DISCLAIMER; I DO NOT OWN ANY PART OF STARSKY AND HUTCH FRANCHISE. THE FOLLOWING IS FOR ENTERTAINMENT ONLY.
Author's note: This story almost never got posted. I had a hard time with the dark turn my imagination kept pointing me toward. But in the end, just like Starsky and Hutch, friends helped me see that I was up to the challenge and that I would ultimately benefit from the journey this story took me on.
This story focuses on the aftermath of a case and the havoc caused by a convicted man. Trouble is not over just because the man is temporarily behind bars.
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THE EDGE OF DARKNESS
The end of a terrifying murder investigation left both Starsky and Hutch emotionally and physically drained. The victims were all young women who had no family and basically lived on the streets. The killer stalked these women, believing that no one cared if they lived or died. He'd pick them up at night, drug them, abuse them, kill them and then dump their bodies. The killer took a perverse pleasure in decorating the bodies, sort of his own personal graffiti. Some of the girls had red arrows painted on their torsos, almost like a map to a treasure chest. After the third gruesome murder, Starsky and Hutch had reached their limit. They were tired, right down to their souls.
The media grabbed onto the details and christened the killer as the Rubber Ducky Man. As an act of defiance, the man would place two unopened rubbers, still in the foil, across each eye of his victim with duct tape.
"Now look, you've got to work harder on this one! The media is having a field day and making us look inefficient and clumsy. Not to mention what the chief has been yelling at me about." Captain Dobey paced his office.
City officials started to come down hard on the Commisioner who then pressed Captain Dobey for a fast end to a string of crimes that had the city searching for answers. The big black man resorted to his characteristic badgering to get Starsky and Hutch motivated to come up with hard evidence to get the maniac off the streets.
The two detectives felt bewildered as they listened to their Captain's tirade of frustration. They both knew where the anger came from and also knew that the Captain realized just what they were all up against.
"Cap, Hutch and me have been going on 3 hours sleep a night, for the past month, trying to get to this guy. The press is only making things worse." Starsky slumped down in the leather chair in the corner of Captain Dobey's office. He had dark smudges under his eyes, attesting to the long hours and lack of sleep in the past month. His normally clean shaven face had dark stubble across his skin. He hadn't been home to properly groom in days.
As for Hutch, he'd had to work despite the persistent migraines that pounded at him. The nausea set up a chain reaction of not being able to eat so he'd lost 5 lbs in the last month. The weight loss made his already long frame look boney and his complexion was paler than usual. Captain Dobey was concerned about both men but the job demanded their constant vigil in order to track down this freak.
"Captain, even Huggy can't give us anything that remotely even smells like a clue. This killer is a shark who attacks without warning and leaves very little in his wake. He's playing with us. He knows we have very little to go on. The shit he's thrown at us is just that, crap. But I know in my gut he's gonna trip over himself soon and we'll catch him. You just gotta convince the higher ups that we're getting close and get off our backs. Let us alone to do our job." Hutch's speech dropped off as he rubbed his temples in an attempt to ward off another sharp headache.
He looked up when he felt a nudge to the top of his head. He looked up to see Starsky in front of him with a cup of water and two aspirin. Hutch gratefully took both and swallowed the aspirin. He sighed and stood up. As he passed his partner, he reached out to rest his hand on Starsky's shoulder. Hutch took up a new position against the door.
The three men went on for another hour discussing ideas and planning a new approach to apprehend the killer. The detectives eventually left the office to head back out to their car and have another look around.
But they couldn't catch a break until a week later when Huggy led them to a homeless man who'd seen something odd. For a decent meal and new coat without holes, the man led them to a crime scene. Yes it was another dead girl, but this time the killer was cocky and left more than just red arrows. He'd left the spray can and his own glove behind.
It took a few days, but the killer's arrogant mistake was the break that the police department needed.
The two detectives worked hard to prove that somebody cared about the otherwise nameless women who's only crime in life was that they didn't care enough about themselves to seek protection.
Another month went by with the discovery of one more murder but they finally had a name for the madman who was stalking defenseless women in the seediest part of Bay City. The killer's name was Stone Crawford. He'd been arrested before but only for petty things like burgleries and drug posession. Compared to his present calling card, those previous activities were childish in nature. The men were curious as to the violent turn in his pattern.
The arrest was made, paper work completed and Stone Crawford became Bay City Correctional Facility's newest inmate.
By this time, Starsky and Hutch had completed their investigation and had filed all the necessary reports. They took the first few hours to complete all their responsibilities. They accomplished this despite the constant disruptive atmosphere that was their life in the squad room. They were able to shut out all the other business that surrounded them, including the constant ring of phones, people's raised voices and other assorted interruptions.
The men were so bone weary that it took at least a half an hour for Captain Dobey's last words to finally sink in. Sometime ago, he'd passed by their desks in order to collect their reports and other assorted paper work related to the finished case.
"Go home and take the next two days off", the Captain had grumbled at the detectives. Starsky waved to his Captain to acknowledge the words but he was not immediately able to comprehend the full meaning of the statement.
Both men molded their bodies in two different types of a relaxed pose. Starsky sat on the back of his chair, with his head in his hands. The mug of cold coffee sat before him, long ago forgotten. Hutch's long legs crossed at the ankles, stretched out under the desk. Unlike Starsky's forgotten coffee, his coffee mug rested on his cheek. This was Hutch's attempt to avert the migraine he felt building. Sometimes heat helped stop the crushing pain from gaining the upper hand. So far, the warm coffee mug felt good against his face. He reached down to pick up the two white aspirin that Captain Dobey had placed there earlier. He picked them up, popped them into his mouth and took a sip of the water that had appeared with the aspirin.
Hutch pressed his fingers against the crease between his eyes. He wanted two things. He wanted enough energy to get out of his chair and the second was, to make sure Starsky was still breathing. The dark haired man had not moved in at least 15 minutes. Starsky's ability to sleep anywhere crossed the blond's mind as he shifted in his chair. He cleared his throat but when that didn't disturb the curly headed statue, Hutch reached over to gently nudge the jean clad bent leg.
Finally a grunt and a yawn proved that Starsky was indeed conscious.
"Wasn't sure if you were frozen in that pose or if you were asleep." Hutch smiled at Starsky's questioning glance.
"Nope, just checking my eyelids for holes", Starsky responded around another wide yawn, "But I could sure use different surroundings and two days of undisturbed sleep."
"Well you weren't dreaming about it buddy. That's exactly what Dobey told us to do. So if you can get your butt off the chair, why don't we head home and start our down time?" Hutch stood up and stretched his back out. He wondered if the headache would ever disappear.
Neither man was capable of doing anything else but putting one foot in front of the other. Neither could think past their own beds. The idea of food for Starsky was replaced in favor of a long hot shower and a long sleep.
Celebrating would wait until the trial was over. Hutch just didn't have the heart to feel relief. He couldn't shake the slightly nauseous feeling he had. He attributed it to another severe headache and really just wanted to go home, close the blinds and give himself up to unconsciousness. But he didn't like the little voice that kept nagging at him. Somehow, he knew that none of them would be rid of Stone Crawford so easily. Rather than share his concerns with Starsky, he let the other man's tired ramblings wash over him instead. He gave in to the friendly banter and back slapping gratitude of the other officers they passed on their way to the parking garage.
"Hey Hutch, you wanna come back to my place for beer and pizza?... You okay buddy, you're awfully quiet." Starsky turned toward the silent blond once they stepped into the elevator. He reached out his hand to massage Hutch's neck and shoulder.
For the first time in weeks, Starsky took the time to really examine his partner. Hutch had definately lost weight and there was no shine in the clear blue eyes. Starsky was concerned but refrained from nagging.
"Starsky I'm fine. I'm just very tired and I'm gonna pass on the pizza and beer. I just want to go home and get rid of this damn headache. It's been building again all day and now I just need a dark, quiet room for 12 hours and then I'll feel human again." Hutch proferred a tired, half smile on his best friend. He patted the hand still resting on his shoulder and as the elevator doors opened, he squeezed that hand a little tighter.
The two men walked toward their cars. Hutch felt himself shiver as his shoes echoed in the open garage. It was the only noise he heard but he just felt so nervous. He only hoped he could keep his concerns from Starsky otherwise, he'd have a constant companion for the next few hours. As much as he relied on his partner's good intentions, today just wasn't a day for 'mother henning'. He needed time to unwind and figured Starsky needed to do the same. Hutch would be glad when the trial came and would put Stone Crawford away for good.
Neither man spoke again as they neared their cars. But as they unlocked their doors, they glanced at each other over the car hoods. A thousand words passed unspoken between them. Starsky saluted his friend and nodded slightly as he ducked his head to sink behind the steering wheel.
Getting home sounded good to Starsky as well.
So once the men reached their respective apartments, each took their own path toward relaxing and putting the gruesome murders behind them.