ANGEL AMONG US

BY TOOKI

 Copyright  2004

 

 

CHAPTER 1

 

 

  The phone on the desk rang just as Detective David Starsky was on his way out the door.  Sighing he grabbed the receiver. “Starsky.”

  “It’s Bennie,” said the voice on the other end.

  “What do you want Bennie?” Starsky asked annoyed. Bennie was a snitch but his information was always wrong.

  “That little girl? I know where she is.” Said the voice on the phone.

  “What little girl?” Starsky raised an eyebrow at his partner Ken Hutchinson who had just come out of their captain’s office.  Susan, Hutch’s wife and their partner followed him out.

  “What’s up?” Hutch whispered.

  Starsky covered the phone. “It’s Bennie.”

 “Christ what does that crack pot want now?” Susan asked grabbing her coat from the back of her chair.

  “You there Starsky? Did you hear me?”

  “Yeah, yeah I’m here Bennie,” Starsky answered turning his attention back to the voice in his ear. He glanced at his watch. He was very late for his date.

  “That kidnapped girl you know?” Bennie persisted.

  The word kidnapped got Starsky’s full attention, in the past two weeks three children had been abducted, two of them had been found dead and the whole police department had been looking for the latest kidnap victim, a five year old girl.  “Ok I’m listening Bennie.”

  “You know that abandoned building corner of fifth and Century?”

  “Yeah I know it.” Starsky said writing down the address.

  “I saw a man take her in there, I swear it Starsk I swear.” Bennie sounded a bit frantic. 

  “Bennie I am going to rip you a new one if you are lying.” Starsky growled into the phone.

  “Really Starsky I saw her, looked just like the picture on the front of the paper.” Bennie said without hesitation.

  “OK Bennie we will check it out.” Starsky hung up the phone then pick it up again. “I guess I had better give Libby a call, I’m going to be late.”

  “Why don’t you let Susan and I check it out?” Hutch said taking the slip of paper with the address on it.  “Go on your date.”

  “Are you sure?” Starsky asked eager to get going.

  “Go on,” Susan smiled at him. “You know as well as we do that Bennie’s information is never right.”

  “You call me if you find out anything?” Starsky said as he hurried out of the squad room.  “Thanks,” he tossed the words over his shoulder as the door swung shut.

  Susan picked up Hutch’s coat and tossed it to him.  “Let’s go check it out.”

 

  The building they pulled up in front was a large six story building it ran half a block in both directions.  Condemned signs hung in warning on the boarded up front doors. “Why don’t they just tear down these eyesores?” Susan wanted to know as she tugged on one of the boards.

  Hutch shrugged, he just wanted to check it out so he could go home and have dinner.  “You bring a flashlight?”

  Susan held up a large light. “Always prepared,” She teased. “Let’s get this over with.

 They stepped into the almost pitch black building, Susan flicked on the light and they looked around.  If it had been anybody but Bennie with the tip half the police department would have been there. The two detectives had decided they wanted to check it out first before calling in the troops. 

  “There is nobody in this rat trap,” Hutch said discussed. “I swear this is the last time we are listening to Bennie.”

  Susan faintly caught a noise, it sounded like the shuffling of feet above their heads.  “Did you hear that?”

  “What?” Hutch squinted in the dim light. “I didn’t hear anything.

  Again she heard the noise, “There that. Sounds like it’s coming from up stairs.”

  “Probably just rats.” Hutch said ready to head out.  “There is nobody here.”

  “We’re here let’s just check it out.” Susan suggested.  She swung the flash light around, “Stairs are over there.”

  A sprawling stair case lead to the second floor, a baloney surrounded the whole second floor.  They were in an old department store; it had gone out of business as the suburban shopping malls stole their business.  As their eyes grew accustom to the diffused light they were able to make out mannequins shrouded in once white sheets. Broken glass littered the floor, tables that once held merchandise stood dust covered and forgotten.

  “Careful on the stairs,” Hutch warned as they both gingerly picked their way up the decaying steps.

  “Hello,” Susan called as she took each step on at a time testing her weight on it before she stepped up.

  “Oh yeah announce to the rats we are coming,” Hutch teased as he followed her.

  Once they reached the landing the detectives looked around.  Susan walked over to the railing and looked over the edge.  A rat scampered across her foot; Susan lost her balance and grabbed the railing.  The railing instantly gave away almost plunging Susan to the floor below. Hutch grabbed her hauling her back to safety. 

  “Christ, I told you to be careful!” Hutch said shaking, he took a step backward, and there was a loud crack.

  “Sounds like you are the one that needs to be careful,” Susan said shining the light on the floor.  “This whole thing is about ready to go we better get out here.

  As they started toward the stairs there was another loud crack and the sound of creaking boards. The floor began to shift under there feet.  Susan and Hutch stopped standing much like the mannequins a floor below them. 

  “Shit,” Hutch whispered as he looked around. He was afraid to grab a hold of anything for fear it would crumble in his hand. “You see a way out?”

  Susan trained her light once more on the floor; they could see where holes had already formed in the flooring. “Maybe if we walked close to the walls.” Susan suggested.

  “Just how do you propose us to get to the wall?” Hutch asked looking doubtfully at the decaying floor.  It was a miracle they had gotten as far as they had without falling.

  “Well we just can’t stand here,” Susan said as she took a deep breath and made a step toward Hutch.  She froze there was no creaking, no cracking of the wood.  She took another and another until she was standing next to Hutch.  “See? That wasn’t so bad.”

  What happened next was so lightening fast neither detective had time to think. There was a slight vibration almost like they were having an earthquake then the floor started giving away.  Metal pipes started protruding from the floor; Hutch lost his balance falling toward one of the pipes. Susan shoved him away from the pipe and into the ever-widening hole that was forming in the floor, praying that would be better than being impaled on the plumbing.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 2

 

  Starsky glanced at his watch, it was nearly 10 p.m. and he still hadn’t heard from his partners.  “Why don’t you go give them a call,” Libby inquired over her wine glass.  She had ended up working late, Starsky had to move their dinner reservations.  If he had known it he could have gone with his partners.

  “I think I will.” Starsky said he had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. He knew that they had probably not found anything but he figured they would have called anyway.

  He found a pay phone down a hall way between the men’s and woman’s bathrooms.  He dialed the number he knew by heart, Starsky stood drumming his fingers on top of the phone waiting for the other end to be answered.  Starsky checked his watched again, surely if they had found something they would have called.  He replaced the receiver, retrieved his money from the coin return and redeposited the quarters in the money slot. This time he called the station.

  Restless at the table Libby got up to see was taking Starsky so long.  She found him talking impatiently on the phone.  “Anything wrong?” She mouthed to him.

  Starsky made a face,  “…I’m trying to locate Detective Hutchinson and Carlston.  They went on a call to an old abandoned building on that kidnapping case.”

  “Detective Starsky I understand what you are asking but there is no record that the two detectives went on any such call.” A female voice said on the other end.

  Sighing, “I understand you probably don’t have a record but what I am trying to find out is has anybody heard from them? Have they radioed in for back up? Anything?”

  “Not since I have been here,” came the answer.

  “Great, is there somebody there that knows what is going on?” Starsky snapped.

  “You don’t have to get abusive Detective,” she said in curt voice.  “I am looking at the log of calls there has been nothing recorded coming from Hutchinson or Carlston. I’m sorry I don’t know what else to tell you. It’s not my job to keep track of your partners!”  CLICK

  Starsky pulled the phone from his ear and stared at it.  “She hung up on me,” he said incredulously.

  “Well I wonder why,” Libby said shaking her head.  She took the phone from him deposited her own quarters.  When the phone was picked up she asked. “Can I please speak to Denise?”

  Starsky frowned at her. “Who is that?”

  “New girl on dispatch…Denise, it’s Libby.” Libby hiked her eyebrow at Starsky.

  “Hey Libby,” the young woman said.  “What’s up?”

  “I was just wondering if you have and any calls oh say in the last few hours from Detective Hutchinson or Carlston.  They might be calling for back up or just calling to give the all clear.”

  “Just a sec let me check.”  After a few moments Denise delivered the news.  “No calls from either of them.”

 “Thanks, hey if you do hear from them, either give me a call or tell them to call me or Starsky.”

  “Sure thing.”

  “See now was that so hard?” Libby asked as she hung up the phone. 

  “What ever,” Starsky frowned. “It still doesn’t make me feel better. Where are they?”

  “You want to drive over there and see if maybe they are still there?” Libby asked as they headed back to the table.  Their half eaten dinner was getting cold.

  “Let’s finish our meal,” Starsky’s words said but Libby could see in his eyes he wanted out of there.

  Libby waved to the waiter.  “Yes miss?”

  “We need a couple of doggie bags some thing has come up and we need to leave.” Libby relayed to the man.

  “Nothing is wrong I trust?”

  “No, no everything is fine.”

 

  “Ohhhh,” the words escaped Hutch’s lips as he tried to move. His left leg was pinned awkwardly underneath him and he was pretty sure his right arm was broken and possibly some ribs.  “Susan?”

  “I’m right here,” she called out.

  Hutch squinted in the dim light he could barely make out a shadowy figure. “Are you alright?”

  “Sure.”

  “Can you make it out of here and call for help.” Hutch inquired. “I don’t think I can get up.” There was no answer but he could feel her hand pick up his.  “Susan did you hear me? Are you sure you are ok?”

  “Yes.”

  “You need to get some help,” Hutch repeated.

  “Everything will be alright.” Her voice sounded faint to his ears.

  Hutch grasped her hand tighter, “Lean over me I need to see you. I need to make sure you aren’t hurt.  You sound funny.”

  A face appeared over his, “Everything will be alright.”  Starsky turned and yelled to the paramedics, “Get him out of here.”

 

  Hutch was aware of someone sitting next to him but he couldn’t come fully awake.  He knew that Susan had never left his side; he hoped that she had gotten medical treatment if she had needed any. He knew how stubborn she could be.  “Susan,” he whispered as he fell back into deep sleep.

 

  Starsky got up from the chair next to Hutch’s bed, his partner had been mumbling but he couldn’t understand the words but only guess he was calling for Susan.  He pushed open the room door; Libby was sitting in the hall her eyes were red rimmed from crying.  “How is he?”

  “Still pretty out of it.” Starsky said sitting down next to Libby taking her hand.  “Doctor said probably later today he would be awake enough to talk.”

  “What are you going to say?” Libby wanted to know tears spilling down her cheeks.  Starsky just shrugged as he pulled her in to his arms.

 

  The room was dark when Hutch finally came fully awake.  He laid still for a moment taking inventory, he had been pretty sure his leg and arm was broken, he hoped nothing else was serious.  He could remember Susan pushing him as the floor began to crumble and the pain that shot through this leg as he landed on the floor below.  He could also remember her being there with him, telling him they would be fine.  He needed to see her now, needed to know that she was all right.

  “Susan?” he croaked, his throat was dry he needed a drink badly.

  He heard movement next to his bed and a small light snapped on, Hutch was surprised to see Starsky’s face appear over him instead of Susan’s.  “Starsky?”

 “I’m here buddy,” Starsky said.

 “Where is Susan? I guess she needed to get some rest.  She is ok right? She’s not in the hospital is she? I know I saw her earlier today.”

  “Hutch,” Starsky took his partners casted hand in his. “I don’t know how to tell you this.” Tears were spilling down Starsky’s cheeks.

 “Oh god she as hurt worse than she was letting on wasn’t she? Help me get up I need to get to her.” Hutch said pushing himself up on his elbows.

  “Hutch,” Starsky said again gently pushing in back into his pillow.  “You need to listen to me. 

  “Damn it Starsky I want to see her!”

  “She isn’t here, Hutch,” Starsky began; he knew he was drawing it out but he couldn’t find the words they were stuck in his throat. What he had found when he had arrived at the old building had haunted his dreams for the last two nights and would continue to haunt them the rest of his life.

 “T-hen where is s-she,” Hutch stammered suddenly knowing it was the worst possible news.

  “I’m sorry Hutch, but she…”

  “NO NO,” Hutch sat up in bed pushing Starsky away from him. “She talked to me while I was on the floor she held my hand, s-she told me we were going to be okay. What happened? Was it internal injuries?”

  “She couldn’t have been with you after you fell Hutch.” Starsky said closing his eyes at the sight that had greeted him as he and Libby had entered the darkened building.

 

  “Go get a flashlight, Lib.” Starsky said, “There is one under the seat in the car.  After she had gone Starsky called to his partners, “Hutch, Susan?”  He could hear labored breathing but there was no answer to his call. It was too dark for him to proceed with out a light. He knew they had to be there since Hutch’s car was parked in street.

  “Here,” Libby handed Starsky the flashlight that was already on.  He trained the light where he head heard the noise.  He saw a form lying on the ground.  “Be careful,” he told Libby noticing the large hole in the ceiling.

  As they drew near, it was clearly Hutch lying on the floor, they both looked around for Susan.  “Susan?” Libby called out to her friend.

  “Get some help,” Starsky yelled at Libby as he knelt next to Hutch.  “Where is Susan?” But Hutch had drifted into unconsciousness. Starsky tried to access Hutch injuries as he kept looking around and calling for Susan.  He held his breath in case she could have been calling out to him or making some sort of noise if she had been hurt badly.  But the only sound that met his ears was dripping.

  Starsky shone the flash night in the direction of the sound; he could see something dripping from the ceiling above him.  Getting up the detective made his way to where the drips fell, he was horrified to see that it was dripping blood.  Instantly he turned the light up ward all he could see was a cascade of brown hair hanging though the gapping hole. 

 “God NO,” he said out loud.  He had to get to her even if he was in danger of falling himself. 

  He was about the mount the stairs when Libby appeared, “Starsky stop,” she screamed.

 “Susan is up there,” he yelled back.  “I have to try.”

 “All you are going to do is get you all killed.” Pleaded Libby, “Help is on the way.

  Starsky knew she was right; his weight would probably bring down the rest of the ceiling on Hutch killing him. Starsky feared that Susan was already dead from the amount of blood on the floor.

 

 

CHAPTER 3

 

  Hutch lay in bed staring at the ceiling but not seeing.  How could this be? He asked himself. She had been with him after he had fallen, holding his hand telling him it would be all right.  Now nothing would ever be all right ever again.  He could remember her pushing him away from the protruding pipes, he fell to the floor below, there had been instant pain and he was sure he had passed out for a short time.  But when he had come to she had been there just as she was always at his side.  He…he had felt her touch…Hutch squeezed his eyes closed as tears escaped from the corners.  

  Hutch heard the door to his hospital room open but he remained laying still his eyes shut.  He felt someone move to the side of his bed but he now knew that it couldn’t be Susan.  “Hutch,” his name was barely whispered.

  Slowly the detective opened his eyes to see his partner, pain etched across his face.  “Starsk,” Hutch said just as softly.

  Starsky looked horrible he had scarcely slept since that horrible night three days ago.  Every time he did sleep the vision of Susan her body covered by a blood soaked sheet stalked his dreams. 

 It had taken the rescue works over an hour to stabilize the floor enough so that they could retrieve Susan’s body.  Hutch had long been taken to the hospital, Starsky had been thankful that his partner had been unconscious it make things easier for the moment. It would give him time to figure out how to break the news to Hutch.  Starsky stayed refusing to leave until Susan had been brought down.  Libby also stayed with him as much to comfort him as out of respect for her best friend, neither of them shed a tear as they were trying to be strong for the other. 

  It wasn’t until Susan’s body was on a stretcher and they knew for sure that she hadn’t lived that they both broke down.  Starsky and Libby clung to each other sobbing as the paramedics pulled the gurney toward the waiting ambulance.  Susan would be taken to the hospital even though it was too late for her. 

 

   “Hutch,” Starsky said still talking softly to his partner.  “They are going to let you out of here today.”

  Hutch didn’t respond he didn’t care.

  Starsky took a deep breath before he continued.  “Susan is being buried today.  We held off so that you could be there.”

  Hutch looked at Starsky this time his eyes filling again with tears.  “I can’t.”

   “Yes you can, you will regret it if you don’t.”

   “No,” Hutch simply said.

   “You know I will be right there with you.” Starsky said gripping his partner’s arm. We have to be there.”

 

  Starsky pushed the wheelchair bound Hutch to the graveside.  As per Susan’s request there had been no grandiose church service. Everyone one had gone straight to the cemetery.  She hadn’t wanted the parade down the street, the bag pipes wailing their sad songs for she had known her partners wouldn’t have the strength to with stand all that.  She had requested a small graveside service with only family and close friends and that was to be kept short.

   “…even in death she is still thinking of us,” Starsky said his words choked with emotion having told those gathered at the graveside Susan’s wishes. 

  Hutch clutch a bouquet of white roses which he was clinging to so tightly that the thorns were piercing his skin but he didn’t notice the droplets of blood that were dropping to his knees like tears, it was almost as if the roses were crying along with the mourners.  

 

  Starsky pulled up in front of the house that Hutch and Susan had shared, he jumped out to get the wheel chair from the trunk of the Torino. 

  “You should only have to be in this a few more days the doc said, then you will get a walking cast,” Starsky informed his friend as he opened the car door. Hutch looked straight forward not even acknowledging he has been spoken too.   “Come on Hutch,” Starsky put his hand on Hutch’s shoulder.

  “Don’t you even care?” Hutch said without looking at Starsky.

  Starsky was taken aback by his partner’s words.   He knelt down so that he was eye level with Hutch.  “Care? How can you said that?” tears in his voice.  “Care? You have no idea …no idea how I feel!  Damn it Hutch how dare you!  Yeah you lost your wife! I lost a friend and the only woman that I ever really …” He didn’t continue he let the sentence hang in the air.  Starsky stood up and paced next to the car.  “You were being taken to the hospital when they brought her body down, you weren’t the one that found her, the one that found the dripping blood, the one that…” Starsky stopped as a strangled cry escaped Hutch lips. 

  “God Hutch I’m sorry,” Starsky knelt next to him again pulling Hutch in to his arms.  “You know I loved her as much as you did.” There he had finally said it. Grief washed over Starsky in a drowning wave. He had been holding in his sorrow, holding it in for Hutch allowing Hutch to do his grieving; the grieving for both of them, but it just wasn’t enough.

  Hutch turned in the car seat and wrapped his arms around the heaving shoulders of his partner.  “I know you loved her. We were lucky to have had her.” 

  “I-I didn’t mean too.” Starsky said as guilt overwhelmed him.

  “It’s okay. Starsky do you hear me it’s okay.”

  The two men clung to each other as if each other were a life raft keeping them from drowning. 

 

  “Everything will be fine.”

   Hutch jerked awake almost falling out of Starsky’s bed.  After they had pulled themselves together they had gone back to Starsky’ apartment. Hutch couldn’t face going into the home he had shared with Susan.  Loving friend that Starsky was he had insisted that Hutch take his bed since his casts would have made the couch uncomfortable.

  “Susan?” Hutch said into the darkness. He had distinctly heard her voice. 

  Starsky appeared in the doorway.  “Are you okay?”

  Hutch took a deep breath at first he was going to lie but then, “I heard Susan talking to me.”

  Sitting down on the edge of the bed Starsky asked, “What did she say?”

  “That everything will be fine,” Hutch said feeling tears once again pricking at his eyes.  “Do you think that is possible?”

  “In time,” Starsky said not meeting his friend’s eyes because he didn’t believe it.  He had been happy to be awoken by Hutch’s cries as he had been fighting his own demons in his sleep.  He could still hear the blood dripping on floor and see the hair hanging from above.  He had known at that moment with out a doubt that Susan was dead; it was a feeling that he had just lost a very important part of his life.

  Starsky was thankful that Hutch had been spared the sight of his wife’s lifeless body laying on the cold metal gurney.  Starsky closed his eyes as he thought back to that night, how he had made the paramedics stop so that he could pull the sheet back to look at her face.  It had been chalk white, her lips blue, he had to wonder if she has suffered.  Starsky had started to pull the sheet back further but the paramedic stopped him.  “You don’t want to go there.”

  He dropped his head into his hands, “I am so sorry Hutch.”

  “It wasn’t your fault.”

  “Wasn’t it?” Starsky looked up at him.  “I took that call, I should have been the one there not you two.”

  “We would have all been there and you know it.”

  “But maybe it would have been me and not her,” Starsky said pain crashing down up on him.

  “And I should have been the one protecting her.” Hutch said.  “She shoved me to keep me from being impaled on those pipes.  It should have been me.”

  

 

 

CHAPTER 4

 

 

   The white casket was lowered into the dark hole in the ground; white roses cover the entire top.  Dirt began to cascade in on top of the casket, the sky opened up and it began to rain.  That was when the screaming began, first softly then louder as if the voice was gaining momentum.

  “Hutch!”  Starsky yelled at him trying to shake his partner from the nightmare he had been having since Susan’s death.

  Hutch could hear somebody calling him perhaps it was Susan. That was it she wasn’t dead after all…she was being buried alive it had been a mistake.  He began to scream her name he had to get her out of the box before it was covered up.

  Starsky tried to pin Hutch’s flaying arms down, ducking as Hutch swung his cast Starsky’s direction.  He was scared that Hutch was going to hurt himself.  Desperately Starsky looked around the dim bedroom for what he didn’t know.  Finally he spied a glass of water sitting on the bedside table. 

  He released Hutch’s arm and grabbed the glass. As much as he hated to do it he tossed the water into Hutch’s face.  Immediately Hutch’s eyes flew open, his mouth in a round O from the cold water.  “Susan she...she is being…” Suddenly reality set in and Hutch realized that it had been a nightmare.  She wasn’t being buried alive she was dead; he would never see her again.  A sob escaped his throat has he clung to Starsky.

  Starsky held his best friend rocking him back and forth. He didn’t say anything to him, what was there left to say.  Starsky swallowed his pain everyday not allowing Hutch to see, only that once right after the funeral had he spoken his true feelings.  He had to be strong now he had to be there for Hutch.  After several minutes Starsky finally said, “Are you going to be alright?  You know I have to go back to work today.”  Not that he wanted to; in fact he was dreading it. Dobey had given him a few days off to get Hutch settled.  Hutch was now on medical leave and would be until his casts came off. Who knew perhaps after if he didn’t get himself together, he had fallen into a deep depression.  The only person that he would even talk to was Starsky.  Dobey and Huggy Bear had been by to see him but he refused to speak with anyone.  Even the doctors had to pry out of him how he was doing. 

  “I’ll be fine,” Hutch said releasing his partner and rolling over on his side away from Starsky.

  “Libby will come it you want.”

  Hutch shook his head, Libby only reminded him of Susan, as did Starsky. He could hardly look as his friend anymore; the three of them had been so tied to each other.  He wondered how he was ever going to go back to work.  With several days to lay and think he had decided he didn’t want to be a cop anymore, what was the point? He was tired of being surround by junkies, pimps, child molesters and death there had to be something better.  He had become a cop to make a difference but he hadn’t all he had done was manage to lose the woman he loved.

 

  Reluctantly Starsky left for work, he hated leaving Hutch alone partly because he felt better when he was with him and partly because he was afraid of what Hutch might do left alone. 

  The squad room was silent as he entered, all eyes were on him as he walked across the room to their desks, everything was he had been when they had left the squad room that day.  He walked over to pour himself a cup of coffee before he sat down to see what he needed to catch up on.  As he started to grab his mug he saw Susan’s sitting between his and Hutch’s.  He picked it up; he had never noticed that there was a cat on her mug. Had he known she had even liked cats? Maybe she didn’t maybe he had just been a gift or something she had picked up because it was cheap.

 Starsky was so lost in thought that he didn’t hear his captain come up behind him.  “How is Hutchinson doing?”  Dobey asked.

  Nearly dropping the mug Starsky spun around to stare at his captain. He grabbed the mug with his other hand to keep it from crashing to the floor.  “I’m not sure Cap.”

  “Hey Starsky I’m sorry, I should have somebody pack up Susan’s stuff.” Dobey said looking at the mug his detective was clutching.

  “I’m glad you didn’t,” Starsky said carefully sitting the mug back on top of the filing cabinet. “I’ll do it.”

  Dobey put his hand on Starsky’s back, “Take your time son.”

 

  After locating a box Starsky began the task of cleaning out Susan’s desk. He put the mug in first, then a photo of the three of them in a gold frame that had sat on her desk since the day she had started at the department. They all looked so young and happy in the photo, they had only known each a short time when the photo had been taken but nobody would have known it.  They had all just clicked from the moment they had gotten to know each other and they hadn’t been apart until now.  In her desk draw he found tickets to movies that they all had been to or just she and Hutch.  There were several more photos unframed, Starsky smiled in spite of himself as he looked at them.  There was a lipstick, hairbrush and a pack of gum that he placed in the box. He found the last book, a Stephen King novel she had been reading there was a slip of paper about half way through it would never be finished.  He added that to the box along with several other odds and ends that he found. 

   Once her desk was cleaned out he went to Hutch’s and sat down in the chair.  He wondered if he should clear out anything that he had of her in there.  Then he changed his mind deciding Hutch should do that if and when he wanted to.  Starsky closed the box lid and put it on the floor, he would take it home with him after his shift.

   Finally he looked at the files lying on his desk.  The top one was on Julie Sammon’s the little girl that was missing. Anger welled up in him when he thought of how Bennie had lied how he had sent his partners into that death trap.  If he ever got his hands on the snitch he wouldn’t have to worry where his next buck was coming from. 

  Controlling his rage Starsky got up and knocked on Dobey’s door.  Dobey was a bit surprised to see Starsky standing there as the detective rarely knocked.  “Are you alright?” Dobey asked.  Starsky looked terrible like he hadn’t slept in days.

  “As ok as I can be considering.”  He flopped down in a chair in front of Dobey’s desk.  “What’s going on with the Sammon’s case?”

  Dobey’s eyebrows shot up. “You haven’t heard? It’s been all over the news.”

  Starsky shook his head, “We haven’t been watching a lot of TV.”

  Dobey looked down at his hands and cleared his throat, “I’m sorry Starsky I really should have called and let you two know what was going on. Julie Sammon’s was in that building just like your informant said.  After the accident several officers went over the building with a fine toothcomb, they found a rag doll in the back room. The girl’s mother confirmed that it was Julie’s.”

  Starsky closed his eyes, “So she was there when they were.”

  “Or at least around that time.  If she was there exactly at the same time Hutch and Susan were there was no way to tell.”

  “They must have heard something, why else would they have taken the chance of going up stairs?”

  Dobey shrugged, “Maybe they didn’t realize how dangerous it was.  You know how dark that building was.

  “Are there anymore leads on Julie?” 

  Dobey shook his head.

  “I want to be on the case.” Starsky said opening the file.

  Dobey shook his head again, “I don’t think that is a good idea or even a healthy idea.”

  “I want to find her for Susan, some good has got to come out of this.”

  “And what are you doing to do when Hutch comes back?” Dobey wanted to know. “Do you think he can handle it?”

  “Cap to be honest with you I don’t know if Hutch is coming back.”

 

 

 

CHAPTER 5

 

   When Starsky arrived home the smell of cooking food greeted him as he opened the door.  He slammed the door with his foot since he was carrying the box with Susan’s effects in it.  Starsky wanted to get it put away before Hutch saw it, he figured in time he would give Hutch the box.  But Hutch came out of the kitchen wiping his hands on a towel before Starsky could hide the box.

  “Smells good buddy what are you making?” Starsky asked as he headed to his closet with the box.

  “Lasagna, what’s with the box?” Hutch asked. 

  Starsky gave Hutch a pinched looked, he took a deep breath, “I cleaned out Susan’s desk.”

  The color drained from Hutch’s face, he tossed the towel over his shoulder and took the box from his partner.  Walking over to the couch he sat down and slowly opened the box.  Starsky joined him as Hutch took out the framed photo and stared at it.  “You remember when Huggy took this?” Hutch asked as he rubbed his hand over the glass-covered photo.

  “Yeah it was right after we finished our first case.”

  Hutch sat that photo on the coffee table and then pulled out the mug.  “I should have let her get a cat, she loved them.”

  “You know I was wondering about that. I had never even noticed what was on the mug before.”

  “We talked about getting one but I kept putting it off. I told her that we worked so much it won’t be fair.  I guess the truth was I just didn’t want to be bothered.”  Hutch sighed.  “You don’t realize how selfish you are being until it’s too late.”

  He sifted through the rest of the things in the box. Starsky decided he had to tell Hutch about little Julie.  “She was there Hutch.”

  At first Hutch thought that Starsky was talking about Susan.  He looked at his partner with a confused look on his face.  “Who was where?”

  “Julie Sammon’s she was in that store. A doll was found in the backroom after…uh…later on.” Starsky tried to explain with out going into too much detail. 

  “Susan heard something, I never heard it but she did. That was why we kept going instead of turning back.  Maybe if I would have listened closer we would have headed toward the back of the building instead of up stairs.”

 “Hutch this is not your fault. You can’t keep blaming yourself.” Starsky said.  “It was an accident.”

  “It has to be somebody’s fault,” Hutch said in a choked voice.

  “Then let it be mine,” Starsky said. “At least Bennie was not sending you on a wild goose chase.

  Hutch didn’t seem to hear what his partner said. “If we would have gone to the back, Susan would be alive and that little girl would be with her mother.  I screwed up.”

  “Hutch you had no way of knowing, Bennie’s information is always so bad we never had much hope that he was right this time.”

  “But I still should have gone in there like we were going to find something.  I was careless and Susan paid for it with her life.”

  “Susan had a mind of her own and even if you hadn’t gone with her she would have gone anyway and you know it. We never could stop that girl could we?”  Starsky smiled as he looked at the photo on the table.

  Hutch shook his head and gave Starsky a half smile.  “The more we said no the more determined she got.”

  Suddenly Starsky sniffed the air. “Something is burning.”

  “Shit!” Hutch jumped up snatching the towel from his shoulder and dashed into the kitchen.

 Starsky followed and leaned in the door as Hutch rescued their dinner.  “Looks good.”

  “Thanks it was one of Susan’s favorite dishes that I made for her. We didn’t get to cook nice dinners very often. If I had it to do over again things would be different.”  Hutch said as his eyes misted over.  “Hey grab the salad.”

  As they ate Starsky told Hutch his decision, “Hutch I requested to work on Julie Sammon’s case.  Dobey didn’t like it and he as worried about you if you come back before the case was solved. But I told him that I wanted to do it for Susan.”

  Hutch nodded, “I was thinking about that today.  I want to get his bastard that has been kidnapping and killing these kids.  I just wonder why he has kept Julie alive so long. Most of the other kids he killed with in a few days. Julie has had been missing a week when we went to that abandoned store.”

  “I don’t know if there have been any more sitting but I do know that her body hasn’t turned up anywhere so I’m going to work as if she is still alive.”

 

  Julie Sammon’s sat huddled in the back room of the old abandon store, the man, Don had drug her back there after all the police had left.  She had been hoping that she would find her doll there that she had dropped when the man had scooped her up when they had heard voices.  He had whispered in her ear that she would kill her parents if she made a sound.  So she hadn’t even cried out when she had dropped her favorite doll Suzy.

  She had been playing with Suzy in the park when her mother had come to tell her they had to go to the bathroom.  Her younger brother needed to go, Julie didn’t want to leave her spot in the sandbox she had Suzy were having tea.  Her mother insisted that she company them to the restroom, sighing Julie had gotten up and grudgingly followed her mother.  Once they were there Julie refused to enter the small building, it was stinky and dirty and she had always hated going in there. Finally her mother at relented telling her to say right by the door they would only be a few minutes.

  Julie hadn’t noticed the man approaching her holding an ice cream cone she had been too busy telling Suzy that she was just going to have to hold it until they returned home.  A shadow was cast over the Julie and her doll she looked up to see a man standing over her holding a dripping vanilla cone.

  “Would you like this?” the man offered.
  Julie shook her head and started in the bathroom door away from the man. Her mommy and daddy had always told her to never talk to strangers or to take anything from them.  But before she could call out to her mother rough hands were grabbing her. One went around her middle the other hand clamped tightly over her mouth.  That was the last time she had seen her mommy or her little brother, all that that was left when Alice and Tommy Sammon’s came out of the bathroom was a melting vanilla ice cream cone on the concrete. 

 

  “You will be fine,” the voice that came out of the dim light startled Julie.  She new it wasn’t the man that had taken her for this was a woman’s voice.

  “W-who are you?” Julie asked as she pressed her back against the wall.

  “I’m a friend.”

  “Will you take me home?” Julie asked hopefully.  She missed her mommy and daddy terribly, even her little brother who was always messing up her toys.

  “I wish I could sweetheart but I will stay here with you until help comes.  I won’t leave you alone.”

  “Who are you talking too?” Don looked around the room swinging the flashlight he held in his had wildly about.

 Something told Julie not to let the man know she had a friend.  She knew it was wrong to lie but Julie said, “Myself, Suzy is gone.”

  “Who is Suzy?”

  “My doll,” Julie said softly longing for her toy.

  The man made a disgusted noise in his throat, “I’m sure I can find you a couple of rats to play with.”

  Julie recoiled she had seen more than her fair share of rats since they had been living in abandoned buildings for the last week and half.  “I’m hungry.” She has always been careful not to complain for even at seven she had the idea that if she were too much trouble that the man might do something awful to her, he had warned her enough times that he would.

  Don looked down at the small girl with the big blue eyes and dark brown hair.  “Me too.  If you be a good little girl and stay right here and be quiet then I’ll go and get us something how about that?”

  Julie smiled back at, “I’ll be good I promise.”

  “Good,” Don disappeared for a few moments then came back with a rope, which he bound her arms and legs with.  “Now if you promise me you won’t make any noise then I won’t stick this in your mouth.” He held out a dirty handkerchief. 

  The last think that Julie wanted was the nasty tasting rag in her mouth again.  “I won’t make a sound.  Could we have a hamburger or pizza?”

  “I’ll see what I can find close okay?’

  He smiled when the child nodded.  Secure in the fact he knew that she couldn’t go any place he made his way out of the building.  He figured he would get the girl what ever she wanted since it was to be her last meal.  He had only kept her around this long because she had been quiet and sweet. Unlike the other children he had taken who had cried for their mother’s endless until he killed them just to shut them up.

 

 

CHAPTER 6

 

 

   After dinner Hutch took the box of Susan’s things and went into the bedroom with them.  He had taken everything but the framed photo which he had left sitting on the coffee table.  Starsky was now staring at it.  It hadn’t even been a week since Susan had died but it felt as though it were a lifetime since he had seen her.  But he could still remember the smell of her perfume and the way she tilted her head when she laughed.  There had been so many things left unsaid and so many things that he would never have said to her anyway. She knew, that was what was special about their relationship and the relationship he had with Hutch they never needed to speak words.

  It was nearly midnight, Starsky hadn’t realized he had been sitting in the same spot staring at the photo until he heard muffled sobs coming from the bedroom. His first thought was to go to his partner but he knew that he had to let Hutch grieve in his own way.  Starsky took off his jeans and stripped off his t-shirt, turn off the light and lay back on the couch.  He knew that the day was coming soon when Hutch would have to face going home to a house full of memories and belongings, that box was only a very small part of Susan’s life.  Hutch’s life with her was still sitting in the house waiting to be dealt with.

 Nights were the worst for Hutch; he had sat on the bed holding her things until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.  When he finally fell into a restless sleep all he could see was her face in that building, he could feel her hand on him as she pushed him to safety. But then she was down stairs, still in the building but she was walking around and there was a little girl with her.  Hutch wondered who the girl was, she had blue eyes and dark hair she looked as thought she could be a combination of the two of them.  Susan was now beckoning to him as if she wanted him to follow.

  A loud crush from the bedroom awoke Starsky from his first dreamless sleep.  He sat up unsure of where he was at first then he realized what he had heard must have been Hutch.  Starsky jumped up and ran to the bedroom he flicked on the light to find Hutch lying in the floor struggling to get up.

  “Damn leg cast,” Hutch mumbled to himself.

  Starsky helped him up.  “Are you alright?” 

  “Yeah,” Hutch sighed.  Having both an arm and a leg in as cast was beginning to wear on his nerves.

  “You will get your walking cast in a couple of days.” Starsky said trying to cheer him up.  “Were you dreaming again?”

  Hutch averted his eyes for he knew Starsky would know he was lying, “No I guess I just rolled over to close to the edge of the bed.” He didn’t want to tell him he was trying to follow his dead wife and a child. Starsky would think he had lost his mind.

 

  Don Cook stopped just inside the doorway to peer out into the alley; he wanted to make sure there was nobody lurking there.  Satisfied that no one was there he stepped out into the night air.  His car was parked several blocks away; he knew there weren’t many places to get food where they were. Just a few seedy bars and they didn’t serve food.  He could have just killed her, been done with it and blown town but for some reason he almost felt that he owed the girl a last meal.  The feeling had come over him when they had come back to abandoned building. 

  He looked around again as he unlocked and got into his car but the streets were empty, this wasn’t a neighborhood you wanted to be caught in after dark or even in the day time for that matter.  Don had decided on pizza it had sound good the moment that she had said it.  The further he got from the area where he was holding her, the traffic picked up.  Don knew he had to be careful, no running lights or looking suspicious.  He had spied a pizza joint as he had been sitting at a red light, when it turned green Don accelerated into the intersection.  He was so concentrated on getting to the restaurant he didn’t see the dump truck bearing down him.

  The truck driver had fallen asleep at the wheel; he didn’t wake up until his truck plowed into the tiny brown nondescript car in the intersection.  Don didn’t have time to react as the truck was upon him before he could even slam on his breaks. The last thing he saw before he died was a sign that said, “We have the best Pizza in Town” He wasn’t getting pizza tonight.

 

  When Julie woke up it was pitch dark in the building.  She had fallen asleep waiting for Don to come back with the food. Julie wondered what time it was, it was clear that the man hadn’t come back.  She struggled against the rope that bound her hands and legs but it was tight. Julie wondered what would happen to her if he didn’t come back.  She could hear things scurrying around her, Julie knew from experience that it was the rats that came out in the night.  More than once the man had to kick one way to keep the rats from crawling on them. 

  Suddenly she was frighten, the man had abandoned her there he hadn’t gone to get food he had tied her up and left her to die.  Tears began to run down her cheeks she didn’t want to be eaten by the rats.

  “Don’t cry sweetie,” the woman’s voice said.

  Julie strained to see in the darkness.  “Where are you? I can’t see you.”

  “I’m right here, I told you I wouldn’t leave you.”

  “I don’t think the man is coming back,” Julie said her tears drying on her face. The voice sounded kind and she felt safe when the woman talked to her. 

  “I think you are right.”

  “Can you untie me please and show me the way home?” Julie asked.

  “Somebody will find you I promise you that,” the question was being avoided.

  Julie believe the voice, “What is your name?”

 

  The rest of the night Hutch tossed and turned best he could, Susan and the little girl kept invading his dreams.  He could see Susan talking to her but couldn’t hear what she was saying.  They would walk thought the main room of the dilapidated department store and disappear into a back room where he couldn’t see what they were doing anymore. 

  Hutch was thankful to finally see the first rays of the sun at least he could stop trying to sleep and get up.   He noticed that Starsky was already up and gone when he emerged from the bedroom.  They didn’t talk much lately; he figured it was hard for Starsky to be around him as it was for him to be with Starsky.  Too many memories but the memories would be just as strong at home but Hutch knew that was where he needed to be.  He had to make his peace with her being gone and he wasn’t going to do living with Starsky.  He had no choice thought until he was in his walking cast.  He hated the crutches he had to use and that was almost impossible with his arm in cast.  He was stuck at least for now.

 

Chapters 7-10