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 Nine

Starsky could tell that they were off the paved road, the potholes and dips that the tires of the car were hitting were ruthless, his head went from hitting the truck lid, to crashing into the floor with in seconds. He couldn't see where they were headed, so he had no idea what to prepare for.

The car finally stopped thrashing around as the engine was killed. Soon the trunk had been opened and Kevin once again stood over Starsky's injured body. The brunet shivered uncontrollably as Kevin reached in, grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and tugging him out of his dark confines. He panted and huffed as he tried to move and maneuver his way out of the small space.

Once completely out of the car, Kevin shoved Starsky, bending him over the trunk, one hand on his neck, the other shoving the gun into the base of his neck, "Hands!" Kevin commanded as Starsky obediently put both wrists behind him, waiting for the cold steel of the cuffs to once again confine him.

"Kevin, you have to stop this…don't you think enough people have been hurt?" Starsky said calmly and soothingly as Kevin completed the securing of his wrists once again.

"Shut up!" Kevin demanded. "You don't have any idea what hurt really is…try being thrown in an' out of foster homes, having your foster parents only have you there for the money the government gives them…throwing you out of the house from sunrise to sunset with a jug of water and a cheese sandwich, telling you that you had better not come back until it's dark…having to eat, shit and sleep in the bushes…all the while the social workers telling you how lucky you are to have a family to care for you…"

"Kevin, I can help you, listen…" The brunet's words were cut off by a smack to the back of the head. "What happened to you wasn't fair, but…"

"I said shut up!" His voice was shaking as he jerked Starsky up and started pushing him further into the woods, towards a dark cavern nestled deep inside the barely traveled paths.

The cave that they entered was damp and musty. The rock walls reflected the moisture that drained from above. In the middle of the cave, the ground was wet as steady drips fell from the ceiling of the cavern. Kevin shoved Starsky as he limped and stumbled, unable to keep his balance, he fell to the floor below him. The ground was thankfully soft as his knees dug into the sand. Over to the left side was a fire ring, one obviously built by whoever frequented this spot. Kevin immediately walked over and through a lit box of matched into the ring as the fire roared to life on command.

"You really think that I'm dumb, just like everyone else…they all underestimate me…" Kevin spewed. "I know what you did back there, leavin' your wallet behind…look around, Pig…you really think you're getting' outta here?" He taunted the brunet.

Starsky rose straight up, he looked around, he hated the woods and he hated the dark. He was convinced that he was going to hate this place more then Dobey's cabin up at Pine Lake. The small space warmed and lit up as the fire roared. The heat felt good, the fumes made him nauseous. He wasn't sure which was worse.

He could still smell the faint odor of gasoline that rose from his clothes, he worried about igniting into a ball of fire so he did his best to stay clear of the flames, backing up little by little until his back hit the far side of the cave. Kevin approached him, grabbing him by the neck and bending him forward. He grabbed his wrists and lifted them slightly, securing them to an iron eyelet that had been secured into the wall of rock with two metal loops, and the cuffs already restraining him. Resting as best he could on his knees, Kevin moved around him, bending over and removing the belt from around the brunet's injured thigh. Kevin removed the still bloody knife from his back pocket, the one he must have used on the poor man at the gas station. Without a word, he started cutting off Starsky's beloved, brown leather jacket. Once he had removed the coat completely, he threw it into the fire as the gas fumes ignited and it went up in ball of flames.

"Kevin, you don't need to do this, I ain't goin' nowhere…" Starsky said his mouth dry and his voice rough. "Even if I did get away, where would I go?"

Without warning, Kevin retracted his right fist and flung it forward, connecting brutally with Starsky's upper right leg, and right in the center on his wound. Starsky leaned forward, all the wind knocked from his lungs as he gasped and nearly vomited at his captor's feet. He panted as he tried to ride the wave of pain as it crested and then ebbed back to an acceptable level.

"I'll show all of you, you'll see…" Kevin raised the belt in his right hand, high above his head and brought it down cruelly across Starsky's chest.

The brunet allowed a muffled groan to escape his lips as his head tilted forward, willing the pain away. Before he could prepare himself, the next strike landed at his side, his flesh burning instantly. He had no where to go, no way to hide. His hands were cuffed behind him, and his body was, for the most part, exposed to the evil man in front of him. The only part on him that was hidden, were his shins that were tucked safely below him. He panted heavily as he tried to gain his composure. He was struck across the upper back, his groan turning to a loud scream, his panting increasing. He could feel the perspiration building up on his face as it dripped from the ringlets of his hair.

"My foster parents used to call this 'therapy'." Kevin informed Starsky calmly as he struck again. "You think it's helpin' you any?"

"P…p…please Kevin…stop…" Starsky begged, something he was not a custom to doing.

"They said that I caused my parents to die, I was a bad kid…" his voice cracked, the pain just beginning to come to the surface. He hit his prisoner again with his leather strap, striking him across the upper arm. "This is what happens to bad kids…" He struck again, almost sobbing as he brought his arm back to his side. "You think I'm a bad kid?" He asked, waiting for Starsky to lift his head.

"No." The brunet gasped, having no strength to expound further, his head was spinning, and he knew he was going to pass out soon if Kevin continued. He hoped he would pass out soon if Kevin continued. "Please…"

"You're just saying that, you're just like the rest of them…" Kevin swung again, this time the buckle cutting into his upper arm, "I think it's time…" Kevin turned and started to walk away.

"T…time?" Starsky stuttered.

"Time for you to die…" Kevin disappeared out of the cave as the brunet allowed his pain to take over and he sobbed, he sobbed in pain, fear, and deep sadness.

Starsky heard the car start up and the vehicle pull away as it rumbled down the road. He had no idea if he had seen the last of him, the last of anyone. He may have been left there to die, slowly and painfully…alone…in the dark…as the fire in the fire ring slowly flickered to an end…

XXXX

Hutch was speaking with Sergeant Handley as Helen approached them, Hutch turning to greet her.

"You get anything out of her?" The tall blond asked as Handley retreated to speak with his officers.

"She gave me a pretty good description of the suspect, his name's Kevin…" She began to inform him of her findings. "He's between 5' 11" and 6'1", reddish brown hair, very light blue eyes. He was wearing blue jeans, and a yellow sweat shirt, with a tan wind breaker. His skin is pale in color, slight freckling across the bridge of his nose…she said he reminded her of a grown up Opie Taylor from the Andy Griffith show…she trusted him…thought he was a nice guy…"

Hutch smiled, "Guess that will teach her to be more careful." He quipped as he pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to force the pounding in his temples away. "That's probably what Starsk thought too, look where that got 'im. Good thing is, he's getting sloppy, leaving too many witnesses and clues behind, he's bound to fuck up soon…"

"I hope that it's soon enough." Helen looked off into the distance, "I hope we're not too late."

Hutch sighed heavily, sharing the same fear but not wanting to speak it out loud. "Well we got a lead on the car they are in, a red Thunderbird," he lifted his pocket notebook in front of Helen's gaze. "Even got the license number…we're getting close."

"I hope so Hutch, I really do." She replied as she moved back to Hutch's beat up car, opening the passenger door.

Sergeant Handley ran back up to the tall blond detective as he seemed about to burst. "We have another killing, not too far from here…a small store I think it was a 7-11. The clerk was shot at point blank range; witnesses saw a red car leaving the scene."

Hutch's eyes lit up as Handley handed a piece of paper with the address and directions already written down on them.

"He appears to have gone over the deep end, doesn't care who or where he is killing, or who sees him." Handley continued as Hutch realized the gravity of his words. The suspect was getting sloppy, desperate, and unpredictable. It seemed as if he wanted to get caught, which meant he really had nothing left to lose.

As he approached his LTD, Helen was just walking away as she looked up at him.

"Get in." He said more as a request, but to an outsider it probably sounded like an order.

"Whatcha got?" She asked without breaking stride as she climbed in his vehicle.

Hutch got into the driver side as he filled her in on the latest developments. They were both wiped out and hadn't really had a break since they left Bay City. The exhaustion was becoming very evident on their worn, tired faces, but now their bodies were driven once again, a new destination, a new clue…a new hope…

XXXX

Starsky knelt on the floor of the cave, bent forward enough for his forehead to be touching the damp ground. He was panting heavily as he attempted to will the searing, burning pain that seeped from every open welt on his body. His wrists were still bound behind him as the muscles in his shoulders cramped in pain and the inability to move or stretch out. He felt feverish, his lungs hurt to breathe, but at the same time he was thankful for that pain. It meant he was still alive. He tried to rise up, to get comfortable, it was impossible. Kevin had managed to truss his wrists to where they were positioned halfway up his back so there was no way to move back and sit against the rock wall. His only option was to remain in the extremely uncomfortable position he was in, bent forward, his head against the ground.

He thought about Hutch, he tried to will him to find him. His mind wandered to Helen, he saw in his mind's eye, her beautiful smile, he heard her laughter as he remembered the times they shared, the good times. He refused to allow the bad times to enter his mind. He didn't know if he was going to get out of this and he was going to be damned if he was going to spend the last hours of his life focusing on the bad times he shared with the woman he loved.

There weren't any sounds around him; the two things that he hated most, silence and darkness were slowly closing in. He prayed that Kevin would come back for him, that he wasn't going to be left there to die alone, without Hutch. The brunet wasn't sure which was going to be more painful, Kevin's return or never seeing his partner again.

He gasped in anger as he tried to control his emotions which were running rampant, realizing the terrible wheezing sounds that were now coming with each breath he took.

"Come on Hutch, you gotta hurry." He pled as he softly sobbed, in exhaustion, fear, pain and just plain sorrow. He prayed, and that was something this stubborn brunet didn't too often.

XXXX

Kevin walked into the crowded, smoke filled bar, the ambiance of the place quickly washing over him. He needed this, a night to himself, a night on the town. For just this one night he would forget about his quest, his lot in life to make the other's pay. This night would be spent selfishly, on himself and his needs. Tomorrow was another day, a new day to find more violators that needed to be shown the error of their ways, that needed to repent and pay for their criminal acts. Kevin saw himself has judge, jury and most importantly, executioner.

He did this mostly for his father, the man that took so long to die, that continued to promise that 11 year old boy, so many years ago, that everything would be okay. Well things weren't okay, and they never would be…never again.

He swaggered up to the bar, finding himself a seat next to a very well endowed blond who made it a point to look at him, and then raise her nose at him and look away. Maybe tonight wouldn't be as peaceful as he had hoped, he could already feel his anger slowly begin to rise as he wondered what made this bitch next to him think that she was any better than he was…he figured that he would just have to set her straight.

"What'll it be?" Kevin was snapped out of his self induced meditation as he looked up to see a very large man poised behind the bar, a white towel thrown over his shoulder as Kevin studied him intently. "You gotta problem kid? I asked what ya' want. I ain't got all day…" He snapped as Kevin's inner anger started to spark.

"Budweiser." He retorted quickly avoiding any small talk, in a hurry to drink the alcohol

that would hopefully calm his nerves and soothe his irritation, "and a shot of bourbon." He added to his order, he needed a lot of calming.

XXXX

Within 40 minutes Helen and Hutch were pulling up in front of the 7-11, most of the action had already died down, and several emergency vehicles had already left the scene. The convenience store still sorted the familiar yellow crime scene tape as the two detectives got out of their car and headed inside.

Hutch was approached by the officer in charge of the scene who greeted him immediately. "Are you Detective Hutchinson?" He asked as he pulled out his notepad.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Sergeant Handley told me to be expecting you, he told me to give you our full cooperation…I'm Detective Lucien." He offered his hand which Hutch shook.

"I appreciate the help, this is Detective Davidson," he introduced Helen with a gesture of his hand.

After all the necessary introductions were made, they moved around the crime scene, the body had already been removed, but the nauseating evidence was left behind, the outline of where the body had been, together with the pool of blood that had washed across the floor of the store.

Lucien filled both officers in on all of the forensic evidence, "No sign of struggle, all the money had been taken from the register, victim had one gun shot wound to the upper chest. Two separate eye witnesses heard the shot and saw a red thunderbird leaving the scene. One suspect spotted in the vehicle, heading west bound on I-80."

"I wanna talk to the witnesses." Hutch informed Lucien who just looked back quizzically at the tall blond.

"We took their complete statements, I have them here," he handed Hutch a few notebook size pieces of papers, "as you can imagine, they were pretty shook up, so we sent them home, they'll come by the precinct tomorrow to sign their affidavits…I really don't think it is necessary to interview them any further."

Hutch's head shot up, the anger in his eyes piercing the other officer's gaze, "Is this is what you call full cooperation?" He snapped as Helen moved closer to his side, her arm reaching out for his and squeezing it tightly. "I said I want to speak with the witnesses myself, so I suggest you get their behinds back here, now!"

"Ken…" Helen tried to ease the blonde's anger, "its okay…I'm sure Detective Lucien here, will be happy to call back the witnesses…isn't that right detective?" Helen posed as she raised her eyebrow at the nervous officer.

Lucien looked at Hutch and saw the fear, anger and weariness that was evident on the man's face. He thought about what he was going through; to lose your partner had to be the single most difficult thing for a police officer to go through. Many officer's never recovered from that type of loss, they couldn't or wouldn't allow themselves to be partnered with anyone else, for some reason they would feel unfaithful to their other half, and from the looks of it, this detective before him, was going to be no exception.

"I'll see what I can do." He offered.

"You just do that." Hutch fumed as Lucien left to talk with his other officers.

Helen looked up at Hutch's exhausted face. "It's gonna be alright, Ken…we're going to find him, I know we are." She tried to reassure him.

Hutch drew his hand down the entire length of his face sighing heavily; He was tired, worried and mad. He blamed everyone for what has happened to the man he has come to feel like a brother to, Helen for breaking up with him in the first place, starting this nightmare. Himself for allowing Starsky to just take off when he was upset, his mind on other things besides his own well being, having his guard down. And even the dark haired man he was so worried about, he was angry that Starsky could allow himself to get into a situation like this, to be so preoccupied with emotions that he wasn't paying attention to something that was right in front of him…it suddenly hit him that his relationship with Helen would have never worked out, not if it helped cause something like this. They were both in a very difficult line of work and didn't have the luxury of allowing personal feelings or emotions to get in their way. This is exactly what Helen was talking about, their relationship was a dangerous one, and now he realized why.

"I sure hope so, Helen." Hutch stated as he turned away from her, "Look, I want you to know that I don't blame you for what's happened. It's not your fault." The hint of fondness in his voice touched her as he looked over his shoulder back at her.

"Well I appreciate that vote of confidence, but it doesn't matter much 'cause I blame me for it." Her voice cracked slightly as he put his arm around her shoulder. "Dave took off because I hurt him, he was mad at me…if I hadn't said those things to him, he would still be in Bay City, with you watching his back," she couldn't help but smile at the thought over them all safely back home, everything back to the way it was, "where he should be…you were right, I don't think I'm ready to be loved like that…" She wrapped her arms around herself as a sudden chill washed over her, "I just need to know he's okay." Her voice trailed off.

The tables had turned so quickly that Hutch now found himself comforting her, "Me too."

Their thoughts were interrupted by Detective Lucien who was rushing up to them speaking far too fast.

"They've found him…" He blurted out causing Hutch and Helen's hearts to skip a beat.

"Starsky?" Hutch said in almost a gasp, not knowing what would come next…

"No, the suspect, Kevin…he was spotted driving the Thunderbird, he's at a bar about 15 minutes from here…I have officers surrounding the place." Lucien explained as Hutch started for his car with Helen right behind him.

"No one makes a move until I get there!" Hutch ordered as he swung open the rusty door of his car, "We take him alive, no matter what, you got me?" He jumped behind the wheel, started the car and pulled away, almost before Helen had a chance climb in herself, her door closing from the force of acceleration.

To Be Continued…