Hutch knocked a pile of papers off a small crate then sat it upside down beside him. The blond detective took a small, black case out of his jacket pocket and laid it on the crate. Forest’s eyes widened when he saw the syringe and the small vial of liquid.

            “What are you doing with that?”

            Hutch’s grin was ferocious. “It’s called getting even, punk. You’ve been pumping this crap into people’s veins for years. I figured it was time you had a taste of your own medicine.”

            Forest struggled against the ropes that bound him to the chair. “You can’t do that! You’re a cop, for Christ’s sake! I know my rights!”

            Hutch grabbed the other’s shirt and leaned close. “You don’t have any rights, you bastard! You didn’t care that I was a cop when you beat me up and strung me out on horse. You’ve made my life a living Hell since then. I’ve lived with this secret for a long time and now its payback time.”

            Forest yanked at the ropes in futility. “You won’t get away with this! They’ll find me and they’ll know you did it!”

            “Oh, they’ll find you, all right. But it will be too late. You see, there’s an APB out on you and half the force is tearing up this city, looking for you. As far as anyone knows, I’m at home, sound asleep in my little bed.”

            Hutch took the small elastic band and wrapped it around Forest’s arm. The chair bucked and lurched as the other man tried to escape, but to no avail. Calmly, the blond drew the liquid into the syringe. His eyes glittered as he looked from the hypo to Forest.

            “Gee, I forgot the alcohol swabs. But, don’t worry about an infection, scum. You won’t live long enough to get one.”

            Forest’s eyes were round as the needle came closer to his arm. He looked at the blond. “For God’s sake, don’t do this, Hutchinson! I’ll go back to prison. They can lock me away. I won’t try to escape again. Please, don’t kill me!”

            “So, you’re begging now, like I begged you back then? I guess that’s what they mean by poetic justice, huh? Only, you had me begging for the stuff. Did you listen to me then? You strung me out then you laughed when I begged you for it.  And now you’re begging me not to give it to you. Too bad, scum. It’s falling on deaf ears.”

            Hutch held Forest’s arm in a vise-like grip then inserted the needle. Slowly, he injected the drug. When the syringe was empty, he carefully put it in the felt pocket then returned the case to his jacket. Drawing his gun, he cut the ropes that bound the drug dealer and stepped back.

            “By the time they find you, you’ll be dead. They’ll write it off as an over dose, and that will be that. Who’s going to question a drug dealer OD’ing on his own junk? It’ll be one less scum on the streets and one less prisoner that the tax payer has to support. I’ll see you in Hell, you rotten bastard.”

            Keeping his weapon aimed at Forest, the blond backed slowly toward the door. When he turned, he nearly ran into Starsky. The brunet gazed at Forest then back at his friend.

            “Feel better now?”

            Hutch’s grin was absolutely feral. “Much better.”

 

 

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