Hi All! Once again Readers and Reviews, thanks for all the very nice reviews. You guys are the best!
So sorry for the long delay; I sincerely hope this chapter is worth the wait.
Thanks to Bill B. and Kelli C. for all their invaluable help.
'One look and you know that simply to survive is a great triumph...' Leslie Marmon Silko
WARNING! Rated R for violence, language and torture
CG Ch#9 Out of the Frying Pan and into the Fire Ants
Saturday
Starsky had stayed awake all night awaiting Hutch's return. He fretted and paced. 'Hutch, what's happened to ya buddy?'
He would ask the next guard that came to the seclusion block where Hutch was. He knew his friend was alive. 'He has to be, I would know if... if...' Starsky cut the thought off 'he's alive' and that became his mantra, a litany he recited as he paced.
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8:03 a.m. Bay City Police station, Metro Division
Captain Dobey slammed the phone down. There still weren't any leads on the whereabouts of Starsky and Hutchinson. It was like they had fallen off the face of the earth. They had been missing for at least six days before being reported as such. He didn't want to think that they might be dead. But it was a very real possibility. He swallowed hard.
He backed away from that depressing thought and moved on to more constructive ones. LVPD had sent him some still photos that had been taken by the casino cameras. But there had only been cameras above the gaming tables at the casino where they had been last seen. Dobey thought he had picked his men out in the crowd, but the black and white pictures were grainy and of poor quality. He couldn't be one hundred percent sure. He threw them back on his desk.
Then there was Baxter Brown, who had been tending the bar in the casino the night in question and Baxter thought he remembered them from a photo he was shown, but there were a lot of people in the bar at the time. A fight had broken out at roughly the same time that he thought he had seen them. Dobey filed Baxter in the 'possible lead' pile.
A check of their credit cards had been put in, but there was nothing more he could do with that until the companies checked their records. It would be hours at best before anything was known.
Dobey nodded to himself, he had done all he could so far. If things didn't shape up in the next twenty-four hours, he was flying to Las Vegas to do a little investigating for himself and to make sure the Vegas police stayed focused in their search.
He began to fill out the paperwork necessary for him to take a leave of absence. He hoped that it would not be necessary. What was that old saying? Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. He prayed to God that the worst would never happen.
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Hutch slowly woke up. His head was being thrashed with the most horrible headache he could ever remember having. He closed his eyes to the pain, seeking solace in the dark of unconsciousness but he was denied. He didn't want to remember yesterday. But the memories flooded his brain anyway.
Roy had hit him, hard. He had lost consciousness for a while and awoke to find Randal standing in front of him, arguing with Roy about him. He had been still bound to the chair, still had the insidious shock collar on. He tried to concentrate on what was being said, but couldn't. The phone rang and he let out a yelp. He couldn't help himself. He didn't think that he could take any more. He just wanted it to stop. Just please make it stop.
He had been so happy when Roy had released him. He had to bite his tongue so that he wouldn't thank Roy for freeing him. Hutch was afraid that if he had to spend one more day in there, Roy's sick plans may come to fruition, despite his efforts to prevent that. Upon releasing him, Roy had punched him in the stomach, which had made him vomit up the little bit of water that Randal had given him. The things got blurry after that.
He turned his thoughts away from yesterday. Today he was handcuffed to a cot in the infirmary. He had been given a couple of IV's to help him get re-hydrated. He hadn't realized he was that bad off. It was frightening, he now knew he was deteriorating; he could feel himself getting weaker everyday. Lack of food, lack of water, the stress of the situation were all beginning to send him into a tailspin. He hoped they would be rescued soon.
An even more frightening thought was what could happen to him in here, handcuffed to the bed as he was. Would Roy be back? Randal? Both of them? He trembled. He wondered how much more he would have to take. It was clear to him now that separating himself emotionally from Starsky had only hurt Starsky and himself. It had seemed like such a good idea at the time. But it simply hadn't worked; it didn't seem to make any difference what he did or didn't do, he got tortured. Roy hadn't been fooled. Roy had his own agenda and he was sticking to it.
He just wanted to be back in his cell. Hutch then cringed at that thought. He corrected himself, he wanted Starsky and to go home. He wanted to see Dobey, Huggy and all of his and Starsky's friends and his plants. Huggy had offered to water them while he and Starsk were in Vegas. Had Huggy remembered? Silly question, of course Huggy would remember.
Hutch applied the brakes to this unproductive train of thoughts. He was starting to feel panicky and that wasn't good. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, he had to think logically. It would be easier to do so if this damn headache would just go away.
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Will brought Starsky some breakfast and some news. Sam Jones was in the infirmary. It seemed that he been injured after having fallen off a ladder while changing light bulb. Starsky knew otherwise. He knew Roy had severely tortured Hutch for the last two days. What had Roy and Randal done to him that required him to be taken to the infirmary? He shuddered.
Will then started to complain about having to call someone in to work overtime to guard Sam while he was in the infirmary and how he was gonna have to listen to the man bitch about being forced in.
When Starsky heard that, the wheels in his head started to turn, slowly at first then rapidly gaining momentum. "Excuse me, sir? How 'bout if you bring him back here? He's my friend, I'll watch him" He paused, hardly daring to breathe while he waited for Will's response.
Will looked at the inmate, considering the idea. It had merit. The guy that was next on the list to be called in for overtime, his kid was having a birthday party this weekend; Will hated to make the man miss that. "I'll talk to the nurse, see what she says" Will turned and left the area without another word to Starsky.
Starsky let out the breath that he had been holding. He crossed over to the tray of food Will had brought, hope returned his appetite and he began to eat.
Sometime later in the day, Will returned to inform him that Jones would have to spend the night in the infirmary, tomorrow the nurse would re-evaluate him. Starsky wanted to smash his knuckles into the wall in frustration but didn't. Doing that hadn't changed anything.
Starsky knew he was more of a doer then a thinker, but Hutch's life and safety was on the line, it was time to try something else. He began to pace the cell and mull over the possibilities. One thing was certain; he had to get Hutch out of Roy's clutches.
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Sunday
It was a little after noon when Will brought Hutch to Starsky's cell. It had taken some fancy talking and several promises, but Hutch was brought back to their cell. Starsky jumped up and went to assist Hutch to the bunk to sit down. "Thank you, sir" He nodded at Will who waved a hand in response before exiting the seclusion block. He winced at how stiffly Hutch was moving.
"Hutch, what happened?" Starsky looked his friend over, taking in the new bruises and overall stiffness his poor friend was exhibiting. He gently ran his hand over Hutch's head, grimacing each time Hutch flinched at his touch.
"Please, Starsk, stop." He pushed Starsky's helpful fingers away. After having to submit to Roy's evilness and Randal's humiliating touch, no matter how brief it had been and the nurse's uncaring roughness had added to his reluctance, he didn't want to be touched. Not even by his friend. The hurt look on Starsky's face nearly did him in, but he just didn't feel clean enough for a friend's tender touch.
"What's wrong? Just tell me..." Hutch was avoiding eye contact; he was acting rather like a victim of ra- no! Randal hadn't actually... Starsky felt a lump raise in his throat. Was it possible that his friend had been sexually violated? He couldn't even bring himself to think the 'r' word.
There was only one way Starsky knew how to ask. As hard as it was, he had to know. Nothing was going to stand between their friendship. And most certainly not something that had been forced upon his friend.
"Hutch, you know that nothing, and I mean nothing, will change our friendship. Whatever may have been done to you, was not done with your consent... will not change the fact that you are my best friend. I love you no matter what. I hurt when you hurt. You're hurting now... I want to help, just, please let me help you..." he knelt down in front of the blond, waiting.
Hutch lifted his head out of his hands. His eyes connected with Starsky's. His dark haired friend was hurting. He was hurting his friend. He had felt so disconnected this last horrifying week, like a water hose with the nozzle missing, emotions, like water, shooting uselessly in all directions. And there, crouched in front of him, waiting to connect, was Starsky.
He reached out and Starsky pulled him into his arms. He instantly felt better. His headache faded into the background. All the niggling pains from the bruises and his leg vanished. He sobbed openly.
Starsky hugged Hutch harder and rubbed his back all the while silent tears streamed down his own face. And he listened as Hutch told him everything that had happened to him over the week. He thanked God that his worst fears were unfounded, so far.
After a while, exhausted and cried out, the blond slept in the arms of his best friend. Comforted at last.
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Dobey was ready to leave. He had chartered a flight to Las Vegas. LVPD were aware that he was on his way and generously offered to have someone waiting to pick him up at the airport. He kissed Edith and the children goodbye and boarded the small plane. Though the window, he again waved goodbye to his family. Rosie had begged him to "please bring Uncle Ken and Uncle Dave home" He had nearly choked up when he told her that he would do his best. He would bring them home. One way or another.
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Monday
Morning arrived. Starsky rose and woke Hutch up. It was a sad change. Normally Hutch would be the one getting him up. His poor friend was so exhausted and he needed all the rest he could get. Starsky was aware that Hutch was a long way from being recovered; he determined that if Hutch weren't able to keep up today, he would pick up the slack. But at least they would be together.
Roy arrived at 5 a.m. for Hutch and was incensed when he found out that Hutch would be going on road crew detail, he was also put out that they were in the same cell again. "So, you managed to get him back with you huh? That's just fine" Roy sneered, "You think road work will be easier on him? You think that I won't be able to get to you out there? You'll see" With that, Roy turned on his heel and left, slamming the metal door hard behind him.
The pair exchanged an uneasy look.
Joe and Will arrived minutes after Roy had left. Ankle shackles were placed on each of them. They had to walk with a shuffling gait. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but they managed.
They traveled by bus to the area where they were to work. Breakfast was given to them on the bus as a time saving measure as it sometimes took a couple hours to get to where the roadwork was to be done. The bus ride was very uncomfortable in more then one way. The other inmates gave them stony stares; some tripped them as they made their way to their seats and some of them spit on the new comers.
Once the bus reached its destination, the guards spread the inmates out along either side of the road. Some they had working on road repair, others collected trash. Starsky and Hutch were sent to work on removing Russian thistles from along the roadsides. The thistles, which they found out later, were what they knew as tumbleweeds. With leaves on them at this time of year, the tumbleweeds looked more like shrubs. The plant grew from anywhere from soccer ball sized to the size of a Volkswagen beetle and these plants were everywhere.
The guards kept a close eye on the shackled prisoners from inside air-conditioned vehicles and on horseback. They patrolled steadily and took frequent head counts.
Starsky and Hutch soon had developed a smooth rhythm for removing the plants and they could do so at a somewhat leisurely pace. Starsky was pleased to note that Hutch was able to maintain a steady pace and while he still limped, it was hardly noticeable.
The day continued in much the same manner, with the occasional interruption from inmates who tried in vain to get a rise out of Starsky and Hutch. They knew that the inmates thought that they were the child molesters Sam Jones and Gary Harold. But putting up with their abuse was much easier to deal with then Roy's and Randal's.
During lunch they sat in the shade of one of the larger tumbleweeds and ate in silence. Starsky saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and he couldn't believe what he saw
"Hey, Hutch!" He whispered as he slowly turned to lie on his belly to get a better look at the unbelievable creature he had spotted.
"What?" Hutch looked over at his friend who was now lying on his belly and staring at something under the bush "Starsky, what are you doing?" He arched an eyebrow at his friend.
"Shh! C'mere, ya gotta see this!" He glanced at Hutch and tipped his head towards the tumbleweed.
Hutch sighed and slowly moved over to lie down next to Starsky; he looked under the plant "What is it? I don't-"
"Shh!" Starsky pointed to the far side "It's the World's smallest kangaroo!"
Hutch finally saw what had so captivated his partner "Starsk, it's a kangaroo rat" He had to smile. Leave it to Starsky to find some wonder in the world, despite the trouble they were mired in.
"It don't look like no rat ta me" he huffed "kinda looks like a cross between a hamster and a kangaroo" He smiled as the creature hopped off "its way too cute to be any kinda rat" He sat up and brushed himself off.
"Yeah, it is. You were lucky to see one in the daytime. They are usually are out only at night. Did you know that kangaroo rats can live their whole lives and never take a drink of water?" Hutch sat up as well. This was the first normal talk that they had had in days.
"Nope, speaking of drinks, we better get some water and get back to work" He noticed the guards were starting to roust the other inmates; he stood and put out his hand to help Hutch to his feet. "How's the leg doin'?"
"It's fine" It was bothering him, but he didn't want Starsky to know that. He looked up at the sun's position, still hours to go before they would be done for the day. He rubbed his aching leg, gritted his teeth and followed Starsky to the water dispenser.
They worked steadily into the afternoon. The sun mercilessly beating down on them as they worked. Hutch had to go; it was a consequence of drinking so much water.
"Hey Starsk"
"Yeah?"
"Gotta heed the call of nature"
"What? Again? You really are a nature boy" Starsky chuckled "Go ahead, I'll keep a look out"
They had found out earlier in the day that the other inmates waited for either one to be alone to attack. So they quickly learned to keep watch while one attended to 'business'.
Starsky looked about the area, keeping his back to the creosote bush Hutch was using. 'What's takin' so long?' he wondered as he looked at his left wrist. 'Dammit, that's right, Roy has my watch' "Hutch, c'mon, ya better hurry up..." He suddenly had a very bad feeling. Hutch would have answered by now; he hurried around the bush as quickly as the shackles allowed. "SHIT!" Hutch was nowhere in sight.
He thought he heard something a little further off the road and shuffled off in the direction of the noise. He rounded yet another creosote bush and pulled up short at the sight. Three inmates had Hutch. One had him in a headlock and had a hand over Hutch's mouth. Another was pulling the blond's shirt off, the third inmate who had been unzipping Hutch's jeans, turned to intercept Starsky.
In a heartbeat, Starsky knew that these were the three men that had attacked Hutch in the kitchen. Hutch, not knowing their names, had called them Huey, Dewy and Louie. The intercepting inmate had to be Louie; Hutch had described them to him so he would know who to watch out for.
Starsky put a lid on his temper. He wanted, quite badly, to beat the living crap outta this sorry excuse for a human being. But he also knew that he was at a disadvantage as Louie was more used to moving in shackles and was about fifty pounds heavier.
But bigger didn't mean better. Starsky waited for the man to get close and rabbit punched him. He shuffled off to the side, looking for another opening when he was struck from behind. His legs were knocked out from under him with a shovel handle. Huey laughed harshly.
Louie pounced on Starsky and punched him in the back of his head, pushing his face into the sandy soil. He inadvertently inhaled some sand and started to cough and gag. Louie dragged him up by his collar and pulled him to a mound of dirt that was about a foot tall.
Hutch struggled against Dewy's grip. Dewy tightened his arm around his victim's neck, cutting off his air. Hutch stopped struggling; he wouldn't be able to help Starsky if he blacked out. Dewy's eased up his hold.
Huey moved in and yanked his victim's shirt off as Louie held the brunet in a punishing grip.
Starsky thrashed about, trying to free himself.
"Stop fightin' the feelin' you damn baby raper" Louie tightened his hold on his victim. "It'll just go harder for your buddy over there" He turned Starsky so he could now see his friend was trying to get his air back after Dewy had cut it off.
He stopped.
Huey took his shovel and removed the top part of the mound. Ants swarmed out.
Louie pulled Starsky over to the mound and pulled out some binder twine and hog-tied Starsky, stuffing a dirty hanky into his mouth. He then rolled the helpless man onto the anthill. "Them's fire ants. Ya know why they're called fire ants? 'Cause their sting burns" He giggled, Huey and Dewy joined in.
At first the ants just crawled on him. Then they grabbed hold with their mandibles and they stung him. It felt like mosquito bites, at first, but as the pinches and stings grew, so did the pain. Starsky rolled off the mound. Louie shoved him back on it.
Hutch swallowed hard, he forced himself to think. He had to help Starsky, but if he struggled, Dewy would choke him again. His eyes darted about, looking for a prison guard, looking for anything useful. A glint near his feet caught his eye. A bit of glass, he relaxed his body and went limp.
The inmate holding Hutch grunted as his prisoner collapsed in his arms. "Hey, guys, looke this! The baby raper fainted!" He let the lax body fall to the ground in a heap.
He kicked the helpless man.
Hutch rolled with the blow, stifling his grunt of pain. He picked up the glass as his body was rolling over it. He allowed his hand to land near a rock. He waited, hoping that they would all turn their attention to poor Starsky; he held his breath.
The inmates turned their interest to the bound child molester as he once more attempted to move off the anthill. They moved in a circle around him, forgetting the unconscious man as they focused on their more mobile victim.
Hutch pocketed the shard of glass and gathered a few fist sized rocks, rolled to his feet and proceeded to throw the rocks at the inmates' heads. He gritted his teeth in a grim smile as Louie was felled after being hit in the head.
Dewy hurled towards the blond as fast as the leg shackles allowed. Hutch dropped him in short order as well. He then aimed for Huey, who wisely put his hands up and backed away from Starsky. Hutch moved to his friend's side, helping him to roll away from the anthill and began brushing the swarming ants off. He kept the remaining rock next to him and brought out the piece of glass and cut the twine off of Starsky's wrists, freeing his hands.
Huey, momentarily forgotten, shuffled off.
Starsky spit the dirty hanky out and began franticly brushing the remaining ants away.
"Thanks Hutch" He panted as he slapped the stinging bugs.
Hutch sustained several stings to his hands and chest as he brushed the bugs off his friend, some of them landed on him, but he didn't notice as he watched Starsky drop his jeans to brush the last of the insects off of himself. "How're ya doin' buddy?"
"Terrific" Starsky pulled his jeans back up and moved a little further from the anthill. "I don't think I got that many bites, with all that rollin' around I did, I think I crushed most of 'em before they stung me" He quivered "Yuck! I really hate ants" He looked down at the unconscious men "I suppose we'd better pull these assholes away from the damn ants... don't want the ants to get sick" He chuckled.
Hutch joined in, once more amused by how his friend could almost always make him laugh, regardless of the situation.
As he and Hutch rolled the downed inmates away from the anthill, two guards rode up on horseback. The third inmate shuffled up to watch the proceedings from a short distance away.
"Well, well, well, just what do you think your doing?" A guard they knew only as "Whip," asked as he uncoiled his nickname sake from the saddle horn.
"They-" Starsky started to explain, but was cut short by a sharp snap inches from his nose.
Whip popped the bullwhip inches from Starsky's nose, he then coiled the whip back up as he said, "I wasn't asking you a question"
"But-"
Crack! The bullwhip snapped a hairsbreadth closer "The next time you open your pie-hole without me telling you to, I won't miss. Now, what do you think is going to happen to you for starting this fight? You may speak now"
"Starting! -" Starsky snapped as he moved a step towards the questioning guard.
Hutch's arm shot out, blocking him "We're going to be posted, sir" He dropped his head and looked away for a moment before turning his gaze back to Starsky's.
Starsky gave him a brief nod and stepped back, also dropping his head. Trying to explain what had really happened was pointless.
They endured the hostile bus ride back to Boot Camp stoically.
Back in their cell, they sat shoulder to shoulder. Neither had been allowed to eat and both were denied treatment for the ant stings. They had made do with soap and water.
Hutch was exhausted and very frightened. He had made a good show of how fit he was today. He had almost even fooled himself. But he seriously doubted he could last through twelve hours of standing in the blazing sun.
"Hutch, what is it? You're shakin' like a leaf" Starsky was unnerved at the blond's sudden quivering.
"I'm scared" And he was. There was no denying it and no stopping it.
"Aw, c'mere babe" Starsky pulled his friend into his arms, tucking the blond's shorn head under his chin. "We'll make it. I know we will" He put as much positive emotion in his voice as he could muster. He willed Hutch to believe him. "Knowin' ma, she's got the Calvary out lookin' for us and pretty soon, they'll come a ridin' over the hill and we'll be able to ride off into the sunset, just like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"
"Think they can find a horse big enough for Dobey to ride?" Hutch chuckled between sniffles as he wiped his eyes. He didn't want to point out that Butch and Sundance had died in a hail of bullets. His chuckles were stopped by that sobering thought.
"Maybe not, how 'bout one of those beer wagon horses? Would that be big enough?" Starsky scratched his chin in thought.
"A Clydesdale?" Hutch supplied helpfully.
"That what they're called? No, I'm thinkin' of something bigger, more like a Dobeydale!"
They laughed themselves silly at that.
Tuesday
They were posted at 5 a.m.
Starsky had to help Hutch dress. Hutch had tried to do it on his own, but simply lacked the energy. He had tried to hide that fact from Starsky, but his friend knew him all too well and wordlessly took over the task.
He lightly brushed Starsky's arm in a 'thank you' gesture and Starsky had given him a brief smile of encouragement. Roy would have been so pissed. Hutch grinned at that.
Starsky was gravely concerned with his partner's obvious lack of stamina. Hutch was nearing the end of his rope, physically and mentally. Twelve hours of posting, of standing in the hot sun was sure to sap what little remaining resources Hutch had.
Roy, Randal, Joe and Will had shown up on time and they were taken to the posts.
About an hour after they were posted, Starsky heard a whistle at the gate. He perked up and watched as Kate entered. Maybe she would listen today. She had to listen. He watched her avidly and looked about for Randal.
'Dammit' the little shit was at the park bench, reading the newspaper. If the little pecker would just go away for a few minutes, he would ask her for water. He was glad she had told them about that law. It had been a real lifesaver. He glanced back at Hutch to see how he was doing.
Hutch leaned on the post. It was the only thing holding him upright. He wasn't sure he would make it the whole twelve hours. He could feel his body growing weaker. His body temperature was rising, he was nauseous and the hammer in his head had just been joined by a sledgehammer and a jackhammer. It was a regular chorus of pain.
The morning wore on, the desert temperature rose and Randal stayed put.
Starsky anxiously watched as Hutch wobbled unsteadily "Hey, Hutch, c'mon babe, hold on" He looked about; Randal had finally gone off somewhere. He had been so focused on Hutch that he hadn't seen Randal leave.
Hutch heard Starsky but couldn't make out what he was saying; the words sounded garbled to him and despite his valiant effort to keep standing, Hutch's strength finally gave out. As did his legs, the cuffs kept him from falling to the ground and he dangled by his wrists.
"Hutch!" Starsky whispered loudly as he tugged on his cuffs, desperate to help his friend. He looked about and noticed that Kate had stopped the horse she was riding directly across from them; she was looking worriedly at Hutch.
"Kate! Help! Please!" He implored and to his great relief, she hopped off the horse and climbed through the arena's wooden fence rails. She stopped about five feet away from them. "Kate, please, you have to help us" Starsky glanced about, no one else was near, his heart lodged in his throat, he swallowed hard to move it down some so he could speak.
She briefly glanced at him and then returned her eyes to Hutch; her concern over his condition was obvious.
"Kate, my name is David Starsky, that's my partner, Ken Hutchinson, we're detectives with the Bay City Police Department, California. We were kidnapped by Roy Palmer. He has been calling us Sam Jones and Gary Harold. Please, you must call our captain, Harold Dobey" He rattled off the phone number, nearly hyperventilating with excitement.
"Roy kidnapped you two?" Her voice was laced with skepticism and she rolled her eyes. "I don't believe it. Roy's a nice guy. He helped me build a wheelchair ramp for my husband after his accident" She looked back at the stricken inmate; her expression changed back to concern. "He is really sick, though" she took a cautious step closer.
"Yeah, he's really had it rough. I really need you to call Dobey, can you do that, please?" Starsky held his breath, awaiting her answer. He watched as she pursed her lips and gave three staccato whistles. His heart stopped.
With growing dismay he watched as she waved at the tower. She looked at the guard who stepped out onto the walkway of the tower. She gave a hand signal and pointed to Hutch, then mimed drinking water.
The guard waved an 'okay' signal back.
Kate turned back to the inmate calling himself Starsky "I had to let the guard know what I was up to or risk getting shot at" she moved to Hutch's side. "He's not sweating. How long has he been like this?"
Starsky released the breath he hadn't known he was holding. "I'm not sure; he's been tortured and worked hard, with very little water. He's been going down hill for days now"
"Tortured?" She reached out and put her hand to Hutch's forehead "He's burning up!" She stared at Hutch, her gaze roved over his arms, then to his neck. She moved her hand from one telltale raised bump of a fire ant sting, then another. Her momentarily skeptical gaze softened back to concern, she looked back to Starsky "I'll get the hose, Mr. Starsky; we have to get him cooled down"
"David, do you think he'll be okay?"
"Should be, David, if we can get him cooled down"
Starsky nodded, slightly relieved. He watched the woman carefully as she opened Hutch's shirt to help cool him and she winced at what she saw.
"What the hell is this?" Kate shot a questioning look at Starsky, her eyes rounding widely in horror at the bruises, old and new, the ant stings, the scorch marks from the shock collar; the man's ribs were beginning to show as well. She took a gentle pinch of skin. It stayed tented for a while then slowly smoothed out, a sure sign of dehydration.
"Shh, Kate, don't let anyone see you react" He looked about and saw Roy and Randal making their way over to them. "They mustn't know that you know. Your life depends on it" He willed her to understand the gravity of the situation. Any other time, any other place and he would have never put a civilian in this position, but there were no other options. Hutch couldn't wait any longer. He simply wouldn't survive.
She stared at him in total disbelief, turned her gaze back to the sick inmate and returned it once again to meet Starsky's eyes. She saw earnest concern, fear and a whole lot of worry there. She still was not totally convinced. She had been fooled before. It had nearly cost her job here; she could not afford to be wrong again.
Meanwhile, Roy and Randal heard the whistles and saw Kate go over to the posted inmates, seeing this; Roy said "SHIT! Let me do all the talking" He quickly composed himself "Now, let's go over there, be cool, walk like it's no big deal"
The pair wandered up and looked at the sick inmate. Kate almost ran into Roy as she turned to get the hose. "Whoa, easy there Kate" He briefly caught her by the arm to stop her.
"Excuse me Roy, I have to get the hose" Kate moved to step around Roy.
"Wait, you don't know this guy Kate, he is such a kidder" He turned back to Hutch and prodded him with his nightstick "Cut it out Sam, quit your screwing around, you're scaring the lady" Roy looked at Kate for a second "He's just faking it"
She stopped mid-step and her head popped up.
Starsky watched as she turned slowly to stare at Roy in stunned disbelief, her jaw gapped for a moment, she then snapped "You can't fake not sweating, Roy! It is ninety degrees out here! He should be sweating buckets, but he's not, he has heatstroke and he's dehydrated!" She trotted away and hooked up the hose to the water hydrant. She dragged the hose over and began to hose the inmate off in an attempt to cool him down.
"Quit faking it, Hutchinson" Roy again prodded the unresponsive man with his nightstick.
Starsky locked eyes with the older woman as she shot him a startled look. Her eyes were bugged cartoonishly large by the magnification of the thick lens of her glasses. All doubt had been removed.
She knows Roy is lying! She knows! Starsky mentally crowed. He quickly put his head down near his cuffed hands, put a finger to his lips and shook his head ever so slightly, warning her not to react to Roy's slip up. He sighed with relief when she gave him a tiny nod back. She apparently now understood the danger. He watched as she swallowed hard and tried to control her fear.
Kate cleared her throat "Um, Roy, he needs to go to the infirmary... he could die if he doesn't get cooled down" she kept her eyes on the sick man, afraid to look at Roy.
"You're right Kate, sorry, it's just that he has tried this before, I thought he was doing it again" He offered her a meek smile.
"Sure, no harm done" She shrugged as she continued to hose Hutchinson down.
Roy had Randal get the pickup truck and they took the inmate to the infirmary. Kate rode along and helped the nurse for a while before stating she needed a ride back to the stables, which Joe gave her.
"M'am, could I have a drink, please?" Starsky loudly called to her after Joe drove off.
He waited as she whistled for the guard's attention and got permission to approach him.
"How is he?" He drank the water she offered him.
"Better, he was awake when I left; he seemed to know where he was. I didn't get to talk to him or anything, Roy stayed right next to me... I was so scared that he would figure out that I knew" She gave a shudder. "Oh God, I've had that man in my house! I-"
Starsky gently cut her off "Ya did good, now you need to go call Dobey, please, please be very careful. Act like it's a normal day when you leave, 'kay?"
She swallowed hard and nodded.
"You remember the number?"
She recited it back to him.
"Good, thanks Kate"
She smiled weakly at him "You're welcome, but I'm really sorry I didn't listen last week, I'll ride to the nearest place and-"
"You didn't know, you do now and that's all that matters and no, don't go to the nearest or the second nearest place, if they figure you know, that's where they'll head"
She nodded.
"Go on now and remember to be careful!"
She nodded again and gathered her stuff, got her horses and dog and whistled to be let out the gate. Starsky watched as she causally rode out. Soon this whole mess would be over; he allowed himself to smile and heaved a sigh of relief.
Outside of the prison infirmary, Randal watched as Kate walked her horses out the gate. That reminded him of something he wanted to ask Roy. "Why did you call Sam 'Hutchinson'?"
Roy snapped his head around "WHAT?!" Roy had never told Randal who these prisoners really were or what their names really were. He hadn't trusted Randal with that information, couldn't trust him not to fuck up and wreck everything. The little shit couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his ass. "When did I do that?"
"When Kate was helping Sam, you told Sam to 'Quit faking it, Hutchinson'"
"SHIT!" Roy was pissed off at himself, he had so concerned himself with Randal fucking up that he had forgotten to use more caution himself. "Randal, get a rifle from the cabinet, get in the truck and see if Kate is still here"
"She just left," Randal hooked a thumb towards the gate "I just saw her leave. Why?"
"She did? Go after her!"
"Why?"
Roy hissed through clenched teeth "If you don't want to end up in prison yourself, you will shut the fuck up and do exactly as I say"
Randal's face scrunched up, trying to comprehend what Roy meant. "I don't understand-"
Roy cut him off "Do I have to draw you a fucking picture? She knows what's going on. If she tells the authorities... well, you will be on the receiving end of what you have been dishing out"
Randal paled.
Roy re-emphasized, "If you don't want to end up in prison, kill her. She'll have to cut cross-country to get to any of the ranches that are nearby to use a phone. When she gets several miles from here, shoot her, dead. I'm as serious as a heart attack Randal, if she gets to a phone; we are up shit creek with out a paddle"
"O-Okay" Randal had helped Roy kill before. He had killed while Roy watched, but this was the first time Roy wanted him to kill someone by himself. He was scared and excited all at the same time.
"And Randal..."
"Yeah Roy?"
"Bring me proof that she's dead. Something small" Roy wanted evidence; the little fucker might just try to weasel out, but if he killed that woman, then Randal would be the one up for murder in the first, if anyone ever found out. He had been setting Randal up as his patsy all along, just in case anyone got wind of his extracurricular activities. But hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, not yet anyway.
"Okay, I-I will". No faking it, Roy finally trusted him enough to do something really important all by himself. He couldn't wait. He would make Roy proud of him. Maybe he would shoot that damned leg-pissing dog of hers as well. He ran off to get the pickup.
Randal knew that Roy would literally kill him if he failed. So, he decided he had to get a little higher and drove up to what the guards called "Runaway" ridge for the great overview it gave of the surrounding area. He got out and started to scan the area and after about a half hour she rode into view.
He raced back to the pickup and grabbed his rifle. Randal didn't have many talents, but the one thing he could do was shoot. He knelt down to steady himself and as soon as she was in range, he aimed for her head and squeezed the trigger. The sound of the rifle shot echoed and bounced off the surrounding the rocks.
He watched as she toppled off the horse and rolled down into a ravine. The dog ran down after her and the horses trotted off a ways before stopping to graze. Randal didn't care. He carefully made his way down the steep slope. He had to get proof that she was dead.
xxxxxxxxxxx
Captain Dobey prepared for his television interview that was being held by the one of the local television stations; the interview would be on how the search was going for his missing men. He looked at the photographs of Starsky and Hutch. He had to turn the photos face down. Looking at their smiling faces and not actually knowing where they were and wondering if they were still alive was tearing him apart; he had to compose himself so he could do his job and give his best effort for the sake of his missing men.
He mopped his dampening brow, dabbed at his eyes to remove the moisture; he got out some over the counter eye drops that carried the promise to 'get the red out' and used some. He looked in the mirror to adjust his tie. He shoved the handkerchief back into his pocket and then straitened his blazer.
"Two minutes to on-air, Captain" A cheery voice informed him.
"Be right there" He pocketed the photos and headed out the door, stopping just short of it to ask God for just a little miracle, before heading onto the studio area.
xxxxxxxxxxx
That night, Starsky and Hutch were back in their cell. Starsky knew something was very wrong; help had not arrived. It should have by now. It had been hours since Kate had left for help. Maybe she had changed her mind. Maybe she had it changed for her.
Starsky looked at Hutch who was asleep on the lower bunk, he looked exhausted and drawn out after his ordeal today. Starsky gently ran his hand over the blond's head. 'What're we gonna do now?'
He heard the door bang open and stood up; when he saw who it was, he placed himself between Hutch and Roy. There was no way in hell that crazy bastard was gonna touch Hutch ever again.
Roy was alone. The two opponents squared off and eyeballed each other for a few seconds. Then Roy smiled, it never reached his eyes. "You think you're so clever, don't you detective Starsky? You've got your friend back into your little cell and everything is going to be just peachy, well, I got something here that will change your mind"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and wrapped inside of it were a pair of glasses. One lens was missing, the other was spider webbed and covered with a dried rust-colored substance. Blood.
Starsky looked at them, he instantly recognized them. The blood drained from his face. The glasses were Kate's. He couldn't tear his eyes off of them. She had only tried to help Hutch and him... what did it get her? Killed. Dead. A lump grew in his throat and stayed there, he couldn't swallow past it.
"I can tell by the expression on your face that you know what's happened and it's all your fault. If you hadn't told her, she wouldn't be dead" Roy's voice was smug "enjoy what time you have with your friend. By the looks of things, he's not long for this world either" Roy laughed harshly and exited. The metal door banged closed behind him, sounding like a death knell.
Starsky looked over his shoulder at his friend. Roy was probably right; another day of toiling in the hot sun was sure to be too much for Hutch. His body seemed to be withering before Starsky's worried eyes. He had lost several pounds from his already sparse frame. How much more could he take? Not much, not much at all.
"Hey... Starsk, what's goin' on?" Hutch's voice was a shadow of itself. The sound of the door slamming shut had awakened him. He was happy to see that Starsky was still in the same cell as he was. For a split second there he feared that Starsky had been taken away.
Starsky turned away for a moment, considering his options, tell him, don't tell him...
Hutch could tell by the way Starsky held himself that something was very wrong "What is it?" Starsky's painfully sad eyes met his "What?" it was a mere whisper.
"They've killed Kate; she was going to call for help... I gave her Dobey's number..." He buried his face in his hands "It's all my fault-"
"Oh no, c'mere babe" Hutch rose unsteadily to his feet and gathered Starsky into his arms "S'not your fault"
Starsky gently pushed away from his friend "Then whose fault is it? I asked her to help, I-"
"You know the answer to that, it's Roy and Randal's fault, don't blame yourself-" He was trying hard to be there for Starsky. The mind was willing, but the body was not. Hutch weaved unsteadily, his legs buckled.
Starsky caught him by the upper arms "Whoa, I got cha', ya need ta lie back down, c'mon" He eased Hutch back to lie down down on the cot and sat beside him. He pulled the sheet up to Hutch's shoulder and smoothed it into position. He gently brushed the back of his fingers over the blond's exhausted and drawn face. As he listened to Hutch's breathing slowly even out into a sleep pattern, he once more buried his face in his hands.
Sometime later, Starsky heard a buzzing sound and went to the front of his cell to investigate. The buzz was issuing from the exit light above the door; he watched it flicker for a few moments before it winked out and stayed that way. Starsky dropped his head to his chest and turned away from what he considered to be a bad omen.
No exit light, no exit. No way out.
Trapped
TBC
Author's notes: There are actually five species of tumbleweeds in the USA. The Russian thistle is not even a real thistle; it is member of the Goosefoot family. It was accidentally imported from Russia in the 1870's; this plant is the most commonly recognized tumbleweed from the 'old west' movies.
The fire ants in this story are of the RIFA (Red Imported Fire Ant) variety, which are not native to Arizona. I could not find out if they had invaded by the late 1970s or not. For the sake of the story line I have them well established, they are there now, according to my source, who has been stung as well. Ouch! Poor Bill.