| Echoes of Terror: Chapter 2 |
Starsky helped his partner back to bed. A nurse hurried in and took in the scene at one glance. She came back shortly with a shot and injected it into Hutch's arm. Starsky sat beside him and rubbed his back gently as he relaxed and went to sleep. As he sat there, he thought back to when the whole nightmare started. It had started out as a typical morning. Starsky was on his way to pick up Hutch before work, but when he arrived at Hutch's apartment, the battered LTD that Hutch drove was gone. Starsky's brow wrinkled in puzzlement. He was sure that Hutch had asked him to pick him up this morning. They had spent the evening before at the Pits, and Hutch was complaining about the car acting up again. "Blintz, when are you going to send that heap to the junkyard, where it belongs? You've put enough money into it to buy yourself a new car." "Oh, come on, Starsk, stop exaggerating. My car runs just fine, except for a few minor problems." Starsky snorted. "Yeah, like the engine, the transmission, the body and the tires. The upholstery ain't that great either, but you can at least put a blanket over that." "You're just jealous because my car has character. Yours, on the other hand, looks like a parade float, not a car." "That parade float has carried your carcass to work more times than you can count, buddy. Your heap spends so much time parked in front of your apartment that you oughtta designate it a landmark. At least, that way, it wouldn't be towed away for bein' an eye sore." "Ha Ha, very funny. Just pick me up in the morning, will you? I'll see if I can get Merle to take a look at it tomorrow sometime." Starsky raised his eyebrows. "Man, you must be gettin' desperate if you're willing to call Merle. Ain't you afraid that he'll spruce it up a little?" "No, I told him that if he tried that again, I'd leave it parked on his lot for a month and scare away all his customers. I don't think he'll risk that." Starsky laughed. "I don't think he will, either. Well, it's gettin' late. You ready to call it a night?" "Any time you are, partner. Lead the way." Starsky brought himself back to the present. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, thinking. Maybe Hutch had to run an errand or something and that heap broke down on him again. I guess I'd better check to see if he's really home, and then I'll go on to the station. He knows to call me there if he needs me to pick him up. Starsky ran upstairs and knocked on the door. When Hutch didn't answer, he used the spare key to let himself in to the apartment. A quick glance verified that his partner was gone. All the ingrediants for his morning concoction lay on the counter, indicating he had been there earlier. Must have ran outta something for that glop he drinks. God knows what it was. I'll stick around for a minute, in case he comes back. Thirty minutes later, Hutch still hadn't returned. Starky dialed the number to the station. "Metro Division, Sergeant Willis speaking." "Hey, Willie, it's Starsky. Has Hutch checked in yet?" "Nope, not lately. What's wrong, Starsk, did you lose your partner?" "Nah, just misplaced him temporarily. He's been having trouble with his jalopy again and asked me to pick him up this morning. When I got here, his car was gone. It looks like he just went to the store, but that was over half an hour ago. I thought he might be stranded somewhere." "I don't see why he keeps that pile of junk. Maybe he needs to rent a tow-truck by the day so he can always have a ride when it breaks down." Starsky grinned. "I'll tell him you suggested that. Well, I'm on my way in, so if he calls, take a message and tell him to stay put, will you? I don't want to chase him all over town." "Sure thing, Starsk. I'll tell him if he calls." But when Starsky arrived at the station, Willie just shook his head. Hutch still hadn't called in. Starsky tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut, but couldn't. Finally, he reported in to their Captain. Captain Harold Dobey wasn't happy to see only one half of his top team. "Starsky, where's your partner? You're late again. What is it this time?" "Sorry, Cap, but Hutch wasn't home when I went to pick him up, and he hasn't called, either. I thought he might have broke down somewhere, but now I'm gettin' worried. It's not like him to just disappear like this. He always calls in if he's goin' to be late, for any reason." Dobey nodded. "You're right. Hutchinson's usually the punctual one. I'll put an APB out on his car. If he's just broke down like you thought, he'll be angry, but at least we'll know where he is. And if that is the case, I think I'll order him to get a decent car. That heap's been more trouble than it's worth." Starsky grinned. "Now why didn't we think of that before? Hutch might just listen to you." His expression grew serious. "I just hope that's all it is. I gotta bad feelin' about this." Starsky's bad feeling grew worse and by lunch time, he was frantic with worry. He thought back to the last time Hutch had disappeared. Forrest had gotten hold of him and hooked him on heroin. Starsky knew that his partner couldn't handle going through something like that again. Finally, at 12:30 pm, the call came in. Hutch's car had been found. Starsky rushed to the warehouse district, where the LTD had been spottted. He pulled up behind the row of black and white patrol cars, got out and looked around. He was still hoping that he would see Hutch, looking embarassed and perhaps a little angry. However, the blonde detective was no where in sight. Starsky walked up to the senior officer in charge. "What have we got, Tony?" "We spotted Hutch's car on routine patrol, Starsk. There's no sign of Hutch, though. We thought we'd better wait outside until you got here. What do you want us to do now?" Starsky looked the LTD over carefully. There was no sign of a struggle that he could see. He opened both front and back doors and looked in without disturbing anything. The old upholstery still carried faint impressions in the back seat. "Looks like he wasn't alone. We still don't know what's going on, so let's play it by the book. Have two men go around the back of that warehouse, and two on each side. You and me will go in the front. Tell them to take it nice and slow. We don't want to spook anybody." Tony nodded once and gave the orders. He followed Starsky to the front door. Starsky tried the doorknob and glanced at Tony when it turned easily in his hand. The two men drew their weapons and moved to either side of the door. Starsky opened it and gave it a small push. The door swung open, slowly. The curly-haired detective went in first, followed by Tony. The sight before him stopped him cold. "Oh, my God." |
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