Rejected
Part 2
Hutch ran his long fingers through his hair and paced
around the room. He stopped and looked back at the other man.
“So you’re telling me that you saw those people die in a
vision? How am I supposed to believe that?”
The anger he was feeling left Starsky and his shoulders
slumped in resignation.
“I expect you to believe it because it’s true. Why would
I make something like that up? I have a job that I love and I’m good at it. I
happen to like my life! I really don’t want to end up in a loony bin. I saw the
guy that killed Jeannie and Tom. I would give anything if I hadn’t, but I did.
And I know something else, something that doesn’t take psychic abilities to
see. He’s going to do it again. And you know he will, too, Lieutenant.”
Hutch rubbed his face, trying to think. He opened his
mouth to say something then closed it. For once, he was at a complete loss for
words. Finally, he sighed and sat down on the couch. He looked up at the
brunet.
“OK, tell me what you saw.”
Starsky sat down in the recliner again and leaned back.
He shook his head slowly.
“It was like I was right there! I could see and feel
everything. Jeannie was so scared! Tom tried to put on a brave face, but when
he saw the knife, he was scared, too.” He looked at the detective. “You’re asking
me to relive both murders, Lieutenant. Do you know how painful that is? It’s
like walking across hot coals barefooted.”
Hutch shot him a frustrated look. “You told me that you
saw everything in a vision. So, tell me something the public doesn’t know. You
say you’re psychic, prove it.”
Indigo eyes flashed at him. “You want me to perform for
you, Lieutenant? I’m not some freak in a sideshow! Sorry, I’m afraid my crystal
ball is in the shop.”
Hutch leaned forward, his eyes piercing Starsky’s. “This
isn’t a game, Starsky! I’m trying to catch a murderer. So far, I’ve got
precious little to go on. You were the one that started this! You can’t expect
me to buy a story like that without proof.”
The two men glared at each other for a few moments then
Starsky relented. He nodded in resignation. Slowly, he told the detective what
he’d seen the night Jeannie was murdered. Then he repeated what he’d seen only
a few hours ago. When he finished, both men were silent.
Hutch thought over what he’d been told then looked at the
brunet. “When he dipped his fingers in their blood, did he take the gloves
off?”
“No, he just dipped them in the blood and wrote that word
on the wall. I could feel his hatred when he was killing them, Lieutenant. He
thinks he’s been mistreated. He thinks everyone is against him. But after he
killed them, when he was writing the message on the wall, I could feel his
pain, too. Whoever this guy is, he’s sick. His mind was a mixture of
conflicting emotions. One second I could feel the rage and the next, he was
like a lonely little boy. He just wants people to notice him.”
Hutch laughed derisively. “So he kills them when they
don’t? That’s a Hell of a way to make friends.”
“Yeah, well, when Jeannie and Tom tried to make it up to
him, he said it was too late. They’d already treated him badly. He told them
that he didn’t want charity. You don’t get a second chance with this guy.”
Hutch shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m sitting here
discussing a premonition. You’re serious about this, right?”
Starsky jumped up, stalking around the room. He turned
back to the blond, glaring at him. “Yes, I’m serious. I don’t know what else to
tell you! I’m finished jumping through hoops for you. If you don’t believe me then get out! I don’t
need this crap!”
“Calm down, damn it! What you’re
telling me is pretty incredible. I can’t help it if I’m a bit skeptical.
Please, sit down.”
For a moment, Starsky refused to move then he
shrugged and sat down. Hutch lowered his voice.
“Look,
I’m trying to solve a double homicide here. I want to catch this guy before he
goes for a triple. This is uncharted territory for me. I’ve never dealt with a
clairvoyant before. If I hurt your feelings, I’m sorry, but I want to catch
this nut before he kills again. So, please, don’t take everything I say to
heart. I’m just trying to understand, OK?”
Starsky
took several deep breaths and composed himself. He nodded slightly. “OK, I’ll
admit that I’m probably not your typical witness. But, how am I supposed to
help you if you doubt me? I saw what I saw, Lieutenant. No matter how much I
want to, I can’t make it go away.”
Hutch
sighed and sat back. “So, let’s go back to this guy. Can you tell me what he
looked like?”
“He
was dressed all in black. He had a black fedora on, a long black coat, black
jeans and black tennis shoes. Even his gloves were black. He wasn’t real tall,
maybe five seven or eight. And he wasn’t heavy. I’d say he weighed about a
hundred and fifty pounds or so.”
Hutch
raised an eyebrow. “He wasn’t exactly a giant, was he?”
Starsky
smiled wryly. “Well, the knife in his hand made him look a whole lot bigger.”
“I
guess so. Did you see his face?”
Starsky
shook his head, frustrated. “No, that’s the only thing I couldn’t see. When he
took off his hat, I could see that he had light brown hair, cut short. He was
facing Jeanie and Tom, but all I could see was his back. I wish I had seen his
face! I’d be after him so fast that all you could see was dust.”
Hutch
pointed a long finger at him. “Now, wait just a sec. You’re not a cop, Starsky.
If you do figure out who this guy is, I don’t want you going off half-cocked.
He’s killed two people; it obviously wouldn’t bother him to kill you.”
“I
may not be a cop, but I’m the one who knows what he looks like. I watched him
kill two innocent people, Lieutenant. If I can find a way to stop him, I will.
Bet on it.”
“We’re
getting off track here. You said you couldn’t see his face, but you heard what
he said. Do you think you’d recognize his voice if you heard it again?”
Starsky
nodded emphatically. “Oh, yeah! I’ll hear that voice
in my nightmares for the rest of my life.”
“Yeah,
I guess you will. OK, I want you to remember his voice and tell me if you’ve
heard it before. Does it sound like anyone you work with?”
Starsky
closed his eyes and concentrated on the disturbed voice echoing in his mind. A
few minutes later, he shook his head.
“No,
I don’t remember hearing it before. But, we have over a hundred employees at
O’Neil’s. I’m sure I don’t know everyone there. Don’t worry, though. I’ll know
that voice if I hear it again.”
Hutch
made a face. “That’s good, but I don’t know how it’s going to help us. I don’t
think we can run a line up of every employee at O’Neil’s and ask them to say
something for you. But, if we start closing in on him, it could be an ace up
our sleeve.”
“Yeah, well right now, he’s holding all the trump cards.
So, what do we do now?”
“We go talk to my captain. We tell him what you saw and
see if we can come up with any ideas.”
Starsky held both hands out in front of him. “Now, wait a
minute! I never said that I would tell anyone else about what I saw! Your
captain isn’t going to believe me and if word gets out what I told you, I’ll be
a laughing stock. I won’t be able to work in this city again.”
“You’re my only lead, Starsky. I have to tell the
captain. I can’t go to him with this information without telling him where I
got it.”
Starsky laughed sarcastically. “That’s too bad! I’ve
tried to tell people about this curse before and it was a huge fiasco. I’m not
going to go through that again.”
Hutch tried to reason with him. “Starsky, it wouldn’t be
the first time the police has used psychics to assist them in a case. It’s well
documented. I’m not telling you that Dobey is a pushover. You’re going to have
to convince him the way you convinced me, but it can be done. And we’re not going to put you in the public eye. If
this maniac finds out that you can tune in on him, he might come after you. If
that happens, we’d be putting you in danger, and that goes against every
regulation in the department.”
Starsky exhaled slowly. Then he gazed steadily at the
blond. “Do you believe me?”
“I’m trying to. I have to admit, it’s not easy, but I’m
keeping an open mind.”
Starsky grinned crookedly. “Well, at least you don’t
think I’m a candidate for the nut house any more.” He took a deep breath then
nodded. “OK, let’s go talk to your captain.”
Hutch smiled encouragingly. “Now you’re talking. I’m not
throwing you to the wolves, Starsky. I know you’re worried about your
reputation, and you have every right to be. But right now, I have to
concentrate on this case. There’s a lot more riding on this investigation than
your reputation, or mine. The lives of everyone you work with depend on us
finding the killer before he strikes again.”
Starsky looked down at his hands. “I know. It’s just that
I’ve tried using this curse before, and it’s never worked. No one has ever
believed me. I can’t see your captain believing me now.”
Hutch shrugged. “Dobey comes across as a hard-ass, but he
keeps an open mind. He’s put up with my cockamamie schemes more than once.
Besides, if you can give us a solid lead on this nut, Dobey will probably dance
at your next wedding.”
Starsky snorted. “I think he’ll be waiting a long time
for that one.”
Hutch raised his eyebrow. “Oh, come on, Starsky. Don’t
tell me there’s no one significant in your life.”
“Oh, yeah, I’m a regular swingin’ bachelor, Lieutenant.
Don’t get me wrong. I’ve always enjoyed the company of a lovely lady, but every
time I get within shouting distance of the altar, I start thinking about our
honeymoon. I can see me having one of these premonitions right in the middle of
things, if you get my drift. The lady in question would run away from my bed as
fast as her pretty feet could carry her. I don’t want to put myself, or her,
through that. So, thanks, but no thanks.”
Hutch looked at Starsky’s serious expression. “Yeah, I
can see why you’d be a little gun shy. But you can’t let it rule your life.
You’re not a leper, Starsky. Like you told me, it’s not catching. You keep
calling this talent of yours a curse. It doesn’t have to be if you won’t let
it.”
He could tell by the expression on Starsky’s face that he
wasn’t getting through, so he changed subjects. “Anyway, back to Dobey. If you
tell him exactly what you told me, he’ll believe you. He may not want to, but
in the end, he’ll have no choice. The bit about the suspect writing the message
on the wall in blood, while wearing his gloves, wasn’t released to the public.
The lab boys found fibers in the message on that wall. Unfortunately, the
gloves were the kind you can buy at any cheap department store, so that’s no
real help, either. Anyway, the only way you would know that is if you were the
killer, or if you were at the scene. We’ve proven you weren’t at the scene, and
I don’t think you’re the killer, so that leaves only one other explanation:
you’re psychic. So, are you ready to go?”
Starsky took a deep breath then exhaled. “Sure, why not?
If he’s going to throw me in a padded cell, there’s no time like the present.”
Starsky followed the detective down to his car. As he
pulled with both hands to close the passenger door, he cast a sideways glance
at the blond.
“Haven’t had a raise in a long time, huh, Lieutenant?”
Hutch looked offended. “Hey, I’ll have you know this car
is a classic. It gets me anywhere I need to go. Besides, I’ve seen that parade
float you call a car. If I tried using a car like that on a stakeout, I might
as well paint “Cop” in bright letters on the hood. That thing sticks out like a
sore thumb.”
Starsky grinned wickedly. “Well, at least my car has some
get up and go. It looks like your car’s get up and go,
got up and went.”
“That shows what you know, Mr.
Starsky snorted. “Of course no one’s going to steal it.
Who’d want it?”
The two men laughed together then Starsky’s expression
turned serious as they arrived at the station. The banter he’d shared with
Hutch didn’t ease his nervousness as he thought about what was coming. As Hutch
pulled into a parking space, Starsky looked over at him.
“I hope you know what you’re doing, Lieutenant. I feel
like a lamb heading for slaughter.”
Hutch gazed at him encouragingly. “I know what I’m doing,
don’t worry. And with everything we’ve been through, don’t you think it’s time
you stopped calling me ‘Lieutenant’? My
friends call me Hutch.”
Starsky smiled. “OK, Hutch it is. And my friends call me
David, or Dave.”
Hutch stared frankly at the brunet and slowly shook his
head. “No, I think Starsky fits you better. Do you mind?”
“Nope. Coming from you, it
sounds just right.”
Hutch clapped him on his shoulder and smiled. “Then come
on; it’s time to beard the lion in his den.”
When Starsky’s eyes widened, the blond laughed. “I was
kidding!”
Hutch knocked on Dobey’s door and herded the reluctant
psychic into the office. Dobey sat quietly as the two men told him Starsky’s
versions of the murders. When they were finished, Dobey sat back in his chair,
gazing steadily at them. Then he pointed his ink pen at Starsky.
“I don’t like cons, Mr. Starsky, and I like red herrings
even less. We have two unsolved homicides right now, and no way of knowing when
this nut is going to strike again. So, I don’t have time to play games. If we
spend precious time investigating what you say you saw, and come up with zip,
I’m going to personally throw your ass in a cell and forget where I put the
key. Do you understand me?”
Starsky met his glare unflinchingly. “I’m not a crackpot,
Captain. God knows, I never wanted to be a part of this. I didn’t ask to see
what happened. I can’t turn this curse off and on at will. But I did see it,
and I want to help. For God’s sake, I work at O’Neil’s too! I don’t want to be
next on this guy’s list. The sooner you catch him, the better I’ll sleep at
night. I don’t know how much help I’m going to be, but I’ll do whatever I can.”
Dobey sighed and rubbed his forehead. “OK, I’ll give you
the benefit of the doubt. It’s not like we have a steady stream of witnesses
knocking on our door. I want you to keep working with Hutch and see if you can
pin down the identity of the person you saw. You two can figure out how to do
that in a little while. Right now, I need to speak privately with Hutch. You
can wait in the squad room, at his desk.”
Starsky looked at Hutch, who nodded slightly. He exhaled
slowly and got up. Without looking back, he left the office and went to Hutch’s
desk. He didn’t have to ask which one it was. He could “feel” the Lieutenant’s
aura all around it. As he sat down, he noticed the photograph of the young girl
sitting on the desk. Without knowing why, he picked it up.
Pain! He felt so
much pain, and terror. She was so afraid! He could hear her crying for her
mommy. Why didn’t her mommy come for her? Why didn’t the bad man take her home?
She didn’t like it here. She wanted to ride her bike again. She wanted to see
her room again. She knew her mommy was worried about her. He could feel the
tears running down her cheeks. She wanted to go home!
He
closed his eyes and concentrated. Slowly, he looked past the little girl and
into the eyes of a madman. He gasped out loud and dropped the picture as the
eyes seemed to look back at him.
Starsky clasped his hands together and put them
between his knees as he fought to control his breathing. His heartbeat slowed
as he took several deep breaths. He managed to compose himself just as Hutch
and Dobey came out of the other room. He looked at the two men expectantly.
“Well, what’s the verdict? Are you going to fit me for a
straight jacket now, or do we get to work?”
Hutch grinned. “We get to work. And unless you want to
get up close and personal with that straight jacket, and I want to dig out my
old uniform, we’d better come up with something fast.”
Starsky looked at the captain. “You still don’t believe
me, do you?”
Dobey shook his head. “No, not completely, I’m afraid.”
Instead of answering him, Starsky picked up the picture
again and held it out to Hutch.
“Who’s this?”
Hutch took the photo out of his hands and put it back on
the desk. “It’s no one you know. She doesn’t have anything to do with the case.
Don’t worry about her.”
Starsky picked up the picture again. “She’s dead, isn’t
she?”
Hutch snatched the picture back and laid it face down on
the desk. “I said, don’t worry about it! I don’t want to talk about her.”
Starsky spoke softly to the two men. “I know where she
is, and I know who killed her.” Then he
looked at Dobey. “If I can take you to her body, and tell you who killed her,
will you believe me then?”
Dobey and Hutch exchanged looks. Dobey frowned
doubtfully. “You can do that?”
Starsky nodded slowly. “Yes.”
Hutch closed his eyes against the onslaught of painful
memories. Then he exhaled slowly and held the picture out to Starsky.
“Her name is Melanie Rivers. She was abducted from her
home while riding her bicycle. I’ve been working the case for over a year, but
we never found her.”
Starsky looked around the squad room before accepting the
picture. “Can we go back into your office, Captain? I’ve never liked performing
in front of an audience.”
Dobey
turned without a word and led them back to his office. Starsky settled on the
small love seat and took the photo from Hutch. He concentrated on her face,
fighting through the torrent of pain that assaulted him. When he spoke, his
voice was oddly detached.
I can see her.
She’s riding her bike up and down the sidewalk. Her mom won’t let her cross the
street by herself. She got the bike for her birthday. It’s white, with chrome
handlebars and a pink seat. The handgrips are white with pink streamers and she
has a basket with flowers attached to the handlebars. Her mom is in the house,
cleaning. She looks out the window every few minutes, checking on Melanie.
She’s not worried, because everyone else in the neighborhood is gone. It’s
quiet. Even the dogs are inside.
The
phone rings, and her mommy rushes to answer it. It’s her sister, the one that
moved to
‘Hi, Melanie! I like your bike. You got it for your
birthday, didn’t you?’
Melanie
looks down at the sidewalk and nods shyly. ‘Uh huh.’
‘It’s
very pretty. I wish I could ride it.’
Melanie
giggles and looks at the man. ‘You’re a grown up. You’re too big to ride my
bike.’
He
grins back. ‘Oh, yeah, I forgot. Well, maybe Sparky could ride it.’
She
giggles again. ‘Sparky’s a dog, he can’t ride a bike.’
‘Oh,
you’ve met Sparky already? That’s right; I’ve seen you before in the park. You
like the puppet shows, don’t you?’
‘Uh huh. My mommy takes me after church. I like Glenda the
best, but Sparky’s nice, too.’
‘Well,
I’ll tell you what. Since I didn’t get you anything for your birthday, how
about I take you to the park and put on a special show just for you? I’ll even
let you be Glenda.’
‘OK,
can my mommy come too?’
‘Sure,
but I don’t see her. Where is she?’
‘She’s
inside, cleaning house.’
‘Oh,
then she’s busy. That’s too bad, because I have to be home before supper, or my
mom will be mad. I’ll bet your mom wouldn’t want you to be late for supper,
would she?’
‘No,
she’d be really mad.’
‘OK,
so we’ll just ride down to the park, and I’ll put on a really good show for
you, and we’ll be back before she knows you’re gone. Then, when you come back,
you can tell her all about it. Does that sound good to you?’
Melanie
takes a tiny step toward the car then looks back at her house ‘But, shouldn’t I
ask my mommy? She told me to stay on the sidewalk.’
‘She
told you to stay on the sidewalk when you ride your bike. She’s a smart mommy.
She doesn’t want you to get hurt. But, you’ll be with me, so you’ll be OK.
After all, I’m a grown up, too, right?’
As
Melanie hesitates, Sparky pipes up. ‘Come on, Melanie! We’re going to have so
much fun! Don’t you want to see the show?’
She
finally agrees and goes around to the other side of the car. Sparky opens the
door and she climbs in. The man smiles at her and she smiles back. But instead
of going toward the park, he turns in a different direction. She looks at the
man, curious but not afraid yet.
‘This
isn’t the way to the park. You’re supposed to turn on that street back there.’
‘Well,
this is a different way. Have you ever been to the pond at the back of the
park?’
‘No.’
‘Well,
there are some ducks in the pond, and one of them just had babies. Have you
ever seen a baby duck before?’
‘No.’
‘See,
there’s another surprise for you! I’ll take you to see the ducks and I even
know where we can get some bread to feed them. Then I’ll put on the show for
you. Would you like that?’
She
smiles happily and nods then settles down in the seat. She can’t see where
they’re going, but trusts the man. After what seems to be a long time, the man
finally stops the car. But when she looks out the window, all she sees is a run
down house.
‘Where
are we? I don’t see any ducks.’
‘This
is where I’ll get the bread. Come on; I’ll let you carry it for me. We’ll only
be a minute.’
They
get out of the car and walk to the house. He even lowers his hand so she can
hold Sparky’s paw. When they go inside, she doesn’t like the house. It smells
and it’s dirty. She looks all around, but doesn’t see any bread. For the first
time, she’s afraid.
‘I
don’t see any bread. Can we go now? I don’t have to feed the ducks. We’ve been
gone a long time and my mommy is probably looking for me. I think I should go
home. I can see the puppet show Sunday, after church.’
He
looks at her with strange, glowing eyes. ‘This is your home now, Melanie. We’re
going to live here together, forever.’
She
backs toward the door. ‘No! I want to go home! I want my mommy!’
But
there’s no one around to hear her screams. And after a while, there’s only
silence.
Starsky shuddered and opened his eyes. Dobey and
Hutch watched him without speaking, stunned. After a moment, the brunet’s
vision cleared and he looked over at them.
“I can take you where she’s buried. He’s very confident.
You haven’t found any of the other bodies, so he wasn’t too careful about where
he buried Melanie.”
Two pairs of eyes widened in shock. Hutch cleared his
throat, and sputtered.
“What other bodies?”
“Melanie wasn’t the first, and she wasn’t the last,
either. He’s been doing this a long time and no one has ever suspected him. You
talked to him twice and you didn’t even suspect him.”
Hutch’s eyes flashed. “Now, wait a minute! You’re telling
me that this guy has been right under our noses this whole time? Do you know
who he is?”
Starsky nodded. “He’s the kind of person nobody really
sees. He’s always there, in the background, but no one pays attention to him.
He never worries about being discovered, because he’s supposed to be there.
People see the truck that he drives all of the time. He goes all over the city,
in the best neighborhoods. They never think twice about him, because he’s the
guy that cleans their pools. Most of them are at work while he’s there, so he
can take his time. He knows where all the kids live and he knows the best time
to take them. They’re not afraid of him, because he’s just the pool guy.
He
didn’t need the truck when he took Melanie though, because he lives only two
doors down from her. He wanted her for a long time, but her mother always
watched her out the window, until that day. He was on his way to a different
neighborhood when he saw Melanie on her bicycle. He keeps Sparky with him, and
some pictures of puppies, too. He watched the house to see if her mom would
come outside, and if she had, he would have made up a story and driven away.
But she didn’t come out, so he used the puppet to gain Melanie’s confidence. If
she had been afraid, and refused to go with him, he would simply have gone to
his next victim. But she trusted him, until it was too late.”
Hutch
stared into space, thinking furiously. Then he snapped his fingers and jumped
up. He yanked the door open and stalked into the squad room, heading for the
files. He pulled Melanie’s file out of the drawer and thumbed through it then
went back to Dobey’s office.
He
shoved the folder into Dobey’s hands. “We interviewed one of the neighbors
twice. His name is Alvin Garvey. He was really concerned about Melanie. He even
joined the neighborhood search parties when they went out to look for her. He said he wasn’t home the day Melanie was
kidnapped, because it was his day off from work and he had errands to run. We
checked him out, but he didn’t have any priors, so we didn’t look that hard at
his alibi. The only reason we questioned him again was because of Melanie’s
mother. She told us about the puppet shows, and said that Garvey had something
to do with them. He told us he was an amateur carpenter and made the stages for
the shows as a favor for a friend.”
Hutch
punched his fist into his palm. “Damn it! We had him twice! He acted like he
was so damned worried about Melanie! If we’d paid more attention to him,
Melanie might still be alive.”
Starsky
shook his head. “She was dead the minute she got in that car. You might have
found her body sooner, but that’s all. He does what he wants to them and then
he kills them, and he doesn’t leave any witnesses. You’ve been beating yourself
up for nothing. There was no way you could have prevented her death.”
Dobey
put a hand on Hutch’s shoulder. “And there was no way you could have known
about the others. The best thing you can do now is put this guy away, before he
kills another little girl.”
Hutch
shook off the pain he was feeling and straightened his shoulders. He motioned
to Starsky.
“Come
on; we’ve got work to do.”
Starsky rushed to keep up with the Lieutenant has he
strode down the long corridor. Hutch stopped at a door marked “Records and
Information” then went inside without knocking. He walked over to the officer
behind the desk.
“Charlie,
I need you to do me a big favor.”
“Sure,
Lieutenant, what do you need?”
Hutch
handed him the file he still carried. “I need you get a list of all of the open
missing children cases we’ve had in the last five years. Then call Surf’s Up
Pool’s and Spas and see if you can get a schedule for Alvin Garvey. Go as far
back as they can and then compare it with the dates from the missing children’s
reports.”
Charlie
took the file and glanced at the page Hutch had indicated. Then he looked up at
Hutch.
“Should
I pull all of them, or just male, or female?”
Hutch
stopped for a moment then looked at Starsky.
Starsky
returned the look and replied softly. “Both.”
“What
ages should I concentrate on? The more information you can give me, the faster
I can get it done.”
Again,
Hutch looked at the brunet. Starsky answered the question.
“He
likes them young, so between the ages of 6 and 11, I’d say.”
Charlie
wrote on a small yellow pad. Then he grinned at the blond. “I assume that you
want it yesterday?”
Hutch
allowed himself a small smile. “How did you guess?”
Charlie
answered with a twinkle in his eye. “Lieutenant, you always want it yesterday.”
Hutch
reached over and patted the older man on his shoulder. “I know I do, Charlie.
You’ve put up with me for a long time now. But, this is really important. I
know you’ve got a dozen departments hounding you, but I’d really appreciate it
if you could give this top priority.”
Charlie
looked down at the file and read it closely for the first time. His eyes
widened.
“Do
you think this guy killed her, Lieutenant?”
Hutch
nodded solemnly. “I do, and I think he killed a lot of other kids, too.
Melanie’s been missing for over a year now, and there’s no telling how many other
kids he’s gotten hold of, since then. Now do you see why it’s so important?”
“You
bet I do! I’ll get on it right away.”
Hutch
smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Charlie. I’ll be out of the station for a while,
but you can get me on my radio, if you find anything.”
“Sure thing, Lieutenant. I can’t promise how soon I’ll be finished, but I’ll
get in touch with you ASAP.”
“I
don’t care what time it is, if you find anything, you call me, OK?”
Charlie
nodded. “I will, Lieutenant, I swear.”
Hutch
smiled again then left with Starsky in tow. The brunet looked quizzically at
Hutch.
“Where
are we going now?”
Hutch
looked grim. “We’re going to find Melanie. Come on; we’ll need some equipment.”
Starsky
followed Hutch to the basement of the station. He looked around, curious. They
stopped in front of a small office, with a large glass window in front. A small
man wearing a uniform sat at a desk just beyond the window. He looked up with a
proprietary expression on his face when Hutch rapped on the counter.
“Yes, Lieutenant, what can I do for you?”
“I need a shovel, Biggy.”
The officer sniggered softly. “What do you need a shovel
for? Are you digging for clues?”
Hutch gave a long suffering sigh. “Just get the shovel,
will you, Bigelow?”
As Starsky hid his smile, Bigelow slapped a form down on
the counter. “Fill this out in triplicate. Press hard please, to make sure all copies are legible.”
As the officer walked to the back of the room, Hutch
looked apologetically at Starsky.
“You have to excuse Biggy. He thinks he owns the joint.”
Starsky grinned openly. “That’s OK; I think he’s a riot.”
“Well, you wouldn’t think so if you had to put up with
his sense of humor every time you requisitioned something. I guess we can’t
blame him, though. The only time he sees a human being is when we come down to
harass him.”
Bigelow returned with the shovel and sat it down beside
him. He spent several minutes scrutinizing the form Hutch had filled out then
pushed the shovel through the window.
“There you go, Lieutenant. I trust you will return it in
the same condition as when you checked it out.”
Hutch scowled. “What do you think I’m going to do, break
it?”
Bigelow looked offended. “I meant clean, Lieutenant. I don’t want any mud contaminating the property
room. Some of our equipment is very sensitive.”
Hutch glared at Bigelow then turned to Starsky. “Come on;
we need to get going. Good-bye, Biggy.”
The officer sniffed disdainfully as the two men went up
the stairs. “And while you’ve got that shovel, maybe you should dig for your
sense of humor. You seem to have lost it. Detectives!”
Both men were quiet as they headed for Hutch’s
dilapidated LTD. There wasn’t any banter this time about the condition of the
old Ford. Each man was occupied with his own thoughts. While Hutch’s mind was centered
on the possible conclusion of the year old case, Starsky was preparing himself
for the difficult and painful task ahead. He had lived with his “curse” all of
his life, but in the past, it had only been a minor annoyance to him. Now he
was hip deep in a homicide, and delving into a psychotic killer’s mind was a
new and unsettling experience for him.
Two psychotic
killers, he amended to himself. Although Melanie’s case had taken on a new
urgency, there was still the matter of the maniac that was killing his friends
and co-workers. Starsky understood the dedication Hutch felt for finding
Melanie’s killer, but the time they were spending on this case chafed at him.
The other killer was still out there and probably honing his knife for another
victim’s blood. Who’s next? Whose mind am
I going to jump into next, and whose murder am I going to witness? Damn it, we
have to find this guy soon! I’ve seen enough blood to last me two lifetimes!
As Hutch started the car, he glanced at Starsky. “How do
you want to do this?”
Starsky rubbed his jaw. “Go to Melanie’s house. I can
retrace the path he took. It’ll be faster that way.”
Hutch nodded briefly and drove to the scene of the
kidnapping. He pulled over to the curb in front of Melanie’s house.
“Which way now?”
Starsky closed his eyes and concentrated. He opened them
and pointed straight ahead.
“Go that way. I’ll let you know when to turn.”
For the next twenty minutes, Hutch drove while Starsky
directed him. They left the small suburb and went farther into the undeveloped
areas. The blond glanced at Starsky every few minutes, but the psychic was
silent. Then, after the highway had turned into a two-lane country road,
Starsky pointed to a dirt road to his left.
“Turn there! The cabin that he took her to is about half
a mile down that road.”
Hutch turned as instructed and slowed the Ford down. The
road was little more than a path worn in the stand of trees, and the pot holes
that studded it were hard on the old car’s suspension. Finally, ten minutes
later, a rickety log cabin came into view. Hutch stopped the car a few yards
from the front door, and the two men got out.
Slowly, Starsky walked toward the house and halted in
front of the door. He took a deep breath then went inside. The psychic stood
quietly in the middle of the room, looking around. Without looking at Hutch, he
spoke softly, in the detached way that Hutch was becoming accustomed to. He
knew that Starsky was no longer aware of him. The brunet was in the past now,
with Melanie and her killer.
He told her they
were coming in to get bread for the ducks, but she doesn’t see any. She doesn’t
like this place. It smells bad and the dust makes her sneeze. She’s afraid now
and tells him she wants to go home. Her mommy will know she’s gone by now, and she
doesn’t want to worry her. But he tells her that this is where they live now,
and that she’s never going to see her mommy again. She cries and begs him to
take her home, but he just stares at her. She tries to run away, but he catches
her before she gets to the door. She’s screaming as he rips her dress and pulls
her hair, but no one can hear her. He does horrible things to her, but the
puppet is the only one who sees. Her mind regresses and she cries out to the
puppet to help her, but he doesn’t answer. The brown buttons that he has for
eyes reflects the horror she’s going through. By the time he’s finished with
her, she’s curled into a ball and her mind has retreated completely, away from
the pain.
Her
eyes are as empty as Sparky’s when he stands up and looks around the room. He’s
back in control of himself, but instead of feeling remorse for what he’s done,
he laughs out loud. He only feels alive after he hurts them. He looks down at
her with contempt then kneels beside her. He puts his hands around her throat
and starts to squeeze. Even though her mind is gone, she struggles, but she’s
too weak. Her hands clutch at his as her face turns blue. She can’t breathe!
She can’t…
Starsky staggered back as his own hands clutch his
throat. His blue eyes were blank as he lost himself in the horror of what
happened. Instantly, Hutch sprang toward him and tried to pry his hands apart.
“Starsky! Snap out of it! Come
on; it’s over! It’s time to come back.”
Panic overwhelmed him as he pulled uselessly at the other
man’s hands. Finally, he slapped the brunet hard across his face.
“Starsky! Damn it, stop it! Look
at me!”
Slowly, Starsky focused his eyes as his hands dropped to
his side, limp. Then he reached up with one shaky hand and rubbed his throat,
coughing. Hutch sagged in relief then held him by his shoulders.
“Are you OK now? Are you with me?”
Starsky nodded mutely and looked around the room. After a
few moments, he turned away from the detective, embarrassed.
“I’m sorry. That’s never happened before. I was inside
her head and couldn’t get out. If you hadn’t been here…”
Hutch shook him gently. “I was here. Nothing happened and you don’t have anything to be sorry
about.”
He grabbed an old chair and pushed Starsky down on it.
Then he ran out to the car and rummaged around the back seat. He found a bottle
of water and trotted back to the cabin. With his shirttail, he wiped the mouth
of the bottle and offered it to Starsky.
“Here, take this. It’s warm, but it’s wet. Drink it.”
Starsky did as he was told, choking slightly as the
liquid ran down his sore throat. Hutch waited for a moment.
“Are you OK now? Do you think you can take me to where he
buried her?”
Starsky stood up unsteadily and handed the bottle back to
Hutch. He nodded without speaking and started walking. Hutch quickly retrieved
the shovel from the trunk of his car and followed the brunet.
Starsky led him past a small grove of trees and into a
clearing. He kneeled down and pointed to a small mound of dirt that was covered
by leaves.
“She’s here. He didn’t bother to bury her too deep. He
didn’t think anyone would ever find her, or this cabin.”
Hutch gently moved him out of the way and started
digging. He was only a few inches down when a small patch of white appeared. He
threw the shovel to the side and continued digging with his hands. Slowly, he
moved the dirt away from the decayed pieces of fabric. Soon, a small bone
appeared, and then another. Hutch kept scooping the dirt out of the grave until
the tiny skeleton was completely revealed.
A single tear ran down his face as he closed his eyes.
“It’s OK, sweetheart. We’ve come to take you home.”
Starsky stood to one side as Hutch said his final
farewell to the child he had sought for so long. A few minutes later, the blond
stood up and rubbed his face with his hands. He looked around the clearing as
if seeing it for the first time then jogged back to the car with Starsky
following. Hutch opened the passenger side and sat down, reaching for the
radio’s microphone.
“Adam-14 to Dispatch.”
The radio crackled then a female voice answered.
“Dispatch to Adam-14. You’re coming in loud and clear, Lieutenant. What do you
need?”
“Minnie, patch me through to Dobey, then get a crime lab
out to old
“Roger, Adam-14. The crime lab is on its way. Stand by
for Captain Dobey.”
The radio crackled again then Dobey’s voice came over the
microphone.
“Hutch, did you find her?”
“Yeah, Harold, we found her. The body’s almost completely
decomposed, but I think we can get an ID with dental records. There are still a
few pieces of the dress left, too. It’s the same one she’s wearing in the
picture. I’ve got the crime team on the way.”
“Good. When they get there, I want you and Mr. Starsky to
high-tail it back here. We might have something on your suspect.”
Hutch raised his eyebrows. “That was fast! OK, they
should be here in about twenty minutes then we’ll be on our way. Oh, one more
thing. Ask Charlie to search the property records and see if he can find out
who owns this dump. It looks like it’s been abandoned for a while, but it’s
worth a try. He might try doing a property search under Garvey’s name first,
though.”
“I’ll have him get right on it. That would be a break for
us, if it works out. Dobey out.”
As soon as the crime team arrived and started their
routine, Hutch gathered Starsky up and went back to the precinct. Dobey was
waiting for them with a printout on his desk. He pointed to the paper as Hutch
walked in.
“We compared Garvey’s schedule with the missing kids. We
came up with four possible matches in the last year alone.”
Hutch sat down and read the printout carefully. In each
case, Garvey was within blocks of the location where the child disappeared. In
two of the cases, he was literally right next door to the victim’s home.
He turned back to the Captain. “I want the files on each
of these kids. Garvey was in the area, but that’s not enough for an indictment.
We need solid evidence linking him to the kids. Judging from what little we
have in Melanie’s case, that’s not going to be easy. He covered his tracks
well, and there weren’t any eye witnesses. He’s using his job to stalk his
victims and picks a time when there isn’t anyone else around.”
Dobey nodded. “I’ll call Charlie and have him deliver the
files right away. In the meantime, what are you going to do?”
Hutch shrugged his shoulders, but Starsky was the one to
reply.
“You should go to his house. You interviewed him twice,
but you never went past the front room. He likes to keep trophies. He kept
Melanie’s barrettes and something from each of the other kids. They’re small,
so he keeps them hidden in his closet.”
Dobey looked at him in astonishment. “How do you know
that? Never mind, don’t answer that. I forgot who I was talking to.”
Hutch smiled in understanding then changed the subject.
“I’ll need a search warrant. Do you think there’s enough evidence for one?”
Dobey tapped his pencil on the desk. “I’ll try Judge
Harmon. He’s usually the most cooperative and he has a soft spot for kids. If
we can convince him that Garvey is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, going after
innocent kids, he’ll bend a little. Give
me a little while and I’ll see if I can reach him.”
Hutch nodded and turned to Starsky. “Are you hungry?
You’ve been through quite an ordeal today and it’s been a long time since
breakfast.”
Starsky gave him a crooked grin. “I’m always hungry, and
right now, I could eat a horse. What did you have in mind?”
“I have a friend that owns a bar called The Pits. He’s a
little unconventional, but he cooks a mean hamburger. It’s not far from here,
if you’re game.”
Starsky thought about it then nodded. “Sounds
good to me. Shall we?”
Hutch clapped the other man on his shoulder. “We shall.”
The bar wasn’t far from the station. Starsky followed
Hutch into the dimly lit room, and looked around with curiosity. It definitely
was different from the bars he used to frequent. A thin black man noticed them
and waved from behind the bar. He drew two beers from the tap and sauntered
over to them. He sat the drinks in front of the two men and leaned against the
bar.
“Hey, Hutch, where you been? I haven’t seen you in weeks.
I thought you’d transferred out or something.”
Hutch smiled and sat on a bar stool. “No such luck,
Huggy. I don’t think any other precinct would have me. I’ve just been busy. You
know how it is.”
“Yeah, the wicked doesn’t rest, and neither do the good
guys. So, what’ll you have, fellas? Speak now and I shall grant your fondest
wish, as long as Angie knows how to cook it, that is.”
Hutch grinned and then remembered his manners. “I’m
sorry, Starsky. Huggy, this is David Starsky. He’s helping me on a case.
Starsky, this is Huggy Bear, the proprietor of this dump…er, establishment.”
Huggy threw a mock glare at Hutch then smiled at the
other man. “Don’t listen to him. He’s taken up space in this dump for longer than I care to admit.
It’s nice to meet you, Starsky. I know you’re not a cop, so what do you do when
you aren’t helping Blondie?”
Starsky gazed quizzically at the black man. “How do you
know I’m not a cop?”
Huggy grinned. “You don’t have the look. The Nordic prince here could walk into a room with a
Godzilla suit on and you’d still see the badge in his pocket. You, on the other
hand, look like a normal citizen of this fine city.”
Starsky hid his grin as he took a drink. He definitely
didn’t feel normal at that moment. “I’m in advertising. I work for O’Neil and
Associates.” He looked around again and grinned openly. “This is quite a place
you have here. It’s comfortable and easy going. A man can relax here. How’s the
food?”
“We make the best burgers in the city, bar none. Don’t
let Blondie tell you any different, cause all he ever eats is tofu and
desecrated animal organs.”
Hutch choked on his drink. “That’s desiccated, Huggy. I
try to eat healthy, that’s all. All that red meat is bad for you. It’s full of
cholesterol and animal fat.”
Huggy winked at Starsky. “Well, my burgers have something
that health food doesn’t have: taste. So, what will it be, Starsky?”
“I think I’ll try the burger, and some fries. My stomach
wouldn’t know a healthy meal if it walked up and said hello, and I think I’m a
little old to change my habits now.”
Huggy smiled at the Lieutenant. “See, a man after my own
heart. One Huggy’s special coming right up. What about you, Hutch? You want
your usual? Angie made a fresh batch of that tuna salad you like so much this
morning. He must be psychic, because you’re the only customer I’ve got that’s
crazy enough to eat it.”
Starsky watched the proprietor with interest as he
disappeared in the back of the bar. When he came back out, Starsky asked the
question that was on his mind. “Do you believe in psychics, Huggy? Or were you
just making a joke?”
The thin man nodded seriously. “I believe in psychics,
witches, werewolves, vampires and voodoo. Just because I don’t have first hand
experience of any of those phenomena, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Now my
friend here is the skeptic. He has to see it all written down in black and
white before he believes it.”
Hutch cast a sideways look at Starsky then smiled at his
friend. “You never know, Huggy. I just might change my mind about that, one of
these days.”
Huggy laughed scornfully. “When
donkey’s fly, my blond brother. You are the original doubting Thomas.
Ain’t nothing wrong with that, it’s just who you are.”
Hutch simply smiled and shrugged. They talked for a few
more minutes until a customer at the other end of the bar demanded attention.
When Huggy left to take care of him, Starsky smiled and nodded toward the black
man.
“I like him. He’s quite a character.”
“Yeah, he is, and he’s a good friend. He’s saved my bacon
more than once. And he really does believe in those things. He’s seen more in
his lifetime than I ever will.”
Before Starsky could answer, Angie brought their food.
They concentrated on eating then relaxed with another beer until Huggy caught
their attention. He was holding the receiver of his phone in one hand and
gesturing with the other.
Hutch put his napkin on the bar and got up. “That’s
probably Dobey. Sit tight, I’ll be right back.”
Starsky sipped his beer as he watched Hutch. He could
tell Hutch was happy by the expression on his face. When the detective hung up
the phone, Starsky drained the last of his beer and set the empty glass on the
bar. He stood up as Hutch approached him.
“Did you get the warrant?”
“Yeah, bless Judge Harmon’s soul. Dobey said it took some
fancy footwork, but we got it. And we got something else. As soon as Charlie
called the County tax assessor and she typed in Garvey’s name, two pieces of
property popped up. One was his house and the other one was a certain cabin in
the woods. It seems he owns six acres of prime lumber. He’s paid taxes on it
since he inherited it from his parents. Let’s go.”
When they arrived at Garvey’s house, two unmarked cars
were parked on the curb. Hutch told Starsky to wait then talked to the
detectives Dobey had dispatched for back up. After a few minutes, he motioned
for Starsky to get out of the car.
The brunet walked up to the Lieutenant. Hutch pulled him
to one side.
“OK, we’re going in. I want you to stay behind me, and
don’t say anything. I told the other detectives that you’re a consultant on the
case. Technically, you shouldn’t even be here, but I figure you’ve earned the
right. Plus, I want your impression of Garvey. If he acts like he’s going
ballistic, give me a sign. Kick me, tap me on the shoulder, or do whatever you
can, but stay out of the line of fire. This creep thinks he’s made fools out of
the police, so he’s not going to be happy when he realizes we’re on to him. Are
you ready?”
Starsky took a deep breath then nodded. “I’m ready.”
Hutch waited until the other detectives were hidden
around the house then knocked on the door. A few moments later, Garvey answered
it.
“Why, its Lieutenant Hutchinson isn’t it? I’m surprised
to see you, Lieutenant. What can I do for you?”
“There have been some developments on Melanie’s case, Mr.
Garvey. I’d like to discuss them with you, if you have the time. May we come
in?”
Garvey looked at Starsky curiously. Hutch smiled
neutrally.
“Oh, sorry, this is Mr. Starsky. He’s been assisting the
department with the investigation.”
“That’s very kind of you, Mr. Starsky. Come in,
gentlemen. I don’t know how I can help after all this time, but I’ll do what I
can.”
Hutch nodded his thanks and stepped inside. Starsky
straightened his shoulders, and prepared himself emotionally for the upcoming
ordeal. What was that old line? Come in
to my parlor, said the spider to the fly. Starsky hoped fervently that they
wouldn’t be caught in this particular spider’s web.
Go to Part 3 Back to FanFic2 Index