Chapter 6

Hutch paced the small office, waiting for his Captain to come back into the room. Seven hours had elapsed since he'd gone into his partner's apartment and found it empty, the bed warm and made, but with no sign of the curly haired cop. Dobey had tried to convince him that everything would have a logical explanation, but now, a full working day after the absence had been discovered, the blond was back at the Metro, determined to start a full scale search.

Dobey walked back in, a cup of coffee in his hand and glanced at the flaxen haired man, knowing what was coming next. He was also worried about Starsky. It was so unusual for the two to be separated that he knew the brunet wouldn't have just taken off on his own. But he had to give it some time, so that when he did order the APB, he would be taken seriously.

'Hutchinson' he greeted as he insinuated himself behind the desk and sat down.

Hutch launched himself into the attack, his nerves frayed enough by trying to do days' work and at the same time keep his eyes out for his partner.

'Cap'n I've had no word from Starsk all day. Something's happened to him, I know it has'.

Dobey fixed him with big brown eyes, inviting him to sit down. 'Tell me again what happened this morning'.

The tall man sighed and flopped down into the brown leather chair, suddenly weary. 'I went to pick him up for work as usual. We'd had a nice night at mine the night before. His door wasn't locked, which was unusual and I went in. His room was tidy, but no change there' he snickered to himself, 'I went into his bedroom and his bed was made, but it was still warm. He wasn't in the bathroom and his car was missing'.

'And that was….what time?'

'7:45 ish. Like I say, I was collecting him for work'.

'Ok, so, was he ok the night before?' Dobey asked, trying to build up a mental picture of what had gone on.

'He was fine. We were joking about him always wanting to celebrate Christmas. We went to the store for candies and a tree, then went back to mine'.

'And he didn't say anything to you then?'

Hutch cast his mind back to the sunny afternoon. He pictured Starsky coming out of the store laden with his paper sack and the big fir tree. They walked over to the car…..opened the door and got in. Everything was…..hold it!

'Now ya mention it, there was something. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. Like he'd seen someone he knew that he didn't think he should see. I asked him about it, but he just waved it away. Typical Starsk, ya know? Like he didn't want to make a fuss, or like he didn't really believe what he'd seen'.

Dobey made a pencil note on his pad. 'OK. So we have him seeing someone or something. Not much to go on. What else happened?'

The blond shrugged his shoulders. 'Nothing much. It was a typical evening. We had carol singers. They stopped around 10. After that it was quiet. We had another beer and he went home about 11'.

'And he was ok when he went home? Not sick? He didn't say anything then?' Dobey pushed.

'No, not really. The last caller we had was bigger - a teenager maybe, or at least a lot bigger than the kids that had been coming around during the evening. Starsky said he spooked him. Said something about him belonging in a jail or a cemetery. He said he had one of those freakish "Scream" masks on although why is anyone's guess. He was shaken at first. You know Starsk. He hates anything like that. But he seemed fine when he left'.

'Is his Mom OK? Maybe he had an urgent call to go see her' the black man offered, trying to play devil's advocate.

'Well he phoned her the other night and she was fine. She was gonna come and stay with his aunt Rosey some time soon. An' if she wasn't ok, he wouldn't'a just taken off. He'd have called me, if not you. There's something wrong Cap. Now I put two an' two together. The look on his face outside the store an' he was so spooked with that last caller. D'ya think he's being stalked maybe?'

'Well let's not jump to conclusions huh?. You say his car was missing too?'

Hutch nodded.

'Well it's not the most inconspicuous car in the world. Surely someone's seen it'. He picked the telephone up and hammered a bunch of the numbers into submission. 'Yeah, its Dobey. I want an APB out on David Starsky. Yeah, Detective Starsky. Thanks'.

The big black man looked at the man opposite. 'What else?'

Hutch ran a weary hand over his face. 'I dunno. I'm gonna head on down to the Pits, see if Huggy's heard anything on the grapevine. But if he had, I think he'd have called me by now. Starsk looked like the someone he saw outside the store was someone he knew. Someone he didn't expect t'see. Maybe an old friend, or someone out on parole?'

Dobey nodded. 'Could be. There's a few guys out there who'd like to exact a measure of revenge. You could ask Alfred in R&I to run the names'.

The blond stood up, anxious now to be doing something. 'OK, I'll go talk to Alfred, then head off to the Pits'.

'Keep me posted' Dobey called to his retreating back.

Hutch ran down the corridor, fearsome scenarios running through his head. They'd had enough incidents in the past to make him wary now of any little thing that wasn't right. Thoughts of Simon Marcus and Gunther made his blood run cold. He'd almost lost Starsky then, he couldn't go through that again. Not now, after all these years of recovery. Please God don't let something like that happen again. Hutch knew he'd never be able to bear it. Since Starsky's recovery they had become even more inseparable, to the point where rumours that had roiled under the surface years ago were finally spoken out loud. Starsky and Hutch were gay? Both men had chuckled at the thought, made polite but forcible comments to the contrary and gone home to their respective girls. But the gossip mongerers were right in saying that they had a connection. And it was a strong connection. One that had served them well during their long partnership. And when Starsky wasn't around, Hutch felt like he was missing a vital organ.

He pushed the door to the small office open and walked in. Files lined every wall and deadened the sounds in the confined space. The only area free from files was a small chair next to a desk piled high with papers and on that chair, sleeves rolled up and head bent over a buff coloured cover was a tall, dark skinned, dark haired man, utterly engrossed in his work. He didn't look up as Hutch walked in and it wasn't until the blond coughed self consciously that it registered with Alfred that someone had entered his domain. He tore his gaze from his file and smiled as he saw the flaxen haired cop.

'Hey, Hutch. How's it hangin'?' he asked amicably.

'Fine thanks Alf. You?'

'Oh you know me an' my babies' he indicated the files with his hand. 'We get along just fine'.

Hutch snorted. 'D'ya even go home at nights?' he asked.

Since Bernie, the original incumbent had retired and Alfred had taken over, the R&I division had become an even more well oiled and smooth running department. Where Bernie had enjoyed his work, Alfred was passionate, reorganising the whole system until he was happy with it and ensuring that responses to requests were processed even faster than Bernie had managed. It was well known throughout the Metro that they didn't really need a set of files as Alfred had every piece of information carefully ordered and stored in his vast memory.

Alfred grinned now. 'Home? This is my home! My babies miss me when I'm not here!'

'Well can you put that wonderful system into operation and help me out here' Hutch asked, perching on the edge of the desk.

'Sure thing! What can I do?'

'Its Starsky. He's missing. Since this morning. Dobey has an APB out on him, but he saw someone or something yesterday an' I want to now if there's any connection'.

'You're thinking a person? Someone he knows but don't want to become reacquainted with? Maybe someone out on early release?' Alfred asked cottoning on fast.

'Uh huh'.

The tall black man pondered the question. 'Anyone in mind?'

'No. I was just wondering'.

'OK well, Going back over the years. Gunther's the prime mover, being as he nearly finished your partner off, but he's serving 20 to life in San Quentin. He'd be your main suspect. After that there's the guy you and Starsky put away at the hind end of last year…..Marshall. He's still lookin' at another 4 years before parole. Saunders is out now' he offered.

Hutch shook his head. 'No, I remember him. He knifed his lady in that bar down town. He didn't like us too much, but its not his style to take Starsky. Anyone else?'

'Erm…..You guys have been so busy! I haven't heard of anyone else, but I'll keep looking' Alfred offered.

'Thanks. Anything you can do' the blond said as he got up and walked towards the door. He was just about to open it and set off for the Pits when Alfred called him back.

'Hey, it was way before my time, but didn't Starsky have some run in with George Prudholm?'

The blonde's face paled. Run in? That was an understatement. Between the two innocent cops who'd died and the murder of Starsky's love, Terri, "run in" was the understatement of the year. He nodded. 'Yeah Prudholm blamed me an' Starsk for the death of his son Gary. Why? He's locked up in Cabrillo State for the duration. He's never gonna see the light of day again'.

Alfred shook his head emphatically. 'Think again buddy. I heard on the grapevine this morning. Crazy George broke out a few nights ago. They haven't caught up with him yet. He's on the loose!'

Hutch flicked a quick wave of thanks at the stunned man and dove out of the door back up to Dobey's office, scenes of Prudholm trying to shoot his partner at the old civic zoo floating in his head. Other pictures came to him. The look on Starsky's face when he saw Terri on the stretcher in the 7/11. His face when he emerged from the hospital room after Terri died. And the night they played Monopoly on the brunet's kitchen floor waiting for midnight until they could open the gifts that the beautiful young woman had left for them. Starsky had never truly got over her death, and Hutch knew that deep down the curly haired man made silent comparisons of every girlfriend against his wonderful Terri.

He flew back upstairs and barged into Dobey's office, taking the black man unawares and making him spill his drink.

'Its Prudholm!' he spat out.

'What?' Dobey asked, the hot coffee on the front of his shirt temporarily forgotten.

'Alfred's just told me that Prudholm escaped from Cabrillo State earlier this week. It all fits. He hates our guts. He's never forgiven us for his son dying in jail. Starsk saw someone he thought he knew outside the store. I bet it was him'.

'Why weren't we informed he was missing?' Dobey thundered, reaching for the phone again.

'I dunno Cap'n. But its gotta be him. It all adds up. He's got Starsk. Now all we need to do is find Prudholm. I only hope its in time'.

Dobey replaced the phone. 'Yeah, it fits. But you said Starsky's apartment showed no signs of a struggle. If Prudholm got to him, he wouldn't have gone without a fight'.

Hutch paused. 'Maybe he was drugged'.

'An' if he was, d'ya think Prudholm would have stopped to make his bed up?'

The blond slumped into his seat. 'Its gotta be Prudholm. There's no-one else who hates Starsk enough to do this. He must be workin' with someone. Maybe Cabrillo can give us a heads up'.

The Captain shrugged. 'Its worth a shot'. He looked at his watch. 18:45. 'You're not gonna be able to speak to anyone there tonight, are ya?'.

'Cap, I'll wake the whole hospital up if I have to. I'm gonna get some answers. And sooner rather than later'.