The archangel sighed, grew silent, and was enveloped in radiance. When the light dispersed, the angel said calmly. "No. I have your answer. We'll do the work for you."

"What?"

"Oh, yes. We'll test him for you. You can just sit back and reap the reward if he fails."

Mephistopheles narrowed his eyes. "You mean like Job?"

"Ah, child's play. Hutchinson can take great personal suffering. No, we have something entirely different in mind."

"Well, my master would like to get in one shot at him. There's this woman..."

"In the name of all that's holy, Mephisto, couldn't you be a little more original? With Hutchinson there usually is... All right. We'll divide the labor. We shall show Detective Hutchinson one path in life and you may show him another. We'll see which he chooses."

"No fishing poles, no bait, nothing else is needed but what you have in your precious little bag."

"Yes." Starsky repeated.

Hutch paused, seemingly waiting for more explanation. When nothing came, he took a deep breath and ran a hand over his face. "Well, I guess this experience is going to have to fall into the category of seeing is believing," he said.

"And tasting," Starsky said, becoming more animated. "Just you wait, when we eat the fruits of our hard labor, washing it all down with a tall cold one, well, Hutch, it just doesn't get too much better than that."

"If you say so," Hutch said. "I'm going by faith here. Just goin' by faith..."

And that's exactly what I'm looking for, buddy, Starsky thought.