THE MAYOR’S DAUGHTER

Starsky and Hutch investigate the murder of the Mayor’s daughter and uncover some disturbing secrets.

A/N: The plot in this story was loosely inspired by the movie “The General’s Daughter” staring John Travolta and Madeleine Stowe.

Beta read by ProvencePuss

CHAPTER ONE

David Starsky whistled under his breath as he stepped out of the shower and briskly dried off. In spite of having put in over sixty hours at work in the past week, he was looking forward to spending the evening with his partner, Ken Hutchinson. Best friends as well as partners, the two detectives spend the majority of their off duty time together, a habit that caused gossip at work and rumors that they were more than just ‘friends’. But the ladies that they both dated could attest to the fact that both men were definitely one hundred percent heterosexual males with strong sex drives.

Women were attracted to Starsky’s rugged good looks, his dark exotic coloring, and his thick locks of naturally curly dark hair. His eyes were his most striking feature, a deep sapphire blue with thick dark lashes. Combine his natural good looks with his lean muscular build and the dusting of dark hair that covered his torso and it all came together in one irresistible package. Both men and women were drawn to his outgoing personality and easy, laid back nature.

After brushing his teeth and shaving, he went into his bedroom where he searched through his closet for a suitable outfit to wear. He finally settled on a new pair of black jeans that hugged his body like a second skin and a long sleeved, red button down shirt. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he pulled on his electric blue Adidas with the three white stripes running up each side. Shoving himself to his feet, he grabbed his wallet, his badge and his keys from the nightstand, stuffing them into his pockets.

Since it was a warm night, he slipped on a lightweight jacket to conceal his shoulder harness and gun. Even when he was off duty, a police officer was expected to carry his badge and weapon with him at all times. Flicking off the lights on his way out, he locked the front door and climbed down the steps that led from the deck to his driveway.

His pride and joy, a 1975 Candy Apple Red Torino, sat in front of the two car garage. The vehicle was almost as well known in Bay City as its owner. It was a distinctive looking car. Not just because of the highly polished red finish but also because of the wide white stripe that ran across the roof just in front of the back window, down both sides and then forward where it tapered to sharp points at the front end. The car was the first truly expensive item Starsky had ever purchased, a visible symbol of his independence and financial security. He had spent a lot of money modifying the engine until the car was the fastest thing on the streets. And Starsky was the best driver in the Bay City Police Department. He could chase a felon through the busy downtown streets and catch them without endangering himself or anyone else.

Starsky unlocked the door on the driver’s side and slid beneath the wheel, inhaling deeply. He loved the smell of the rich black leather interior that covered the seats. Squirming around until he managed to pull his keys from his jeans, he turned on the engine, smiling in satisfaction as the powerful engine roared to life. Shifting into reverse, he backed out of the drive and turned left, heading towards the city.

He was meeting Hutch at their favorite hangout, a combination bar and grill called The Pits located in downtown Bay City not far from police headquarters. The business was owned and operated by an old friend of Starsky named Huggy Bear. Huggy was also a valuable informant to the two detectives, often giving them information over the years that had helped them to solve some of their high profile cases. Starsky and Hutch had the most successful arrest record in the department, only in part thanks to Huggy’s tips. The real secret to their success was in their unique partnership and the unbreakable bond between them. They functioned as one unit out on the streets, anticipating one another’s moves without speaking. They were each willing to sacrifice themselves to save the other one’s life and they had each gotten hurt more times than they could count protecting the each other.

Starsky turned on the radio as he drove along, listening to his favorite rock and roll station, a luxury he couldn’t indulge in when he was on duty. Twenty minutes after leaving his apartment, he pulled into the alley behind The Pits and parked in his usual spot. He grinned as he noticed his partner’s battered tan LTD already parked on the street in front. He was constantly criticizing Hutch for his choice of transportation, always trying to goad him into buying something more reliable but the big blond was content to stick with his ongoing string of second hand cars. Starsky usually drove while they were on duty, preferring not to ride with Hutch unless they had to use his more nondescript vehicle for a stake out or an undercover assignment.

Locking his car, Starsky pocketed the keys and walked around to the front entrance of the bar. Pushing open the heavy wooden door, he went inside, pausing for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the dim lighting. There was a long bar to his left with several small tables scattered throughout the rest of the room and some booths along the back wall near the pool table and jukebox. Hutch was already waiting for him in their favorite booth with two cold beers sitting on the table. Starsky grinned as he crossed the room and slid into the booth opposite his partner.

“Been waiting long?” he asked, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the usual Friday night crowd.

“About ten minutes.” Hutch told him with an answering grin. Hutch was only a few months younger than Starsky with the same lean muscular build on a six foot one frame. He was as fair as Starsky was dark with silky blond hair and ice blue eyes. His features were more refined and classic than the brunets and he could easily have graced the cover of GQ magazine. He was neatly dressed in a pair of tan slacks and a matching turtleneck sweater. There was an innate air of sophistication and class to Ken Hutchinson that told of his more privileged background and education but their cultural differences had never mattered to the two friends. They knew each others weaknesses and their strengths and they respected each others inherent talents.

Starsky glanced up as Anita, Huggy’s head waitress, came over to the table. She was an attractive woman with shoulder length brown hair and wide set brown eyes. “About time the other half of this duo showed up.” She teased Starsky “You two eating tonight or just drinking?”

“Give me a chef salad with Italian dressing on the side and a bowl of soup.” Hutch said

“And I’ll have one of Huggy’s Starsky specials.” Starsky told her with his trademark crooked smile. “Extra pickles and onions with a double order of fries.”

“Coming right up.” Anita said. Both men watched the sway of her hips as she walked back across the bar, enjoying the unobstructed view of her backside in her tight jeans.

Starsky let his gaze sweep across the faces in the crowd, nodding amicably at familiar faces and scoping out the available ladies. Hutch discreetly did the same. With their hectic schedules and crazy hours, it was hard to maintain an on-going relationship. Most women called it quits after too many canceled dates at the last minute or too many times being called in to work at an inopportune moment. So most of their dates consisted of one night stands with women they picked up at Huggy’s or with one of the various stewardesses they both knew who would call one of them whenever they were going to be in town on a layover. No strings, no attachments, no broken promises and no unnecessary commitments.

Hutch had been married once and was in no particular hurry to make that same mistake again. Starsky, on the other hand, still held on to his dream of a home and family of his own someday. But even with the few women he had gotten truly serious about; something always seemed to happen to end the relationship prematurely. Both men were in their mid-thirties and not getting any younger so they kept searching for something that always seemed to be just out of their reach.

It wasn’t long before Anita returned with their food, setting their plates in front of them along with two more drinks. Since they were regulars, she was well aware of their tastes and their preferences. Neither one of them ever drank too much, usually sticking to three or four beers. If either one of them drank anymore than that, Huggy automatically took their car keys away refusing to let his friends drive home when they’d had too much to drink. He would either call them a cab, if the other partner was too wasted to drive, or let them sleep it off in the room he had above the bar that he kept for a few select customers and friends. And it was extremely rare to ever see either one of them drinking the hard stuff. If they did, it was usually because of a horrendous case they were working on or a particularly bad breakup.

The two men began to eat their food with Hutch sneaking fries from Starsky’s plate repeatedly. Starsky was accustomed to sharing his food with Hutch that was why he usually ordered extra. Hutch didn’t even seem to realize he was doing it half the time. The big blond constantly complained about Starsky’s unhealthy eating habits but secretly he liked the greasy junk food too and Starsky knew it. While Hutch worked out three times a week and jogged each morning before work to keep from gaining weight, Starsky’s naturally high metabolism burned off the extra calories he ate each day allowing him to keep trim and in shape with very little effort.

After they had finished eating, Hutch challenged Starsky to a game of pool. The brunet agreed and Hutch put a quarter on the edge of the pool table to claim the next game. The big blond played the winner of the current game, winning with ease. Starsky grabbed a cue stick and joined him for their game. Several regulars gathered around the table to watch them play. They were evenly matched in skill and bantered back and forth playfully as they took their shots. Starsky also tried to cheat outrageously, always getting caught by Hutch when he did because he made no attempt to hide it. Their antics made it fun for the other customers to watch them while they played. Starsky won the game by making an intricate bank shot to sink the eight ball. He turned down a game with the challenger, graciously turning the table over to him and his companion.

Hutch sauntered over to the bar to get some more drinks and paused to talk to a pretty redhead dressed in a revealing pants suit. Starsky grinned as he sat back down at their booth and waited for Hutch to either rejoin him or to tell him that he was hooking up with the redhead for the rest of the night. He saw Huggy amble over to Hutch and lean forward to whisper something to the tall blond. Hutch nodded slightly and turned to glance across the room at Starsky. The brunet sighed when he saw the expression on Hutch’s face, anticipating the bad news even as Hutch made his way through the crowd and back to their table.

“Dobey called.” Hutch told him confirming Starsky’s suspicions. “They found a body in Jefferson Park and he wants us on the case.”

“Let’s go.” Starsky said with a heavy sigh. He pulled out his wallet and took out some bills, leaving them on the table to pay their tab. Side by side, the two men left the bar to head for the scene of the latest murder in the city.

Twenty minutes later, Starsky pulled up beside a secluded area of the park cordoned off with yellow crime scene tape. A cluster of official looking vehicles was already at the scene. Starsky saw two black and white cruisers, the coroner’s wagon, and Captain Dobey’s dark blue sedan. The two men climbed out of the Torino and ducked beneath the yellow tape walking towards the other police officers gathered in a semi-circle a short distance away.

The victim’s body was lying face up on the ground, spread-eagled, with her hands and ankles tied securely to four tent stakes pounded into the ground. She was nude with visible bruises on her arms and blood streaking the inside of both thighs. She was relatively young, probably in her mid-teens. In life, she may have been a pretty girl but death had distorted her features. She had obviously been strangled. A rope was still wound securely around her slender neck, the rough fibers biting deeply into the tender flesh. Her face was swollen and dark, the tip of her tongue protruding through her tightly clenched teeth.

Captain Dobey glanced up at his best team of detectives and said grimly, “I want this case given top priority. Do you two recognize her?”

“She does look sort of familiar.” Hutch said, kneeling down beside the body to examine the girl’s features closely.

“Yeah, she does.” Starsky agreed thoughtfully. “But I don’t remember where I’ve seen her before.”

“Her name is Paula Davis. She’s the Mayor’s daughter.” Dobey said gruffly.

The two detectives exchanged a startled glance, realizing immediately why this case rated their undivided attention. The Mayor was a controversial political figure and it was an election year. His private life was already part of a smear campaign by his opponent. Numerous affairs with political aides had already been brought to light along with vague allegations of other improprieties in office.

“What have we got?” Hutch asked, solemnly watching as the coroner’s team cut the ropes around her hands and ankles, preparing the body for transport back to the morgue.

“Not much.” Dobey said glumly, a hard edge to his voice. “An anonymous caller told us where to find the body. The coroner said she’s only been dead for a couple of hours at the most. The crime lab is still processing the scene.”

They fell silent as the coroner’s team zipped the victim into a black body bag and lifted her onto a portable stretcher. The officers gathered at the scene respectfully stepped aside as the other men carried the victim to the black van parked nearby. This case needed to be handled discreetly and solved as quickly as possible and Dobey wanted his best men on the case.

CHAPTER TWO

The Mayor’s residence was located in a neighborhood that Starsky and Hutch seldom ventured into. The homes were large and prestigious with spacious lawns and gated entrances. 3198 Melrose Drive was a colonial style mansion with large white pillars and a circle driveway. Starsky pulled the Torino up to the closed gate and reached out to push the button on the intercom.

“Yes, may I help you?” a scratchy voice echoed over the speaker.

“Detectives Starsky and Hutchinson, Bay City Police Department. We’re here to see Mayor Davis.” Starsky said in his distinctive Brooklyn accent. Even after living in California for over twenty years, Starsky had never lost his accent completely.

The gates in front of them slowly swung open and Starsky followed the drive to the front of the house. As they climbed out of the car, he glanced at Hutch and said in an suitably impressed voice, “Nice digs, huh?”

“Politics pays better than police work.” Hutch said with a disgruntled snort.

“Everything pays better than police work.” Starsky said with a crooked smile as they walked up the wide steps to the front porch. He pulled off his sunglasses and slipped them into his jacket pocket as Hutch reached out to ring the doorbell. After several minutes the door was opened by a petite oriental woman in a maid’s uniform.

“Would you gentlemen follow me please?” she said in heavily accented English. “The Mayor and his wife are expecting you.”

They followed the maid though a large entryway decorated with modest but obviously expensive pieces of art. She led the way into a large living room furnished with two white leather sofas each flanked by a pair of chrome and glass end tables. A large ornate fireplace took up most of one wall with several framed photographs sitting on the mantel. Other framed photos hung around the room. Starsky noticed that several of them were of the victim. The pictures attested to the fact that Paula Davis had indeed been a very beautiful young woman with long chestnut colored hair and flashing brown eyes. With his eye for photography, Starsky noted that all of the photos were professionally done, there were none of the candid shots that most proud parents would display.

The Mayor and his wife were sitting side by side on one of the sofas. Preston Davis was a distinguished looking man in his mid-forties with neatly trimmed brown hair and steely blue eyes. His wife, Naomi, was a pretty woman several years his junior with the same coloring as her daughter. She had obviously been crying. Her eyes were red and swollen, her face puffy and grief stricken.

“Gentlemen,” the Mayor said as he shoved himself to his feet to face the two detectives. His movements were stiff and formal, his manner reserved and dignified. “I assume you are here about my daughter.” His tone was clipped and defensive.

“Yes, sir.” Hutch said with the same polite formality. “We’re very sorry for your loss.”

“I want to know what you intend to do about it!” Mayor Davis demanded harshly. Accustomed to dealing with grief stricken family members, Hutch ignored the heavy sarcasm in the man’s tone.

“We will be doing everything we can to find out who killed your daughter and make sure they pay for their crime.” Hutch said politely. Due to the sensitivity of this case, the Captain had ordered the two detectives to treat the family with kid gloves. Regardless of his orders, Hutch wasn’t going to let the Mayor steam roll over him or Starsky the way he did his political adversaries or subordinates.

“But that still won’t bring my daughter back, will it?” the Mayor growled. His wife burst into tears at his comment and he instantly sank back down on the sofa to console her. He glared at the two detectives directing his anger and pain towards them.

“Obviously my wife is very upset at the moment. Can’t we do this another time?” he snapped in an irritated tone.

“We’re sorry, your honor.” Starsky said using the man’s formal title. “But we need to ask you a few questions before we start our investigation. We’ll try to make it as brief as possible.” He pulled his notepad out of his pocket and searched for a pen, smiling his thanks when Hutch pulled one out of his jacket and handed it to him. “When was the last time you saw your daughter?”

“Yesterday after school.” His wife answered in a broken voice, dabbing at her swollen eyes with a lace hanky. “She got home around four o’clock and then left again around six to go to the mall with some of her friends. When she wasn’t home by eleven, we called the police but they said we couldn’t report her missing until she’d been gone for twenty-four hours. So, we started calling her friends to see if she had decided to spend the night with one of them.” Her voice cracked with emotion and she took a moment to compose herself before adding, “Then someone from your department called and we had to identify her body.” She began to sob heavily, leaning against her husband for support. He slipped his arms around her and glared at the two detectives.

“Did your daughter mention anyone she might be having any problems with?” Hutch asked quietly. He could sympathize with their grief but he still had a job to do. “Any strange phone calls or friends who were angry with her?”

“No…nobody.” the Mayor said firmly, cutting off his wife before she could answer. “Paula was a very popular girl with a lot of friends.”

“We’re going to need a list of all of her friends and acquaintances so we can talk to them.” Starsky said, writing a reminder in his notebook. He hated this part of the job. It was never easy dealing with distraught family members.

“I’ll have my secretary write something up and deliver it to your office.” The Mayor told him in a dismissive tone as if it were of little importance. Starsky’s posture stiffened but only Hutch seemed to notice. The blond reached out and touched Starsky’s back briefly to help keep him grounded. He didn’t like the Mayor’s attitude either but they couldn’t let that influence their investigation.

“Where did your daughter attend school?” Hutch continued with the questioning,

moving his hand back to his side but keeping a close eye on his unpredictable partner.

“The Oakland Academy. It’s a private school over on Westbury.” The Mayor said. He gave the two detectives a pointed look “I really must insist that you two gentlemen leave now. If you have any further questions, you can contact me at my office.”

“One more thing…” Starsky said before the interview came to a close. “Could we take a look at your daughter’s room?”

“Is that really necessary?” Naomi Davis asked, straightening up and looking at the two detectives with an alarmed expression. Instinctively protective of her child, she resented what she considered an invasion of her daughter’s privacy.

“I’m afraid so.” Hutch said gently addressing his comments to the distraught woman. “It will only take us a few minutes and we’ll try not to disturb anything.”

“You won’t take anything will you?” Naomi asked in a small voice, her eyes darting from one detective’s face to the other.

“Not unless we feel it might help us solve your daughter’s murder.” Hutch assured her.

“Very well.” The Mayor said sullenly. It was painfully clear that he was no happier than his wife at their request. He raised his voice slightly, “Mei Ling!” When the maid appeared in the doorway, he ordered “Show these gentlemen to Paula’s room.” He looked at the two detectives and added “I assume you have no objections to Mei Ling staying with you while you search my daughter’s room.” His tone of voice made it clear that it was not a question or a request, it was an order.

“Of course not.” Hutch said respectfully. The two detectives exchanged a glance as they turned and followed the maid out of the room and up a wide marble staircase to the second floor of the mansion. She led the way down a long hallway with a highly polished hardwood floor to a door at the far end. She opened the door and stepped aside to allow the two detectives to enter the room first.

The room was huge, decorated like any young girl’s fantasy. There was a king- size bed with a frilly yellow canopy and covered with a matching comforter. A collection of assorted stuffed animals sat on the bed. There was a large white dresser with a mirror sitting against one wall, the top covered with scattered trinkets and jewelry. A walk-in closet was crammed with clothes, all of them bearing designer tags. Posters of a popular rock and roll band were taped to the walls. A color TV and elaborate stereo system sat on a stand in the corner and there was a phone on the nightstand. In spite of the extravagances that spoke of her family’s affluent lifestyle, it was still a typical teenager’s room.

With the maid standing discreetly just inside the doorway, the two men began a systematic search of the room, taking care to look underneath drawers and other logical hiding places where a teenage girl might conceal something from prying eyes. Starsky found a locked diary that they decided to take with them in case it contained any useful information. Hutch also found a stack of letters, apparently from her boyfriend, that they confiscated. Starsky smiled when he found a pack of cigarettes hidden in a box shoved to the back shelf of the closet, along with a half-empty packet of birth control pills. Paula Davis was entitled to a few secrets she didn’t want her parents to know about. He left those where he found them.

In the bottom drawer of the dresser were several loose snapshots of Paula with some of her friends. Glancing through them, Hutch took several that had names and dates written on the back. It would help to identify some of her friends when the time came to talk to them. When they finished, Hutch scribbled a list of the items they were taking.

“Would you please give this to the Mayor and his wife? This is a list of the items we’re taking with us. They will be returned to the family after our investigation is concluded.” The maid nodded and tucked the list in her apron pocket. The two detectives discreetly left the house and drove back to headquarters to log in the potential evidence they had uncovered in the victim’s bedroom.

Several hours later, Starsky yawned and stretched his arms over his head to work the kinks out of his shoulders and neck. Glancing at his watch, he was shocked to discover that it was almost six a.m. the next morning. He glanced across the desk at Hutch who looked just as tired as Starsky felt.

“What do you say we head home and get some sleep?” he suggested “Did you find anything useful in that diary?”

“Nothing definite but from some of the entries, it’s pretty clear that one of the reasons Paula Davis was so popular was because she put out to just about everybody.”

“That could hurt her father’s career if it became public knowledge.”

“You got that right…especially with some of the other allegations that have been made about him lately.” Hutch agreed, shaking his head ruefully. He knew from his own privileged childhood how easy if was for children from similar backgrounds to get into trouble simply because they had everything handed to them on a silver platter. In high school, his best friend had been arrested for stealing cars simply because he was desperate for some attention from his socially prominent parents. Hutch’s own childhood hadn’t been much better. His parents had been cold and distant more interested in their social status than they were in their only child. Hutch had excelled in school and in sports but all he ever really wanted was to know that his parents loved him.

The two men grabbed their jackets and left the building to head home for some much needed sleep. They would pick up where they had left off when they returned to work that afternoon.

CHAPTER THREE

“STARSKY! HUTCHINSON! IN MY OFFICE NOW!” Captain Dobey bellowed as soon as he saw the two men walk into the squad room. Starsky exchanged an amused glance with Hutch as they followed the burly man into his inner sanctum. Starsky caught the edge of the door with his foot, pulling it shut behind them. Dobey grunted his disapproval as he eased his bulk down behind his desk.

Hutch sat down in one of the two chairs facing the desk. Ignoring the second chair, Starsky made himself comfortable on the arm of Hutch’s chair. They looked at their superior office, waiting patiently to see why he was yelling for them already. Scowling at his best team of detectives, he growled,

“How are things going on the Davis girl’s murder?”

“Not much yet, Cap.” Starsky said “It hasn’t even been forty-eight hours yet.”

“I don’t care how long it’s been! The Police Commissioner and the Chief are both breathing down my neck on this one! And as long as they’re on my back, I’m going to be on yours!” Dobey declared loudly. “The press is already having a field day with this case! You must have something!”

“We have the girl’s diary along with some pictures and letters we found in her room.” Hutch said calmly “And the Mayor’s office just sent over a list of her friends and acquaintances. We’re going to interview them and see what they can tell us.”

“The Chief thinks that one of you should go undercover at that fancy school of hers and see if you can find out from the other kids and the facility.” Dobey told them gruffly.

“What’s my cover?” Hutch asked assuming that he would be the one going under since he came from a similar background as the victim.

Dobey graced the blond with a thin smile and said, “Not you. Starsky. He starts at eight a.m. sharp tomorrow morning.”

“Me?” Starsky exclaimed in a startled voice. “Why me? Hutch would fit in there better than I will.”

“The only opening they have is for a janitor and the Chief seems to feel that you would be better suited to that role than Hutch would.” Dobey told him as he held back an amused. The two detectives exchanged a quick glance and smiled ruefully, both of them remembering the time they had broke into the Chief’s office posing as janitors and got caught. This was obviously Ryan’s way of getting even.

“Terrific.” Starsky grumbled in a disgruntled voice.

“Hey, buddy…” Hutch said in a teasing tone, his eyes sparkling with laughter. “Look at it this way…how much trouble can you get into mopping floors and emptying trash?”

Starsky scowled darkly and raised the middle finger of his right hand at his partner before turning his attention back to the Captain. Dobey pretended that he didn’t notice the gesture as he continued addressing his men.

“You’ll be using the name David Shapiro. You just moved here from New York and an employment agency got you this job until a permanent replacement could be found.” Dobey said “The department has rented a sleeping room for you a few blocks from the school, close enough for you to walk to and from the job.”

“What about me?” Hutch asked

“You’ll go to the school and do the routine interviews. Babcock will go with and pose as your regular partner.” Dobey paused for a moment to collect his thoughts and consult his notes. “I assume the two of you remember Lizzie Thorpe?”

“Yeah, she worked with on the disco murders a while back.” Hutch said answering for both of them. The detectives remembered the pretty blonde detective well. She had almost become one of the victims.

“She’ll be posing as a substitute English Teacher and will pass on any information she might uncover to Starsky so he can pass it along to you.” Dobey said. He fixed both men with a solemn stare. “The Mayor is using his political influence to put a lot of pressure on the department for quick results.”

“Maybe he’s got some more skeletons in his closet he doesn’t want uncovered if we take too long or dig too deep.” Starsky muttered.

“Or if the press starts snooping around too much.” Hutch added.

“You think he has something to do with his daughter’s murder?” Dobey asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.

“Not necessarily.” Hutch clarified “But his opponent is turning this campaign into a smear campaign and he’s already uncovered some allegations that could hurt the Mayor’s chance at re-election. His daughter’s murder could inadvertently uncover more secrets he doesn’t want to be made public information.”

“Yeah, and he sure doesn’t fit the part of a grieving father.” Starsky said dryly as he remembered the man’s cold demeanor during their initial visit.

“Everybody handles their grief differently, Starsk.” Hutch pointed out gently. “You know that. And men of the Mayor’s stature generally don’t believe in a public show of emotion. That doesn’t mean he isn’t grieving for his daughter.”

“Okay, okay…” Starsky said with a heavy sigh. “It just don’t seem natural, ya know?”

“Yeah, I know.” Hutch said with a fond smile as he patted Starsky’s knee. He knew that it was the cases that involved young children or teenagers on the verge of adulthood that got to Starsky the most. He might be a tough, hard-nosed homicide detective but underneath his streetwise, cocky exterior he had a sensitive and compassionate heart.

Dobey cleared his throat loudly to reclaim their attention. “All right. Now…Lizzie started today covering for a teacher that supposedly had to take some time off for a family emergency. I want you to make sure she gets a list of the names the Mayor’s office sent over so she can see if any of them are in any of her classes. Hutch, I want you and Babcock to go to the school and start setting up interviews with the girl’s friends officially to see if any of them will tell you anything.”

“What am I supposed to do while he’s doing that?” Starsky asked. It was only on rare occasions that one of them went undercover alone without the other one there for backup. Starsky trusted Babcock. He was an experienced and competent detective but he wasn’t Hutch’s partner. Part of the success of the team of Starsky and Hutch was the way they could read each other without speaking and anticipate each other’s moves in advance. Being separated this way did not set well with the brunet.

“You can check with the coroner and see if he found out anything we can use.” Dobey answered. He didn’t miss the look of distaste that flitted across the brunet’s face. He knew that Starsky hated going to the morgue especially when the victim was someone as young as Paula Davis. Unfortunately, it was a necessary part of their job and Starsky was a professional. Dobey shuffled the files on his desk, signaling that the meeting was over.

Starsky and Hutch stood up and left the office. Hutch poured two cups of coffee from the machine in the squad room and handed one to his partner. Starsky immediately added four spoons of sugar and a generous amount of creamer. Hutch knew that Starsky was upset about the direction the case had taken. Taking a sip of his coffee, Hutch made a face and set it back down. “You okay?” he asked Starsky in a lowered voice so that none of the other men working in the room would overhear him.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Starsky grumbled, taking a swallow of his coffee and looking at his partner solemnly. “It just sucks that the Chief is calling all the shots on this one.”

“I know.” Hutch said soothingly “But it has the potential of being a political powder keg. Not just for the Mayor but for the department too. That’s why we need to try and wrap it up as fast as we can before it explodes.”

“Without getting ourselves caught in the fallout.” Starsky added sarcastically. “How do you wanna play it? I mean if I’m going to have to stay at the sleeping room near the school as part of my cover…we need to come up with a way to meet without anyone seeing us so we can compare notes.”

“Why don’t we just meet at Huggy’s every night around ten o’clock? Most of these kids and their families wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like The Pits.”

“Okay. Huggy’s it is.” Starsky agreed with a lopsided smile. “And if I need to see you before that I’ll figure out a way to get in touch.”

“Sounds good. I’d better see if I can find Babcock and get those interviews set up.”

“While I get the pleasure of making a trip to the chop shop.” Starsky complained with a heavy sigh at the thought of his impending visit to the morgue. Hutch gave him an encouraging smile as he turned and strolled out of the squad room. Starsky finished up some paperwork and then reluctantly left the building to drive over to the morgue to talk to the coroner about the autopsy on Paula Davis.

The air in the building that housed the morgue always seemed several degrees colder than any other building in the city. Starsky walked down the steps to the basement where the bodies were stored until they were released to either the family or to the funeral home handling the final arrangements. Shoving open the heavy doors, he stepped into a large open room with several metal tables off to one side that were used for the autopsies and several metal doors built into the opposite wall that opened to reveal the sliding trays that contained the bodies. A woman in her mid-forties sat at a desk in the center of the room writing out a report. She glanced up when Starsky entered the room and smiled.

Ruth Patterson had been a coroner for almost fifteen years and had worked with Starsky and Hutch on several cases over the years. She had always found the two men to be highly competent professionals who cared deeply about the victims whose murders they investigated. Secretly, she had a soft spot in her heart for the dark haired member of the legendary team. He had a dark sense of humor that often matched her own and a sharp, inquisitive mind that could grasp even the most intricate details of her reports with little effort.

“Hi, Starsky.” Ruth said with a gracious smile, rising to her feet to greet him.

“Hi, Ruth.” He replied with his trademark grin that lit up his entire face.

“You here about the Davis girl?” Ruth asked, her tone turning serious. When Starsky nodded, she shuffled through the files on her desk until she found the one she wanted. Opening it, she pulled out a sheaf of papers and scanned through them, highlighting the important points. “Female Caucasian, age seventeen years, six months and twelve days. Height 66 inches. Weight 123 pounds. Reddish brown hair, length 14 inches. Hair color natural. Cause of death was strangulation from a ligature around the neck causing gross cyanosis and petechiae of the face and breaking the hyoid bone.” Her eyes darted over the page as she continued “No signs of a struggle and no skin or foreign materials found underneath the nails. Bruise to right temple suggests that the victim may have been unconscious before she was strangled. Internal examination revealed that the victim was sexually active and recently had undergone an abortion.” Starsky’s eyebrows rose at that bit of information but he didn’t respond. Ruth glanced at him pointedly and finished her report, “One more thing, she wasn’t raped.”

“You mean somebody just made it look that way?” Starsky said in a surprised voice. Unfortunately, it was a scenario that happened more often than most people realized, especially if the murderer knew the victim. It wasn’t unheard of for them to stage a fake rape hoping to make the murder look like a random act of violence committed by a stranger.

Ruth nodded solemnly. “Professionally, my guess would be that she knew her attacker probably intimately.”

“So we’re probably looking for a boyfriend or an ex…” Starsky concluded

“Possibly or maybe just a friend who wanted more from the relationship than the victim did. It’s your job to find out who and why.” Ruth said. She handed Starsky the official copy of the autopsy report. “The body was officially released to the family this morning.”

“Thanks, Ruth.” Starsky said, pocketing the report and flashing the woman a big smile. The autopsy had revealed a few surprises that would influence the direction the investigation would take.

CHAPTER FOUR

Starsky unlocked the door to the sleeping room where he would be staying temporarily and tossed his duffle bag on the single bed sitting against the wall to his left. The room was sparsely furnished with a single bed, a dresser and a nightstand. It was simple but functional. Heavy dark blue drapes covered the window casting the room in dark shadows. The brunet crossed the room and pulled them open, flooding the room with sunlight. He had a little over an hour before he had to report to work at the exclusive private school that Paula Davis had attended. For the purposes of his cover story, Hutch had dropped him off at the boarding house where his room was located and he would walk to and from the school each day.

The two detectives had talked about the case the night before, discussing their strategy. They both agreed that the murderer had probably known the victim and known her quite well. Unfortunately, in cases where a close friend or relative was the murderer it was often harder to solve them than if the victim had been killed by a stranger because it increased the list of suspects substantially. They would have to narrow down her list of friends to those closest to her and work on eliminating them first.

Pocketing the key, Starsky left the room and walked down private steps alongside the house. He was glad there was a private entrance to his room which would make it easier for him to come and go without drawing any undue attention to himself. The woman who owned the house and rented out the rooms had been given the same cover story as the school. She had no idea that he was a cop.

Although it was still early, the air was already warm and humid but at least the smog wasn’t too heavy. The neighborhood was more affluent that the one Starsky lived in with a lot of old Victorian style homes that had been restored by their current owners. The Westbury Academy catered to the children of wealthy parents and admitted both boys and girls. The tuition was almost twice as much as Starsky made in a year. Security guards flanked the gates and stopped Starsky immediately, demanding to know his business at the school. He showed them the employee ID he had been given the day before and was instructed to report immediately to the Head Mistresses’ office as soon as he entered the building.

The inside of the building reminded Starsky of every school he had ever been in. It was just designed a bit more extravagantly with lots of glass and marble. Hordes of students crowded the halls, laughing and talking as they headed for their first class of the day. Starsky located the office and stepped inside, relieved for the relative quietness in the room. A young woman with silvery blonde hair and a pleasant smile looked up from behind the counter dividing the room and said in a musical voice,

“May I help you?”

“Uh…yes, ma’am. I’m David Shapiro. I’m supposed to start work today.”

“Oh, yes…janitorial services.” She said, glancing over some papers lying on the counter in front of her. “Please have a seat and I’ll page Mr. Lucas, our head custodian.”

Starsky nodded and sat down in a comfortable chair in the corner of the room. As he waited, his gaze swept around the room, automatically committing the different faces to memory. With his casual attire and mob of unruly curls, he drew more than his share of curious glances from the staff members on hand.

The door opened and a large man with gray hair and glasses came into the room. Spotting Starsky immediately, he smiled and extended his hand. “You must be David. I’m Jerry Lucas. If you’ll come with me, we’ll get you started.”

“Nice to meet ya.” Starsky said with an easy grin, shaking the other man’s hand firmly. He trailed behind Jerry down the halls that were now empty of students.

“We usually start each morning by cleaning the restrooms. There are three on this floor including the one for the faculty, and two on the second and third floor. We empty the trash, mop the floors, clean the stalls and the sinks. I’ll do the three down here and you can do the ones on the second and third floor. That should keep you busy until noon, then you can take an hour lunch break.” Jerry told him “After lunch, we’ll mop the hallways and steps, then after the classes are dismissed for the day, we’ll check the classrooms and empty the trash.”

“What time are the classes over?” Starsky asked

“Two-forty-five. Most of the kids leave then but the cheerleaders and the jocks usually stay for after school practices and the teachers are here until four-thirty.” Jerry frowned and then added, “Except for today. I think some of the kids are sticking around to talk to a couple of cops about one of the other students.”

“That girl that got killed a couple of days ago?” Starsky asked “The Mayor’s kid?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“I read about that. Shame. You wouldn’t figure on something like that happening to one of the kids from here.”

Jerry barked a short laugh. “Why? Because they drive fancy cars and have more money to spend than I’ll ever see?” There was a bitter tone to his voice that struck Starsky as a bit strange.

“Sounds like you don’t approve of some of these kids.” Starsky commented carefully. “Or at least of their lifestyle.”

“Do you? I mean, jeeze, these kids can have anything they want all they have to do is ask Mommy and Daddy. They’ve never had to work for anything in their lives.” He shot Starsky a quick glance. “And most of them are spoiled rotten and rude as hell especially to working slobs like us.”

“Anyone in particular I should watch out for?”

“The cheerleaders and the jocks are the worst ones. They think they run this place.”

“Sounds like my old high school.” Starsky said with a smirk. “Guess that never changes no matter how much money your folks have.”

“Yeah, well the kids here are in a class all their own.”

“Where did the girl who got killed fit in?”

“She was the head cheerleader.” Jerry said with a snort “What does that tell ya?” he lowered his voice as if sharing a secret with the brunet. “And believe me, she wasn’t above flaunting exactly who her daddy was if you catch my drift.”

“The Mayor’s daughter and all that, huh?”

“Yeah…I heard she got a teacher she didn’t like fired a couple of years ago just because he gave her a C on her mid-term.” Jerry paused in front of the door and opened it to reveal a storage closet with buckets, mops and cleaning supplies. “You’ll find a closet like this on each floor.” He explained “Makes is a lot easier than lugging stuff up and down the stairs.” He turned to look at Starsky and said “One more thing, some of these kids think it’s funny to make a mess just so you can clean it up…so watch out. Some of them will push you as far as they can just to see how you’ll react.”

Starsky nodded solemnly. “Anything else I should know about?”

“Yeah,” Jerry said, eyeing Starsky critically “Good looking young guy like you better watch out for some of the girls. They’ll be crawling all over you if you let them.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Starsky said with a short laugh. “I’m almost twice their age. Besides, I don’t mess around with jailbait.”

“Believe me, even if you’re not interested in the young stuff, that ain’t gonna matter to some of these girls. You’d be surprised how many of them like older guys…even old coots like me.” He smiled thinly “Just take my advice and watch yourself.”

“I will. Thanks.” Starsky said with a slight nod. “I guess I better get started if I wanna get finished by noon.”

“Yeah, me too. When you take your break, there’s a break room down in the basement you can use or there’s a pretty good Deli just down the block but their prices are kinda high.”

“Thanks.” Starsky turned and walked down the hall to the wide marble staircase that led to the second and third floors. He spent the rest of the morning doing latrine duty, reminding him of his time in the Army where similar duty was often assigned as a punishment for some infraction of the rules.

Even though a sign was clearly posted outside each restroom while Starsky was inside cleaning, some of the students pointedly ignored it and came in anyway. The boys pretended not to see him as they smoked a cigarette or locked themselves in a stall to use the facilities. Most of the girls giggled and quickly backed out of the room. A few of the bolder girls gave him a seductive smile and excused themselves with exaggerated politeness.

Starsky finished his assigned chores by noon and took his break, easily locating the break room in the basement. There was a battered table with two chairs, a microwave and a refrigerator. A sign on the refrigerator stated that staff members would buy a can of soda or juice for fifty cents. In the corner was a vending machine stocked with candy, sandwiches and fruit. Starsky grabbed a can of soda from the refrigerator and examined the selection in the vending machine. He finally decided on a chicken salad sandwich on wheat bread, a bag of chips, and two chocolate bars. He settled down at the table to eat. The hour passed quickly. After tossing his trash in the can, he went in search of Jerry for a list of his afternoon chores.

His first day on the job passed without any problems and he clocked out at five o’clock, heading back to his rented room. He decided he would order a pizza for supper before meeting Hutch later at The Pits as previously agreed. It had been a long day filled with physical labor and he was tired. After eating, he took a short nap before leaving to meet with Hutch.

The Pits was crowded as usual but Hutch had already arrived and was sitting at their favorite table. He grinned as Starsky slid into the booth across from him. Starsky grinned back as he picked up the cold draft that was waiting for him and took a long swallow.

“So how was your first day?” Hutch asked, his ice blue eyes softening as they took in the tired expression on the brunet’s face.

“Long and boring.” Starsky told him. “And my back is killing me. How did things go for you?”

“Not too bad. Babcock and I talked to about twenty students who knew Paula and we managed to identify her current boyfriend and a jealous ex-boyfriend, as well as three girls on the cheerleading squad that she hung out with.” Hutch informed him. “I scheduled interviews with all of them for tomorrow.”

“Names?”

“The current boyfriend is a jock named Chad Riley. He’s the Captain of the football team. The ex-boyfriend is a quarterback named Travis Gordon. The cheerleaders are Molly Jessup, Amber Hayes and Crystal Wilson.” Hutch paused to take a long swallow of his own beer. “The Wilson girl has been Paula’s best friend since the third grade and they spent most of their time together.”

“It’s a start.”

“Did you find out anything?”

“Just that the head custodian doesn’t have much use for any of the kids. He thinks most of them are rude and spoiled rotten. He did tell me that Paula Davis wasn’t above throwing Daddy’s name around to get what she wanted. Apparently, she got a teacher fired a couple of years ago because he gave her a bad grade.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he added, “He also advised me to watch out for some of the girls who apparently like to make passes at the male staff members.”

“Hmmmm…” Hutch said with a brilliant grin. “Maybe you should start wearing jeans that don’t advertise the merchandise so much.”

Starsky scowled darkly. “Come on, Hutch. They’re just kids. I’m not that kinky.”

“That doesn’t mean they aren’t. Just be careful and watch your back and all the other important parts.”

“Yes, mom.” Starsky said dryly. Their conversation turned to other topics as they finished their drinks and prepared to head back to their respective beds for the night.

CHAPTER FIVE

Robin Elroy smiled at the handsome blond detective, batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. When the homeroom teacher announced that morning that some police officers would be at the school at the end of the day to talk to anyone who might have any information about Paula Davis, Robin decided to talk to them for a lark. She hadn’t particularly liked Paula or any of the other snotty girls she hung around with. And she had heard plenty of ‘rumors’ about some of their after school activities. Talking to such a handsome man, even if he was old enough to be her father, was an added bonus. He had introduced himself as Detective Hutchinson but he asked her to call him Hutch. Hutch…she liked the sound of that. It suited him.

“So, Robin, how well did you know Paula Davis?” Hutch asked with an easy, laid back smile.

“Well enough to know not to cross her.” Robin said with a shy smile. “She had a nasty way of getting even with anyone that made her mad.”

“And how was that?”

“Depends on who you were. If you were a teacher or another adult, she used Daddy’s connections to get back at you. If you were another student, then she had her friends take care of you for her. She never got her own hands dirty.”

“Who were her friends?”

“Molly Jessup, Amber Hayes, Crystal Wilson, Marcy Tarrington and most of the football team.”

“Did she have a boyfriend?”

“She had a lot of boyfriends.” Robin said with a chuckle. “The most recent one was Chad Riley. He’s the Captain of the Football team. Before that it was Travis Gordon, the star quarterback.”

“She have any enemies?”

“Are you kidding? Half the school hated her guts and the other half kissed her ass.”

“Which half did you fit into?”

“Me? I thought she was royal bitch who got what she deserved.” Robin said making no effort to hide the scorn and bitterness in her voice.

“So you didn’t like her very much?” Hutch said with a slight smile. He recognized the petty jealousy and rivalry common among high schools students.

“No. She thought she was better than everybody else just because she was the Mayor’s daughter. She was always bragging about all the celebrities she met at those fancy dinners and fund raisers. But, she wasn’t fooling anybody but Daddy. She wasn’t as pure as he made her out to be. She was fucking anybody and everybody behind his back.”

“Besides her boyfriend?” Hutch asked. He kept his voice level and calm. Nothing much surprised him anymore. Not even a sexually promiscuous seventeen year old who just happened to be the Mayor’s daughter. A potential powder keg to her father’s campaign if her extracurricular activities ever became public knowledge.

“Hell, yeah…” Robin admitted “She’s fucked most of the football team and the rest of the jocks in school. And from what I heard, half of her Daddy’s staff too…if the price was right.”

Hutch made a few notes in his notebook. Although Robin’s allegations could be just rumors passed on by a jealous classmate, they still had to be checked out. Any potential tryst Paula Davis had could have had something to do with her murder. He pulled one of his business cards from his jacket and handed it to the young girl with a charming smile.

“Thank you for your help, Robin. You can reach me at that number if you think of anything else that might be helpful.”

“Sure, Detective Hutchinson.” She said with a suggestive smile as she slipped the card down the front of her shirt to nestle between her adolescent breasts. Hutch hid his smile at her attempts at seduction. In a few years when she had perfected her talents, she would be a real temptress but right now she was nothing more than a teenage girl playing a grownup game in Hutch’s eyes. She stood up and with an exaggerated swing of her hips, left the room where Hutch was conducting his interviews. Babcock was in an adjoining room conducting similar interviews.

Hutch had seen Starsky working in the hallway when he arrived but the two men pretended not to know each other as Hutch disappeared down the hall. Hutch hated cases where the two partners were separated this way. He couldn’t watch Starsky’s back when Starsky was undercover alone. Not that the brunet was in any danger with his current assignment but Hutch still didn’t like the setup.

He looked at the next name on his list. Molly Jessup, one of the cheerleaders and one of Paula’s best friends. He glanced up as the door opened and pretty girl with porcelain skin and long pale blonde hair stepped into the room. She smiled shyly as she sat down in the chair facing Hutch. Her eyes were a vivid green with thick dark lashes that contrasted sharply with her pale coloring. She was dressed sedately in dark blue jeans, sneakers, and a long sleeved pale blue sweater that clung to her torso, emphasizing her tiny breasts and petite figure.

“Molly Jessup?” Hutch said pleasantly, smiling to put the teenager at ease.

“Yes.” The blonde said in a faint, barely audible voice. She twisted her hands together in her lap nervously but her eyes were watching him intently.

“You were friends with Paula Davis?”

Molly nodded. “She was my best friend since the third grade. We used to hang out together all the time.”

“Used to?”

Molly blushed, realizing the slip of her tongue. “Paula and I sorta went our separate ways once we got to high school.”

“Why is that?” Hutch asked gently, reaching out to touch the girl’s hand reassuringly.

“I don’t know…I guess we just grew apart…wanted different things out of life.” Molly said evasively.

“What kind of things did Paula want out of life?”

“A rich sugar daddy to take care of her…to pay her bills and set her up in nice apartment. The freedom to come and go as she pleased and do whatever she wanted.” Molly’s eyes darkened. “Paula changed a lot in the past couple of years. She just kept me around to do her homework for her and to cheat off of during tests.”

“Paula was a straight A student.”

“Grades be bought…it’s not that hard to do if you have the right connections.” Molly said offhandedly. Hutch nodded absently, remembering his own college years. There were other students who made a small fortune writing term papers and taking tests for other students so they could keep their Ivy League status and not embarrass their parents by getting kicked out of school. Fortunately, Hutch had been blessed with an excellent memory and never had to resort to such tactics to get or maintain good grades. His over achieving parents had drilled good study habits into him since childhood. Receiving any grade below an A was unacceptable to them. As a result, Hutch had grown into an analytical adult with a sharp, inquisitive mind.

“Was Paula having sex for money?” he asked, knowing that if the answer was yes, the case just got more complicated.

“Yeah…they all were.”

“They?”

“Paula, Amber, Crystal and some of the other girls…some of the guys too.” Molly said as if her statement was of little consequence.

“Were you?”

“No. That’s one reason Paula and I weren’t as close as we used to be. She thought I was stupid for not taking advantage of all the guys out there that were willing to pay for it.”

“Do you know if Paula and the others were working for anyone or were they doing it all on their own?”

“I don’t know. You’d have to ask them.”

“Molly, do you know anyone who might have wanted to hurt Paula?”

“Half the school probably.” Molly said with a snort “She could be a real bitch when she wanted to be. I know a couple of ex-boyfriends that had it in for her.”

“Can you give me their names?”

“Travis Gordon, the star quarterback on the football team and Gary Wilks, he’s the Captain of the basketball team.”

“Why did they have it for her?”

“Gary didn’t like it because she told everybody that he was gay when they broke up…ruined his reputation. And Travis was jealous because she dumped him for Chad.”

“Did she have any problems with any of the teachers or the staff?”

“Old Miss Bennett, the math teacher, didn’t like her much because Paula was always mouthing off to her in class. But when she complained to the Head Mistress, she got reassigned to another district.”

“Anyone else?”

Molly squirmed in her seat, obviously uncomfortable with the question. Finally, she nodded solemnly. “There was another teacher our freshman year. Mr. James. He taught Biology. I don’t know what happened for sure but I know the school let him go when Paula accused him of trying to molest her.”

“Do you know what happened to Mr. James after that?”

“No. I never heard. The school hushed the whole thing up.”

“Thank you, Molly.” Hutch said encouragingly. “You’ve been very helpful.” He handed her one of this cards and told her the same thing he had told Robin Elroy. Molly nodded and scurried out of the room.

Hutch pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed softly. This case was turning into a nightmare with a list of suspects that kept getting longer and longer. Some of the information he had uncovered only brought up more disturbing questions that needed to be answered. He had one more interview and then he would meet with Babcock and compare notes. Then later, he would meet with Starsky at the Pits and find out if he had discovered anything new relative to the case.

CHAPTER SIX

Starsky listened patiently to Hutch’s review of the students he had interviewed that day. When the big blond had finished, the brunet nodded wearily and said, “It sounds like the Davis girl and her friends had their own little enterprise going.”

“Sounds like it.” Hutch agreed “Bored little rich girls looking for new kicks.”

“Pretty much fits in with some of the things I’ve been hearing. She was popular but for all the wrong reasons.” He smiled faintly “You’d be surprised what the kids talk about among themselves when you’re just part of the woodwork to them.” He took a swallow of his beer and added “That goes for some of the staff members too.”

“We need to talk to Chad Riley, Tavis Gordon and Gary Wilks.” Hutch said “It sounds like both the Gordon boy and the Wilks boy had reasons to be upset with the Davis girl. We also need to find that teacher, Mr. James, the one she accused of molesting her during her freshman year.”

“Have you talked to the other girls she hung out with yet?”

“Nope, I’m doing that tomorrow.”

“Okay…we got a faked rape, a recent abortion, some pissed off ex-boyfriends, a sexually promiscuous group of girls who may have been charging money for their ‘favors’, at least two staff members that were either discharged or transferred because of the Davis girl, and a list of potential suspects that keeps getting longer all the time.” Starsky said sourly.

“Not to mention the fact that the victim is the Mayor’s daughter and this is an election year.” Hutch reminded him.

“Oh, yeah…” Starsky said sarcastically “Let’s not forget that little detail or the fact that we’ve got the Police Commissioner and the Chief of Police both breathing down our necks on this one.”

“Don’t forget Captain Dobey.”

“No, we can’t forget the Captain.” Starsky agreed with a grin. “After this is over, I think we need to tell the Captain we want a couple of weeks off.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The friends finished their pizza and beer then parted ways, Starsky walking back to the boarding house where he had a room while Hutch went home to his own apartment. It was a balmy night with just a slight chill in the air. Starsky pulled his leather jacket closer as he walked through the downtown streets. The usual nighttime crowd was out in force, hookers looking for a quick trick, junkies looking for a fix, petty thieves looking to make a score, and other unsavory characters up to no good. Starsky ignored them all as he stroke along with a confident stride. Most of the regulars in this neighborhood knew him by sight and they knew better than to mess with him. As he drifted into the more affluent neighborhood near the school, the streets were deserted except for a few late night joggers or dog walkers.

A carload of teenagers drove by, several of them yelling obscenities out the window at the pedestrians. Their laughter floated through the night air as the car sped away into the darkness. Kids with money to burn, parents with influence, and bored out of their minds. The perfect recipe for disaster. Starsky’s own childhood had been far from perfect. His family had lived in a lower class neighborhood in Brooklyn and his dad was a cop. They never had much money but he never went hungry and there was plenty of love to go around. After his father was gunned down in the street when Starsky was twelve, he had started hanging out with a bad crowd and gotten into a few scraps as a juvenile. Before things got out of hand, his mother had sent him to California to live with her brother-in-law and his wife.

It was been a traumatic, life altering event for the rebellious teenager who was filled with anger and pain. For a long time, his relationship with his mother had suffered because of what he had perceived as her abandonment of him. Feeling unloved and unwanted, he had gotten into even more serious trouble in his new home. The intervention of a neighbor, John Blaine, had turned the angry teen around and given him the stability he needed to stay out of trouble. A tour of Viet Nam and a stint as a POW after he graduated from high school had come close to breaking him but he had survived.

He had returned to California where he joined the police academy and met Hutch, the best friend he had ever had. Now he was a veteran police officer, half of one of the most respected team of detectives in the entire department. He was happy with his life and his career but the cases like this one that involved rebellious teenagers always got to him. Maybe it was because those cases reminded him of what his own life could have been like without John Blaine stepping in with a firm, guiding hand to put him back on the right track. These kids might have more money than he could imagine, fancy homes, and influential parents, but underneath, they were still the same scared, angry teenager just like he had been.

Most of these kids had advantages he had never dreamed of and those advantages would secure them a certain position in society, their teenage indiscretions swept under the rug. But for one them, Paula Davis, there was be no future to look forward to. And it was his job to find out who had ended her life and why, to make sure they didn’t get away with it.

The next morning, he reported to work as usual and started cleaning the restrooms on the two top floors of the building. He was empty the trash in the girls room when the door opened and two girls came in. One was dark and exotic looking with almond shaped eyes and long black hair. The other one was a cute little redhead with freckles across the bridge of her nose. The redhead barely glanced at Starsky as she dug a pack of cigarettes out of her bag and lit one up.

“Hey, you’re the new guy, right?” the redhead said, inhaling deeply and blowing the smoke in Starsky’s direction.

“That’s right.” He said, trying to ignore her as he continued working.

“I’m Marcy and this is Laurie. What’s your name?”

“David. David Shapiro.” Starsky said, giving her his cover name.

“You’re cute, David Shapiro…for an old guy.” Marcy said with a giggle. Both girls laughed at the hint of a blush that crept into Starsky’s face.

“What’s the matter? We too young for ya?” Laurie said in a clipped tone.

“Sorry, girls.” Starsky said firmly “But I’m not into jailbait.”

“Who are you calling jailbait?” Marcy said in an offended voice. “We’re both eighteen and we could show you a real good time if you want.”

“No thanks. I’m not interested.” Starsky said, grabbing his supplies and making a hasty retreat into the hallway. The sound of their laughter followed him as the door to the restroom swung shut behind him. He remembered what Jerry Lucas had told him about some of the girls at the school hitting on him. It looked like he knew what he was talking about.

The rest of the morning passed without any more problems. That afternoon, he was mopping one of the hallways when he heard the sound of giggling behind him and turned around to find Marcy, Laurie and a third girl standing there. They were whispering and rolling their eyes, their attention focused on his ass in his tight jeans. The third girl stepped forward and said in a honey dipped voice, “So you’re the new guy that everybody is talking about. Not bad for an old guy.”

Starsky leaned on his mop and scowled. The old guy bit was starting to get under his skin. “Shouldn’t you ladies be in class?” he pointed out, hoping to distract them.

“We have study hall this period.” Marcy said “So we thought we’d enjoy the view.” Her gaze strayed back to his crotch suggestively, undressing him with her eyes.

“Back off, Marcy.” The third girl said with a thin smile. “You said he told you that he wasn’t interested.” She looked at Starsky with big blue eyes and a flutter of her lashes. “Is that right? You don’t like what you see? You wouldn’t want a little taste of this?” She thrust out her chest proudly, followed by a suggestive wiggle of her hips.

“Look girls,” Starsky said firmly “Take your little game somewhere else. I got work to do.” Deliberately ignoring them, he turned back to the job at hand. He jumped, startled, when he felt a hand boldly grab his ass. He whirled around to glare at the third girl who was standing directly behind him with a wide grin on her face.

“Too bad.” She said in a mocking tone “You have no idea what you’re missing.” She rejoined the other girls and they walked away, laughing hysterically. Starsky muttered a few choice words under his breath as he continued mopping the floor. He’d had more than his share of propositions over the years by women far more experienced than these girls. They were playing a dangerous game. They just didn’t seem to realize how dangerous it could be. He found himself wondering if Paula Davis had died because she had been playing a game that had gotten out of hand. He made a mental note to tell Hutch to talk to Marcy and Laurie to see if they knew anything and to try and find out the third girl’s identity.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The young man sitting in front of Hutch was tall and muscular, a typical football jock. He had sandy blonde hair and clear blue eyes. He was also not happy about talking to a cop.

“My dad’s a lawyer. He said you can’t make me talk to you.”

“That’s right, I can’t.” Hutch said mildly “I assumed you’d like to help find out who killed your girlfriend. Paula was your girlfriend wasn’t she?”

“Hell no.” Chad Riley said with a smirk “She was just an easy lay. She’s the one that told everybody we were going steady, not me.”

Hutch arched an eyebrow questioningly. “She didn’t dump Travis Gordon to go out with you?”

“Yeah, she used me to get rid of Travis. She said he was getting too possessive.” Chad admitted in a bored sounding voice. “So she needed somebody to be seen with around school, ya know?”

“So it was more of a ‘business arrangement’?” Hutch said dryly. The more he talked to the teenagers at this school, the more he found himself wondering about their parents. Didn’t any of these kids have any values? Any morals? Hutch’s own parents may have been too wrapped up in their social status to have much time for their only son but at least Hutch had a firm sense of right and wrong, an inbred sense of responsibility for his own actions. That seemed to be something most of the kids he had talked to so far seemed to be lacking. But, in all honestly, Hutch couldn’t credit his parents for those values. Those had been installed in him by their housekeeper who had been responsible for Hutch’s day to day care.

“I guess you could call it that.” Chad said with a modest shrug of his shoulders. He leaned in closer and said, “Look, it didn’t hurt to be seen with a girl like Paula on my arm, ya know?” he grinned “Besides, the fringe benefits were more than worth it. She was great in bed…a lot better than most of the chicks in this school.”

“Can you tell me where you were the night she was killed?”

“Yeah, I got a great alibi if that’s what you’re looking for. I was with my parents at my grandmother’s eighty-fifth birthday party at the country club. There were about two hundred guests. Would you like a list?”

“What time did you leave the party?”

“Around midnight and then my dad took us to dinner at this fancy place over on Sherman that stays open till two in the morning.”

“I’ll have to talk to your parents to verify that.”

“My Dad works for the Mayor’s office. You can reach him there.” Chad said, shoving himself to his feet. “See ya, officer.” He said as he left the room without a backward glance. Hutch pinched the bridge of his nose. This case was giving him a migraine. He had a few minutes to gather his thoughts before his next interview with Gary Wilks. Travis Gordon wasn’t in school that day so the interview with him would have to be postponed temporarily.

Gary Wilks was a tall, gangly boy with steel gray eyes and shortly trimmed dark blond hair. He settled into the chair facing Hutch, stretching his long legs out in front of him and glared at the detective sullenly. Before Hutch could ask his first question, Gary said, “Before you even ask…I hated Paula’s guts but I didn’t kill the bitch.”

Hutch hid a small smile. “Nobody thinks you did. I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your relationship with her. The two of you did date for a while, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, for about three weeks. I dumped her because I didn’t like her screwing around with all those other guys and than screwing me. I got the clap and I’m pretty sure I got it from her.”

“So you broke up with her?” Hutch asked pretending to be surprised by the information. “Not the other way around?”

“Yeah…I did the dumping, not her. So she decided to get even by telling everybody I was gay and that I couldn’t even get it up with a girl.”

“That must have really pissed you off.”

“Yeah, it did. It didn’t help when she got some of her other friends to say the same thing. I ended up getting kicked off the basketball team because of all the rumors that bitch started.” For a moment, his mask fell and Hutch saw the pain reflected in his eyes. “By the time she got done, some of the guys I’ve known since grade school didn’t even want me around. It didn’t do me any good to deny it and tell them she was lying. She even had a couple of guys tell everybody that I made a pass at them and that I was caught making out with a guy behind the bleachers.”

“And everybody believed her, not you.” Hutch said sympathetically.

“That’s about it. Ruined my reputation and cost me most of my friends. The only reason I’m still here is because I’ve got a scholarship to consider. I graduate in two months and then I hope I never see this place again.”

“Where were you the night she was killed?”

“In the hospital. I had to stay overnight for some tests.”

Hutch made a few notes on his pad and then dismissed the young man. He was angry and bitter, all with good reason, but he wasn’t a killer. Hutch consulted his notes. He still had to talk to two of the cheerleaders that hung out with Paula Davis. Marcy Tarrington and Laurie Richardson. He reminded himself to be careful with those two. He had identified them as the two girls who had already made several suggestive remarks to Starsky.

Unlike the other students, Marcy and Laurie entered the room together. Hutch frowned slightly and said, “I’d prefer to talk to you two ladies one at a time.” He said firmly.

“Too bad.” Marcy said flippantly. “You wanna talk to us, you’re gonna have to talk to us together.” She sank down in the chair facing Hutch, leaving Laurie to pull up another chair from across the room. Both girls were dressed in provocative pullover sweaters that clung to their upper body like a second skin and jeans almost as tight as the ones Starsky usually wore. From the knowing look in both set of eyes, Hutch had a feeling that both girls were well aware of the effect that had on male hormones. He reminded himself that both of them, along with Paula Davis, were alleged to be part of a possible teenage sex ring operating out of the school.

“All right girls, then suppose you start by telling me about Paula Davis.”

“She was a cheerleader, just like us.” Marcy said “She was cool.”

“So you all hung out together?”

“Sure. Went to the mall, the movies, stuff like that.” Hutch noticed that Marcy seemed to be doing all the talking while Laurie sat silently at her side. He deliberately directed his next question to her.

“Laurie,” he said, using her name to make it clear that his question was meant for her. “When’s the last time you two saw Paula?”

“Four days ago.” Laurie said “We went to the mall until it closed. Then Paula said she was going home.”

“Did you two girls go home too?”

“We spent the night at my house.” Marcy said. She smiled faintly. “Why? Do you think we had something to do with killing Paula?”

“Did you?” Hutch asked in a no nonsense voice, giving the teenager a stare that would have made the most belligerent suspect cower in fear. It didn’t even seem to faze Marcy who returned his stare with a confident one of her own, her lips turning up in a smirk.

“Of course not, Detective Hutchinson.” She said sweetly. “Paula was our friend.”

“Do you know any of her ‘friends’ that might have wanted to hurt her?” Hutch asked.

“Paula had a lot of friends.” Marcy said evasively “We didn’t know all of them.” She smiled faintly. She was obviously enjoying baiting Hutch and he didn’t appreciate it.

“This isn’t some kind of game, girls.” He said, putting a heavy emphasis on the word girls. He saw the flash of anger in Marcy’s eyes and knew that his little barb had found its mark. He continued relentlessly. “We’re talking about a girl’s murder. Your friend. Someone beat her, tied her up and then strangled her. And it’s my job to find out who is responsible and arrest them.” He paused for a moment for effect and then added, “No matter who that turns out to be…hopefully before anyone else dies.” Marcy still looked bored but Hutch was positive that he saw a flash of fear in Laurie’s eyes. He decided to try a different approach. “Was Paula seeing any older guys…someone who didn’t go to school here?”

“Paula knew a lot of older guys.” Laurie said, ignoring the nasty look that Marcy tossed her way. “I know she went out a couple of times with some guy that worked for her dad but I don’t know his name.”

“Look, we don’t know anything else.” Marcy said quickly, cutting Laurie off before she could say more. “Can we go now? We have a practice to get to.”

Hutch nodded absently. “All right. That’s all for now but I may want to talk to you girls again.” In a firm voice he emphasized “Alone.” He watched as Marcy bounced to her feet and grabbed Laurie’s arm, pulling her from the room. As the door swung shut behind them, Hutch’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He was positive that the two of them knew more than they had told him. With his interviews done for the afternoon, he gathered up his things and left to find Babcock so they could compare notes. After that, he would return to headquarters to write up his reports and then head home to shower and change before meeting Starsky at the Pits. He hated working with someone other than Starsky. He was accustomed to bouncing ideas and thoughts off his partner immediately instead of waiting for a prearranged meeting. He knew that some of their peers thought that Hutch was brains of the partnership with his college education and that Starsky was just the uncouth, uneducated one. But, the truth was, the brunet had one of the sharpest, quickest minds Hutch had ever seen. He often saw things that Hutch missed entirely simply because of the differences in their backgrounds and personal experiences.

When he arrived at the Pits later that evening, he found Starsky already there waiting for him. He was preoccupied flirting with Huggy’s new waitress when Hutch walked in but immediately left her side to join him when he saw the big blond.

“Been here long?” Hutch asked as they walked to a booth in the back.

“Long enough to get her phone number.” Starsky said with a wide grin. “Her name is Sharon and we have a date Saturday night.”

“Are you sure your little fan club won’t get jealous?” Hutch teased him as they sat down.

Starsky snorted and said, “Very funny, Blondie. If one more teenage girl tries to pinch my ass, I swear I’m gonna start wearing a little sign that says No trespassing, private property.”

Hutch laughed, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “That bad, huh?”

“Hutch, I swear, some of those girls are man eaters already! I’d sure hate to see what they’ll be like a few years from now.”

“Well, just try to keep your virtue intact, buddy, and hope we solve this case pretty soon before one of those Lolitas gets her claws into you.” Hutch grinned again “I met two of your admirers today. Laurie Richardson and Marcy Tarrington.” The smile faded from his face. “I get the feeling those two know more than they’re telling me about Paula Davis and the night she got killed.”

“Did they tell you anything new?”

“Not exactly. Laurie mentioned something about Paula dating some guy that works for her father a couple of times before Marcy cut her off. She also told me that Paula knew a lot of older guys.”

“You talked to them together? Why didn’t you separate them?”

“Hey, it wasn’t my doing. They came in together and Marcy made it clear that they wouldn’t talk to me unless I talked to them together. I didn’t want to scare them off by coming on too strong…not yet anyway.”

“So Marcy was pretty much running the show?” Starsky said immediately, instinctively picking up on Hutch’s thoughts.

“Pretty much. She did most of the talking and even when Laurie tried to answer my questions, she got her out of there as quick as she could.”

“Sounds suspicious to me.” Starsky agreed. “Sounds like we need to keep an eye on those two.”

“Yeah, well I’ll leave that to you, partner, since you’re in the position to see more of them than I am. Have you talked to Lizzie at all?”

“Briefly. She said she’s heard the same rumors about Paula and some of her friends having sex with older guys for money…she thinks Paula and Marcy were the ringleaders of the group. She came up with a couple of other names she said we should check out. Janice Wagoner and Billy Dalton. She also got an address for us on Rick James, the teacher that Paula accused of molesting her in her freshman year.”

Hutch pulled out his notebook and made note of the two additional names and carefully wrote down the address that Starsky gave him for the teacher. Sighing heavily, he said, “That’s all we need, more suspects to add to our list.”

“Hey, that’s why they pay us the big bucks.” Starsky said dryly, as he took a sip of the beer that the waitress had brought them from the bar as soon as they sat down.

“You ever get the feeling that we’re on the losing team?” Hutch said sourly. “And that the bad guys are dealing from the bottom?”

“All the time, pal. All the time.” Starsky said with a chuckle. Their conversation turned to other topics and they spent the next few hours just enjoying being together again.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Over the next two days, more students were interviewed with more names either being added to their list or eliminated. Hutch had contacted Rick James, the teacher who had been discharged after Paula accused him of molesting her during her freshman year. Reluctantly, he had agreed to meet with Hutch that afternoon after he got off work. Between his interviews, Hutch had caught glimpses of Starsky going about his assigned duties. The blond had to stifle a laugh at the cluster of teenage girls who seemed to be loitering in the halls watching Starsky as he worked. The brunet had absolutely no idea of the effect he that had on the opposite sex, no matter what their age.

After finishing his interviews for the day, Hutch drove directly to the address he had been given for Rick James. The former teacher lived in a condominium near the Marina with a security guard on duty inside the main entrance. After identifying himself to the guard, Hutch waited patiently while the other man called the tenant to verify their appointment before he let the detective proceed to the elevators.

Rick James lived on the third floor. He eyed the big blond cautiously as he opened the door and invited him inside. Rick James was a handsome man in his late thirties with classic sculptured features. He had neatly styled brown hair and brown eyes with a lean, muscular build. He was casually dressed in blue jeans and a button down white shirt. Hutch declined his offer of something to drink and watched as the other man strolled across the room and sank down on the sofa, gesturing absently for Hutch to take a seat in the matching arm chair.

“Mr. James,” Hutch said getting directly to the point “As I told you on the phone when we spoke earlier, my name’s Detective Hutchinson and I’m investigating the murder of Paula Davis.”

“I don’t know how I can help you, Detective. I haven’t taught at The Oakland Academy for over three years.”

“I realize that. Could you tell me what happened back then between you and Ms. Davis?”

“Nothing happened.” Rick said with a snort. “She tried coming on to me to get a better grade in class and I told her to go play her games somewhere else. The next thing I know I’m getting called up in front of the school board and being accused of molesting her.”

“Did you?’

“Of course not!” he said defensively “I’m not that stupid. Messing with the young stuff, especially if you’re a teacher, is asking for trouble big time.”

“So you resigned instead of trying to fight the allegations?”