CHAPTER 11

Starsky took a slow, even breath to minimize the pain in his battered chest. Whoever his captor was, he knew how to dole out the pain. He knew how to make it hurt the most without causing major injuries that could lead to immediate death. Still, after three days of almost constant abuse, Starsky's body was weakening and beginning to fail. He knew that he was close to death, but he fought to hang on, not for himself, but for Hutch. He knew that if Hutch didn't find him in time, the big blond would blame himself for his death and Starsky couldn't allow that.

The place where he was being held was cold, damp and dark. A bad place to die. Starsky wasn't afraid to die, but he was still human. He didn't want to die alone. "Hey, buddy…" he whispered to the empty air. "I know you're out there looking for me. I don't know how much longer I can hang on…" He paused to catch his breath "I promise I won't give up this life easily…God's gonna have to drag me away kicking and fighting with all I got in me…but, it sure would be a good idea if you could find me real soon…"

His eyes closed as he drifted into unconsciousness, exhausted from his efforts to stay awake. He never heard the door to his prison open later that afternoon. Lonnie Myers stepped into the hidden room, followed closed by his girl friend, Jessica Arnett. He looked down at Starsky's broken body with a pleased smile. He had enjoyed himself with this one. Too bad it had to end.

"Is he dead?" Jessica whispered, afraid to get to close to Starsky's body.

"Not yet but, he will be soon."

"Are you just going to leave him here?"

"It'll be over after the awards show tonight. Mandy made her decision, so we go ahead with plan B. She'll be dead, and it'll look like her 'mysterious' stalker is behind it. And our friend here will be left here where nobody will ever find his body. Then we move on. I hear that Heather Myles is looking for a new backup singer and road crew always needs another strong back."

"Too bad," Jessica said with a sigh. "I was hoping that Mandy would see it Jimmy's way."

"He'd be a fool to forgive her for what she did," Lonnie sneered. "The bitch killed his kid…all because her career meant more to her then he did."

"What about Blondie? He scares me…"

"Don't worry about him," Lonnie said confidently. "He's too busy looking for this one to get too close to us." A cold smile tugged at his mouth as he grabbed Jessica's upper arm. "You have nothing to worry about as long as you keep your mouth shut and do what you're told." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "I would really hate to see us break up."

Jessica could only nod her head. She was too frightened of Lonnie to cross him. At first that had been part of the attraction, that dangerous 'bad boy' image. But, as she got in deeper and deeper, she began to realize that to Lonnie she was just as expendable as any of his other victims.

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"Find anything useful?" Dobey asked as he watched Hutch skimming through the pages in his hands.

"Maybe," Hutch said as he rapidly read the report he had just received on Jimmy Dalton. It appeared that after his parents were killed while he was still in his teens, he had used the money he had inherited from their estate to open the club in his hometown where he featured local talent.

Mandy had been a fresh-faced sixteen year old teenager when she participated in a talent contest at the club. With his eye for new talent, Jimmy had immediately recognized Mandy's potential and had taken her under his wing. He began grooming her to become the club's headliner. Despite the seven year difference in their ages, they had begun dating and soon became inseparable.

Once Mandy began performing at the club, she began drawing large crowds almost immediately and soon had a local following. Three years after she became the club's headliner, she was spotted by a talent scout from Nashville and offered a contract with MCA records.

"Nothing suspicious about his relationship with Mandy," Hutch told Dobey "But, there were some questions concerning the death of his parents while he was in his late teens. They were killed in a single car accident. His father was driving and apparently ran off the road, hitting a tree head on. At the time the police believed his father had been drinking and driving, but several witnesses who had been with the couple earlier that evening stated that, although he'd had a few drinks, he had not been seriously impaired.

There's also a brief mention of a high school sweetheart who unexpectedly broke up with Jimmy shortly before the accident. It says that they dated for almost three years and had even talked about marriage after they graduated. No explanation for the breakup is given, and her name is not mentioned in the report since she was a minor at the time."

"Maybe that's a place to start." Dobey suggested

"It needs to be looked into further," Hutch agreed. "If he had anything to do with the wreck that killed his parents, that could show a potential for violent or manipulative behavior."

"And don't forget the high school girlfriend," Dobey added. "After dating for three years and talking about marriage, then suddenly breaking up with no explanation…it had to be something pretty serious."

"I'll keep digging," Hutch said in an annoyed tone. "But, we're running out of time."

"Don't you think I know that?" Dobey growled, letting his own frustrations show. "You check out the girlfriend, and I'll see what I can find out about the car accident."

Twenty minutes later, the two met behind the closed doors to Dobey's office to compare notes. Dobey went first.

"The accident was ruled as suspicious, caused by mechanical failure when the brakes went out. But, there was no sign of the brake lines being tampered with, so the accident was eventually ruled as accidental with mechanical failure listed as the primary reason and drinking and driving as a contributing factor."

"The high school girlfriend's name was Cindy Matthews. Her name now is Cindy Williams. She's divorced with three children, and she still lives in their home town. Apparently, she broke up with Jimmy because he had become too controlling and wanted to isolate her from everything and everyone, including her own family."

"Typical behavior for an abuser in the making." Dobey said glumly.

"She swears he was never violent with her but she did tell me that he beat up some guy that made a pass at her shortly before they broke up. Bad enough that he ended up in the hospital for a few days. Jimmy's parents paid off the other boy's family to keep it hush hush."

"So, he does have the potential for violence."

Hutch rose to his feet and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Dobey called after him.

"It's time to talk to Jimmy Dalton," Hutch told him as he left the office.

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Jimmy Dalton paced his motel room restlessly. He checked his watch for the third time in the past twenty minutes. It was several more hours before the awards show. He sighed heavily as he thought about his relationship with Mandy. He loved her, but he was also jealous of her sudden and unexpected success.

In the beginning, everything had been fine, like a dream come true. But, as her music career began to take off, her time was suddenly taken up by interviews, spots on local TV shows in Nashville, recording sessions, and opening for other established acts. He had proposed then, and Mandy had accepted, but she refused to set a date for their wedding. As her star rose, Jimmy was pushed farther and farther into the background, and slowly, his jealousy and resentment towards her career began to grow.

Then she was offered her first major tour and was nominated for three different awards at the country music awards show. Trying to hold on to what he saw as their rapidly deteriorating relationship, Jimmy had tricked her into getting pregnant. He had hoped that would force her to give up her career to marry him and settle down. But, instead, she had gone behind his back and had an abortion without telling him until it was over.

Jimmy had been furious. He began to hate the career that was coming between him and Mandy. And, when Mandy continued to put her career ahead of their relationship, he began to resent her. Unless she agreed to give up her career and marry him after this tour was over, he was moving on with his life. Alone.

Jimmy's memories of the past were interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Startled, at first he didn't do anything. As far as he knew nobody even knew he was in town except for Mandy, and even she didn't know where he was staying. When another sharp knock sounded, more loudly this time, Jimmy called out "Who's there?"

"Police! Open up!" a male voice called back firmly.

Jimmy calmly removed the chain and opened the door. A tall blond stood there looking both intimidating and threatening. Jimmy immediately recognized him as one of the two detectives that had been working undercover on Mandy's case. Although he wondered how the man knew he was even in town, Jimmy wasn't worried. He knew he hadn't done anything incriminating. "Yes, may I help you?"

"Detective Hutchinson, Bay City P.D.," Hutch said, showing Jimmy his badge to confirm his identity. "Are you James Dalton?"

"Yes. What's this about, officer?"

"I'd like to ask you a few questions about Mandy Reed. May I come in?"

"Of course," Jimmy said cordially as he moved to one side to allow Hutch entrance to his motel room. Hutch stepped inside and Jimmy closed the door behind him.

"How long have you been in town, Mr. Dalton?" Hutch asked

"I just got in this morning. I came here for the awards show tonight."

"Did you see Miss Reed this morning?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. I stopped by her trailer at the arena just after I got in."

"Did the two of you have words?"

Jimmy paused before answering. He wondered how Hutch knew about that. "We had a slight disagreement. That's all."

"What about?" Hutch probed.

"Our wedding plans if you must know," Jimmy said. "I'm sure that Mandy told you that we're engaged."

"Yes. She said her record company suggested she keep it a secret for now, but that she's announcing the engagement after the awards show."

"That's true. Actually, I'm hoping she'll be announcing our wedding and not just our engagement."

Jimmy's answers all seem plausible and were answered in a calm, sincere voice. Still, Hutch's radar was going crazy, yelling at him that the man was hiding something.

"Did Miss Reed tell you that my partner is missing?"

"Yes, I do believe she mentioned it. I'm sorry to hear that but, it has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to pay my fiancé a visit and to root for her tonight at the show."

"So you and Miss Reed are still on cordial terms?"

"Yes, of course we are."

"Tell me, how much does she know about your past relationship with Cindy Matthews?"

Jimmy kept his face neutral even though the question surprised him. "She knows Cindy and I dated in high school."

"Does she know that Miss Matthews broke up with you because you were trying to control her? Or that you beat up someone for making a pass at her and put them in the hospital? Or that your parents paid the other boy's family to keep it quiet?' Hutch asked the questions in a rapid fire fashion designed to throw the person he was interrogating off balance.

To his credit, Jimmy remained undaunted and said calmly, "You've obviously been talking to Cindy. There are two sides to every story, Detective. And, unlike Cindy, I don't need to air my dirty laundry in public."

"What can you tell me about the accident that killed your parents?

"It was just that. An accident." Clearly annoyed by the direction the interview had taken, Jimmy said, "If you have any further questions, you'll need to contact to my lawyer. I would like for you to leave now."

"That's all the questions I have for now," Hutch said with a thin smile that never reached his eyes. "But, I have to advise you not to leave town until this investigation is concluded. It may be necessary to talk to you again."

With those parting words lingering in the air, Hutch left the motel room. He would be keeping a close eye on Jimmy Dalton for the next few hours. His agitation had been growing steadily for the last few hours. He had a feeling that time was quickly running out for Starsky.

As he climbed into his car and began to drive out of the parking lot, the dispatcher's voice came over the radio under the dash.

"Zebra Three, Zebra Three. Report to Captain Dobey immediately regarding Detective Starsky."

"On my way, Control," Hutch said as he hit the gas and flipped on the siren in his rush to get back to headquarters.