Street Cred

19

Huggy overhears something he shouldn’t and wonders what to do about it.

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Huggy was tending bar for Diego. Diego was related to Gina, who was married to Carlos, whose mother was Huggy’s aunt’s next door neighbour. And that’s all the explanation you need. Diego needed cover for the weekend so he could take his girl to her brother’s wedding out of town and Aunt Rene volunteered her nephew. No-one could say no to Aunt Rene and so here he was.

Truth be told it wasn’t such a bad gig. He enjoyed pouring drinks for the customers, listening to the colourful tales of the patrons and polishing glasses till they shone. Maybe one day he’d get his own place a little like this one.

It was getting late. Almost time to call for last orders and get ready to kick out the drunks with the help of Bill, a man born to be a bouncer if ever there was one. Huggy could handle himself if he had to but he preferred to talk his way out of tricky situations. Bill was a handy guy to know and had already saved him from having his new threads messed up.

Huggy called last orders, poured a few beers and then started gathering up glasses from empty tables. As he neared the corridor to the back of the bar, where the telephones were situated, he heard something that made him back away quietly but not so far that he couldn’t hear the one-sided conversation.

“Yeah, I got it. You want it to look like an accident…Yeah, where and when… Tomorrow night…End of shift? What’s this guy do for a living?…A cop? You serious?…All right but I expect double pay.”

The guy slammed the phone back on the hook. By the time he walked past Huggy, Huggy was six tables away and about to lift a loaded tray. He looked at the guy without looking, trying to see if he knew him. But he didn’t.

Huggy carried the tray over to the bar and then out to the kitchen to be washed. He went back out and guided a couple of patrons out while Bill half-lifted a sad drunk off his stool and shoved him into a cab. Bill came back in and locked the front door.

“All done. Toilets are empty. I made sure.”

“Thanks Bill. See ya tomorrow.”

“Night Huggy.”

Bill headed out of the back door and Huggy locked it behind the big man. He made a sweep of the place just to double check there was no-one left and then started putting up stools on the bar, leaving the floor clear for the youngster who did the sweeping up in the mornings. All the while he was thinking.

Finally he went to the phone and lifted the receiver. He asked to be put through to the precinct, where he had found out two particular detectives worked. After his little run in with them a couple of months ago, he’d made a point of finding out who they were and where they worked. He hadn’t been sure why except that despite his wariness of cops, especially white cops, these two seemed on the level and it couldn’t hurt to have friends in law enforcement. Just in case he might need a little help one day. He hoped they were working a night shift or he’d have to leave a message for them.

“Detective Starsky or Hutch, please,” he said to the voice that answered. “Tell ’em it’s Huggy Bear Brown.”

The line went quiet and then the clerk said, “Hold please while we patch you through.”

There was a funny crackling noise then a voice said, “Huggy? It’s Detective Starsky. What do you want?”

“Can you come to Escobar’s on the corner of Greenway and Milton? It’s important. Ya dig?”

Starsky hesitated then said, “We’ll be there in fifteen.”

Huggy replaced the phone and carried on tidying up. Fourteen minutes later he unlocked the front door and looked out. A short while later, he saw the approach of the red and white car that they’d been driving when they’d first met.

Starsky grinned as he got out of the vehicle. Hutch looked at him cautiously. Huggy could tell the blond detective still wasn’t sure about him. And that was okay. He wasn’t sure about the blond either.

“Come in.”

Huggy locked the door behind them.

“Well?” Hutch was straight down to business.

“Heard a guy make a phone call earlier. Sounded like he was being paid to organise an accident.”

Starsky raised an eyebrow. “Accident? For who?”

“Whom, Starsky, whom.”

Starsky rolled his eyes.

Huggy waved his hands. “I don’t got no details. Just it’s tomorrow night and the guy who’s being targeted is a cop.”

“A cop?”

“That’s all I heard. Sorry, I didn’t hear anything else.”

“Did you see the guy? What did he look like?” Starsky asked.

Huggy rubbed his chin and tried to remember. “White guy, mid forties maybe, dark hair, thin moustache, five foot eight or nine. He was wearing denims and a black leather jacket.”

“You don’t know him?” Hutch fixed Huggy with a penetrating look.

“No, man. I’m just covering the weekend here as a favour. I don’t know if he’s a regular or not. I don’t know him.”

“Which phone was he using?”

Huggy took them to the corridor and pointed at the second phone.

“Anyone use it after him?” Hutch asked.

“No.”

Starsky nodded to Hutch. “You’re thinking we can get fingerprints off it and see if he’s in the system.”

“Yeah, it’s worth a try. I’ll go call for a team.”

“Now wait a minute, I can’t have a horde of cops showing up here! What if someone sees you people and tells Diego or tells the guy? What about my street cred?”

Hutch glared but Starsky nodded.

“Hutch, he does have a point.”

Hutch looked at his partner then his glare softened. “Okay, I’ll ask for an unmarked car and just one technician. We’ll keep it discreet. Okay, Huggy?”

Huggy sighed with relief. “Thanks man.”

Hutch headed outside while Starsky waited with Huggy.

“Nice place. You’re just here for the weekend?”

“Yeah, Monday I move on to my next gig.”

“Which is?”

“Don’t know yet,” Huggy said with a shrug. “I kinda liked this gig. Maybe I’ll get my own establishment one day.”

“Let me know where.”

Huggy fixed him with a bemused look. “Ya think I want law enforcement hanging out around my establishment? Street cred, Starsky, street cred.”

“My mistake,” Starsky said, but he grinned.

Huggy shook his head.

Hutch returned. “Twenty minutes and Taylor will be here.”

Huggy looked at the clock and asked, “How long will this take? Only I gotta get my beauty sleep.”

Hutch rolled his eyes. “It’ll take as long as it takes. We need you to come downtown and describe the guy to a sketch artist in case the fingerprints don’t help.”

“No, nada, zip, no way. I can’t be seen helping the police.”

“Where’s your sense of community spirit?” Hutch asked.

“I know my community and their spirit is anti cop if you get my drift. Can’t help you.”

Hutch looked as if he was about to explode, Starsky placed a calming hand on his shoulder and then stepped in front of his partner.

“Huggy, you did a good thing calling us. You don’t want to see a cop get killed. You’ve helped but we need more if we’re going to stop this guy…else you might as well not have bothered making that call.”

Huggy frowned. He turned away. Hutch went to speak, but Starsky shook his head at him. Huggy walked away, but then they realised that he was picking up his jacket.

“Thanks Huggy,” Starsky said. “How about I drive us to the precinct while Hutch waits for Taylor then we’ll get back for when he’s gone. We can get out of your hair and you can get your beauty sleep.”

“Fine, fine, whatever gets this done quick.”

“Great.”

Before Huggy could change his mind, Starsky nodded to Hutch and then led Huggy out to the Torino. Soon they were on their way to the precinct.

*****

The next evening around nine, the front door opened and two men walked in. Huggy grimaced slightly when he saw them then pretended he hadn’t noticed. Starsky and Hutch made their way to the end of the bar and ordered two beers. They sat chatting, not pressuring Huggy to join them but it was clear that they wanted to speak to him.

He waited until there was a lull and no-one within earshot then he slipped over to the end of the bar.

“So?”

“Our mutual friend is behind bars,” Starsky said softly.

“The fingerprints led us to him. We set up surveillance and caught him tampering with the officer’s car,” Hutch continued.

“He gave up the guy who ordered the hit.”

“You saved a detective’s life, Huggy. Here’s to you.”

The two of them lifted their glasses in a toast. Huggy tried not to look pleased. He nodded at them.

“So Huggy, is this the start of a bee-ootiful friendship?”

Huggy snorted. “Street cred, man, street cred.”

“Hey, I’d enhance anyone’s street cred,” Starsky protested.

Hutch rolled his eyes. “Only if they didn’t have any to start with,” he teased.

Huggy chuckled at Starsky’s “Hey!” and nodded at Hutch, who graced him with a small smile. Hutch reached into his pocket and slid a card across the bar to him. First making sure no-one was looking, Huggy palmed the card and slipped it into his pocket.

“That it? No reward I suppose for doing my civic duty?”

“Just the joy of doing the right thing,” Hutch said.

Huggy looked at Starsky. “Is he always this corny?”

“Always!”

Now it was Hutch’s turn to say, “Hey!”

Starsky finished his beer and stood up. He leaned over and said quietly, “No reward but that card is a get out of jail free card…with us anyways. Ya dig?”

Huggy nodded. “I dig. See you around, gentlemen.”

“See ya.”

Huggy watched as they headed out and wondered how long it would be before he saw the two of them again. He hoped it wouldn’t be too soon…but he hoped it wouldn’t be never.