No warnings for these chapters, after this, things will start to go down hill. Thanks to the usual suspects. Enjoy!
Chapter 10
This early in the evening the restaurant was still empty. Starsky sat at one of the tables in the back, staring at the blue dog he'd just purchased. There was something there, he could feel it.
He closed his eyes. For a fleeting moment he could touch it.
Concentrating, he opened his eyes and fixed them on the blue of the dog. It felt the same as just walking out of the door, and knowing you'd forgotten something, but you didn't know what. He closed his eyes again as suddenly a feeling came rushing up out of nowhere, a feeling of loss, of broken bonds.
He started shaking, unable to pin down his thoughts or his feelings onto something substantial.
"Dave?"
Starsky snapped his eyes open.
"What is that?" Belinda stood in front of him, looking from the stuffed dog to her husband. "Are you all right?"
Starsky's voice shook when he spoke up softly, not looking away from the dog. "I'm missing something here, Bell. There's something wrong."
"What do you mean?"
"Something…some…one," he gasped, tears almost welling up. He looked up at her. "Someone is missing…"
She frowned, concern flashing over her features. "Dave."
Starsky sighed. He couldn't pinpoint it. No need to worry his wife with these feelings. "I'm all right… Forget it, huh?"
Why couldn't he remember?
Deep, very deep inside, something stirred.
Chapter 11
Looking down at the newspaper clippings, an uncomfortable feeling started to nag at Hutch.
The address Starsky had found on the inside of the address book, turned out to belong to a quiet place in a residential area. Having made certain the house was empty; they'd carefully started digging for clues, and found the clippings in an old desk situated in what must have been the study in the back of the house.
A couple of the clippings lying in front of him were about the recent murders, a few about Forest's trial a while ago. But that wasn't what disturbed him the most. Lying on top of the clippings was a small piece of paper.
He hadn't felt like this since the night he'd picked up Forest's girlfriend. He knew something would happen to her then if he didn't help her get rid of that man. And he had been right, a lot of pain; a lot of anguish for the both of them. And he felt like that now.
He stared at the note, the writing on it making his blood run cold. The note simply stated an address, his address, on Ocean. A short three letter message was written underneath: stop when delivered.
His heart sank to his stomach as his mind read the truth behind those words. They had him targeted all along. And oh yes, they intended to stop their hits on those poor users, but only when they'd gotten what they wanted: him.
"Hutch."
Startled by his friend's call he looked up, quickly putting the note in his shirt pocket. If Starsky got wind of this he'd blow off the whole case. As much as he loved the brunet, he wouldn't let him mother-hen him to death.
His partner was studying a piece of writing paper situated on a small table near the telephone.
Hutch walked over and leaned in behind his partner to try and read the small print, written in nearly indecipherable hand writing. He whistled in surprise.
Starsky spoke up, keeping his eyes on the paper. "Yeah, we better get this to the lab. I'll bet you a million dollars that the things on this list mount up to the contents of those drugs."
"It's probably a grocery list for whoever had to do the shopping," Hutch stated uneasily, studying the ingredients. "This stuff is meant to kill, buddy."
Starsky looked up, apparently sensing Hutch's worries. "You mean those kids? I still think there's more to it than that… Something doesn't add up Hutch."
"It's a non-detectible killer Starsk, what more do you want? No wonder the Feds are interested in this." Hutch snapped.
Starsky rewarded him with a penetrating stare. For a moment Hutch was sure Starsky could see the note in his pocket. Hutch's features softened as he read the concern in the other's eyes. "Sorry."
Without saying a word the brunet slowly turned his attention to the paper again, thoughtfully turning it over. "Look what we have here: a delivery address."
Hutch followed his gaze. "Ben's old place?"
"Ain't that a surprise," Starsky remarked, and headed for the door.
"I thought a cavalry of Feds checked that place out?"
Starsky turned. "Right, so I figured we pay the FBI a little visit."
Hutch frowned. It wasn't like Starsky to use such an elaborate detour when he could get the information using a far more direct course of action.
"Starsky, we've got enough evidence to search the place ourselves."
His partner's silence wasn't lost on the blond, who immediately realized what was going on.
"Dammit Starsk, I can handle it! One way or the other these killings have to stop, Forest or no Forest. I'm a cop first!
Starsky walked over to him, grabbing his arm. "Look, something really weird is going on here, and I don't like where this investigation is heading. We could be walking into a trap."
"That's never stopped you before and you know it." Hutch stated cold.
A moment of silent communication passed between the two friends, before Starsky finally let go. "All right," he said. "But we're gonna clear this one with Dobey first, partner."
"Meaning we're going to get the cavalry to join us?"
"Yep."
Hutch didn't argue the point again, besides, if Karl really was bent on killing him, if this was a trap, having an entire contingency of federal agents at your back wasn't such a bad idea.
The next morning had all of them in place at Ben's estate, including the supposedly sufficient back up needed. Two cars were sitting beneath an elaborate overhang of trees just outside the driveway.
"That's it?" Starsky eyed the men in disbelieve through the open passenger's window of the expensive looking black government car. "Just the two of you?"
The two black suited men sitting inside, who had introduced themselves as Special Agents Donalds and Michaels, were both slightly bald, and at least a decade Starsky's senior. Apparently they were all the FBI had to spare right now.
"It's of our opinion that this house is empty, Mr. Starsky." Donalds, sitting closest to him motioned to the large estate with its two wings and the elaborate gardens and swimming pool on the other side. "We checked it out ages ago."
"And what if it isn't, huh? It's big enough to hide the entire west coast syndicate for God's sake."
The agent rolled his eyes upwards. "Our men are good, Detective. They don't make mistakes."
Starsky leaned in closer. "Well, I hope you're right, 'cos if you're not, we'll all be walkin' into a trap."
"What's the matter," Donalds mocked. "Don't you trust us?"
"With the fate of this country? Yes. With our lives? No."
"Gentleman, gentleman," Michaels cut in. "This is getting us no where. Now, I suggest we quit the bickering, and go do our jobs. Sergeant, you and your partner take the back, there's a service entrance there that will lead you to the kitchen, that way you'll bypass main security, if there is any. Donalds and I will take the front. We're able to get in unnoticed. We'll meet in the middle. Any questions?
Starsky pulled back from the car window, letting the two men exit their car.
He didn't like this situation one bit. Something was off, way off, and the feeling of foreboding only grew stronger as he looked at his partner sitting in the Torino just up the road.
They had no tangible evidence whatsoever that Karl was after Hutch. All Starsky had, was his Detective's instinct coupled with Lilly's warning, and the name of a Forest. It wasn't enough to blow off the investigation.
Besides, professionally speaking they wanted these murders solved, regardless of the risks they had to take. And the blond's thoughts on this were the same, of that he was sure. It was what made him, made them both of them such good cops.
Just another day on the job, He thought grimly.
Through this all Hutch kept uncharacteristically silent. He watched his partner's heated discussion with Donalds from the safe position of the passenger's seat inside the Torino. Half the FBI's task force should be here to raid the house. However, the fact that there were only these two wasn't foremost on his mind.
Slowly he dropped the radio receiver back into its cradle. The information Dobey had just given him over the radio, together with the note he carried in his pocket, mounted up to a conclusion he could no longer deny. Deep down inside he knew he was right.
He started to shiver ever so slightly. The horror of what had happened to him a few years ago at Ben Forest's hands still left its mark upon his body, mind and soul. Over time he'd learned to deal with it, with the cravings, the fear. He had to, after all, if he wanted to stay a street cop and partnered to Starsky. But now, current events were crashing through carefully, built up walls.
He thought back to his partner's previous actions, especially his mother henning. Starsky had suspected all along there was more to this drug then its killing capacity. He'd known it was really Hutch that Karl Forest was after.
He probably knew way before me. I should've known. He all but physically tried to keep me from going anywhere near this house. No wonder he's giving those Fed boys such a hard time. Two of them is not gonna be enough.
Hutch took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he thought of the lab results his Captain had just given him. The lab had been quite clear about one thing. The compound was meant to kill all right, but only the mind, not the body. It was a fate worse than slavery, worse than death. And it was what they had in store for him.
It scared the shit out of him.
But fear or not, he knew his duty.
His inner turmoil wouldn't settle down so easily though. It warned him, shouted at him, tried to protect him from doing something stupid. But just as he'd ignored Dobey's advice moments ago to cancel the search, he ignored these ominous feelings.
As much as Hutch hated the situation, he knew they needed to stop these senseless killings. And if that meant facing some ghosts from the past, and going into this house with too little back up, then so be it. As he'd said to Starsky before, he was a cop first.
Tbc
