THE EDGE OF DARKNESS

CHAPTER 2

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As Starsky and Hutch went about recharging their energy with sought after solitude and quiet, the man responsible for their deflated attitudes sat contemplating his future and looked forward to the end of his confinement.

Stone Crawford was tall and thin. His long, greasy hair grew down his back. His eyes were dark with anger as he looked around him.

He sat in his dirty, cramped jail cell wearing the Bay City issue drab green prison overalls. He was annoyed at himself for getting caught but he knew these walls and the bars in front of him were only temporary. His attorney had told him that he would be moved to a maximum security prison further up the coast. That would happen after his trial. But before he was arrested, he'd anticipated all possible scenarios and made arrangements with his buddies to get him out of any jail he ended up in. Mainly everythng he did, from each detail of a murder, to what to say, got him closer to his ultimate goal.

Often the intensity of the sounds in his head, caused him to ball up his fists and press them against his temples. But he had come to welcome the echoes and whispers. He was never alone. Besides, didn't everyone have a little voice in their head?

But now, it was his own anger and hatred that drove his thoughts to focus on his situation.

He really, really hated those two cops involved in bringing him down. He'd enjoyed the game at first when he could keep the lawmen running around in circles looking for clues to the girls he'd murdered. But now that the game was over, he really just wanted to eliminate the two of them for good. The word on the street was that if Starsky and Hutch were on your tail, then you were fried. Stone didn't really think anybody would catch him since he'd been so careful. He admitted that he'd gotten a little too over convident and too intent on ruining the reputation of two of the city's finest cops. But in the end, Stone realized that these two were really good at what they did. But they had not seen the last of him.

Stone sat on the thin, stained mattress on the bed, thinking about what brought him to this cross road in his life. Certainly it was a cross road because he knew that the only way for his life now to be avenged would result in his death. His death would occur either through the jail system, or if he had his way, in an old fashioned shoot out with his death being the ultimate prize. But he wouldn't go down alone or without becoming a legend because he wanted Starsky and Hutch. He wanted to be the one responsible for eliminating them forever.

Stone was not a man that normally left an impression one way or the other when you first met up with him. He was just an average looking guy who was soft spoken and always a good neighbor. He usually wore his long, stringy hair in a ponytail. His green eyes were often flecked with yellow and would normally be thought of as sexy. But the eyes had a way of becoming narrow and dark when Stone had murder on his mind. It was then that the promise of his destiny urged him to kill. The taste of power pushed him to seek other victims.

Stone laughed at his ability to hood wink all those girls into thinking he was just concerned about their life. He lured them in with his promise to turn their existence into something better. By the time they realized they were in trouble and should not have listened to his soft promises of helping them get what society owed them, the victims were already drugged and not able to struggle with him. By then, his captives were so pliant and anxious to please him, that Stone just had his way with them. That is until he got bored and then angry which led to the abuse and eventual murder.

Stone longed to leave behind something for people to talk about. He wanted to be a local legend. He'd never done anything worthwhile in his life and no one had ever encouraged him to better himself, so in his death, he would become the city's newest tale of mystery and fiction. He hoped that years from now the details of his escapade would become so overblown and distorted that no one would even remember the truth, only his name.

He was so lost in his own fantasy that it wasn't until a harsh voice and loud clanging up against the bars of his cell did he jump with confusion. The guard laughed as he enjoyed the cringing man in front of him. Joe enjoyed the new inmates. It took them awhile to get used to the sound of the heavy club as it banged against the metal bars. But once they grew to anticipate this annoying sound, the inmates didn't react except to get angry.

"C'mon you worthless piece of crap. You got a phone call. Don't know why you should even be allowed that privilege. Stand up with your back to the bars and put your hands behind you."

Joe Glover was one of the biggest guards around. Most of the inmates didn't give him any trouble. It was just easier that way. Too many rumors made it even outside the jail for anyone to want to test him. Joe counted on that.

Stone did as he was told and he winced as he felt the metal cuffs dig into his wrists. Joe pulled him around and poked him in the side with his club. Stone grunted but didn't fight back. This was not his time to make a statement but it was coming. He only hoped Joe would be around when it all came down. Just one more piece to add to Stone's growing fantasy.

Joe led Stone to the bank of phones and locked him in the airless cubicle with a small barred window. There was only a chair and a phone on the wall. But Stone knew that even if there wasn't a surveillance device visible, then he was sure that the phone call would be bugged. But it was okay, because he had worked out a phone call code so that whoever called him would understand his message and Stone would understand the caller's words.

"Stone here, who's this?" Stone watched a cloud moving past the small window. The cloud was in the shape of a rabbit, he thought, as he waited for the caller to identify themself.

'hey how're ya doin' Uncle Stone? Ricky says hi but he can't come to the phone.'

Stone knew it was his best buddy Ricky and that Ricky couldn't talk long.

"Hey just tell him to be good. You too ya monkey. Take your mother out for dinner. She'll like that." Stone hoped that Ricky remembered that dinner meant he should be watching Starsky and Hutch closely now.

'oh sure, it's already planned. someplace different. I heard of a bar with good food and pool tables. She likes to play pool.'

"Okay just be good to her while I'm gone. Don't want her to forget about me!... Oh shit!" Stone cringed and the wind whistled through his lungs as he tried to get away from the club that was stabbing at his back.

"Ummm, I gotta go now. Tell your mom I'll talk to her soon." Stone hung up the phone as once more the club connected with his back.

"Get going. No more free time for you." Joe resisted poking Stone again with the club. He didn't want any evidence of mistreatment when Stone met with his attorney. The less told, the longer Joe kept his job. So he divided his treatment between physical pain and verbal abuse, which could be just as rewarding.

For the next week, Stone sat in his single cell biding his time and waiting for the trial. Stone really didn't care what his attorney told him or what happened during the trial. Stone knew he was in deep shit. They had solid evidence against him for the murders and abuse of the girls. It was all just a formality. The real satisfying end for him would be when he was transfered to the maximum security prison. During his time waiting for the trial, the phone calls had continued or he'd been able to make calls out. Everything was set. The trial date kept getting pushed back. Something about the jury selection taking too long. Stone smiled at that. He knew that his friend would plant a spy and Stone would know from all angles how things were going. Stone was sure he'd be found guilty. His freedom and legendary status depended on that.

He sat and held his head. The voices made him dizzy with desire.

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Two more months went by until finally a trial date was set for Stone Crawford. During that time, Starsky and Hutch worked with the D.A. to finalize their evidence and work on their testimony. They did not want to leave any space for the defense attorney to put doubts into the minds of the jury. Any holes, vague references and questionable grounds were gone over with a fine tooth comb and problems were ironed out in advance of the trial. Both detectives felt confident in their ability to be effective witnesses and respond accordingly to any difficult questions. They had been prepared and were now ready to bring the case to trial. Normally, they took a back seat to court procedings and did not get so involved until it was time for the hearing but this time they did not want to take anything for granted. They wanted to be sure that the poor women would not be forgotten about and that their lives had meaning even if it was in their own death. The details of how the women struggled to the end affected both men and they really wanted to put it all behind them.

It only took the jury 6 hours to find Stone Crawford guilty of 4 counts of rape, murder and abuse of a corpse. The judge was particularly harsh in his sentence. He ordered Stone be delivered to the maximum security prison until his death sentence would be carried out. Unfortunately, the judge knew that Stone could very well live out his natural life on death row instead of an assisted, court appointed death. There were always so many roadblocks and petitions for a new trial that the really evil crimes rarely got the justice which was deserved. But the judge could only do what legally was available to him so in his mind, justice had been served.

Starsky and Hutch shook hands as the guilty verdict was read. A few loud voices raised a protest but the judge banged the gavel and all grew quiet again. Two officers approached Stone and pulled him to a standing position. Stone offered no resistence as his hands were cuffed together and a link of chain and lock were looped around his ankles. All of that was fastened with another shorter chain around his waist. The guards tested each link for security before they shoved the prisoner in the direction of the exit. He shuffled his feet and moved slower than necessary. He ignored the firm shove to his back and instead stopped. He turned in the direction of the spectators. He caught the eye of two of his friends and slightly nodded his head. Then his gaze wandered to Starsky and Hutch who stood talking to their Captain. All three men stopped their conversation and stared at the shackled man in the dark green prison attire.

Stone offered a pleasant smile and winked before he was roughly assisted out of the court room.

"That guy is a nut! He actually smiled at us. What was all that about?" Starsky pulled at his tie. " I just want out of this suit and forget about Stone Crawford"

Hutch stood quietly, watching as Stone exited through the door that led to the secure gate. He could feel the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. He didn't see anything funny in the smile and felt no relief at the out come of the trial.

"You both did good work. Your testimony left no room for doubts. The jury had no other option but find Crawford guilty." Captain Dobey slapped each man on the back and silently praised the hard work done by the police department on this one.

The three men walked toward the exit and were immediately mobbed by the media. The papers had been particularly harsh on the police department because of the seemingly slow and ineffective handling of the Stone Crawford case. At least daily in their coverage of the trial, there had been comments made that the two detectives involved were nonchalant and arrogant during the trial. It was speculated that the evidence was all cicumstantial and that the police commissioner was not confident in Detectives Starsky and Hutchinson.

So now as they faced the praise and congratulations of the press, both men did their best to avoid having to make any comments. They had not dealt well with the bad press and now were just anxious to put all the harsh reviews behind them. The annoyed blond would rather let the guilty plea speak for itself rather than have to put up with the fickle minds of the public. But they were unable to plow through the cameras and microphones shoved at them so Hutch took it upon himself to comment in as few words as possible. They were both relieved when Captain Dobey took the reigns and answered the reporter's questions. This made it possible for them to escape easily. Once the media had someone to talk to, the primary detectives were pretty much forgotten about.

Safely back outside, Starsky darted around to the driver's side and sank behind the wheel of the Torino. A quick bang on the passenger window and a muffled grunt, brought Starsky back from his thoughts. He reached across the seat to unlock the door for Hutch, who continued to complain as he slammed the Torino's door shut.

"God Starsky, what took so long? It's no good checking your look in the rear view mirror now, our public has forgotten us!" Hutch distractedly pushed his hand through his blond hair and brought the same hand down to rip off his tie.

Starsky smiled and let out a long breath.

"We owe Captain for taking the hit for us with the reporters. I just couldn't face them. I'm so damn tired. I just want to go home and collapse."

"Starsky, do you really think Bay City is safe from Stone Crawford? Don't you feel like we haven't seen the last of him?" Hutch turned in the seat to face Starsky. His normally clear blue eyes were shadowed and rimmed in red.

"C'mon Hutch, you heard the Judge. He's going back to the jail under heavy guard. You saw how he was all chained up and he ain't gonna be alone until he's transferred to the Maximum Security Facility up the coast and that will be under heavy guard as well. I gotta have some faith in our guys assigned to watch over him. What could possibly go wrong?"

Starsky hesitated and rubbed his own red, bleary eyes. One look at the blond and Starsky knew that it was the stress and adrenaline finally leveling off that had his partner so unsure of things.

Hutch sighed as he combed his hand through his thinning, blond hair. He leveled a trusting glance at Starsky and nodded his head.

"You're right. I know what I saw and what I heard, I just don't trust myself to believe it all. We've been living this case for so long and now... well, christ, why can't I let it all go?"

"Because it's that calculating brain of yours that always makes you think of things that don't exist. You pick everything apart and look for shit that isn't there. This Crawford guy has been a part of our lives for months. We haven't had dates, haven't been to Huggy's, hell--- we've hardly been in our own beds these last months. Just let it go blondie. I for one can't wait to get rid of you and then I'm going home for a nice long shower, some sleep and then tomorrow you'll see, things'll be brighter and more normal for ya!"

Starsky slapped Hutch on the back and only received a grunt as a reply.

The dark haired ball of energy started the engine of the big car, backed out of the parking space and headed toward Venice Place.

So after three weeks of testimony and evidence, the case of the Rubber Ducky Murders finally came to an end.