Chapter 5..

The sun shone down hot on a secluded stretch of Highway 51; from a distance, two men dragged a curly-haired brunet through the dirt. This was at a higher altitude, so the leaves were changing. A dark-haired man kicked aside some grass to reveal a hidden door in the ground. He opened the door and led the stocky detective down a long flight of stairs. He pushed Starsky down the steps. The brunet fell hard at the bottom. The red-haired man glanced around then followed and closed the door.

Starsky took a bad tumble; Damian hurried down and grabbed his arm. Starsky head-butted Damian in the stomach.

Reed heard the commotion and descended the stairs.

He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the brunet detective. "Give me an excuse, cop."

Starsky raised his hands. Damian pushed him. "Move, cop."

Inside the underground bunker, the lights were yellow and dim. The bunker was small, with only two rooms. Starsky was pushed into one room. He had been beaten beyond recognition; his hands were bound behind his back. Reed locked the door and put the key in his pocket.

He looked at Damian. " You better feed your cop, if you don't want him to die, yet."

Damian walked to the cabinets in the hall, grabbed a can of spaghetti and opened it. He got a disposable cup and filled it with water. He went back to the room where Starsky was being held. The brunet lay on the floor, not moving.

He sat the can down on the floor beside the brunet. "Eat up, cop!"

He left and closed the door, leaving Starsky alone in the cool, semi-dark room.

Starsky raised his head and reached for the can. He knew he had to regain his strength so he could plan his escape.

Damian lay in another room; Reed came in, glancing around the room. He noticed a knife. He picked it up; there was dried blood on the knife blade. "Why is there blood on your knife?"

"Reed, I did something funny. I cut my cop's arm and smeared his blood on the mirror in the men's room at the Bay City Police Department. I had a disguise on."

"You dumbass, did you wear gloves?"

" Gee, I forgot Reed."

"They will test that blood, as well as your fingerprints. What's wrong with you?"

"Don't be mad, Reed. They'll never find us in this underground bunker way out here."

~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~

Later:

Hutch drove fast down the highway, the light bar on top flashing brightly.

"Zebra 3, come in Zebra 3."

"This is Captain Dobey. Go ahead."

"Zebra 3. The blood from Bay City Police Department and Starsky's watch, which is positive for Detective Starsky's blood. They also found fingerprints that belonged to Damian Nicole. "

Captain Dobey glanced at Hutch. "Zebra 3 out."

Hutch pressed harder on the gas pedal, as the Gallery 500 sped down the highway.

After 45 minutes:

Captain Dobey pointed out, "go South."

They drove up a long, lonely mountain road. Hutch stopped and stared at the fork in the road.

Hutch remarked, "wrong way cross road. If I choose the wrong way, my partner dies."

He pulled over and they both stepped out of the car. The tall blond bent down and surveyed the crossroads from all angles. He knew these roads were less traveled, but two vehicles had crossed. One had turned around, as if they had gone the wrong way. The other turned right and kept driving.

"That way Captain," he tossed a rock in the same direction.

~~ ~

Outside the bunker:

Hutch took careful steps, not knowing what to expect; Captain Dobey followed his detective through the wooded landscape. They traveled a long distance...

Hutch had a puzzled facial expression; there was no cabin, no car, and no sign of life. They walked further, and then they saw green grass covering one small area. Hutch looked up at the autumn-colored trees; this was a thickly wooded area with very little sun. The rest of the area was mostly dirt.

Hutch held his binoculars to his eyes and focused on the patch of grass. It appeared to be fake. He nodded at his captain and motioned with his head. When he was satisfied, they hiked back behind a group of trees quietly.

"Captain, there's a door beneath that patch of fake grass. My bet is, that's where Starsky is being kept."