| Echoes of Terror: Chapter 5 |
| The next morning, they all gathered in Dr. Massey's office. Hutch sat in a comfortable chair with Starsky right behind him. The shades were drawn and only a single lamp was lit, bathing the room in a gentle light. Dr. Massey pulled his chair close to Hutch. "We've gone over what we're trying to do, Hutch. Do you have any questions before we get started?" "Will I remember what I say?" "Yes, you will. We'll be here to help you assimilate it all. Try not to be frightened. You're safe with us and no one will hurt you. Are you ready?" Hutch took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Dr. Massey sat forward and started talking to Hutch in low, even tones. It only took a few minutes to put the blonde detective in a trance. "Hutch, can you hear me?" "Yes." "I'm going to take you back to the night of October 12th. You and Starsky were at the Pits, right?" "Yes." "You were having problems with your car and you wanted Starsky to pick you up the next morning.." "Yeah, it kept dying on me, the hunk of junk. If I didn't like razzing Starsky about driving in it so much, I'd get rid of the damned thing." Starsky allowed himself a small laugh at that. If things ever got back to normal, he would never let Hutch forget he said that. Dr. Masssey continued. "Starsky dropped you off that night at your place, didn't he? But, you went somewhere the next morning, before he came after you." "Yeah, I was making a breakfast drink and ran out of buttermilk. I decided to go to the little store on the next block." "What happened at the store?" "I picked up a quart of buttermilk and went back to my car. There was a girl standing near the front of the store. She was pretty, so I took a second look. The guy she was talking to didn't look too happy, though. I was just about to get in my car when she screamed. I looked back and the guy was holding on to her wrists and yelling at her." "What did you do next?" "I walked over to them and asked if there was a problem. She started to say something, but the guy jerked her arm. I started toward him, but then two other guys came around the corner. I got the idea that they were together. The first guy slapped the girl across the face and pulled out a gun. I stepped back and told him to take it easy." "What did he say?" "He just laughed and said that was a good idea. He motioned for the other two to get in my car and told the girl and me to get in the back. He told me to hand over the keys and then he got in the driver's side. I started to balk, but he aimed the gun at the girl, so I handed him my keys." "So he got in the car and started driving. What happened then?" "I started talking to the girl, trying to keep her calm. She was pretty scared by then. I told her my name, and she told me hers. It was Karen. She said the guy driving was an old boyfriend and he was mad at her because she broke up with him and kicked him out of her apartment. She said his name was Frankie and said the other two were friends of his. She called them bums. I told her to stay calm, because I was a cop. They hadn't searched me yet, so I still had my gun. I was afraid that if they did, and they found my badge and my gun, they would just shoot us and dump the car with our bodies in it. I didn't tell her that, though." "So you got to the warehouse. What happened after that?" Hutch squirmed in his seat. "Damn it, Frankie just told the other guy to frisk me. They found the badge and the gun." "It's OK, Hutch. Remember, you're here with us and you're safe. You're watching this as if it were a movie, that's all. Nothing will happen and no one can hurt you. Now, what happened after they found the gun?" "Frankie started yelling at everyone. He hit Karen again, and told her it was all her fault. He said they were going to have to take care of the both of us now. He said she should never have kicked him out and put him on the street." "What happened next?" "He motioned to one of the other men and he hit me with my gun, I think. Everything went black after that." "OK, what happened after you woke up?" Hutch's voice broke. He curled up in the chair, with his arms wrapped around his knees. "I can hear them talking, in the next room. Frankie's hitting her. I can hear the blows land on her face. He's yelling at her and calling her names. I try to open the door, but it's locked. There aren't any windows big enough for me to crawl out of. I hit the door with my shoulder, but I can't budge it. She's crying and calling my name. I keep hitting the door, but it doesn't do any good. She's begging me to help her, but I can't do anything!" "It's OK, Ken. It's just a movie, remember? So you kept hitting the door, trying to get out. Is that how you hurt your shoulder?" Hutch nodded, tears running down his face. He tried to make himself smaller in the chair. "Yes, I just wanted to get out, so I could help her. But I couldn't! I could hear her, and I could hear what they were doing to her, but I couldn't do anything to stop it!! Oh, God!!" "What's wrong, Ken? What did you hear?" "Oh, God, I think they're raping her. I put my hands over my ears, but I can't block out the sound. I can hear her screaming. I try to bury myself in the corner, but I can still hear her screams. They keep echoing in my mind. Then finally, the sounds stop. I can't hear anything any more." "OK, Ken. It's all over now. It's in the past. You didn't do anything wrong." Hutch shook his head. "I couldn't help her. They killed her and I couldn't stop it. I should have done something.." "There wasn't anything you could have done. I'm going to bring you back now. I want you to listen to the sound of my voice. When you wake up, you're going to feel refreshed. The headaches will be gone. The anger will be gone, because you've remembered what happened. The past can't hurt you any more. Are you ready?" Hutch sniffled and relaxed in the chair. "Yes," Dr. Massey counted slowly to ten and snapped his fingers. Hutch looked around, then put his head in his hands. "Dear God, they killed her! They raped her and then they shot her. I couldn't do anything to help her." Starsky moved closer and took his best friend in his arms. "It wasn't your fault, buddy. You have to let it go now. There wasn't anything you could have done." |
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