Starsky watched the mayhem going on around him and sighed. Reporters, feds, deputies, troopers, and the terminally curious were pumping new life into the lodge catering to Bow Lake. He had commandeered the booth closest to the back door, and guarded the seats like a tenacious bulldog, most notably against the media. Ali sat beside him, crammed up against the wall, slumped, one hand holding up her head. Closing her eyes, she did what ever she could to tune out the noise. Starsky glanced at her, half turned out of the seat, supporting her as well as blocking her way out and anyone else's way in. Several times now he had warned off reporters wanting a scoop. Ali wasn't up to it, and neither was he for that matter. Only the harried waitress was allowed near, bringing a Coke for him and ice water for her.

       

      Both had been stuck at the lodge while Hutch had taken the Coroner and the divers out to the site. At first Ali hardly spoke a word, still visibly shaken by the turn of events. Starsky said nothing, but occasionally he would glance over at her, feeling, for the first time in years, strangely concerned. Ali must have sensed it. He had turned to check on her when he

was brought up short by her electric blue eyes gazing at him in a mixture of embarrassment, self-loathing, lingering horror, and pain.

 

        "Dave?" she asked softly. "Is it always like this?"  He raised a curious eyebrow at her, turning to rest his forearms across the table, lacing his fingers together.

 

        "Finding a body?" he asked. Ali nodded wearily. The corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

 

        "Yeah, it is, but it never gets easy, no matter how many bodies you find."

 

        "Was I like this before..." she asked, the index finger of the hand holding up her head, tapping her temple. Starsky looked thoughtfully at his hands.

 

        "Ali, you're reacting...normally." he said gently, shrugging. "When you're a cop, you have to bury those reactions and act, well, like a cop." He gazed at her. "Before your shooting, you were a cop. A good one too, can't say much for what you're like now, but back then, you reacted very well." He smirked. Ali smiled slightly back and he could see she accepted his humor graciously.

 

        "This is the first time I can remember ever seeing one," she said, her eyes filling with the sight. Starsky felt the sudden pang of sympathy in him. Ali's memories didn't go much past ten years. Before her shooting, she had been a transferred Seattle Detective Sargent on loan to Los Angeles to fill in for him while he recovered from his near fatal shooting. She had been a detective for close to 15 years, but all of it had been wiped away by a piece of metal less than an inch long.

 

        "Count it a blessing, Blondie." he said quietly. "That you only have this one to face at night." Ali gazed thoughtfully at him and nodded.

 

        "I always wonder though, Dave, when I react to different situations, if it's how I reacted before."

 

        "You're doing fine." he reassured, "But, you are looking a little green around the edges." Her gaze drifted away as she smirked at him, before growing somber again.

 

        "The first thing I saw was her face." she murmured. "I couldn't believe it at first, so I climbed out on the log, and when I looked at her a little closer... "

 

        "I know Ali..." Starsky said gently. She met his eyes again. "I know...it's not going to go away any time soon either." he cautioned. "I've never seen anything like this one."

 

         "And the ropes, Dave. Who would have done this?"

 

       "Your guess is as good as mine, Ali. Anybody could have done it."

 

        "I wonder how long she's been in there? Those ropes looked old. Why would..." she started when Starsky grinned at her.

 

        "There you go again." he chided good-naturedly. Ali looked at him, confused. Starsky winked at her.

 

        "Always asking questions. You used to drive folks insane in the interrogation rooms."

 

        "I did?"

 

        Starsky nodded and chuckled.

 

        "Hutch and I would swap good cop/bad cop roles, but if we had a problem, we'd let you do the questioning. You had the patience of Job, and when the bad guy started to wear out...Wham! You had 'em." Ali snorted at him.

 

        "That certainly didn't stick around, did it?"

 

        "It has in some areas." The brunette smirked back, glad to draw her off the topic of the body. With Ali, it was a subject Hutch needed to handle privately. With a room full of reporters around, Starsky didn't think it was time to discuss it. Too many ears and eyes were ready to pick up the slightest bit of gossip and turn it into a media circus. Ali, never one to miss things, picked up on his warning glance and scanned the room full of reporters. She nodded at Starsky, catching the look of relief on his face.

 

        Feeling the need to talk about something else, she asked him questions about her years in LA, interested in his perspective of those times. They continued on that track as it grew dark out, but he could see the lingering horror still in the back of her eyes. When a sudden rush of excitement filled the room, both knew the boats were returning from recovering the

body. Ali stiffened, peering up over the top of the booth.

 

        "Dave, let me out..." she said. He frowned slightly.

 

        "You sure you want to go down there? You don't have to go; Hutch knows where we're at. He'll find us after a bit."

 

        "I need to go..." she said softly, looking at him. A quick gaze at those laser blue eyes and he sighed, sliding out of the booth.

 

        "Let's get ahead of the rush then.," he said, as she followed after him. He ignored the Fire Exit warning and backed his way out of the door, allowing Ali to dart under his elbow past him. They barely got to the docks ahead of a pack of reporters, all shouting questions, and elbowing one another as the larger of the two boats prepared to dock. Starsky inserted himself

between Ali and the reporters, using his body as a shield, warning with looks and carefully directed words, to keep back.

 

        As the deck hands secured the ship to the dock, both could see Hutch had transferred into the larger boat with the Coroner who hovered over the sealed tank, a powerful halide light shining down on it's gruesome occupant.

 

        "Kenny?" Ali called out. Starsky watched as his head lifted, then turned their direction, always amazed at the man's ability to hear, either her or him for that matter, in a crowd making a lot of noise. Hutch made his way over, leaning down from the boat's edge as several deputies and feds began pushing the crowd of reporters and the curious away from the ship. She held her hand up to him, and Starsky saw the slight look of dismay as he reached down and  pulled her up onto the deck.

 

        "Ali..." he started to say as she nodded at the brunette. Hutch reached down and helped his partner aboard as well.

 

        "I had to see." she said as he straightened, looking back at the tank.

 

        "Hon...don't you think you've seen enough?" he asked, the tone in his voice barely hinting that this wasn't a good idea. Ali glanced at the tank, then up at him with a somber look on her face.      

 

        "I have to Kenny..." she said softly, her eyes never wavering. The blonde studied her a moment, then nodded, allowing Ali to slip by him. Hutch looked at Starsky, a mixture of worry and displeasure on his face.

 

        "It's okay, pal." Starsky said, clapping him on the back as they both moved towards the aft part of the boat. "She'll be fine."

 

        "Will she? She still has bad nightmares about the cliff business before Thanksgiving. Not to mention times from the shooting ten years ago. This isn't going to help her insomnia and migraines at all. I can tell we're in for ride when we get home tonight. She'll be down at least two days." He knew only too well the tell tale whiteness at the edges of her nose and mouth, that something was approaching.

 

        Starsky nodded, knowing the nature of Ali's headaches and nighttime wanderings by now. It had taken him several days to get used to her prowling around the ranch house late at night once he had settled in.

 

        "She needs to Hutch. Let her work it out." Hutch studied his partner's face a moment and saw the certainty there, then nodded his acceptance. They both went and joined her beside the tank.

 

        The woman looked different now. No longer the eerie blue-grey white in the lake, she now appeared a dirty grey, the water in the tank full of particles and bits of things. Through her opaque skin, the skeleton could be seen as a dingy yellow brown. Her dark hair still floated around her, with green pieces of moss clinging, not only to her hair, but also to the frayed rope and decaying gown. Hutch had expected Ali to recoil in dread, but instead she just stood frozen, staring down through the tank's top at the slack jawed figure floating underneath. He was about to put a hand on her shoulder when she dropped to her knees besides the tank, ignoring the Coroner still going on about how well preserved she was. Ali peered in from the side of the tank.

 

        The horror of the woman's plight made itself very clear to all who saw her. Someone had tied her up after killing her, carefully folding her arms over her bosom, then wrapped the body in the rope. Finally, she had been tied to an anchor weight and dropped in the lake. How she died wasn't apparent, but how she had been disposed of was only too obvious.

 

        "How old do you think she is?" someone on the boat asked. Another voice replied, "Bout thirty, at the most."

 

        "I wonder how long she's been down there?"

 

        "Who knows!"

 

        Ali studied the figure, swallowing back bile, as her eyes caught a slight glint in the halide. She narrowed her eyes...

 

        "Kenny...look." she pointed a finger at the woman's neck. Both Hutch and Starsky leaned over her.

 

        "What?" Starsky asked.

 

        "She's wearing a necklace."

 

        Both men studied the woman a moment, then Starsky nodded

 

        "Sure 'nough."

 

        Through time, a thin gold chain had sunk into the softened skin, the end of which was hidden by a section of rope and gown. The Coroner grew even more excited, babbling about how that could possibly lead to an identification. Hutch reached down and gently squeezed Ali's shoulder.

 

        "C'mon Ali." he said quietly. Ali studied the figure a little more, then slowly stood up, allowing him to pull her close, slipping his arm around her shoulders and steering her away.

 

        "I thought I saw something like that when I first saw her..." she murmured. She looked back at the woman as Hutch lead her to the boat's edge. Going before her, he turned as the swarm of reporters tried to move in. She looked at him as he reached up to help her off the boat.

 

        "How could someone just dump her like that, Ken?" she asked. He felt his heart skip a beat. How could anyone answer that question?

 

        "I don't know Ali." he said softly, swinging her to the dock. Starsky lightly jumped down on Hutch's other side. "Let's get home, we've done all we can here tonight." He and Starsky began struggling with the crowd trying to get to the boat. Anything to get a story.

 

        "Have we?" she asked. Hutch didn't like the note in her voice. She glanced up at him as he guided her through. "Have we done all we can?"

 

        "Ali..." he warned cautiously.

 

        "Let's just wait and see what the Coroner comes up with first." Starsky suggested. Hutch nearly sighed in relief, the thoughts and the sight of the woman, threatened to fog his already very tired brain.

 

         He was very grateful when Starsky volunteered to drive them home.

 

         Weeks passed before anyone heard anything more about the woman found in Bow Lake. The newspapers had blown the story all over the headlines for a day or two, then dropped it for bigger and more sensational fare. As expected, Ali had come down with a bad migraine, while both Hutch and Starsky fended off the reporters from his office in town. The no trespassing signs posted along the Hutchinson's property kept most of the reporters away, except the occasional few, whom Starsky delighted in removing.

 

        The newly retired detective began to attract attention as the weather warmed up. City bred and born, he occasionally stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the overall, coverall, plaid shirt, and work boots crowd surrounding him. His tattered jeans were the only thing to fit in, the leather jacket, and his car, the biggest give away. Hutch had dropped neatly into that rare

class of 'gentlemen ranchers' many years before. He still fit there, finally conceding he couldn't run the day to day operations of the ranch and had hired a foreman. A construction boom in the county began to take up more and more of his time as a detective and he finally persuaded Doug Riley into hiring Starsky. After almost ten years apart, they now found themselves working together again.

 

        It was also decided amongst the Hutchinson's and Starsky to do something a little more permanent for Starsky's lodgings. At one time, the barn had held living quarters in its upper story. The old apartment was full of junk from the previous owners and needed a lot of rebuilding and remodeling, to make it livable again. Starsky outlined the improvements he had planned. Stairs could be built for a new outside entrance, the apartment could be widened to take up at least half of the upper loft storage area, and a deck could be added, not to mention a refurbishing of the whole barn itself. He opted for a reconstruction loan, with Hutch as a co-signer, and they began the tedious task of obtaining the necessary permits.

 

         Ali, in the meantime, still pursued her landscaping habits, weeding, cleaning, pruning, and planting, the huge gardens surrounding the homestead. Both men however noticed a change in her after the discovery of the body. Her insomnia increased, as did her desire to find out who the woman was. During the day, she began to travel to Walla Walla, asking questions at the Coroner's office, peppering one and all with questions as to what had killed her, how old she was, how long had she been in the lake, etc, etc, etc. Finally, someone phoned Hutch at his office and told him what was going on. Reluctantly, Hutch agreed that he had to put his foot down. The woman in Bow Lake had lodged into Ali's damaged head and refused to budge, it fell to him to get Ali to stop.

 

        The following morning, Hutch waited until Starsky had left for the office. The morning had dawned bright and clear, promising to be a comfortable Spring day. Ali was puttering in the kitchen, cleaning up the last of the breakfast dishes. Hutch paused in the door way to the den, stroking the ends of his moustache, his blue eyes troubled. After a moment, he appeared in the dining room, leaning against the partition between the kitchen and the hallway. Ali had pulled her thick ivory hair back into a ponytail, her unkempt bangs falling into her eyes as she finished loading the dishwasher. She glanced up at him, and he inwardly winced at how the dark circles under her eyes were growing more pronounced, her already chiseled features looking

gaunt from the pull of her ponytail. She had dressed for travel, not getting into her 'gardening' clothes. One look at him, drew her up short. She paused, half bent over the door to the dishwasher.

 

        "What?" she asked. Hutch drew in a breath.

 

        "Where are you going today?" he asked softly, trying to be gentle. Ali frowned, studying him.

 

        "Walla Walla, do you need anything? I planned on raiding Wal-Mart and Costco while I'm there."

 

        "Are you planning on going to the Medical Examiner's office?" he asked. Ali slowly straightened, watching him carefully. Hutch sometimes hated how she could figure things out so quickly, almost as if she could literally look inside his head.

 

        "What is it?" she asked. Hutch looked away from her a moment, gazing out the sliding glass doors onto their deck.

 

        "Hon, there's been some complaints." he said quietly.

 

        "Complaints?" she asked, a tad sharp, "About what?"

 

        "About you, Ali."

 

        "Me?! What are you talking about?" Even at 5'6", she still looked tiny and slender, despite drawing herself up to her full height. Hutch looked back at her.

 

        "The Coroner's office called me yesterday afternoon, Ali. They don't want you back over there asking questions of their personnel."            

 

        "What?" she exclaimed, frowning in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

 

        "They don't want you going back there. They said if you do, they'll have you arrested."

 

        "Arrested!" Ali snapped. "On what charges!?" Her blue eyes were suddenly fiery. Hutch closed his eyes a moment, carefully trying to figure out how to diffuse the bomb about to go off in his wife.

 

        "Does it matter, Hon?" he asked softly. "They're tired of you asking for information on the woman, Ali. They told me you've been in their offices fifteen times in three weeks. It's got to stop." An electric pause filled the air.

 

        "Are you telling me not to go there?" she said in a low, dangerous voice, her eyes not blinking. Hutch held the gaze.

 

        "I'm not telling you anything." he said quietly. "I'm asking..."

 

        That brought her up short. She glared a moment at her husband then leaned back into the counter, folding her arms across her chest, gripping her arms in a move he recognized as her way of crawling inside of herself.

 

        "How the hell are we supposed to find anything out about this woman if we don't ask questions?" she demanded, meeting his gaze.

 

        "We aren't supposed to find out anything, Ali," he responded calmly. "It's not our job."

 

        "Excuse me?!" she snapped sarcastically. "Who found her? Three detectives. In your county!"

 

        "One detective, on his day off, with his wife and his friend." Hutch pointed out. "Until the medical examiner's office can come up with a verification of how she died and when, it's not my case yet. It's theirs. So far Ali, all we have is a body found tied with ropes in a cold lake. That's it. There's nothing else." He could see she was about to blow.

 

        "Stop a minute, for me, Ali, and think. You're letting this woman get to you. You've barely slept four hours a night since we found her. You're losing weight, and people are starting to get nervous about you interrogating them for information."

 

        "What!?" she snapped angrily. Hutch sighed.

 

        "Ali, think a minute..."

 

        "What do you think I've been doing?!" she hissed. "She just keeps forcing her way into my thoughts and dreams! Somebody dumped her into that lake. Somebody had to have killed her. Somebody thinks they got away with it! And so help me, I'm not going to let them!"

 

        Hutch gazed long and hard at her, not saying a word in light of her declaration. Ali glared right back. Finally he said,         "If the Coroner is right about the age of the rope, the identification of the jeweler who made the necklace and the manufacturer of the gown...you're not going to be able to do anything about who did it." Hutch murmured quietly. Ali stared at him.

 

        "It's beginning to look like she's been in there 40 years, at least, Ali. More than likely her killer is dead. Even if we could find them, we probably won't be able to bring them to justice."

 

        "When did you find this out?" she demanded.

 

        "I talked to the Coroner, myself, Ali. After the complaint had been made about you. I'm asking you Ali, please don't go back over there." She stared at him in disbelief.

 

        "When he comes up with anything, he promised he'd call me and let me know. When I hear from him, Ali, I'll tell you. In the mean time, stop and take a look at what this is doing to you. You're letting yourself get obsessed about this. It's starting to affect your health," he said.

 

        "I'm just fine!" she snapped at him. Hutch sighed.

 

        "Hon, You crawled out of bed at 2:30 this morning and haven't been back to sleep yet. You went to bed around 11:00. You've been eating like a flea, and you know damn good and well the stress triggers your migraines!" He snapped back. "You are my wife, I am worried about your health! Dammit, after watching you nearly die on me, I have a right to be concerned and say something to you. You need to stop and take a look at what you are doing! I'm asking you Ali, don't go back to the Coroner's office, please. And drop this pursuit of yours, will you do that? Before you go wrecking your health on me?"

 

        "I'm doing just fine!" she snarled, her eyes burning holes through him. "Don't you dare throw my shooting in my face!" Pushing herself away from the counter, she brushed by the stunned blonde, heading for the door.

 

        "Ali!" Hutch snapped, stung by her reference. He turned, starting to follow her.

 

        "I said I'm fine!" she snapped, jerking the door open and disappearing outside. Hutch closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. Gathering himself, he began to go out after her when he heard the sounds of the Suburban being cranked over. Moving fast, he dashed into the driveway in time to see Ali, whipping the truck around before stomping on the accelerator.

 

        "ALI!" Hutch yelled angrily, watching as the vehicle moved away. He scowled in frustration, looking for all the world like he wanted to hit something. Frustrated, he spun on his heel and went back inside.

 

        He called the office.

 

         After a pause, Starsky answered.

 

        "What's it to ya?"

 

        Hutch's eyes flew open.

 

        "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he barked.

 

        "Hiya, blintz!"

 

        "Starsk, that's supposed to be the Tucannon County Sheriff's Office!"

 

        "They know that! What's up? Gonna be late, huh?" Starsky heard him sigh on the other end, and could almost see him rubbing at his eyes with the long fingers of one hand.

 

        "Yes, as a matter of fact I am."

 

        "Ali, right?"

 

        "Yes." Hutch growled.

 

        "Figured as much. What did ya, do? Tell her to back off the Ivory Woman case?"

 

        "The what?!"

 

        "Ivory Woman, you know the body that turned to soap? Newspapers have been calling her that."

 

        "That's just terrific!" Hutch drawled sarcastically.

 

        "Ali's pissed, isn't she?"

 

        "Very...look, I need to go find her. My thinking is she'll head for Walla Walla. I told her some stuff that the Coroner didn't tell her. She's acting a little erratic, that damn body is driving her nuts."

 

        "She already is, pal!" Starsky cracked. "Give her a little time to cool off, Hutch. She'll come around. Don't go chasing after her." He heard his partner sigh on the other end of the line.

 

        "Why is this sounding familiar?" Hutch asked.

 

        "Because it's Ali we're talkin' about. If you feel you have to, go track her down."

 

        "I have to." Hutch replied.

 

        "Glad I'm not in your shoes!" Starsky cracked. "Don't grab her whatever you do, she's got a wicked right hip throw."

 

        "Starsk! I know all that!" Hutch growled, the anger creeping into his voice.

 

        "Sorry pal... " Came an instant apologetic response.

 

        "Look, I'll be in later, tell Doug I need to tend to this."

 

        "Take the day off, I'll tell Doug you're not coming in."

 

        "Starsk..."

 

        "Look, I know your case load as well as you. I can handle your stuff, I have before, ya know. Go find her, go horse riding or what ever it is you do on them things. Just get her mind off that body. I'm tired of her wandering around the house at night, you know I'm a light sleeper."      

 

        "You too!?" Hutch sighed wearily.

 

        "Hey, it was a horrifying sight, pal, especially with that fishing pole bit you did. It's no wonder it keeps her awake at night. It's brought me straight up in bed a couple times myself!"

 

        "Yeah, I haven't been able to shake it either, and Ali isn't helping it a bit."

 

        "Just go do something with her, Hutch. She's not looking good. Spend a little time alone together. I'll handle things here."

 

        "All right, but if you need anything..."

 

        "I'll know where to find ya!" Starsky said and hung up. Hutch smiled slightly as he set the receiver in the cradle, grateful that Starsky, at least, understood him.

 

        Feeling far older than he ought, he gathered a few items together, checked to make sure the house was secure, then headed out to his truck and began the two-hour drive to Walla Walla.

 

        Ali, however didn't go that way. The damage to her head clouded her thinking, and instead of going to the city, as she had intended, she found herself driving to Bow Lake, bypassing the turn to Walla Walla. She was nearly three-quarters of the way there when she realized she was going to the lake instead of the city. By that time, she was no longer in touch, with reality. Blanking out, was an occasional risk she had had to face, where her former memories and instincts took over, none of which she could ever remember.

 

        She arrived at Bow Lake Lodge, wandered into the lounge and ordered coffee. She looked around, the place reeking of smoke, age, and former glorious times. Several older folks, regulars, sat around in their spots, with a few truckers, and tourists mixed in. She sipped a moment at her coffee, ignoring the look of irritated recognition from the counter help. For the next hour, she made her way around the place, quietly asking questions of them all about the woman found in Bow Lake, her head getting the present scrambled with the past.

 

        The bartender finally had enough. When Ali came for a third refill, he looked at her in exasperation.

 

        "Listen lady, you a cop or something?"

 

        "What?" Ali looked up at him, her laser blue eyes pinning him to the spot.

 

        "I asked if you were a cop? You've gone around asking questions of everyone in this room! Who are you!?"

 

        "Yeah I'm a cop, say listen? You wouldn't know about any women disappearing from this area some thirty, maybe forty years ago, would ya? Maybe a story your folks, or grandparents might have told ya?"

 

        "No lady, I don't know of any women disappearing around these parts. Look, just who are you? You have any I. D. on you?"

 

        Ali looked at him blank faced a moment, then nodded.

 

        "Yeah." She said reaching into her back pocket. She flipped her wallet out, having carried one that way for many years. "I'm Detective Sargent Coulter, LAPD." She said as she presented him her shield. The bartender looked at the wallet then looked at her..

 

        "Excuse me?" he asked. "LAPD? Is this some sort of sick joke, lady?" Ali's blue eyes lit up.

 

        "Joke?!" she snapped. "Would I joke about something like this?" she flipped her shield around.

 

 

        It was not there.

 

        Ali froze in place, staring at her driver's license, clearly stating her name as being Alane' Hutchinson. Her face went completely blank as she blinked at the leather wallet. No police photo ID. No, hard earned, gold shield. Only her driver's license. The bartender watched her face slowly lose color. Reality crashed around her ears. Ali began to shake as her real

memory kicked into gear. She looked up at the bartender, disorientated, suddenly realizing where she was.

 

        "Oh sh...." she barely whispered, a cold dose of fear coursing through her veins. She slowly began to back away from the counter. Shakily, she a hand through her bangs, staring at her wallet, moving away.

 

        "Hey wait!" The bartender snapped. "Who are you! What are you asking all these questions for! Where do you get off coming in here acting like a cop?!"

 

        "I'm... I'm..." Ali stammered, her eyes suddenly looking everywhere. "I'm sorry!" she gasped and fled out the door. The bartender looked incredulous at the retreating figure, then turned and reached for a phone on the counter behind him. He dialed an in house number.

 

        "Let me talk to O'Brian, this is Pat, in the lounge. Tell him we may have some trouble brewing down here." There was pause as the Bartender listened.

 

        "Tell him we have some gal coming in here who may be a bonafide nut case. Name of Hutchinson. Tell him I think it's that lady who found the body in the lake. She's coming in here pretending to be a cop. I think he'd better do something about it before she starts driving people away from the place." He paused again.

 

        "Okay, let me see if I can get it before she leaves the parking lot!" he dropped the phone and raced out the door.

 

        Ali was just pulling out, but the keen eyes of the bartender caught her license plate number anyway. He raced back inside.

 

        "O'Brian? Yeah I got it. Look you may want to stop this, I don't trust this one as far as I can throw her!"

 

        Ali was shaking so hard, she eventually had to pull off the side of the road, to regain what was left of her composure. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she gasped for breath, burying her face in her hands as she realized more and more what she had been doing. It had been a good long while since she had blacked out, and Hutch had been there when it had happened, this time though...

 

         Her thoughts fell on him as she lifted her head, staring out over the lake. He'd been trying to warn her.

 

        "Oh noo!" she moaned softly. "What have I done?" She had blacked out badly years before, and had nearly killed Starsky in the process, anything could happen during those blank moments and she would have no idea what would be occurring until afterwards, the synapses in her brain tangling and mixing things up. Ali shivered, what had occurred just now? What had she been doing up at Bow Lake? How was she going to face Ken? She knew he was going to be mad, he'd been cautioning her on this aspect of her head injury for years, it seemed. Ali knew she had to go home, but the dread of it, kept her from moving.

 

        She stared at the dark cold waters, the woman surfacing in her thoughts.

 

        "What are you doing to me?" she whispered as if talking to the ghostly apparition. "You've been dead for years, why are you tormenting me now?" She shook herself, trying to dispel the thoughts of the woman. She glanced into the rearview mirror, sitting back, ready to engage the truck into drive. A Ford F150 had pulled in at the far end of the car turnout, but she dismissed it as a fisherman looking for a place to park. She couldn't see into the drivers window due to it's tinting. Ali didn't care anyway. She realized she had to go home, and she wasn't looking foreword to what was going to happen when she got there. Anxious and scared, she pulled back out on the backroads highway and headed for Willow Lake.

 

        That feeling of anxiety didn't get any better as she reluctantly drove into the ranch driveway, that afternoon. Hutch's truck sat in front of the garage. Ali swore softly under her breath, trying to prepare herself. He hadn't gone to work. Pulling in, she parked the Suburban and killed the engine, sitting a moment, trying to draw up her courage around her. She knew he had sharp hearing, and would know she was back. She wasn't ready to face him. Heaving a sigh, she climbed out of the truck, swinging the door shut and headed for the barn, thinking perhaps the horses in the back pasture might help in settling her thoughts.

 

        Hutch lifted his head from working on the account books in his den. He'd been back less than hour, angry, and worried. Ali had never showed up in Walla Walla. He was on his feet in an instant, heading for the door when he heard the truck door slam shut, and paused in the living room. When she didn't enter, he knew she had headed for the barn.  

 

        Their barn was a classic style affair, full of aging things, hay, farm cats, and equipment. Across it's back were the stalls for the horses, a big open area in the middle for moving animals and tractors around in, and two huge sets of double doors on opposite sides. Both sets were open, letting light flood into the old dusty barn. Hutch entered from the smaller door in it's front, spotting Ali pacing in front of the stalls. She was squeezing and wringing her hands, kicking at stray bits of hay and baling twine on the floor.

 

        "Where the hell have you been?" he asked, his face utterly devoid of any expression. Ali looked up at him like a deer caught in headlights. She threw her arms up in the air, spinning on her heels, gasping out loud, and continued pacing, trying not to look at him.

 

        "Ali!" he snapped moving across the huge open floor. She paused again, looking at him, her fists clenching and unclenching, then she shook her head and looked away again, moving up and down in front the stalls.

 

        "Where have you been?!" he demanded. Ali shook her head, her hand sliding to her mouth. She looked at him with dread in her light blue eyes. She started to spin away from him as he neared, but he neatly spun her around to face him. Ali raised her arms defensively. Hutch held up a single warning finger, his blue eyes dark and foreboding. Ali shivered. Slowly, she lowered them, staring up into his serious, stern face.

 

        "Where did you go?" he asked coldly. Ali shook her head.

 

        "You didn't go to Walla Walla, Ali!" he snapped. "I know, I went there looking for you! Where did you go?" Ali couldn't look at him anymore, she spun on her heel, trying to walk away, but he turned her back again. She bit her lip, trying not to let the blackness creep back in, as he gripped her tightly under both her arms.  

 

        "The lake!" she gasped. Hutch stared hard at her, studying her too pale face. He knew by the look of fear in her eyes what had happened.

 

        "You blacked out, didn't you?" he asked in a voice barely above a whisper and with just enough hint of anger to let her know just how upset he really was. Ali, defeated, sagged in his grip and shook her head miserably.

 

        "Dammit Ali!" he exploded. "What happened?!"

 

        "Nothing!" she cried out, "Honest, Kenny! Nothing happened!" She looked up at him pleadingly. "I just made a total ass out of myself! That's all! Nothing else happened!"

 

        "What did you do?" he snapped, not letting her go.

 

        "I was just asking questions! The bartender asked for my ID, I thought I had my shield on me! When I didn't, I left! Honest Ken! I left right away!"

 

        "Asking questions about the body?!" he snapped again. Ali shook her head, searching his face.

 

        "Ali! You have to let this thing go! What's gonna happen Ali, if you black out and do something that gets you in trouble with the law?! I won't be able to help you then! You have to stop this!"  He stared hard at her, seeing how scared she really was. Both of them heard the sounds of a vehicle pulling into the drive. Hutch scowled, swearing softly and let her go.

 

        "Don't you go anywhere!" he ordered. "We aren't finished with this conversation!" he turned and strode from the barn.

 

        Emerging into the bright sunlight, he noticed a newer looking Ford F150 pulling into their long driveway. He paused by the entrance to the stables, watching as the car made it's way towards their home. The lone driver was an older man. A big one, judging the size as the man climbed out of the truck. Square. That was the first thing to cross Hutch's mind. The man

was built in squares. Tall, big, built like a truck. Age somewhere in his late forties. He had vitality though that livened him, and a spring in his step that suggested that he was certainly in his prime. The man looked around until he spotted Hutch standing near the stable door.

 

        "Can I help you?" he asked.

 

        "Maybe." Came a belligerent reply. Hutch's eyes narrowed, one part of his brain began to assess size, weight, and weak spots, and the other clicked into professional courtesy, setting aside his anger. The man strode over to him, exuding confidence and no nonsense.

 

        "I'm looking for Sgt. Coulter." The man said sarcastically, and stopped a few feet short of Hutch, waiting for an answer. Hutch's eyebrow rose, 'Sgt. Coulter?', his head asked.

 

        "I'm Ken Hutchinson." he said, offering a hand. The man ignored it, instead resting his big square hands on his hips.

 

        "I don't care who you are Mister, I want to see Coulter." The bigger man replied. Hutch smiled his disarming half smile, his eyes never leaving the man before him.

 

        "I'm her husband." he said. The stranger's brown eyes widened, his jaw set and he began to reach for Hutch. The tall blonde twisted slightly, turning himself sideways to the man, taking a step backwards, and bracing himself.

 

        "I wouldn't." he warned softly. The man saw the coolness in Hutch's dark blue eyes and turned the fist coming towards him to a pointing finger.

 

        "I'm Ted O'Brian, I own the Bow Lake Lodge! Your wife, buddy, has been coming into my place and driving away my customers with constant questions about that blasted woman found in the lake. Next time she shows up at my place, I'm gonna add her to the lake itself!"

 

        "First of all..." Hutch responded coolly. "I'm not your buddy." He reached into his back pocket, extracting his wallet.

 

        "Secondly, Mr. O'Brian, I'm Detective Sargent Hutchinson with the Tucannon County Sheriff's Office." Hutch flipped out his shield, left handed, never letting his voice rise or his gaze falter from the man before him. "And you just came on to my property and threatened my wife. I can think of a whole long list of violations I could arrest you for in a heartbeat, if you don't start backing down and remove yourself from my driveway."

 

        Ted O'Brian continued to lock gazes with Hutch, neither man about to give ground until a pale and frightened Ali appeared in the stable doorway.

 

        "You!" O'Brian exploded, moving swiftly past Hutch.

 

        "Hey!" Hutch started, grabbing for the man as he eluded Hutch's grasp by a hair. Ali had barely emerged out side of the barn when she suddenly found herself being backed up against the wall by a total, and very big, stranger. He was trying to pound his accusing finger into her chest as he hollered at her.

 

        "You! I don't want you coming anywhere near my establishment ever again! Do you understa....."

 

        O'Brian didn't finish his statement.

 

        Ali didn't even blink and she moved so fast that Hutch couldn't stop her. She turned sideways, like Hutch only moments before, but instead of taking a step backwards, she took a step towards the stranger coming at her. She grabbed O'Brian's arm with both her hands, yanked him towards her, using his forward momentum, and twisting. With her hip as leverage, she threw the man to the ground, never letting go of his arm. Her hands slid up to his arm, grabbing and twisting his hand, pinching hard on the nerve between thumb and forefinger as she stomped her right foot into his bared neck. She stood over him as he grunted out a breath for air, gasping at the sudden pain coursing down his arm from her hold on his hand. He was pinned and helpless in seconds.

 

        "Ali!" Hutch barked as he saw she was about to grind her foot into O'Brian's larynx.

 

        Hutch stepped in, gripping the back of Ali's neck, keeping behind her, he leaned over her and growled in her ear. He could see she was seesawing between blackness and reality.

 

        "Let him go, Ali!" She paused a moment, then glanced at her husband. Snorting in disdain at the man on the ground. Ali abruptly let him go, standing away from him, twisting just enough to let him know she'd gladly take him down again.

 

        "You're CRAZY!" The man gasped loudly reaching up to his throat.

 

        "We know." Hutch replied dryly, offering his hand to the man. O'Brian ignored it, rolling to his feet, he made another threatening move towards Ali, but this time Hutch inserted himself between his wife and the Lodge Owner, wondering who he was actually protecting.

 

        "I'd suggest Mr. O'Brian that you leave now." Hutch said calmly.

 

        "Not until I know she's never going to darken my lodge door ever again!" O'Brian hollered, his voice raspy, glaring at Ali.

 

        "I'm not promising you, diddley." Ali replied. "It's a public place."

 

        "Ali." Hutch said warningly.

 

        "Your wife has been harassing my customers, asking questions about her! You'd better do something about it, Mister! Before I do!" O'Brian threatened.

 

        "I have been discussing it with her, Mr. O'Brian." Hutch said patiently. "I doubt she's been harassing folks, but we are dealing with the situation."

 

        "Her?" Ali asked.

 

         Both men paused. Hutch watching as something clicked in the big man's eyes. It grew uncomfortably quiet.

 

        "Her who?" Ali asked, looking at O'Brian unwaveringly. The big man mentally dodged for cover, both Hutch and Ali seeing it.

 

        "You know damn good and well who I mean!" he erupted, pointing his big finger at Ali again. "You stay the hell away from my lodge!"

 

        "Who is she?" she asked, starting to move around Hutch. He shot her a warning glance, holding up an arm to stop her. Ali laid her hands on his arm, pushing it aside. Her gaze never left Ted O'Brian's large square face, slowly turning red with anger and....desperation?

 

        "What is it Mr. O'Brian?" Hutch asked. "Do you know something about this woman in the lake that we don't? Why would Ali's asking questions bother you so much? To make you drive all the way out here to threaten her? You could easily have done that at the Lodge." He looked at him, his own eyes growing intense as he realized Ali had landed on a clue to the woman's identity and maybe just how she had come to be in Bow Lake. "So why don't you tell us who she is Mr. O'Brian?"

 

        "You're wife, pal, is a menace!" O'Brian blew. "She shows up at my place again and so help me! She'll be fish food!"

 

        "In that lake? I'll just pop up twenty years from now and haunt you as bad as she is haunting you now!" Ali replied. Hutch inwardly winced, Ali could really land in it when she had half her mind to do so. However her jab at the Lodge Owner got a result. His face suddenly blanched, in dread.

 

        "Stay the hell away!" he shouted, shaking a fist, backing away in fear. "Don't you ever show up at my place again! Do you hear me?" He continued issuing threats as he made his way to the truck.

 

        "Who is she!?" Ali snapped right back starting to follow him, but this time Hutch slipped his hand around her forearm. Ali didn't react, she just let him restrain her.

 

        "Mr. O'Brian!" Ali protested. "She deserves a name! If you know who she is and how she got there..."

 

        "Ali." Hutch said, as the big man climbed into his truck. He sprayed gravel as he floored it and left. Ali threw her hands up in the air, watching him go, turning on her husband.

 

        "He knows!" she snapped at him, laser blue eyes flashing. Hutch nodded, watching the truck drive off, looking speculative.

 

        "We can't just let him drive away! He knows something! We have to do something!"

 

         Hutch gazed at his wife. "We aren't going to do anything, yet. It's not the right time."

 

        "But he knows something!" she protested, pointing an arm in the general direction of the disappearing vehicle.

 

        "Ali..." Hutch said warningly.

 

        "Kenny!" she complained. She was brought up short by the look far back in his eyes. Her shooting from the past, surfaced.

 

        "I don't want you getting anymore involved in this case, Ali." he said. "You blacked out in his lodge. He could've killed you. How would I have known about it? Do you see now, Ali! He followed you from the lodge and you didn't even notice it! You can't go around being a cop anymore! You know you can't! You have to stop and think and realize that you can't do these things any more!" he snapped angrily.

 

        "Look at what you just did to him!"

 

        "He came at me!" she snapped back.

 

        "Ali! You were going to stomp his throat in! Think a minute, will you!" Hutch's voice rose in exasperation. "You can't do this anymore!"

 

        "But what are we gonna do about her!?" Ali shouted back.

 

        "You aren't gonna do anything!" he responded loudly. "You aren't able to do it anymore! You can't! For cryin' out loud Ali, you know all this!" Hutch furiously jabbed a finger at his forehead, glaring angrily at her. "You don't have the discernment capabilities anymore!"

 

        Ali stared at him in a mixture of anger, frustration, and hurt. That brief pause in her thinking was enough for him to move. His voice dropped as he looked her directly in the eyes.

 

         "I don't like this any more than you do!" he said urgently. "I don't like to see you this way, but fact is fact, Ali. You're not capable of doing this anymore. We've known that for years! Stop and look at what you're doing! I know it hurts, I know it hurts like hell! You and I have been dealing with this issue for ages, but it isn't going away! You can't make the right distinctions when you black out! Your memories aren't going to come back. Your instincts and reactions aren't under control, and it's going to take us a long time to get you to a point where you can!" Hutch emphasized 'us'. He reached up to touch her, but she flinched from his hand. Dropping it wearily, he added.

 

        "We've only been dealing with your disability, together, a little over a year now. We both know this isn't going to be an easy road, hon. we're hitting one of the bumps now. You have got to trust me on this thing Ali, we've talked about all this before. You are acting erratic, let me get you through this, alright?"

 

        Ali didn't respond. She stared into his pleading eyes, unable to speak.

 

        "I'm asking you, Ali not to get yourself further involved in this." He looked tired and worn. "Please, don't go back up there or the Coroner's office. Ali, don't do this...for me, please?"

 

        Ali could see in his eyes and face the fear and concern he had for her. He was scared of losing her, again. Nearly ten years previous she had ignored his request not to go in to a hostage situation at a bank robbery in progress. It was a move that had ended her career and life as she knew it. A move that had sent both of them on a journey of several years worth of

pain and agony. Ali's face lost all expression as she stared into the eyes of this man who had stuck by her despite all her troubles and problems and had taken her for his wife. A man who loved her.

 

        Hutch knew he finally reached her when her chin slightly trembled and she looked away, conceding to his request. All the same he saw the despair in her eyes as the woman from Bow Lake crossed her thoughts.

 

        "I'm sorry, Ken." she sighed, her shoulders dropping. Hutch said nothing, he just pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her, dropping his chin on top of her head, eyes closed, and sighing in relief.

 

        "What's going on in that head of yours, Ali?" he asked. Ali heaved a sigh, slipping her arms around his waist, sinking her forehead in his chest.

 

        "Who's gonna do anything for her?" she asked plaintively. "She's got no one, Kenny. She pops up in a lake 40 years after being dumped in it. Who's gonna care? Is there family? Will they want anything to do with her? God knows mine sure didn't." Hutch rubbed her back, knowing how Ali's family had reacted to her shooting.

 

        "Somebody has to care." she added. He smiled slightly.

 

        "Somebody does...You just have to learn a bit of discretion, babe. All your old instincts are kicking into gear, but..."

 

        "I know," she muttered laying her head against him. "My head isn't making the connections. The train's comin', but nobody's driving."

 

        "Well, I wouldn't put it quite like that," he said.

 

        "No, you're too considerate." she replied.

 

        "Starsky on the other hand..." Hutch commented.

 

        "He has no compunctions about telling me my circuits are fried!"

 

        "Absolutely none! However, just seeing you two getting along, like in the old days, is a blessing for me to see." Ali pulled away and looked up at him.

 

        "The old days?" she asked. He smiled down at her, reaching up to stroke the bangs off her face, and nodded.

 

        "You two bounced off one another all the time, used to drive me nuts. Instead of one kid, I had two. Now I can't seem to get enough of it." He pulled away from her, slipping an arm around her shoulders and steering her down the dirt track that continued on past their driveway, leading up into the hills of their property. Ali fell into place alongside of him, knowing it was one of his favorite walks. They had talked of many things along that track. The anger between them slipped slowly away into oblivion.

 

        "So..." she asked as they walked in silence a moment. "What do we do about her now?"

       

        "We don't do anything." Hutch replied. "At least you don't." He squeezed her shoulder. "I, on the other hand, will see what I can come up with on Mr. O'Brian. He knows something we don't. I want to know what that is. As for the Coroner, he expects to have the body fully in solution to preserve her before too long. It has taken a long time for the lake water to be

filtered out and the solution put in. Plus they don't want rush the process and destroy anything vital. Once she has solidified, they hope to get x-rays and maybe determine the cause of death. Samples of the gown and lace were sent off a couple of weeks ago and they believe it was manufactured in the 1940's. Plus they extracted the necklace."

 

        "They did?!" she exclaimed. Hutch nodded.

 

        "It was a locket, with pictures in it. They have been sent to Washington State University for restoration. Apparently the locket sealed shut over time, and preserved the photos."

 

        "Why didn't you tell me this earlier!?"

 

        "Because we needed to take care of something else first..." Hutch replied, smiling gently at her. "The Coroner is so happy about us finding the woman in the condition she's in, he's gladly telling me everything about her. Your woman is gaining quite a scientific reputation."

 

        "So why didn't they tell me any of this...?!" Ali protested.

 

        "You approached it on the wrong track..." he said. Ali glanced at him then shook her head in chagrin.

 

        "I guess I have been a bit heavy handed lately." Ali sighed, knocking a stray lock of hair away from her eyes, looking out over the vista of their property.

    

        "It's okay with the big city crowd." Hutch said. "It's a different situation out here. Starsk is just starting to run into the same problem himself, he's gonna take a while to adjust!" Ali smiled, silently agreeing with her husband. City boy meets the country.

 

        "That O' Brian..." she wondered outloud. "He looked maybe forty, fifty?"

 

        "Fourtyish." Hutch confirmed. Ali frowned.

 

        "He'd have only been a baby, if she's been in the lake that long, what could he know?"

 

        "Good question. Or maybe, who did he know?" he pondered. Ali thought a moment.

 

        "That's even better." She looked up at him. "Can I dig some stuff up on him?" Hutch smiled down at her, shaking his head.

 

        "Let me tackle him...He's the type who won't be fooled twice, you already caught him off guard. He'll be ready for you, next time. Me, I warned him first before he could do anything, he wouldn't know what to expect. Let me see what I can come up with at the office, okay?"  Ali gazed at him a moment, then shrugged heaving another sigh.

 

        "Speaking of the office..." she looked at him curiously. Hutch gave her his half-smile.

 

        "Starsk called in sick for me...told me to spend the day with you." he hugged her close as she raised an eyebrow.

 

        "Damn, I'm gonna have to repay that turkey now."

 

        "Make him some more of those enchiladas Carol showed you how to make. He'll owe you big time after that!"

 

        "Does he ever stop thinking about food?"

 

        "Nope."

 

        "The guy's a bottomless pit, where on earth does he put it all?" She looked up at him. Hutch's impish grin graced his lips, as he raised a knowing eyebrow. Ali began to snicker.

 

        "Maybe you'd better not answer that!"

 

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