Chapter 20

Once the two gunmen had been put together, checked over and tied securely with Hutch's rope, it was a fairly simple task to walk back to the jetty upon which Hutch had landed. It was good to see the small luxury craft bobbing quietly on the small waves near to the beach and Hutch led Starsky on board. There were no crew and no-one around the two cops to see them cast off the moorings, turn the craft out to sea and gun the engine.

Once or twice the boat went in the wrong direction as Hutch became familiar with the controls, but overall the trip went smoothly, Starsky sitting in the bows and staring out at the ocean as though lost in his own thoughts. There was no conversation. The trip to the mainland did not take long and a half an hour later Hutch aimed the boat at a small secluded inlet and the hull whispered against the white sand just off the beach.

'I can't take it in any further in but if we throw in the anchor we can paddle from here' the blond said, fiddling with the anchor chain so that the lump of metal hit the bottom.

Starsky grunted and picked up his bag and as the anchor bit into the sand, he gently lowered himself over the side and into the water. The effect was immediate as the salt water bit into the various wounds across his body. It was the open wound at his core that seemed to take centre stage however and as another wave lapped against his groin Starsky let out a not too well muffled yelp of pain.

Hutch joined his partner in the water and immediately tried to put his arm around Starsky to support him. Starsky shrugged it away almost angrily, muttered something under his breath and started to wade towards the beach, each step taking him to shallower water although the bite of the salt still brought involuntary tears to his eyes. When he finally reached dry land, the brunet found the closest rock, knelt by it and threw up until he had nothing left in his stomach. While he knelt panting on the powdery soft sand Hutch stood a solicitous distance away, trying to get his bearings. Eventually he approached the ailing brunet.

'Better?'

'Terrific. Where are we?'

'I reckon about fifty miles south of Bay City. We must be close to the Mexican border by now. We should start walking north.'

Starsky looked up. 'Why?'

'Coz north is where home is buddy and once we're home we can get you some help.'

'I don't need help. I can deal all on my own. Tell you what. We get back to the road and then you head north and I'll head south.'

Hutch snorted. 'What good is that gonna do?'

'It'll stop me from killing you.'

That brought the conversation up short and Hutch almost staggered back at the venom in the words before regaining his composure. 'Well that's very big of you Starsk old man.'

Starsky ignored the sarcasm. 'I figured I owed you for getting me off the island, but this don't mean a damned thing. If I see you again Hunt….Hutch….whatever your fuckin' name is, the deals off and you get it between the eyes with both barrels.'

Hutch swallowed hard. He'd felt for sure that once he'd got his partner back to the mainland that Starsky would start to remember something – anything about his past life. Now that seemed like a forlorn hope and it cut like a knife at Hutch's heart, but the blond didn't give up so easily.

'The road's up there' he said quietly, pointing up at the top of a small cliff. There's a path up to the top. See it?'

Something in Starsky's stomach gave a small flip and he ran his tongue over his lower lip thoughtfully. 'Is there another way?'

'Why Starsk? Why ask if there's another way?'

'Coz I don't want to go slitherin' over rocks if there's an easier way.'

'It couldn't be coz you don't like heights?' Hutch prompted.

Starsky did a double take. How did he know? How did this blond know he hated heights? 'Very good. Someone did their homework well' he snarled. 'So I don't like heights. It don't mean I won't climb that cliff though, even if it is only so as I can put distance between me and you.'

'Me and thee' Hutch said carefully.

'Huh?'

'That's what we used to say. We trust me and thee and no-one else.'

Starsky's eyes blazed out of his weary face but there was nothing behind them. Whatever they had done to his friend, the Starsky that Hutch knew was buried very deep inside the frame that seemed so familiar.

'Very pretty.' Starsky mumbled and set off towards the bottom of the cliff.

By the time they had walked and scrambled up the rocks, both men were hot and sweating and not in the best of tempers. Hutch had followed behind Starsky, much to the brunet's distaste, but Hutch did nothing to help his friend climb and by the time they reached the top and could see the road, Starsky's legs were like rubber. He paused at the top, well away from the edge and got his breath.

'Now we're here, why not walk north with me? There's nothing in Mexico for you' Hutch said casually.

The brunet looked up and down the empty road. It was hot and dry and dusty. Framed with small cactus and other plants that kept low to the ground it looked a godforsaken place and the prospect of travelling further south into uncharted areas seemed suddenly crazy. North was home so why not endure the blond a little longer? There may still be time for retribution. Starsky shrugged his shoulders and fell into step beside Hutch. There was silence for a while as each man trudged onwards, nursing their various hurts.

'How did you know how to drive that boat?' Starsky finally broke the silence.

Hutch snickered. 'One of the privileges of living by the lake. Dad had a boat like that that he used to entertain pharmaceutical reps on when he needed them to fund some of his work. I used to bring the chicks down to the lake. It's amazing how boats increase your pulling power.'

'Lucky you. You should have featured in Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous' the brunet muttered dryly.

'You like 'em too Starsk, especially when we used to take Terri or Abby out on a fishing trip.'

'Who the hell are Abby and Terri? You can quit the pretence now. We're off the island. You don't have to come up with the cozy stories any more.'

Hutch regarded Starsky sadly and sighed. 'You must be bad if you don't remember Terri. She was the love of your life. Think Starsk. Think. Willowy slim, big, big brown eyes, a giggle that felt like mink down your spine. C'mon partner!'

Starsky stopped walking and closed his eyes feeling suddenly sick to his stomach. This stranger – this Hutch/Hunt person had just described the face that had haunted his dreams since he'd woken up in the hospital. He had no name for her but somehow his mind told Starsky that she was or had been important to him. How the hell would Hutch know of such a girl? Unless the people who found them and sent Hutch to kill him had done some digging and had fed him some answers.

'Where is she, this Terri?' Starsky asked quietly.

A dark cloud passed behind Hutch's eyes. 'She's dead Starsk. She was killed by a flake who wanted you to suffer. I was next on his menu but we took him out.'

The brunet scowled but there was a weight now in the pit of his stomach. 'Why would he do that?'

'Coz we jailed his son for drug running and he died in his cell.'

Starsky's head jerked up. 'Just like Chris? Just like what you did to Chris you bastard.'

Hutch saw the fist coming and ducked out of the way, grabbing Starsky's hand in passing. 'I didn't do anything to Chris. Your brother is called Nicky, not Chris. It's a line they fed you Starsk, just like everything else. They erased your memories and gave you new ones. You're a cop and I'm a cop not a drug runner. Starsk. STARSKY!'

But the brunet was lost back in the world Dr Isaac had brainwashed him into believing. So much had happened to Starsky, so much he didn't understand and he finally snapped, feeling himself going wild as he tried to rain punches down on Hutch's body. Starsky needed revenge, although for what he was not sure any more. He needed answers and he needed to stop feeling that every moment he lived was somehow a lie. He felt as though he were caught in a fairy tale and everyone else knew the ending except him and the feeling made him scared and angry. Just the feel of his fist connecting with flesh however made him feel better – more alive and he laid into the blond with everything he had.

For his own part Hutch tried desperately to defend himself whilst not hurting Starsky too much. Starsky had no such thoughts and Hutch missed the left hook that caught him under the chin and sent his spiralling to the ground. Starsky was immediately upon him and would have finished him off there and then had it not been for the sound of a car engine coming down the road at speed. Starsky hesitated for just a second which gave the Sheriff's Department car just enough time to screech to a halt by the side of the fighting couple.

The two men paused mid swing as the large patrol truck veered off the side of the road in a cloud of dust and a large, sweating fat man in a buff coloured sheriff's uniform got out of the drivers seat and swaggered across the road to them. His partner, a younger man with thin, mousy coloured hair held away from his face by a comb full of grease also eased himself out and stood with his hand resting twitchily on his gun.

'What've we got ourselves here?' the older man asked, chewing on the end of a fat cigar.

Starsky stopped swinging and Hutch pushed him away, coming to his knees. 'It's fine officer. No problem, we're cops….. from Bay City 9th precinct.

'And my partner over there is Santa Claus. Get back down and eat the dirt while I check ya over.'

'There's no need Officer….' Hutch glanced at the badge on the man's shirt '….Officer Freiberger. Just a misunderstanding huh Starsk?'

The brunet pasted a smile onto his face. While he still needed to hit out at something, even with his faulty memories, he knew he didn't want to get caught up in the Sheriff's department. He shook his head but wisely said nothing.

Freiberger was not so convinced however. It had been a slow day and he felt the need for some action and to show these soft townies what it was like in the real world. He shook his head. 'Uh uh. There are enough Mexicanis trying to git into my territory. I don't want no white boys helpin' 'em. I told you to eat dust – both of ya.'

Hutch realised the futility of trying to argue with the fat man, but the antsy feeling that had haunted Starsky for so long still held him and now, with this man throwing his weight around, the brunet's hold on his temper finally failed again. With a roar, he launched himself at Freiberger's legs, knocking the old timer down. Freiberger fell heavily but as the testosterone still swilling through Starsky's system really kicked in, Hutch made a grab for his partner, taking a hold of Starsky's leg to pull him away.

The younger officer also joined in but had no problems in trying not to hurt the fighting brunet. 'Don't you lay a finger on my Pop' he yelled and reached for his night stick, a two foot piece of wood which resembled a baseball bat. He swung at Starsky with the stick but missed the brunet and hit his father on the shin. Freiberger senior let out a yelp and in the commotion that followed Freiberger junior grabbed Starsky by the collar hauled him to his feet and pushed him face down over the hood of the truck.

'Assume the position' the younger man said and to emphasise the point he kicked the brunets legs further apart whilst still keeping Starsky's cheek mashed to the hot metal of the hood. Wisely Starsky stopped struggling and waited as Hutch limped over to them. As the blond got closer, Starsky could see that his hands were cuffed behind his back and Freiberger senior was looking smug.

'We didn't no nuthin' Starsky mumbled. 'You have no right to….' His words were cut off by a rabbit punch to his back and he grunted in pain.

'Just shut your pie hole an be still' Freiberger Junior said, obviously enjoying himself.

'Yes Sir. No problem Sir' Starsky panted, the sarcasm heavy in the air. The sheriff's officer grabbed him, whirled him around so that he was lying on his back across the hood and shoved the stick under Starsky's chin so hard that it threatened to cut off the brunet's airway.

'You think you city types is so clever. Well let's see how you enjoy a night or two as our guests huh? Can we keep 'em Pop? Can we?'

Freiberger senior bent over the brunet's body as Starsky gasped above the stick in his throat and grinned. 'Oh yeah son. I think we can accommodate some friends from out of town.'