THE EDGE OF DARKNESS
Chapter 10
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Reaching the back alley, the captain gave the order for the men to get in position and stand waiting outside of their cars. The quiet was eerie for that time of night. Normally the streets were busy with people milling about conducting all types of business. Sirens, shouting, even gun fire were normal occurances around the neighborhood. Now the only sound Captain Dobey was aware of was the rush of blood he could hear in his ears. His heart beat with anticipation. He noticed the determined faces as he looked around at the men with him. He was proud of these people and only hoped that a peaceful conclusion would follow.
Once the officers were positioned, Dobey reached inside his cruiser for the bull horn. He hesitated, gathering his thoughts as he tried to push down his own personal feelings for the men inside. He was often harsh and overbearing with his officers, particularly Starsky and Hutch. But he expected much more from them. He was always confident in their ability to handle themselves. These two detectives were young but experienced. They trusted each other but delighted in practicle jokes and giving their captain a hard time. Dobey was gruff and demanding but he had the deepest respect for these two men who's life now hung in the balance.
He rubbed his eyes, squared his shoulders and looked once more at the area and at his men. He gave the thumbs up sign and clicked the bull horn on, ready to call Stone Crawford out.
"Stone Crawford! This is The Bay City Metropolitan Police. We have the building surrounded. Come out with your hands up and no harm will come to you!" Dobey clicked off the speaker and waited. He really didn't expect any action right away but he scanned the doorway for any signs of movement. He leaned into the space, hoping to hear something he couldn't see.
Inside the bar, Stone continued to pace. He heard the sirens in the background but didn't immediately respond. He turned around and contemplated shooting the two men with him right then, but he really wanted everyone to witness his triumph. He planned on forcing the police to enter the bar and before they would be able to apprehend him, he would choose that moment to fire just two shots, one at each detective. One bullet each should be enough to finish both of them.
He watched both men. Neither one seemed aware of the approaching sirens. He snarled to himself, sickened by the weak display in front of him. Both men obviously were scared and needed the other, despite there being no hope of rescue.
"Starsky, you still with me? Hey buddy... can you hear me?" Hutch had shut out Stone Crawford completely from his mind.
At this point, Hutch only cared about Starsky. The dark haired man had weakened considierably and his breathing was shallow. His chest and lower body was a mess of blood. The original bullet wound was now a gaping hole. Hutch tried to apply pressure in order to staunch the bleeding but it caused so much extra pain for Starsky, that Hutch opted for just leaving the wound exposed to the air.
The curly head wagged back and forth as Starsky tried to focus on his partner's voice. Judging from the amount of stress in Hutch's voice, Starsky realized they were in a very serious situation. He knew his condition was bad but his vision was so fuzzy, he couldn't really see that Hutch had been injured. But he concentrated instead on the voice, that in itself, comforting.
"Yeah, are we havin' fun yet?" Starsky coughed through a stabbing pain. He tried to curl his body but he no longer had control of his muscles. He couldn't feel his legs except for the burning in his thigh. Hutch kept pushing his hand away whenever the wounded detective tried searching with his lax hand. He had no control anyway of his hand so it usually just ended up flopping on Hutch's lap.
"I wouldn't call any of this the best day of my life but we'll get out of this. We've been in worse predicaments"
Hutch still held his arm close to his body. With his other hand, he kept touching Starsky. The guilt in him taunted him. The only thing he had left was offering the physical comfort they both craved.
Starsky let out a strangled laugh. It stuck in his throat and was more of a cry of agony but his mouth did manage a lop sided grin.
"Hey, do you hear that?" Hutch lifted his head, aware of noises coming closer. He watched as Stone heard it too. The tall convict stopped his relentless pacing and stared over at the two men on the floor.
Then there it was. Probably the best sound Hutch had ever heard. The normally gruff bellow reached them inside their prison. He leaned over to Starsky, wanting to share this little bit of hope with his friend.
"Ya hear that partner? The cavalry has arrived!"
Starsky stopped shaking long enough to answer back. "Yeah, and I'll bet he isn't even using a bull horn!"
Starsky's voice dropped off and Hutch thought he'd passed out. But the sapphire blue eyes peeked out from under the hooded lids. No words were spoken between them but the message was clear:
'whatever the outcome, we're in this together.'
Hutch's blue eyes were cloudy with guilt but his eyes locked on to the other's, promising that they were ready for anything and trusting only the other.
"Well, now. Sounds like we have company!" Stone stopped and turned toward the noise. He listened as Captain Dobey called out his invitation.
"Yeah ,right and the minute I show my face, I'm dead. Well, before that happens, I need to make sure you guys go first!" Stone casually took a seat at the nearest table.
"What's a matter Stone, suddenly lost your nerve?" From somewhere deep inside, Hutch's resolve came back. He would not go down without a fight and his voice took on a hard, nasty edge.
Stone chose to ignore the sarcasm Hutch spewed at him. It wouldn't do now for him to lose his control. He had everybody right where he wanted them. Let Dobey and his men come to him. That would happen eventually, once the cops got tired of being polite.
"No, on the contrary pretty boy. I'm waiting for those suckers out there to get restless and try to storm the place. Then I can not only make sure you guys get caught in the gun fire, but I'll be killed as well and I win! It don't matter to me that I'm gonna die, because I'll be makin' a name for myself the second my body hits the ground!"
Stone slapped the table with the palm of his hand to emphasize his point.
Now Hutch was sure they were facing death. The only thing he had left were words. He wouldn't die without defending himself, his partner or his police department.
"Those men out there can wait forever if they have to. They don't negotiate with ass holes!" Just then Captain Dobey's voice reached them again. The warning was clear in the words.
----"Crawford, you have five minutes. If you don't give yourself up by then, we'll come in after you. No promises or deals will be offered. Whether you live or die is up to you" ----
The voice clicked off and Stone threw his head back and let out a whoop of triumph.
"So, you better say your prayers. Sounds like the end is near!" Crawford stood up and grabbed his ears. He suddenly grunted with pain.
Hutch watched as Stone seemed to wither with indecision. His strong words were replaced with the posture of fear. Hutch wondered if maybe if he pushed the convict just enough, he could confuse him and make him hesitate long enough until help arrived.
"Your conscience bothering you Stone? You sorry and scared now that you're gonna screw up your plans?" Hutch swayed, dizzy but determined to fight until there was nothing left in him to protect his partner with.
He felt something drip into his eye and raised his hand to his head. Blood. His head was bleeding. No matter, he forced himself to focus on surviving.
"Shut the hell up! Just the opposite. You know that little voice you hear in your head that's pushing you to fight back? Well the voice in my head ain't so little and it's tellin' me to finish you bastards!"
The noises in his head from earlier were back. The pounding blood through his ears was deafening. He heard the voices mock him. He welcomed the angel of death. All of the sudden, the noise grew to such a pitch that he spun around, trying to get away from the laughter.
"I didn't think it would be like this! Why are you punishing me? Stop!" Stone threw himself back down on the chair with such force that once he landed on it, it toppled over, sending him and the seat crashing to the floor.
Hutch wasn't sure what was happening. He wondered if Stone had snapped? The only noise he heard came from outside, very near the kitchen door. He realized it was a dog. Barking and howling, the animal sounded in pain, lost and afraid.
Hutch turned back to Starsky and slid down to the floor beside him.
"Buddy, I don't know what's happening but hang in there. I'll try to keep you safe from whatever comes our way but remember, it's me and thee!"
Just then, Stone crawled toward the kitchen door and finally scrambled to his feet.
"I ain't afraid of you! I welcome you! You're calling me and I'm obeying! You give me my courage! I believe in your promise of eternity!" Stone finally snapped.
The dog continued to howl and it seemed to Hutch that it was that noise that Crawford was responding to. He huddled beside Starsky, not sure what to expect. Suddenly, Stone propelled himself toward the kitchen door, mumbling about accepting his defining moment.