Chapter 4

It was dark when they got to the bottom of the hill where the farmhouse lay. The three cars containing the detectives pulled up behind the protection of a stand of trees and the group got out, checking their guns and pushing them into waistbands, ready for whatever they might find.

There being no moon that night due to heavy cloud, they set of up the hill cautiously, careful not to turn an ankle and jeopardise the mission. It was warm work, the cloud cover making the night hot and sticky and the hill being steep and they stopped half way up to regroup and catch their breath. It wouldn't be seemly for the rescuers to arrive with no breath to shout the ubiquitous "Police Freeze".

A minute later, they set off again and crested the rise a few moments later. Hugging the ground, they watched as some more of the cult members entered the barn, these appearing to be adult males and as the last one closed the door behind them, the group surged forward to take up their respective positions. With Marsh keeping a look out for Starsky's signal to go in, the blond looked in through the window again.

He saw the familiar semicircle of men and women around the rough wooden altar, and Marcus standing self importantly at the centre. He had his hands raised as he saluted the congregation and Hutch could hear the hypnotic litany as the group of cultists swayed from side to side, mumbling under their breath . Si-mon, Si-mon, Si-mon.

From one side of the circle, Gail appeared clothed only in her thin white dress looking almost virginal in comparison to the black cloaks around her. She had her eyes fastened onto Marcus as though there were no other people in the barn and she walked daintily towards him, her hand outstretched to meet his.

Marcus grasped her hand and lead her to the altar where she paused and turned. Marcus opened his cloak as she kneeled and once again kissed the centre of his body before casting her eyes downwards. Marcus' expression never changed at what would have been an erotic touch. He stared straight ahead, but as Gail sat back, he placed his hand once again on her head and she looked up with an expression of adoration on her face.

The Teacher pointed to the door and Hutch followed the direction with his eyes as once of the cult members went to the corner of the barn and picked up from the straw there the body of an unconscious girl. The thin, limp body was carried to the centre of the congregation and laid ceremoniously on top of the altar as the chanting increased in volume. Si-mon, Si-mon, Si-mon.

As the man stepped back, Marcus and Gail stood one each side of the altar and from the wooden top, the leader took a long wicked looking thin blade with a twisted wooden handle. Gail picked up the black chalice the detectives had seen on their previous visit and came to stand next to her teacher. He made several signs with his hand in the air above the girls naked body and Hutch thought he heard him say some sort of incantation, but the blond had had enough.

'Shit Starsk, they've got a kid. Move in. Move in' he yelled as Starsky signalled Marsh.

In a burst of speed and sound, the detectives all cannoned into the barn, guns drawn and yelling at the tops of their voices in order to create a distraction. Marcus looked up from the girls body, his knife mere inches away from the pale flesh, his face a calm and empty canvass. At his side, Gail screamed and took hold of her Teacher, hiding behind his black robed body.

The rest of the cultists scattered in all directions, their semi hypnosis being shattered by the loud noise and sudden motion in the barn. Day, Ellen, Marsh and Williams all herded them into a corner as Starsky and Hutch approached the altar. A third man came over to join his leader and stood behind the wooden table, shoulder to shoulder with Marcus.

'Its OK Saul. I dreamed this would happen. It must play out as my dreams decreed. We can do nothing to change our destinies. Do nothing. Don't fight' the man's voice sounded low and husky in the big barn.

'But Teacher! They have guns and they want to harm you. I can't let that happen. Let me help you. They're destroying the commune'.

'Be still Saul. Its all as I forsaw. What I dream, so shall it be'.

'Yeah, that's right. Listen to your boss Saul. He's just crazy enough to tell you the truth some day' Hutch said pointing his big gun at the three clustered around the altar.

Saul stared back at the two cops, hate shining in his eyes. Hutch caught the movement as Saul's arm started to dip down towards the big table.

'Don't do it' he yelled as the second in command darted his hand down, retrieving another knife. Expertly flipping it over until he held the blade he took a quick aim at the blond cop and threw. The knife cartwheeled through the air, its blade catching the dim light in the barn and at the last moment, Hutch ducked out of the way and it clattered to the floor behind him. Hutch lunged for the smaller man and Saul ran around the other side of the altar table, grabbing a hold of Gail and dragging her with him. Hutch darted sideways, but Saul held Gail in front of him as a human shield and the flaxen hared cop's hand wavered as he tried to get himself a clear shot. Realising that he'd not be able to shoot the man, Hutch launched himself over the altar, still with the young girls body on it and hit Saul in the ribs with his head. Gail flew sideways and hit the ground a little way away as Hutch and Saul rolled over on the straw covered floor, each struggling for the best position. Eventually, Hutch's extra inches told and he managed to straddle the cult member, sitting on the man's butt as Saul wriggled beneath him.

'For Gods sake, cut it out' Hutch ground out as he took a hold of Saul's left wrist and bent his arm behind his back. As the man felt the cold metal snick around his wrist, it was as though someone had thrown a switch and his body became supple and pliable. His head rested on the floor and he no longer struggled as Hutch caught hold of the right wrist and clipped it to its twin. Panting heavily. He rested a moment on his perch, sweat dripping from his golden bangs into his eyes.

'Someone come and take this fucking pervert away?' he called to the other detectives and got unsteadily to his feet as Day peeled off from the group and hauled Saul to his feet, pushing him along in front of him as he propelled him down the hill and back to the car. Hutch looked back at his partner who had apparently got his wish of having Marcus to himself. Hutch picked Gail up from the floor and brushed her down gently. 'Are you ok?' he asked, seeing her glassy eyes and vacant ecxpression.

'Teacher?' she asked tremulously.

'He's gone honey. You're safe now' the blond said gently. 'C'mon lets get a blanket for you. You're shivering'.

While Hutch had been busy with Gail and Saul, Starsky had taken on Marcus. The cult leader stood stock still as Starsky moved in on him, a panther stalking it's prey. As he passed the altar table, the brunet cast a quick look at the unconscious body of the young teenage girl.

'You're a sick son of a bitch Marcus, ya know that don't ya? He grunted.

Marcus said nothing. Instead he fixed his eyes on the approaching curly haired man. And for a split second, Starsky stopped. He felt the eyes boring into him, not just looking at him, but seemingly boring into his very soul. He shook himself and took one more step forward. Eyes on the leader as his fingers searched the young girl's neck for a pulse. Relieved when he found one, he placed all his concentration on Marcus.

'D'ya get off on murdering kids? Does it make you hard when ya think about taking one of these women? What sort of drug d'ya give 'em huh?'

Marcus continued to gaze at him, a slight ingratiating smile on his face and a look of pity in his eyes. The silence unnerved the cop who was expecting some sort of reaction. In fact he was almost counting on it. The photographs were still fresh in his mind, the mutilated bodies of the girls engraved into his memory, just as the Satanic symbols were engraved into the victims flesh. All he wanted to do was to find some reason to punch this guy, to land out and give a little bit of the pain that Marcus had inflicted on others.

'What's up? Cat got your tongue?'

The eyes never flickered. They bored into the core of his being. He felt them invade his body as though they had a physical presence.

'C'mon Marcus. We saw ya. Raping that girl. Did it feel good? Did it make you feel powerful? Can't you get normal women without having to drug 'em or brainwash 'em?' Starsky taunted, wanting a rise from the man. But none came.

Instead Marcus held out his wrists to the brunet. 'I dreamed you would come' he said, waiting for the snick of the cuffs.

As the brunet reached for his cuffs and started to take hold of one of the proffered wrists, Marcus reached up with lightening speed and ran his fingers through the mahogany coloured curls on Starsky's head. The cop yanked his head back, his skin crawling from the unwarranted touch and he glared at the leader. Marcus was once again calm and co-operative, again holding out his hands and this time Starsky slapped the cuffs on quickly, squeezing the metal closed tight so that the skin around Marcus' wrists puckered. He wanted a reaction. He wanted Marcus to whine and plead. He wanted to hurt him.

There was still no reaction and Starsky whipped the man round, slamming him into the barn wall and driving the breath from the thin body with an audible wheeze. He leaned his weight into the cult leader. '

'Ya have a lot of dreams do ya, punk? Well you'll get plenty of time for dreams in jail. So long as ya can duck the perps in there who love child molesters like you. Maybe give you a taste of your own med'cine huh?'

Starsky ground his captive into the rough barn wall, expecting finally some reaction, but still Marcus remained calm.

'You have a destiny. The stars are yours and the second kingdom awaits you. Your destiny awaits you' he said cryptically.

'Shut the fuck up' Starsky growled. The voice was getting to him almost as much as the eyes had. What was it with this guy? What was it about him that could give a street toughened cop the creeps with only a few sentences? Starsky didn't know, but as he put his hands on Marcus's body to spin him round again, he felt almost as though an electric shock had passed through his hand. He gasped, but kept hold of his prisoner until Hutch joined them.

'What'cha got there buddy? You managed to get your piece of him?' he grinned.

'Just get him outa here' Starsky grunted, almost throwing the cult leader at the blond as he walked away. He felt dirty, shaky and confused. He'd thought that after the photos and the grandstand view of the black mass they'd had the other night, he'd have revelled in the arrest. But instead of Starsky intimidating Marcus, it had almost been the other way around and now the brunet felt as though he were being set up; as if he'd had the worst argument of his life with his closest friend and walked away – sick to his stomach. And yet he'd exchanged no more the a handful of words with Marcus and had had little physical contact.

He felt all in, exhausted, and as Hutch walked out in front of his, holding onto a handful of Marcus' robes he rubbed at his head, feeling as though the Teacher had pulled a handful of hair from his head.

And as Marcus was pushed towards one of the waiting cars, he cherished the two curly chocolate coloured hairs he'd managed to obtain.