Chapter 13
Starsky jerked awake, a new sensation assaulting his body. Once again he was alone in the pitch black, but this time there was an unaccustomed weight on his chest and he held his breath as he tried to decipher what it was. The weight moved and small cold claws pricked at his skin. Realisation hit. There was a rat on his chest!
The brunet shrieked into the darkness, trying to move away from the rodent's furry body and the rat leapt down from it's perch, leaving the bound man alone again.
The shock of his awakening and the fear of what the rat had been doing made Starsky's heart hammer in his chest, the beats far more rapid than they should have been. He strangled down a sob as the pains started up in his stomach and back and he felt the heat from his fever start to burn again. How long had it been since his last hit? He couldn't remember, but his body told him it was too long and he tried to raise his head to see if he could see any signs of Prudholm.
It had been 7 days since the curly haired cop had been free and during all of that time, he'd been tied in one position on the bed. Now he couldn't feel his arms and legs any more. He saw himself as a limbless being, the feeling having long since been lost from his extremities. At first it had worried him, but with each successive shot of the heroin, the fear had flown further away until now, with over 20 doses in his system, he couldn't care less. He also didn't particularly care about the pin points of pain he felt down his spine, on his shoulder blades, on his hips and at the back of his head. It might have worried him a little if he could have seen the pressure sores forming down his spine and on each spiny protuberance. Or the smear of blood on the mattress from the large sore on the back of his head. And he might have been more worried still if he could see the red raw, blistered skin around his groin caused by the acid from his own urine. During the past 7 days, although Prudholm had given him small amounts to drink, he'd had no food at all, and now the ribs were beginning to push through the skin of his chest, his sodden, filthy jeans becoming more loose around his hips.
Now the rat had disappeared, Starsky rested his head back on the mattress and tried to stop the shaking of his limbs as he waited for Prudholm and his next trip to oblivion.
oOo
Hutch walked wearily into the precinct on his seventh day without his partner. It had been seven of the longest days of his life as he pounded the streets looking for Starsky. Every corner he turned, every bar he walked into, he longed to see the curly head and the wide grin. But each time he questioned a snitch or poked around one of the dives, he came up empty handed and he had just about run out of options.
He hauled himself up the steps and was just about to duck into the bathroom when he heard Elaine's voice shouting down the corridor to him.
'Hutch, get into Dobey's office now. There's a guy asking for you and you only'.
Hutch's long legs powered him along the corridor with renewed vigour and he skidded to a halt outside the office just as he heard Dobey's voice on the telephone asking the other person to hold for just another minute. Even from that distance, Hutch could hear the person on the other end of the line ranting and he pushed his way into the small room, his hand held outstretched for the receiver.
Dobey held it out to him with a pitying look on his face and quietly hit the button on its sister phone, holding his hand over the receiver to quieten any noise. Hutch spoke calmly into the phone.
'This is Detective Hutchinson'.
'So ya finally hauled your ass to the phone huh? Don't your partner mean anything to ya?' the voice challenged him. It sounded familiar and it took Hutch a moment to realise to whom it belonged.
'Prudholm. What have you done to Starsky? Where is he?'
The man giggled madly. 'I have him good 'n' safe. Don't worry about him I've got Stars…. Gary. Gary needs money'.
The blond was about to say something, but the name brought him up short. Gary. Shit, Prudholm thought Gary was with him! Careful Hutchy, he thought.
'So where's Gary now?' he asked softly.
'He's with me. I need money or I'll….or I'll…..Gary needs….no Starsky. Starsky. I have Starsky an' you'll never see him again unless I get $500,000 by tonight'.
'Where have you got my partner?' Hutch ground out. 'Let him go and we can maybe get ya the money'.
George giggled again. 'I may be crazy, but I aint stupid. You get Starsky when I get the money'.
Hutch looked up at his boss. He knew their policy was never to negotiate with kidnappers. Odds were that the kidnapped person would wind up dead anyhow. But Prudholm wasn't your average kidnapper and Dobey's eyes widened. He signalled Hutch to keep the man talking, but Prudholm caught the pause.
'If anyone else is listening in, it won't do ya no good. I'm calling from a phone box a long way from where that sorry ass cop is. No use tracin' the call'.
Dobey nodded at Hutch signalling that he should agree to the transaction. They'd worry about the fallout afterwards. The main thing now was to get Starsky back.
'Talk to me. When and where?' Hutch said sharply.
Prudholm grinned to himself. Starsky would be out of his hair and Gary would get his medicine. In his head, the two were distinct individuals, his head so messed up that he couldn't understand that the man he had in the crypt wasn't Gary and that Gary wasn't Starsky.
'This afternoon, 4:00pm pier twelve, east docks. Come alone and with the money, or you'll never see your partner alive again. $500,000 in unmarked non-sequential notes. Any tricks and Starsky dies, got that?'
Hutch nodded. 'I got it. No tricks Prudholm or so help me. I'll hunt you down wherever you go an' I'll make sure that the place you end up will make Cabrillo look like the Waldorf'. He slammed the phone down and flopped down into the chair in the office, head in his hands.
'Can we get that kind of money by 4:00?'
Dobey was already on the telephone. He nodded, made arrangements and put down the phone.
'I want you going in with back up this time' he said.
'You heard him Cap'n. He said alone or Starsky dies. I can't take that chance. It has to be just me'.
'I'm not taking that Hutchinson. Fine, you can go alone in your car, but I'm having black and whites closing in as soon as you make contact. I don't want Prudholm double crossing us, and the more men we have concealed, the better chance we have of finding Starsky and getting him back'.
The blond looked doubtful. 'I don't know Cap. I don't want to play around with Starsky's life. I'd much prefer to…'
'I know what you want to do, but its not gonna happen. We do this by the book. Now go get yourself ready and be back here in an hour. You go in with the money and the uniforms close in once you've made contact. No arguments'.
Hutch got up holding up his hand in defeat. 'Whatever you say. I'll be back here by 3:00. And Captain……thanks'.
'Get outa here' Dobey gruffed. 'Just get him back, ok?'
oOo
Four o'clock saw Hutch sitting in his car at pier twelve, watching and waiting for Prudholm to show. His nerves were a jangling mess as he waited, knowing his partner's life was on the line. This was his one and only opportunity to get Starsky back and he'd move heaven and earth to make sure things went a smoothly as possible. He rested his hand on the canvass bag at his side. It was stuffed with the notes Prudholm had requested and his hand had shaken as he signed for it back at the Metro. Now it only remained for the madman to actually turn up and in no time he'd be reunited with his partner.
Hutch caught a movement from the corner of his eye and sat a little straighter in the car as Prudholm's car drove slowly up the dock. It stopped almost fender to fender with Hutch's Mustang and Prudholm got slowly out, a gun pointing at Hutch's head. The blond saw the older man's eyes scanning the immediate area before they settled on him.
He got out of the car, his hands in the air, the canvas sack dangling from his left hand.
'Prudholm?'
'Ya got the doh Hutchinson?'
'Uh huh' Hutch waggled the bag. '$500,000 all in used notes. Just as you wanted.
'Bend down and throw it along the ground, nice and slow. No sudden moves' Prudholm commanded.
Hutch did as he was bid and stood up again, slowly, his hand returning to their raised state. 'Ya gonna count it George?'
'Do I need to?'
'No. Tell me where my partner is'.
'Not so fast. Maybe I do need to count….what's that?' Prudholm's head snapped up as he caught the glint of sunlight on metal by the side of one of the pier building. 'I told you to come alone!' he shouted, excitedly.
'I did George. I came alone. No-one but me an' you' Hutch insisted.
But the madness had overtaken Prudholm again and the gun in his hand waved around erratically.
'I told ya….alone….ya didn't believe me…..you'll never see…'
'Ssh, Prudholm…George, look at me. There's no-one here but…'Hutch ducked down swiftly as Prudholm's gun levelled so that it was trained on his head.
'Prudholm, no….wait we can talk' he persisted
'It's too late for that. You lied. You said you were alone an I know you're not. You lied to me an' I'm gonna…You'll never see Starsky again. Starsky's hurtin' Gary's hurtin'. Gary needs his medicine an'…' the gun continued to wave dangerously as Prudholm backed up towards his car.
He stepped backwards slowly but as he reached for his car, he slipped slightly and his hand went skywards, his finger squeezing the trigger by accident.
All hell broke loose as the uniforms who'd been hiding behind the building darted forward perceiving that Hutch was in trouble. The blond stood swiftly, yelling at them to get back, but Prudholm had lost his tenuous hold on his sanity and started to wield his gun like a machine gun, waving it back and forth, screaming for them to get back.
For one moment he seemed to be getting into his car to make his getaway and Hutch was trying to get to his own to give chase. There were four teams of uniformed officers now closing in on the duo, guns raised and pointing at the older man and as Prudholm waved his gun once more in their direction. The youngest of the officers, a boy of no more than 20 who was in only his second week on the job shouted once more for Prudholm to get down and the madman looked at him, his gun swinging round. The young man stared down the barrel of the gun for one second before squeezing his own trigger. The police issue Colt roared to life, the shot echoing around the deserted pier and Prudholm screamed, falling to the ground clutching at his chest.
As the young man's partner swiftly took the weapon from him, Hutch lurched forward dropping to his knees by the side of the older man. He pulled Prudholm to him, rolling him over onto his back and staring at the blossoming stain of crimson that rapidly soaked Prudholm's shirt.
George's eyes were open wide in alarm and shock and his lips were working soundlessly. Frantically Hutch reached for his handkerchief and pushed it against the hole in Prudholm's chest trying to stem the flow of blood, but the older man's eyes were beginning to roll up into his head.
'Prudholm….stay with me George….c'mon, stay with me' Hutch urged, holding the man's body to him. He looked up. 'Someone get an ambulance' he yelled.
'Too late' Prudholm whispered, 'S'too late'.
'Stay with me, ya hear. Where's Starsky. GEORGE, where's my partner?'
Prudholm's eyes opened n surprise. 'Gary….oh God, Gary….needs me….he's……he…..'
Prudolm's body sagged against the blond cop and his eyes rolled up into his head. Hutch pressed his fingers against his carotid artery, seeking a pulse, but life had left the old man and gently, the big blond let his body slip to the floor.
He stared blankly at the broken body. His best chance to find Starsky snuffed out along with Prudholm's life.
