Tangled Web

By Tooki

 

CHAPTER ONE

 

Detective Susan Carlston sat in the living room of her town house planing her daughter's sixth birthday party. Her husband and partner Ken Hutchinson sat on the couch next to her shaking his head as she made a list of all the things they would need. He was six feet tall with blond hair and blue eyes; he was in his mid forties and was crazy about his wife and daughter. Susan was about ten years younger and seven inches shorter than her husband was. She had dark waist length hair and brown eyes. They had been married for several years but had been partners for over ten.

Mrs. Gray came into the room wiping her hands on her apron; she was Jesse's nanny and had been ever since the little girl had been born. The nanny ran her hand over her gray hair, "You guys had better wrap that up Dave will be her with Jesse any minute."

Susan glanced up at the clock over the fireplace. Sighing she flipped closed the notebook she had been writing in. "I didn't realize it was so late."

Just about that time they heard the front door open and Jesse hurled herself into the room and onto the couch in-between her parents. Jesse was the spitting image of her parents; she had Hutch's blue eyes and Susan's long dark hair. Dave Starsky hurried into the room behind her; he looked a little out of breath.

"Jesse giving you a run for your money, Starsk?" Hutch asked laughing at the final partner that rounded out their trio.

"I don't think I have ever seen that much of the zoo so fast," Starsky said flopping down in the nearest chair. Starsky was the same age and had the same blue eyes that Hutch had but there the resemblance stopped, he was about two inches shorter and had dark curly hair.

"Jess knows every inch of the zoo and won't let you miss any animal," Susan laughed and kissed her daughter on the head.

"What are you doing?" Jesse asked eyeing the notebook her mother had been writing in. She was pretty sure that they were planning a big party for her and she couldn't wait.

"Nothing Miss Nosy," Hutch teased her and began tickling her until Jesse was gasping for breath.

Starsky got up; "Well sorry to drop and run but I have a date."

"Oh really," Hutch said, "Who's the lucky girl."

"She just started at the department, I met her on the way out of work yesterday," Starsky grinned.

"You sure work fast," Susan laughed shaking her head.

"Well actually she ask me," Starsky said smugly.

"Poor girl must be desperate," Hutch joked.

Starsky picked up a pillow from the chair and lobbed it at his friend then headed for the door. Hutch got up and followed him out, he wanted to talk to him about a case the three of them were working on. Hutch didn't want to say anything in front of Jesse. The detectives had learned long ago that Jesse hung on their every word especially when they were talking police business. He and Susan didn't like Jesse hearing the details of some of the crimes, and the one they were working on now involved the disappearance of several young girls.

Inside Jesse tried to get the notebook away from Susan, she was dying to see what they were planning for her big day. Mrs. Gray came to the rescue with the promise of cookies in the kitchen. Susan smiled at the older woman gratefully and when they were out of the room she locked the notebook away in the roll topped that sat at the bottom of the stairs. Then followed them into the kitchen, Jesse was perched on a stool at the kitchen counter munching a cookie watching Mrs. Gray as she started dinner.

"What are we going to have?" Susan asked as she opened the silverware drawer and began counting out knives forks and spoons.

"Jesse voted for hamburgers if that's OK," Mrs. Gray smiled.

"You are going to turn into a hamburger," Susan told her daughter. "Didn't you and Starsky have them for lunch?"

Jesse nodded, "And pizza and hot dogs and . . ."

Susan put down the silver and held up one hand, "Enough, I don't want to hear the rest. How in the world can you possible be hungry?"

Jesse shrugged and stuffed the last of the cookie in her mouth and started to reach for another. "That is enough," Mrs. Gray said swatting her hand. "This isn't an eating contest."

"How did you know," Jesse grinned.

"What?" Susan said hiking her eyebrows.

"That's what Uncle Starry and I were doing, having an eating contest," Jesse informed them.

"Good heavens," Mrs. Gray exclaimed.

"I think I need to have a talk with Uncle Starry," Susan said and left the room. Jesse had called Starsky Uncle Starry from the moment she could talk and the name stuck.

Starsky was just getting in his candy apple red Ford Tornio, it had a white stripe that ran over the hood of the car, down the sides and tapered to points at the front. Hutch hated the car calling it a striped tomato every change he got but Starsky loved his car and took good care of it.

"So I heard you and my daughter have been having eating contests?" Susan said as she approached the car.

Starsky gave her a sheepish grin, "Well . . . uh."

"You can't squirm your way out of this one," Susan said trying to look stern but she couldn't be mad at him and began smiling. "Sorry," he said. "It won't happen again."

"OK, it's just I don't want her blowing up like a beach ball," Susan said as she bent down and planted a kiss on his cheek.

 

The next morning Susan and Hutch were at work a good half an hour before Starsky turned up with a huge grin on his face. He tossed a sack of donuts on his desk then went over and poured himself a cup of coffee. Susan and Hutch looked at each other then back to Starsky who was now sitting with his feet propped up on his desk enjoying his donuts.

He noticed them both watching him and held out the sack, "Want one?"

Hutch made a face, he was more into healthy food and drank his own concoction that consisted of powdered liver, vitamins and other things that Susan didn't even want to know what it was. Susan grab one but didn't take a bite just continued staring at her curly headed partner.

"What?" Starsky exclaimed. They were both still staring at him.

"What do you mean what?" Hutch smiled at him. "You are a half an hour late and you a grinning ear from ear. Date that good?"

"Wel-l-l," Starsky stalled, he loved keeping them hanging.

"Oh come on Starsk," Susan pleaded.

"OK, OK," Starsky finally relented. "She's wonderful."

Susan and Hutch looked at each other again. "Wonderful uh?"

Hutch said. "What's her name?"

"Janie," Starsky told them. "She just got out of the academy about six months ago."

"Just how old is this girl," Hutch asked. Most new officers right out of the academy were in their early twenties. "You trying to rob the cradle?"

"Please," Starsky said in an indignant voice. "She's at least Susan's age."

Susan hadn't heard a thing since Starsky had said the name Janie; it had made a shiver run down her spine. It had been years since she had heard that name and it brought too many memories and they weren't good ones.

"Hey, you OK," Hutch ask Susan shaking her back to the present.

She looked at him in almost a daze, "What?" Susan asked.

"Starsky wants to go out on a double date tonight, what do you say?"

"Do we still date?" Susan teased Hutch as she snapped out of it.

Hutch leaned over and kissed her then looked around to see if any one had seen him. Captain Dobey had asked them to keep their displays of affection to a minimum at work. Dobey was their boss, he was a huge black man with black hair and eyes and a mustache. He was often gruff and rarely smiled but he greatly cared for all his detectives.

Just as if Dobey knew what was going on his office door banged open and he stood in the doorway. "You three planning on working today or are you just here to eat," he demanded.

Ignoring his captain's sarcasm, Starsky held up the sack of donuts, "Donut Cap?"

"Don't mine if I do, thanks Starsky," Dobey said as he took out a chocolate covered donut, he headed back into his office. "Get in here."

The three detectives followed their captain into his office; Dobey took a seat behind his desk while the officers sat in chairs in front of the desk. "What's up Cap?" Starsky ask still eating his donut.

"What's up? What's up?" Dobey bellowed his chubby face puffing up even more. "What's up is that we don't have lead one on the disappearance of those little girls. How many are there now three?"

Susan nodded, "They range in age from six to twelve, they were taken from different parts of the city. There is no pattern to the abductions, we aren't even sure if they are related. But for the time being we are assuming that they are since the girls were all taken around the same time."

"Good work Carlston," Dobey said giving her one of his rare smiles. "I'm glad to know that at least one of you is on the job."

"So what's on the agenda for today?" Dobey ask directing his question toward Susan.

"We are going to talk to the parents again, see if maybe they remember anything else that came be helpful," Susan answered.

"What's she trying to do show us up?" Starsky commented digging around in the donut bag.

"Starsky what is with you today?" Dobey said gruffly.

"He's in love," Hutch said then made kissing noises.

Susan rolled her eyes, "It's like working with a bunch of kindergartners."

"I'm in a good mood, so shoot me," Starsky smiled.

"Don't tempt me," Hutch grumbled. He got up and started for the door. "Let's get this over with." Talking to the parents of the missing girls was not a job any of them wanted it was hard listening to their hearts breaking as they told their stories.

 

Their first stop was clear across town in one of the richest areas. Starsky pulled into the driveway an Iron Gate blocked their way, on the other side the drive continued winding it's way to an unseen house. The detective depressed the button on a box that sat next to the drive. Starsky waited a few minutes then buzzed again.

Finally a voice came out of the speaker on the box, "Stevenson resident, how may I help you."

"This is Detective Starsky, my partners and I need to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson." Starsky said leaning out the car window so that he could be heard.

"One moment please," there was a click. Starsky sighed and looked over at his partners. Susan smiled at him and shook her head. There was another click and the voice was back, "The Stevenson's have already spoken to the police."

"I understand that," Starsky snapped losing his patience. "But there have been two other girls who have disappeared and we really need to compare notes."

"One moment," the voice was gone again.

"Damnit," Starsky slammed his fist down on the steering wheel.

"What happened to that good mood of yours, pal?" Hutch asked smiling at Susan.

Starsky glared at Hutch but didn't answer him. "Lay off," Susan said to Hutch, then she put her hand over Starsky's clenched fist, "Take it easy, we'll get in." Just as Susan spoke the black gates swung open, "See I told you."

Starsky grunted and drove up the winding drive; the three detectives were stunned by the size of the house. There were easily thirty rooms, a huge garage big enough for five cars; there was a fountain in the center of the circle driveway. An older man was standing just out side the massive front door; he was dressed in a black suit.

As the three detectives stepped out of the car, the butler came forward, "Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson are in the den," he said as he gave the trio the once over. He held open the door for them; the officers stepped into the enormous entrance hall. The butler closed the door behind them then lead the detectives down a long hall to a set of closed double doors. He rapped once then swung both doors open. "The police," he announced, then left.

A man and a woman both who looked to be in their mid twenties got up from the leather couch they had been sitting on. The three detectives looked at each other in shock, they were expecting a much older couple, and few people their age had this kind of money. The man was tall, with dark hair and eyes, he was dress in a very expensive pen striped suit, the woman was petite with waist length blond hair and blue eyes that were swollen and red from crying.

The man held out his hand to Hutch, "Detectives, I'm David Stevenson this is my wife Sandy."

Hutch shook the hand offered him, "I'm Detective Hutchinson and these are my partners Detective's Starsky and Carlston."

Mr. Stevenson nodded to the three officers, "Please have a seat, would you like something to drink?"

"No thank you," Susan said politely as she sat down on the couch that the Stevenson's just gotten up from. Her partners joined her. The couple sat down in chairs opposite the detectives. "Now what is this about," Mr. Stevenson ask. "We have already told the officers that were here two days ago everything we know."

"Since your daughter was taken two more girls have been kidnapped," Susan told them. "We think that the cases may be related."

"Poor Molly," the young woman whispered so softly that she could barely be heard.

Mr. Stevenson placed his hand over hers, "This is very hard on my wife, Molly is our only child."

"You said something about some other girls?" Mrs. Stevenson a littler louder.

"Yes, one was taken the same day as Molly then another young girl yesterday," Susan smiling kindly at the woman.

"Were they taken from around here?" Mr. Stevenson asked.

"No," Hutch answered. "The other two girls were taken from different parts of the city."

"Were they taken from wealthy families?" he asked.

"No," Hutch said simply, he could see where Mr. Stevenson with this.

"Then what makes you think they could be related?" Mr. Stevenson snapped.

"Listen," Starsky said incensed, he had about had it with these people. First they didn't want to let them in and now they wouldn't even listen to them. "Not every kidnapping is for money. Sometimes the kids are sold, used for prostitution, or . . .. "

Sandy Stevenson let out a horrified gasped, "But she's only six."

"That may be but it happens all the time, even kids younger than Molly. Some kids, usually very young ones are put on the black market for adoption," Starsky continued. Susan shot her partner a dark look hoping to get him to stop. She knew these people upset him, he was probably thinking about Jesse as she and Hutch did every time they had to deal with this case, but it was still no reason to scare them to death. "Some times crooked lawyers . . . "

Susan stood up, "Starsky can I speak to you in the hall a moment."

Starsky looked at her a beat or two, she thought that he wouldn't come but finally he got up and followed her. Hutch let them go hoping he could get some information from them while they were gone.

Out in the hall, Susan grabbed Starsk's arm and spun him around to face her, "What in hell are you trying to do in there? Those people are scared and you aren't helping, they will never remember anything if you keep this up."

Starsky slumped against the wall, "I'm sorry, they are just so... "

"So what. . . so rich?" Susan ask, "What is this a jealousy thing?"

"Yes because they are rich but I'm not jealousy. They think that just because those other people don't have money that nobody would want their kids," Starsky snapped. "Money doesn't make you a better person."

"I happen to agree with you Starsk. But those people are scared out of their wits and they don't need the details of what might be happening to their daughter."

"This case just gets to me, all I can see is Jesse's face and I pray nothing like this ever happens to her," Starsky said sadly.

"Believe me I know how you feel, I have been having nightmares ever since Molly was taken." Susan said hugging him.

Suddenly the doors opened behind the two detectives, David Stevenson was standing there, "Detective Starsky, I want to apologize, I was didn't mean to imply that those other children didn't matter. I'm not a heartless man, but my daughter has been missing for going on three days now and I have been watching my wife's heart break with every tick of the clock."

Starsky sighed, "Mr. Stevenson, I'm sorry I shouldn't have said anything."

"Please call me David," the man said. "Actually you brought me to my senses, I realized how much danger all the children are in." The butler appeared from no where he cleared his throat. "Yes Miles."

"Sir there is a call for one of the detectives," Miles answered. "It's a Captain Dobey."

"I've got it," Susan said and followed the butler down the hall.

By the time Susan returned to the den, Hutch was filling a notebook with all the information the Stevenson's could give him. No matter how silly something seemed Hutch wrote it down, anything could be a clue. Starsky was sitting quietly on the edge of the couch listening to everything the couple said.

Every one in the room looked up when Susan entered the room; her face was grim and pale. Hutch jumped his feet rushing to her, "What is it?"

"That was Dobey on the phone, there has been another kidnapping," Susan informed them, she looked like she was about to cry.

"Who?" Hutch said holding his breath, he could tell by her reaction that this case was different. All he could think was please don't let it be Jesse.

"Cassy Brandson," Susan said softly.

"Dear God," Hutch said letting out his breath.

"I take it you know this little girl?" David Stevenson asked.

Susan nodded sadly, "She lives next door to us, Cassy is my daughters best friend."

Starsky got up and came over putting his arm around Susan's shoulder, Hutch was holding her hand, "It will be all right," he promised.

The Stevenson's looked confused, as the three detectives stood devastated by the new kidnapping. Susan saw the confused looks on the Stevensons's face, she smiled, "Hutch is my husband and Jesse's father, Starsky is her Godfather," she explained. "I kept my last name to keep down the confusion at work."

They both nodded, "I understand," David said, "I think Sandy and I have told you everything we can remember, so why don't you go on. If we think of anything I'll call."

Susan stepped forward and took his hand, "Thank you, we will do everything under our power to find Molly."

 

CHAPTER TWO

 

 

When the detectives arrived at the Brandson's home the street was full of police cars, even Dobey's dark green sedan was there. Most of the people on the block were standing out in their yards watching. Some of the Brandson's friends had come over to comfort them. Susan saw Mrs. Gray and Jesse standing at the end of their driveway. The female detective jumped out of the car a soon as it stopped moving and ran toward her house.

"Mommy," Jesse called delighted to see her mother. Susan scooped up her daughter and started for the house, Mrs. Gray followed. "Mommy what happened over at Cassy's house?"

Susan didn't answer Jesse, just open the front door and went in, she deposited the little girl in the closest chair then turned to Mrs. Gray. "I want you to make sure this house is looked up tight and keep Jesse inside. Don't even let her go out in the back yard."

Jesse jumped out of the chair, "Mommy what is going on!" the girl demeaned. "Did something happen to Cassy?""

Susan knelt down in front of her daughter, "Jesse, Cassy was kidnapped just a little while ago."

"Than what are you doing here," Jesse said in such a grown up voice Susan had to smile. "You can find her."

"We will sure try our best sweet heart," Susan looked up in to Mrs. Gray's horrified face.

"That's what happened over there? Cassy kidnapped?" the older woman gasped. "We had just gone out side before you pulled up. Jesse had a play date with her today, we were on our way over."

Susan's face paled when she realized that Jesse could have easily been with her best friend. "Stay in the house," Susan said again and ran out. Mrs. Gray bolted the door behind her.

When Susan walked into the Brandson's yard, Karen Brandson ran up and threw her arms around Susan's neck and began to sob. Susan steered the crying woman across the yard to the front door where Jim Brandson, and her partners were standing, Captain Dobey was also there.

"Jess OK?" Hutch asked as his wife approached.

Susan nodded, Let's get in the house before the reporters show up and start asking questions."

They all went into the Brandson's living room and sat down, Karen still sobbing on Susan's shoulder. Jim looked stricken as he sat down on the couch on the other side of his wife. Hutch took out the notebook he had been writing on at the Stevenson's.

OK, now what happened," Hutch as the terrified couple.

"Well as I was saying," Jim began. "Cassy was riding her bike up and down the house waiting for Jesse to come and join her. I looked out about five minutes after she went out and I saw a man dragging her into a beat up black car. They were gone before I could even get out of the house. I chased the car for about a half a block, it turned on Oak, the driver gunned the engine and I couldn't keep up."

"She rides out there every day, we live in a safe neighborhood," Karen said haltingly. "Or I thought we did."

"I don't think anywhere is safe but you never think it will happen to you," Susan said soberly.

Karen leaned away from Susan and looked up her, "Is Jesse all right?"

"She's fine, sometimes she acts so grown up she scares me," Susan said thinking about how Jesse had told her to go look for Cassy.

"Just keep her safe," Karen moaned. Susan was touched by her friends concern while her own daughter was missing.

"What did the man look like?" Starsky ask Jim. This was the first time anyone had actually seen a person. But the description of the car matched the car that had grabbed Molly.

Jim closed his eyes for a moment thinking, "He was tall, about your height Hutch, dark greasy looking hair and looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days. What is this guy doing cruising around looking for little girls?"

"That's sure what it looks like, they have been taken from all parts of the city. It doesn't seem to matter if they are rich or poor, the people we were just taking to are very wealthy. Another girl lived in the slums so it's not a matter of money," Starsky explained.

"Then why does he want them!" Karen cried as she jumped up and ran out of the room. Jim started after her.

"Can I go?" Susan asked.

Jim smiled at her gratefully, "Yes, thanks."

Starsky and Hutch continued asking Jim questions while everything's were fresh in his mind, not that he could ever forget. Susan went in search of Karen, finally found her up stairs in Cassy's bedroom lying across the bed crying. The detective sat down next her to her.

Karen rolled over and looked at her, "How could this happen?"

"I don't know but we intend to find out," Susan declared.

Down stairs the doorbell rang, Karen started to get up; "I had better get that."

"Why don't you just rest for awhile, I'll let you know if we come up with anything," Susan said helping Karen to her own bedroom. "I'll get the door then send Jim up, OK?" Karen nodded wordlessly and lay down on her bed.

Susan went down stairs Dobey stood in the hall talking to Starsky; Hutch was still in with Jim. When she got to the bottom of the stairs Dobey said, "How is Mrs. Brandson?"

"She's all right for now, she'll be better when we find her daughter," Susan said softly.

"There is an A.P.B. out on the car and we have a police artist on his way," Dobey advised them.

"I think we are about done here," Starsky said glancing into the living room. Hutch was closing up his notebook and standing up.

Jim and Hutch joined the officers in the hall, "Karen?" Jim asked in a worried tone.

"She's up stairs, I told her you would be up," Susan said she hugged him. "Why don't you go on, an officer will call you when the police artist gets here. Try to remember everything about him, you are our only witness that has actually seen the kidnaper."

Jim nodded and went up stairs. Susan turned to Dobey; "Can you have an officer stay here for awhile?"

"I'll stay myself until Don gets here and does the drawing then take it down town get copies and pass them out." Dobey told her. "I'll check over at your place before I leave."

"Thank you Cap," Susan said gratefully.

 

Across town a beat up black car pulled up in an alley behind a condemned building. A man jumped out opened the back seat took out several sacks of groceries then looked around. He slid back a piece of plywood that was blocking the back door. The man set the sacks down just inside the door then went back to the car he opened the trunk. Inside laid Cassy Brandson, her hands and feet tied, tape over her mouth. She looked around wildly as the strange man reached for her.

Cassy had been riding her bike up and down the sidewalk waiting for Jesse, her best friend to come out and join her. It was only days until Jesse's birthday and they were both excited, their parents were allowing them to spend the night together after the party.

Cassy was just turning around at the corner when a black car pulled up to the curb and stopped. A dirty looking man leaned across the seat and rolled down the passenger's side window. He had asked her something about a puppy that he was missing. Cassy knew better than to get to close to the car but the man looked so sad as he talked about his missing puppy. She got off her bike, laying it on the sidewalk she stepped closer to the car. Suddenly the car door flew open and the man grabbed for Cassy. The little girl tried to back away but the stranger snagged the back of her sweater and dragged her into the car.

Now this strange man was reaching for her again, he was dragging her out of the trunk, Cassy had been terrified when he had driven round the block, tied her up and stuffed her in the trunk. The man carried her in his arms and pushed back the plywood for a second time. He went up to the fifth floor leaving the food sitting were it was. The man passed several rooms where their doors were missing then he came to a door that was closed. He opened it and pushed it open with one foot. There was a dirty mattress lying in the corner, three young girls tied up just like Cassy were sleeping on it.

"Poppy's back," he called loudly, he went over and dumped Cassy next to the other girls. "I've got some food for you."

Then he left the room, Cassy sat up and looked at the three girls, one looked to be her age and the other two older. Cassy was the only one with tape on her mouth. The oldest girl slid over to Cassy, "Hi," she said softly. "Are you OK?"

Cassy nodded, but she was so scared. Another of the girls moved toward her, "Did he grab you today?" Again Cassy nodded.

The older girl said, "Lay down with your head on the mattress maybe I can get the tape off." Cassy did as she was told and after a moment the girl managed to pull the tape off.

Cassy cried out as the tape pulled some of the skin from her lip, it began to bleed. "You're OK," the second girl said. "As long as we are quiet he won't tape our mouths."

Cassy gave the two girls a weak smile. The third girl that looked about Cassy was curled up on the mattress in the corner she appeared to be asleep. "H-how long have you been here?" Cassy asked.

The older girl answered, "Brandi and I have been her since yesterday morning, Molly over there has been here for three days, she doesn't talk much. Oh by the way my name's Tammy."

"I'm Cassy," she said softly. "What's he going to do with us?"

Tammy shrugged, "So far he hasn't done anything to us. He feeds us and at night he lets us walk around as long as we stay in the back rooms. Then when Poppy decides it's bed time he sits and reads us story books."

Cassy looked at her confused, "That's weird."

Brandi nodded in agreement, "Just don't make him mad and you'll be OK. It's almost like he's stealing a family. He's treating us like we are his daughters or something."

Poppy appeared in the doorway with the sacks of groceries. "You girls hungry?" he asked kindly as he set the sacks at their feet. "I see you are all getting to know each other, that's good. Now I will untie you but if you run I'll kill you." He said it so simply, it frightens them.

All the girls nodded except for Molly who was still in the corner. He quickly untied each girl, when he got to Molly she tighten up into a tight little ball, she hadn't been asleep after all.

 

Poppy quickly untied the little girl but she still didn't move even though she was free. He started unpacking the food; he laid out a loaf of bread on the dirty mattress. Then handed a package of lunchmeat to the oldest girl. "We'll have to eat this up tonight so that it won't spoil. I'm sorry we don't have any power now but soon we'll live in a nicer place."

The two older girls gave each other startled looks. Tammy grabbed the loaf of bread and began opening it. "You got any mustard?" she asked.

He smiled at her and produced a small bottle of mustard, then some paper plates, plastic dinner wear and some paper cups. Out of another bag he took out potato chips, some sliced cheese, pickles and a big bag of cookies, the rest of the stuff he pushed away for the next day. From his pockets he took out soft drinks for each of them.

Tammy quickly put dinner together for them, she sat Molly's next to her but the girl didn't make a move to eat it, she just lay in the tight little ball. Tammy was beginning to wonder if Poppy had done something to her before she and Brandi came on the scene. Poppy wolfed down his food and got up to leave, he gave them a big smile. "I'll leave the door unlocked so you can play awhile, just remember stay on the back side of the building, or I'll kill you." There was that threat again said almost kindly but the girls some how knew he wasn't kidding.

After he left Tammy moved over to where Molly was laying, "Come on kiddo, you got to eat. How long has it been since you have had anything?"

The little girl didn't say anything, Cassy moved over to her, "What's your name?"

At the sound of the new voice Molly opened her eyes and looked at Cassy, "Molly," she said so softly that they could hardly hear her.

"Well I'm Cassy I think you should really eat," she said. "Don't worry we'll get out of here. My best friend's parents are the best detectives in the world, they will find us."

 

At that very moment the three detectives were sitting at their desks wondering what their next move would be. Even with the description of the car, there weren't many leads. They were hoping that when Jim Brandson and the police artist were done they might recognize the kidnaper. They had Libby Standford run every child molester, every kidnaper through the computer. The trio had hundreds of photos in files sitting on their desks and Libby promised more to come.

Susan looked at the stack of files, "This is totally disgusting," she said picking up the top file. "How can so many people want to hurt innocent children."

Before either of her partners could answer the squad room door banged open, Libby came in carrying a stack of print out sheets from the computer. Libby and the detectives had been friends for years, she worked at the front desk sometimes but her main job was feeding the computer. "I punched in the description of your guy, here's what the computer spit out." She dropped the load on Starsky's desk, then she smiled down at him, "Busy tonight?"

"Uh . . . .uh," Starsky stammered.

Libby held up her hand, "No explanation needed." She and Starsky had been going out off and on for as long as they had known each other, right now it was kind of off again. "Must be that cute little blond I saw you with the other day."

Starsky blushed and nodded, "Sorry Lib," he said. "Maybe next week."

"Sure, let me know," she smiled and started to leave. "You guys need any more help just let me know, everybody in the department wants to get this guy."

Susan separated the stack of computer printouts in to three piles; she handed one to Starsky, one to Hutch and kept the third for herself. They were so engrossed in reading that they didn't hear the squad room door open. A petite blond wearing a police uniform entered the room; she crept up behind Starsky and placed her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" She giggled.

Susan and Hutch looked up at the sound of her voice. The young woman looked vaguely familiar to her but Susan just figured it was because she had seen her around the station.

"Janie, what are you doing here?" Starsky said surprised to see her.

"We have a date silly," she purred. "You were suppose to meet me out front thirty minutes ago."

Starsky glanced at his watch, then sighed, "Sorry, this case we are working on is really important."

"Yeah I heard about it, it's so sad . . ." she stopped mid sentence and stared at Susan. "Izzy, is that you?"

Hutch and Starsky looked at each other and mouthed the word Izzy to each other. Then they looked at Susan who was looking very uncomfortable and almost pale. She got up from her desk and walked toward Janie. "Janie? Janie Stillwell?" the female detective said in a whisper. She couldn't believe her eyes; Susan hadn't seen Janie since they were seventeen.

"You two know each other," Starsky ask looking from one woman to the other.

"Oh sure Izzy and I went to high school together," Janie almost bubbled. "Isn't it funny we both turned out to be cops?"

"Izzy?" Hutch asked staring at his wife.

"It's just a nickname, Hutch," Susan said still looking at Janie almost daring her to disagree.

"Are you going to introduce us Dave," the blond said looking at Hutch.

"Oh sure, sorry. This is Ken Hutchinson," he said motioning toward Hutch. "And you know Susan. Guys this is Janie, she just started working for the department"

"Susan?" Janie hiked her eyebrows at the police detective.

Susan grabbed Janie by the arm and pulled her across the squad room, "Be back in a minute guys," Susan called and she pushed Janie through the swinging doors. The two men looked at each other again and shrugged.

Once out in the hall and out of sight of the windows in the squad room doors Susan backed Janie against the wall, "What in hell are you doing here," she hissed.

"Is that any way to treat an old friend, Susan?" Janie said coyly.

"This isn't a game," Susan snapped.

"Who said it was. Anyway it looks like you are the one playing games uh Isabel." Janie said. "I take it your partners don't know who you really are?"

"They know who I really am, Detective Susan Carlston, and that's what you'll call me if you are planning on staying around here," Susan growled.

"And just who's going to stop me from spilling my guts to David," Janie said looking Susan straight in the eye, they were exactly the same height.

"Janie please, I'm happy now, I'm married and have a daughter that will be turning six the day after tomorrow," Susan almost begged.

"Who you married to?" Janie ask leaning over so she could see in the squad room doors. "The tall blonde guy in there?"

"As a matter of fact yeah I am." Susan said pulling her away from the doors.

Janie started laughing, "You are serious aren't you?"

"Yes I'm serious," Susan said grimly. "Are you going to keep quiet? You know I have plenty on you too."

"Can I ask you one question?"

"Sure," Susan sighed.

"Why didn't you ever tell them? I mean I get the idea all of you are really close, it's not like you are a criminal or anything," Janie said.

Susan looked down at her hands, her wedding ring sparkled in the light, she shook her head, "I don't know, I always meant to but as time went on it just didn't seem important anymore. I was who I was I didn't want to think about that teen-age girl any more. My Captain knows about me or I guess he does, he has access to all of our personal records and I didn't lie on them. He has never ask me about it and he wouldn't tell Starsky or Hutch."

Janie shrugged, "What ever, just don't think I'm going anywhere."

"Why here?" Susan asked.

"Just fate I guess."

Starsky pushed the double doors open, "You girls about done out here, I'm starving."

"Always thinking of you stomach aren't ya buddy?" Hutch said following him out the door. Hutch had Susan's jacket in his hand.

"Where to," Janie ask smiling up at Starsky.

"How about the cafeteria up stairs?" Starsky suggested. "We have another couple of hours to put in on those files before we can go home. Sorry, we can just make it another time if you want."

"No I don't mind eating here," Janie as she linked her arm through Starsky's. She looked over her shoulder at Hutch and Susan, "You going to join us, I think it would be fun if we all got to know each other. Besides Susan and I have a lot of catching up to do."

Hutch saw Susan rolled her eyes but he didn't say anything to her. He smiled at Janie, "We'll be glad to join you as long as Starsky doesn't mind."

"The more the merrier I always say," Starsky said and put his arm around Janie's shoulders.

Janie and Starsky moved toward the elevator, Hutch hung back a little and turned Susan to face him, "Izzy?" he ask.

"Long story," Susan said but didn't elaborate. She wasn't ready to tell her husband anything yet. Susan wasn't sure how he would take it after all this time. They caught up with Starsky and Janie just as the elevators slid open. Starsky made a grand sweeping motion into the elevator; the two women stepped in. Hutch followed then Starsky stepped in and stabbed the button for the cafeteria.

Just as the doors began to close Starsky ask, "Izzy?"

 

It was almost mid night before the detectives finished the last print out, nothing looked promising, and they were all disappointed. They were hoping that a name would jump out at them and they could end the nightmare for the parents of the kidnapped girls.

Hutch pulled into the driveway of their townhouse, the porch light was on and there was a light in the living room but the rest of the house was dark. Mrs. Gray wasn't up, sometimes she waited up for them with a warm meal in the oven but tonight was different, and it had been a very trying day for all of them.

Susan got out of the car, she stood there staring across the top of the car at the Brandson's house, and it seemed like every light in the house was on. She though about going over but there was nothing new to tell them and Susan just couldn't face them. She wasn't sure if she could ever face them again if they couldn't find their daughter.

"You coming?" Hutch called from the front door. Susan nodded and walked to the door, she glanced at the Brandson's house once more then went in.

Neither of them even bother going into the kitchen to see if Mrs. Gray had left anything in the oven. They weren't hungry; it had been all Susan could do to choke down her dinner sitting across from Janie. Silently the couple went up stairs; Hutch went into their bedroom while Susan continued on down the hall to her daughter's room.

She pushed open the door and stared at Jesse's sleeping form for a few minutes being thankful that she was safe. Then she went over and sat on the edge of the bed and pushed a piece of hair from Jesse's forehead. The little girl stirred and woke up, "Mommy?" she said sleepily.

"I'm right here sweetheart," Susan answered kissing her cheek.

"Did you find Cas?" she asked.

Susan shook head her and as a tear slid down her cheek said, "Not yet baby but we are trying our best. Now you get some sleep, OK?" It amazed Susan that Jesse was even able to sleep.

"Don't worry you'll find her, you'll find all of them because you guys are the best cops in the world," Jesse said in a fading voice, she was almost asleep again.

Susan wasn't sure how long she had been sitting on her daughter's bed and she wasn't aware that she was crying until Hutch opened the bedroom door. When the shaft of light hit her she looked toward the door, tears were streaming down her face. "Are you OK?" Hutch whispered not wanting to wake Jesse who was now sound to sleep. Susan pulled the covers up around Jesse neck and left the room.

"No I'm not alright," Susan snapped. "It could have just as easily been Jesse out there riding up and down waiting for Cassy, she could have been the one missing right now." She began sobbing; Hutch pulled her into his arms and held her tight.

"We will find them," Hutch said in a determined voice. He wanted to ask her about the Izzy stuff but decided it wasn't such a good time. They went to bed but neither of them could sleep; it was almost daybreak when Hutch finally fell into a troubled sleep.

Susan looked over at her sleeping husband then slipped out of bed, it was only five o'clock in the morning and she hated to wake up Dobey but she had to talk to him with out her partners.

She got dress and went down stairs, as she made herself a cup of instant coffee she dialed Dobey's number. It rang four times before the sleepy voice of Edith Dobey answered, "Hello?"

"Edith I'm so sorry to wake you up at this ungodly hour but could I please speak to Cap?" Susan asked.

"Sure," Edith said detecting something in Susan's voice that scared her. "Everything OK there?"

"Everything's fine, this is a personal matter," Susan said, wishing Edith would just get Dobey on the line before someone in the house woke up and she would have to explain herself.

Finally Dobey came on the line, "Carlston?" he growled into the phone. "What's going on."

"Captain Dobey, I have to see you, alone," Susan told him.

Dobey sighed, "OK how about The Pits?" The Pits was a small bar owned and operated by Huggy Bear, he was a good friend of the detectives and kept them abreast of what was going on in the streets.

"How about the coffee shop down the street from the station," Susan suggested. She didn't want Huggy getting wind of this until she had told her partners. Susan was half surprised he didn't already know about her, he seem to know everything else.

By the time Susan got to the small coffee shop Dobey was already sitting in a booth in the back sipping a cup of steaming coffee. Harold Dobey had been a police captain for more years than he cared to count. He was more than a little perturbed at his detective for waking him up early then insisting on meeting him away from the office.

Dobey's anger faded when he saw the look on Carlston's face. It was clear that something was going on from the pinch look she gave him as she joined him in the booth. A waitress appeared from no where and sat a cup of coffee in front of the detective, after asking if Susan wanted anything else the waitress was gone.

"OK Susan, what's going on?" Dobey questioned looking at her intently trying to read her face.

Susan smiled slightly at the use of her first name; Dobey rarely called any of them by anything but their last name. "Captain how much do you know about me?" she finally asked.

Dobey cocked his head to one side, "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever read my file, the back ground check, the FBI check?" Susan asked as she twisted her coffee cup on its saucer.

"If you are asking me if I know you changed your name from Isabel Hartford, yes I know that," Dobey said wondering what was going on.

"Why didn't you ever ask me about it?" Susan asked puzzled.

"Your back ground was clean, you are a good cop. I never had a reason to question you about it. I take it that your past has come back to haunt you?" Susan nodded slowly; she looked up at Dobey with tear filled eyes. "Hutch doesn't know about this does he?"

"No he doesn't," she said as two big tears slid down her face. "I have a feeling that I'm going to have to tell him before he finds out from someone else."

"Won't be from me," Dobey said putting his large black hand over her small one.

"I know that," Susan said in almost a whisper. "It's a new police woman that just started on the force. Her name is Janie Stillwell."

Dobey shook his head, the name meant nothing to him, "Haven't had the pleasure yet."

"You don't want to, it's not a pleasure believe me," Susan said then she took a deep breath. She was about to tell Dobey her life story, something that she had never told anybody before.

"Cap, Janie's parents killed my parents and my younger sister."

He stared at her; "They killed them? How?"

"I don't know if they actually did the deed themselves or had someone else do it, but I think they did it themselves. The police could never prove a thing. I guess maybe that's why I became a cop, why I'm so driven. I don't want anyone to be left out there like I was, wondering what happened and why."

"How were they killed?" Dobey ask gently.

"Car wreck, mom and dad and Katie were going out to dinner. I was suppose to go but at the last minute Janie called me saying that she needed to talk to me, that it was important. We were best friends or so I thought and dinner with Mom and Dad wasn't that pressing, we went out at least once a week," Susan put her hands over her mouth to hold back a sob. It was so hard to talk about them even after all these years. Dobey got up and move into the booth next to her.

"Another car ran them off the road and into a tree, my parents were killed instantly, Katie held on for several hours but she was so brained damaged it was a blessing when she died. Janie and her parents took me in; I was nearly seventeen and a junior in high school. The Stillwell's got custody of me there was no other family, I was very grateful to them. My parents were fairly wealthy, so of course all the money went to me and the sale of the house sweeten the pot."

"Why do you think they killed your parents?" Dobey ask confused. So far it sounded like a very caring family to take her in.

"After a few months, the Stillwell's started pressing me for money. And when I refused to fund their new swimming pool or new van they suggested that I wasn't old enough to manage my own money and that they should be made executors of my money. I knew if I let that happen I would never see a dime of that money. Don't get me wrong, I didn't really give a damn about that money I would have burned it if I thought it would bring my family back. But I began hearing things that didn't add up, little bits of conversions that would stop the minute they were aware I was in the room."

Susan took a ragged breath and looked over at Dobey to see what he was thinking but she couldn't read his expression. "Things started to fall in place, the Stillwell's suddenly got a new car although they had just bought one two months earlier. I over heard them talking about my banking account and I heard them mention the name of my dad's accountant. How would they know that? So one day when they were all out I went though Tom Stillwell's desk and found a copy of my passbook. Lists of accounts and stocks, bonds, anything that had to do with my wealth was in a manila file folder in Tom's desk."

"Did you take this information to the police?" Dobey ask, he handed her a handkerchief from his pocket.

Susan took it gratefully, she dabbed her eyes and went on, "Yes of course I went to the police but they thought it was a crazy story and that I was just grief stricken. So I set out to prove it. The next time they went out I said I wasn't feeling well and I tried their bedroom. I found a scrapbook hidden in the bottom drawer of the dresser, there were articles about a family that had been wiped out leaving only one family member, they were very rich. A few articles later the soul survivor took a hand full of pills and guess who got all the money?"

"The Stillwells?" Dobey ask already knowing the answer.

Susan nodded then said, "Well sort of, their last name was different but the faces were the same. Those people make their money by killing off families."

"Sounds like a bad horror novel," Dobey said then ask, "How did you get away from them?"

"Well I heard them coming in the front door so I put the book back. The first chance I got I was going to get it and go to the police but a few days later when I was again left alone I went to get the book it was gone and so were my hopes of convincing the police I wasn't crazy. So I did the only thing I could think of. I went to court had my self emancipated, graduated early, changed my name, got as far away as I could and tried to forget. I went to the police academy, became a cop and thought that I had my life together until Janie turned up on Starsky's arm last night. Captain I think she has come for me, I don't know why or how she found me but I don't think it's a coincidence." Susan fell silent and looked at her captain.

He put a fatherly arm around her, "I'll see what I can find out for you but in the mean time you had better tell Hutch before she does."

"What is he going to think? We have been together all this time and he has no idea who I really am?" Susan said and began sobbing. It was just too much to take the kidnappings and now Janie showing up.

"I'm sure he will understand," Dobey said trying to be supportive. "Would you like the morning off so that you can talk to Hutch?"

Slowly Susan shook her head after she thought about it for a moment, "I'll wait until this kidnap case is over. We don't need any distractions right now, we have to find Cassy and the others."

"How are her parents doing?" Dobey asked kindly.

"I don't know, I started to go over after Hutch and I got home last night but I just didn't have the heart," Susan said as another tear slid down her face. It really unnerved Dobey to see her like this; Susan was always so strong, so together.

"How are you going to keep this a secret?" Dobey said. "Aren't you afraid this Janie might tell?"

"That's just the chance I've got to take. Hopefully we'll get this case wrapped up then I can tell him."

 

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

Susan decided that she would just go to the station instead of going back home, it was nearly six-thirty they weren't due into to work until seven. As she pushed open the squad room doors one of the officers looked up. He smiled at her then said, "Hey Susan, Hutch just called looking for you."

"Thanks Tony," Susan said and went to her desk. She looked at the printouts that were left from last night then went over and poured herself a cup of coffee. Taking it back to her desk she sat down and began reading the endless list of names and information, hoping she would find something they had missed.

Dobey opened his office door and stood watching his detective a few moments. He had entered his office from the hallway, he had two doors into his office, one from the squad room and then the way he had come in. Susan felt his eyes on her and looked up giving him a brief smile. He came over to her desk then bent down so that his mouth was close to her ear. "I'm having information run for you, should know something in a couple of hours," Dobey whispered.

Susan nodded with out saying anything. Just as Dobey closed his office door Hutch burst into the room, "Where in hell have you been?" he almost yelled at her. Everyone in the room looked up.

She gave him her best smile, "Right here," she said.

"I called a little while ago and you weren't here," he said, Susan could see the fear in his eyes. He had thought that something had happened to her.

"Oh I was in the cafeteria getting some breakfast," Susan explained. "I couldn't sleep so I thought I would come in and go over these." She held up the printouts. "Tony said you called and I was going to call you back but I figured you were all ready on your way here."

"Ever hear of leaving a note?" Hutch huffed at her then went over to hug her tightly. "Find anything?"

She shook her head, "Nothing."

Fifteen minutes later Starsky came in carrying his usual bag of donuts, he poured himself a cup of coffee and joined his partners at their desks. "Anything new?" he ask hopefully. They both shook their heads no. "I guess we need to talk to the other parents." Hutch said, he took his notebook from his pocket. "Brandi Douglas and Tammy McLeven are the other two missing girls, they are older than Molly and Cassy."

"Tell you what," Starsky said. "Why don't I go and talk to the parents of the girls and you two see if Huggy has anything. I know he's been nosing around for us." Starsky knew it was really hard on his partners listening to the heart breaking stories of how the little girls disappeared, and now with Cassy it was even harder.

"Can you keep it together?" Susan asked remembering his display the day before.

"No more scenes," he promised.

So the trio went their separate ways, Starsky went to talk to the parents of Brandi Douglas first and Susan and Hutch went to The Pits. Huggy was behind the bar when they arrived, there were only a few customers in the place eating breakfast.

Huggy smiled when he saw his friends, he was a tall thin black man with short black hair and a mischievous smile. He usually wore outlandish clothes and today was no exception, his pants were a bright green and his shirt a bright yellow with a green and yellow spotted bow tie. "Hey where's the third wheel?"

Susan looked around then smiled, "Oh you mean Starsky, he's questioning those missing kids parents."

Hutch squinted at Huggy's clothes, "Man you are bright this morning."

"You like, I got it on sale yesterday," he said proudly.

"I can see why," Hutch groaned. "They saw you coming didn't they?"

"Have you heard anything on the kidnapped girls?" Susan asked looking at both of them and shaking her head.

"Well I have been asking a lot of questions, especially since little Cassy got snatch last night," Huggy frowned, he knew Cassy from being over at the detectives house. Both of the little girls just loved him and were delighted whenever he came over. In fact Jesse had told her parents that if he couldn't come to her birthday party that she wasn't having one. All though now it looked like the party would be postponed anyway, it was only two days away and with no leads finding Cassy and the other girls by then didn't look promising. "It's like those girls just disappeared into thin air. I have even talked to a few guys that were put away for messing with kids. They are running scared they know that they are the first ones the cops come to."

"We all ready checked them out, this is somebody new," Susan said as she sat down on one of the barstools.

"Or somebody that just hasn't gotten caught yet," Hutch added.

 

After tying the four girls up Poppy left the condemned building. He had gotten them up early made them eat breakfast and then told them he was going shopping. For what they didn't know and were afraid to ask thinking he might be in the market to expand their little family as he called it. The girls were smart enough to play along with their captor and not get him upset. Molly was no problem at all she still didn't say much except to Cassy.

Poppy went out and got into his beat up old car, he slowly pulled out into the street looking to make sure no one was around who could see him. It was right after rush hour and right before the streets became crowded with shoppers looking for parking places. He eased out on the street slowly, once he was sure no one was round Poppy sped off.

In a tree filled park a small boy played with a toy dump truck in the dirt. His mother had left him to buy them both an ice cream cone at a vendor a short distance away. A black car cruised by at a crawl as if searching for something. When the driver spotted the little boy he pulled over and parked. Poppy petted the puppy he held in his lap, it whimpered softly as if it knew what was about to happen. Thirty minutes before Poppy had walked into a pet store about a mile away. He went straight to the puppies; he wanted one for his 'kids'.

Kate, the only sales girl at the moment approached the man, he was dressed shabbily but she had seen worse. She smiled, "May I help you sir?"

Poppy gave her his best smile, "I'm looking for a dog for my kids."

"How old are they?" Kate asked picking up a pug that wiggled happily.

"Two are six, one nine and one twelve, all girls, oh and a little boy on the way," he informed the girl.

"Wow," the girl exclaimed. "You really have a big family."

He smiled at the girl; "They really want a puppy bad. How much are those over there?" Poppy asked pointing to a pen of golden retrievers.

Kate put down the puppy she was holding and moved over to the pen holding the goldens. She picked one up and handed to the man. "They are three hundred and fifty dollars."

Poppy took the puppy in his arms; it promptly began licking his chin. He smiled for a moment then frowned, "That much uh?"

Kate nodded, "'Fraid so."

"Do you have anything cheaper," he asked looking round the store. Maybe a mouse or something but it wasn't the same as a dog, kids couldn't resist dogs.

"They all run about the same, sorry," she said as she took the puppy back that he handed her.

"Could you hold one for me?" Poppy asked. "I get paid on Friday."

"Sorry," she shook her head. "I'm not allowed to do that with out some kind of deposit, if you have fifty I can hold one for you."

Poppy sighed, "Won't have that much till Friday, guess I'll see you then."

Poppy left the store; he went around the corner and stopped pressing his back up against the wall. After about five minutes Poppy slipped back around the corner and peered into the pet store. The girl was in the back of the store; he opened the door quietly and slipped in. He went over to where the Golden Retriever puppies were and quickly grabbed one slipping it under his coat. He was almost out of the store when the sales girl turned around and spotted him.

"Hey you," she yelled as she ran toward the front of the store. Poppy dashed out the door, jumped into his car and roared away from the curb. Kate ran out to the middle of the street just in time to see the black car disappear around the corner.

The little boy was so busy with his truck that he didn't see Poppy holding the puppy at first. The boy was filling up the truck with dirt and dumping it several inches away. He was singing some kind of song softly to himself, his mother was still at the ice cream stand getting his favorite, chocolate.

Poppy crouched down in front of the boy holding the puppy, "Hi!" he said.

The boy looked up at him startled, "Hi," he said slowly; his mother had always told him not to talk to strangers.

"Want to pet my puppy?" Poppy said as he looked to see if the woman at the stand was coming back. He was in luck she was still in line but she was next so he knew he had to work fast. The four-year-old boy looked like he might get up and run any minute. "Do you like puppies? I have some more in my car, I could give you one."

Little Timmy's blue eyes sparkled at the thought of owning his very own puppy. In fact his mother had just said a couple of days ago that maybe, just maybe they would get a puppy since he was getting to be such a big boy now. "Well OK, mommy did say I could have one," Timmy said brushing his blond hair from his eyes.

"Good," Poppy said smiling, he held his hand out to the boy who took it with out even a look back at his mother. "Let's hurry then you can surprise your mommy when she gets back with your ice cream."

Ellen Stewart finally was next in line, if she had known that it would have taken this long she would have brought Timmy with her. But he was having such a good time and she didn't think she would be long. Besides she could still see him.

"What would you like lady?" The man in the stand said.

Ellen broke out of her thoughts and smiled at the man, "I would like two chocolate cones, please."

"Coming right up," the man said as he grabbed two cones. He filled them then said, "Three dollars."

Ellen laid the money on the counter and took the cones; she turned around and headed back to the spot where she had left her son. But all she saw was the truck long for gotten in the dirt, she looked around wildly. First toward the swings, he loved the swings, then the fountain he loved that too. He wasn't either place, and then out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of her son getting into a black car.

"No-o-o-o-o," she screamed dropping the ice cream and running toward the car.

Poppy heard the scream; he shoved the boy into the car, slammed the door then ran around and jumped in the driver's side. The woman was yelling for help by now and little Timmy had seen his mother running across the grass toward the car. He started to get out but Poppy grabbed the boy roughly by the back of his shirt.

Timmy realized that he had made a mistake by going with this man. There were no more puppies only the one he held on his lap. He pushed his tiny face up against the window, "Mommy," he yelled tears running down his face.

By the time Ellen got to the curb the car was gone, "Help me somebody help me! That man just stole my son."

 

Starsky met back up with his partners at the station, he hadn't found out anything new. Everyone gave the same description of the car. At least it appeared to be the same person, Starsky didn't know if that was bad or good.

Susan and Hutch were at their desks when he pushed open the squad room doors. "Anything?" Susan asked looking up from a paper she was reading.

Starsky shook his head, "Nope, you guys get anything from Huggy?"

"Not a thing," Hutch said. "This case is driving me crazy, how can this guy grab these kids and just disappear? What is he doing with them?"

Suddenly the squad room doors flew open; Officer Dan Johnson ran in, "There was just another kidnapping."

All three detectives jumped to their feet, "Where?" Hutch demanded as they started for the door.

That little park down town, "It just happened minutes ago," the officer told them.

When the detectives arrived at the park, several police cars were all ready there. A young blond woman was sitting on a park bench sobbing, a policewoman had her arm around the woman's shoulders. As the detectives got closer they saw that the policewoman was Janie.

Susan stopped dead in her tracks; Hutch almost walked into the back of her, "What's wrong?" He asked.

"N-Nothing," Susan stammered and continued on to where Janie and the woman were sitting. Collecting herself Susan said, "We'll take over from here."

Janie glanced up at her former friend, "Sure thing, Izzy," she said with a slight edge to her voice.

Both Starsky and Hutch looked at each other they could feel the tension between the two women. Janie got up; she ripped out a piece of paper from her notebook and tried to hand it to Susan. "I'll take my own notes," Susan snapped as she sat down next to the sobbing woman with out taking the paper.

Starsky took the paper from Janie giving her a smile, "Thanks." Once the police woman was out of earshot he turned to Susan, "What the hell was that all about."

"This isn't the time Starsk," Susan said, she took the woman's hand. "What's your name?" She asked softly.

The young woman looked up at the detective with red swollen eyes, "I just left him for a moment, to get ice cream, Timmy loves chocolate ice cream." She pointed toward the ice cream stand, "I was just over there, I thought he would be all right. It's all my fault, I shouldn't have left him."

"What's your name?" Susan repeated patiently.

"Ellen, Ellen Stewart," the woman managed to say.

"Do you have anyone we can call for you?" Susan asked. There was all ready an A.P.B. out on the car and man."

Sadly Ellen shook her head no, "My husband and I are divorced, he lives back east and I have no other relatives. You just find my son don't worry about me, he's all I have. If I lose him I have nothing to live for."

Janie reappeared by the park bench, "Ellen, why don't you let my partner and I take you home and let the detectives find Timmy." Ellen got up from the bench woodenly and went with the policewoman.

Susan stood staring after Ellen and Janie as the policewoman steered the woman toward the police car. "What is your problem with Janie," Starsky demeaned. "She wasn't doing anything wrong."

"Did I say she did," Susan snapped.

"You didn't have to talk to her like that in front of that woman," Starsky said defending Janie.

Susan turned to face Starsky, "I was doing my job, now how about doing yours and let's find little Timmy." Susan said and stalked off towards Starsky's red and white car.

"What is going on with her?" Starsky ask Hutch.

Hutch shrugged, "I don't know but I intend to find out."

As Susan got to the car the radio was going off, she leaned in and grabbed the microphone, "Zebra three," Susan answered.

"See the woman at Pete's Pets," the dispatcher relayed.

"Was there another kidnapping?" Susan asked fearfully.

"No a puppy was stolen," dispatch said.

"I'm in the middle of a kidnapping case and you are calling us on a puppy?" Susan stormed into the microphone.

"Detective Carlston, the description of the man that stole the puppy matches that of the kidnaper, the car too."

"Where's this pet store?" Susan asked quickly. The dispatcher gave the detective the address. "That's only a few blocks from here."

"What's going on," Hutch asked as Susan was hanging up the mic.

"We might just have our first break, I'll explain on the way," Susan said as she slid into the front seat.

Kate Simon was standing out side of Pete's Pets when the detectives arrived. After introductions were made, the officers questioned the clerk. "He said that he wanted to buy his kids a puppy," Kate said. "He was very talkative and told me about his children."

"What did he say about them?" Hutch asked as he took out his notebook.

"Well lets see," Kate said thoughtfully. "He said he had four girls, he even told me their ages, uh two were six, one was nine and the other was twelve. Oh and he said he had a little boy on the way. I just assumed his wife was about to deliver. When I told him how much the puppy was he said that he didn't have that much money and he would be back on Friday because he really wanted his kids to have a dog."

Starsky unfolded a drawing of the man the Stevenson's had described, "Is this the man?" He asked.

"That's him all right, I don't think I will ever forget that face. There was something kind of odd about him. When he first came in I thought he was a bum then he started talking about his kids but he sounded so sincere I thought I had made a mistake." Kate told them.

"Did he give you any idea where he might live, anything that would give us a clue?" Susan asked desperately.

Kate shook her head, "Sorry, all he talked about was his kids. I got the feeling that he really loves those kids. His wife looking for him?"

"No, we have reason to believe that he has kidnapped those kids and just a short time ago about three blocks from here a little boy was taken by a man matching this desecration. So please, think hard." Starsky pleaded.

Kate's eyes widen, "I'm so sorry but he didn't say anything about where he lived. I should have gotten him to fill out an application."

Hutch put a hand on her shoulder, "I doubt that he would have filled one out any way or if he did he wouldn't have put the right address on it."

"Thank you so much," Susan smiled as she took out a business card. "If you think of anything no matter how silly it seems to you call."

 

CHAPTER FOUR

 

 

The detectives pulled up in front of Susan and Hutch's place; Jesse was riding her bike up and down the sidewalk. Mrs. Gray was no where in sight. Susan jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped, she ran to Jesse grabbing her from the bike.

"What are you doing out here?" Susan almost yelled at her daughter.

Hutch and Starsky joined their partner on the sidewalk. Jesse smiled from her mother's arms, "Being bait."

"What?" Susan said horrified. "Where is Mrs. Gray?"

"I'm being bait, you know like you and daddy do when you are trying to get the bad guy," Jesse smiled.

"Where is Mrs. Gray?" Susan repeated as she started toward the house.

"I don't know, in the house I guess," Jesse said sensing that she was in big trouble.

Starsky bent over and pick up Jesse's bike then followed his friends to the house. Hutch opened the front door for Susan who was still holding Jesse. "Mrs. Gray," Susan shouted.

"Susan take it easy," Hutch said trying to calm down his wife.

You take it easy," she snapped. "Our daughter was out there setting herself up to be kidnapped, I'm not going to calm down."

Mrs. Gray came in the living room from the kitchen, her apron was covered with flour as were her hands, "What's going on?" she ask.

"Jesse was out front by herself riding her bike waiting for the kidnaper to take her," Susan stormed. "Where the hell were you!"

Mrs. Gray took a step back; she had never seen her employer so mad, at least not at her. The older woman's face crumbled and she looked like she would cry any moment, "I thought Jesse was in the play room watching TV. I told her to stay there and I would make some cookies. How could she have gotten out without me seeing her?"

Jesse squirmed in her mothers arms, Susan sat her daughter on her feet, Jesse turned and looked up at Susan, "It's not Mrs. Gray's fault," she declared her hands on her small hips. "I climbed out the window so she wouldn't see me."

Susan got down on her knees so that she was eye level with Jesse, "But why, didn't you know what you were doing was dangerous? This man just kidnapped a four year old boy, it's like . . .." Susan paused a moment and looked up at Hutch.

"What is it?" he asked.

"It's like he's making his own family," Susan said as she sat back on her heels. "He isn't randomly selecting children, he is building a family possibly a family he has lost."

Starsky started across the living room, "I think you might have something. I'm going to give Libby a call, see if there is anything in that computer of hers about a man loosing his family in a fire or an accident."

Susan stood up and looked at Mrs. Gray who now had tears running down her face, the detective pulled the older woman into arms, "Mrs. Gray I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know you love Jesse as much as we do and wouldn't let anything happen to her."

"I should have been watching her closer," Mrs. Gray said with a catch in her voice.

"I have a feeling that no matter how close you watched her Jesse would have found some way out. She's like her mother, once she gets her mind set on something nothing will get in the way," Hutch said smiling at the nanny. He then picked up Jesse, "And you young lady, you stay in the house, let us do the detective work. If we need your help, you will be the first to know. Getting yourself kidnapped is not going to help our case."

Jesse nodded then wrapped her arms around her father's neck and hugged him, "I'm glad he didn't get me, I would have missed all of you."

Hutch felt his throat tighten up, he cleared it and said, "No more detective work, got me?"

"Got ya," she smiled then looked worried "Are you still mad at Mrs. Gray? It wasn't her fault really."

"Everything is fine," Susan smiled at Mrs. Gray.

Starsky rejoined them, "Libby is running stuff in the computer, she said she has a friend at the newspaper office who will see if there was anything in the newspaper in case nothing turns up in our files. If it wasn't a police matter then chances are we won't have anything on file."

Just as the detectives were about to leave the phone began to ring. Mrs. Gray went to answer it, then called to Susan. Susan took the phone and said, "Carlston."

"Susan it's Dobey," the plump black captain said. He sat at his desk with a folder flipped open, he was holding a personnel form. At the top of the form was a photo Janie Stillwell, under the picture was information about the young woman. "Looks like your friend is clean, there is nothing unusual about her. She comes to us from a police force back east, she had a clean record there and came highly recommended to us."

"Does it say anything about her parents?" Susan asked in a hushed voice, she didn't want her partners to hear her conversation.

"Yes, looks like they died not to long after you left there," Dobey said as he scanned the rest of the document.

"How did they die?" Susan asked holding her breath.

Dobey said two words that sent a shiver down Susan's back and made the captain wonder about their newest officer, "Car wreck. I'm going to keep digging for you."

"Thanks Cap," Susan said in a shaky voice. As she hung up the phone Hutch approached her.

"Any thing wrong?" he asked as he noticed how pale her face was.

"No, I'm fine," she said brushing away his concern. "Let's get down to the station and see if Libby has turned up anything."

 

Libby Standford sat at her computer watching it print out several names on a sheet of paper. She let her other work go as soon as Starsky had called; the whole force was working over time trying to find the kidnaper. Many of the officers had children of their own so crimes against children especially hit home. Even though Libby didn't have any kids, she was very close to Jesse and knew Cassy. It was hard to be around Jesse and not know Cassy they were almost inseparable. Tomorrow would be Jesse's sixth birthday and Libby couldn't think of any better gift than to give her best friend back.

The printer stopped and Libby tore off the list; there were six names. The first three were women that lost children in car wrecks, one man was black and lost a child to kidnaping, and another man was too old to match the description of the suspect. The last name on the list was Richard Poppendeck; he had lost four children and his wife in his wife. It had been a terrible blaze, the trailer that they had been living in went up in a matter of minutes, and there was no hope of getting any of them out although many people tried. Poppendeck had run out to get his wife who was nine months pregnant some ice cream. When he returned he had lost his whole family.

Libby open the file on the kidnapped children, she compared the sexes and ages of the missing kids against Poppendeck's family. Everything matched he had four girls, twins age six, one age nine and the last age twelve. The baby if it had been born would have been a boy but the boy that had been taken from the park had been four.

Libby sat puzzling over the boy when the three detectives walked in. When she saw them Libby jumped to her feet waving the print out in the air, "I think I have something. Look here," the policewoman laid the paper on the counter along with the file on the missing kids. "See everything matches except here." She pointed at the boys. "His son died before he was born but the boy he took was four, right?"

Starsky nodded, "Right, look at that all the girls match."

Susan picked up the police report on the fire, the only reason it was even in the police files was that if was thought to be arson at first because of a burnt line across the carpet. But it was discovered that it had been a can of hair spray that had exploded. Susan looked at the date at the top of the print out. "This print out is four years old," Susan said.

"Hutch looked at her, "Did you say this happened four years ago?"

"Yeah why?" Susan asked.

"His son would be four years old now!" Hutch exclaimed slapping the top of the counter. Then he grabbed the phone and made a quick call to Dobey. "Libby run Poppendeck through the computer, see what you come up with."

"Got ya," Libby said sitting back down at the terminal. Susan handed her the print out so she could get the spelling correct. The detectives gathered around the computer waiting for the information to come up.

After a few minutes the printer started spitting out paper, this went on for a minute or two then Libby tore it off and handed it to Hutch. He scanned it then said, "Mostly it's the same as the other print out except for one thing. Seems that Mr. Poppendeck was arrested for hanging around a schoolyard. He was asked several days in a row not to hang around the playground, finally school officials called the police. He was taken in but released, this happened only weeks after his family was killed. They figured it was his way of working through his loses. He was never seen around a play ground again and he's been clean up until now."

"How long has he been planning this?" Libby said with a shiver.

"No telling, I just wonder if those kids are safe, how far off the deep end has he gone?" Susan asked. "Is there an address?"

Hutch checked out the sheet again, "Yeah, he lived in the Royal Hotel, but that was three, four years ago."

Starsky rolled his eyes, "Does every criminal in the city live in the Royal?" The detectives knew the Royal as well as they knew the manager, Albee. He was always just barely on the right side of the law. They would love to arrest him for something but he all ways kept himself just clean enough.

"Do you think we should even bother going there?" Susan asked looking at her two partners.

"Got a better place to start? Maybe we'll get lucky and somebody will remember him and know where he is now." Hutch said.

"I'll keep digging and see what I can come up with. Want me to run this stuff up to Dobey?" Libby said.

"That would be great, tell Cap where we are going," Susan said. "We'll get back with him when we find out something."

Starsky's red Torino pulled up in front of the Royal Hotel; it was a seedy run down place. Even in it's hay day it wasn't one of your better places to stay. As always Albee was at the front desk, he was tall and painfully thin with a receding hairline and a pale complexion.

When Albee saw the detectives enter the front door beads of sweat popped out on his forehead. He hated seeing them come in because they always hassled him for no reason or at least he felt it was for no reason. "What now," Albee exclaimed as soon as they were with in earshot.

"Oh take it easy Albee," Starsky said. "We just want to ask you a few questions, clean and simple. We ask, you answer and we are out of here."

"Fine, ask your question's and get out you're stinking up the place," Albee snapped.

"Hey somebody's got a back bone since we here last," Susan glared at the man. "Listen, we don't have time to play games with you." She pulled out a photo from her pocket; it was Poppendeck from four years ago when he was brought in. Susan tossed it on the counter. "Know him?"

They thought they would get some kind of song and dance from Albee but instead his mouth fell open, "It's Poppy!" he exclaimed.

The detectives looked at each other and mouth, Poppy. "You know this guy?" Starsky ask.

"Sure everybody knows Poppy," Albee said tapping the photo. "He's a great guy, really nice, would give you the shirt off his back."

"He really must be something for you to remember him after four years." Hutch said almost impressed.

"What do you mean after four years?" Albee said confused. "He has a room up on the fifth floor, has had for as long as I can remember. He lost his whole family ya know. Is Poppy OK? I mean I haven't seen him in several days."

"Can we see his room?" Hutch asked all ready starting for the stairs.

Albee reverted back to himself, "You got a warrant?"

With out even answering the manager Starsky leaned over the desk and grabbed the motel register. There were two kinds of people that stayed at a dump like the Royal, hookers who only used the room for an hour at a time or drunks that lived there because it was cheap. The detective thumbed through until he found the page with the live ins.

"Room 518," Starsky said as he snapped the book closed and handed it to him. "Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?"

Albee shrugged came out from behind the desk with the room key in his hand. "What's Poppy done?"

"Just move it," Starsky said giving the man a push toward the stairs.

Albee started to protest but the looks on the detective's faces told him they weren't about to take any crap so he lead the way up stairs. The manager fit the key in the lock and turned, he noticed that the officers had drawn their guns. Albee pushed open the door but a chain lock from inside stopped the door when it was only open a couple of inches.

Albee peered in the crack, "Poppy, its Albee, you OK?"

"Move it," Hutch said to the manager. He kicked the door in among protests from Albee. Susan and Starsky entered the room behind Hutch, Albee followed. The room was dark; the curtains were closed tight. "Where's the light in this dump?"

Albee stepped forward and flipped the switch on the wall. A naked light bulb that hung from the ceiling in the center of the room glowed brightly. There was the usual bed in the corner, a sink with a cracked mirror hanging over it and a card table with a folding chair.

Hutch walked over to the table it was covered with photos of children. At first he didn't realized that the pictures were of the kidnapped kids until he saw a photo of Cassy. "Guys get over here."

Susan had been checking out the chest of drawers while Starsky was tearing into the bed. The two detectives gathered around their partner. "Cassy!" Susan exclaimed grabbing the photo. It was a picture of the little girl riding her bike in front of her house. But the thing that made Susan's heart stop was that Jesse was in the photo with Cassy. If it had been Jesse out there instead of Cassy he probably would have taken her.

"Where is Poppy," Albee asked looking around the room.

Starsky went to the window; there was a fire escape right out side. It appeared that Poppy would lock up his room from the inside then leave by the fire escape. "How long has it been since you have seen him?"

"Several days, maybe a week," Albee said thoughtfully. "You know he had been acting strange for the last month."

"Strange how?" Starsky ask looking down into the street, five floors was along way to climb every time you went out.

"He suddenly seem to have a lot of money. Poppy paid me for six months rent and he was buying all kinds of things, kid things. You know toys, clothes but I don't see any of this stuff now," Albee said looking around.

"Looks like he has been planning this for a long while," Susan said. Then she turned to Albee, "Do you have any idea where he's keeping these kids?"

Albee shook his head, "I wish I did, believe me I would tell you," the manager sounded so sincere that the detectives actually believed him.

"If you hear from him or he shows up you call us," Hutch instructed.

"You got it," Albee said. "Hey maybe I can ask around, somebody might know something."

The detectives thanked the manager and left, once back out in the car Susan made a call home to check on Jesse. Mrs. Gray answered the phone. "Mrs. Gray how is Jesse?"

"Just fine and she is staying close to me, she says she doesn't want to get me in trouble again," Mrs. Gray said in a soft voice. "She's such a sweet girl."

"You make sure she stays with you at all times until we get home tonight," Susan instructed then proceeded to tell the nanny about the photo they had found in Poppy's apartment.

After Susan hung up the mic Starsky ask, "Do you believe Albee?"

"Yeah I do," Susan said. "I don't know why but I do. I don't think there are a lot of people that can stand others that abuse children. I think he will help us if he can."

Out of nowhere Hutch ask, "Why Izzy?"

"What?" Susan asked startled at the name.

"Well it's a funny nickname, I was just wondering where you got it from," Hutch explained.

"Oh," Susan stalled. "Wel-l-l it's kind of a really long story." She didn't want to get into this now, Susan glanced over at Starsky to see if maybe Janie had said anything to him but he look just as interested in an explanation as Hutch was.

"Come on, we could use a good story," Starsky smiled at her. "I tried to get Janie to tell me but she said to ask you."

Well Janie at least had a little heart, for now anyway. But Susan knew she couldn't keep her secret forever, they would find out sooner or later. Susan sighed, "I'll tell you the whole sorted story after we solve this case, OK?"

"You make it sound so mysterious," Hutch said half joking but he was really beginning to wonder what was going on. Susan didn't seem very friendly toward Janie, in fact she was right down nasty to her.

Talk about being saved by the bell, the radio went off, Susan let out a sigh of relief as she answered the radio, "Zebra Three, what have you got?" Susan asked.

"Detective Carlston, Captain Dobey would like to see you in his office as soon as possible."

After she hung up the microphone Starsky ask, "What's that all about?"

Susan shrugged, "Who knows?"

CHAPTER FIVE When the detectives arrived at the station Susan wondered how she would be able to talk to Dobey with out them along but the Captain had pretty much thought of every thing. Susan rapped on Dobey's office door flanked by her partners. "Come in," he called in a gruff voice. When they opened the door and came in Dobey said to Starsky and Hutch, "Don't sit I want you two to go down and see if Officer Standford has gotten any information on this Poppendeck guy, we have to find him before he decides to skip town with the kids." Susan had filled him in over the phone with their new theory.

They shrugged and left Dobey's office, Susan knew it was just a matter of time before her partners became suspicious not that they weren't all ready wondering what was going on. She was going to have to come up with a good story why Dobey wanted to see her alone. Everything was getting much to complicated but Susan wasn't ready to come clean yet, she wanted all their energy focused on the kidnap case. It was too important and Susan knew that everything might fall apart when her past was known.

"Sit down, Susan," Dobey said kindly. She frowned, he was calling her by her first name again, and the news couldn't be good. "I called the police department where Janie worked. She quit after her parents died; in fact her old captain said that she couldn't get out of there fast enough. Janie took off the day after she buried them. The captain said that the accident was suspicious and he wanted to investigate but she some how convinced him not to."

Susan sat staring at her captain, "Do you think she killed them"

"You should know that better than me, what do you think," Dobey asked. He leaned back in his chair and looked at her.

"Yes I do, guess she got tired of splitting the pot," Susan said. "I don't think that it's just a fluke that she turned up here."

"But why would she be after you, it's been years," Dobey said as he flipped open the file on Janie that was still lying on his desk.

Suddenly Susan gave a bitter laugh, "I was the one that got away," she said simply. "I out smarted them, I figured out what they were doing and I left before they could kill me and get my money."

"Do you still have all this money?" Dobey ask then he cleared his throat and turned slightly red. "I'm sorry it's none of my business."

Susan got up from the chair she was sitting in and went to the window behind Dobey's desk and looked out. "Cap you can ask me anything you want. I have nothing to hide and you are the only one that I can talk to about this. I have the money in a special account, after I had Jesse I put her name on the account. I haven't touched that money since I sot settled in and started work. The account number is in a safety deposit box along with a few things that belonged to my parents and a necklace that my sister gave me for my birthday just before she was . . . was murdered." Susan had never said that word before and it brought tears to her eyes. She picked up a pad of paper and a pen from Dobey's desk and wrote the name of the bank and the account number. Susan handed it to her captain, "If anything happens to me you make sure Jesse gets the money."

Dobey took the paper from his detective and read what she had written, "Do you really think this is necessary."

"Yes, for now until I can tell Hutch you have to do this for me," Susan said almost pleading with him. "Janie is cold and calculating. How many kids do you know would kill their own parents?"

Dobey took her hand, "I'll see to Jesse but nothing is going to happen to you. I'm going to see if I can light a fire under her old captain. It's only been two months since they died; maybe the car is still around and can be check out. You have got to tell Hutch, if she is as dangerous as you think all of you could be in trouble. You get that nanny of yours to keep a close eye on Jesse."

Susan looked at him her face pale, "I never really thought that she might go after them," Susan gasped. "I guess I have to tell him now."

The office door banged open; Starsky and Hutch walked in. Starsky was grinning from ear to ear. "Don't mind him," Hutch said. "He just got a big date with Janie."

"For God sakes just stay away from her Starsk, she is bad news!" Susan shouted and stormed out of the office.

Both of the detectives stared after her, "What is with her?" Starsky ask.

Dobey ignored the question, instead he ask, "What did you find out down stairs."

"Nothing new," Hutch said. "Our only hope is to get out and look, maybe we will see him. I think that as long as the kids go along with what he's doing they will be safe. He's already lost one family I don't think he would hurt the one he's making for himself."

"You are that sure he's making himself a new family," Dobey said. Hutch nodded and sat down after glancing at the door, he was very concerned about Susan. "If you are right then the kidnappings should stop."

"I think so, can I go, I want to see about Susan," Hutch said getting up.

"Hutchinson, just let her be for now," Dobey advised his detective.

Hutch gave his captain a perplexed look, "Captain, what is going on. I'm really worry about Susan; she has been acting very strange lately. I thought it was because of the kidnappings but I'm not so sure any more. I think it has something to do with that new female officer that Starsky is dating. Every time Susan and Janie get near each other you can almost see the sparks fly."

Dobey just shrugged, "I wouldn't know about that."

Starsky sat listening to the exchange between his partner and his captain. Then he silently got up and left the room, he found Susan sitting at her desk sipping a cup of coffee and reading a report. He sat down next to her, "Are you jealous?"

"What?" Asked Susan startled. She laid down the report and looked at Starsky, she really missed him. Ever since they had been trapped in Dobey's cabin in a snow storm things had been different. They had finally admitted that they cared very deeply for each other. Nothing really happened between them but it left Hutch wondering. Susan tried to tell him what happened or didn't happen but he said it didn't matter. He never mentioned it again and Susan never brought it up again. But her relationship with Starsky had chanced, it was more guarded, she would wonder every time she and Starsky were alone if Hutch worried what they were up to. They didn't spend much if any time alone together and she missed her friend very much.

Now Starsky sat looking at her with his blue eyes twinkling and that mischievous grin that he got when he was teasing her, "Are you jealous?" he repeated. "You don't seem very happy that I'm seeing Janie."

"What's wrong with Libby? She's a sweet girl and she is crazy about you," Susan said avoiding his question.

"I care very much about Libby," he shrugged. "I don't know what it is with us, we seem to run hot and cold. But I wasn't talking about Libby I was talking about Janie. Would you care to answer my question?"

"No I'm not jealous of Janie, she is just bad news. Did you forget that I knew her when?" Susan asked, it was all she could do to keep from reaching over and hugging him and telling Starsky every thing. They use to be so close, closer in fact that she was with Hutch sometimes, which bother him to no end. She was beginning to wish the cabin had never happened. Suddenly Susan made a decision, "Starsky there's something I need to tell you about Janie. She's not who . . . "

At that moment Hutch came out of Dobey's office, his two partners were sitting with their heads almost touching and looked like they were in a very deep conversation. Hutch felt a little tug at his heart, they hadn't seem them that close in a very long time. He had finally started feeling like Susan was all his and he wasn't sharing her with Starsky any more. To make matters worse Susan stopped mid sentence when he entered the room, she was looking at him and Starsky was looking at her intently.

"Go on," Starsky urged. "What should I know about Janie, what's her deep dark secret?"

"What's up?" Susan asked trying to give Hutch her best smile. "Do you have something."

"No, but I think maybe we should just cruise the streets ask some questions. If Albee knows him than chances are somebody else does too, we just might get lucky," Hutch answered, then without waiting for them he left the squad room.

Susan grabbed her jacket and followed him. "Hey," Starsky called after her. "Aren't you going to finish telling me about Janie?" When she didn't respond, he also grabbed his jacket and went after his partners.

 

Poppy was very pleased with the newest addition to his family and the tiny puppy rounded out everything. The only thing he was missing was a mother but he knew that one would be much tougher. It would be nice to do it the old fashion way but there just wasn't time. He didn't like leaving his children in that awful building by themselves; he was so afraid that something would happen to them. It wouldn't be long now until they could move on, all he needed was a bigger car, perhaps a van if he could swing it. And he needed their mother, which would take some doing. Poppy had been watching several women; he would get one of them. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor down the hall in one of the empty rooms making a list when he felt eyes on him. Poppy looked up to find Tammy standing in the doorway. "Everything OK?" he asked.

The girl nodded, "We were just wondering what the little boys name is, he won't talk. And what should we call the puppy?"

Poppy smiled at her, "The boy is Timmy and you kids can name the puppy, it's yours and your brother and sisters of course."

A shiver ran down Tammy's spine when Poppy referred to the other kids as her brother and sisters. This strange man was never going to let them go and he talked endlessly about taking them away somewhere. Suddenly she couldn't take it any more, "When are you going to let us go home? I miss my parents, and my home," she said trying to hold back the tears. She had been strong for the younger kids but after all she was only twelve and scared too.

Poppy got up from the floor and came towards Tammy, she backed up a step or two, "Honey you are home and as soon as your mother gets here we will find a better place to live, I promise." He reached out and started to put his hand on her shoulder but Tammy fled down the hall not even trying to hold back the tears.

When she reached the room the kids were staying in she closed the door and leaned on it. Cassy looked up from a game she was playing with Molly, "What's wrong?" she ask when she saw the older girls tears.

"He is never going to let us go," she sobbed. "I think he planning on kidnaping a woman to be our mother then he said we are leaving."

The girls looked at her in horror; Timmy sat looking out the dirty window. "What are we going to do?" Brandi wailed. "I want to go home."

"We have to try to escape," Molly whispered looking toward the door.

"He'll kill us," Tammy said, she sat down on the dirty mattress next to the other girls. "Besides he always ties us up when he leaves."

"Well we have to do something," Cassy said desperately. "Nobody knows where we are, there has to be something we can do to attract attention."

"You know she's right," Tammy said wiping her tears away. "We are in an empty building, maybe we could hang something out one of the front windows. Somebody walking by would see it and come check it out."

"In this section of town nobody will care," Brandi said knowingly. She lived only a few blocks from the building they were being held; in fact the building she lived in wasn't a whole lot better than this one. Brandi didn't think she was suppose to know where she was because Poppy had blindfolded her and driven around for several hours. She thought she was going to die being locked in the trunk for so long but finally he had let her out and led her into the building with the blindfold still on. As soon as Brandi was able to see out the window she knew right where she was. "I live a few blocks from here."

The other girls looked at her horrified especially Molly who was use to living in a world where she only had the best. None of them could believe that anyone could live in this part of town. Brandi blushed, "My mom lost her job last year, we lived on the streets for about six months then we were finally able to get into one of the apartments offered by the city. Mom just got a new job a couple of weeks ago so we are hoping to be able to move out of here soon."

"Wow," Tammy said impressed. "That's some story, I guess I never knew how good I had it. You have nothing to be embarrassed about Brandi, you should be proud of your mom."

"Oh I am, my dad left us when I was just a baby and mom has been taking care of me every since. We are best friends and I . . . miss her," Brandi started to cry Tammy came over and put her arm around her.

"We are going to get out of here some how," Tammy proclaimed as she looked around the room. "But we are all going to have to work together. Timmy why don't you join us."

The little boy looked at the older girl his eyes wide; "You know my name?"

She nodded by didn't explain how she knew she was afraid she might scare him again. "We were all kidnapped by that man, I don't think he will hurt us but don't do anything to make him mad, understand?"

He nodded, he was only four but he was a smart little boy, "I want to see my mommy."

"Well if we can figure a way out of here, I'll make sure you find you mom, OK?" Tammy told him.

The children huddled together so that they could work on a plan with out their kidnaper hearing them. Poppy still sat in the empty room working on his list. He had to find a woman to be mother to his children; he had to get the kids out of building. Poppy knew that the police had to be looking for them by now. He was going to finish getting food, find a van and leave first thing in the morning whether he had gotten a mother or not.

Poppy went to check on the children, they were lying asleep on the bare mattress. He check each one, Poppy looked at the rope he had in his hand then down at the sleeping children again. Making his decision he tossed the ropes in the corner then left the room quietly, closing the door softly after him.

As soon as Poppy was gone Tammy sat up, as did the rest of the kids. They waited until they heard the car start and pull away then they got up and started for the door.

 

Starsky, Hutch and Susan cruised the streets within a twelve block radius of the Royal Hotel, they had stopped in and spoke with Albee again but he didn't have anything new. After a couple of hours the trio thought they would knock off for dinner and made their way to The Pits. The bar was just beginning to fill up when the detectives arrived. When Huggy saw them come in he left his place behind the bar and showed them to a back booth.

Susan and Hutch sat down; Starsky went to make a phone call to Janie to postpone their date once again. Hutch looked at Susan who was sitting next to him; she was intently watching Starsky. "What are you thinking about?" he ask for the lack of anything else to say.

"Oh nothing, we have missed something along the way," Susan said. "I think Poppendeck is still around here somewhere but I have a feeling that if we don't find him soon he'll be gone. After all he has his family."

"Not his whole family," Hutch said suddenly as a thought struck him.

"What do you mean?" Susan ask finally prying her eyes from Starsky on the phone.

"What is he missing in this little family of his?" Hutch asked, Susan shrugged. "How about a mother, he lost his wife too."

Susan's mouth fell open, "You're right, maybe he's out shopping for a mother. Have their been any missing reports on any young women."

"I don't know but it's sure worth a shot to find out," Hutch said excitedly. "If we can get some one quickly we can plant them out on the streets around here, just maybe he'll take the bait if we make it easy enough for him."

"You have your plant right here, so we don't have to worry about that. Now if we can just get Starsk off the phone." "What is your problem with him and Janie," Hutch asked in a perturbed voice. "You jealous?"

"No," Susan said a little more harshly than she intended. "I just don't think she is very good for him."

"Susan it has been years since you knew Janie. Don't you think that maybe she has done some growing up since then?" Hutch asked. Starsky had hung up the phone and was starting their way.

"Hutch has an idea of how we can get Poppendeck," Susan exclaimed as he got close to the table. The two detectives explained their thoughts to their partner. As they talked Huggy brought a tray with three beers on it to them. He slid in next to Starsky and listened to them.

Hutch got up to make a call to Libby to see if there had been any women kidnapped lately, thinking that maybe he started with a woman and it didn't catch their attention because it wasn't a child. Starsky followed him and Susan was about to follow them when Huggy grabbed her hand.

"What's all this stuff about this Janie broad?" Huggy asked.

Susan looked at him surprised, wondering how he knew about Janie, "Don't you start in on me too," Susan said pulling her hand from his grasp. "I don't have time for this now, we might be able to get this Poppendeck guy."

Susan started to walk away again, "Fine, but I need to talk to you soon Izzy," Huggy said as he got up from the booth.

Susan stopped dead in her tracks then turned and stared at her friend. "What . . . how did you know?" Susan sputtered.

"Dobey called me," Huggy explained. "He wanted me to check out some things for him."

"Things being Janie Stillwell?" Susan asked, he nodded. "Dobey thinks you might get info off the street?" Again Huggy nodded. "And?"

"Word has it she is out to get you. She has contacted several people about taking a hit out on you. I guess she doesn't want to get her hands dirty this time." Huggy told her.

"How much did Dobey tell you?" Susan asked.

"Enough and I got the rest, you know me I never do anything half way," he smiled at her.

"So has anyone taken the hit?" Susan asked. She glanced at her partners who where still on the phone.

"Not yet, I don't think there are to many locals dumb enough to take on you guys," Huggy said winking at her.

Susan cocked her head toward her partners, "They don't know yet, I want to wait until we solve this case."

"I know, Dobey told me, but I think if you don't wrap this up soon and I mean really soon you had better tell them. Things might get really ugly with this Janie chick. I think your partners should know what they are up against especially Starsky before it's to late, if you know what I mean. He really likes her ya know."

"Yeah I know and I think that's all part of the plan. Janie never went for Starsky's type; she would be more interested in someone like Hutch. I guess she did her home work and found out that he was already taken so she moved on to Starsky," Susan said glancing at the phones once again, they were still busy talking. "I'm surprised she still didn't go after Hutch anyway."

"She impresses me as the type of girl that does her homework and she probably found out that Hutch doesn't play so she did the next best thing, she's getting to Starsky." Huggy said then cleared his throat to let Susan know they were returning from the phone, both were smiling.

"Well," Susan asked hopefully. Looking from one partner to the other.

"There have been no younger women reported missing either right before the kids were taken or since," Hutch informed her. "So we might just have a shot at this. You want to go for it, we can have somebody here in twenty minutes."

"I said I would be bait," Susan said. "I don't want to waste anymore time. He could be out looking right now or already gotten someone."

Hutch started to protest but he knew she was right, "I wish you were wired just in case," he said looking at her. "You're sure you want to do this?"

"Yes I'm sure and we don't have time for a wire," Susan said as she took off her blue jeans jacket. She pulled her gun from her shoulder holster and laid it on the table. Then she slipped off her harness and held it out to Hutch.

"Just what do you think you are doing?" Hutch asked staring at her gun on the table.

"I can't very well go out there armed, if he would take me and feel the gun how would I explain it?" Susan said shoving the harness into his hand. She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and took out the wallet that held her badge and ID. Susan tossed it on the table with her gun then she picked up her jacket and put it back on.

Reluctantly Hutch picked up the wallet and gun, he put the wallet in his coat pocket and tucked the gun in the top of his jeans and zipped his jacket closed. "I don't like this."

"You and Starsk will be right there the whole time, I'm not worried," Susan said. "Besides I don't think he's out to hurt anyone, he's just gone over the deep end. As long as I go along with him I'll be fine. You can follow us to where ever he's keeping the kids, call for back up and it's finally all over."

"Will you talk some sense into her, Starsk?" Hutch looked at his curly headed partner for support.

"Hutch I'm going with Susan on this one, what can go wrong, we'll be right there," Starsky said as he put his arm around Susan shoulders and hugged her. "After all before we got her she spent all of her time undercover setting people up, she's good at her job."

"I know that," Hutch snapped. "This is just different."

Susan looked at him, "No it's not, I have been in a lot worse situations than this and with no back up. I know what I'm doing, I'll be fine." She stepped forward and kissed him, "Don't worry."

 

As the detectives were leaving the bar Poppy was cruising the streets looking for the right woman. The one lady he had watched in the same park that he had taken Timmy from was there but she had had a man with her today. Disappointed he had gotten back into his car and continued looking. None of the other women he had been watching were out. He kept driving around, wondering if he was going to have to go further than he wanted. Poppy wanted to stay close to the building, it was harder to hide an adult than a child.

He was about to give up and go back to check on the kids, when he saw a young woman dressed in jeans wearing a blue jeans jacket walking down the street only several blocks from the building. She had long brown hair down to her waist and was walking slowly with her head down.

Poppy pulled up next to her and stopped. He leaned over and rolled down the passenger side window, "You lost?"

Susan stopped and smiled at him tiredly, which she didn't have to fake. She had been walking around for the last hour and a half and her feet hurt. She was about ready to pack it in when she saw a dark colored car come slowly up the street behind her. Susan had a feeling that it was the man they were looking for, and when he pulled over and stopped she was sure.

"Yeah I guess I am. I must have made a wrong turn some where," she smiled at him.

"Hop in I'll take you where you need to go," he offered.

Susan didn't want to appear eager so she took a couple of steps back away from the car, "I don't know."

"Oh come on, it will be dark soon," Poppy said kindly. "You don't want to be walking around in this neighborhood."

"Well," Susan hesitated and looked around like she wasn't really sure. Starsky and Hutch were sitting about two blocks away but since there weren't many building along the street they had a perfect view of Susan talking to man in the car. Hutch ran the license plate number the car was stolen.

"I don't like this, we are to far back, if he takes off we could lose him," Starsky said as he put his car in gear. "I'm going to move up."

"Wait," Hutch said pulling his hand on the steering wheel. "Just hold on a minute, let's wait until she gets into the car."

Starsky raised his eyebrows at Hutch. "And you were the one that didn't want her out here."

Hutch shrugged, "We are pretty sure that's the guy right?" Starsky nodded. "We can't blow this now we have those kids in our grasp. If Susan can get to them, then at least they are safer."

"What about Cassy?" Starsky ask suddenly. They hadn't thought about that, Cassy knew Susan and could very well give her away.

"Oh God," Hutch slapped his forehead. "I didn't think of that. I just hope that Susan thinks of it and can cover for Cassy if she slips up."

"All we can do now is cross our fingers," Starsky said. Susan had just gotten into the car; Starsky eased his car away from the curb and kept the two-block distance between them and the kidnaper.

Susan smiled at Poppy as she got in the car, "Thank-you this is really kind of you. I'm new in town, L.A. so big."

"You just sit tight, I'll have you home in no time," he said returning the smile. "Where do you need to go?"

"I'm in a hotel on . . .on, oh I can't remember the street name," Susan said as she glanced behind them, her partners were moving slowly down the street.

Poppy looked up into the rear view mirror, when he caught sight of the red car he floored the gas pedal, "Damn," he muttered.

"What's going on?" Susan asked pretending to be frightened.

"Cops!" he whispered to himself, it was like he had forgotten she was in the car. Susan wondered how he could have possibly known they were cops.

"So?" Susan said. "Are you in trouble or something?"

"Shut up," he yelled at her. "Just shut up! How did they find me?"

"Are you sure it's the cops," Susan ask looking back again.

"I thought I told you to shut up," Poppy snapped then back handed her across the mouth.

Susan blinked back tears and put her hand to her mouth. She looked at fingers they were blood covered. The detective realized that maybe this guy was more dangerous than they first thought. Susan started to say something else then thought better of it, if he got mad enough and beat her up she wouldn't be any use to those kids.

Poppy gunned the engine and roared around the corner. He knew he had to lose the cops, he was to close to getting what he wanted to let them stop him.

"Damn," Starsky shouted. "He's running, how the hell did he know?"

"Who knows but you had better not lose him," Hutch said clutching the dashboard as Starsky swung around the corner behind Poppendeck.

Poppy turned another corner and pulled into an alley between two buildings and cut the engine. He knew he was taking a change turning the car off but he didn't see the red car in the mirror at his last turn. Poppy opened the car door, "Come on," he growled at Susan. When she didn't move, he pulled a gun that had been tucked in the back of his pants and pointed it at her. "If you scream, you're dead, now get out!"

Susan eased across the seat and got out just in time to see the Tornio roar by. She closed her eyes willing them to come back but she heard the screech of tires as they rounded the next corner. "W-what are you going to do with me?" Susan stammered, she wasn't pretending to be scare anymore, she was. No gun, no wire, and no way to contact her partners. Susan was beginning to wish they had got back to the station and gotten a wire.

"Let's go," Poppy said poking the gun into her ribs. They walked past the car and deeper into the alley. Susan tried to drag her feet but he shoved her ahead of him almost making her fall. "Move it, I don't want to hurt you. I have a job for you and I don't have time to get anyone else." They heard a car, Poppy ducked into a near by door pulling Susan in with him.

"What kind of job," Susan asked. She tried to peer out to see the car but he had such a tight hold on her she couldn't move.

"I want you to be the mother of my children," Poppy answered as he listened for the sound of the car. When he was sure it was gone, he pushed Susan back out into the ally and they started walking again.

 

 

CHAPTER SIX

 

"I don't believe this!" Starsky shouted. "Where did they go?" Starsky backed the car up and retraced their route; he drove slowly checking every alleyway. Hutch rolled down the window and hung part way out so that he could get a better look down the dark alleys.

"Hold it," Hutch called as they pasted one of the alleys. Starsky slammed on the breaks and Hutch was out of the car before it even stopped. There was a car parked a few feet into the entrance of the alley.

Starsky joined his partner, "It's them," he said as he walked to the front of the car and felt the hood, it was still warm. They both looked around, "Where could they have gone?"

"I don't know but get on the radio and get some help down here, call Dobey too," Hutch said and he started down the alley.

"Hey where are you going?" Starsky ask as he watched his partner walk away.

"To the end of the alley to see if I can figure out where they might have gone."

Starsky dashed back to the car and placed the two calls then ran to catch up with Hutch. At the other end of the alley, there was nothing but several vacant lots and one building on the corner. They headed that way looking around as they went.

By this time Susan and Poppy were several blocks away, heading toward the building where he had the children. He had hated losing the car but he had planned on picking up something bigger anyway.

 

Earlier at the building the children had rushed to the door as soon as Poppy left. Tammy twisted the knob but it wouldn't turn, "He's locked it," she wailed.

"Maybe we can knock the door down," Brandi suggested as she put her foot against the door and pushed.

"Oh get real," Tammy snapped. "We can't break out of here."

"You got any better idea's," Brandi screamed at the other girl.

"Come on you guys," Cassy said stepping in between the two girls. "We aren't going to get any where by fighting each other.

Molly joined her new friends, "She's right, maybe there is another way out."

"Not unless you have wings," Tammy shouted in the younger girl's face. "Do you have any idea how far we are up?"

Molly's face crumbled and tears spilled down her cheeks. "Now look what you did," Brandi yelled. "You don't have to be so mean, she's just trying to help."

Tammy looked at the tears glistening on Molly cheeks. She felt ashamed for yelling at the little girl. "Molly I'm sorry," she said getting on her knees and hugging the younger girl to her. "Let's go check out the window, maybe there is a fire escape or something.

The group of children went to the window; Timmy was already there. He spent most of his time looking out the window in hopes of seeing his mom. He looked up at the girls as they gather around him, "Are we getting out of here?"

"We sure are going to try," Brandi said.

Tammy grasp a small handle that was at the bottom of the window and tugged, nothing happened. "It's stuck."

"Bang around the frame, that's what my mommy does when the window gets stuck," Cassy said. Tammy and Brandi began pounding on the frame, then the older girl tried again still nothing happened.

Tammy gave the window one last thump and walked across the room to where a chair was sitting in the corner, it was the only thing in the room besides the mattress. She picked it up and went back to the window. "Get back," she said, when the kids were safely away Tammy threw the chair with all her might through the window. The glass shattered sending shards all over the floor, the chair crashed to the ground below.

They all gathered around the window and looked out, there was a rusty fire escape clinging to the wall. Parts of it had pulled away from the bricks and swayed whenever there was a breeze. Tammy reached out and grasped the fire escape and shook it, the metal ladder creaked in protest.

Tammy leaned back in the room, "I don't know it doesn't feel very stable. I'm afraid it might fall."

"Timmy is light maybe he can make it," Brandi suggested. The little boy looked at her with horrified eyes and began shaking his head.

"He's too little, he wouldn't know where to go when he got out," Tammy said coming to the little boys rescue. He looked at her gratefully.

"Maybe I can make it," Brandi said. "I know my way around here.

Cassy looked at the rickety fire escape, "I don't know, maybe I should go."

"And just what are you going to do? Get lost? Then it will be too late," Brandi cracked.

"I may be only six but I'm not stupid. I know how to call 911," Cassy said holding her head high.

"And just where are you going to find a phone around here?" Brandi asked. "The ones that weren't tore up by gangs the police had disconnected because of the drug dealers. You would have to walk a ways and it will be dark soon, this isn't the suburbs."

"Now who's being nasty?" Tammy asked. She looked at Cassy, "But she's right ya know, I don't think I could find my way around here. In fact I don't know what I'm more afraid of staying here or wondering around out there."

"I'm the only one," Brandi said pushing the loose glass from the windowsill. She put one leg out onto the fire escape, it groaned. Brandi swung the other one out, as she started to put her weight on it the whole fire escape shifted. Tammy grabbed her arm and hauled her back in.

"This isn't going to work," Tammy said to Brandi. "You are going to fall."

"Thanks," Brandi said once she was finally back into the room. "We have to think of something else."

"What was that?" Cassy said going to the door. It sounded like someone coming up the stairs, in fact is sounded like two some ones. "I think he's back."

Tammy glanced at the broken window, "What are we going to do about the window? If he sees that no telling what he'll do."

"We'll just tell him it was an accident," Molly said.

"Oh what, the chair just jumped out the window?" Brandi snapped, "Maybe he won't notice it."

"Let's hope he won't," said Cassy as the doorknob turned, she stepped away from the door.

Poppy opened the door then slipped the key back into his pocket. Long before he had gotten the kids he had bought new knobs and put it on the door so that he could lock them in. Poppy pushed Susan in the room in front of him, "You go sit over there." The puppy dashed toward the new people, it had been sitting in the corner while the children had been at the window. All the noise of breaking glass had scared the pup. Poppy knelt down and picked up the puppy and ruffled its fur. "Have you kids come up with a name yet?"

They all shook their heads no at the same time, "We can't decided what to call him," Tammy spoke up.

Susan kept her head down, her long hair hide her face. She sat down on the dirty mattress next to a little boy, who she assumed was Timmy. Susan saw Cassy and was relieved to see that she was unharmed.

"You all sit tight, we'll be leaving first thing in the morning," Poppy said then slammed and locked the door.

Cassy began to sob, Susan pushed her hair out of her face, "Cassy don't cry," Susan said softly.

At the sound of a familiar Cassy stopped crying and walked over to the woman who was sitting on the mattress. She bent over and looked closely at her face. "Susan!" The little girl exclaimed. Susan put one finger to her cut lip, it had stopped bleeding but there was still blood smeared on her face.

The others gathered around them, "Do you know her?" Tammy asked surprised.

"She's the detective I was telling you about," Cassy said hugging Susan. "Where's Hutch and Starry?" Because Jesse called Starsky that so did Cassy.

"He lost them," Susan said and told them what they had been doing.

"Wow you really are a cop!" Brandi exclaimed impressed. "But it doesn't sound like we are any better off than we were. Now all of us are trapped."

Susan looked toward the window, "What about the window?"

Tammy shook her head, "We already tried that, the fire escape will fall."

Timmy crawled into Susan's lap, she kissed his small head, "It's going to be OK honey, help is on the way."

"Really?" Tammy said hopeful.

"Really, my partners won't stop until they find us. And they will have the whole police department helping." Susan assured them.

Suddenly the door banged open, Poppy smiled to see all the children gathered around the woman, "I see you are all taking to your new mother, you look good together. I finally have my family back. Now I'm going out to get supplies and find us a van." He came towards them and for the first time Susan noticed that he had ropes in one hand and rags in the other. "Get over here," he said pointing to Brandi.

The girl looked first at Susan and then at Poppy, slowly she walked toward him and then went into a performance worthy of an Oscar. "Daddy please don't tie me up, I'll be good I promise," Brandi hugged the startled man, he had hoped they would call him Daddy in time but never so soon. "I want to stay with you, I don't have a Daddy and my Mommy is always working. I like having a brother and bunches of sisters."

Tammy saw what Brandi was trying to do and chimed in, "Me too, I want to go with you. My Mom and Dad never pay any attention to me."

Timmy cringed against Susan not understanding what the girls were trying to do; Molly also came over and sat next to Susan. But Cassy followed the other two girl's leads, "I don't want to go home either, my parents are always at work they won't even miss me."

Poppy looked at the girls please; he knelt down and hugged all of them. "This is wonderful, I knew I pick the right children. You will always be special to me because I selected you. He looked over at Susan sitting with the other two children, "What about you? Are you going to try and break out the minute I leave?" he ask.

Susan shook her head, "These children need a mother, I won't leave them."

Poppy nodded satisfied that they would stay put. As he turned to leave the room he noticed the broken window. He went over to it and looked out, the splintered chair lay on the ground below. He turned to look at them his face was red, "So you want to stay with me uh? Then why did you throw a chair out the window?"

"We were hot and couldn't get the window open," Tammy said quickly. "So I broke the window with the chair, I'm sorry." Susan had to admire these girls; they were quick on their feet.

"We can't get out anyway," Molly piped up. "The fire escape is broken."

"And just how would you know that," Poppy said grabbing Tammy and tying her hands behind her back. "Nice try and in time you will feel that way about me but right now I'm tying all of you up and gagging you."

Molly began to cry, she realized what she had done, "I'm sorry," she sobbed.

Susan put her arm around her, "It's OK we'll get out of this," she said softly.

One by one Poppy tied each one of them up and stuck a gag in their mouths. With one last look back Poppy left without saying anything. He was hurt that they had lied to him but in time they would come to love him.

He had laid them all on the mattress and after struggling for an hour to get loose Susan gave up and fell asleep hoping her partners would find them in time.

 

It had been dark several hours; half the police force was combing the area. Janie had offered to help and had come even though she was off duty, as did a lot of officers. Janie and several other officers were searching the block were Susan and the kids were being held captive. Janie saw a man come walking out of one of the condemned building, she waited until he was out of sight then went around to the back of the building. There she found the piece of loose plywood; she pushed it aside and went in. She softly climbed the stairs to the second floor after checking it and finding nothing she moved on to the next floor.

Finally on the fifth floor she heard someone moving around, Janie drew her gun and tip toed down the hall. She stopped out side the door where the noise was coming from and listened. There was a new doorknob and lock but the old doorknob was still there and it locked with a skeleton key. She eased herself down to her hands and knees and peered through the keyhole. There was Susan lying on a mattress with five children. Smiling with satisfaction Janie stood up, "Have a nice life Izzy," she whispered and made her way back down stairs.

Once out side two other officers met her, "Anyone in there?" Tim Baker asked.

Janie shook her head sadly, "Not so much as a stray cat."

"Here," said the other officer handing her a stake with a bright orange ribbon on it. "We are marking all the building so we don't keep searching the same one."

Janie took the stake and pushed it into the ground. Then she moved on with the other officers, a small smile played across her lips as she looked over her shoulder at the building.

Starsky and Hutch who had been joined by Captain Dobey were going over a map of the area. There were big red X's on the blocks that had been checked. Most of the blocks in a twelve square block area had been check, only Janie's group was left. She was coming toward them now with a defeated look on her face; she shook her head as she got close.

"Sorry guys, nothing," she said sadly. The two other officers shook their heads too.

Starsky slammed his hand down on the hood of his car, "Where the hell did they go?"

"They couldn't have gotten that far on foot or we would have spotted them," Hutch said. He was almost beside himself with worry. Once they didn't find Susan right away he had placed a call to Mrs. Gray and let her know what was going on. He briefly talked to Jesse; he didn't like lying to her when she had asked to talk to her Mom. But he didn't want to tell her unless it became necessary.

"What if he had another car waiting some where?" Janie said. "They could be anywhere or they could be out of town by now."

Hutch shot her a look, "Don't you think I have thought of that!" he snapped at her.

"Hey take it easy," Starsky said putting a protective arm around Janie's shoulders. "We'll find them. Why don't you take a break and go check on Jesse, I'll call you if anything happens."

"No I'm not going anywhere until Susan is found," Hutch told his partner.

"Detective Hutchinson?" An uniformed officer called to him from one of the police cruisers.

"Yeah," Hutch said going over to the car.

"Patch through from a Mrs. Gray," the officer said handing him the mic.

Hutch grabbed it from him and depressed the button, "What is it Mrs. Gray," he ask.

"Ken I'm sorry to bother you, I'm know you are very busy but Jesse is very upset. She knows something is wrong, I don't know how but she does," Mrs. Gray said sounding upset her self.

"OK hold on I'll be there as soon as I can," Hutch said and handed the mic back to the officer in the car. He looked at his watch it was almost midnight. Hutch walked back over to where Starsky was standing with Janie. "Starsk, that was Mrs. Gray, Jess is really upset. I guess I will go home for a while."

Janie patted Hutch on the arm, "We'll keep looking don't worry, you go take care of your little girl." Starsky smiled at her then nodded at Hutch.

Jesse was sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed when Hutch arrived. He went directly to her room, when he opened her door and went in she looked up at him and said, "Mommy is in trouble isn't she?"

Hutch sat down on the bed, "Yes, I'm 'fraid she is. The man that kidnapped Cassy has mommy."

"But how?" Jesse asked tears filling her eyes.

Hutch pulled her into his lap and explained what they had been doing. Mrs. Gray stood quietly in the door listening, wishing there was something she could do of them.

"Starsky is still looking and so is most of the police force, we will find them," Hutch reassured his daughter. "Now I have to get back, I'll call and let you know what's going on, OK?"

Jesse nodded but still clung to her Daddy, "Please don't let anything happen to Mommy."

"I promise," Hutch said swallowing around the lump in this throat.

 

It had just become light when a rumbling noise woke up the group sleeping on the mattress, at first Susan thought they were having an earthquake. She looked at all the children who looked back at her with terrified eyes. As Susan listened she could tell it wasn't an earthquake shaking the building but instead some kind of heavy machine.

During the night Susan had managed to work off her gag, so had Tammy and Brandi was still working on hers as was Cassy. Molly and Timmy hadn't even tried. Timmy lay next to Susan all most paralyzed with fear; she tried to comfort him as much as she could. The puppy lay next to them trembling and whimpering at the noise.

"It's OK honey, its just some kind of machine," Susan said wishing she could take the small boy into her arms.

Brandi finally got the gag out of her mouth, "Oh my God, I know what it is," she exclaimed. "Some of the building around here are being torn down."

"You mean a wrecking crew is out there," Susan said with wide eyes. "Where is Poppendeck?"

"Who?" Tammy said confused as she tried to get to her feet.

"Poppy," Susan said. "His real name is Richard Poppendeck, he lost his family in a fire several years ago. Four girls and his wife was pregnant with a little boy. I think this is the building that is getting ready to be torn down. The crew is suppose to check out the building before they began, let's hope they do."

"What if they don't," Tammy asked terror creeping into her voice. She had tried to be so brave through this whole thing but now that there was someone else to lean on she didn't feel so sure of herself.

"Then we had better start some loud yelling," Susan said trying to smile. She wondered if the workers really did check the buildings, her guess was that they wouldn't even bother.

A huge crane with a wrecking ball attached lumbered down the road, several picks up trucks followed and a dump truck behind them. It looked like a parade coming down the street, they stopped in front of the building, and a man jumped from one of the trucks and joined the man in the crane.

"Hey Tom, you can cut the engine for a while, me and a couple of guys are going to check out the place. We got to make sure we don't kill some bum sleeping in there," the truck driver said.

"OK Jerr," the crane operator said and cut the engine, the silence was almost deafening.

Jerry jumped out of the crane cab, several other men joined him and they headed toward the building. They didn't notice a woman dressed in a police uniform coming toward them until she called out.

"Hold it a minute," the young woman called. The men stopped turned around and looked at her.

"Can I help you officer," Jerry smiled at her; she was a real looker with blue eyes and blonde hair.

She gave them a killer smile, "You boys don't need to check out that building, it was done just a few hours ago. A police officer and several kids are missing. All the buildings in this area have been check, nobody was found in them."

"Oh wow," exclaimed one of the works. "You talking about that kidnaping case? It's been all over the TV and radio, they are asking for people to call in with information. There is a photo of the kidnaper now and pictures of the kids and the missing cop."

The officer nodded, "It is imperative that we find them quickly, so keep you eyes open."

"Sure thing Miss.. I mean officer," Jerry stumble. The officer nodded and turned to leave. "Oh by the way thanks for telling us about the building, searching the place would hold us up at least an hour."

"No problem," she said and continued on her way.

After the female officer was out of sight, Tom came up to Jerry, "Where did she come from? He ask looking around, there wasn't a police car in sight and no other officers.

Jerry shrugged, "I don't know and I don't care, she just saved us a lot of time. We might just get this place down before dark."

 

Poppy saw the wrecking crane the moment he turned the corner, he slammed the breaks on, and he couldn't believe his eyes. He looked around frantically not knowing what to do. His new family was in danger and he couldn't let them die like he did his other one. If only he had been home this wouldn't have happened; it was like a rerun of what had happened last time. But this time he was in time and if he acted fast enough he could save them.

It had taken Poppy much longer than he planned to find a van that he could steal; most people locked their cars these days. That was really a problem for him but they also had car alarms, which was a problem. Finally Poppy had found one sitting in the parking lot of a connivance store, the unwitting driver had left van running while he ran in for a cup of coffee. Poppy didn't like taking the van like that because it would be reported sooner. He liked to steal cars during the night so nobody knew the car was missing until morning.

Poppy stared at the wrecking ball handing from the crane; the operator started up the car with a loud roar. Poppy jumped in his seat then floored the gas pedal, he squealed up to the first pick up. Poppy jumped out of the van and ran toward the crane.

"Hold it right there!" one of the workmen called and grabbed the kidnaper by the arm.

"You don't understand," he shouted. "My family is in there."

The workman caught a whiff the man's breath, Poppy and stopped off and had a couple of drinks before he stolen the van. "The building was checked out, no ones in there. You better go sleep it off buddy."

"No, no you don't understand," Poppy screamed trying to pull away from the man. The crane operator started swinging the ball. Tears were streaming down Poppy's face, "Please!"

"Get out of here and don't come back or we'll call the cops." The man yelled and gave Poppy a shove.

Poppy tripped and fell; he scrambled to his feet and dashed back to the van. He jumped in and jammed it into reverse making long black marks in the street. Poppy drove several blocks before he spied a pay phone; he stopped and jumped out of the van. He dashed to the phone and tore open the door, Poppy grabbed the phone and began to dial then he noticed that the cord was broken. He dropped the receiver on the floor of the booth and jumped back into the van. There weren't any more phone booths anywhere so Poppy kept driving. He was heading down town when he saw the hotel he stayed at. Poppy jerked across traffic and parked in front of the Royal going the wrong way. He jumped out and ran into the lobby; Albee was at his usual post behind the check in desk.

Albee's mouth fell open when he saw Poppy, "Poppy!" he exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

"I need to use the phone," Poppy gasped reaching for the phone on the desk.

"The cops are looking for you," Albee told him, Poppy started crying. "What's going on?"

"My family, my family," Poppy sobbed. "They are going to die, help me."

Albee came around the desk, "What are you taking about Poppy, they died years ago. Why don't you sit down and tell me what's going on, OK?'

"You don't understand, my new family," Poppy said desperately trying to make Albee understand.

"You mean those kids you kidnapped?" Albee blew out air like he had been hit. Poppy nodded, tears were running down his cheeks.

"I don't want them to die, I just wanted my family back, I have been so lonely," he managed to get out between sobs.

"I'm calling Starsky and Hutch," Albee going to the phone. "They are pretty good guys, that is for cops. Where are the kids?"

Poppy told him and while the hotel manager was on the phone he slipped out of the hotel, jumped back into the van and headed back toward the building.

 

Starsky and Hutch were sitting in Captain Dobey's office just getting ready to leave to go out hunting again. The phone rang, Dobey grabbed the receiver, listened a few minutes then said, "Who?" After a few more minutes of listening he looked at his two detectives, "Either of you know some guy named Albee?"

"Yeah, he's the manager at a run down motel," Starsky said. "We talked to him about Poppendeck, he knows him."

Dobey held out the phone over the desk to Starsky, "Well he's on the phone wanting to talk to one of you two."

Starsky jumped and snatched the phone from his captain, "What is it Albee?" Starsky said into the phone. Hutch was watching his partner's face. Starsky's expression changed from one of annoyance to one of pure terror. "Are you sure? We'll be there!"

Starsky slammed down the receiver and started for the door. "What's going on?" Hutch asked jumping up.

"Albee said that Poppy came in the hotel just minutes ago raving about his family being killed. Albee thought he had just gone nuts but Poppy said his new family and that they were in a building that was about ready to been torn down." Starsky said with out taking a breath.

"I'll get on the horn and get some black and whites over there, maybe one of them is closer. Were is the building?" Dobey ask as he picked up the phone. Starsky gave him the address then ran to catch up with Hutch who had gone on out.

 

The whole building shook as the wrecking ball struck the building, the children cried out in fear. Susan tried to comfort them as much as she could. When the engine had been cut off Susan had breathed a sigh of relief but it had been short lived. "They are coming to search the building," Susan had said in the sudden silence. "We are going to fine now, it's almost over."

"Let's try yelling," Tammy suggested.

Susan nodded, "OK all together now, yell help as loud as you can." But before they could get out the words the engine started back up again. They went ahead and yelled anyway but it was futile with the roar of the crane. Susan really doubted if they would have been heard anyway since they were in the back of the building but there wasn't any harm in trying.

Brandi burst into tears, "Now what?" She yelled over the noise.

"Hon, I really don't know," Susan said struggling against the ropes that bound her wrists. It was no use the ropes only got tighter, her hands were beginning to feel numb. "If the motor shuts down just start yelling. Susan didn't really think that was going to happen, the ball had all ready hit the building once and she was bracing her self for the second blow.

When the ball hit the building for the second time the whole front wall fell exposing the hallway between the front and back. Susan could tell it was close and that the next hit would come into the room. She got the children into the furthest corner of the room; Susan maneuvered the mattress over them the best she could. She thought of her own daughter and of Hutch and Starsky. She thought of Dobey who in his own way cared for her as much as she cared for him. There was Mrs. Gray, who took such good care of Jesse. A tear slid down her cheek tracking in the dirt that had settled on her face. Susan never thought that she would die like this, getting shot was always the greatest risk.

The children huddled next to her they were all crying. Susan tried to comfort them but there us no use they were probably going to die and there wasn't a damn thing she could do. She just closed her eyes and prayed silently. The puppy crawled in with them and snuggled down with the children.

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER SEVEN

 

Poppy pulled up again by the pick-up truck and got out. He ran toward the building waving his arms as he went. Several of the workmen started after him but Poppy had a head start on them and made it to the building first. Poppy pushed the plywood door to the side and ducked in. The hall was full of fallen rubble; beams were hanging, swaying in the breeze. The stairs going to the second floor hung dangerously, as Poppy started up them two of the steps crumbled.

Out side Jerry had seen the men running toward the building, he ran over to the crane and jumped into the cab, "Cut the motor Tom," he yelled over the noise.

Tom shut the crane down, "What's going on?" Tom asked climbing out of the cab behind his friend.

"I'm not sure," Jerry said running toward the building. "All I know is that several of our men chased a man into the building. I think it was the guy that was here earlier."

By this time Poppy was on the four floor and heading to the fifth. Since the wall was gone he could see that the crane was no longer moving but that didn't stop him. The workmen were only steps behind him and Poppy dashed up the last flight of stairs. Once on the fifth floor he could hear the screams of the children. Poppy ran to the door they were behind, he fumbled around in his pocket trying to find the key.

The men caught up with him and grabbed the kidnaper by the arms the key dropped to the ground. In the distant the sound of police cars could be heard, with in seconds Starsky's red Tornio swung around the corner followed by several squad cars. Poppy jerked his arms free from the workmen that were distracted by the sirens. As he bent to retrieve the dropped key he lost his footing on the loose rubble. Poppy stumbled backwards toward the gapping whole. One of the men tried to grab him but it was to late and Richard Poppendeck fell to the rubble below.

The red car with the flashing light on top slid to a halt almost hitting one of the pick-up trucks. Two men jumped out and ran toward the building. Poppy's broken body was lying among the ruins of the building.

Starsky stepped forward and felt one of Poppy's limp wrists, then shook his head. Hutch yelled up to the men, "Are there people up there?"

"Yeah, we hear yelling," one of the men called back. The detectives went around back, finding the plywood door; they raced up the stairs. When they reached the fifth floor all the workmen were in the process of knocking the door down. With one final kick the door flew open, everyone stepped into the room. In the corner was huddled a woman with several children and a small puppy which bounded toward them, the workers were speechless.

The detectives pushed pass them; Hutch ran to Susan and pulled the mattress off them. "Are you OK?" He asked hugging her.

Susan nodded; tears were streaming down her face. "I'm fine," she said in a whisper. Hutch knelt next to his wife and untied her hands. Susan rubbed them painful. Starsky and some of the other men were in the process of untying the children. When Starsky got to Cassy, she threw her arms around his neck the moment she was untied and said, "Starry I knew that you and Hutch would come for us." Starsky scooped the little girl up in his arms and hugged her.

Two officers appeared in the doorway, "Get a hold of these kids parents and tell them to meet us at the station." Hutch ordered.

One of the officers took off the other said, "We've got paramedics on the way, they should be here by the time we get them down." He took Timmy in his arms and started down the stairs. Hutch helped Susan to her feet, she bent over and scooped up the puppy in her arms, the two older girls walked out with help from the workmen.

"Take it easy out here there is a lot of loose rock," the police yelled back to them.

Tammy looked over the side of the building and gasped when she spotted Poppy's body. "Is... Is he dead?" she stammered.

"Yes honey, just keep moving," Starsky said gently. "We'll have you back with your parents soon."

Just as everyone exited the building two life squads pulled up; several paramedics jumped out and ran toward the building. "We are OK," Tammy said glancing at the broken body of their kidnaper. "He took good care of us." She began to sob and the other kids joined in, they were relieved, and sad. Even though they were afraid and wanted to go home there was a bond with their kidnaper that most people wouldn't understand unless they had been there.

"Let's get these kids out of here," Hutch said. The paramedics quickly checked them out and then the children were put into squad cars and taken to headquarters.

Cassy stayed with the detectives clinging to Starsky's hand tightly. The three detectives went over to where the crane operator was climbing back into the cab. "Why wasn't that building checked out?" Hutch growled.

"We were told by an officer that it had been check out last night and was empty," came a voice behind them. The trio turned to look at the man behind them. He held out his hand, "I'm Jerry Robbinson the foreman."

Hutch shook the man's hand, "Do you know who the officer was?"

"I don't know her name, she didn't say but she's getting in the squad car over there," Jerry said pointing toward a police car that a female officer was getting into. It was hard to tell who it was from that distance.

"You stay here Cassy," Starsky said and took out after the car but it pulled away and sped off before he got there.

"What did she look like," Susan said, she had a suspicion who it was but how could Janie go as far as to kill innocent children just to get her.

"She had blond hair and blue eyes, your height," he said looking at Susan. "I guess you are the officer that they were searching for. She said that all the buildings around here had been searched and she searched this building herself."

Susan closed her eyes to hold back the tears, the minute they had this wrapped up she had to tell Hutch what was going on. Janie was going to kill someone just to get to her and now that this didn't work Starsky was in the line of fire or maybe Hutch or even Jesse. Susan now knew that Janie would stop at nothing to get her.

"Susan, you OK?" Hutch asked her tightening his grip on her. Susan hadn't realized that she was sinking to the ground.

"Yeah I'm fine," Susan said. "Let's get Cassy to the station with the rest of the kids."

When the officers reached the station all the parents were there and being reunited with their children. Jim and Karen were waiting impatiently for their daughter. Starsky came through the squad room doors carrying Cassy in his arms. He sat her on her feet and she ran to her parents. They both engulfed their daughter in their arms.

Karen looked up at the detectives, tears streaming down her face. "Thank you, thank you!"

The doors opened behind them, "Mommy!" squealed a little voice.

Susan turned and Jesse jumped into her arms, Mrs. Gray was standing in the doorway smiling at them. "I called Mrs. Gray," Starsky said hugging Susan.

Janie appeared in the door, Susan put Jesse down, "Mommy will be back in a minute." Susan walked past the nanny and said, "Thank you for bring Jesse down." Then she walked up to Janie, "Move it!"

"What's wrong?" Janie asked in an innocent tone of voice. She looked toward Starsky for help but he was busy talking to Cassy's parents.

"Just move it, Starsky isn't going to protect you," Susan hissed and grabbed Janie by the arm pulling her down the hall into one of the interrogation rooms. She pulled out a chair from the lone table in the room. "Sit!"

When Janie didn't sit Susan shoved her down, "Hey you can't treat me like this!" she yelled.

"You tried to kill me and even worse you almost killed a bunch of kids just to get to me," Susan seethed. "How low do you plan to go? You want me, here I am! Let's have this out, I know you and your crazy family killed my family. And I'm almost sure you killed your own parents too. My captain is looking into it as we speak, in fact he may already have the truth, so why don't you try telling it?"

"Listen you bitch, if you would have just gone along with things years ago none of this would have happened." Janie yelled standing up her hand on her gun. That was when Susan realized she had made a mistake, she didn't have her gun. She had forgotten that she had taken it off.

"So I was just suppose to stand by and let you get away with killing my parents and sister?" Susan yelled back. Susan was hoping that some one would hear them but the rooms were sound proof. "What are you going to do shoot me right here?"

"Not a bad idea," Janie said taking out her gun. She pointed it at Susan, held the gun on her for a few minutes then put it back into her holster. "Not yet I'm having to much fun playing Starsky, he's never going to believe you, he's in love with me."

"He's been my partner for over ten years and he maybe blinded right now but when he has the facts he'll put the cuffs on you himself, you can bet on it," Susan snapped.

"We'll see won't we. If you say anything about me to him, somebody else in your family will die," Janie said.

"Don't you threaten me or my family," Susan said advancing on the other woman. Janie put her hand back on the butt of her gun.

Suddenly Janie's whole demeanor changed, she backed up against the wall with her hands up in front of her. Then she started crying and saying, "I just don't understand what I did wrong, Susan."

Susan stopped and looked at her puzzled, Janie never called her Susan even though she had been ask to several times. The change in attitude also confused the detective that was until she heard someone behind her. "What's going on in here?" said a voice.

Susan knew immediately who it was, she spun around. Hutch was standing in the doorway with a surprised look on his face. "Hutch, what's going on?" Susan said for the lack of anything else to say.

"That's what I just ask you," he said looking at the tears running down Janie's face. "You two fighting about something?" He wondered if it was about Starsky and he was wondering just what did happen up at the cabin. He had never really wanted to know until now but Susan was acting so jealous whenever Janie was around.

"Just a little disagreement between friends, right Susan?" Janie said, as she slipped past Hutch and out the door.

"Yeah right," Susan mumbled and slumped against the wall. She was shaking and looked like she was about to cry herself. Her hair was a mess and her face streak with dirt; finally Susan slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor. She put her forehead on her knees; Hutch knelt next to her.

"Would you please tell me what is going on?" He said softly brushing the hair from her eyes.

"Janie left me and those kids in that building to die, she was hoping it would be knocked down with us in it," Susan said almost inaudibly.

Hutch sat down on the floor next to her, "That's just crazy," Hutch said. "Why would Janie want to kill you?"

"Hutch you heard the description that workman gave us of the cop he talked to," she said looking at him with red rimed eyes.

"That description could describe half the police women on the force and you know it," Hutch said, he couldn't believe what Susan was saying.

"But the man pointed her out, remember?" Susan said tiredly, she knew that Hutch wasn't buying any of this and it was time she told him the whole story. She would make him believe her if she had to drag Dobey in to do it.

"Susan how could you tell, it was too far away from anyone to see who it was," Hutch sighed.

Susan took his hands in hers, "Hutch I have to tell you something, something that I should have told you long ago but just didn't know how," she said it in such a grave tone it scared him.

He squeezed her hands, "What is it, does this have something to do with Starsky?" He ask suddenly wondering if Jesse was even his daughter. "Answer me one question first." She nodded. "Is Jesse mine?"

Susan looked at him and burst out laughing in spite of herself, "What kind of question is that? Of course she's your daughter, who's do you think she is?" Then it dawned on her what he was getting at. "Hutch I want to get something clear between us once and for all. When I tried to tell you this before you wouldn't listen but you are now. Nothing happened between Starsky and me at the cabin, nothing has ever happened between us and nothing is going to happen. Yes we do have some feelings for each other, but we are dealing with them. I'm sure that doesn't come as any surprise to you. It has just happened over the years, I guess that because we all work so close I don't know. But we have never done anything to hurt you."

Hutch looked at her, then began smiling and hugged her tightly, "I don't care what your deep dark secrets are, I love you."

"You might change your mind when you hear what I have to say," Susan said. "You know that Janie and I were friends back in high school but there is a lot more to that story. Janie and her parents . . . . . "

The door to the interrogation room opened and Starsky came in, "Everybody is waiting for you in the squad room. The kids parents want to thank us and Cassy wants to see you guys before she goes home," Starsky said then looked closely at his partners. "Is everything OK?"

"Yeah everything is fine," Hutch said helping Susan to her feet.

The squad room was pack with parents and many of the officers that had helped with the search. Dobey had an uncharacteristic grin on his face and he was holding Cassy in his arms. Karen stood next to them holding her daughter's hand and Jim was talking to Janie. Susan felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up when she saw Janie. The female detective went over and hugged Karen then Jim ignoring Janie completely.

Feeling a tug on her shirt Susan turned to see Jesse standing there holding the puppy in her arms, she knelt down and hugged her daughter, "How ya doing Jess?"

"I'm fine now Mommy," she said hugging her mother tightly. "But can I have my birthday now?"

Susan's mouth fell open, "Oh my goodness to day is your birthday isn't it?" She stood up and spying Hutch across the room motioned waved him over. He came over picked up Jesse and put his arm around Susan. "Did you realized that it's Jesse's birthday to day."

He gave her a surprised looked then look at Jesse, who nodded gravely at him, "Well it sure is, how about that."

"Can we invited everyone?" Jesse asked looking around the room.

"You mean everyone here?" Susan said.

"Sure, my party doesn't start until two, please," Jesse begged.

"Well, I don't see why not," Hutch said kissing his daughter's forehead.

While Jesse was on a roll she had another question, "Can I keep the puppy?"

Hutch patted the head of the golden pup and smiled at Jesse, "Sure why not."

Susan gave him a startled look; they already had twenty kids from Jesse's kindergarten class, and now a puppy? She looked around the room there were about twenty more here. Susan saw Mrs. Gray still standing by the squad room doors; she walked over to the older woman. "Do you think we could handle about twenty or so more people."

Mrs. Gray gave her boss a puzzled look, "Twenty more?"

"It's Jesse's birthday, she wants to invite everyone here to come too," Susan said smiling and shaking her head. "Hutch just told her she could keep the dog too." She looked across the room, Starsky was now holding Jesse and she was laughing. The kidnapped children had gather around Starsky and Jesse then ran to find their parents. Apparently Jesse had just ask them, Starsky saw her looking his way he shrugged and smiled at her. She felt a little tug at her heart, she did care a lot for him and Susan knew that would never change. Then she noticed Hutch was watching her, she smiled at him then gave Mrs. Gray her full attention. The woman had been talking to her and Susan hadn't heard a word. "What?"

"I said I completely forgot about Jesse's birthday and you know she didn't say a word about it," Mrs. Gray said. She thought of a moment. "I'm suppose to pick up her cake today, maybe the bakery will have an extra one or we can get them to whip us up one. If worse comes to worse I can bake a couple of cakes. And don't worry dear I can take care of puppies too."

"Thanks," Susan said gratefully, "You can use the phone in Dobey's office, maybe if you give the bakery a call they can get a cake done for us."

Everyone Jesse invited came to her party, everyone had a reason to celebrate and it was late by the time the last guest left. Hutch had tried to buy the puppy from the pet store but when the owner heard it was Jesse's birthday he wouldn't take Hutch's money. Starsky had brought Janie she had kept her distance from Susan and didn't cause any trouble, which Susan was gratefully for.

Once the last guest had left Mrs. Gray began to clean up, there were cups and plates scattered all over the house, cake stuck to the carpet and juice spilled on the couch. The older woman sighed as she dragged a large trashcan into the living room and began throwing the trash in. Susan pitched in and helped even thought Mrs. Gray protested but she didn't protest for to long, it was going to be a big job.

Hutch found Jesse sleeping among the wrapping paper from her presents with the puppy, she was clutching a new doll she had gotten. She had icing smeared across one cheek and a red ring around her mouth from the punch she had drank. He scooped her up then carried her to bed the puppy followed them. As he was tucking her in Jesse opened her eyes.

"Good party?" She asked smiling at him sleepily.

"The best," Hutch told her then kissed her on the top of the head and started to leave. "Where's Bear?"

As if Bear understood he climbed up on the bed and snuggled up against her. Hutch started to take him down stairs but changed his mind. "You take good care of Bear." Bear had been name named after one of Jesse's favorite people, Huggy of course.

Down stairs the women had almost finished cleaning up. Most of the trash was out of the room but the furniture still need to be wiped up. When Hutch got to the bottom of the stairs, Susan said to Mrs. Gray, "Why don't you go on to bed, Hutch will help me with the rest."

"Oh I don't mind, we are almost done," she said kindly then she caught the look that past between the couple. She knew there was something going on but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Well OK, if you are sure."

"I'm sure," Susan said patting her arm. "You go on to bed I know you have to be tired.

Susan went to the kitchen to get a rag and some cleaner, when she returned Hutch was sitting on the couch waiting for her. She sat down next to him; he took the things out of her hands and put them on the coffee table. "Talk to me," he said simply.

Susan closed her eyes, "I don't know where to began."

"How about at the beginning?" Hutch suggested, he wasn't sure he really wanted to hear what she had to say. But now that he knew that it didn't have anything to do with Starsky he was more at ease.

Susan took a deep breath and said, "Janie along with her parents murdered my family."

"What!" Hutch exclaimed. "You never told me your parents were murdered you just said they were dead and left it at that."

"If I had told you they were murdered you would have ask questions and I didn't want to talk about it. I also had sister, Katie she was a year younger than me," Susan told him. "And the reason that Janie keeps calling me Izzy is because it was my nickname, my real name is Isabel Hartford. When I moved here I went to court and changed my name. I just wanted to forget and I was afraid that they might come after me."

Hutch stared at her in amazement, "Why didn't you ever tell me all this before?"

"Well I was going to but then as time went on it just didn't seem important any more. I'm sorry I should have told you, maybe I wouldn't be in this fix now," Susan said sadly. "Cap is checking some things out for me. I found out that Janie's parents are now dead, I think she killed them."

"Dobey knows about you? You told him and didn't tell me? Does Starsky know?" he said in a hurt voice.

Susan leaned over and hugged him, "No Starsky doesn't know, do you think he would be dating her if he knew?" Susan asked then she said. "The only reason Dobey knows is because he has my personal records, the FBI check, I wasn't trying to hide. I went to him after Janie showed up, I didn't want to tell you and Starsky until we found those missing kids. You didn't need the distraction. There is an account in Jesse's name, Dobey has the number, and I gave it to him just in case anything happened to me. He said he would hang on to it until I talked to you."

Hutch just stared at his wife; he wasn't sure what to think any more. He really didn't know her at all. "What account?" he asked evenly.

"Well . . Uh you see my parents were quite rich when they were killed. So of course all the money went to me and.. " Susan began then she stopped. "Why don't I start at the beginning and tell you the whole story."

It took the best part of an hour to explain everything. Hutch still wasn't sure, he looked at her doubtful. "I wish you would have told me all this before."

"I know," Susan said mournful. "I wasn't trying to keep anything from you, I just put that part of my life behind me. I only used enough of my inheritance to set myself up here. I didn't want that money!"

"I can't blame you for that," Hutch said. He had been sitting at the other end of the couch from Susan; suddenly he scooted down next to her and took her in his arms. "Everything is going to be all right, but we have to get in touch with Starsky."

"Hutch I'm afraid, afraid she might do something to Starsk," she said clutching Hutch's shoulder. "Janie will stop at nothing to get what she wants."

"And what does she want?" Hutch asked pushing her away and looked into her eyes. He didn't like what he saw their, fear, pure fear.

"You know Dobey ask me that same question, its simple Janie wants me," Susan said trying not to cry. "Why after all these years I don't know."

 

Janie sat on Starsky's couch waiting for him to bring them drinks. She had behaved herself at the party, playing the perfect guest. She had even brought a gift for the kid. Janie hated being there but she had to make herself look like the injured one when Susan came to Starsky. Janie knew that he already liked her very much and it wouldn't take a lot to get him away from his partners. Janie had gotten the feeling there was more between Susan and Starsky than just friendship and she planned on playing on that too. She wondered if Susan had told anyone of her past yet and knew it was only a matter of time before she did so Janie knew she had to work fast.

Starsky came into the room carrying a couple of beers and two glasses, he put them on the coffee table and sat down next to Janie. She smiled at him, "Nice party," she said pouring one of the beers into a glass. "Jesse is a lucky little girl."

"I'm just glad that we found Susan and the kids, it would have been a sad day for Jesse if anything had happened to them," Starsky said as he popped the top of his beer and drank from the can.

"What is with Izzy . . . I mean Susan?" Janie said softly trying to look stricken. "We were best friends in high school and now she acts like she hates me. I could understand it if it were Hutch I was going out with, she acts like I'm stealing her boyfriend."

Starsky winced slightly, "We are all just very close, I guess she is just a little over protective."

"Do you think you need protecting from me?" Janie ask in a seductive voice. She put her glass on the table then took the beer from Starsky and put that on the table too. She put her arms around his neck and was about to kiss him when the phone rang. As Starsky started to reach for it she softly whispered, "Don't."

"Sorry," He said and grabbed the receiver. "Hello?"

"Thank God you are there," Susan said with relief in her voice. She had been afraid that he and Janie had gone out somewhere.

"Something wrong?" He asked pushing Janie from his lap. It almost felt like he was cheating.

"I need to see you," Susan said then after a beat. "We need to see you. It's about Janie, there are a few things I need to tell you about her Starsk."

Suddenly Starsky was angry, "Listen Susan, I don't know what your problem is with Janie is but I like her and I'm going to see her like it or not. So you had just better get over it," he stormed into the phone. "You have no right to tell me who I can and can't date." He wanted to say she had her chance but he didn't want to hurt her like that.

"But Starsky you don't understand," Susan said, "You have to listen to . . . "

Starsky cut her off, "I'll talk to you in the morning," He hung up the phone then stood up, "I'm going to take a shower," he said to Janie. "You want to stay?"

"I never thought you would ask," Janie said picking up her glass again and kicking off her shoes. "I'll be waiting right here." After Starsky left the room Janie sat on the couch with a smug smile on her face. He was already on her side this would be easier than she thought. She could tell by the tone of his voice that she was right about something going one between Susan and him. She wondered if Hutch knew about it, maybe she would be the one to tell him. Janie would destroy Izzy piece by piece then she would kill her.

Janie started to get up and follow Starsky to the shower when the phone rang again. She grabbed it quickly then looked down the hall to see if he had heard it. When she heard the shower go on she said, "Hello?"

"Janie leave Starsky alone, it's me you want, leave him out of this," Susan hissed into the phone. A cold hand had gripped her heart when Janie had answered the phone.

"It's too late Izzy he's mine now. And unless you want him to die you had better leave us alone. You know I'll do it too, I've done it before." Janie threatened.

Tears began running down Susan's face; it was the first time Janie and even hinted at the fact that she was nothing but a cold-blooded killer. "If you hurt him I'll come after you with everything I've got," Susan said.

"I'm scared," Janie said in mock fright. "You want me to tell that handsome hubby of yours about you and Dave?"

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Susan asked she looked around to see where Hutch was. Thankfully he was still sitting on the couch. She lowered her voice, "There is nothing to tell."

"Well my intuition tells me different," Janie said. "So just watch your step." Janie hung up the phone and went down the hall toward the bathroom.

Susan stood with the buzzing phone in her hand she couldn't believe how out of hand things had gotten. If she had just told them the truth when they first met there would be no problem now. Hutch walked over to her and took the receiver out of her hand.

"Well what did he say?" Hutch asked her. He knew it couldn't be good, her face was pale.

"He thinks I'm being unfair to poor Janie," Susan said in a mocking voice. "Then he hung up on me, when I called back she answered the phone. Janie said if I didn't back off she would kill him and I know she would. Hutch she is crazy."

"Maybe we should go over there," he suggested.

Susan shook her head, "I don't think that would be a good idea. Let's wait until tomorrow when she's not around. He's not going to listen to us as long as she is there whispering in his ear."

"He can't ignore the evidence. We'll get everything we can from Dobey and give it to him, he has to believe that," Hutch said. "Why don't I give Dobey a call right now, explain what's going on."

Susan nodded then went up stairs, she looked in on Jesse who was sleeping soundly as was Bear. Going to her own bedroom Susan stripped off her clothes and took a shower. She would give anything for this to be over if the police department could pin the deaths of Janie's parents on her then all of this would be over.

Hutch came in just as Susan was putting on her pajamas, "Talked to Dobey, we are going to give Starsky the files on Janie in the morning," Hutch explained. "He said that her old police department is faxing us a bunch of stuff in the morning. I thought Starsky said she just came out of the Academy?"

Susan shook her head, "You know what, all the lies that she has been telling are about to bite her in the ass. I don't think she even knows the truth anymore."

 

 

 

CHAPTER EIGHT

 

 

The next morning when Susan and Hutch arrived at the station Dobey was waiting for them with all the information he had compiled on Janie Stillwell. The black captain looked grim as he waited for his two detectives to take their seats. Once they were settled he said, "Captain Delrose, that's Janie's old captain back east said that he had a team examine the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Stillwell. If the car crash hadn't killed them the poison she had apparently given them would have."

"What?" Susan asked in a shocked voice.

"Seems like their loving daughter had been feeding them arsenic for several months, I guess they didn't die fast enough for her so she did what she knew would work," Dobey told them.

"The old tried and true car accident?" Susan asked.

Dobey nodded, "The captain was able to locate the car, it was gone over. The break line had been cut and there were ticket stubs recovered from the car to a play. The only way to get to the place where the play was being held was in a park with very steep roads. She didn't want to take any chances, Janie had the whole thing planned perfect. She played the grieving daughter for a few days and then high tailed it for L.A."

"What is wrong with her," Hutch asked amazed.

"She was raised by some very twisted people. Don't shed too many tears for them, they were cold blooded killers too," Susan said in an icy tone. "Who knows how many lives they destroyed. We have to stop Janie before she comes after us and believe me she will. We have to build a case so strong against her that the courts put her under the jail."

"But she is so slick, it's not going to be easy. Susan you are convinced that she was the once that left you and those kids in that building. How are you going to prove that?" Hutch said.

"She talked to the foreman of the wrecking crew, he could identify her I'm sure," Susan said.

"Well it's a beginning," Dobey said, he held up a piece of paper with some writing on it. "Captain Delrose is coming in on a flight early tomorrow morning, you two can pick him up. "Why is he coming here?" Hutch asked puzzled looking at Susan who shrugged.

"Delrose remembers you Susan, or should I say he remembers Izzy. He went to school with you and Janie. He wants to help nail Janie, I guess he feels it was his fault that she is even here." Dobey explained.

"Delrose," Susan said trying to think back to people she knew so long ago. She had tried to block out her past not wanting to remember. Suddenly her face lit up, "Mark Delrose?" she ask Dobey.

The captain checked a paper in front of him, "That's him, do you remember him?"

"Yes I do, he was a year ahead of me, I was suppose to go to prom with him in fact. But my parents were killed and I didn't go," Susan told them.

"He was your old boyfriend?" Hutch asked hiking his eyebrows at her.

"Not really, we were just friends," Susan said blushing slightly.

"Where is Starsky?" Dobey said suddenly looking at his watch. "He should have been here by now."

The two detectives looked at each other. "He's never this late," Hutch said reaching for the phone. He dialed his friends number, it rang ten times with no answer, "Maybe he's on his way," he said hopefully.

"Cap is Janie on today?" Susan asked Dobey.

The captain picked up the phone, after calling down to the front desk he hung up the receiver. "She is scheduled but hasn't come in yet."

"I don't like this," Susan said with a frown. "Something is wrong, I can feel it."

"Never under estimate a woman's intuition," Dobey said picking up the telephone and dialing. "I want the closest squad car to check out Detective Starsky's place and get back to me."

Hutch got up and started for the door, Susan followed. "Why don't you two just hang on, let's see what the black and white turns up."

Thirty minutes and two cups of coffee later the phone finally rang. Dobey grabbed it immediately, "Dobey here." He listened a few minutes, the frown on his face deepened. "Sit tight, Hutchinson and Carlston are on their way."

Hutch and Susan jumped up, "What's wrong?" Susan asked as she slipped her jacket on.

"Starsky's car is out front but he's not answering the door," Dobey explained.

"Tell them to knock it down, we have got to find out if he's in there," Susan said fearfully. She didn't wait to see what the officers found out; she and Hutch were all ready out the door.

The whole way to Starsky's apartment Susan was almost holding her breath. She would never forgive herself if Janie had hurt him. She was going to have a guard set up at their town house as soon as she made sure Starsky was OK. When they pulled up in Hutch's brown heap, two officers came up to the car.

Hutch rolled down the window, "What ya got Tim?"

Tim Baker shrugged his shoulders, "Starsky isn't in there, everything is in place. It doesn't look like there has been any trouble."

Susan jumped out of the car and headed for the apartment, she took the stairs two at a time, the front door was standing open. She stepped in side and looked around, then went to the bedroom. Hutch caught up with her just as Susan opened the closet door. The sight of Starsky's gun hanging on the inside of the door greeted them.

Susan sucked in her breath, "Oh my God, where is he?"

Speeding down Highway 1 along the coast in a white Mustang with the top down was Janie; her long blond hair blew around her head in a tangle. She smiled as she glanced over at the sleeping form next to her. It had been so easy to drug him, after the shower they had a drink, she had slipped him a sedative. Then Janie had coaxed Starsky out into her car, telling him that a drive would clear his head.

The sun was just beginning to come up they were almost to San Luis Obispo, it had been around three-thirty in the morning when Janie had half carried Starsky to the car. She had buzzed by Santa Barbara with out so much as a glance. Janie was heading for the area between San Luis Obispo and Monterey, she was hoping to find a place to dump him. A car wreck would have been much easier but that was getting old; she had more imagination than that. Although the poison she had been giving her parents was much to slow.

Janie knew that Susan was getting close to telling Dave the truth about her, she couldn't argue with the facts and she was sure by this time Susan along with Hutch and Dobey had an armload of paper work on her. No matter how Dave felt about her he wouldn't ignore the facts; he was too good of a cop.

A moan next to her brought her back to reality, Janie looked over at her captive who was slowly coming around. Starsky opened his eyes and looked around. He tried to move but quickly realized that his hands and feet were tied, he swung his head to see who was in the driver's seat. "Janie," he croaked out. "What's going on?"

"Going on?" She said innocently. "What could possibly be going on?"

Starsky squinted over at her, "Why am I tied up?" He struggled against the ropes and seat belt that held him in the car seat.

Janie laughed through the tangle of hair, "Your are really slow aren't you?"

Starsky shook his head trying to clear the cob webs, he could tell by the way that he felt he had been drugged. "Did you drug me?" he demanded. He looked over at her again but she was staring straight ahead at the road. "Janie I don't understand what is going on."

"You should have listened to Izzy . . . I mean Susan. She tried to tell you about me several times. Now tell me is love blind?" She asked with a smirk.

Starsky closed his eyes; yes he did remember Susan trying to tell him something about Janie several times. In fact just last night, wasn't it? "Why do you keep calling her Izzy?"

"Because that is her name, Isabel Heartford, she changed it when she moved to L.A." Janie informed him. She finally looked at him and totally enjoyed the look on his face.

"You mean her name isn't really Susan Carlston?" he ask trying to sit up, his back was killing him.

"It is now, she went to court and changed it," Janie said. "I guess the ones you love are the last to know and you do love her don't you?"

Starsky's face went pale but he didn't answer her. He was feeling sick, like he would throw up at any moment. He looked out at the landscape whizzing by him trying to place where he was but it was no use. His head was still spinning from what he was sure now that Janie had given him.

"No answer for that?" She snapped.

Starsky swung his head around to look at her again, "Is that what this is all about. You are jealous because you think I'm in love with Susan?"

Janie tilted her head back and let out a long laugh; "You really are clueless. I could care less what you do with her. Neither one of you are going to be around much longer for it to matter. I guess poor Hutch is going to be taking care of that little girl all by himself, that is unless he gets in the way too."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Starsky ask her totally confused. "What are you planning on doing? Killing Susan and me? Why?" He tried to struggle against the ropes but it was no use, Starsky knew he was in big trouble.

 

Susan was almost in a panic when she radioed Dobey; he could tell the moment that he heard her voice on the phone that it was bad. "Cap," the female detective said trying to hold back the flow of tears. Usually she was calm and cool but Susan was already fearing the worst, she was afraid that Starsky may already be dead. "Starsky is missing, we found his gun in his apartment and he doesn't even visit his mother with out it. I know Janie has him, somehow she got him to go with her or she . . . "

"Calm down Carlston," Dobey said although he didn't feel very calm himself. "I'll get an A.P.B. out on her car, we will find them."

Susan nodded her head but tears filled her eyes, "Cap could you put a guard on the townhouse. I'll call Mrs. Gray and let her know what is going on. I wouldn't put anything past Janie, she wouldn't care if she killed a kid just as long as she got what she wanted."

"Will do," Dobey said.

Susan had just put the mic back in place when Hutch came up behind her carrying an empty pill bottle. He held it up for her to see, "It was sitting on the kitchen counter next to a bottle of wine, looks like she drugged him."

"Or OD'd him," Susan said as the tears she was trying to hold back began running down her cheeks.

"Don't you think we would have heard something by now if she had killed him?" Hutch asked as he pulled her into his arms, Susan was trembling. "Everything is going to be all right."

"This whole thing is my fault. If I would have just told you two the truth years ago Starsky would have never had anything to do with her."

Hutch pushed her away from him so that he could see her face, "Now you listen, this is not your fault. It was a shock when you told me who you were but I don't blame you for wanting to forget. Janie went to the trouble of tracking you down, you didn't know she was coming for you."

"I still should have told you though, so that we could have been ready," Susan insisted.

"How could you have known, how long has it been since you have even thought of her?" Hutch asked.

Susan shrugged her shoulders, "Years and years, I use to have nightmares about Janie and her parents," Susan thought for a moment then said, "You know those dreams disappeared after I met you and Starsky. I guess I finally felt safe."

Hutch opened the car door for her Susan slowly got in. She sat staring out the windshield as Hutch got in the driver's side and started the car. Susan suddenly remember Katie, she had been such a sweet girl and looked to her older sister for guidance, even though Izzy was only a year older. But Izzy had always been independent and worldly, or she seemed so to Katie.

Katie had been sitting on her bed one afternoon crying when Izzy came home from cheerleading practice. "Katie what's wrong?" Izzy ask sitting down next to her sister and putting an arm around her.

"Oh Iz," Katie sobbed on her shoulder. "Danny dumped me and the dance is Friday."

"I'm sorry Katie, why?" Izzy ask brushing the hair from her sister's face.

Katie looked up at her with red rimmed eyes, it was apparent she had been crying for a while. "It was Stacy, she has been after him for months and she finally got him. She would do things that I wouldn't, if you know what I mean," she said haltingly.

"If that's all he was interested in then he's not worth all these tears," Izzy said reaching for a tissue. "I bet there are a line of boys just waiting for the chance to take you to that dance."

And Izzy had been right, that evening the phone had rang off the hook. Word had spread quickly that Katie and Danny were no longer an item. Now Katie's only problem was who to go with, she had picked a nice quite boy who was elated at the fact she had said yes.

"Susan . . . Susan?" Hutch called to her. She was sitting there with a smile on her face as she thought about her sister. "Hon, are you OK?"

"What?" Susan looked at Hutch startled. The memory had been so vivid that she had almost expected to see Katie sitting next to her. "Yeah I'm fine I was just thinking about Katie, it's been a long time since I have thought of her."

Hutch smiled at her sympathetically, "I'm sorry all this is happening to you."

"At this moment it happening to Starsky, we have to find them before Janie murders someone else in my life," Susan said sounding stronger. She was going to get Janie for her sister, her parents and all the other families she had helped destroy.

 

Janie turned her convertible into a small roadside restaurant just out side San Luis Obispo and turned off the ignition. She turned in her seat to look at Starsky who was glaring at her. Janie gave him her best smile, "I happen to be hungry, so we are going in side to eat. Don't try anything or I will kill you on the spot." When Janie saw that her threat didn't faze the detective she added, "Then I will kill that pretty little god-child of yours, ok?"

A dark look passed a cross Starsky face but he only nodded. Janie leaned over and began untying him, "You know the only reason that I haven't already killed you is that I do like you," she murmured, as she touched the side of his face.

"Don't waste your time," Starsky said between clenched teeth, he jerked his head away from her touch.

"You mean our shower fun meant nothing to you," she said in a mock pout. Then her voice turned nasty, "How does it feel to have slept with the woman that killed your friends family?"

Starsky sat staring at her in stunned silence. "You killed Susan's family?" he finally said. She nodded smiling smugly as she finished untying the ropes that bound his hands.

Janie got out of the driver's side, "Now I'm not kidding you a bit. If you give me a moments trouble you are dead, then I go after Jesse, you got that?"

"I got it," Starsky snapped as he got out of the car. His legs were so weak that he almost fell as he started to get up. "What the hell did you give me?"

Janie ignored his question and went around the car. She put her arm around his waist, he started to push her away but Janie held on tightly. "We are just you typical newlywed couple on our honeymoon."

He gave her a dirty look but allowed her to help him into the restaurant, only because he didn't think that his legs would hold him. Janie guided him to a back booth, she slid in but Starsky jerked out of her grasp and sat across from her.

A waitress showed up carrying two menu's and two empty coffee cups. She sat the cups on the table then handed them the menus, "Fill'em up?" She asked indicating the cups.

"Sure . . . uh Candy," Starsky said after looking at her nametag.

She flashed him a beautiful smile, which he returned, "OK, you guys take a look at the menu and I'll get the coffee." Candy smiled at Starsky again then glanced at Janie, who was scowling at her, the waitress hurried off.

Janie turned her eyes to Starsky. "We are on our honeymoon dear, try to behave yourself," she hissed at him

"That's your fantasy not mine," he snapped. Starsky had a plan, it wasn't much of one but at the moment it was all he could come up with. He was going to be as friendly as he possibly could be in hopes that the waitress would remember him if his partners came looking for him. He realized that the chances of that were slim to none, they didn't even know where they were. In fact they might not even know he was missing yet. He looked at his watch, they should be at the station by now but they wouldn't miss him for a while. He was frequently

late, to bad he wasn't always on time like Hutch.

The waitress returned with a coffeepot, she filled Starsky's cup first then Janie's. Candy smiled once again at the detective, "Know what you want?"

"How about meatloaf?" Starsky grinned at her. "Maybe some mashed potatoes, gravy, a couple of green beans?"

Candy was about to tell him that they weren't serving lunch yet when Janie growled, "For God sakes Dave it's breakfast time."

"I'll see what I can to for you blue eyes," Candy said and started to walk away.

"Hey what about me?" Janie demanded.

"Oh sorry," the waitress said. She wondered what a good liking guy like him was doing with such a bitch. "What do you want?"

"How about some eggs, over easy, couple of links of sausage, toast, orange juice," Janie said. "That to much for you?"

"No I think I can remember that," Candy snapped, she was usually polite to all the customers even the rude ones. But this chick was beyond rude. "I think I can remember that all the way to the kitchen."

Candy flipped her brown ponytail over her shoulder and went to the counter to put in the order. "Hey Phil," she called into the kitchen. "We got any meat loaf back there?"

Phil's face appeared over the counter, "Meat loaf?" He said making a face. "For breakfast?"

Candy shrugged, "That's what he wants, mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. The lady, and I use that term loosely wants a number five, burn it if you want."

Phil shook his head, "I'll see what I can do about the meat loaf."

Back at the table Janie was trying to carry on a conversation with Starsky but he refused to talk to her. Finally she fell silent, he sighed and leaned back closing his eyes. He was sure that Candy would remember him and Janie had probably helped just by being herself.

Candy came to the table carrying a tray with their food on it. She placed Janie's eggs in front of her then smiled at Starsky, "Look what Phil found for you." She sat a plate filled with meat loaf and potatoes smothered in gravy. "Sorry no green beans but how about some apple sauce?"

"Sure, thanks," Starsky said. He really was hungry and the food smelled wonderful. The couple ate in silence, Candy refilled the coffee cups a few times.

"If you need to use the little boys room I suggest that you do it now and don't try anything," Janie warned after they had finished eating.

Starsky wiped his mouth and got up, "Don't worry I'll be right back."

"Hey, just a minute," she called after him.

"What now," he sighed.

"Empty your pockets."

"What?"

"I don't want you making any calls while you are in the john," Janie explained. Starsky walked back to the table and emptied his pockets on the table then went to the men's room.

Candy who had been watching from across the room came to the table with the bill. "I guess you'll be paying this," she said dropping the paper on the table. She turned to leave then stopped and turned back around, "What is your damage lady?"

"Why don't you mind your own business," Janie said as she opened her purse and pulled out a ten. "I would like my change it you don't mind."

"I wouldn't want your money anyway," Candy said taking the ten and going to the cash register.

Once in the bathroom Starsky looked for a way out but there were no windows. He had thought if he could get out that he could get a hold of Susan and Hutch and tell them what was going on. He sat down on the floor, he still wasn't to steady on his feet and wished he knew what she had given him. That was when he noticed a pencil lying under the sink. Starsky got up and grabbed the pencil then ripped off a piece of paper towel.

He began to write a hurried note, which he planned somehow to give their waitress.

There was a sharp rap on the bathroom door, Starsky jumped then folded up the towel stuffed it in his back pocket and tossed the pencil in the trash can. He jerked open the door, "What!" he asked pushing past her. "Can't a guy even use the restroom?"

"Go get your crap off the table and let's get out of here."

Starsky went to the table, he picked up his wallet then scrapped the change into his hand. They walked across the restaurant, Candy was behind the cash register. Just as Starsky was about to go out the door he stopped.

"What now?" Janie said with a scowl on her face.

"I bet you didn't leave her a tip did you?" Starsky said pulling out his wallet. He turned his back to Janie took out a five wrapped it around the note he had written. Then he walked over to Candy, "Here Hon, great meat loaf."

"Thanks, you take care now," Candy said patting his hand as she took the money. Starsky nodded then left with Janie. The waitress slipped the five in her pocket just as a family of four walked in the door. She grabbed a hand full of menus and followed the family to a booth. It would be hours before she counted her tips.

Candy's shift was almost over and she couldn't wait, her feet ached and her head hurt. The headache came on about the time the witch had come in with the cute curly headed guy and hadn't gone away. She wondered briefly about the couple, they were such an odd pair. Candy reached in and touched her pocket full of tips, it had been a good day.

"Hey Candy," Phil called from the kitchen, his apron that had been white when he had come to work was now splattered with food.

"Yeah Phil, order up?" Candy asked coming toward the counter.

"No, Kelly just called, one of her kids is sick. She wanted to know if you would fill in for her," Phil ask he spun the wheel with the orders on it.

Candy sighed, Kelly was her best friend, she had three kids and no man, it made Candy glad she was single. "Sure, I guess I can hang in there for a few more hours."

"Kelly was doing a double shift," Phil informed her as he went back to the grill.

"What ever," Candy sighed again, it meant that she wouldn't get off until closing but what the hell she didn't have anything else to do anyway. Maybe she would stop on the way home, pick up some take out and go over to Kelly's. Other times when she had filled in for the girl she had tried to give her some of the tip money but Kelly wouldn't take it even though she desperately needed it. It always made Candy feel bad, at least this way Kelly couldn't turn down food that had already been bought.

"Here's your order, table six," Phil said sliding two plates of meatloaf floating in gravy, which made Candy think of the strange couple again. "Want me to cook you up some burgers to take to Kelly after work?"

Candy shook her head as she grabbed the two steaming plates, "Thanks but I think I'll pick up a couple of pizza's."

"Suit yourself," Phil said returning to his cooking.

It was almost ten p.m. and the restaurant had been dead since nine. Phil was scrapping the grease from the grill and Candy was refilling the salt and peppershakers. Another waitress was wiping down the tables.

Phil leaned over the counter, "Hey girls lets call it a night."

Candy breathed a sigh of relief and went to lock the front door and turn the open sign to closed. Then she went back and finished up the shakers, Candy placed a set of each on all the tables so that they would be ready for the next morning. Phil cashed out the register and put the money in the safe in the back room. The other girl finished her cleaning and Candy let her out the front door, her boyfriend was waiting to pick her up.

"You ready Candy?" Phil called from the back door.

"Just a sec, I want to call the pizza place so it will be waiting," Candy said going to the phone. She placed an order for two large pizzas with everything. She knew it was far more that they would ever eat but she would insist that Kelly keep the leftovers. It might not be the world's perfect breakfast but it was better than nothing and a lot of times that's what they had.

When Candy got to the pizza parlor the pies were waiting for her. She fished around in her apron for her tip money. Candy unfolded the five that blue eyes had given her, the note drop to the floor unnoticed. She paid for the food and was about to leave when a little boy about seven tugged on the back of her jacket.

She turned around and looked at the small boy. "You dropped this," he said holding out the scrap of paper towel toward her.

"Are you sure?" Candy asked, she didn't remember putting any paper in her pocket.

The boy nodded gravely, "I saw it fall out when you took out your money."

She smiled at him and reached into her apron pulling out two quarters, "Thanks honey," she said handing him the money.

"You don't have to do that," he said refusing the quarters.

"Go ahead, it's nothing," Candy said dropping the coins in his hand. "Play something good on the jukebox for me."

"Thanks lady," he said and scampered off to the jukebox standing in the corner.

It was almost eleven when Candy reached Kelly's tiny apartment. She was afraid that her friend might be in bed but Kelly answered the door quickly. A smile spread across her face when she saw Candy. The apartment was very small, there were only three rooms plus a tiny bathroom. The kitchen wasn't much bigger than a closet, the living room, dining room was only a little larger. Kelly shared the single bedroom with the three kids.

The children were no where to be seen, so Candy figured that they must be in bed, after all it was late. Kelly took the two boxes from her friend and sat them on that coffee table that also served as a kitchen table. There wasn't much of the way of furniture in the apartment, a beat up over stuffed chair with the stuff coming out, a couch which one of the legs had fallen off so Kelly had propped it up with a stack of magazines. There was the scratched up coffee table the pizzas were sitting on and a lamp that she had found in the trash. In the bed room there was only a king size bed and a wooden chair, a bare light bulb hung from the ceiling.

"I'm so sorry you had to take my shift," Kelly said going into the kitchen to get a couple of plates and drinks. "But Peter was really sick."

"How's he doing now?" Candy asked frowning looking toward the bedroom.

"Much better, I think the milk he had was bad," Kelly said with a guilty look.

Candy made a face, " What about Gail and Tony?"

"Gail won't touch milk and Tony is still on formal," Kelly sighed. "It's the first time I was glad that Gail wouldn't drink milk."

"Have you heard from Mike?" Candy asked. Mike was Kelly's boyfriend and the father of the three kids. Peter was the oldest at six, then Gail, four and Tony, nine months. Mike had walked out when Tony was six months old, leaving Kelly support herself and the kids. Although they didn't have much to eat or money for clothes she was able to hang on to the apartment.

Kelly shook her head, "Not a word, I even called his mother but she doesn't know or isn't saying. She never liked me anyway."

After one slice of pizza Candy stood up, "I really have to be going, I have first shift again tomorrow."

Kelly closed up the pizza box and started to hand it to her friend, "Thanks for coming by and thanks for covering for me, I really owe you."

"It was nothing," Candy said picking up her purse. "You keep the pizza's, I'm not very hungry and I'm sure the kids will love it."

"Are you sure?" Kelly looking eagerly at the boxes, she hadn't had anything but a piece of toast and that had been for breakfast. Candy nodded and left, she loved her friend but she couldn't stand watching what was happening to her.

Candy went straight to her bedroom when she got home, she emptied her apron of tips. Even after buying the food she still had pretty much money left. The piece of paper towel the little boy had handed to her fluttered to the floor. She picked it up and unfolded it, what was written on it stun her beyond words. Candy wasn't sure what to do, thinking maybe it was a joke. She decided that she would wait until morning and ask Phil what to do.

She was a half an hour early to work but the front door was unlocked even though the sign still said closed. Candy went in, Phil was in the kitchen heating up the grill. "Phil?"

She called out. "Could you come out here a minute."

He appeared in the doorway in his still white apron, Phil was your typical looking cook, short, fat and balding. But he was a real sweet heart and took care of all the waitresses, he always cooked extra food and sent it home with Kelly saying it was leftovers. "What's up?"

Candy sat down at one of the counter stools and pulled the note out of her pocket, "You remember that couple from yesterday morning?" He shook his head no. "The one that ordered meatloaf for breakfast?" This time he nodded, faces he forgot, food he remembered. "Well he slipped me this note with a five wrapped around it. I didn't read the note until I got home late last night, then I didn't know what to do so I thought I would ask you."

She handed the note to Phil, squinted at it a moment then handed it back to her, "You read it, I left my glasses in the kitchen."

Candy unfolded the note and slowly read it out loud, "My name is Dave Starsky, I'm a detective for the L.A.P.D. This woman Janie Stillwell kidnapped me. Please call my partners Ken Hutchinson or Susan Carlston at the department." When she finished she looked up at Phil, "What do you think?" But he was already holding out the telephone receiver to her.

CHAPTER NINE

Susan and Hutch had an unfruitful day trying to locate their missing partner. They had lunch at the Pit's hoping that maybe Huggy Bear had some news but he was surprised to hear that Starsky was missing. Apparently what ever Janie had done she had done alone. Huggy had ask how they thought she had managed to get him to go with her. Hutch showed him the empty bottle of pills. Huggy shook his head sadly wishing there were something he could do to help. He did offer to get in his car and drive around looking but the two detectives said that they didn't really think that would help much. After the morning long APB had turned up nothing they were pretty certain that they weren't in the city any more.

They hadn't wanted to tell Jesse that Starry was missing, she had been though so much with all the kidnapping business. It broke their hearts to have to tell her that once again they expected her to stay inside for fear that Janie might try to get her too. But Jesse took the news like a trooper and promised her parents that she wouldn't try to play detective like she had with the kidnapping. Mrs. Gray was heart broken to hear about Starsky, she loved him as she did the couple she worked for like they were her own children.

Sometimes Mrs. Gray thought of going back east to live with her daughter. There was a lot of stress with her employers being police and they always seem to be in some sort of trouble. But she had to admit that is was exciting and her life would be very dull with out them. Besides she couldn't stand leaving Jesse anyway.

Neither one of the detectives slept very well that night and paced the house endlessly much of the night. Hutch called the station several times during the night and Captain Dobey even called a couple of times to see if they had any news. Susan kept hoping that Janie would call with some kind of threat or that maybe Starsky would some how get away from her. But with every tick of the clock Susan lost a little more hope that her partner was still alive. Once Hutch found her standing in front of the fireplace staring at a water globe Starsky had given her after their ordeal up at Dobey's cabin. A lone tear escaped and ran down the side of her face. Hutch hadn't said anything but just put his arms around her.

Early the next morning they left for LAX to pick up Captain Delrose. They were a half an hour early but the two detectives couldn't stand just sitting around the house or the station. Susan stood watching the planes being loaded with luggage and filled with fuel. Finally the Captain's plane was announced, Susan stood next to Hutch waiting nervously for him to exit with the rest of the passengers. She wasn't sure if she would recognize him or not, she hadn't even remembered him until yesterday.

But her worries were put to rest, Mark Delrose recognized her. A man not much taller than Susan with a close shaved beard, dark short hair and carrying a suitcase came up to the detectives. "Izzy? Izzy Hartford?" he said smiling at her. He had known instantly that it was her, she hadn't change much from the high school girl he had known. He had felt so bad for her when her family had been killed. He had been the one to tell her, it was one of the hardest things he had ever done. Mark wasn't sure why he was here now except that he felt that he needed to help her. He had failed her twice now and wasn't about to do it again.

"Mark?" She said, and suddenly she did remember him, all the fun they had had together. The parties, the dances, the movies, the days at the lake, he had even gone on vacation with her family once. Everybody had thought they were a couple and would get married once out of school but they were just friends, best friends. Her friends couldn't understand how they could be just friends, neither could his especially since they spent so much time together. Susan wondered how in the world she could have forgotten him but she had a hard time remembering anything about that period in her life.

He dropped the suitcase and hugged her to him tightly, "It's so to see you Iz."

She hugged him back, "It's wonderful to see you too. I'm Susan now though," she said releasing him. Then she looked up at Hutch, "This is Mark Delrose, he was my best friend in high school. Mark this is my husband and partner Ken Hutchinson."

Mark smiled at Hutch and shook hands with him, "Detective Hutchinson," Mark said, then an amused look crossed his face. "Partner and husband, I bet that gets interesting."

"At times," Hutch said returning the smile. "Please call me Hutch.

"All right Hutch, where do we go from here."

"Well I guess we start by getting out of here," Hutch said taking the suitcase Mark had set on the floor.

When they left the airport it was still very early in the morning but the detectives decided to check in with Dobey at the station. Susan and Hutch knew from experience that their captain would all ready be at his desk. But they didn't make it to the station, the radio went off as they were pulling onto the highway.

"Zebra three," Susan said into the microphone.

"Carlston, I think we have a lead." It was Dobey's voice on the other end.

Susan looked over at Hutch who was gripping the steering so tight that his knuckles were turning white. "What's going on Cap."

"There was just a call for one of you here," Dobey explained. "A young woman named Candy Myers said that Starsky was in the restaurant early yesterday morning."

"Where?" Susan asked breathlessly.

"In San Luis Obispo, it's a small place just outside the town."

Dobey said.

Susan and Hutch looked at each other, "Sounds like Janie is driving up the coast on Highway 1," Hutch said looking back at the road.

"Can we drive up and speak to the girl?" Susan said into the microphone.

"Get going, it's about a three hour drive," Dobey ordered. "Miss Myers is a waitress at the restaurant. By the way did you pick up Captain Melrose?"

"Mark is in the back seat, guess he got here just in time," Susan said glancing in the back seat at her old friend. "Cap how did the girl know it was Starsky?"

"He left her a note, she'll give you all the details," Dobey said. "You keep me posted and be careful."

"Always Cap," Susan returned the microphone to it's resting place on the radio. She looked over at her partner again. "Let's get moving."

Mark leaned over the back seat, "I'm hear to help, let's get her." Susan smiled at him and took the hand he held into the front seat.

The smile slid from Susan's face, "The girl saw them yesterday morning, who knows where they could be by now."

"I wonder why she waited so long to contact us?" Hutch asked as he headed for Highway 1.

"Who knows, people hesitate at getting involved," Susan said. "We don't know what went on. You know how Janie is she could have scared her to death."

Mark placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, "Everything is going to be OK Iz."

Susan blanched at the use of her old name but didn't say anything. She suddenly remembered another time when Mark had said those same words to her.

She and Janie had been sitting on the couch munching popcorn and watching an old movie when the doorbell had rang. Izzy handed the bowl to her friend and went to answer the door. Mark was standing there in a police uniform, two other officers were standing behind him.

Mark had become a policeman right out of high school, following in his father's footsteps. He had only been an officer for six months but had volunteered to go to Izzy's, he thought it might be better coming from him. "Can I come in?" he ask slowly.

Izzy nodded and opened the door wider so that he could enter, the other two men waited out side. She knew something was wrong, Mark looked like he was about ready to cry. "What's happened," Izzy ask trying to prepare herself for what he was going to say.

"Let's go sit down," Mark said leading her into the living room where Janie was still watching the movie.

She looked up startled, not see Mark he was almost a permanent fixture there. What startled her was the fact he was in uniform and looked so serious, "What's going on?"

Mark sat Izzy down on the couch and crouched in front of her, he took her hands in his, "Honey there was a real bad car accident, your parents were killed."

Izzy sat staring at him in stunned silence for a few minutes, then very carefully she asked, "What about Katie?"

"Katie was taken to the hospital, she is still alive but just barely. She has massive head injuries, Katie is unconscious the doctors don't expect her to live," Mark said sadly. He loved the whole family like it was his own, sometimes he spent more time with the Hartford's than he did with his only family.

"I have to get to the hospital," Izzy said, Janie slipped an arm around her friend.

"There's nothing you can do for her," Janie said looking at Mark for support. "You should come to my house."

Izzy looked at her horrified, "I have to be with my sister. Mark can you take me?"

When Mark and Izzy arrived at the hospital, they were let in immediately to see Katie. Doctors expected her to go any time, there were no brain waves, and her pulse was very slow and thready. And even if the girl some how managed to survive she would be a vegetable the rest of her life.

Izzy gasped when she saw her sister lying in the hospital bed with tubes coming out of her, machines flashed and beeped beside her. Katie's head was so wrapped in bandages that Izzy scarcely recognized her.

A doctor came up behind Izzy, "Miss Hartford?" She turned and looked at the doctor nodding her head wordlessly. "I know this is very hard but I must ask you, if your sister stops breathing should we resuscitate her? Izzy looked at the man with questioning eyes. "No, she will never be normal again, this is the way she will stay."

Izzy slowly shook her head no, she knew that her sister would hate living like this, "I couldn't do that to her," she said very softly.

The doctor nodded, "There are some papers you must sign then. If you could just come to the nurses station we can take care of it."

Izzy looked up at the doctor, "Could you please bring them in here I don't want to leave my sisters side." The man nodded and left the room. Izzy sat down next to Katie and took her hand, it was so cold. "Katie you hear me, I'm here. You don't have to hold on for me, you don't want to live like this, it's all right go be with mom and dad."

She lay her forehead down on the bed, Mark came and stood right behind her wishing there were something that he could do. He was watching Katie's face when he noticed that suddenly she had a peaceful look, he glanced over at one of the monitors just before it went off, her heart beat was a flat line.

Izzy looked up startled, "She's gone," Mark said putting his hand on her shoulders. "Everything is going to be OK Iz."

"Susan, Susan?" It was Hutch shaking her shoulder. "You with us?"

Susan came crashing back to the present, "Yeah I'm here, what were you saying," she ask shaking the remainder of the memory away.

"I said that I wish we had swung by Janie's before we left," Hutch repeated. "Maybe there was something in her apartment that would have told us where she was going or what she was planning."

Susan picked up the microphone, "This is Zebra Three could you patch me through to Officer Libby Standford."

Hutch looked over at her and smiled he knew what she was going to do. The dispatcher came back on the radio, "I'm sorry Zebra Three but Officer Standford is not on duty right now."

"Then call her at home, this is important!" The detective snapped, she winced at the sound of her own voice. "Listen I'm sorry, could you please find her and have her call us?"

"No need to apologize everyone here knows what's going on, you guys just find Starsky," the voice said then was gone.

Susan looked over the back seat, "Libby a really good friend of ours. I'm going to get her to go over to Janie's see what she can find out."

Mark nodded then said, "You know Iz . . . Susan, I always wondered what happened to you. I was really shocked when your Captain called, not so much about Janie but about you. I felt so bad when you left and I even tried to hunt you down a few times."

"I didn't want to be found, but Janie managed some how," Susan said tiredly. The night before was catching up with her, in fact the last couple of weeks had been a whirlwind. "When did you make Captain?"

He smiled at her, "Dad retired a few years ago and lucky me I got to take his place. You know I almost gave up the department because of your parents case."

"You were the only one that would believe me and didn't think I was crazy. But nobody else would listen, the Stillwell's were up standing members of the community and just so wonderful for taking in the little orphan," Susan bristled

"I guess that's why I'm here, I felt I owed you," he said looking at her.

"Mark you don't owe me anything it wasn't your fault. You were just a rookie cop," she said taking his hand over the seat. "You were there for me and that helped more than you'll ever know."

"You should have come and stayed with us, but mom didn't think it was proper. I tried to explain that we were just friends but like everybody else my family thought we were an item. Heck mom was planning our wedding," Mark said blushing.

"You are kidding me," Susan laughed, it was the first time in days that she had laughed. Seem like Mark was rescuing her again.

Hutch looked over at them and wondered if all their family and friends had known something that Mark and Izzy didn't want to admit to themselves. That was all he needed, more competition. Starsky he could handle but this new guy and somebody from her past he didn't know if he could handle that. He was about to say something when the radio went off, when Susan didn't get it immediately, Hutch snapped, "Could you get that I'm driving."

Susan looked at him wondering what was with him as she picked up the microphone, "Zebra Three."

"Susan, it's Libby, what's up?" The red headed officer asked.

"Hutch and I need you to go over to Janie's apartment, see if you can find anything that can tell us where she is going," Susan explained. "We are on our way to San Luis Obispo to talk to a waitress there that has seen Starsky."

"I'll get on it right away," Libby said, then added softly. "Find Starsky."

"We will," Susan assured and hung up the microphone.

 

After Starsky and Janie left the restaurant they continued on up the coast toward Monterey. Janie had done her homework and knew just where she was going. She had studied the coast looking for a place with high cliffs that lead down to the water. Janie had bought several books on the coast and read them every night until she had found the perfect place, Jade Cove. It was a popular place but Janie thought if she waited until dark that she wouldn't have any trouble dumping Starsky over the cliff.

Janie then planned on hopping on a plane in San Francisco and heading for Paris, she had always wanted to go there. She had more money than she could ever spend, she was ready to leave. Janie had planned on killing Susan but this would be better, Susan would have to live with the knowledge that the secret she kept killed somebody she loved.

Janie smiled to her self as she drove down the highway, she had pulled her blond hair into a ponytail. She looked over at Starsky who was staring straight a head. "Hey handsome what are you thinking about?"

Starsky turned to glare at her with out answering. He hoped that the waitress back at the restaurant read the note soon and then called his partners. Starsky decided that the first chance he got he was going to try and get away. He knew that Janie was working alone or he was pretty sure. She had never mentioned anybody else, he doubted that she trusted anybody that much.

There was no way that she could get back to L.A. and hurt Jesse before he could call and warn them. Plus he figured that as soon as his partners figured out what was going on they would put a guard on her. He tried to look at the map that Janie had lying open between them, she had several places circled in red on the map.

Janie noticed Starsky looking at the map, "Wondering where we are going?" she purred at him. "It doesn't really matter now. By dark this will all be over, at least for you but Susan will have to live with your death for the rest of her life."

"But why," Starsky finally spoke, he hadn't said a word to her since they ate. "Why do you want to hurt her so bad now."

"Nobody gets away from me," Janie said through clenched teeth. "You know my parents started going soft on me, they wanted to stop, they didn't have the stomach for it any more. So I decided they were in the way and I got rid of them."

"You killed your own parents?" Starsky said in a shocked voice. "What kind of a cold-hearted bitch are you. How could I have ever fallen for someone like you." He looked away in disgust, why hadn't he listened to Susan. He should have known Susan wasn't acting the way she because of jealousy. Both he and Hutch had known that there was something going on. He should have pushed her to tell him but since the cabin things between them had cooled. He guessed that was why he was such easy prey for Janie.

"You weren't in love with me, you didn't even know me. You thought that I was a good friend of Susan's and in that way you could be close her. You love her not me," Janie said matter-of-factly.

Starsky closed his eyes, he knew she was right. He thought of those two nights that they spent together in that blizzard. It had been scary and they had confessed their feelings for each other. They should have never gone up there with out Hutch along but he had to pick up a prisoner transfer. He had told them to go on ahead, that he would be along later. But a freak storm hit and dumped several feet of snow on them trapping the two detectives and leaving Hutch to wonder what was going on. He knew that his partners had feelings for each other before they even realized it themselves.

It was almost noon before Janie stopped again, she pulled into a gas station. Janie pulled up to a pump and turned the ignition off then turned in her seat to look at Starsky. "Now just what am I going to do with you?"

"I won't go anywhere," Starsky sighed looking back at her.

"And I'm suppose to believe that? I'm not stupid, you could walk away from here in a heart beat and you know that I couldn't get back to L.A. to carry out my threat," Janie said. "So what's to keep you here?"

"My word," Starsky said glancing around. There weren't too many places he could escape to but if he could get away from her and call Hutch and Susan this all would be over.

Janie laughed, "I saw you looking around, you are already planning a way out, so don't give me that honor crap, OK?" She picked up her purse and pulled out a revolver. "I will shoot you right out here in front of everybody, I just don't really care any more." She retrieved the rope from the floor of the car that she had him tied with before. Janie bound his hands and feet once again then tossed a blanket from the back seat over him.

"You sure aren't very trusting are you?" Starsky said in a sarcastic tone.

"And you are a liar," Janie said as she got out of the car. She went around to the back of the Mustang and began filling the tank. When she was finished Janie went into the station to pay for the gas and returned with an assortment of chips and a couple of cans of pop. She got in the car and tossed the chips toward Starsky.

He just looked at her. "Thanks for staying put, not that you had a choice," she laughed pulling the blanket off him so she could untie the ropes that bound his hands but left the ones around his ankles.

He took the can of pop she was offering him. Then he held up several bags of chips, "What's all this for?"

"Lunch, we aren't stopping right now. We will never reach our destination if we keep stopping," Janie snapped.

He opened a bag of corn chips, "And just where is our destination?" he growled.

Janie didn't answer him, instead she started the car and drove off.

Traffic had been heavy most of the way, Highway 1 was a popular trip for tourists who wanted to sight see. It was a beautiful drive, on once side you had the ocean on the other were several interesting place to stop. There was the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and The Ah Louis store both in San Luis Obispo. There was Morro Rock, an extinct volcano and wildlife preserve. Leffingwell's Landing, a state picnic ground, people went there for tide-pooling and watching otters. On up the coast there was the Enchanted Hill, where the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument was.

Next was Jade Cove, one of the best-known places on the coast to hunt for jade. The cliffs were very high at the Cove, now just to wait for darkness. Janie looked at her watch a couple of times, they were ahead of time. The drive hadn't taken as long as Janie had thought and she was going to have to kill some time. She drove on past Jade Cove on to a little town called Lucia, there wasn't much there but she was hoping the could find a small eating place. And there was the problem of how to drug Starsky again.

It had been easy at his apartment, Starsky still liked and trusted her. Janie was sure that the only reason he had taken the pop from her was because it was still sealed. She had to drug him again it was the only way she would be able to get him over the cliff.

Starsky hadn't spoken since they had gotten back on the road after getting gas. There wasn't anything to say at least not to her, but he did have a lot of questions for Susan. That was if he ever saw her again. He noticed that Janie kept looking at her watch, he wonder what she had on her mind now. It was clear that she had all this planned out carefully.

When Janie pulled off the road at Lucia, Starsky who had been dozing sat up when the car stopped moving. "What's going on?"

"How about some dinner?" Janie said being the charming woman that he had fallen for. She smiled at him, "Let's see if we can find a good place to eat."

"What my last meal?" Starsky said sarcastically glaring at her.

"Very funny," Janie said still smiling. "Why don't we try and have a nice evening."

"You have got to be kidding!" Starsky yelled, he opened the car door and started getting out. By the time he remembered that his feet were still tied Starsky was laying face first in the dirt. Janie jumped out of the car and ran around to the other side.

She crouched down next to Starsky. "Are you all right?' she asked genuinely concerned. Starsky gazed at her then spit out a mouth full of dirt. Janie quickly untied his feet then held out her hand to help him up.

Starsky ignored the out stretched had, getting up with out help. "Thanks," he growled wiping the last of the dirt out of his mouth and then brushing off his clothes.

"Oh come, let's have some fun," she said playfully grabbing his arm.

He jerked his arm out of her grasp, "You got a split personality or are you just brain dead? You kidnapped me this morning and now you want us to have a night out on the town?"

"I didn't say anything about a night out. We are just killing some time until . . . " Janie trailed off.

"Until what?" Starsky ask.

"Until," she hesitated, then almost in a whisper, "I kill you."

"And you think I'm just going to roll over and play dead?" Starsky said. "Lady I won't go easy."

Janie started toward the small diner, it wasn't much, a lot worse than the place where they had had breakfast but it would do. Starsky sighed and followed her for lack of anything else to do. There wasn't anywhere to go and he was afraid of what she might do if he took off.

The diner was very small but was almost full of locals. Starsky was surprised because there hadn't been many cars in the parking lot. That meant that these people had walked here, which meant that there were houses close by. Maybe if he played it cool, he could get away from her.

Janie spotted a table in the back, she grabbed Starsky's hand. He didn't pull away from her, instead he went willingly taking in every detail of the diner. A little girl that was sitting at a booth next to a window sipping a soft drink looked up at Starsky and smiled. He returned the smile and then thought of Jesse, this little girl looked to be about the age of his goddaughter.

Janie sat down at the table, the detective sat across from her, they both grabbed a menu at the same time and came up with the same one. Starsky smiled at her for the first time since all this had started. "Dave," she began, "I'm really sorry this has gotten so far. I only intended to come here to kill Susan."

Starsky turned loose of the menu as the smile slid from his face, "And that's suppose to make me feel better?" He asked as he took another menu. "Look Janie why don't you just let me go. I won't stop you, it would take Susan and Hutch hours to get here and you could be long gone by then. I know you must have plans for someplace to go."

"Paris," Janie said softly as she opened the menu.

"What?" Starsky ask, laying the menu down on the table.

"Paris," she repeated, "I'm going to Paris, tonight."

"I see, after you kill me that is," Starsky said.

A waitress appeared at the table, she had graying hair and a no nonsense air about her, "What can I get ya?"

"Well lets see," Janie said studying the menu a moment more. "Got any appetizers? Maybe a nice bottle of wine to start out?"

Starsky gave her a pained look. The waitress was a little more that annoyed, "Look honey this ain't Spago's," the woman snapped. "I've got a lot of customers in here and I'm the only waitress right now, so if you don't mind. The best I can do for you in the line of appetizers is vegetable soup and a couple of bottles of beer."

Janie looked over at Starsky, who nodded, "OK sounds good, we'll start with that." The waitress waited a moment to see if the young woman was going to finish ordering, when Janie didn't say anything the waitress gave her a discussed look and hurried off.

"What was that all about?" Starsky ask shaking his head.

"Just having a little fun," she grinned at him.

Starsky thought very carefully before he ask her the question that was on his mind. "Janie, why?"

"Because I like to pick on people," she said in teasing tone.

"No, no, I mean why do you . . .. uh kill?"

"Oh that," she said like it was nothing. "It started a very long time ago. The first time I remember my parents killing anyone I was about six. These set ups took several years sometimes. My parents would first do research on a family to find out if there were any next of kin. If there were they would move on until they found a family that didn't have anybody but did have a lot of money. They also had to have a child around my age. Then my parents set out to become their best friends." Janie paused as the waitress set down steaming bowls of soup and the beers.

"Would you like to finish ordering now," the waitress ask tiredly, she had been there going on eight hours and had been alone for the last two.

"How about a couple of cheese burgers, fries and iced tea," Starsky said smiling at her.

The waitress gave him a small grateful smile and headed toward the kitchen to place the order. When she was out of ear shot Janie continued. "It took a year more or less, a little more if the people were tough. But most people are very trusting. Then my parents would kill off everybody except my "best friend". Then of course out of the goodness of their hearts they would take in the child. Once they got their hands on the money the poor child would met with an awful accident." "You know I was always afraid they would kill me too, especially if I didn't go along with them." Janie stopped and took a drink of beer, then looked at Starsky trying to read his expression.

Starsky surprisingly found himself feeling sorry for the woman sitting across from him. No wonder she was like she was, Janie didn't know any better not to the mention the fact she was afraid for her own life. "Why don't you stop now?" he ask her.

"I don't know what else to do. Besides it's too late now, I'm a killer, I would go to jail," Janie said sadly almost wishing things had been different, she was honestly beginning to like Dave.

"You haven't killed, not if you stop now," Starsky said, he reached over and took her hand. "Just stop now."

"You forgot about my parents, I killed them. And I may not have actually killed any of those families, I could have stopped it at any time," Janie said her eyes filling with tears.

"Listen you were brain washed or something. I think a judge would take all that into account. Janie I'll do what ever I can to help you, if this stops now." Starsky assured her.

The waitress brought their burgers and drinks, then went to ring out the couple with the cute little girl that had smiled at Starsky when they had come in.

"OK," Janie said smiling at him. He looked up at her chewing on a bite of hamburger. "OK, I give up, let's finish eating then we'll start back."

Starsky visibly relaxed, "We'll find a phone, call Susan and Hutch and let them know we are on your way back."

 

 

 

CHAPTER TEN

Janie sat at the table alone, Starsky had gone to the restroom. The waitress had already deposited the bill on the table and gone. Janie fished a pill bottle out of her purse, opened it, took out two capsules and emptied the contents into Starsky's iced tea that she had the waitress refill before she left. Janie quickly stirred the tea and placed the spoon in her plate. She was sipping her tea when Starsky came back and sat down.

"I had the waitress bring some more tea," Janie smiled at him and then raised her glass. "To a new life."

Starsky grinned at her, "To a new life, but I'm just glad to have my old one." He took a big drink of tea, "You ready to go? I really want to get back."

"Why don't you finish your tea while I go to the little girls room, then we'll pay and get out of here." Janie said draining the last of her drink. She flashed Starsky a blinding smile then went to the rest room.

Starsky finished up his tea, then picked up the bill to see if he had enough to pay for it. He couldn't believe the change of heart that Janie had had suddenly. Then he stopped, it was a little too sudden, and nobody changes that quickly. She had drugged him once. He picked up the tea glass tipped it side ways so that he could see through the bottom. There was something gritty on the bottom and Starsky didn't use sugar.

He knew he was in trouble, Janie had done it to him again and he was stupid enough to fall for her act. Starsky looked across the diner, their waitress was standing at the cash register talking on the phone. Starsky started to stand up, he would use the phone, call his partners and at least they would know where to start looking for him. But as the detective started to stand his head began to spin. Starsky managed to hang onto the edge of the table to keep from falling but he didn't know if he could make it across the room. Finally the wave of dizziness passed and he started across the room but before he got to the register his head began spinning again.

Several people looked up at the man staggering across the room thinking that he was drunk. A couple of women shook their heads and told the children not to stare. Their waitress saw him coming, she knew that he was not drunk. The couple had one beer apiece and he hadn't even finished his.

She rushed to his side, "Sir are you all right?" She asked with a worried expression on her face. The woman was a bitch but he seemed like an all right fellow.

Starsky didn't know what Janie had given him but it was working fast. He fell to his knees, the waitress knelt next to him. "Police . . .. call partners . . . help," Starsky whispered softly.

"Honey!" came a cry from across the room as Janie came out of the bathroom. She rushed to his side like a doting wife, "I told you shouldn't wait to take your medicine." She looked around at all the people staring at them. "We are on our honeymoon," she lied. "He didn't want to take his medicine because it makes him sleepy."

There were several whispers around the room, a large man got up from one of the booths, "'Cuse me Miss but I'll help him out to the car for ya. Do you think he needs a doc?"

Janie shook her head, "Just his medicine, if somebody could get me a glass of water."

By this time two other waitresses had come on duty, one of them ran to get the water. The cook came out of the kitchen to see what was going on. The waitress handed Janie the glass, she took out the pill bottle again and removed another pill. Starsky tried to turn his head away from her but Janie forced the capsule in his mouth and poured the water in after it. "Please," he managed to get out but it was so soft that only Janie heard him.

She looked up at the man that had offered to help her, "Could you please help him to the car now?"

"Don't ya want to wait until the pill starts working?" he asked looking at the curly headed man who was almost unconscious.

"He'll be fine now," Janie assured them. "We were headed to Monterey, if he's not better by then I'll find a doctor. I'm sure the hotel knows a good one."

The man just nodded and bodily picked up the detective and started for the door, "Which one is yours?" He asked.

"White convertible," Janie called to him as she stood up. Then she turned to the waitress, "What do I owe you." She said opening her purse.

"Don't worry about it Hon, just go take care of your husband," their waitress said, she looked over at the cook who nodded his head in agreement.

"Thank you so much, all of you," she gushed and ran out of the restaurant. By the time she got to the car, the man had Starsky in the car. The detective was looking even worse. The man looked at her doubtfully, "You sure about this miss?"

Janie nodded, "Thank-you so much for your help. He'll be just fine, this has happened before."

The man gave Starsky a final look, shrugged his shoulders and went back into the diner. When Janie was sure no one else was watching she started the car and turned onto Highway 1 away from Monterey and back toward Jade Cove. She didn't see the face of their waitress in the window watching. Maggie couldn't shake the words the young man had said before his wife had shown up, if that was who she really was. He had said something about police, but what police? She thought about calling the cops, and say what? Sighing she went back to waiting on tables but his words still haunted her.

Darkness was falling, Janie glanced over at Starsky's sleeping form. She wondered if she had over dosed him with the pills but it didn't really matter he would be dead soon anyway. The traffic had thinned out considerably, Janie could see a couple of fires burning on the beach far below as she approached Jade Cove. Luckily it was the middle of the week so there weren't as many people.

Janie pulled over to the side of the road, the cliffs were very steep here. She got as close to the edge as she dared then got out of the car. Janie walked to the edge of the cliff, from this spot she could only see one fire burning way down the beach. She listened for laughter but only heard the waves crashing against the shore.

Janie got back into the car, she looked at Starsky for a few moments, "It's been grand Dave," she whispered softly. Then she leaned over his unconscious body opened the car door and pushed him out. Starsky hit the side of the road then slid over the edge of the cliff and was gone. Janie slammed the car door, she opened the door on her side again and ran around to look down. Only blackness greeted her eyes, she smiled to herself, then ran back, jumped into the car and gunned it. The car slid for a moment in the loose gravel then caught the asphalt, Janie made a U-turn and pointed the car in the direction of San Francisco.

 

Hutch pulled his brown heap into a parking place at the restaurant in San Luis Obispo almost twenty-four hours after Janie and Starsky had been there. Susan climbed out of the car first and walked toward the building with out waiting for the two men. Hutch and Mark ran to catch up with her.

The trio entered the restaurant together. A pretty girl dressed in a waitress uniform was behind the cash register giving a man his change. When they were done with their transaction Susan and Hutch stepped up to the counter.

She looked at them and smiled, "Would you like a table or a booth?"

"We are looking for a Miss Myers," Hutch said looking around the room.

"I'm Miss Myers," Candy said looking at the three people in front of her. She suspected that they might be cops from L.A.

Hutch smiled at her and held out his hand, "I'm Detective Hutchinson and this is my partner Detective Carlston, Miss Myers. Can we talk some place."

"Sure and please call me Candy," she said shaking his hand then lead them to a back booth. Candy turned and looked at the third man with questioning eyes.

"Oh I'm sorry," Hutch apologized. "This is Mark Delrose, he is a police a captain but not with our department."

Candy nodded and slid into the booth, Susan sat next to her and the two men sat across from them. When everyone was seated Susan ask, "You saw Detective Starsky?"

The girl fished around in her apron pocket for a moment and produced the note that Starsky had written her, "He gave me this," she said handing the note to Susan. She read it and passed it along to Hutch.

"Why don't you start at the beginning and tell us everything that happened," Susan suggested.

Candy took a deep breath and told them how this couple had come into the restaurant. How nasty the woman had been to her and how sweet the guy with the blue eyes had been. How he had ordered meatloaf even though it was breakfast time. Both Susan and Hutch smiled at each other when she told what Starsky had ordered for breakfast. How shocked she had been when she had finally read the note and how sorry she was that she hadn't called the minute she found the note.

Both detectives assured her that she had done her best and not to worry about it. Although they were very worried, they were a full twenty-four hours behind Janie and Starsky. The couple could be almost anywhere, the only comfort was that they hadn't had any reports on body's that matched Starsky's description. Which meant only two things, one he was still alive or two that Janie had already killed him and hide the body well.

"Do you know which way they were going when they left here?" Hutch asked Candy.

"Sure, they were heading toward San Francisco," she answered. "I over heard the woman say something about going there. Did she really kidnap him?"

"I'm afraid she did and we aren't sure what she has planned for him," Susan said sadly.

"I'm glad he was kidnapped," Candy said suddenly. When she noticed the startled looks from the officers she explained. "I just mean I'm glad he wasn't with her willingly, that woman is a bitch, she doesn't deserve him."

"I'll go along with that," Susan said. "Well I guess we had better head on up the coast maybe we can catch up with them."

Candy slid out of the booth in order to let out the detective, "I sure hope he's OK, he is really sweet."

As the trio got close to the car they could hear the radio go off. Susan ran to the car, reached in the open window and snagged the microphone, "Zebra three," Susan said.

"Susan it's Libby," said the voice on the microphone. "I'm at Janie's now. Susan she has been planning this whole thing, there are all kinds of book's on the coast, maps with several different towns circle between L.A. and Monterey. Then San Francisco is circled with a time, 1:10 a.m. written next to it."

"That's long time past," Susan sighed. "So what she has done is done. Have Dobey call Lee Margburg, have Lee put out an APB Janie. Oh, also get Lee to check out the train and bus stations, airports too. I have a feeling that time was when she was leaving the city."

"Got some paper, I can give you a list of the other places that she circled," Libby said looking down at the map.

Susan turned to Hutch who was standing at her side along with Mark. "Paper?" she said to Hutch, he nodded and took out a notebook from his jacket pocket. "OK Libby shoot," Susan said taking the notebook and pencil Hutch was holding out to her.

"Santa Barbara is the first, there are numbers by each city. I think it is how long it takes to drive between cities. Then San Luis Obispo, which is where you guys are now, right? Then Jade Cove but there is no time there or at the next place Lucia. Then San Francisco, it stops there, I think you are right the number written there is definitely a time."

"You go see Dobey tell him all this and we are going to head on up the coast," Susan said looking up to Hutch to see if he agreed. Hutch nodded his head and went around to get in the driver's side. Mark got in the back, Susan finished her conversation with Libby and got in the car.

Hutch put his hand on Susan shoulder, "We are going to find him."

"Hutch we are twenty-four hours behind them. You realize that if Janie was planning on killing Starsky he's dead by now," Susan said in a hopeless voice.

Hutch didn't reply, she was right and there wasn't anything he could say to change that fact. Instead he started the car and headed up the highway toward Jade Cove the next place on the list. He resisted the urge to floor the gas pedal and head for San Francisco. Hutch figured that what ever she had done with Starsky it was done between where they were now and there. He was still alive at San Luis Obispo so they would stop along the way and see if Starsky had been seen.

Mark and Hutch were talking about California as they drove, it was Marks's first time there. In fact it was his first time more than a hundred miles away from home. He loved where he lived and never had a reason to leave. He watched Susan as they drove along, even after all these years he could still read her like a book. He could tell she was very distraught. He knew that she and Hutch were married but she had to be very close to the other one, Starsky.

"Maybe when this is over we can take you to see some of the sights," Hutch suggested, he sounded cheerier than he felt. "You have to meet our daughter too. We can have a B-B-Q, we have a pool."

Susan looked over at Hutch, "Hutch you're rambling." She knew that he was very upset because he was not a rambler.

"You have a daughter?" Mark asked. "How old is she?"

"She is six and her name is Jesse," Hutch said smiling at the thought of his daughter. He wondered if she would lose her godfather. She loved Starsky so much, he did a lot of things with her. It just wasn't fair.

"We need to call her," Susan said so softly that the two men barely heard her. "But I don't know what to say to her." Susan put her head in her hands, she hadn't felt like this since her parents and sister died. It was like a nightmare coming back to haunt her again. Again she wondered why she hadn't told her partners about her past and no matter what Hutch said this was her fault. If Starsky died she would never forgive herself.

They drove in silence for several miles, all lost in their own thoughts. Families on vacations, looking happy as they pasted the car of police officers not knowing what was going on. It was a beautiful day, gulls were flying about and they could smell the sea air.

Suddenly on the right side of the road about half way between San Luis Obispo and Jade Cove, there was a small gas station that has seen better days. At first they weren't even sure it was open, but a rusty sign sitting in front of the no longer used auto bay doors said open on it in pealing read paint. The two detectives looked at each other, then shrugged, it was worth a try. Hutch pulled into the station close to the door. An old man was sitting in side watching an old black and white TV, he glanced out the door when he heard the car but didn't get up.

The three officers got out of their car, they looked around the place. Several old rusted out cars sat around the perimeter of the station. A vending machine that had chips and candy sat on one side of the door on the other side a pop machine. The old man let out a whoop, which startled the three officers.

"Hot damn, I knew it was a three you fool," he hollered at the TV. "I could have had that car."

Hutch leaned into the office, The Price Is Right was on and Johnny was just getting ready to tell the next contestant to "come on down". "Excuse me," Hutch said. The old man didn't look away from the set, instead he just waved for the detective to be quiet. "Sir, we need to talk to you, we're the police."

Still the old man didn't take his eyes from the program, finally a commercial came on for denture cream. He pulled his eyes from the set, "What do ya need?"

"We are police officers from L.A., we need to ask you a few questions." Hutch explained patiently, although he could feel time slipping away from them. But he had a feeling that he would get nowhere with the old man if he pushed to hard.

"Shoot," the old man said then he chuckled, "well I don't really mean shoot me. He looked at them closely squinting in the late morning sun. "You don't look like cops to me, where's your guns and uniforms?"

Hutch sighed, Susan could tell he was about to lose it. She stepped forward pulling her badge from the back of her blue jeans pocket. Susan held it out for the old man to see then held back her jacket so that he could see her gun in it's shoulder holster. "We are detectives, we don't wear uniforms."

The man let out a long low whistle, "Well I'm be, a lady cop, and a pretty one too," he said smiling at her. He was missing several teeth and the ones he did have were tobacco stained.

Susan smiled back at him, "Thank-you, do you think you could help us? Our partner is missing, kidnapped and we think he might have been brought by here."

Before he could answer the phone on the back wall rang, he got up stiffly and limped to the phone. There was a calendar with a naked girl on it but the year was 1978. He had never bother to take it down or replace it with a new one, besides he like the photo. He answered the phone and began talking.

Hutch rolled his eyes at Susan, "This guy doesn't know anything. How could he see anybody with his eyes glued to the set."

"Just hold on," Susan said as he turned and started to leave. She went over to the phone and tapped the old guy on the shoulder, he turned around and looked at her with surprise. "This is really important."

"Wanda could I call you back in a few? I got cops here," he paused a moment then said, "I don't know, I'll tell you to night." He hung up the phone, "My girl friend. Now what can I do for you?"

"Sir, like I was saying. . . " Susan began but he interrupted her.

"Hank, my name's Hank."

"Hank, our partner is missing. If he came though here it would have been around this time yesterday. He would have been with a woman, about my height, blonde hair, and blue eyes. He's taller, blue eyes, dark curly hair." Susan said watching the old man's face.

He was shaking his head slowly trying to remember, he sensed it was very important to the young woman standing before him. "What kind of car were they in?" he ask.

"A white Mustang convertible, brand new, it was a rental," Hutch said, "She probably was driving."

Hank thought for a few minutes, "You know I think they were here, he stayed out in the car. He had a blanket over him, she got out and pumped the gas. When she came in to pay she bought a couple of cans of pop and a bunch of chips. She had to get change from me." He snapped his fingers. "She handed me a hundred dollar bill for gas, just about cleaned me out giving her change, then she came back for quarters. The guy just sat out in the car with that blanket pulled up around his neck, thought maybe he was sick or something." The old guy went to the ancient cash register, hit the no sale button pulled up the wooden draw and took out a crisp one hundred-dollar bill. He handed it to Susan, "Here it is, I guess you'll want to take it."

Susan shook her head and smiled, "We don't need that, all we really needed to know is if you saw them."

He smiled at her and put the money back in the drawer. "Well I was glad I could be some help, we don't get much excitement around here." The officers turned to leave, "Hey," he called after them, "I hope you find your friend."

They waved as they continued on to the car. On the TV Bob was getting ready to do the showcase, Hank sat down, turned up the volume a little and began watching is favorite game show.

Hutch pulled out onto Highway 1, "Well I guess it's on to Jade Cove. That is unless there is somewhere else they could have stopped."

"To tell you the truth I don't think she would have stopped again. Janie was on some kind of time schedule. Hutch, I think we are to late." Susan said staring out the window trying not to cry.

Janie boarded an airplane bound for Paris at about the same time as Hutch and Susan were talking to Hank. She found her seat, took off her coat, then asked a passing stewardess for a phone. The woman told Janie there was one in the back but she would have to wait until the plane was in the air.

Fifteen minuets later Janie went to make her phone call. She pushed in a long distance number and waited to be connected. "L.A.P.D. Officer Wagner speaking, my I help you?" Said a male voice on the other end.

"I would like to speak to Detective Hutchinson or Detective Carlston," Janie said smiling to herself.

"One moment please," the officer said, the phone was silent for a few minutes then he returned. "I'm sorry Miss but they aren't in. Could I take a message."

"Patch me though, I don't have all day," Janie snapped, she said it louder than she intended, several people turned around and stared at her.

"Miss I can't do that." Officer Wagner said. "If you just give me your name I'll see that they contact you."

"My name is Janie Stillwell, I kidnapped Detective Starsky and killed him. Now would you please put me though to them."

Wagner stared at the phone for a few seconds then motioned for another officer to come over. Wagner covered the phone with his hand, "Do you know anything about Detective Starsky being kidnapped?"

The other officer shook his head, "But I just came on duty."

"Then find out!" Wagner whispered loudly. He dashed off.

"Are you there!" Janie demanded.

"Yeah sure, I'll try and patch you through," Officer Wagner said, he thought he would try and stall the woman just in case what she was saying was true.

Officer Libby Standford came running down the hall, "Janie Stillwell is on the phone?" She asked breathlessly. Wagner nodded, Libby grabbed the phone from his hand. She pushed down the flashing button. "Janie are you there?"

"Yeah, who's this," Janie said surprised.

"It's Libby Standford, you know Susan's friend. Where are you, where is Starsky." Libby said frantically.

"I want to talk to Susan not you."

"She and Hutch are out on Highway 1 looking for you and Starsky," Libby said. "I promise I'll get a message to them."

"Fine," Janie said, she was running out of time. "Tell them I said goodbye and they can stop looking for Dave, it's too late for him. Tell Susan to have a nice life."

"Janie where is Starsky?" Libby ask, suddenly she realized she was talking to dead air. "Oh my God," she said taking a deep breath, "Oh my God."

The officers pulled off the road at Jade Cove, the beach was teaming with sunbathers, children running around with their mothers. They got out of the car and looked around. There was a very tall, blond man coming toward them. He was dressed only in shorts, bare footed and waving. Susan turned to look behind her, wondering who this man was waving at.

"Susan," he called out as he got closer.

"Lee?" Susan said. "Lee!" She ran to him and threw her arms around him. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I was in Monterey, my Captain called me," Lee explained as he shook hands with Hutch. "A friend of mine brought me down in his chopper, I've been waiting for you guys."

"I guess your captain told you what is going on," Susan asked, getting a nod she continued. "We stopped at a little gas station back a little ways, the old man remembered Starsky and Janie."

"My captain put out an APB just in case they are in San Francisco," Lee said looking over a Mark Delrose with interest.

Mark stepped forward sticking out his hand, "I'm Mark Delrose, Janie's captain from back east. I came out to help." Mark left out any other details, he figured Susan should be the one to tell him. He looked at the tall, deeply tanned man in front of him. A soft breeze blew his hair back, it was so blond that it was almost white.

Lee had met Starsky and Hutch years ago through Susan who he had worked with for a few months. She had been sent to San Francisco to do some under cover work when they needed a fresh face. She and Lee had worked closely together trying to put Mel Roffman, who was a mob boss behind bars. Roffman came back to haunt Susan several times before he finally tried to kill her during a vacation she and Hutch were on. Roffman kidnapped them and drug them through the Smokey Mountains before he finally had a heart attach and died. Lee had been there that time too.

Lee always seem to come to their rescue, he had helped them another time when Roffman had kidnapped Starsky and Dobey in hopes of luring Susan to his mansion so that he could kill her.

Lee was another man that made Hutch uncomfortable, some times he thought he was just too jealous for his own good. But he loved her and they had been through so much together that he didn't want to lose her. He realized that sometimes he ended up pushing her away because of some of his reactions.

Susan looped her arm through Lee's as they walked down the beach together, Hutch and Mark followed. She turned and smiled at them, "Give us some time, uh fellows? Maybe you can ask around and see if anyone has seen Starsky or Janie."

Hutch stopped in his tracks and sighed as he looked around at the beach. If the had been there for any other reason they could have had a fun day. He led Mark down to the waters edge, "What do you think?"

Mark didn't answer Hutch, he hadn't even been listening, and in fact he didn't even realized that the seawater was washing up over his shoes. Mark was staring after Susan and Lee, "I guess she's telling him about herself."

Hutch nodded as he looked off down the beach in the direction that his partner had gone. Then he looked down at the water, "Your feet are getting wet." Mark looked down at his own feet and stepped back from the water. "Susan and Lee got pretty close while they were working together, but that was years ago. It was before we even met."

"She never does anything half way does she?" Mark asked looking back at Hutch who was frowning at him not understanding. Mark shook his head and smiled, "You can't be just a little friends with her, it's all or nothing. Susan would do anything for you if you were her friend. I guess she was pretty hurt when she figured out what Janie had done to her." Hutch nodded, he understood was the captain was saying now, and it was true, and that was what worried him sometimes.

"So you didn't know anything about Susan's past until Janie showed up?" Mark said changing the subject. "I wondered about her often, I never dreamt this was the way I would meet up with her again."

"It was a shock when she told me but I can understand why Susan kept it to herself," Hutch said still watching Lee and Susan down the beach. They had stopped and he could tell that she was talking. Then Lee leaned down and hugged her, she must have given him the abbreviated version. They were on their way back to where he was standing with Mark.

Lee and Susan walking hand in hand stopped in front of the other two officers. "Some story," Lee said looking at Hutch grimly. "I think we had better moving." He squeezed Susan's hand, "We will find Starsky."

One way or another Susan was sure of that, she had a sinking feeling that they were too late. The one thing that she had learned to trust in life was her gut feeling and this one was telling her that her partner was already dead. Suddenly she walked over, put her arms around Hutch and lay her head on his chest. She willed herself not to cry, instead she just clung to him.

As Hutch stood there holding her, he felt a chill run up his spine for he knew that she had finally given up on their partner. He pushed her away from him and looking her in the eye said, "He is still alive. Do you really think that he would let someone like Janie Stillwell get the best of him?" Susan didn't answer him, she took his hand and headed toward a hot dog stand that she had seen early on the beach.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Little did the detectives know that their friend and partner was precariously perched on a small outcropping of rocks high above them only a few yards down the beach. Probably the only thing that was saving Starsky from falling to his death was the fact that he was unconscious. One small move and he would continue on down the cliff to the rocks below.

Fortunately the outcropping had been below Janie's sight or she would have tried to finish the job. But on the other hand no one else could see him from above or below. Even with no movement from the detective the weight of his body would send small showers of loose rocks down the side.

Starsky had been there over twenty-four hours drifting in and out of consciousness. He never came around enough to know where he was but he could feel the heat of the sun on his back. He wasn't aware how badly he was hurt, there was a long gash across his forehead where he had struck a sharp rock before he had come to rest where he lay now. His right arm hung over the side of the outcropping at a funny angle and he was having trouble breathing. Three ribs had been broken on the way down, one of the ribs was in danger of puncturing a lung. Starsky had numerous small cuts and bruised all over his body, his clothes were cut to ribbons.

He kept dreaming of a cabin and snow, he was looking for someone but she wasn't there. He opened the door going out into the driving snow calling her name but she didn't answer. He dreamt the same dream over and over again but each time he would go a little further from the cabin in the blinding storm.

Night was approaching, the beach was beginning to clear out, and people were going home after their day at the beach. A few couples were walking hand in hand along the waters edge. Someone was assembling driftwood for a fire and the sound of rock music drifted through the air.

Two girls dressed in shorts and tank tops ran alone the waters edge, a German Shepherd bounded in and out of the in coming tide just ahead of them. They were laughing and splashing each other as they ran. The girls were headed to the beach party, they could see the first flames of the bond fire just a head of them in the fading light.

The barking dog was what had brought the detective around, he thought that he was dreaming that there was a dog lost in the snow. That was what he must have been looking for but as he slowly regained consciousness Starsky realized that the barking was far below him. He started to move, a large rock gave way tumbling down the side of the cliff, and he almost went after it. Starsky lay still until he got his bearings, he opened his eyes slowly, that was when he felt the pounding in his head. He couldn't feel his right arm and was afraid to try and move it for fear… of what? He wasn't even sure of where he was.

All he could see was darkness, but he could hear the waves crashing below him, he was next to the ocean. Now he could smell the salt water, and hear people talking in the distance, the dog barked again, in fact it was barking frantically.

The dog had his front two feet up on a rock and was staring at the cliff above him. The rock that Starsky had knocked down had caught his attention. He knew that someone was up there, he could smell them. The dog barked hoping his mistress would take a look but she and her friend had continued on up the beach.

Randy paused and looked back at the barking dog. She was impatient to get to the party, her parents said that she had to be back no later than midnight. She was seventeen years of for heaven sakes plenty old enough to take care of herself. Donna, her best friend had just turned eighteen, her parents weren't as strict so she could stay out as long as she wanted.

"Come on Charlie," Randy called to the dog as she tossed her long reddish ponytail over her shoulder. The dog refused to come, he just stared up the side of the cliff. Randy sighed and started toward the dog. "I don't have all that much time and I have to chase you," she mumbled under her breath.

"Oh chill," Donna said following her friend. "We have hours."

"You might but I turn into a pumpkin at midnight," Randy said glumly. When she reached Charlie his barks had turned into whines, the ones that he did when he wanted something. The ball under the TV, the cat that had stationed herself on top of the fridge or a can of dog food from the pantry.

Randy peered up the side of the cliff into the darkness, she couldn't even see the top. "The only thing that could be up there is a mountain goat, Charlie."

Donna was at her friend's side, she too was looking up. A small shower of rocks fell in their faces. "Hey," Donna said and stepped back. "You think maybe something is really up there?"

Randy shrugged, "I don't know and don't care, I just want to get to the party," she said glancing down the beach at the growing fire. Tommy was probably there all ready, her parents hated him. He was nineteen, not in college and working in a gas station. But she liked him a lot. "Come on Charlie," she called him impatiently.

Starsky could now hear voices, along with the barking dog. He tried to look over the side of the outcropping but every time he moved so did the rocks. It was also too dark to see anything anyway. He opened his mouth to cry out but nothing came out, his throat and mouth was so dry that not even a croak could be heard. He swallowed several times but that didn't seem to help. Starsky knew that if he didn't do something fast the voices would leave.

He closed his eyes, the events that had left him lying on the outcropping came into focus. He remembered Janie saying that she was going to give it up, that they could go back to L.A. He remembered she had some how slipped him something again, must have been the tea. He also remembered trying to tell their waitress but he didn't think that he had gotten the message across. Who was ever down there on the beach was Starsky's only hope.

He again tried to call out, this time a hoarse help escaped his throat. But it wasn't loud enough to be heard over the waves. Starsky tried to move once again, another shower of rocks rained down on the beach below. He lay still, listening but the voices were gone. The detective could feel himself began to panic, he cleared his throat, took a deep breath that hurt so much he almost lost his air. But he held on and yelled help as loud as he could. This time the yell for help was loud and clear, he was sure that it could have been heard from below if anyone was still down there.

"Come on Donna," Randy said grabbing Charlie by the collar and pulling him down the beach. The dog struggled against his master, he knew there was someone up there.

Donna gave the cliff one last look, then followed her friend through the sand. She had almost caught up with Randy when Donna heard a faint yell. She stopped, "Hey Ran, did you hear that?"

Randy stopped and sighed, "What?"

"I thought I heard someone yell help," Donna said going back to where the dog had been standing.

"Damn," Randy muttered under her breath. She turned Charlie loose, he ran back and stood next to Donna and whined. Randy trudged back through the sand. "You are as bad as the dog."

Donna put a finger to her lips, "Listen," she whispered. There it was again, a cry for help. It was very faint and very high up but this time Randy heard it, her eyes widen. "You heard it didn't you."

Randy nodded silently as she stared up the cliff. There was the cry again, this time the help was followed by 'I'm up here'.

"What should we do?" Donna said fearfully looking at her friend. She studied the cliff for a moment. "How do you suppose that person got up there?"

"Maybe they were changing a tire and got to close to the edge," Randy suggested, she looked down the beach the bond fire was a roaring blaze. She could see a crowd of people around the fire. "I'll go down to the party, maybe somebody has a cell phone and we can call for help. You stay here so we don't loose the spot, I'll leave Charlie with you."

Randy dashed off down the beach, when she got to the fire she looked around for Tommy. She finally spotted him down by the water but he wasn't alone. He was with a tall thin girl with very long hair; she had on a pair of very short shorts and a halter to that left very little to the imagination.

Randy looked down at her cut off blue jeans and old tank top, then took a deep breath and approached Tommy. She felt like just going back to Donna but who ever was up on the cliff needed help badly. Tommy was the only person that she really knew at the party so it had to be him she went to.

As she got close to the couple, Tommy leaned over and kissed the girl, he all ready had his arm around her. Randy cleared her throat a couple of times before he tuned around, "Tommy,"

Randy asked in a tight voice. "I need to talk to you."

The girl with the long hair turned around and looked at Randy with a smug smile on her face, "This you're little friend you were telling me about?"

Randy's face started burning with embarrassment. "Never mind I'll find somebody else to help me," she said and walked off.

The longhaired girl said something else smart that Randy didn't hear. Tommy told her to shut up then followed after Randy. "Hey Ran, wait up," Tommy called and began running to catch up with her. "What's going on? You OK?"

"What do you care?" Randy snapped over her shoulder but kept walking.

Tommy had to run to keep up with her, "Randy . . . Ran, wait," he said out of breath. When she didn't stop, he yelled, "Will you just stop!"

Finally Randy stopped, she was out of breath herself from walking so fast. She spun around and glared at him, "You know my parents were right, you are a creep. They warned be about you but I just wouldn't listen." Tommy put his hand on her shoulder but she jerked away, "Don't you touch me and don't you dare tell me that's your sister."

Tommy hung his head, his long hair fell in his face, "Ran I'm sorry, I met her a couple of days ago."

Randy held up her hand, "I really don't want to hear this, just forget it OK? She started back toward the fire slowly, kicking the sand as she went.

Tommy ran and caught up with her again, he grabbed her hand, "You said something about needing help?"

"Oh," Randy had been so upset about finding Tommy with another girl she had almost forgotten why she had come looking for him. "There is somebody up on the cliff down the beach." She pointed the way she had come. "I left Donna and Charlie at the spot we heard them yelling."

He looked at her skeptically, "Are you sure? It's very steep, how could anyone get up there?"

"I don't know," she stormed and headed toward a group of people stand near fire. "But there is someone up there and if you won't help then I will find somebody who will."

There hadn't been a sound from the rocks above since the last call for help just before Randy had left. Charlie was pacing back and forth on the beach, every now and then he would look up a whine. Donna strained her eyes to see if she could make out anybody up there. She had called out several times but there was no answer. Donna looked down the beach toward the fire wishing that Randy hurry up. She was afraid that maybe who ever was up there had died.

After the last call for help, Starsky had passed out. Calling out had taken the last of his strength. He had wondered if he would ever see Susan, Hutch or Jesse again, he wondered if this was it. After everything he had been through over the years and he was going to die on the side of a cliff.

Once he thought he heard someone call up to him but he couldn't call back. Starsky wasn't one for giving up but he knew he had been on the cliff for sometime. It was clear that his partners weren't going to find him. He didn't think that he could last much longer.

Donna wanted to go after her friend but she was afraid that she wouldn't find the same spot again. Finally she saw Randy trudging back through the sand, Tommy was with her along with several other kids. Donna breathed a sigh of relief, Charlie ran to his mistress then back to the rocks.

"How are they doing?" Randy asked Donna, looking up the side of the cliff.

Donna shrugged, "I haven't heard anything since you left and there hasn't been any more rocks fall."

Tommy stepped up to where they were standing and looked up the side of the cliff too, "Are you two sure about this?"

"Just look at Charlie if you don't believe me, he's going nuts." Randy snapped.

Charlie began barking as if to prove the point. "OK, OK," Tommy said, then turned to a boy that was standing behind him. "Call 911 Rob, tell'em someone is up on the cliff.

Randy smiled at him for the first time that night, "Thank-you."

"Ran, I'm really sorry, it's just . . . " Tommy began. He looked back down the beach where he had left the girl, telling her to wait.

"It doesn't matter," Randy said. Donna upon hearing them gave her friend a puzzled look.

"I though we had something," Tommy said smiling down at her.

"So did I but I guess it wasn't that special, uh Tommy?" Randy said sadly.

In the distance they could hear sirens, Charlie began barking frantically again.

 

Lee Marburg joined the detectives in Hutch's battered brown car, he sat in back with Mark. They were going to continue on up Highway 1 in hopes that they would see someone who would remember Starsky. None of them were sure what they would do if they reached San Francisco with out finding their friend.

They had only been back on the road five minutes when the radio went off. They had walked up and down the beach for two hours asking questions of everybody and showing a picture of Starsky that Susan just happened to have on her. No one had seen him.

Susan grabbed the microphone, "Zebra three," She hoped that maybe there was some word on Starsky, she even hoped against hope that maybe it was him.

"Where have you guys been," Libby said in an unnerved voice. She had been trying for the last two hours to get them but her calls had gone unanswered.

"We are just leaving Jade Cove, we were down on the beach asking questions," Susan explained. "What's up?"

"Janie called," Libby said tensely. "She said that Starsky is already dead and that you should have a nice life."

Susan stiffened, Hutch took the microphone from her hand, "Where was Janie calling from?" he ask Libby.

"I don't know but there was a lot to static on the line. So my guess she was calling from a cell phone and not close by," Libby said. She was beside herself with worry, it was all she could to stop from jumping in her car and help with the search. But she figured that she would be more help staying at the station, just in case. "Hutch she said that he's already dead."

"I can't except that. I think that he is alive somewhere, at least for now. You women are not the only ones with intuition," he looked over at Susan and smiled. "He is still alive."

"God Hutch I hope you're right," Libby said with a catch in her voice. "I don't know what . . .." She stopped not able to go on.

"Take it easy Lib, you keeping Dobey up on everything?" Hutch asked. She said she was, then Hutch told her to hang in there, they would find him. He handed the microphone to Susan to hang up, she took it with a shaking hand. After she hung it up Hutch grabbed her hand so tight it hurt, she looked over at him. "He is not dead, do you hear me?" Susan nodded slowly, hoping that he was right.

"Hey guys," Lee said from the back seat, "there is a diner coming up on the right, why don't we stop?"

Susan shook her head, "We have already wasted to much time."

"How long has it been since you all have eaten?" Lee asked with concern. He looked over at Mark who mouthed "not today". Mark had eaten breakfast on the plane, but that had been hours ago and he didn't think that the detectives had eaten at all.

Susan waved away Lee's concern, "We have to find Starsky."

"You won't do him any good if you get yourself sick, besides we can ask around in there. Maybe somebody saw them yesterday, then we would at least know that they came with far."

"Ok," Susan relented. Hutch was already turning into the driveway of the diner. It was a run down place, there was a huge man sitting in a rocking chair by the door. He smiled and nodded as they enter the diner.

They found an empty table toward the back of the room. Lee pulled a sticky menu from between the salt and peppershakers and a jar of sugar. He made a face as he opened it, as a waitress sat down four cups of coffee in front of them. "Get ya something?"

The other three grabbed menus and scanned them quickly. Hutch looked up at the woman with graying hair and smiled, "I'll have a hamburger and fries."

"Make that two," Susan said, Mark and Lee indicated that they both wanted the same thing.

"Easy enough," the waitress said with a half smile. "Coffee OK?"

They all nodded as she went to put their order in. Hutch looked around the diner, it was very small and by the way the people were talking to each other it was clear it was a hang out for the locals. About twenty minutes later the woman was back with their order. She put the steaming plates down in from of them and refilled their cups.

They were all about mid bite when the waitress said mostly to herself, "Boy there sure has been a lot of strangers in here the last couple of days." She started to walk away but Lee called her back. "Need something sir?"

"What did you say?" Lee asked. She repeated what she had said about them needing something. Lee shook his head, "No not that, you said something about strangers."

"Oh that," she said looking embarrassed, she hadn't meant for them to hear her. She shrugged, "It's just we don't get much of the tourist trade, they either go to Jade Cove or Monterey. Mostly just locals some here, as you can see." She looked around the room. The waitress knew everybody there except the four sitting in front of her. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"You weren't," Susan assured her and then explained. "You see we are looking from a friend of ours, he was probably traveling with a woman."

"Dark curly headed guy, right?" she asked, knowing she wouldn't soon forget the couple that had been in there just about the same time the day before.

"Yes, yes that's him," Susan said excitedly. "Do you know which way they were headed, uh . . . "

"Name's Maggie," she glanced around the room quickly to see if anybody needed anything. Then she began telling them what had happened, how when the couple came in the man had seemed fine but when they got ready to leave how he collapsed and Moose had carried him out to their car.

"Moose?" Mark asked puzzled, looking at the woman.

"Moose, he was probably sitting in the rocker out front," Maggie explained. "He's what you would call a gentle giant, only made it to the sixth grade, kind of slow ya know."

"Why did our friend collapse?" Susan asked looking worriedly at Hutch.

"The woman said something about him not taking his medicine. She even gave him a pill while he was on the floor. She said they were on their honeymoon and he didn't want to take it because it make him sleepy," Maggie told them. Then she thought for a moment, "You know there was just something about her I didn't trust and your friend looked none to happy to have that pill shoved down his throat.

"Do you think that Moose would talk to us," Lee said standing up and taking out his wallet. He tossed a twenty on the table and handed Maggie another twenty.

"Sure, he'll talk to anyone, I'm not saying that he will remember what happened though," Maggie said looking at the money offered her. "The twenty on the table will more than cover your bill."

"I know that," Lee said as he thrust the money in her hand. "This is for you and you can give the change from the food to Moose, OK?" She nodded.

"Oh one more thing, your friend said something to me, just before the woman came out of the rest room but it didn't make much sense."

"What did he say?" Susan asked standing up, "Do you remember?"

"Sure I remember, I just said it didn't make any sense. I would have called the police but I wasn't sure what to say," Maggie said as she tugged at her nametag on her uniform. She had felt guilty all night for not calling the cops. "He said police, call partners, help. I wasn't sure if he knew what he was talking about or not. I'm really sorry I guess I should have called."

Susan patted the older woman on the shoulder, "Don't worry about it, you are being a lot of help. My partner and I are detectives from L.A., Starsky, the man you saw if also our partner. That woman kidnapped him, she drugged him with something. Do you know where they were going?"

Maggie looked at them with horrified eyes, "I knew I should have called." Susan shook her head trying to reassure the woman. "The woman said they were headed to Monterey, that was where they were honeymooning. But when they left I was watching from the window, they headed back toward Jade Cove."

Susan hugged the woman, "Thank you so much."

Maggie briefly hugged the officer back, "I hope you find your partner."

On their way out Moose was still sitting in the old rocker. They stopped and talked to the man for a few minutes, he remembered carrying Starsky out to a white convertible. And he confirmed what the waitress had told them about the direction the car had gone.

They all climbed into Hutch's car and sat there for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. They had already covered Jade Cove and there was know sign of him anywhere. Hutch made a quick call to the highway patrol in the area to see if anyone had been found. The officer he talked to said that all had been quiet but he would keep an eye out for any reports.

They decided to head on toward Monterey hoping that they had gone that way after all. On the way Lee pulled out his cell phone from his shirt pocket, he had brought a small gym bag with him when he had come down from Monterey. He had slipped on a pair of drawstring pants and a cotton shirt just before leaving the beach. The friend that had flown him down in the helicopter was also on the police force in Monterey.

Lee ask his friend, Jordan to check out any reports about bodies or anyone turning up in the hospital with out explanation. Jordan assured his friend that he would get right on it and be ready when they got there. Then Lee placed a call to his captain in San Francisco. Captain Jeff Albright was sitting at his desk going over some reports when the phone rang.

Albright picked up the receiver, "Albright here."

"Hey Cap, it's Lee," Lee said into the phone. "I met up with Hutch and Susan in Jade Cove, we are headed to Monterey. I've got Jordan doing some work for us there."

"I take it you have had no luck finding Detective Starsky," Albright said opening another file folder. After reading what was written there he said, "I have some information for you. A Janie Stillwell caught a plane out of here last night heading for New York, then on to Paris. She is long gone Lee, sorry."

"She made a call to the L.A. station, the officer that took the call said she sound like she was on a cell phone. I bet Janie was on the plane headed for Paris when she made the call." Lee said, he looked up Susan who was hanging over the back seat trying to hear his conversation. He put his hand over the phone, "Sounds like Janie is gone," he said to the passengers of the car.

"Was there only one ticket bought?" Susan asked Lee in a whisper.

He frowned and nodded at her, "Cap, Susan has a question, was there only one ticket to New York?"

Albright sighed, "'Fraid only one ticket. So Starsky is still here somewhere close, you just have to fine him. I have been keeping an eye out for any reports of body's, nothing yet."

"I guess that's good," Lee said. "We'll keep in touch."

"So now what?" Susan asked as she turned around in her seat and stared out the windshield.

"On to Monterey and hope that Jordan has come up with something," Lee said as he put the phone away.

 

A rescue helicopter hovered over the side of the cliff shining a spotlight down on Starsky's limp body. Fire trucks lined the side of the road above the beach, along with several police cars and a rescue squad, all with their lights flashing. Down on the beach there were also several rescue vehicles. Randy and Donna were talking to a police officer explaining how they had found the person on the cliff.

The fire fighters stood at the edge of the road discussing how they were going the rescue what appeared to be a man laying on an outcropping of rocks. The chopper pilot had confirmed that in deed there was a body lying on the side of the cliff just as the girls below had reported. Now it was their job to get the person off with out plunging the victim to his death or putting any of the rescuers in danger.

The side of the cliff was too unstable to run ropes down the side to retrieve the man. They were afraid that if the rocks shifted the outcropping could crumble plunging the body to the rocks below.

The chopper pilot suggested lowering a man down from the chopper. It wasn't the safest way, there was danger of the man being slammed into the rocks. But there was no wind, which decreased the danger only slightly. The rescuer would have to grab the victim, there was no way to get any kind of a carrier there or time to strap the person in.

One fire fighter upon hearing the suggestion of the pilot began talking off his gear, "I'll do it."

The fire chief stepped up to the young man who had only been with the department six months. "Bobby, you don't have to do this. Let somebody with more experience do it."

"Look chief, I climb cliffs in my spare time, I also have pick a few friends off of cliffs before. I have experience," Bobby said. He smiled at Chief Medcalf, his green eyes danced with mischief. Bobby ran his hand through his short-cropped brown hair.

Chief Medcalf slapped the fire fighter on the back, "Go for it son, just be careful."

The chopper pilot was radioed that they had a man that was willing to try the rescue. The helicopter set down in the middle of Highway 1. The police had already closed down the road to traffic, all they needed was everyone gawking at the fire trucks plowing into the car in front of them. Bobby climbed into the chopper, the pilot held out his hand for the fire fighter to shake.

Bobby shook the hand extended him. "I'm Dallas," the pilot said with a light Texas accent. Bobby smiled at the sound of his voice.

"Name's Bobby," the fire fighter said as he sat in the seat behind Dallas and strapped himself in.

"Why you," Dallas ask, glancing over his shoulder. The guy appeared to be in good shape but he was very young.

"I climb, I've done this before. I have also seen people die when time is wasted," Bobby stated.

"Fair enough," Dallas said as he took the chopper up. "The gear is there next to your feet. The guy back there is Jack, he's a paramedic."

Bobby turned to look over his shoulder, a black man not much older than he smiled at him. They shook hands briefly, then Bobby began the task of putting on the safety equipment. He checked the nylon roping and made sure all the clips were working. Now Bobby had to figure out a way to grab the guy from the cliff quickly and secure him to his own body so that he wouldn't loose his grip on the victim.

The fire fighter leaned forward in his seat, asking the pilot for suggestions. Dallas thought for a few seconds, then shook his head, he was at a loss as to what to do. The outcropping was two small for the fire fighter to stand on even if it would hold his weight.

Bobby sighed, he was going to have to grab this guy, hang on for dear life, hoped he didn't regain consciousness mid air and began to struggle. Bobby leaned forward again and yelled over the noise of the chopper, "How big is this guy?"

"See for yourself," Dallas said pointing out the door where Starsky was laying. "I'll try to get as close as I can so that you don't have to hang on to him very long. Jack will be here to help the two of you back in."

Bobby nodded, he didn't like not having any form of safety harness on the victim but there was little he could do about it. It was clear even from a distance that the man was hurt badly. With all the noise going on around him he hadn't move at all. Bobby just hoped that he was still alive. The man didn't look to be overly large and the fire fighter didn't think he would have any trouble holding him as long as he didn't struggle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER TWELVE

 

 

 

Captain Jordan Marshall, Lee's friend on the Monterey Police Force was sitting behind his desk when all the commotion began. He got up and went to look out into the squad room, where he could tell several officers were talking excitedly. Jordan or Jordie as all his friends call him had made Captain only two months ago. Lee had been offered the job but he liked being a detective too much to be stuck behind a desk. So he had recommended his friend, Jordan had been jubilant when he was asked if he wanted to take the captain's test which he past with flying colors.

It had been only fifteen minutes since Lee Marburg along with three other officers had left. They were headed on to San Francisco hoping to have better luck there. Jordan had kept a watchful eye out for any reports for bodies found but none had surfaced, in fact it had been unusually quiet. The partners of the missing officer didn't look too happy but he could tell they were also relieved that their friend hadn't been found dead. Jordan made a quick call to the hospital to see if anybody had been brought in matching the description of Officer Starsky. They also commented on how quiet it was there.

Jordan opened his office door wondering what was going on. "Hey, John," he called stepping into the squad room. "What's up?"

John one of the officers that had been talking came over to his Captain, "There is a big rescue going on down at Jade Cove, the highway patrol has ask for volunteers to help out." John explained hoping that he would be one of the officers picked to go. Everyone in the squad room was rather bored.

"What kind of rescue?" Jordan asked with interest wondering if it could be the lost detective.

"Looks like some drunk or druggie took a tumble down the cliff at the beach from the road. There was no one around, looked like they were just walking down the road." John said.

"Take your partner and get down there," Jordan ordered. "Let me know what's going on as soon as you find out anything."

"Sure enough, Captain," John said and ran to find his partner.

Jordan went back into his office and sat down at his desk. He tapped the receiver of the telephone several times debating whether he should call San Francisco and leave a message for Lee to get in touch with him. Finally he decided to just wait until he heard from his officers, no since in getting the detectives hopes up for nothing.

 

Bobby was perched in the doorway of the chopper, Jack was standing behind him to help guide the rope as the fire fighter lower himself out. "You ready," Jack yelled. Bobby nodded. Jack turned and yelled at the pilot, "Dallas he's going hold her steady."

Dallas nodded, he had been a chopper pilot in Nam and knew what he was doing. He tried to get the chopper as close to the rocks as possible with out hitting them. The less distance Bobby had to carry the injured man the better.

Bobby carefully lowered himself out the doorway until he was swinging free. He looked up into Jack's face and gave him a thumbs up sign. Bobby was only a few yards from the body, he could tell from the awkward position the man's arm was laying it had to be broken. There was also a large amount of blood, that was when he realized he had forgotten his rubber gloves. He shrugged it off, it was too late now to worry about that, and he would just have to be careful and hope for the best.

The man's shirt, which had been ripped to ribbons from the rocks, began to flutter in the breeze that was suddenly coming across the ocean. The breeze also blew Bobby a little closer to the rocks than he liked. "Down a little more," Bobby yelled up to Jack. He couldn't reach the victim, Bobby wanted to be in a position to wrap his arms around the guy's chest, then hang on for dear life until Jack could get them back into the chopper.

The wind blew a little harder this time scrapping Bobby's legs against the side of the cliff. He heard Dallas yell something but couldn't make out what it was. Jack gave him some more rope, he was now level with the unconscious man. All his training said that you didn't move a person until they were stable unless conditions were life threatening. There couldn't be anything more life threatening that this unless maybe the whole cliff caught on fire.

Bobby reached out and grabbed the man around the chest locking his arms in place. He hoped he wasn't doing the guy any more harm. Starsky let out a low moan when the fire fighter grabbed him, but he didn't regain consciousness. Bobby looked up at the chopper, Jack was standing in the doorway looking down at him.

"You got him," Jack bellowed over the sound of the chopper blades. Bobbie nodded his head vigorously so that the man above him could see he was ready. Jack flipped the switch that hauled the two men dangling on the end of the rope toward the safety of the helicopter.

Another gust of wind much harder than the previous ones slammed Bobby into the rocks again, scrapping the side of his leg and ripping his pants and skin. He tightened his gripped on the man he held in his arms and bit his lip to keep from crying out. Bobby could feel the man's breathing becoming more labored as they ascended toward the chopper.

Bobby was just starting to lose his grip, the guy was heavier that he looked, when two arms reached down and grabbed the body from his grasp hauling him into the chopper. Then the arms reach down again and grabbed Bobby, he was grateful for the help, he wasn't sure he could have made it on his own. His arms felt like Jell-O and his leg ached like a bad tooth.

After Jack hauled in Bobby he yelled at Dallas, "Get us out of here!" Then he slammed the sliding door of the chopper closed and bent to look at Bobby's leg.

Bobby shook his head and pointed to the man he had just saved, "I'm OK but he's having a lot of trouble breathing."

Jack pulled out a stethoscope and listened to the man's chest, "I think he has a punctured lung. Grab the oxygen, it's there behind you."

Bobby picked up a small canister with a mask attached to it with some tubing and handed it to Jack. Jack strapped the mask over the man's face and turned the oxygen on. Then he opened a large box next to him and took out an IV bag full of liquid. He had to get some fluids into this guy, by the looks of him he had been on the side of the cliff for some time.

A few drops of rain hit the bubble of the helicopter as Dallas headed toward the nearest hospital. Below on the beach and the highway above the crowd that had assembled to watch cheered. It was almost dawn, Randy gazed at the lightening sky then looked down at her watch, and her parents were going to kill her.

An officer came over to the two girls, he draped blankets over their shoulders to ward off the rain that was now coming down in earnest. He then guided them to his patrol car and opened the door, telling them he would see them home. And explain where they had been all night. Randy and Donna slid into the back seat of the car, Charlie jumped in after them. The officer told them he had a few things to take care of and he would we back soon.

As the girls sat wrapped in the blankets there was a knock on the window. Donna opened the door and peered out. A young woman with a microphone in hand was smiling at the girls. "I'm Megan Sommers with the San Francisco news, could in interview you tow a moment?" she asked adjusting an umbrella she held in her other hand.

The girls looked at each other and grinned, "Sure," Donna said getting out of the car. Randy got out followed by Charlie.

A cameraman standing a few feet away turned on a video camera he had perched on his shoulder. "OK, girls could you give me your names?" Megan Sommers first ask. They told her, then she asked why they had been on the beach, which they also told her. "Well how does it feel to be heroes?"

Randy shook her head, "Oh Donna and I aren't the heroes, it was Charlie that found the guy." As if the big German Shepherd understood he jumped up and licked Randy in the face. "Donna would have never known that he was up there if it hadn't been for Charlie." She went on to explain the rest of the story.

The officer returned just as Megan was finishing up the interview. She stuck the microphone in his face, "Officer do you know the identity of the man found on the cliff?"

"Not at this time," he stated and hustled the girls and dog back into the squad car, leaving the reporter standing in the pouring rain.

By the time John and his partner got to Jade Cove from Monterey it was all over. He tried to find out some information about the victim but no one really knew anything, so they began the return trip home. He had found out that the victim was being taken to a hospital in Monterey.

Back at the station Jordan had his hands full, there had been a brawl at one of the local bars, something that didn't happen often. There had been at least fifty people hurt half of that number ended up in the hospital, so much for the quiet night. Jordan briefly wondered about the rescue going on at Jade Cove but soon forgot about it as the station began to fill up with the people who had been arrested during the brawl.

 

Lee had insisted that they go to his apartment and get some rest, there wasn't anything they could do in the middle of the night. He offered Susan and Hutch his bedroom while he slept on the floor in the living room and Mark took the couch. Susan and Hutch spent a restless night neither of them being able to sleep much.

Finally around dawn Hutch fell into a troubled sleep but Susan gave up and went to take a shower. She turned on the shower as hot as she could stand it and let it pour over her head. She hoped that they would find Starsky one way or another today, it was awful not knowing. Tears began sliding down her cheeks mixing with the water, she didn't know what she would do if they lost Starsky. He was as much as part of her life as Hutch was.

After about ten minutes Susan got out of the shower, dried off and slipped on her dirty jeans. She looked at the shirt she had been wearing, it was rumbled from being toss on the floor last night. She went over to Lee's dress and opened one of the drawers, it had several t-shirts in it. Hoping that Lee wouldn't mind she pulled out one, it said Big Sur on the front. She slipped it over her head, the shirt came down past her knees, so she pulled the shirt up and tied it around her waist.

Once she was finished dressing, Susan went out into the kitchen. There were sliding glass doors that lead out on to a small balcony. A little table with two chairs and an array of plants sat on the porch. Susan dug through the kitchen cabinets until she found coffee, after making a pot she poured herself a cup and went out on the balcony. It was a little damp from the rain during the night but the air smell fresh and clean.

Susan had just taken a sip of coffee when someone behind her said, "You OK?"

She jumped and almost choked on the coffee. Susan spun around, Lee was standing in the door way in nothing but a pair of jeans. Susan smiled at him, "Yeah I'm fine, just thinking."

"We'll find Starsky today," he said coming over to her. Lee gave her a quick hug then looked out at the view. "Nice uh?"

"Yeah, really nice," Susan agreed. She looked down at the shirt she was wearing, she pulled it away from her and said, "I hope you don't mind."

Lee laughed, "I thought that shirt looked familiar, it looks better on you."

Susan shook her damp head and grinned, "How about I whip us up some breakfast. I have a feeling this is going to be a long day."

"Sure, I have plenty of stuff but it would be easier on you if we just went out to eat," Lee said still looking at the few. This apartment was one of the reasons he didn't want to leave town. He realized that it was just an apartment and he was sure that they had great places to live in Monterey but he loved his place in San Francisco.

"I've got to have something to keep me busy until it's to get out there and look for Starsky," Susan glanced at her watch. "It's only six a.m."

"Go for it, I'm sure not going to turn down a home cooked breakfast," he laughed as he went back into the kitchen. "I usually eat something I grabbed on the way to work."

"Don't we all," Susan said following him in the door. She looked around the kitchen, from its appearance Lee did know how to cook. There was a nice selection of pots, pans and utensils. "You cook?"

He nodded, "Surprised?"

"Nothing surprises me anymore," Susan said and began the task of preparing breakfast.

When Hutch got up thirty minutes later, it didn't surprise him to find his wife cooking in the kitchen, not much surprised him either. After taking a quick shower, he made a phone call to Jesse to make sure she was all right. Hutch talked to his daughter then to Mrs. Gray who assured him that everything was fine there.

When Susan finished cooking she called the men to eat. Lee suggested that they eat in front of the TV, he, Hutch and Mark were watching the news. The sports were just getting ready to come on. Susan carried steaming plates of bacon and eggs to each of them, then brought in her own and perched on the arm of the couch to eat.

After the sports was over a pretty young woman appeared on the screen. "We have one last story for you today of an exciting rescue that happened last night," Megan Sommers informed them. Susan got up, went into the kitchen and returned with a pot of coffee.

As she was filling everybody's cups the video of a helicopter with two men dangling from the end of a rope ran as Megan continued to explain the rescue. "Nobody knows how long the man was on the side of the cliff or how he got there. Two teen-age girls walking with their dog along the beach were the ones who found him." The clip of Megan talking to the girls ran next. Susan watched the story absently as she filled Mark's cup.

". . . .Charlie is the hero," a young girl with a red ponytail was saying.

The newswoman gave some more details of the rescue but admitted that the condition of the man and his identity were unknown. He was taken to Community Hospital in Monterey. She finished by saying, "This is the most excitement there has been in Jade Cove in years."

Susan was in the process of pouring coffee in Lee's when the woman said Jade Cove, Susan promptly ran the cup over. "Hey watch it," Lee cried and jumped up as the coffee ran down his leg wetting the fresh pair of jeans he had just put on.

Susan didn't even realize what she had done, she was pointing at the TV. "Didn't she say that rescue happened at Jade Cove?"

The three men looked at her, "She sure did," Mark said standing up the spilled coffee was starting to run his direction.

Lee looked at Susan, he knew what she was thinking, "Susan, Jordie would have called if it had been Starsky."

"But they said the man didn't have any ID on him," Susan said frantically, she wanted it so much to be their missing partner. "Please call Lee."

"Let me change first," he said disappearing into his bedroom. While he was in there he placed a call to his friend.

"Monterey Police Department," a woman's voice answered on the first ring.

"This is Detective Marburg, San Francisco could I please speak to Captain Marshall?" Lee asked.

"I'm sorry Detective but the Captain isn't in yet," the woman explained. "We had a busy night and the Captain was here all night. He'll be in around ten."

"Could you tell me anything about the rescue at Jade Cove last night?" Lee asked hopefully.

"Sorry," she said, "all I know is what I heard on the news, I wasn't working last night."

She asked Lee if he wanted to call the Captain at home and offered him the number. But Lee said he already had it and they would just drive back down to Monterey. The woman said that she would tell Jordan they were on their way. Lee went back out into the living room to tell the rest what he had found out, which unfortunately wasn't much.

Susan was already in the kitchen doing the dishes when Lee came out of the bedroom. She had just dried the last cup when he came into the kitchen. "Was it him," she asked hopefully.

Lee shrugged and relayed the information that was given to him by the woman at the station. Susan ask Lee if they were going to Monterey, he nodded his yes. Twenty minutes later they were on the road headed back from where they had come.

They arrived at the station a few minutes before Jordan Marshall walked in still looking tired from late night he had spent in the station. He was surprised to see Lee and his companions back since he hadn't called them. Lee asked him about the rescue a Jade Cove, Jordan explained that he had been tied up with the bar brawl but he had sent a couple of his men to the cove.

Jordan picked up his phone and depressed a button, "Could you send John Astin in here please?" He listened for a second then said, "That's right, well call him at home. Give me a buzz when you got him on the line."

"I forget I gave him and his partner the day off. They stayed and helped last night. We must have arrested over fifty people, half of them ended up in the hospital," Jordan shook his head. "Was there a full moon last night?"

"Do you think that this man that was pulled off the cliff was Starsky?" Susan asked in an anguished voice.

"I don't know, I sent John and his partner down there. I told him that we were looking for a kidnapped officer. But when he got back this place was a mad house. He didn't say anything so I just assumed that it wasn't your friend." Jordan told them. The phone on his desk buzzed, he picked it up and talked to his officer. Susan sat with her fingers crossed.

When Jordan off the phone he didn't look very hopeful. "By the time John got there the chopper was just taking off. He said that he was going to the hospital to check on the man but then got the call with our trouble here and forgot."

Susan got up, "Let's get to the hospital, this guy shouldn't be hard to find."

But Susan didn't know how wrong she could be. When they arrived at the hospital emergency room there were people sitting or standing everywhere. They were there to see relatives brought in the night before from the brawl. The nurse was frantically trying to get them out of the emergency room and into the main waiting room.

Susan stepped up to the desk, behind it sat a harried looking nurse, "I'm looking for a man, he was brought in last night probably as a John Doe."

The nurse just looked at her, "Half the guys that were brought in here last night were John Doe's. Now if you will just have a seat in the waiting room, somebody will help you as soon as possible." The woman went back to what she was doing.

"Listen, you don't understand . . ." Susan began. But the nurse cut her off.

"I do understand, you are worried about your husband. He is in good hands here, there were no really serious injuries from the brawl last night. They were just mostly to drunk to get home and we told the police that they could stay here because the jail was full." The nurse said, she must have explained this a million times this morning.

"You don't understand," Susan growled at the woman. Hutch stepped forward to help but Susan stopped him. She was going to make this woman understand if it was the last thing that she did. "He wasn't in the brawl, he was the guy brought in by the helicopter, the one found on the cliff at Jade Cove!"

"Oh," the woman said and jumped to her feet. "I'm really sorry, it's just this place is such a mad house this morning and I'm working on my second shift in a row. I helped with that guy, he had no ID on him."

"That's what I'm trying to find out," Susan sighed. "I have a picture of him." She pulled out the photo of Starsky, it was beginning to get dirty and rumpled from being shown around so much. The photo had been taken on one of the many trips to the zoo with Jesse, Starsky was smiling, he was wearing a blue shirt that made the color in his eyes stand out.

The nurse took the photo and studied it a moment, she put her hand to her head. "You know I think this is the guy, but he sure didn't look like this, he was really a mess."

"Can I see him?" Susan said almost in a whisper.

"I'm sorry but your husband was air cared to San Francisco," nurse told her. The nurse saw the look on worried look on Susan's face, "I'm sure he's just fine but he had a punctured lung and the doctors thought it best to fly him up there."

Susan felt like crying, but at least he was alive. "I'm not his wife, I'm his partner."

The nurse looked at her in confusion, "Your what?"

"We are Police detectives from L.A.," she said indicating Hutch who was standing behind her. "The man that was brought in here was also a detective."

"I see," she said as a doctor in a white coat walked by. She held up a finger telling them to wait and ran after the doctor. "Doctor Preston," the nurse called after the man.

The doctor stopped and waited for the nurse to catch up with him. They spoke briefly, then the doctor headed their direction, he held out his hand as he approached Susan. She shook his hand. "I understand that our rescue from last night has been identified," he smiled at her.

"We hope so any way," Susan handed the doctor the photo of her missing partner.

The doctor studied the photo and began to no. "Yes, yes this is the man we worked on last night. He was in pretty bad shape, he must have been on the side of that cliff for at least forty-eight hours." The doctor handed Susan back the photo, "What's his name?"

Susan smiled at the doctor as she put the photo away, "Dave, Dave Starsky, he's a police detective from L.A."

"Well Mrs. Starsky, your husband was flown to California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco. He had a punctured lung, also three broken ribs. One of the ribs punctured his lung either in the fall or when he was rescued," Dr. Preston explained. "Mr. Starsky has a broken right arm and a gash that took eleven stitches to close. The last I heard he was still unconscious, I talked to his doctor at California Pacific about thirty minutes ago."

"Thank-you doctor," Susan said and kissed him on the cheek. "You don't know how much this means to me."

Dr. Preston blushed slightly, "You're very welcome Mrs. Starsky. I'll let the hospital know that you are on your way."

Susan turned and hugged Hutch, "Is there a reason you let that doctor think that you are Starsk's wife?" Hutch whispered in her hair.

"What?" Susan ask, she had been so happy to hear that they had finally found their partner and that he was all right she hadn't even bother to correct the doctor like she had the nurse.

"You let that doctor think that you guys are married," Hutch said releasing her. "Why?"

"You know what if the doctor wants to think that Starsky and I are married and have ten kids I really don't care just as long as we find him," Susan said hotly. "What is wrong with you. Aren't you glad we have finally found him?"

"Sure I am you know I am, it's just . . .never mind just forget it," Hutch said starting for the doors that lead to the parking lot. Mark and Lee looked at each other, they hadn't heard the conversation between the two partners but they could see the expressions on their faces. They shrugged at each other and followed Hutch leaving Susan standing in the hall of the hospital.

She sighed and ran to catch up with them, she just couldn't understand Hutch sometimes. It was an honest mistake that the doctor made, no big deal. But now that she thought about it, she had taken the time to explain to the nurse.

Just as Susan got to the sliding doors someone behind her called her name. She turned to see the doctor hurrying down the hall toward her. "I just talked to the hospital where your husband was taken. His doctor is Harry Thompson, he is very good. Mrs. Starsky your husband is still unconscious but in stable condition."

"Dr. Preston, he's not my husband, David Starsky is my partner. I explained this to the nurse but I didn't bother telling you. We are with the L.A.P.D., we're detectives. Starsky was kidnapped, we have been looking for him for two days."

Susan told the doctor.

"I'm glad we were able help, you take care now," Dr. Preston said and was gone.

Susan turned to leave and almost walked into Hutch who was standing behind her. "You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah I did," Susan said and pushed past her partner.

 

Randy Anderson sat on her totally white canopy bed, Charlie was sprawled at the foot of the bed amongst the unmade blankets. Randy's parents had been livid when she turned up at almost dawn, they had even called the police and reported her missing. The police had to shout over her mother so that she would shut up long of enough so that they could tell her what had happened. Mrs. Anderson had thought the police had picked her up because of the call she made.

But her parent's anger faded when they got the whole story and turned to pride the next morning when their only daughter turned up on the news. It was almost noon when Randy finally rolled out of bed. Once around ten her father had knocked on her bed room door and told her that Tommy was on the phone. It had please him to no end when his daughter had told him to hang up on the creep, her words not his.

Now there was another knock on the door but before Randy could get to the door it burst open. Donna came flying in and jumped on the bed waking up Charlie who wagged his tail in greeting. "Have you seen the news?" Donna chirped.

Randy shook her red head and stretched, she had on an overly large T-shirt that said UCLA on the front. "I just woke up," she said as she padded to the mirror hanging on the back of the door. She made a face, "I need a shower."

"Randy, we saved a cop!" Donna exploded. "It was on TV just a little while ago, they finally identified him. Isn't that cool?"

Randy came across the room and sat down on the bed stunned, "Wow, a cop. How did he get up there in the first place?"

Donna shrugged, "They aren't saying, so it must be something good."

"How is he doing?" Randy asked as she went to her dresser and began rummaging through it looking for something to wear. She pulled out a T-shirt that looked very much like the one was already wearing and an old pair of blue jeans.

"The lady that interviewed us said he was in stable condition, whatever that means," Donna smiled. "They keep showing our interview too, we are famous."

Randy rolled her eyes, "Famous for about five minutes. Stable means he's doing OK."

"How do you know that?" Donna asked scratching Charlie behind his ears.

"Don't you ever watch ER?" Randy asked. She grabbed her shampoo and headed toward the bathroom. "You can hang around, I have to get a shower."

When Randy finished her shower and got dressed she went out into the kitchen. Donna and her mother in were in the process of making lunch. They were laughing and talking, Randy wondered why she and her mom couldn't do that any more. She and Donna friends since they were three and Donna's family moved in next door. Mrs. Anderson looked at her daughter as she entered the kitchen.

"Listen Ran, I'm sorry I went so crazy last night, but your dad and I were so worry when you didn't come home," the older woman said.

"I know it's no biggie," Randy said sitting down at the kitchen table, which Donna was in the process of setting. "I guess you and dad are happy that I'm not going to see Tommy any more."

Mrs. Anderson looked at her daughter with surprise, "You're not?" It was apparent that her father hadn't said anything to her mother when Tommy had called earlier.

Randy shook her head. "What is going on with you and Tommy anyway?" Donna asked. She placed glasses filled with iced tea by each place.

Randy sighed, "Last night when I went down to the beach to get help I found Tommy with another girl."

"That rat!" Donna exclaimed then looked over at Randy's mom, to see what she was going to say.

Mrs. Anderson went over to her daughter and hugged her, "I'm sorry honey."

Randy looked up at her mother, "I thought you hated Tommy?"

"Hate is a strong word, I just didn't think he was good for you. I didn't want to see you get hurt."

"Thanks mom but it's too late for that," Randy sadly.

Just as they were about to sit down and eat the phone rang, "If it's Tommy tell him I'm not here."

Donna jumped up from the table and grabbed the receiver from the phone hanging on the wall. "Hello?" She listened for a few minutes then motioned Randy to join her.

Randy got up still chewing her sandwich, "Who is it?" she whispered around the bite.

Donna put her hand over the receiver and whispered back, "It's Megan Sommers from the TV station, she wants to talk to us again. Something about getting to meet the guy we saved."

Randy smiled, "Hey cool."

 

 

 

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

 

 

 

When the officers arrived at California Pacific Medical Center, Hutch and Susan went to find Starsky's doctor while Lee helped Mark find a phone. Mark decided on their way back to San Francisco that it was time for him to go. Janie was clearly gone and Starsky had been found.

Hutch stepped up to the information desk in the lobby and inquired about seeing Doctor Thompson, the doctor they were told that was taking care of their partner. The volunteer smiled up at the blond detective telling him that the doctor was with patients on the third floor. Hutch then asked about Starsky who he found out was also on the third floor. The woman called up to the nurse's station so that they knew the detectives were on their way to see the doctor.

The two detectives found Lee and Mark, Mark had a few hours before his flight left and Lee had volunteered to take him to the airport. They all got on the elevator and went to the third floor. The doors slid open, a man in a white coat was standing there waiting for them. Susan stepped out extending her hand.

"Dr. Thompson?" she asked, when he nodded she continued, "I'm Detective Carlston, this is my partner Detective Hutchinson." Then she indicated the two men behind them. "Detective Marburg and Captain Delrose."

The doctor shook hands with all of them, "We were very happy to find out the identity of Detective Starsky. He is doing well but is still unconscious. Let's go in here and talk," he said leading them to a waiting room down the hall.

After everyone was seated the doctor explained, "Detective Starsky has a small hole in his left lung from a couple of broken ribs, a badly broken right arm, a large gash on his forehead that took twelve stitches to close, plus a concussion. He also has many small cuts and quite a few deep bruises. He was very dehydrated when he was brought in, looks like he was on that outcropping roughly forty eight hours."

"Why is he still unconscious?" Susan asked sitting on the edge of her seat.

The doctor shrugged, "The concussion is pretty severe but his brain waves are fine so there is no permanent damage. I suspect that he should be waking up any time now. Your friend is going to be really sore and have a hell of a headache when he wakes up. He'll have to wear the cast about eight weeks because the break was so bad."

"But he is OK." Susan said trying to reassure herself. She looked over at Hutch and smiled. The doctor leaned over and patted Susan's hand.

"He is just fine, you'll see," Dr. Thompson said as he got up. "If fact you can see him now if you like. Don't be shocked, he looks pretty bad, but it's mostly bruising."

"We've seen a lot," Hutch told the doctor.

The man nodded, "But it's different when it's someone you care about."

The two detectives looked at each other knowingly. They had both had their own close calls in the hospital more than once. It was amazing all the three partners had been though over the years. Hutch and Susan followed the doctor down the hall. Lee and Mark stayed in the waiting room.

The doctor pushed open the door and held it open for the detectives. Dr. Thompson went over, checked the IV, then leaned over Starsky. He took out a small flashlight and shined it in his blue eyes. Then he motioned the couple in, "Still out, but don't worry. There is still time before we get concerned, then there are more tests we can run to determine what the problem is. Don't worry."

The doctor left, Susan and Hutch moved closer to the bed. She resisted the urge to hug him, not knowing what Hutch might think. Instead Susan took his left hand in hers, her eyes slowly moved to his face and rested there. His head was wrapped in a white bandage, his face bruised and cut up as was every inch of skin that she could see.

Hutch leaned down close to his ear, "How you doing buddy?" he whispered as he touched his shoulder. Hutch had been worried beyond words about his partner, he just wouldn't let on for Susan's sake. Starsky was his very best friend and if Janie had manage to finish the job she set out to do, Hutch would have gone after her with everything he had.

Susan looked across Starsky at her husband, she saw the relief on his face, and she realized just how worried he had been. Hutch looked up feeling her eyes on him, he smiled at her. "We have him back don't we," she smiled. Hutch just nodded hoping that she was right. It worried him that Starsky still wasn't awake yet. He remembered once when Susan had been unconscious for a week before she had come to. He didn't leave her side the whole time.

They spent an hour with their partner, Susan dozed in a chair beside Starsky's bed, while Hutch watched over both of them. He was worried about Susan too, he could tell she was worn out. He wondered what Jesse was doing, they needed to call their daughter. He was sure that by now she had heard the news about Starsky and would be worried.

Hutch was about to wake up Susan and suggest that they find a phone and then get some food, when there was a knock on the door. Softly Hutch got up and opened the door, Lee and Mark were standing there. Hutch motioned for them to come in.

"So that's the famous Starsky, uh?&quo