The Major Incident
CHAPTER 3
Hutch ran from Dobey's office and out into the squad room. Not finding his partner there, he went out into the corridor and through to the bathrooms. Not finding him there either, he made his way out to the front of the building where the Torino was habitually parked. A space marked the place where Starsky had left his pride and joy that morning and so Hutch went back inside, borrowed the keys to Dobey's car and set off to his partner's apartment.
Lurching to a halt outside the apartment, Hutch bounded up the steps and pushed the door open.
'Starsk. Starsky are you there? We gotta talk buddy? Starsk?'
Hutch went further into the room and looked around for the brunette. It was just a small choking sound from the kitchen area which finally got his attention and showed where his friend was. Walking round the island unit, Hutch looked down at his friend, who sat with his back against the wooden unit, knees pulled up to his chin with arms wrapped around them. His head rested on his arms and Hutch thought he heard a sob. Bending down, he touched Starsky's shoulder, then put a finger under the chin and turned the brunettes face towards him.
Starsky snuffed and angrily wiped the back of his hand across his eyes, then down the sides of his jeans.
'OK, spill. What just happened there, partner? I've seen you mad as hell, angry, scared, but you've always stayed put. What made you run out?'
The eyes that stared back at him held more pain than Hutch thought would be possible for one man to have. 'That guy. That Brigadier General Sharpe. I know him, an' he knows me, an' there's no force on earth gonna make me work for him again'.
Hutch was quiet a moment. 'Starsk, I know you never wanted to talk about your army service, but this guy has you so screwed up. If we're gonna do whatever it is that Dobey wants us to, then we need to start talking. Or you need to start talking and I need to start listening'.
Starsky took a deep steadying breath, then pushed himself up from the floor and padded over to the settee. Sitting down heavily, he watched as Hutch lowered himself into the chair opposite, breathing deeply and seeming to gather himself.
'OK. You asked about it, so here goes. The stuff I told you about being drafted into the army was all true. I was just a poor kid from Brooklyn and I couldn't escape the draft, so I ended up doin' my basic training at some god forsaken hell hole on the Mexican border. I didn't know at the time that it wasn't where everyone was sent. I don't know why I was singled out – just lucky, I guess. The top dog at the training camp was one Colonel Edward Sharpe, and he was one mean son of a bitch. I did my training and they found out I was a fair marksman, so I was given special training in weaponry. Ended up I could fire anything from an AK50 to a semi automatic like the Beretta 92.
To cut a long and bloody story short, I ran three or four top secret missions and made Major before the final one when I was sent into Nah Am. I lead a team of three. We went in by HALO,
Hutch looked at his partner disbelieving. 'HALO? You mean……'
'Yep. The technical definition is high-altitude, low-opening jump for insertion of troops behind enemy lines. The jump begins from 15,000 feet, but the 'shute doesn't open until the last possible second, to avoid radar detection'.
'But, you hate heights. You hate flying'.
'Yeah, well, now ya know why. Are you gonna listen? We were supposed to spring this General from a POW camp, but it all went real wrong. We were ambushed and taken prisoner.
Anyway, they wanted to know why we were there and how we got there, an' we weren't goin' to tell 'em, so they tried to persuade us. You've probably heard about their encouragement techniques – electricity, beatings, starvation – well those were the pleasant parts. I won't, can't tell you about the rest. But I was finally rescued, the other two never made it. No thanks to Sharpe. His unit denied all knowledge of us, so we were there about five months and got the 'special' treatment almost every day. I wasn't in very good shape at the end, in fact it took me four months in a vets hospital before I was well enough to get transferred stateside. My fingernails and toenails grew back, I got my hearing back and my lungs got better. And that, as they say, is that. Don't make me tell you any more. I've kept it buried for so long'. Starsky lifted pleading eyes to his friend.
Hutch was stunned, speechless. 'My God, Starsk. You've kept all that to yourself all these years. Jeez, you think you know someone, then something like this happens. How did you survive buddy?'
'I didn't for a while' the dark haired man almost whispered. 'I was a real screw up. I got some medals, like they could make us feel better'. He moved into the bedroom and Hutch could hear him rummaging about in an old suitcase He came back a moment later and handed Hutch three flat red boxes. Silently the blond opened each in turn, examining the three medals in turn. Vietnam Service medal; Republic of Vietnam Wound Medal and Vietnam Gallantry Cross Personal Award.
'That's all I have to remind me of nearly two years of my life that Sharpe stole from me. I've never forgiven the bastard for leaving us to rot in that camp, and I never will'.
'How long did it take you to recover fully? asked Hutch softly.
'Don't know that I ever really have. I know you always laugh about my eating habits, like burritos for breakfast. Well, when you're on starvation rations for months, then ya don't get fed for up to four days straight, ya get a kind of hang up about food. That was one of their little distractions. They'd wait till I was nearly passing out with hunger, then they'd set up a dinner table outside my cell. I had to stand at attention an' watch 'em eat. If I passed out, or fell over, I got another beating'. The dark haired man shrugged. 'Its just comforting now to know I can eat what I want when I want it. I weighed 102lbs when I was rescued.
Hutch's face said it all. He had had no idea about his partner and best friend's past, and this was so painful to hear.
'Did ya ever wonder why when we go to the emergency room I always get a side room? Well that's one of the 'perks' of my chequered career – the local hospital has my army notes, so they know my medical history and my previous rank, and I get preferential treatment'. He smiled his lop sided smile and looked away, suddenly embarrassed.
'Why did you tell me you were a Captain?'
A shrug of the shoulders. 'Major sounds kinda pretentious. I thought Captain sounded better. And the least you knew about my past, the more comfortable I was. Guess all that's changed now. But I'm still the same guy'.
There was a silence, before finally Hutch said 'So. What now? Do we go back?'
'I dunno Hutch. My instinct tells me this is all wrong, but I can't tell Dobey 'no' without telling him the whole story. And that I can't do – no way'.
'OK Partner. Well, we take this a bit at a time, trust no one other than me and thee, and see how it all goes?'
Starsky straightened and looked Hutch in the eye. 'Sounds like a plan'. And with that, he got up to leave.
'Just one thing, Starsk' Hutch added. 'The General said something about unique talents. Ya want to tell me what yours are?'
The dark haired man stopped but didn't turn. 'Yeah, laugh if ya want, but I lectured other members of the unit'.
'And your subject?'
The answer was flung over Starsky's shoulder as he made for the door. 'Interrogation techniques'.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The journey back to the Metro was done singly, Starsky driving the Torino and Hutch returning Dobey's car, each man absorbed in their own thoughts. Hutch couldn't take in everything he'd heard about his best friend's past. It was so horrific that it was almost incomprehensible. And Starsky had told him in such a matter of fact manner. Like it was the sort of thing that happened to folks every day. Well it happened to him every day for five months, for God's sake.
Starsky's mind was on other things. He'd been embarrassed that Hutch had finally found out his secret past. He'd kept it safely hidden for years and had cultivated his 'little innocent boy' routine as he liked to call it. It was a defence mechanism, and he had used it so often that he almost believed it himself. But now this General Sharpe had come back from the shadows to haunt him, and he didn't know if he could cope, or if he wanted to deal with the guy again.
They parked the cars next to each other in the car park, got out and regrouped.
'Are you ready for this partner. Any last thoughts before we go up there. I'll go with your gut feelings on this one. You say we pull, and we walk away now'.
Starsky smiled grimly. 'I need to know what he wants, then I'll make up my mind. You're gonna have to trust me on this, OK?
And with that, he headed for the lift with Hutch in hot pursuit.
Dobey and Sharpe were still talking in Dobey's office when the two detectives pushed open the door and entered. There was an awkward silence before finally Sharpe said 'Well, Major. I suppose I should thank you for returning. Frankly, as your service has just been reactivated, you should be on report, but I'll ignore the infringement this once'.
Starsky straightened himself and looked coldly at the General. 'So, I don't have a choice in this, do I? What exactly do you want then, Sir?'
Dobey saw the warning signs from the hot headed brunette and interjected 'Cool it Starsky. Just hear the man out, then we can talk, OK?'
All four men sat down and waited expectantly. Sharpe took documents from his brief case and began.
'Just over four months ago, I began to suspect that someone was peddling drugs in the battalion. At first, it was just a suspicion, but the five soldiers who died were all from either the hospital or pharmacy. None of them had records for violence, but all showed signs of bruising on their bodies. At first, I was willing to believe it was coincidence. The army can bring out a mans more violent tendencies, as I'm sure you are aware, Major'.
Starsky stared ahead, refusing to look at the senior officer.
Sharpe continued. 'None of the men were ever going to be operational in the field but I became more suspicious when I was made aware that all five had undertaken PQ testing, even though they would have had no need to. At that point I started my own investigations but drew a blank. That's where you two come in. Officer Hutchinson, I can't make you take on this assignment. You are a civilian. Major Starsky, on the other hand………'
Hutch felt the anger rising inside him. He had watched his partner as Sharpe had outlined the problem as he saw it. He'd seen Starsky's jaw tighten and his fists clench, but knew the curly haired man was powerless to do anything. Hutch, however, had no such constraints.
'Cap, this stinks an' you know it. I've never heard of a Vietnam Vet's service being reactivated. Starsky's done his bit for his country. You know the sort of year he's just had, he….'
Hutch was cut off as Dobey put up his hand and turned to the General. 'What exactly is PQ testing?'
'Its brutal and completely unnecessary'. Starsky broke his silence. 'It was originally used for operatives who were likely to be in situations where they may be captured. The exercise is supposed to measure pain quotients, to establish how long a soldier is likely to last under questioning. It was never proved to be effective, and it was banned in all but a very few units. And I would suggest it is never used now. So, General, what was happening in your unit then, Sir?'
The sarcasm seemed to flow off Sharpe's back. 'That's for you to find out, and Mr Hutchinson too, if he accepts the task'.
Hutch paused. 'Cap, can I have a private word with my partner, outside?'
Dobey nodded and the two detectives rose and left.
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