Note about this story. It is always a joy to celebrate my sweet sister, Kristy, on her birthday. I have been doing this for several years. This story was about 85% complete when we got the very sad news that our dear David Soul had passed away. It was difficult to continue for a few days. There is one particular spot that gave me pause. I was unsure, given the loss of David, if I should leave it in. I was reminded by our Editor-in-chief, Sandy, that we have lost David, but Hutch is alive and well. So, here it is. My yearly present to the sister who works hard at making everyone else's birthday special. Some of it may hit a little different now. Just remember, Hutch has not gone anywhere.
Missing
Starsky woke up and realized right away something was terribly wrong. He tried to shake his head to clear it and instantly regretted it. Now he knew he had been unconscious and not asleep. He also knew he was in big trouble. His hands were cuffed behind his back. He managed to sit up, leaning against a wall. He looked around. He was in a small, dark, dirty room. No furniture at all. It looked like it had not been used in years. There was one dim light bulb in the middle of the ceiling. He was also barefoot and shirtless. This did not bode well.
The last thing he remembered was pulling up to his apartment after dropping Hutch off. He could not remember getting out of the car. There were no windows so he didn't even know if it was day or night.
As his head cleared he groaned. Hutch was not expecting to see him until Sunday for dinner. He had dropped him off Tuesday (not real sure how long ago that was) with the intention of showering and changing to pick Kristy up. He was going to take her to a movie tonight and then go back to his place. He planned to take her out to a nice dinner Wednesday to celebrate her birthday, then allow the weekend to go wherever she wanted. Now, he didn't even know where he was.
Hutch had just stepped out of the shower when his phone started ringing. He wrapped his towel around his waist and answered it.
"Hello."
"Ken, is Dave with you?"
"Kristy? He is supposed to be with you."
"He should have been here three hours ago. This is not like him. I have called and no answer. I'm worried!"
Hutch had started getting dressed as soon as he heard her voice. He knew she would not be calling him when she was supposed to be with Starsky unless something was terribly wrong.
"Kristy, stay there. He may call you. If he does, call the station. They will radio me. Don't worry, I'll find out what is going on."
Hutch drove to Starsky's as fast as he could. The Torino was in the driveway, but the driver door was standing open. This was not good. He went over to the car. No partner, but no sign of a struggle either. He changed direction to the apartment. The door was locked so he used his key to open it. The apartment looked untouched. He went straight to the phone.
"Hello Edith, I need to speak to the Captain please. It is urgent."
"Oh dear, I will get him. Just hold on."
After a minute he heard the familiar rough voice. "Dobey, what is so important to bother me at home?"
"Captain, it's Hutch. Starsky is missing. He was supposed to pick up Kristy almost four hours ago. I am at his place, his car is here, with the door wide open. I can find no sign of a struggle, but he's gone."
Dobey yelled into the phone, "Blast it, why is it always you two? Stay put, and I mean it, STAY PUT. I will get the techs rolling and I am on my way."
After hanging up with the Captain, he made another call.
"Huggy, Starsky is missing. Have you heard anything?"
"WOW, I haven't heard anything, my brother. Not to worry. I am on it. We will find Curly."
While his friends were coming to the realization he was in trouble, Starsky was finding out just how much trouble he was in. He heard a key in the door and contemplated trying to get to his feet. He decided against it just as the door opened. He blinked as bright light came through the open door. It made it impossible for him to see who or how many people were coming in. He wished he had stood up, but did not want to try and struggle now.
A woman's voice came from the doorway. "Well detective. How does it feel to be helpless and alone."
Starsky scoffed, "Not helpless lady, not at all. And I am never alone. You will find that out."
He heard her quietly speak to someone else, then saw three large forms emerge from the light. They moved fast and he did not have a chance to move away from them. He was roughly grabbed and two of the men lifted him off the floor, while the third made short work of divesting him of his remaining clothes. He was then dropped on the floor just as roughly as he had been grabbed.
Starsky sputtered, "You're crazy! Who are you and what do you want?"
The three men had left the room. He could tell the woman stood there and just looked at him for several minutes. Starsky had never been uncomfortable in his own skin, but she was pushing him there. He could sense nothing from her but hatred. He wondered who she was and what she thought he had done to her.
She spoke just as she was backing out, "You will find out soon enough, detective. Soon enough. In the mean time, enjoy your stay."
The door closed and he heard it lock. He was starting to get very worried. His captor was obviously deranged. She had also proved that he was, in fact, helpless.
Dobey arrived at Starsky's apartment with a veritable army of technicians, officers, and detectives. Hutch met them in the driveway.
"Captain, I called Huggy. He has not heard anything. We have had a quiet few weeks. If this has anything to do with a case, it has to be an old one."
Dobey nodded and reached for his radio. "This is Dobey, patch me through to R and I."
Once he had Charlie on the radio, he gave instructions. "Someone has taken Detective Starsky. This now takes precedence over anything else. You need to pull files on anyone who has been recently released that he put away. Also, look into family members of anyone who has died in prison."
Starsky was wishing they had at least left him his pants. He was beginning to think this was a basement. No windows, cold, and damp gave him that impression. He had managed to work his handcuffed hands to the front instead of behind his back. Not great, but somewhat more comfortable. He had walked around the room a bit and found a bucket in the corner. He was hoping not to need that. He figured it must be late Tuesday because he was just beginning to get hungry. He wondered if they would give him water or food. He was really upset to have missed picking Kristy up. He was hoping he would be able to take her to dinner for her birthday. He would make it up to her once he was out of here.
He heard the key in the door again. He moved as far away from it as he could. Starsky could not remember a time when he felt this vulnerable. Not even the nut jobs following Simon Marcus had made him feel this defenseless. He didn't have to worry. The door only opened far enough for a box to be shoved in, then quickly closed and locked again. He waited to make sure they were really gone and then went to investigate the box. He didn't know if he should be relieved or concerned. The box contained a jug of what appeared to be water and two boxes of crackers. He was hungry and thirsty, so the box was welcome. The amount of food told him two things, they didn't intend to kill him. At least not right away. That was encouraging. It also seemed they planned to hold him for a while. That had him very worried.
"C'mon Hutch. I know you can find me."
Hutch was trying to do just that. They had set up in an interrogation room. Minnie was absolutely magical with her organizational skills. Dobey, Simmons, and Babcock were right there with him. They had to go through too many files to count. They were not exactly sure what they were looking for, but they were sure they would find it. The phone on the wall rang and Babcock answered it.
He held the phone out to Hutch, "Hutch, it's Huggy. He sounds excited."
Hutch grabbed the phone, "Whatcha got, Hug?"
He listened with an increasingly incredulous look on his face. He grabbed paper and a pen and wrote down some information. Could it be this easy?
"Thanks Huggy, you are the best!"
He turned to the group in the room.
"One of Huggy's friends called him with info. Seems a bag of clothes was donated to the shelter. The man running the shelter recognized Starsky's jacket and Adidas."
He handed the paper to Minnie, "Get me a name and address for this plate please."
He looked at his Captain, "The owner of that car either has Starsky, or knows where he is. I am very worried. The guy at the shelter recognized the jacket and shoes, but the bag contained all of his clothes, right down to his underwear. They didn't get those easy."
Minnie was already back with the information. Dobey and Hutch had decided only the people in that room would go looking. They did not want anyone to spook the people holding Starsky. Hutch asked Minnie to get Kristy to the station. He didn't know what he would find, and wanted Minnie with her. If all went as he hoped, he would bring Starsky back to the station. The worst case scenario he was willing to entertain was a trip to the hospital.
On the way to the address they had on the car owner, Hutch and Dobey discussed the stupidity of criminals. Donate the clothes of a cop they had abducted, using their own car.
Starsky only ate and drank enough to take the edge off his thirst and hunger. He had just put everything back in the box when he heard a key in the door. He once again moved far from the door. Just like earlier, the door opened letting in a bright light. He saw the three large men come in again and tried to evade them. It wasn't long before they had him. As before, he was roughly lifted off the floor. This time the third man grabbed his ankles and quickly wrapped tape around them. He was then dropped back to the floor. He looked up to see a middle aged woman walking towards him.
"Well Detective, are you ready to find out why you are here?"
"You know what lady, it really doesn't matter. Whatever your beef is, you are just going to have to live with it. I don't care, and you have made a huge mistake."
"You are the one who made the mistake detective. You are the one who arrested my brother. He was deported, and thrown in prison in our country. You are going to live the way he lived, and die the way he died. He lasted three months. I don't want to wait that long, so you have three days."
With that she and her men left and locked the door. Starsky was left trying to place her accent. He was also wracking his brain to remember someone he arrested with a similar accent. He was digging back, because it sounded like she was just blaming him. If it had been since he partnered with Hutch he thought he would have been included in the hate. While he thought, he was carefully trying to get the tape off his ankles. The guy had really wrapped them tight and thick. He was not looking forward to the tape pulling his hair when he got that far.
Hutch pulled up about half a block from the house they were looking for. He saw Simmons pull up behind him. Keeping an eye on the house, he got out and walked back to the other car. Dobey was on the radio, and then followed suit.
Hutch spoke to them, "The car is parked right in front of that house. It is true, all the police work in the world can't beat a dumb criminal."
Dobey choked off a chuckle, "Do you think Starsky is in there?"
Hutch was staring at the house, "I think if he isn't, whoever is in that house knows where he is."
Babcock cleared his throat, "How do you want to play this?"
Hutch glanced at him, "Dobey and I go around back. One of you go to the front door. Something simple a neighbor would knock on the door for. I don't want to take the chance they know me. If Starsky was targeted, and I am sure he was, they know me. Once we get in, we have a search warrant."
The men got into position. Simmons went to the door and Babcock hid beside it. He waited until he was sure Dobey and Hutch made it to the back, and knocked.
Starsky had just about gotten the tape clear when the door opened again. This time it was just one guy and the woman. He was not prepared for how quickly they came at him. The man hauled him to his feet. The woman got behind him and put one arm around his neck. Her other hand had a knife which she placed firmly against his throat. He didn't have time to wonder what was happening when he heard gunfire.
Simmons knocked on the door. Instead of the door opening, a shot was fired through it. Simmons dropped and pulled his gun. Babcock came up beside him holding his.
When Hutch heard the gunshots, he barreled through the door with gun drawn. Dobey was right behind him.
What followed was a very quick fight that left the four cops standing in the living room with two dead suspects.
Hutch was not happy, "Now we can't ask them where Starsky is. We might as well start searching. Babcock, Simmons why don't you start upstairs. I will look for a basement. Captain, maybe you should call for backup."
The Captain saw a phone on the wall in the kitchen and started for it. Babcock and Simmons cautiously started to the second floor. Hutch found a door, presumably to the basement, in the kitchen.
He started down the steps when a shot came through the door at the bottom of the steps. That brought his friends running to him.
Hutch backed up just a bit, "I think we may have found him. I am going to try something."
"Starsk! How many?"
He listened for a response. He heard a faint "four" followed by a "two". This was followed by a grunt of pain.
Hutch looked grim, "We got two up here, sounds like there are two with him. We just have to figure out how to get to him without getting him hurt. At least, not hurt more than he already may be."
While this was going on, Babcock had disappeared. He came back with a canister of tear gas.
"This won't be good for Starsky, but if we can get it in there as soon as we kick the door in, it could buy us a minute or two."
Hutch was indecisive, but just for a second.
"We'll do it. I think I can kick that door in from close up. You get right behind me. When I kick it open, I will roll straight in. You step in, throw it to the left, and drop.
The men crowded on the steps leading to the basement door. Babcock had his hand on Hutch's shoulder. He thought that would help them coordinate.
Hutch kicked the door and it came completely off the hinges. As he rolled into the room, his eyes unerringly locked with his partner's. It only took a few seconds for the tear gas to start pouring into the room.
Hutch aimed at the woman holding his partner. Starsky threw his head backwards into her face, then dropped. She did not seem to be fazed by the hit, and tried to stab him as he went down. Hutch fired one shot, almost at the same time Simmons fired from the doorway. Both suspects went down, and Hutch hurried to his partner. He finally registered that Starsky was completely naked. He started to say something to Simmons, but was cut off.
Simmons put his hand up, "I am going to find a blanket, and call for an ambulance."
Hutch had wrapped his jacket around his partner.
Starsky looked at him, "I told her I was never alone. Thanks Partner. Hey, is today Tuesday or Wednesday? I don't need an ambulance, I need to get to Kristy!"
Hutch chuckled, "Kristy is at the station with Minnie. YOU are going to the hospital to get checked out. Dobey will let Minnie know to bring Kristy there. I will send Simmons and Babcock to your place to get you some clothes."
Starsky sighed, "Fine, but I don't need an ambulance. You can drive me over there."
Hutch removed the handcuffs and the tape. Starsky expected it, but could not help the intake of breath as the last of the tape came off, along with some hair. He gratefully wrapped up in the blanket Babcock found.
He tapped Hutch on the shoulder, "You did not answer my question. Is it Tuesday or Wednesday?"
Hutch smiled, "It's about eight o'clock Wednesday morning. You missed your movie, but you can still make it to dinner. As long as the hospital clears you."
Starsky shook his head, "I am fine. They were rough so I am going to have a nice collection of bruises, but no real damage. Speaking of them, do you have any idea what this was about?"
Hutch shook his head, "I don't know anything but one guy's name. Starsky, it wasn't even police work that found you. It was dumb luck, because of a dumb criminal."
Starsky looked puzzled, but figured they would talk it out later. Unfortunately, they weren't going to get any answers from the people that took him. They were all dead.
Hutch walked him out to the car. It was decided that Simmons and Babcock would drive the Captain back to the station.
Minnie and Kristy were waiting at the hospital. They had no information on Starsky's condition and were understandably worried. They thought they were waiting for an ambulance when they saw the partners walk in. Starsky was wrapped in a blanket, but was moving under his own power.
Kristy ran over to him, "Dave, I was so worried. Are you hurt?"
It only took her a minute to realize he didn't have any clothes on under the blanket. She gave him a look. He raised an eyebrow at her.
Hutch sighed, "Alright you two. Save it for later. Let's go, Gordo. The sooner you get checked out, the sooner I can get you both back to your place."
Kristy giggled. Starsky just grinned, but went with Hutch.
Hutch came back out to the waiting room while Starsky was examined. He entered the room at the same time Simmons and Babcock came in from the other side. Simmons was carrying a bag.
Minnie cleared her throat and everyone looked at her.
"Do you all want to know what Charlie and I found while you were finding Starsky?"
Seeing she had their attention, she continued.
"The genius that donated Starsky's clothes is Damkar Petrovik. It took some digging, but he is the nephew of one Youseff Petrovik. Youseff came here in 1970. In 1971 Starsky, and his partner at the time, arrested him for robbing a liquor store. He was not here legally, and he was wanted back home, so they shipped him off. I could not find out what happened to him there. Damkar is the son of Casmir, Youseff's older brother. I could not find anything on Casmir, but, his older sister and four sons arrived in California about six months ago. Did you find all of them when you found Starsky?"
Hutch exchanged a look with Babcock and Simmons, then looked back at Minnie.
"I think there is still a brother out there. I'm guessing we got the sister, and three bothers. Most likely her nephews. That means there is still one out there. They are crazy!"
Simmons went to the phone to call Captain Dobey. Hutch gave the bag of clothes to Kristy and asked her to take them to Starsky. He, Babcock, and Minnie joined Simmons at the phone. They could hear Dobey yelling.
Simmons shrugged his shoulders, "He wants to know where the fourth man is."
Hutch took the phone, "Captain, we are just now finding out who these guys are. I am going to get Starsky back to his place. Then I will get more information from Minnie and go look for the fourth man. Can I use Simmons and Babcock?"
Dobey calmed a bit when Hutch stared talking. "Just keep me informed every step of the way. I almost lost one of you. I don't want anything else to go wrong."
After hanging up the phone, he turned towards Minnie, "What else do you know?"
Minnie gave him a grin, "Of course I came prepared. I have a file here. Did you get a good look at the men at the house?"
The men gathered around. The woman's name was Svetlana, the other two men were Edmon and Plamen. The missing brother was Radek, and they now knew what he looked like.
It was about this time Starsky and Kristy came out.
"Doc says I am fine. I will have some pretty hefty bruises for a while, but no other issues. What do we know?"
Hutch gave him an appraising look, then asked, "Did they tell you anything while they held you?"
Starsky shook his head, "The only one that spoke at all was the woman. She didn't say much. I do know I arrested her brother and he got sent back to his home country. They put him in prison and she said he lasted three months."
Minnie walked over and kissed him on the cheek. "I am very happy you were found. Do you remember a Youseff Petrovik?"
Starsky was startled, "I have been trying to figure out where I heard her accent before, that's it. Youseff. Of course I remember him. Who could forget that name?"
Hutch nodded, "So, now we know the who and the why. All that is left is finding Radek."
Starsky looked at Kristy, then Hutch.
Hutch pointed a finger at him, "No way, you are going home. I am going to find Radek, with their help." He pointed at Babcock and Simmons.
Starsky was not about to argue. He had some very important plans and was happy to get back to them.
It was decided that Hutch would drive Starsky and Kristy back to his place, followed by Simmons and Babcock. Minnie went back to the station to fill the Captain in.
They pulled up next to Starsky's car. Hutch got out and Starsky started to when Hutch's back window was shattered by a bullet. Starsky pushed Kristy down and covered her, looking at his partner. He didn't have his gun.
Hutch got down and started looking for the source of gunfire. Another shot hit the concrete under his back bumper. He had just figured out where it was coming from when he heard several shots from his left. He looked to see both Babcock and Simmons firing. He then saw a man fall from a fire escape across the street. He turned to check on his partner and Kristy, while the other two went to check on the man on the ground.
"Are you both okay?"
Starsky got up, and pulled Kristy up.
"All clear?"
Hutch glanced across the street and got a thumbs up from Babcock. "I think so, should be over now. You get inside with your girl. We got this. Are we still on for dinner Sunday?"
"Yup, see you Sunday. Thanks Partner. You saved Kristy's birthday!"
Sunday evening found Starsky and Kristy at The Pits waiting for Hutch. They were sitting in the back booth when Huggy came back.
"Hey Curly, and lovely lady, I need to request you to move to another table, if you would be so kind."
Starsky looked at him, "What gives Hug? Hutch should be here any minute."
"I am aware my man, not to worry. The Bear will make sure he finds you."
They followed him to the other side of the dining room and Starsky started laughing.
"Looks like there are more people than Hutch wanting to wish you a Happy Birthday Kristy."
They sat down with all of their friends and had a wonderful dinner with fun conversation. It was a great ending to a birthday weekend that almost never got started.