FATAL VISION

CHAPTER TWELVE

Sitting on the other side of Dobey's desk was a very worn out, confused and embarrassed police artist. Sean sat forward and accepted the cup of water and two aspirin from Captain Dobey. After tossing the empty cup into the trash, he resumed holding an ice bag against his throbbing head.

Dobey gave him a few minutes even though he was anxious to know more. He was tempted to just call his two detectives, but he had to have more details.

Sean eventually leaned back against the chair and set the ice bag on the floor beside him. The Captain anxiously tapped a pencil on his desk, prompting the artist to continue with his explanation.

"I'd finished with the drawing according to what Detective Hutchinson remembered about his attacker. It was a woman." He stopped to rub at his neck which was stiff and sore.

"Go on son, what else do you remember?" Dobey tried to be patient. The man in front of him was pale and shaking. The medics had quickly looked him over and decided he was okay but needed to be in the emergency room. The man refused until he'd told the Captain everything. He felt responsible and guilty and now wanted to help in any way he could.

Dobey was beginning to think that Sean wasn't the only one in danger. But he had to move slowly and be absolutely certain before he made a decision.

Sean cleared his throat. His face was flushed, partly from the effects of his ordeal but also because he was mortified that he could have been overcome so easily. To make matters worse, he'd lost the drawing or rather, it had been stolen.

"Did you recognize the likeness once Hutch said who he thought it was?"

"I didn't, but Detective Starsky got really bummed out when he saw it." He leaned forward again, folding his hands together. "They said her name was Diana. Then Starsky got real pale and he kept staring at Hutch."

Dobey was quiet, thinking back to the only woman by that name that he could recall. He shuddered at the memory of rescuing Hutch after her insane assault against him. He prayed it wasn't the same person.

Reaching for the phone, Dobey dialed a number, waiting for it to be answered. He held the phone to his ear tensely, his attitude growing darker at the long delay.

"Hello, I'm Captain Harold Dobey, Bay City police. I need some information about one of your inmates." He listened for a fraction longer than he cared to then broke in with a terse comment.

"Well, I can't wait till the office opens tomorrow morning. Get a message to your superior… Now!" He barked out his phone number and slammed the phone back into the cradle. He pulled out a handkerchief and with a beefy hand, wiped his sweaty brow.

Waiting until his anger subsided, he spoke in a more controlled tone to the man in front of him.

"If the person you described is who I think it is, my men are in jeopardy. The phone call I just made would have helped me find out if Diana Harmon had been released. If she had, why didn't we get any notification of it? Sometimes this system…." Not expecting an answer, he let his questions deflate.

His mood static, he beat his hand against the surface of the desk, causing Sean to jump. Dobey looked at him and tried to offer a reassuring smile. After all, it wasn't this poor man's fault that he'd stumbled into a bees nest. Taking a cleansing breath, he encouraged his visitor to continue.

Sean rubbed his upper arm this time and rotated his head, trying to work out the stiffness. Sean moved on to speak about the woman who'd followed him to the garage.

"This woman got off the elevator but I didn't think anything of it. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary." He smiled sheepishly before continuing. "I guess that's why I'm not a detective."

"Did you recognize her?" Dobey asked the same question, hoping that the woman responsible for this wasn't the same in the drawing.

"She had red hair and was kinda pudgy. She was a nurse on the same floor as your detectives. But the next thing I knew, I was on my back on the cot in the emergency clinic here. I don't know what else happened." He flopped back against the chair and closed his eyes.

"So the woman in the picture and the one who followed you to the garage were not the same person?" Sean shook his head and was prevented from speaking when the phone rang.

Dobey grumbled in his throat as he picked up the phone.

"I told you I didn't want to be disturbed!" The Captain bellowed into the phone. He grew quiet and then barked out a reply.

"Why the hell didn't you say so.? Put the call through." He mumbled to himself and ran a hand through his thinning hair.

He asked a few questions and listened for a long time until offering his thanks to the caller. His hand moved slowly as he replaced the receiver. He got up from his chair and walked around to stand beside Sean.

"I want you to stay here. Go to the clinic downstairs." He picked up his hat off the other chair. He flipped it from hand to hand, thinking.

Sean started to ask a question but the look on Dobey's face stopped him.

"I think you could be in danger so just do as you're told. I gotta get to the hospital and figure this mess out." He opened the door to the squad room.

Grousing to the room in general, he stopped at Detective Webster's desk.

"Take Sean down to the clinic and keep him there." The man got up to do as he was told while the Captain moved on to speak to two other men. They listened, nodded in understanding and followed their superior out the door.

The Captain filled them in as best he could. He outlined his idea and gave each man their instructions.

First, they headed to the supply office to pick up equipment. They didn't have the proper requisition form but fortunately, Minnie was doing double duty behind the caged window. He gave her brief details but as soon as he mentioned Starsky and Hutch she was more than willing to help. She assured the Captain that she would write up the requests and he could sign them later. She had a soft spot in her heart for those boys, particularly Starsky.

Once the men left with their supplies, Dobey continued outlining a plan as they walked toward their cars.

The Captain would set up residence in one of the empty hospital rooms where he could be in control without being in the way.

He hoped this idea worked without putting anyone in danger, especially Starsky and Hutch.