Son Shine
By Tooki
Chapter One
David Kenneth Hutchinson was born on a bright sunny afternoon, his father, his mother of course, big sister Jesse, David Starsky who was a godfather for a second time and Edna Gray the nanny were all present. Little Davy was whisked away to be cleaned, check and weighed before being returned to the people that love him most.
Starsky had been beyond words the day that Susan and Hutch had found out that the baby she was carrying was to be a boy and that they wanted to name him David. Starsky had gone on a shopping spree that very day buying anything and everything in blue that he could fine. But not to for get his beautiful goddaughter who was now nine, he had gone to a jewelry store. He bought her a gold locket, on the front he had her name engraved on the back he had put "luv Uncle Starry" He had place a photo of Jesse on one side, leaving the other blank, for a photo of her baby brother. Jesse had loved it and Susan had been left speechless.
When she had found out she was once again pregnant she had told Hutch right away and then they both held their breath for the next nine months. She had been pregnant and lost that baby when Jesse was much younger due to a robber that had pushed her though a meat counter. Several years had pass and both she and Hutch had resigned themselves to that fact that Jesse would remain an only child.
Dobey insisted that Susan take a desk job the moment he had found out. This time Susan didn't argue with her Captain much to Hutch's relief. She had missed the streets and being with her partners but she didn't want to take any chances this time. Once she entered her seventh month she took a leave of absence and spent the remainder of her pregnancy with her daughter. They turned the spare room in to the nursery, planted a garden and Susan taught Jesse how to make bread. Things that they had miss out on because of the work the detective did.
Susan had just come out of the shower and gotten back in bed when the nurse brought her a tiny bundle. Hutch and Starsky were sound asleep in the two chairs in the hospital room and Edna had taken Jesse to get something to eat. She took the baby in her arms and peeled back the blanket from her son's face. He was perfect, he opened is little pink mouth letting out a small cry. Hutch roused by the cry of his son joined his wife on the bed to look at the baby.
Before the evening was over half the department had paraded though the room leaving so many gifts that there was hardly a place to sit. Huggy was one of the last people to visit bringing a huge bear for the baby and a bouquet of flowers for Susan.
A nurse entered the room and looked around spying Huggy she asked, "Are you Dr. Bear?"
"That I am," Huggy said and winked at Susan who rolled her eyes.
"You have an important call at the desk doctor."
After the nurse had left, Hutch shook his head, "Are you still up to those old tricks Huggy? I think it's time you get some new ones."
"Ah but why when the old ones work so well?" He said as he started out the door. "See you all later, duty calls."
The nurse reappeared and told everyone that visiting hours were over and it was time to leave. Hutch wanted to stay but Susan told him to talk Edna and Jesse home so that they all could get some rest. The doctor had told them that she could leave the next morning with Davy.
It was just after mid night when he nurse came in to take the sleeping baby from his mother. Susan crawled into bed and drifted off in to a dreamless sleep. At seven a.m. she was woke up by a frantic nurse that was shaking her shoulder.
Sleepily Susan sat up, "What it is?"
"Is the baby in here with you? Did you come to the nursery?" the woman in white said breathlessly.
"NO! Why what's wrong?" Susan said fear seeping into her heart. The woman's eyes were wide and fearful looking. "Where is my baby? Where is Davy?" she yelled grabbing the woman by the arm.
When Susan didn't get an answer she jumped out of bed and with out bothering to put on a robe rushed to the nursery. Several hospital guards were standing in the hall looking through the glass window of the nursery.
As she got close one of the guards stopped her, "Hey were are you going Miss?" he asked.
"My baby, I want to see my baby," Susan wailed tears coursing down her face, something was wrong something was very very wrong.
One of the nurses came out of the room, "She is one of the mothers," the woman said and guided the detective inside the outer room of the nursery. "Mrs. Hutchinson there is no easy way to tell you this so I'll just say it. Last night three of our new bornes were stolen and I'm very sorry but one of them was yours."
Susan stared at the woman in horror, "Davy is gone? But who would do something like that?"
"I don't know, your son and two little girls were taken some time between one and six this morning."
"Somebody just came in and walked out with them?" Susan asked trying to understand what had happened.
"Now I'm only telling you this because I know you and your husband are cops, but one of our nurses is missing too. She had only been working here a month, she was on duty last night. The other nurse she was working with was called from the nursery when that nurse returned the babies and the co-worker were gone." The woman said looking around to see if anyone was listening, she knew she could get fired for what she had just told.
Susan grabbed a pad of paper and scribbled down a name and number on it. "This is our partners name and number at our station. You call him and get him here, asked for Detective Starsky." The woman nodded and went to make the call.
Susan grabbed the phone from the wall and dialed her home number into it. After several rings Hutch picked up the phone. "Yeah?"
"Hutch I need you," she said trying to hold herself together but dissolved into tears.
"Honey what's wrong," he asked coming fully awake.
"It's Davy, he's been kidnapped." She blurted out.
"What?"
"Along with two other babies. Hutch," she wailed. "I need you."
Chapter Two
Susan had pulled herself together but when she saw Hutch coming down the hall she burst into tears. He caught her up in his arms and held her tight. Starsky wasn't far behind his partner; he burst though the doors leading to the nursery hall but stopped short when he saw the grim expressions on his friend's faces.
He had just been sitting down to a bag of donuts and a fresh cup of coffee when a nurse from the hospital called. She had been talking in such a whisper that Starsky wasn't really sure what was going on but he could tell from the urgency of her voice that it wasn't anything good. At first he thought that something had happened to his godson, but the doctors had said he was healthy yesterday.
"What happened?" Starsky asked as Susan came to him hugging him tightly. She buried her face in his jacket and sobbed.
Hutch trying to hold back his own tears said, "Somebody stole our baby."
"What?" Starsky said staring at his partner. "You mean they just walked in here and took the baby?"
"It was one of the nurses." Hutch told him
"Now we don't know that." Said a voice behind them. "We need to keep that information under wraps.
Hutch turned to see an uniformed cop standing there. "This needs to be on every news case and the front of every newspaper in the city."
"You Detective Hutchinson are taking like a father not a cop," he responded.
"I am a father, a father of a missing child."
A woman dressed in white struggled into her tiny apartment carrying a large wicker basket. She gently set the basket on the floor near the couch then bent over and pulled back the blanket that covered it to reveal three tiny faces. Two were wrapped in pink blankets the third in a blue all were still sleeping. Lucky for her they hadn't awoken and cried for then people would have known what was in the basket.
"Do well tonight?" asked a voice from the bed room door. A tall man was standing there wearing nothing but boxer shorts. He had shoulder length hair dirty blond and steely colored eyes.
The couple had started out on the East Coast stealing babies two years ago. She would pose as a nurse then snatch the newborns, sell them quickly and move on. This was their tenth and final job they had enough money to live many years in comfort. They moved across country, with the woman changing her look and name at every new place. But it was finally over and they had done it all with out getting caught.
"I got three this time John," she said smiling down at the babies. She picked up the boy and held him close.
"Let me get Danta on the phone and let him know we have them." He said crossing the room to the kitchen.
"John wait," she called. "Couldn't we just tell him we got two girls from him?"
"Ellen we can't keep one of the babies, it is to risky," John said picking up the receiver.
"But nobody knows what I look like," she said pulling the short blond curly wig from her head to show a dark bun on top of her head.
"A couple hiding from the law is no way to raise a baby." He said as he dialed in the number.
"But John, please." She wailed.
He looked at her a moment then hung up the phone, he knew now much his wife wanted a baby. It was hard on her seeing the babies sold to other couples leaving them with out a child. "Listen this just isn't a good idea, Danta wouldn't care if we kept one but still we could get caught easier."
"You said we were leaving the country." She sniffed holding the baby tightly.
"But how are you going to explain the baby, we have no birth records on him." John was beginning to weaken as he watched Ellen cradle the baby.
"Can't Danta get us one? He does it for the other babies."
John sighed, "I'll asked OK? But if he says no then all the babies go."
She smiled at her husband. "You call him I need to feed them before they start crying."
Carrying the baby to the couch she gently laid him down next to her as she sat down. The two girls were sleeping but the little boy was a wake, he began wriggling in his blanket. Ellen took a pair of small scissors and snipped the plastic bracelet that was around his tiny wrist. She looked at the name typed on it. Baby Hutchinson. Well not any more he was going to baby Thompson from now on. He began to fuss, she dropped the bracelet into her lap and she lifted him into her arms.
"You hungery there big boy?" she cooed at him. She was so engossed in the baby she didn't hear him come in from the kitchen.
"So what are we going to name our new son?" He asked trying to keep the grin from his face.
"Really?" she said leaping up. The bracelet slid to the floor as she went to her husband. "You mean we can keep him?"
He nodded, "Danta said he will work us up a birth certificate so really nobody will ever know. But we have one problem."
Her face fell, "What?"
"He won't be able to get the babies until tomorrow evening." John said as he crossed the room to stare into the wicker basket.
"Is that all," she grinned again.
"Hey that's a big something," John said looking at her gravely. "We have to get out of here the neighbors can't hear babies crying. And besides the police are probably already looking for you."
"We could go to a motel," Ellen said as she tucked her baby boy back in the basket. "Let me just fix a couple of bottles. You go pack and then we will get out of here.
Susan was dressed in street clothes and sitting in her hospital room waiting for Hutch to finish talking to the other officers and hospital personal. The door opened and Starsky walked in carrying a steaming cup of coffee.
"Here drink this," he said hold it out toward her.
She shook her head. "Thanks but I don’t want it. I just want to get home. I don't know how we are going to tell Jesse. She is going to be crushed."
"She's a strong girl she will be just fine," Starsky said placing the cup on the bedside table. He crouched down so he could look Susan in the eye. "We will find Davy, you hear me?"
She nodded as her eyes filled with tears. Starsky pulled her into his arms and smoothed her hair trying to comfort her. It reminded him too much of the time when she had lost her last baby. Hutch had slipped into the room and was standing by the door watching them.
Finally he said softly, "Ready to go?"
Starsky stood and helped Susan to her feet. "Any leads?"
Hutch nodded, "We have an address on the nurse that might have taken the babies."
"Then what are we doing standing here?" Susan asked. "Where is the place?"
"Only a few blocks from here but you are going home to bed." Hutch instructed. "You just had a baby."
"And somebody stole him and I'm getting Davy back." Susan said stepping away from Starsky who had his arm around her. "I'm OK and I'll be even better when we have our baby back."
Hutch looked at Starsky and shrugged. "You heard the lady, lets get going."
After Susan had been signed out of the hospital they went directly to the address giving to them by the hospital. A black and white followed the detectives to the small apartment building where the nurse lived. The two uniformed cops when to the door and knocked but there was no answer. They identified themselves as officers and still getting no response they knocked down the door. The three detectives followed the officers into the tiny apartment. It took only moments to check each room, and find that no one was home. But someone had been there; food was in the refrigerator, some clothes hung in the closet but it was apparent that suitcases had been packed.
Susan sat down on the couch heavily, she hated to admit it but she almost wish she had of gone home. She was tired, sore and feeling so down with the baby gone that all she wanted to do was cry. She waited a moment until the feeling passed that she was going to go into hysterics then she got up. As she did something sticking out from under the edge of the couch caught her attention. Susan bent down and picked up a small strip of plastic. She sucked in her breath sharply.
Hutch looked up from the pad he was taking notes on. They had found several letters on the kitchen counter and were in the process of taking down any information they could get from them. "What is it?"
Susan held up the plastic hospital band that had been around their baby's tiny wrist. "It's Davy's," she said in a tearful voice.
Hutch came to her side and took the bracelet from her. He closed his eyes after he read the name on it. "Well we know he was here and most likely so were the other two babies." He turned to the two officers, "get some more men up here and start knocking on doors maybe somebody knows something."
"I think you need to go home," Starsky said looking at Susan's pale face. "I think we need to tell Jesse and Edna before the news breaks on this."
She nodded in agreement and looked at Hutch who was busy in the bedroom going through drawers in the dresser. "Will you take me?"
"Sure, just let me tell Hutch," Starsky said.
It was a very quiet ride home; Susan stared out the window but didn't notice anything as they drove by it. Starsky wanted to say something but just wasn't sure what to say. Finally they arrived at the couples townhouse. There was a big banner stretched across the front of the house that said, "Welcome home Mommy and Davy". There was a wooden stork holding a blue bundle stuck in the front yard. She turned at looked at her partner who only shrugged. Jesse and Edna had been busy.
When they opened the front door they were hit with the smell of freshly baked cake. Susan looked at Starsky her eyes brimming with tears, the put a comforting arm around her, "It's going to be OK." He said softly.
Jesse burst into the room from the kitchen, she squealed when she saw then started across the room. She stopped short when she noticed that her mother wasn't holding her new baby brother and her daddy wasn't there. Jesse looked around for them. "Mommy where is Daddy and Davy?"
Susan fell to her knees and motioned her daughter into her arms. Hugging her tightly Susan said, "Honey there has been a problem."
Jesse looked at her mother's red eyes and the somber look on her godfather's face. "Is Davy OK?" she asked softly.
Susan shook her head, "I don't know, he was kidnapped from the hospital sometime during the night."
Jesse's eyes got big and round as she gasped, "Somebody took my brother? Did they take Daddy too?"
Susan smiled despite herself, "No sweetie you daddy is trying to find Davy. We have a good lead and he stayed to help out."
"I'm so sorry," said a voice from the doorway. It was Mrs. Gray; they hadn't heard her come into the room.
Susan got to her feet and hugged the older woman. "We are going to find him." She said firmly.
Chapter Three
Hutch stood in the computer room waiting for Libby Standford run the name Cathy Pratt through the computer. That was the name of the nurse that had been on duty when the babies disapeared along with their care taker. He fumbled with the plastic braclet they had found in the apartment.
How could this happen, how could some body just take somebody elses baby how…Hutch glanced up at Libby. She was talking to him but he was so deep in thought he hadn't heard a word she said. "I'm sorry," he said. "I didn’t hear you."
Libby got up from her chair and hugged the detective tightly. "It's OK," she said but the tone in her voice was anything but alright.
"What's wrong," he asked, they had known each other long enough that she couldn't put on a face for him.
"There is nothing on a Cathy Pratt." She said.
"Well so she doesn't have a police record but what about other information." He asked.
"That's what I mean there is nothing on her. Cathy Pratt does not exist." Libby said holding up a print out with the woman's name on top under it there was two words "no matches".
"Shit!" Hutch said pulling his hand from his pocket. They had been all over the apartment and found nothing. Cathy Pratt and the man she lived with according to the neighbors didn't talk much were very quiet and kept to themselves. The woman worked at night and they had only see the man a hand full of times. The couple had only lived in the building a month. The apartment didn't really looked lived in, there were not pictures, knickknacks, books, magazines, the stuff most people had lying around. The kitchen cabinets had the bare essentials. It was not the look of a place that was being lived in.
Hutch had talked to the landlord, all he knew was that they were from back east, paid three months rent in advance plus a deposit. The man hadn't asked any more questions after that. The woman had blond short curly hair but nobody could really describe the man with her. The landlord wasn't sure if they were married or not.
"Maybe they will be back," Libby said looking at the defeated look on his face.
Hutch shook his head, "I don't think so. There no clothes look like they packed in a hurry. A car is staking out the place but they aren't coming back."
"Where is Hutchinson?" asked a voice from out in the hall.
"In here Cap," Hutch called to his Captain.
Dobey entered the computer room; he was holding a manila folder in his hand, "I think you should take a look at this. I have been doing some checking on kidnapped babies and came up with this. Then got a call from the FBI a bit ago."
Hutch took the folder and flipped it open. There were at least dozen reports on missing new borne babies. "What the hell?" Hutch said stunned as he looked at each report.
"Same MO, an OB nurse that only worked a month disappeared the same time as two to three babies, in very single case. The FBI are only starting to put this together now. It has happened from coast to coast starting in New York. Look at the dates it follows a pattern across the US."
"My God," Hutch breathed, "A baby stealing ring."
"Looks like it." Dobey said.
Libby took the files from Hutch, "Let me run this and see if I can get anymore info for you."
"Have any of the babies been recovered?" Hutch asked holding his breath.
Dobey shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, no. This started about two years ago."
"Great," Hutch said watching Libby busily typing things into the computer. "So where will they go. They are on the West Coast now, I doubt they would head back. So the only place would be to leave…" he stopped cold and closed his eyes as he finished his sentence, "the country."
Dobey lapped the doorframe sharply and headed toward the front desk. "Give me a phone," he demanded from the desk sergeant. He dial the phone, then bark orders, "You get men to cover the airport, bus stations, and train stations." He went on to explain who they were looking for.
"Thanks Cap," Hutch said as the Captain hung up the phone.
Dobey patted his detective on the back. "We'll get them."
Ellen had waited in a cab while John went in and got them a room. The last thing they need was for the girl at the desk to see them checking in with three new borne babies. It was bad enough that the cab driver knew. If the girls hadn't began to cry he wouldn't have know and thought that they only had the one. But half way to the motel their tiny girls decided they were hungry. Ellen had explained that she had just had triplets. She wasn't sure if the man had bought the story.
Now they were all settled in the room and Danta would be there to pick up the girls first thing in the morning and bring paper work on their tiny new son. John had go out to get some formula and diapers for the babies and something to eat for them. He had been gone almost an hour when loud pounding on the door startled Ellen and made the three babies cry.
She ran to the window and pulled the curtain back, John was standing there holding two plastic bags on his wrists and a cardboard box containing a pizza in his hands. Seeing it was him she rushed to the door and opened it. He shoved the box into her arms tossed the bags on the bed and flipped on the TV.
"W-What's going on?" She asked he was scaring her badly.
"That is what is going on." He answered her pointing to the special broadcast interrupting the game show.
"…. three new borne babies were taken from this hospital early this morning. The FBI is on the look out for a couple that has seemed to be responsible for other kidnappings across the country…"
"Shit, shit, shit," John yelled. "How did they get on us so damn fast?" They had never had any problems before. Usually they had blown town with in hours of the kidnapping.
"Calm down honey, you are scaring the babies." She said picking up "her" boy. "What are we going to call him John?"
Her husband looked at her eyes blazing, "Ellen don't you understand? We might get caught, do you know what they will do to us? Do you know how long we will be in jail?"
But she wasn't listening to him, she was talking softly to the baby. "I think Andrew would be a nice name, we could call him Andy for short."
"We won't be calling him anything," he yelled in her face making the baby shriek. "We will be in jail."
Those words stopped her, she looked into her husbands angry face. "We will be out of here in the morning. No one knows we are here."
"Oh nobody but that damn cabbie," he snapped.
At that moment Calvin Wright was calling dispatch from his easy chair at home. He had seen the news broadcast also. The couple that he had picked up four blocks from the hospital on the street corner struck him as odd from the very beginning. People coming home from the hospital with three new borne babies didn't get picked up on the street corner blocks from the hospital. In his day he had taken home many new families but this one just didn't feel right. He had been a cabbie all his life just as his father had been and he had learned to read people. And the couple he had picked up with the basket of screaming kids were very uneasy about something. The description of the nurse didn't match the woman that sat in his back seat holding a blue wrapped bundle but he had seen many a woman pull off a wig in the back of his cab.
When the call came into the squad room Starsky had just arrived leaving Susan in the care of Edna. He tossed a sandwich he had picked up for Hutch across the desk when the phone rang. "Starsky here." He said into the phone and nodded at Hutch to eat. He listened for a few moments, "where? We will be there as fast as we can."
Hutch stopped unwrapping the sandwich, "what is it?"
"We got a lead, a cabbie dropped this couple off at a Motel 6 with three new borne babies." Starsky said with a grin.
Hutch dropped the uneaten sandwich on the desk and the two men dashed out of the squad room. By the time they got to the motel the area was crawling with police. The two detectives ran toward the motel room just in time to see an officer carrying out a basket with crying babies in it.
Both detectives let out sighs of relief it was over. The officer gently sat the basket on the hood of one of the squad cars. Hutch pulled back the blanket covering the crying babies. His heart drop, there were two little pink bundles. He ran into the room wanting to search again hoping that they had just missed his son.
"Sorry Detective Hutchinson," an officer in the room said. "We found the babies in the basket sitting in the bathtub."
"What am I going to tell Susan," Hutch said in a grief stricken voice as his partner joined him in the room.
"You are going to tell her we are hot on the trail of her son," Starsky said placing an arm around Hutch's shoulders. "Don't you realize we know have a real description of the couple plus they are running scared why else would the dump the babies?"
"But why did they take Davy?" Hutch asked, his partner couldn't answer that one.
An officer came into the motel room the same one from the hospital. He glanced around the room a few times then started to walk out. "Let's pack it in and get these kids to their parents." He called to the men outside.
"Pack it in!" Hutch said. "Has anyone gone over this room? Finger printed it anything?"
"We got the babies."
"You got two babies, my son is still missing," Hutch stormed. "Or is two out of three not bad and you are already counting your blessing that you aren't going to look too bad?"
"Listen Hutchinson," Ed Stampler said in a cold voice. "I am aware that you kid is still missing but we are wasting time here."
"Fuck you," Hutch yelled and advanced on the office.
"Just calm down," he said. "I think you need to go home you are to close to this case to see it clearly."
"You fucking calm down!" Hutch exploded. "I'll go home when I'm damn good and ready. If this was left up to you this two children would never been found."
"I think you are over stepping your boundary's now detective." The officer said angrily.
Hutch stepped closer to the officer, then slugged him in the jaw knocking him to the floor before Starsky could even try to stop his partner. "Now I have over stepped my boundary."
"I'll have you badge for this Detective," the man said rubbing his jaw as he tried to get to his feet.
"Why wait," Hutch yelled as he pulled his wallet containing his badge and threw it at the man. "I hope you choke on it." Hutch stormed out of the room and into the parking lot.
Starsky stepped over the officer, "I'll take that," he said as he bent down and plucked Hutch's badge from the man's chest and slipped it into his coat pocket. He started out the door and then turned and looked down at the man. "Ed you are such an ass."
Chapter Four
Ellen Thompson sat in the dingy waiting room of the bus station while her husband went to by tickets to Mexico. She watched the door every time it opened knowing that at any moment the police were going to be on them. John had panicked over the TV broadcast and insisted on leaving the babies. At first he wanted to leave them all but Ellen refused to leave her baby "Andy". So they ended up just leaving the little girls in the room and walking two miles before finding a city bus that would take them to the bus station. No more cabs, it had to have been the cabbie that fingered them.
Little "Andy" began to fuss, Ellen laid him in the set next to her so she could get out one the bottles she had prepared before they had left the motel. Ellen felt somebody watching her and she glance up. A young woman was standing there holding a baby of her own just slightly older than the new borne.
"Hard traveling with a baby," the young woman said. Ellen just nodded as she picked up "Andy" and began to feed him. "You been on the road long?"
"No," Ellen said but didn't elaborate.
"Are you alone?" the woman asked.
"No," Ellen said again then added, "My husband is getting us tickets"
"We are on our way to see my husband, he's working in Mexico right now." She said. "We didn't want the baby born there. Then I had to get all her papers before we could leave." Papers, birth certificate, Ellen could feel herself growing pale. "Are you alright?"
"Ah…yeah…I …ah…got to find my husband." Ellen stammered as she got up. She looked around feverishly for John. They had forgotten they had to have the baby's birth certificate to get him out of the country. They had taken off before Danta had gotten there and there was no way that John would contact him again after they dumped the babies. Finally she spied her husband at a soft drink machine as she came up to him he turned and smiled.
But the smiled slipped quickly from his face when he saw the look on hers. "What is it, the cops here." He asked looking around the station.
She shook her head, "We didn't get a birth certificate, how are we going to take Andy out of the country?"
"Shit," John said looking down at his wife holding the baby. "Listen Ellen, I know you want him but it's either us or him. And if we get caught you won't get to keep him anyway. The bus is leaving any minute. We'll get you a baby, I promise."
Ellen stood staring at her husband then looked down at the tiny baby she had come quickly to love. Then she nodded slowly as tears streamed down her face. She walked back over to where the young woman was still sitting and sat down next to her.
The young woman looked at her again. "Are you sure you are OK?" she asked.
"Well no, I'm not feeling very well," Ellen lied trying not to cry harder. "I guess we got on the road to quickly. Could you watch him while I go to the bathroom?"
"Oh of course Hon, you go right head." She smiled at Ellen. "I have an hour before my bus comes, it was delayed so take your time."
Ellen got up slowly placed a kiss on the baby's head and handed him to the young woman. Her daughter was sound to sleep in a stroller next to her. "His name is Andy." Then she thought for a few minutes and added. "Andy Hutchinson."
Susan was finally in an uneasy dose on the couch, Edna had insisted that she lay down. She had really wanted the detective in bed but settled on the couch seeing no reason to upset Susan any more. Jesse sat on the floor in front of the TV watching afternoon cartoons and playing with her Barbie's. The roadrunner had just gotten the best of the coyote again when special news bulletin flashed up on the screen.
"Mommy," Jesse jumped up and shook her mother awake. "They are talking about the babies on TV."
Susan rubbed her eyes and tried to focus on what the announcer was saying. "…two of the three missing new borne babies were discovered by authorities this afternoon in this motel."
"Two? Which two?" She said as she was reaching for the phone. Mrs. Gray who had been watching TV in the kitchen came into the living room.
"The two baby girls were rushed to the hospital and will be released to their parents if in good health." The announcer said.
Susan stopped with the receiver in her hand and looked up at the nanny. "They didn't find Davy," she said tears filling her eyes. "What did they do with him?"
"Where is Daddy," Jesse asked her eyes also full of tears.
"Right there," Mrs. Gray pointed to the TV screen. Hutch was just coming out of the motel room, with Starsky following him. Susan could tell by the look on her husband's face that he was very upset.
"Oh God I hope they didn't find Davy in there." Susan said softly as she watched her two partners cross out of camera range.
"But Mommy they said they just found two of the babies," Jesse said then after a few moments she added, "Oh you mean you hope he's not dead."
Susan cringed at her daughter's words then motioned for her to join her on the couch. "Davy is going to be just fine."
"Why wasn't he with the little girls?" Jesse asked.
"I don't know honey, I just don't know." Susan felt a cold hand grab her heart. What if something had happened to their tiny son, what if he had some kind of medical problem and he died, what if they just dumped him? She buried her face in her daughter's hair and hugged her tightly.
Moments later the phone rang, Edna picked it up then handed it to the detective. "Hello?"
"How you holding up?" came the question.
"Oh Hutch, where is Davy." Susan cried. "We were just watching the news, what is wrong you looked so angry."
"I'll tell you later," he said. "Davy was not in the motel."
"So you didn't find him dead?" she asked trying not to break down.
"No and nothing in there makes us think that he is dead." Hutch answered. "My best guess it was just two much trying to get around with three babies with out drawing attention to themselves so they dumped the girls."
"Any leads?" She asked holding her breath.
"No, not right now. But they must be on the run. Dobey has sent men to the bus and train stations and to the airport. We got to get word to them that they are looking for a couple with just one baby now."
"You want me to come in?"
"Not on your life, you stay right where you are." Hutch commanded. "I have enough to worry about with out having to worry about you too. Oh and we have a real description of the couple from the cabby that dropped them at the motel."
"Keep me updated, I hate hearing this crap on TV." Susan said in a testy voice.
Anita Wright glanced around the station then at the baby boy she held in her arms, it had been almost forty-five minutes since the woman had asked her to watch the baby. They were going to announce her bus any minute. She got up holding the baby and pushed the stroller toward the restroom. She pushed open the door with her foot and peered in.
"Miss?" She called. "Miss are you alright?"
"I'm just fine dear," said an older lady coming from on of the stalls.
Anita smiled at her, "I'm looking for a young about my age. She came in here a while ago, she wasn't feeling well."
"I'm the only one in her dear." She said washing her hands.
"Oh!" Anita said startled. She turned and looked around the station again. The woman said that she was here with her husband. She had to do something fast her bus would be leaving soon.
Pushing the stroller toward the ticket counter Anita keep glancing around the room hoping to catch sight of the babies mother. She smiled at the ticket agent behind the counter, "Sir, a lady asked me to watch her baby and now she has disappeared and my bus is going to leave soon."
"If you tell me her name miss and I'll page her." he said returning her smile.
"I don't know her name, she never told me." Anita said forlornly. "But I do know the baby's name it's Andy Hutchinson."
"I can work with that," he said helpfully. He picked up the microphone and said into. "Attention, attention would the mother of Andy Hutchinson please come to the ticket counter."
"That should do it," she smiled at him. They waited and waited but no one approached the counter. She looked at him. "Now what?"
He shrugged, "Maybe you should call the police."
"I hate to do that, in case she just stepped out of the building." She said looking at the clock on the wall. "My bus leaves in five minutes. I can't take him with me."
The man sighed and came around the counter with his arms out. Anita handed him the baby. "What was his name again?"
"Andy Hutchinson." She told him again. "I hope the mother comes back for him." And with those finally words she went to get her luggage and wait on her bus.
Hank looked down at the tiny bundle in his arms. He hated to call the cops they would put the baby in foster care. His shift was almost over so he made a call to his wife and told her he was bringing a guest home. After leaving instructions for someone to call him if the young woman came looking for her baby he left for home.
Ellen cried most as she sat on the bus watching the scenery go by. John had tried to comfort her but to no avail so he finally left her alone hoping she would snap out of it. An hour after they left a tremendous storm hit, the rain and the wind whipped the bus side to side. The driver should have pulled over but he was already running late so he continued on. The rain battered the window so hard that Ellen couldn't see out but she didn't care all she wanted was her baby.
Suddenly the bus started skidding on the rain soaked road and began going sideways. The passengers began to scream and cry as the driver tried to get the bus under control. But the roads were just too wet and the wind blowing too hard. The bus slid off the road falling on its side in the ditch. The passengers and carry on luggage were tossed to one side, the driver's head struck the side window cracking his skull and killing him instantly. Ellen felt her self falling to the other side of the bus, there as a shape pain in her side then nothing but relief.
By the time the help came, half the passengers and the driver were dead; the other half were seriously hurt nobody escaped unharmed. The rain had finally stopped falling as the last of the bodies where taken to the morgue where they would identify and family members notified. It was a tedious task matching the victims to their things; it took several hours to narrow down what belonged with whom. They started out with the men since they usually had wallets on them and were easier to identify.
Jake Sanders was going through the pockets of one of the men when he found something strange. He had several different ID's on him, all the pictures were the same but the names were different, as was the hair and eye color. He quickly showed them to his boss who had been also called to look a woman with several ID's also.
Chapter Five
It was four a.m. when the call came to the Hutchinson household. Hutch had only been home two hours, he and Starsky had been checking out leads that every crack pot in the city was calling in. Once the press and news reporters found out that the missing baby belong to cops they had a field day. Dobey had finally ordered his men home to get some rest. Starsky was crashing on the couple's couch he couldn't bare to go home, he wanted to be close to the people that he considered his family.
When the phone rang Hutch all put pounced on it. He had been lying there awake unable to sleep, Susan had finally cried herself to sleep but woke when the phone rang. "Hutchinson," he said. "Yeah, yeah I got ya." He was climbing out of bed, pulling on his jeans and talking all at the same time. "We will be there as soon as we can. Is the baby with them? I see." The disappointed was evident in his voice.
As soon as he hung up the phone, Susan asked, "Did they find them?"
Hutch nodded and he slipped a shirt over his head. "They were in a bus crash about ten miles from the Mexican broader."
"Oh my God," she said tears in her voice. "Was Davy hurt?"
"They said they didn't find a baby." Hutch said, then he leaned over the bed and kissed her. "You stay here with Jess, Starsk and I will go see what is going on."
Starsky was sound asleep on the couch, Jesse was laying next to him with her heard resting on his arm. Gently Hutch shook his partners arm. "Huh?" Starsky said looking up into Hutch's grim face.
"The couple has been found." Hutch said as he shook Jesse awake so that Starsky could move. "Jess honey go sleep with your mother." She nodded sleepily and stumbled up the stairs.
"Where?" Starsky asked slipping on his shoes.
"Ten miles from the Mexico broader they were in a bus crash." Hutch said as he handed Starsky his jacket.
Dobey had arranged for a chopper to take them, when the two detectives arrived at the morgue they were stunned by the amount of bodies. As they looked around a man dressed in a yellow rain slicker walked up to them.
"Hutchinson?" he asked.
"Yes and this is my partner Detective Starsky." Hutch answered.
"I'm Captain Spears," he said shaking hands with them both. "Their bodies are over here."
"Bodies?" Starsky said. "You mean they are dead?"
"You weren't told?" Spears asked. They both shook their heads. He peeled back the sheets covering the faces of the couple; their ID's were lying on their chests so they wouldn’t get misplaced. He picked up the plastic cover cards and handed them to the detectives. One said Cathy Pratt on it the nurse from the hospital. Another one said Ellen Thompson; a third said Donna Trindle. Next they looked at the man's, his first name stayed the same but the last names were different from hers except Thompson.
Hutch held up the two ID's, "these must be who they really are. What about the baby?"
"There was no baby." Spears said. "There were no babies booked on this bus. We have the manifest right here."
"What did they do with the baby?" Hutch looked at his partner Starsky knew what he was feeling with out Hutch saying a word.
"I would suggest you starting at the bus station they left from." Spears said. He scribbled down which station the couple had left from and handed it to them.
Hank Adams was standing in the kitchen the next morning holding the baby, his wife Sadie was making up a bottle for the lad. Once the formula was warm she took the baby from her husband's arms, the baby sucked greedily at the nipple.
"He's not very old," Sadie said as she smiled down at the tiny boy. "Do you think the mother will come back?"
Hank shook his head slowly, "No I reckon that if she was coming back the station would have called me by now. I guess we will have to call the police soon."
"Poor little thing," she sighed wishing they could keep him but they have five of their own. "Here you finish up with him, I'll get you breakfast."
Hank took the baby and went into the living room to watch the news while his wife cooked. He flipped on his favorite news channel; one of the reporters was interviewing a blonde-headed man who looked very upset. Hank wasn't paying much attention as he tickled the baby until the reporter asked. "So where do you look from here Detective Hutchinson."
The blond man shook his head sadly. "This bus station was pretty much our last hope. Now that the couple is dead we can't question them to the where abouts of our baby."
Hank said watching the screen opened mouthed, "Sadie get in here."
Sadie came running from the kitchen with a knife in her hand. "What is it Hank is the baby OK?"
He pointed to the TV screen, "You know those babies that were taken from the hospital?" She nodded. "Well I think I have one of them right here."
"Oh Hank," She laughed, "You watch to many of those cop shows."
"What did I tell you the baby's name was when I came in?" Hank asked standing up.
"Andy Hutchinson, I believe."
"Well the cop on there who's son new born son is miss is a Detective Hutchinson. They were interviewing him in front of a bus station." Hank said raising his eyebrows. "What would you think?"
"That some boob down at the station didn't tell them that you brought home a baby." Sadie said shaking her head. "That poor fellow."
"So you believe me." Hank said rolling his eyes and grinning at his wife. "I bet when the new shift came on no body told them I took a baby home. I better called the police department and tell them what we got here."
Sadie took the baby and Hank called the police department. After several calls Hank finally got connected with Hutch's desk. The phone rang several times before a very defeated voice answered the phone. "Hutchinson."
When the detectives had left the bus station Starsky had been the one to make the call to tell Susan that the baby hadn't been found yet. Hutch sat numbly in the passenger's seat knowing that with every tick of the clock the odds of finding his son slipped away. They had been up going on two days now; it was beginning to take its toll. They drove silently to the police department, hoping that maybe just maybe they would get some kind of lead.
The phone on Hutch's desk rang; it rang several times before Starsky finally looked up at him. He was busy filling out some reports, Hutch signed and picked up the phone.
"Detective Hutchinson?" a man's voice said. "The one that was on TV earlier? The one with the missing baby?"
"Yeah," Hutch growled, he wasn't in the mood for another wild goose chase.
"Well Detective I believe I might just have your son." Hank said smiling at his wife.
"What? Who is this?" Hutch said sitting up in his chair. Starsky stopped writing to watch his partner; in fact the whole squad room went silent.
Quickly Hank explained what had happened at the bus station and why he figured that the police weren't told that he had the baby. "I'm very sorry detective."
"My partner and I will be there as soon as we can." Hutch said, he slammed down the receiver and grabbed his jacket. "A ticket clerk from the bus station has Davy."
"WHAT?" Starsky exclaimed jumping up to follow his partner.
Starsky slowly opened the front door of the townhouse then held it open for Hutch who was carrying his son. "Anybody home?" Starsky yelled loudly.
Jesse came running from the kitchen but stopped short when she was what her father had. "Oh," she said and ran to peer in at the tiny pink face as Hutch knelt down so she could see.
Starsky went into the kitchen to find Susan. She was sitting at the kitchen table staring out into the back yard an untouched cup of coffee sat before her. Mrs. Gray gave the detective a weak smile and shook her head. When the call had come earlier that the baby hadn't been found at the bus station it had been all Susan could do to hold herself together.
"Susan," Starsky said to get her attention. She looked up at him with red swollen eyes. "Come on."
Slowly with out speaking she got to her feet and allowed him to guide her to the living room where Hutch was now sitting on the couch. Jesse was next to him and he was holding something. Susan felt her knees go weak and if Starsky hadn't been standing there to support her she would have fallen. "Oh my God," she sobbed as she regain her legs and ran around the couch. "You found him, you found Davy. She was laughing and crying at the same time. Susan took the baby in her arms and peeled back the blanket to get a good look at him. She counted his toes and fingers and smothered her baby with kisses. Then she kissed Hutch and hugged Jesse then reached over the couch to take Starsky's hand. Edna stood back with tears standing in her eyes as she watched them.
"I think we should take him to the hospital just to make sure he is alright." Hutch told her gently.
"Not with out me," Susan said. "He's not leaving my sight again."
"Not on your life," Hutch smiled at her. He led over and hugged Susan and their baby then ruffled Jesse's long dark hair. "You two get dressed and we'll all go."
"Guess we can have that party now," Edna said.
As Susan and Hutch were getting ready to leave for the hospital with their children she noticed Starsky sitting on the couch. "Aren't you coming."
He shook his head, "Naw, I’m going to stay here and help Edna with the party."
"Are you sure?" She asked walking over to him.
He nodded, "You just bring my God Son home safe and sound."
"That you can be assured of." Hutch said.
THE END