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CABRILLO CARNIVAL

"Hey, you notice who's here?"

At Hutch's question, Starsky turned around from the little group who were watching the burgers cooking on the barbecue. He looked as Hutch gestured with his beer can to where, several yards away Minnie was in conversation with a blonde visitor to the Departmental picnic, and recognized their colleague's companion.

"Jane," he confirmed.

At that same moment, Jane Hutton glanced in their direction and returned Starsky's wave. They went across to join her and Minnie.

"Well, look who's here!" Starsky put an arm around her shoulders. "Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"

"You mean when you informed me you were a sex maniac?" she inquired.

"Be careful," Hutch cautioned. "Can you be sure he's changed?" He turned to Minnie, adding, "You know these two met at Cabrillo State?"

They laughed as Starsky observed, "You look a lot healthier than you did the last time I saw you."

"Right. I'm fine. Now." She looked at Hutch. "How about you?"

"No problem. Okay again."

"Sounds like all three of you had a lucky escape," Minnie said. "Jane's been telling me about the Cabrillo assignment."

"I didn't know you two knew each other," Starsky said.

"We didn't till a half-hour ago," Jane answered. "Captain Dobey told me where you'd be when I couldn't locate you in the squadroom, and he called the Academy so they'd know I was expected. So I just came over here."

"Just can't stay away from us, huh?" Hutch suggested.

"It's called information gathering. The paper's going to run a whole page feature on this case. My big break." She produced her camera. "I'll need some pictures, too." She looked around, taking in the festive scene. "I wasn't expecting anything as colorful as this at the Police Academy. Looks like a party."

"Minnie's birthday," Starsky said in explanation. "Happy Birthday, Minnie."

"Good excuse for a party," Minnie put in, "especially with the Cabrillo affair to celebrate as well."

Tall trees enclosed the stone-flagged picnic area, extending into leafy shadow along the line of the stepped pathway which led higher up the slope. Though it was still daylight, a string of colored lights glittered above a 'Happy Birthday' banner. A trestle table had been set up next to the barbecue with a large, decorated cake as centerpiece among all the other goodies.

"Picnic," Starsky announced, "LAPD style. Everyone's here except the ones minding the store. Come and see."

"It's your big moment, Minnie," Hutch told her. "Look -- they want you. It's cake-cutting time."

They moved over to the big table and Minnie performed the little ceremony while her well-wishers sang their greetings.

"This is nice," Jane commented as she snapped the happy scene. "I need a picture of you two," she added to the detectives. "There -- that's a good background right there by the steps."

"For the press?" Hutch asked as they assumed the position. "C'mon, Starsk -- that bun doesn't give it any dignity. Put it down for a minute."

The four of them adjourned then to the level ground, and settled, with drinks and birthday cake, at one of the small tables which stood there. The vast stone outcrops and the steps provided seats for others.

"Those trees...." Jane said. "Some of those must have been here before the Police Academy was ever thought of. I never imagined there was a place like this on the other side of that gate."

"It's a good place for parties -- barbecues, picnics -- whatever," Starsky said. "It gets used like this quite often."

"So -- still no regrets about undercover work?" Hutch asked.

"It went with my job. But there were some scary times," Jane confessed. "anyway, admit it -- you must have thought so, too?"

"It had its moments." He shared a look with Starsky, remembering.

Remembering that sense of being caught up, trapped, in a system which rejected human values, Hutch knew he'd never lose the memory of those bleak moments at the end of the Cabrillo day when, regardless of individual choice or need, the room lights were switched off, and he'd had to leave Starsky, alone and vulnerable, imprisoned in that room. Undercover work was nothing new to them, but the Cabrillo set-up had been close to depriving them of all initiative, making it hard to keep even one step ahead.

Hutch remembered the hurried, urgent exchanges when, doubtful of his ability to keep Starsky safe, his choice would have been to call it off. He'd wanted to contact Dobey, tell him they'd had enough, that the plan wasn't working. Starsky had listened to his doubts. Every trace of the undercover role was shed in seconds. Starsky had lain there, unable to move more than his head, and had decisively talked down every argument that Hutch could find to offer...immobile yet very much in charge of that situation, shoring up with his own determination Hutch's reluctant resolution. It was not the first time, Hutch reflected, that drugs and needles had encroached directly on their lives, but, as always, Starsky had fought back, challenging the menace -- and winning out.

His partner's counter-arguments that night in Cabrillo State had been characteristic of the refusal to abandon those who needed them, depended on them, who would lose out if this particular undercover assignment came to nothing, all of it underpinned by the unspoken commitment to protect and serve.

Afterwards, going over the events, drafting the case report, they'd talked about that turning-point moment in the Cabrillo case.

"You wouldn't leave them, would you?" Hutch had mused.

Starsky hadn't contradicted that. "No. So? Like who else? I could remind you of a few times when you -- anyway, they were friends of mine then -- I'd gotten to know them."

They both knew that neither of them could have backed out, allowing Matwick to pursue his kind of experimentation. "You always have time for the nothings, don't you?" Hutch had said and had met Starsky's answering shrug and his, "Is there a choice? Maybe it's something I sorta caught from you."

The shadows were beginning to lengthen now. Someone switched on more tree lights, brilliant against the midnight blue sky. Jane breathed a satisfied sigh. "I've enjoyed this." She paused. "It's all so different from Cabrillo. I guess the same routine going on there right now."

"Not really," Hutch demurred. "We did make some differences."

Starsky had been silent for some minutes. Then -- "Wait -- I got an idea. Why don't we fix up another party? But this time we take the party to them? We can't exactly invite them here." He looked at Hutch, enthusiasm mounting. "We could get a cake -- decorations -- streamers -- everything. It has to be somebody's birthday there." A thought struck him. "Where's the best place to pick up half a dozen cockroaches?"

"You want to go back there?" Jane asked. 

"For something like this - yeah, I do." He looked at Hutch again. "Okay?" 

Hutch smiled agreement. "Okay. Sure. Let's do it, partner."

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