Chapter 3

'I raped your...' Starsky stumbled over his words in disbelief. 'I have no idea what the hell you are talking about.'

'We all saw ya. Up that corner of the bar, talking all cozy in her ear. An' then ya given her yer number. Ya think just coz we don't come from the city we don't know nuthin boy?' the Sheriff blustered indignantly.

'I think either ya got the wrong guy, or you're on another planet. Yeah, I talked to her. Someone had to, but that's as far as it went.'

The Sheriff snorted loudly. 'Talked to her! Did ya hear that boys? He talked to her! We know what went on. Clyde here saw Mary Lou on the phone and then she was gone. She's never done nothin' like that before. She's a good girl, my Mary Lou.'

'Well you seemed to enjoy her' Starsky snapped before he realised what he'd said.

For a big fat slob of a guy, the Sheriff moved lightening quick. Starsky didn't see it coming until it was too late to move and Hutch, who was watching from the sidelines was caught unawares too. The Sheriff roared in anger and took two steps towards Starsky launching a fist in the brunet's direction. The ham-like fist caught Starsky soundly across the cheek and the brunet felt the skin tear as he shook his head to rid himself of the stars sparkling behind his eyes. He straightened just in time to catch another blow, this time aimed beneath his chin. Starsky managed to sidestep, deflecting the punch so that it caught the angle of his jaw rather than a square-on blow, but the force behind the fist was enough to send him staggering backwards. The Sheriff followed as Starsky took two steps backwards so that the Buick was behind him, stopping him from falling. Leaning backwards over the hood of the big car, Starsky was unable to move quickly enough as, in an instant, the big man had his baton drawn and he loomed over the brunet with the point of the club pressing into Starsky's throat. The man was close enough for the cop to read the name on the shiny star shaped badge decorating the pocket flap of the Sheriff's shirt. "Kaleb Flores". Something in the name would have made Starsky giggle had it not been for the piece of wood cutting off his air supply. A man less likely to be called Flores Starsky had yet to meet.

The world was beginning to sparkle red and the brunet's lungs were crying out to take a breath. Starsky struggled with all his strength to dislodge the club at his neck and reached out with his hands to claw at Kaleb's face. With strong fingers searching to claw at his eyes, the Sheriff whipped his head back. In drawing back, the Sheriff let up on the pressure on Starsky's throat and the curly haired man managed to suck in a lungful of air. In desperation, Starsky tried to stand upright and would have made it had it not been for a very quiet word from his partner.

In the struggle, Starsky had almost forgotten that Hutch was with him and now he stopped in his tracks.

'Starsk,' the word was said softly, hesitantly, almost carefully and something about the quality of his partner's voice made Starsky glance over. Hutch was being held by two of the other men who had taken an arm each and had folded them up Hutch's back at a painful angle. The blond had struggled with both men but was now standing still as a rock with the point of a large Bowie knife lodged firmly against the jugular vein in his neck. The point had penetrated the skin and a trickle of scarlet made it's way down Hutch's taut neck as the flaxen haired cop locked eyes with his partner's.

Instantly Starsky stopped his struggling as the Sheriff came at him again. This time the big man had the upper hand and he leaned over the brunet, once more pinning him to the hood of the car. Kaleb's eyes bored into Starsky's as the cop tried to avoid breathing in the dank, unclean smell coming from the Sheriff's breath.

'You still say you didn't do nothin' to my girl?' Kaleb grunted.

For an instant, Starsky thought about the conversation he'd had with Hutch the previous evening about double negatives. Deciding that now was definitely not the time to try to discuss the finer points of English grammar with the law man pinning him to the hood of the car, Starsky shook his head.

'I never touched her.'

'Liar' Kaleb spat and without warning, the big man brought his knee up full force between Starsky's legs. Knobbly bone met with the brunet's family jewels in a blow that would have dropped Starsky to his knees had he been upright. With his body pinned to the car however, he had nowhere to go and the cop closed his eyes in agony and wheezed through clenched teeth as the whole world seemed to focus around the centre of his body. Pains shot upwards through his belly and down his legs. He felt bile rise in the back of his throat and fought not to throw up on the Sheriff's shoes. Any sign of weakness right now would be disaster. Instead Starsky fought for composure and breathed in deeply, letting it out slowly, willing the pain to back down enough that it wouldn't show in his voice. Behind him, he could hear Hutch struggling with his two captors despite the knife at his throat.

'I don't...' Starsky's voice was raw with pain and he coughed before starting again. 'I don't know how to say this any clearer. I didn't lay a finger on the girl. I gave her a card with a number on it. For a women's refuge. Fine I shouldn't have interfered, but I swear I didn't do nothing else. Let me an' my partner go, we'll be on our way an' you'll never see us again. We'll even have the local PD put an APB on her if ya want. We're cops. Law men, like you. You don't wanna do this.'

Kaleb snorted. 'Hear that boys? They're like us! Mister, you got no idea what we're like. We don't hold with yer city ways or yer city cop fancy pants APBs. In these parts, we are the law an' right now we say you broke it. You got two choices. You come clean and confess an' we carry out the punishment, or...it gits interestin'.'

'What're we gonna do with 'em Pa?' Clyde, the younger, deputy Sheriff interrupted the staring competition between Starsky and Kaleb. There was a hint of excitement in the younger man's voice and the brunet could almost imagine Clyde licking his lips in anticipation.

'Listen to me. My partner apologised. He never touched the girl. I can vouch for that. Do as he says, let us go an' we'll be out of your hair.' Hutch added his voice to Starsky's. In reply Clyde pushed Hutch's arm further up his back.

'Shut yer pie hole mister.'

Hutch hissed in pain and struggled harder against Clyde and the other man holding him. Kaleb looked up from the brunet, pushed his knee once more against Starsky's balls, nodded for Hank to watch the brunet and then swaggered over towards the struggling blond. He smiled wolfishly at Hutch and slapped him hard across the face leaving white finger prints against Hutch's golden tanned skin.

'When my boy tells ya to shut yer pie hole, he means shut it Goldie Locks.'

'Don't touch him. Freeze.' Starsky's voice was shaky but loud enough that Kaleb turned in disbelief. Hank was on the ground where Starsky had put him after kicking him in the knee. The brunet was stood with the hood of the Buick at his side for support as he levelled his Smith at the Sheriff. The gun wavered despite Starsky's favoured two handed hold and the brunet looked ashen pale whilst a bloom of sweat dampened his curls, but still, the gun was pointed squarely at the overweight uniformed lawman and it effectively silenced Kaleb for a moment. Starsky blinked slowly and shook his head to try to clear it. Clyde and the other man still held onto Hutch but both men looked towards Kaleb for inspiration. Kaleb stared at Starsky as though he'd grown two heads.

'Shoot me and he gets a knife in his throat' the Sheriff grunted.

'Sure. Even some Hick from the back of beyond wouldn't be crazy enough as to kill two cops in cold blood. Let him go and take two steps back.'

'I don't think so.'

Starsky took a deep breath. A drop of sweat trickled annoyingly down the side of his face and stung at his eyes. He felt dizzy, sick and the pain in the centre of his body was all-consuming. With knees that felt like a bowl of Jell-o, he leaned harder against the comforting bulk of the car and blinked hard to try to clear his head.

'I'll give ya one last chance.'

'You look like you couldn't wrestle a chaoui. Put the gun down before ya fall down.'

'Listen to him. He's...' Hutch's words were cut off by Kaleb ploughing his elbow into the blond's stomach. Despite the two men holding him, Hutch doubled as the breath was driven from his body in an audible hiss. He wheezed and a string of silvery saliva escaped his mouth and beaded towards the ground.

Starsky came upright at about the same time as Hank, forgotten temporarily, launched himself at Starsky's legs in a football tackle any pro would have been proud of, knocking the brunet to the ground. Already dizzy, the curly haired cop had little chance to save himself. Starsky felt the world wobble to the right, his gun aiming at the closest tree rather than at his target. Gravity won the battle and as he fell awkwardly to the ground, his temple hit a small rock on the ground. Starsky had a second to think "oh shit" before blackness claimed him and he could be of no more help to his partner.

Seeing his buddy lying unconscious redoubled Hutch's efforts to break free of the men holding him still. 'Starsk?' he shouted at the inert body on the ground. 'Starsky...'

Kaleb walked over to the body of the downed cop and pushed roughly with the toe of his boot. He looked up and grinned. 'I don't think yer gonna git an answer any time soon. He's out fer the count. See?' As though to emphasise the point, the Sheriff kicked out at Starsky, catching the cop in the side and causing his body to roll limply on the ground.

'Don't touch him!' Hutch snapped, struggling wildly with his two guards.

'Or else what? What're ya gonna do if I do this?' Kaleb swung his boot again and kicked against Starsky's thigh. 'Or even this?' this time the Sheriff pushed the brunet's body onto its back, nudged Starsky's legs apart and leaned his foot against the cop's balls. Even unconscious, that got a reaction and a low moan escaped Starsky's lips as his eyes fluttered but remained closed.

'Ok, ok, I'm still. See? Not strugglin'. I'll do whatever you want, just leave him be huh?' Hutch fought to keep still, his eyes almost pleading with the Sheriff.

'Anythin'?' Kaleb asked.

The blond nodded but remained silent.

'You wanna play a game?'

'No particularly. Look, let us go, I'll take my partner. I'll even pay you compensation for anythin' you think we've done to your girl. You don't want to do this. Let us go and we'll be on our way.' Hutch hated pleading, but his stomach hurt like hell and he desperately wanted to check his partner out.

'Money aint the issue boy. It's somethin' called honour an' no amount of yer money is gonna change the fact. I have somethin' else in mind. Somethin' we think is fairer than yer com-pen-sation. It's either that, or we just shoot ya both here and now.' Kaleb took a step towards Starsky's limp body again, making Hutch's decision easier.

'Fine. Whatever you say. No money. What else did you have in mind?'

'Well now, let just see...'

'You wanna tell me this month? This year maybe? Time's goin' on an' I'm gettin' bored of this conversation.'

In response, Kaleb marched over to the blond and slapped Hutch open handed across the face, hard enough that he cop saw stars and felt blood start to trickle down the corner of his mouth. Another hand came from the opposite direction and made a matching bruise on the other cheek, leaving Hutch reeling and fighting the ringing in his ears.

'I told ya to shut yer pie hole, boy.'

'Well get on with it' Hutch grunted and spat bloody saliva onto the ground next to Kaleb's boot.

'Damn but you city types're so impatient. D'ya hear that boys? He wants to know what's gonna happen next.'

'You gonna tell him Pa?' Clyde asked, expectantly.

Kaleb grinned. 'Should I? Or shall I let it come as one big surprise? You like surprises boy?'

Hutch shook his head. He felt sick to his stomach and the pains in his head throbbed in time with his heartbeat which seemed to sound loud in his ears. If it hadn't been for the two men holding his arms behind his back, Hutch doubted that he would be able to stand under his own steam. He leaned heavily against his captors as he breathed deeply. 'It wouldn't be my first choice.'

'No? But that takes away all the fun, don't it boys?'

There was a chorus of yessirs from Hank, Clyde and the other man.

'And we like to give our visitors surprises. It's kinda homely. Makes 'em feel special.'

Hutch grunted. 'Fine. Whatever.'

Kaleb put on a disappointed face. 'Aww, hear that? He don't seem happy. Well you're gonna have yer surprise anyhow, mister fancy pants city cop. Clyde?'

'Yis Pa.'

'Make Mister Goldie Locks a bit more comfortable huh?'

For a moment Clyde looked non-plussed. 'Huh?'

Kaleb shook his head. 'Fergit it boy. I'll do it myself.' And with that the Sheriff drew back his ham-like fist and launched it at Hutch's jaw. With no time to prepare himself, the flaxen haired cop had just enough time to see the fist coming before he too joined Starsky in the land of far away and his body sagged between Clyde and his buddy.

'Git 'em in the truck an' truss 'em up good an' tight. I'm gonna go and call Papa.'

utcHutch hisse