This story was originally posted as my first ever story 'One for the road'. I always new there was more to it though, so I decided to re-write it and its since changed beyond all recognition. Forgive me!

Chapter 10

It had been a long uncomfortable night for the blond. The cough was back, although not anywhere near as bad as previously. The night in the car didn't help, but Hutch wanted to make sure he caught sight of the detectives when they set off back to where they said they were going to check on the bodies. Fortunately the temperatures weren't low and he had a bottle of water with him, but by morning his stomach was growling with hunger. He was just wondering whether he could chance a quick visit to the bushes for a comfort break when he saw a dark blue Pontiac draw up outside the cop's house. Immediately the man came out of his front door and got into the car. As it drove past, Hutch could make out three figures inside. Great! He waited until they were quite a way past him then started the engine and began to tail them, keeping well back and out of sight.

Fortunately Hutch's car was far less conspicuous than the striped tomato and he was able to keep fairly close as they threaded their way through the early morning commuters on their ways to their offices. Once they got out of town. Hutch hung back further, not wanting to cause any suspicion and he was able to tail the Pontiac from a couple of cars distance away as they slowly made their way out into the countryside. The Pontiac driver was taking his time, obviously not in any particular hurry and Hutch found his mind wandering as he kept a safe distance.

He was more than a little worried about his partner now and White's reference to 'the bodies' had made his blood run cold. Throughout the previous night as he'd dozed he'd had flashbacks to other times when he'd worried about the brunette's safety. But each of those times, they'd come through if not unscathed then at least more or less in one piece. Hutch couldn't believe that something would have happened to Starsky without the brunette being able to let him know. He would have moved heaven and earth to make sure Hutch didn't worry about him. The very fact he'd had no message made him worry more than ever and he mentally braced himself for what he might find up in the foothills.

Slowly the land began to climb and fairly soon they'd left most of the traffic behind. As the Pontiac pulled off the main road and headed along a narrower path, Hutch consulted his map. No more turnings for at least 20 miles so he had the luxury of hanging back, there being no other traffic here. No chance of loosing them, he just needed to drive carefully and mark where they stopped. It must be around here somewhere.

The blond cut his speed and allowed the Pontiac to pull away into the distance. By the way they were driving, the men hadn't realised they were being followed and Hutch was happy to maintain the status quo. He carried on at a steady 30 miles per hour as the hills got steeper and the trees began closing in across the road, cutting out a lot of the bright sunshine of the day.

He'd been driving for over an hour, pulling steadily up the hills and was beginning to wonder exactly where these men were going when, more by good luck then anything else, he caught a glimpse of sun flashing on metal in the distance. Hutch pulled up and saw across a small ravine that the Pontiac had pulled in to the side of the road and stopped. Looking for somewhere he could hide his car, he found a small clearing set just back from the road and pulled into it, glad the basic mud colour of his car's paintwork wouldn't be too visible from the roadway. He immediately cut the engine and waited with the window down, listening for any noise. He couldn't tell from this distance whether his approach had been overheard and quietly he got out of the car and walked across to the steep drop, keeping in the shade of the trees. In the distance he could hear bodies moving through the undergrowth and once as he stared down the hillside he thought he saw a man's shape moving.

Deciding to chance it, Hutch started down the steep ravine side, grabbing at exposed roots and branches to help him keep his balance as his feet slipped and slid on the greasy ground. Once or twice he missed his footing and slid swiftly down the hillside before grabbing at a passing bush and halting his progress. He listened to see if he'd been heard, but the voices that had carried to the road were muffled down here amongst the undergrowth and he moved forward with caution as the ground levelled out at the bottom of the narrow steep valley.

In the distance he could see the three men now, plunging about in the semi darkness, beating at the undergrowth with sticks obviously looking for the bodies. He hid behind the trunk of a tall tree, stilling his breathing and waiting. More than anything else he wanted to run out and start looking for his partner, and Starsky's name was on the tip of his tongue as he gritted his teeth and forcibly stopped himself from shouting for him. He'd come so far and it felt too cruel to have to wait now, with the end in sight. He leaned his head back against the tree trunk and sent out a silent prayer that he'd find Starsky safe. He'd even go for finding him hurt, so long as he just damn well found him.

It seemed an eternity before he heard a final shout from one of the men and they all three started making their way back up the hill to their car. They had nothing else with them. No bodies, no nothing and it took all Hutch's willpower to wait until he thought he heard the engine of their car start. He waited an extra couple of minutes just to be sure and then charged out to the area they'd been searching.

The first thing he saw was the Torino on its roof, looking almost obscene in that unnatural position as it teetered there. Quickly Hutch kneeled and looked in, his heart in his mouth. Nothing. No curly haired body there. He breathed a little sigh of relief and searched on. Spreading his field of search a little wider he came across Mottram's body a little way up the hill from the car. It wasn't a pretty sight and animals had already started to make a meal of the IA man's body. Hutch swallowed down the bile that rose in his throat and pushed on further, now dreading what he might find. As soon as he found one bady, he drew his gun, ready, just in case. The big Colt Magnum Python sat heavily in his hand and afforded him a measure of comfort as he checked carefully the 6 rounds in the chamber.

Further up the hillside he found Ashcroft's body, similarly gnawed and fear clutched harder at his heart. He paused a moment to take stock and try to think logically. These men were passengers. They may have been thrown clear of the wreck, but would the driver? Starsky would have been wedged in behind the steering wheel until the last minute, surely. Hutch calmed himself and walked back down the hill, searching the undergrowth as he went. He found nothing and finally found himself back where he'd started on the ravine floor near the car. He made himself pause and look carefully at the surroundings.

Something caught his eye on the ground. A pale grey stone with a darker rusty colour on it. He bent down and picked the small stone up examining the residue. Blood! He put it back down and scrutinised the surrounding area finding other bloody traces now. A body had definitely lain here. Now that he looked closely he could see that the grass and shrubs were somewhat flattened like a heavy object had been there. But where was the body? C'mon Starsk, where are ya buddy? Hutch squatted down on his haunches and looked around. From this angle he could see some more marks in the grass, like a body had been dragged away. Suddenly sick realisation suddenly hit. Oh my god, he's been taken away by some animal! There wasn't going to be a body to find. Hutch couldn't take it in. Starsky was dead.

'STARSKYYYYY' he yelled at the ravine walls. 'STARSKYYY' but only the echoes of his voice came back to mock him. He stared madly about him, searching the tree covered sides of the ravine as if expecting that Starsky strut to appear magically, but of course it didn't. Beside himself with grief, Hutch slid down on his knees on the forest floor.

'Oh Starsk, what've ya done buddy? Where are ya? I wasn't there for ya. I should've made you do the paperwork, or taken the new partner. Oh my God what've ya done?' he sobbed, tears running unchecked down his face.

The sickness he'd had and the build up of emotions over the past two days left him raw and vulnerable and for a moment his mind went completely blank as he struggled to come to terms with the fact he'd never see his maverick partner again. He collapsed down onto the ground as if lying where his partner had done would somehow bring him closer to the brunette. He stayed there, grasping at the leaf litter on the ground, his eyes closed, for an eternity, images of Starsky playing through his head, tears refusing to come now. He was numb and wished he could be even number.

How long was he like that? To Hutch time had lost its meaning. He was spiralling down into a well of despair as his mind tried to come to terms with his loss. He re-ran over and over again the moments he'd spent with his dark haired partner. The times when they'd laughed, the times they'd mourned, the times they'd got the villains. And through it all, that lop sided Starsky grin kept shining through, the indigo eyes twinkling in that handsome face. How the hell could he be dead? They'd always joked that they'd die together because they did everything else together. It wasn't meant to go down like this!

Eventually, something in his head clicked on and he hauled himself slowly into a sitting position, feeling cold and stiff and realising there was little light left. Reality was suspended for him now and like an automaton, he steadily climbed the hillside back up to his car and mechanically set it going and drove back towards Sacramento, feeling an emptiness he'd never known before. Starsky was gone and life, he felt was no longer worth living. But as he got behind the wheel of the car, his anguish was steadily being replaced by rage as he formulated his plan to bring the bastards that did this to trial.

He drove back down the hills quietly, his mind half on the road and half on his plan. Jones, Giordino and Heston had no idea that he'd followed them and White still didn't know that Hutch knew he was in on the dirty work as well. Great, if all went well he could get all four together and bag the lot in one fell swoop. He just needed to get some help.