“CAT AND MOUSE”
BY P&C PRODUCTIONS
CHAPTER 1
 

It was quite a cool November night as the High School band played during halftime and Hutch pushed his way through the many legs that blocked his path back to his seat.  With the casual ‘excuse me’ and ‘pardon me’, He finally found the spot where he had left his partner and proceeded to sit back down. They watched her raise her pom poms high in the air and spin around with a few high spirited kicks. With a smile on her face she shouted the familiar cheers to the crowd.  Starsky always got a little overzealous at these games and Hutch had been slumping down in his seat to avoid the annoyed looks they received from the other parents.

“Did you see that last play?” Starsky asked Hutch as he grabbed the chili- smothered hotdog from his hand. “I can’t believe they threw a penalty flag on him.” He said as he took a bite. “The kid was great!”

“Don’t talk with your mouthful.” Hutch told him as he began to take a bite of his own… “Hey and do me a favor will ya? Stop yelling at ‘em…they can’t hear you from way up here.”

“Hey…I used to play football when I was in High School…believe me they can hear from down there.” He said as he took a sip of his soda.

“Oh Yeah!…I wonder what they used to yell at you.” Hutch kidded him.

“I was good…they loved me…I was MVP” Starsky replied as he looked his partner in the eye. “And what were you…Captain of the debate team?”

“As a matter of fact….” Hutch began.

“It figures.” Starsky ended.

The Band finished in a crowd-pleasing finale and they rose to their feet to applaud.  Cassie and the other girls jumped up and down in their little skirts raising their pom poms and performing splits in the air to their excitement.

“Look at that will ya!” Starsky said as he motioned to Hutch to watch her. “That’s why I told you I didn’t want her down there.”

“Aw C’mon Starsk…it’s all part of being young.” Hutch explained to him. “Don ’t you remember having cheerleaders when you played the game?”

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Starsky told him. “I remember having every last one of them,’

“You mean you…” Hutch asked the half-question.

“Every last one.” He answered with a devilish grin.

As the game resumed and the penalty flags flew…Starsky continued to yell his embarrassing remarks to the playing field.  The ‘Wildcats” were unbeaten and it seemed to Starsky that the Umpires that night were totally prejudiced towards the visiting team.  In the end it really didn’t matter. Despite all the flags and Starsky’s constant belly-aching…they emerged victorious.  Just another reason for more high leg lifts and jumping splits that cause short skirts to fly up high in the air…again and again.  By the end of the night as usual...both Cassie and Starsky were totally exhausted...and Hutch held onto a monster of a headache until the following morning.  He’d just as soon not attend these frequent Friday night torture sessions but Starsky wouldn’t let him back out of them.  If his partner had to suffer through them …then so did he.

**************

Another spectator also watched the show eagerly…the one on the playing field and the one that Cassie and the other girls displayed.  He had been watching them for the past couple of weeks.  Patiently waiting. Keeping a mental log of their daily activities.  Even going as far as rummaging through their garbage to find what he needed.  Paid bills and discarded receipts…old homework assignments and graded term papers.  He had been watching and waiting for the right time…the perfect moment.  He knew where they would be at any given time of day.  The two cops and the pretty little teenybopper. And now…after all his careful planning and all the nights that he had laid awake…perfecting his crime. Laying out every small detail so carefully…He was ready.  He was finally about to get what he had wanted…for so long.  The chance to get even with them. Tonight would be the perfect night.

**********************

They stopped off at Huggy’s for a hamburger and a few beers.  Cassie always insisted on one of Huggy’s hamburgers after the game and it gave the guys a chance to talk and relax.  Hutch nursed his headache in the usual fashion with a pouch of powdered BC aspirin followed by a couple large gulps of beer to chase it down.  It really didn’t help the pain much…but it did seem to put him in a better mood.

Huggy approached their table for a little conversation as soon as he had the rest of his patrons taken care of.  He always looked forward to seeing them after the game.  Starsky gave him his usual play by play and Cassie gave him the latest gossip that had been going around school that week.  Neither of which particularly interested him…but that wasn’t the point.  He just enjoyed having them around.

“So…the Wildcats win again?” He asked with a smile as he sat a tall glass of soda down in front of her.

“Naturally..” She replied as she smiled up at him and took a long sip from the straw.

“Unbeaten all season.” Starsky announced proudly. “You should see this kid Williams…What an arm.” He told him.

“Sorry I missed it.” Huggy said with a grin and laid a comforting hand on Hutch’s tired shoulder. “And how’s the other half of the Dynamic Duo holding up?”

Hutch just gave him a weak thumbs up and a half-smile as he continued to nurse his beer.

They laughed and talked for a little while longer as Cassie finished her burger and then it was off to drop Hutch off at his place and home.  With a wave goodbye to Huggy and a small kiss on his cheek from Cassie…the three of them were gone.

************************

As Cassie cleaned the kitchen of what little glasses and silverware remained in the sink from their hurried breakfast earlier that morning she noticed a few pieces of bacon and a half-eaten egg on Starsky’s plate.  He never finished his breakfast no matter how much time she took to prepare it.  He would always pick through it and hurry out the door.  She knew he would grab a donut or two before hitting the streets with Hutch.  He always preferred sugar to nutrition.  Still, it seemed such a shame to let this good food go to waste.

Starsky was in the bathroom taking his usual long hot shower the way he had done every Friday night after Huggy’s.  She knew she didn’t have much time and she knew he would only yell at her again if he caught her but she took the chance anyway.  After all the poor little thing was always so hungry and he was used to her feeding him at night.  She knew he would be waiting at the back steps for her and she just couldn’t throw that plate of food in the garbage.

She slowly opened the back door and crept quietly out…careful not to make any noise as she let the door close behind her.  Then quickly she walked over to the trash cans and called to him…”Here Boy…C’mere Boy.”

A shy little puppy stepped cautiously from behind the hedge and crept over to her…whimpering pathetically as it inched closer and closer.  His frail little body trembling as he walked.  She was obviously the only source of food that he knew and though he was afraid of her…his hunger had overcome his fear.  She knew he wouldn’t let her keep him…He would always get mad at her for feeding him.  But her heart went out to him and she couldn’t help herself.

**************************

After his shower, Starsky put on his underwear and robe and walked out into the kitchen to let her know she could have her turn in the shower.  When he didn’t find her in there he walked back down the hallway and knocked on her door.  It opened with his touch and the room was empty.  A very strange feeling crept over him as he realized that she wasn’t in the apartment at all.  Then the thought occurred to him…the puppy.  He remembered how many times he had gotten onto her lately about that dog.

They couldn’t keep him and he was probably loaded down with fleas and ticks anyway.  Feeling a little relief at the thought he walked over to the back door and opened it slowly…expecting to find her bending down with an out-stretched handful of food for that same ugly little puppy.

He stepped outside slowly and looked around for her…calling her name a couple of times but she wasn’t there.  He glanced over towards the hedge and spotted the puppy…eating a piece of bacon from an overturned plate with a large crack running down the center of it.  He recognized it as one of his own…but it seemed to have been dropped instead of carefully placed there. Then he knelt closer as the puppy backed away from him…and there he saw it. One of the red ribbons from her hair.  The puppy had been standing on it. But what happened to Cassie?  His heart began to race as he picked the ribbon up in his hand……  It was his only clue.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---- Chapter 2
Back to Pebbles Page
Back to Gallery