Feedback: Always shamefully solicited, but please remember, none of us are professionals so when critiquing, be lenient.
Disclaimer: I own no one, and nothing. The OC's are ours and the idea is loosely based on a movie called 'The hitcher', no infringement on the copyright is intended. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, namely, me!
Author's Note: This story is being written with the help of a couple of very important people to me. Thank you Eli for your contributions and encouragement, also written with the constant help of Brook, (she is, and always will be my sounding board.)
Red
Chapter Eight
Starsky slowly came back around, the pain in his groin making itself very known. He had fallen onto his side, his knees drawn up to his chest, trying to protect himself in any way he could. He felt someone fumbling with his hands and soon he was relieved to feel his wrists free, his hands automatically coming around to his front, cupping his injury, rubbing gently. Even his touch hurt, but provided some relief at the same time. For a few brief moments he regretted his lot in life, regretting being a man. He wondered how women felt, if they were kicked in the same place, would it have even half the effect. He never wanted to find out. He rolled to his side, his knees still instinctively protecting him while his hands provided back up. He looked up to see Kevin standing over him, waving a gun in the brunet's face, smiling. He forgot about the pain in his upper right leg, even for the briefest of moments.
"Get the fuck up." Kevin ordered as he cocked his weapon threateningly. "And don't try anything or I'll blow your god damn brains out right here."
Starsky struggled to get to his feet, between his painful groin and his again throbbing leg, his body hurt, it ached, every muscle ached down to his bones. He was chilled, yet sweating. His lungs hurt with every breath, yet craved more. He stumbled as he tried to rise, catching his balance shortly before falling back to the ground. He coughed as he wrapped both arms around his chest. It felt good to be able to move his arms again, he was weak and needed the movement to stimulate his circulation. He struggled to control his coughing spasm as he swallowed hard to squelch the irritation that was rising in his throat.
"See, I ain't such a bad guy…" Kevin seethed as he shoved the brunet from behind, pushing him towards the car. "Not like that bitch that you let run away from here." He added as Starsky stumbled forward.
Starsky wondered why he was still alive. Was it because he was a cop? Was it because the kid needed him? Was it because Kevin was just getting careless? Whatever the reason, Starsky wondered how long his luck would hold out. Would it be long enough for Hutch to find him? Where was his partner? He needed his partner, now more than ever…
"You know what, if it weren't for you, I would have done that whore, and slit her throat, just like the rest of them…" Kevin said chillingly calm and without any emotion.
"She woulda still got away, it had nothin' to do with me…an' I'm glad she did." Starsky mumbled.
"Maybe so, but not before I had my chance at her," Kevin remarked, his answer surprising the detective as they continued to slowly make their way to the Thunderbird parked in the driveway. "You made her wanna go…"
Starsky shook his head, not understanding Kevin's ramblings, but deciding it wasn't worth looking for an explanation. Truth was this kid had the upper hand, Starsky knew he had to do something, fast. He was weak and injured and at this point, trying to over power the young man would be a dangerous risk, one he was so sure was worth it at this point.
"Look, where we gonna go next? Everywhere we go, we're gonna have to keep movin', keep runnin'…when is it gonna stop?" Starsky asked, trying his hand at reasoning, knowing that this was probably as dangerous as trying to over power him.
The brunet felt a strong hand on his shoulder, whipping him around, the gun in his face, Kevin's hand shaking. "You wanna know when this will end? When either I'm dead. Or all those assholes out there that think it's cool to drive a fancy red hot rod, tryin' to drag race, or drive with no regard to any other people on the roads, are dead. They cause accidents, they hurt people and then they just continue down the road, like nothin' happened…leaving a kid to sit there, in the mangled heap and watch his parents die…no one comin' back for help, no one givin' a shit about any of them…that's when it is gonna end…"
Starsky thought he saw a hint of remorse in the pale blue eyes of this teenager as he looked deeply into the boy's face.
"What the hell happened to you?" Starsky ask as Kevin's face flushed and he pushed his captive back towards the car. "You know your gonna get caught? Eventually they all get caught. And my partner's out there, he's lookin' for me, and God help you when he finds me."
"Didn't I tell you to shut the fuck up?" Kevin spewed.
"No." Starsky retorted.
"Well you're getting on my nerves." Kevin gave Starsky a final shove, as he landed against the trunk of the car.
Starsky knew that it was best to say no more, he was lucky to end this conversation without a new knot to his face or head. He shoved both hands deep into his jacket pocket, trying to keep his hands warm. He felt his wallet that Kevin had put back in his left one.
His mind immediately thought about somehow leaving this behind. Someone was sure to find it, he knew that they would find Kristie and she would bring them back here. Hutch would know the wallet was a sign that he was still alive and to keep looking…he remembered that there was a picture inside the brown leather wallet. A picture of the two people he cared most about in the world, a picture of Helen and Hutch together at the department picnic taken last month. He loved that picture, he loved both of them. He wished that he had time to get the photo out of his wallet and take it with him, he needed it, to focus, to hope, to keep faith and feel somehow still connected to the people he had left behind.
Kevin popped open the trunk again, "Get in." He commanded as he took the gun and placed it against Starsky's temple reminding the brunet that he was completely unstable and may just pull the trigger on a whim.
Starsky moved cautiously as he pulled both hands out of his pocket, slyly dropping the wallet under the car as he lifted both hands into the air, above his head, showing Kevin that he was not planning on becoming a threat, he was compliant and planned on remaining that way. Kevin loved being in control.
Starsky limped around as he tried to reposition himself to make it easier for him to climb into the trunk. Kevin gave Starsky one final shove as the brunet fell backwards into the confines of the dark truck. Once in, the lid was closed securely as Kevin gave one more look around the woods. He was going to miss this place, but he knew exactly where he was going to go…
XXXX
Kristie was on the side of the road, she was crying hysterically in the back seat of a marked police cruiser. A female officer made her best attempt to calm the girl and get her to settle down which just seemed to enrage her further.
"You don't understand, he's gonna kill him…we have to go…" She sobbed as she started having a hard time breathing, her anxiety getting the best of her. "Please…you have to…have to listen to me…" She was insistent on taking them back to help the man that tried to save her, she didn't even know his name, but she knew she owed him something.
She kept assuring them that she didn't need to go to the hospital, she just wanted to show them the way back to the cabin. The police on the other hand were trying to make sense of her story, and to make sure that they weren't about to walk in on an ambush.
As other officers arrived on scene, they tried their best to get descriptions of both the victim and the suspect, they need to make sure that if a shootout occurred, they knew who the bad guy was.
The lead officer on the scene, Scott Handley, made sure that he got all of the facts necessary before proceeding. He knew that when he called this into the station every police agency within a 100 mile radius would be notified, their records would be pulled for possible missing persons or kidnap victims.
He left the female officer in the car, in charge of their witness, she did her best to try and calm the girl assuring her that they would indeed catch the man that did this to her. They would also do their very best to save the poor sap that was unfortunate enough to wind up in the murder's trap. Sergeant Handley returned to his car to call in the information he had already collected and then wait. Wait for reinforcements and wait for news on their suspect, and little did he know, the victim as well.
XXXX
Hutch and Helen drove in mostly silence, the way the majority of this trip had been spent. They had decided to find a nicer hotel then the one they had just left. Find a place to stay for the night and get a fresh start in the morning. Helen finally broke the awkward stillness.
"Ken?"
"Yeah?" The weariness was evident in the quietness of his voice.
"Do you hate me?" She asked, her eyes staying focused straight ahead, afraid to meet his stare.
"Hate's a pretty strong word Helen." He tried to avoid the question altogether.
"You know what I mean…I wouldn't blame you if you did you know?" She added.
"Do you mean am I angry with you?" Hutch glanced over at the woman beside him. "Yes, I am angry…do I hate you? No." He snapped quickly.
Helen just solemnly nodded her head as Hutch watched one single tear roll down her cheek.
"Look Helen, I know Starsky loves you with all of his heart, he would give his life for you…can you say the same?" Hutch asked her, his frustration over missing his best friend simmering to a slow boil. "All he wanted to do was love you, protect you…he didn't want to hurt you…but I guess you just couldn't handle, or weren't ready for the kind of love he was ready to give you…I mean think about it Helen…no matter what…when you find that 'perfect' guy…you think it's gonna be any different…you think that that man will be willing to let you go out night after night and risk your life, and sit back and pretend it's okay?"
Helen looked over at Hutch's sympathetic face.
"You think Dave is that easy to live with, that cut and dry? I don't think you know him as well as you think you do. Sometimes, his job came before me, call me selfish, but that's not how I want to live my life." Helen tried to explain, knowing that what she was saying really didn't make any sense, Starsky's love was exactly what she wanted, but she wasn't going to kid herself, in their line of work, it was never going to work out.
"I just don't think you're ready for that kind of love, it has nothing to do with Starsky…" Hutch concluded and the concentrated back on the road ahead of him.
Helen was instantly thankful that the man she loved had such a wise and compassionate friend, with Hutch's help, Starsky was going to be alright, and she realized that the tall blond was correct, maybe she just wasn't ready to be loved that deeply.
Hutch's mind switched out of friend mode and back into detective. He thought about the guy at the hotel, He knew deep down inside that this guy had nothing to do with Starsky's disappearance. He thought back to that evening, they were on the phone together and the all hell must have broke loose for his friend. His heart hurt, he needed to be there to find him, to bring him back to the safety that only Me and Thee provided.
They continued on their path, again in forced silence. The familiar beeping of the radio resonated through the car as Hutch and Helen looked at each other in nervous anticipation.
"Zebra 3, Zebra 3…I have Captain Dobey requesting an emergency patch through, do you copy?"
Mildred's voice brought both of them back to the task at hand, and caused their personal feeling to be pushed aside once more. Hutch reached for the mic.
"This is Zebra 3, go ahead Mildred, patch him through." He released the transmit button on the hand piece.
"Hutch? Dobey here…listen we just got a call, a young girl about an hour, hour and a half from your position…claims she was abducted by a young man, taken to a cabin in the nearby woods, he attempted to attack her…"
"Cap, we're a little busy here…" Hutch couldn't understand why his Captain was sharing this information with him.
"Listen Hutch, the girl said that this man had another victim, tied to a tree outside…I think it may be Starsky…"
Hutch sat there, motionless, trying to absorb what he had just heard…he was beyond tired, but he needed to keep going for Starsky's sake.
"Did you hear me Hutchinson? This could just be the break we've been waiting for…" Dobey informed his officer.
"Yeah Cap, I heard ya'? Give me the address…Helen and I will check it out." He confirmed as he looked over at a hopeful Helen.
XXXX
Sergeant Handley took the report over the radio and made his notations on his small white note pad. After returning the mic to its cradle, he climbed out of his cruiser and called all of his officers over to brief them of the latest information. Once assembled, he began his report. He informed them of the missing officer from Bay City, and that the body in the trunk of the Torino was not that of the registered owner, and that Detective was still missing, and presumed kidnapped by the murderer. He needed to get a team together, a team to go back to the cabin and hopefully find the missing officer, still alive, and take the suspect into custody. If they were lucky, the girl would lead them right back to the exact location. If they were really lucky, they would be in time to save a life.
Shortly, they were all packed back inside their police vehicles, following in caravan fashion in the direction that Kristie was leading them.
As he allowed the facts to sink in Handley realized how lucky the girl was, no one had ever escaped or survived his wrath before, but unfortunately he was really losing hope for the detective that the suspect still had.
XXXX
Starsky felt the car slowly rolling to a stop, the motor rumbling as it was shut down, commanded by the driver. He heard the car door open and the slam shut as footsteps approached the back of the car. The key was placed into the lock of the trunk, turned and the lid popped up, only to be held in place by Kevin's hand. He slowly controlled the rise of the trunk as he led with his gun, reaching into the trunk allowing the lid to rise ever-so-slightly.
Starsky once again was faced with looking down the barrel of Kevin's gun as the trunk continued to rise.
"Wallet!" Kevin said, demanding Starsky's money.
The brunet's eyes opened wide as he realized the magnitude of what was about to happen.
"What?" He played dumb, but he knew that Kevin wouldn't allow that to go on for long without getting angry.
"Gimme your fucking wallet asshole." Kevin ordered.
Starsky patted his jacket, pretending to be shocked to find it missing, his hand dug deep inside the pocket, pulling the lining out.
"It's gone." He announced seeing Kevin's face flush in anger. "Musta fell out at the cabin."
Kevin looked around nervously then bent back inside the trunk grabbing a fistful of Starsky's hair. "You think I'm stupid, dontcha? Well, guess what? You'll see soon enough just how smart I am." He said as he slammed the trunk closed, hitting Starsky's head with the lid.
Now in most cases, Starsky would have screamed out, yelled for help, but this time was different, he couldn't risk endangering innocent people's lives just to spare his own. He knew what Kevin was capable of, he'd seen it, he wasn't about to expose the general population to this mad man's wrath, not just to save his life.
Starsky remained in his black abyss as he heard the familiar noise of a convenience store door buzzer signaling the arrival of a customer. Then there was silence…
A loud bang, distinctively recognized by the seasoned officer as a definite gun shot. He heard someone running, the car door opening, slamming once again and the car starting and peeling away quickly. Starsky's stomach tied in knots as he imagined the horrors of what he had just heard. Another innocent person had lost their life, and he did nothing to stop it.
XXXX
Several officers were combing the area, scanning the woods for evidence. Other men were moving in and out of the cabin. Flash bulbs from camera were going off while a flurry of radio activity resonated through the cool dark night.
Hutch and Helen pulled up, well behind the contained areas. In unison, they got out of the car, closing the door, making it sound like only one door closed. They glanced at each other nervously. It truly looked like a crime scene, possibly a murder scene. They had no idea what they were about to be told as Sergeant Handley approached them both.
"You must be Detectives Hutchinson and Davidson…I'm Sergeant Handley." He introduced himself as he held out his hand.
Hutch greeted him first and then moved aside for Helen. "What ya' got?" Hutch cut right to the chase, swallowing hard, his stomach again knotting in nervous anticipation. He didn't see a coroner's van, so he felt a little more confident.
"Well, this is where the young lady over there," he motioned to Kristie who was standing near the tree Starsky was tied to, "said the suspect had brought her and tried to attack her. She states that he had another victim tied to the tree over there, a man in his thirties, dark curly hair."
"Starsky." Hutch whispered.
Handley held out a brown leather wallet, handing it over to Hutch. "I thought you might want to look at this Detective, we found it over in the driveway." He said as the tall blond took it from the Sergeant. "I'm afraid your friend may not be as lucky as the girl over there…we have already collect evidence of blood in and around the area, she stated that he was in pretty bad shape."
Hutch kept his mouth shut, not wanting to engage in a conversation of the chances of finding his partner alive, he just walked straight over to Kristie.
Helen on the other hand decided to let this officer know that even though they were police officers, a little optimism on their part would be gratefully appreciated.
Hutch approached the visibly shaken girl as he nodded to the female officer with her, to give them a moment alone. He stood close to her, put his arm on her shoulder and spoke as if he was talking to his own sister.
"How you holdin' up? Can I get you anything?" He offered as she looked up at him with pleading dark brown eyes, he read her desire to have all this behind her, or better yet, make it all go away, like it never happened.
"I…I…I'm okkkay…" She was trembling.
Hutch immediately took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders, rubbing them vigorously to try and stimulate heat.
"T…thanks." She lowered her gaze to the ground at her feet.
"Listen, I need to ask you a few questions, they're very important, so I need you to think real hard." Hutch turned her slightly until she looked back into his eyes, making sure he had her full attention.
"But I already told them everything I know." She said as she started to walk away.
"I know you did, but if you don't mind, I'd like you to tell me again." Hutch coaxed her as she nodded in agreement.
"I was really hoping he was still here, I wanted to help him…" She informed the blond.
"I need you to tell me what kind of condition was he in, how badly was he hurt?" Hutch asked, wanting and needing details.
"I don't know…I mean…he was awake and talkin'…he tried to help me, but he was all tied up…" She recounted the scene in her mind.
"Was he bleeding?" Hutch pushed for more details.
"Yeah he was, his leg…the right one, I think…looked like he had bled a lot as a matter of fact…" She thought for a moment. "But it looked like it had stopped for the most part…you know…but he was sweating real bad too…looked real pale…" She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry he wasn't here, I really wanted to help…" She locked eyes once again with the tall blond who appreciated all the information.
"You did just fine honey." He put his arm on her shoulder. "You did help him…"
Hutch took in a deep whiff through his nostrils; he looked around in circles, inhaling over and over. His eyes were drawn over closer to the tree; he bent down and touched the ground, bringing his fingers up in front of his face. They were brown, moist with fluid, probably blood mixed with the dirt, raising them to his face he sniffed sharply and then looked up at Kristie.
"Gasoline." The fear again seizing his heart as he rose and rushed back to Handley's side.
To Be Continued…