CHAPTER 26
Waiting for the elevator doors to open, Hutch turned to face Ronnie. Studying the boy, he held the bruised face in his hands, looking directly into the determined glint in the swollen eyes.
"I'll get an officer to take you to the hospital. Your injuries need looked after."
The boy stood up straight, pushing Hutch's hand away.
"No way. I got Starsky into this; I'm going with ya to find him."
Hutch didn't respond further. Ronnie had his mind made up and nothing was going to change it. Hutch was familiar with teen-age stubbornness, having seen enough of it in Kiko.
They entered the elevator and stood facing the door. He put his arm lightly across the teen's shoulders, trying to ignore the shudder that he felt there.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hutch looked at Ronnie.
"He's a pretty special guy." Hutch remained facing forward.
"Yeah. He's pretty cool." Ronnie shifted from foot to foot, also continuing to stare straight ahead.
Nothing else was said as they drove to the playground where Ronnie had last seen Starsky. It wasn't an easy silence but at least they were united in their desire to find their friend.
Hutch spent the time as he drove to prepare for what he might find. Starsky would never willingly abandon his car. Obviously, he had met with Diaz but his fate was unknown. However, the blond feared that the result would not be easy to comprehend. He couldn't stop his own guilt from consuming him. He should have taken Starsky's interest in the boy seriously. Instead, he was headed to a crime scene involving his partner saddled with a kid he neither understood nor trusted.
He glanced over at Ronnie who was quiet and appeared to be in deep thought. Ronnie was thinking that the two of them were kinda stuck with each other, but slowly he discovered that he didn't particularly dislike Hutch anymore. But he still didn't trust him. He couldn't think of anything to talk about so he sat quietly, chewing his bottom lip, worried that Diaz would find him. He guessed that Hutch would protect him, but Ronnie just didn't feel safe. He wanted to prove to the detective that he was sorry for the trouble he'd caused. Trying to stop the scary thoughts, instead he listened to the strong engine in the car. He'd worked on it with Starsky. They'd made a pretty good team. He shut his eyes, pulling away from thinking about him like he didn't exist anymore. He forced himself back to evaluating Hutch's car, proud of how it handled.
As they arrived at the playground, Hutch skidded to a stop at the entrance. Robert Thurston, the lead investigator looked up from inspecting something on the ground, stood up to join Hutchinson. He knew both the detectives and wasn't looking forward to pointing out all the grim details of what had happened here. He understood about partners but was even more attuned to the friendship beyond partnership of this particular pair.
The blond turned to Ronnie as the boy got out of the car. He would have preferred that the teen stay in the car, but realized that he could help fill in some of the pieces that would be important to know.
"Stay out of the way and don't touch anything." He didn't miss the scowl on Ronnie's face, but didn't take the time to lighten the warning.
When they reached the fence, Hutch stopped and faced Ronnie. Not understanding what was going through the boy's head, he stood stiffly, his eyes a steely blue.
Ronnie held onto the gate, his head bent, breathing uneven. Hutch lifted his chin, looked straight into his eyes. His emotions close to the surface as he took in Ronnie's words.
"I'm sorry I screwed up. Sorry I wasn't braver." Ronnie's voice wasn't more than a whisper.
"What's that mean? You aren't responsible for what may have happened here." Hutch scanned the playground, anxious to find out what the detective would tell him about his partner. But he needed the boy to be strong and clear headed. A few minutes wouldn't matter, even though his stomach clenched with worry of his own.
"I shoulda told Starsky about Diaz. Then this never woulda happened." Ronnie scraped the toe of his shoe in the dirt. He waited for Hutch to yell at him, to hear that he was worthless. After all, he'd heard that enough from his teachers, even from his own father. His dad said even more than that to him. But he wanted to prove them all wrong. He wanted to prove to Hutch that he was capable and willing to help.
"You and I need to have a long talk. Unfortunately, now isn't the time. Just let me say this. It's not your fault. Diaz is to blame for all of it. He just used you to get to Starsky. It could've easily been me." Hutch lightly pushed Ronnie's shoulder, urging him forward.
"See these tire tracks? Those are made by the Torino.' Hutch pointed as they slowly walked toward the red car.
Ronnie scanned the ground, noticing the other set of tracks. He suddenly knew how he could help.
"Those tracks were made by Diaz's Chevy El Camino. It's mostly rust, but it's black and in worse shape than your car." He looked up at the detective, a smile creasing his face. He tried not to flinch when Hutch ruffled his hair. But when Hutch called one of the other cops over and instructed him to take down Ronnie's description of the vehicle, he felt important. He felt that he'd just given valuable information.
Seeing the slight change in Ronnie, Hutch was satisfied for the moment that the boy had just discovered something in himself. He saw the same thing in Kiko when he'd finally figured out who his real friends were. Kiko too had felt he didn't need anybody in his life, that all adults were useless and cruel.
He massaged his neck, feeling the tension there and in his shoulders. Fear guided him toward the Torino, where Detective Thurston waited for him. Taking a deep breath into his lungs, he readied himself for learning Starsky's fate. He had to get through this, had to find Starsky.
But that goal felt a long way off as Robert guided him to the swings where Ronnie said that Diaz had confronted Starsky. Hutch did his best to treat the area as just another crime; asking questions, trying to stay focused and not that of his partner's disappearance.
His stomach suddenly churned with bile as he saw the remains of Starsky's shirt on the ground. As he got nearer, he squatted down beside it, examining without touching. But it was plain to see that Starsky had fought well but had lost much. The shirt was shredded, dirty and bloody. He longed to pick it up, to feel Starsky's strength, but it was now evidence of a crime, evidence that Starsky had lost more than his shirt.
There was blood on the ground as well. He rubbed his face. A headache started behind his eyes, but he willed it away, ignoring it, refusing to be sidelined until he'd brought Starsky home.
"Detective?" Robert Thurston called to Hutch. Satisfied that his fellow detective had heard him, he now pointed out other disturbing pieces of evidence of the area. He hated seeing the distress on the blonde's face, but kept his own thoughts impersonal. "Sir, you need to see this as well. We've already searched the area without any success…"
Hutch stood up slowly. He looked down at Starsky's gun in the dirt, bullets spread out around it. He understood that the first cops on the scene would have done their job thoroughly, but a part of him wished they would all go away and leave him to mourn. Damn, he had to stop the morbid thoughts. Starsky was strong and intelligent. They would find him. He couldn't stop the added condition, the real question; would they find his friend in time?
