Jumping into Starsky
By
Sam opened his eyes and he found himself looking straight into the eyes of Hutch. He suddenly stood up and his feet got caught under the chair and he fell straight back. Sam slowly pulled himself up and when he did he was looking at Hutch once again.
“Starsk”, Hutch asked. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
“Oh, boy”, Sam squeaked out.
Sam picked up the chair and slowly sat down still looking at Hutch. He couldn’t believe it. He had jumped into Starsky’s body. It only seemed like a minute ago and he had been Hutch’s attorney. Hutch had been charged with Starsky’s death, but it had all been a setup. Redding Jacobs had abducted Starsky and faked his death. It had been tough, but Sam and Hutch had managed to save Starsky.
Now as Sam opened a drawer and pulled out a mirror, he sighed looking at it. He was Starsky. Everything from the curly dark hair to the blue eyes told him whose body he had jumped into.
“Starsky”, Hutch said.
“What?”
“Are you going to take me home or what?”
“Uh, sure”, Sam told him.
He stood up and followed Hutch out of the squad room. When they reached the car, Sam wanted to turn around and run. He looked over at Hutch and gave him a weak smile.
They got in the car and Sam started it. He grabbed a glance over at Hutch who was comfortably sitting in the passenger side. Sam pulled the car out and began the drive to Venice Place.
“This is just too weird”, Sam heard Al saying.”
Sam looked in the rearview mirror and saw Al sitting in the backseat.
“You’re tellin’ me”, Sam whispered.
“What”, Hutch asked.
“Oh, nothing”, Sam told Hutch.
“It’s been two months since you were in Sam Alexander’s body and now you’re in Starsky’s.
“Starsk, is there something wrong”, Hutch asked. “You’ve been acting strange since we were at the precinct.”
“No, nothing’s wrong”, Sam told him. “I guess I’m just, just…”
Sam saw a Mexican place as they drove by.
“Hungry”, Sam said.
He did a sudden U-turn in the middle of the street and parked directly in front of the stand. Sam jumped out and headed straight over to it with Hutch slowly following.
“I’ll have a burrito with everything and a large coke”, Sam told the guy.
“Starsky, I’m still amazed at how you let that cast iron stomach of yours dictate your actions.”
“I’m hungry, Hutch. You want one?”
“You know I don’t touch the stuff”, Hutch said as Starsky paid for the meal.
Sam took the burrito and coke and sat at an empty table. Sam looked over at Al who had a grin on his face.
“You got his appetite, too”, Al told him.
Hutch sat down across from Starsky with a drink in hand and watched as Starsky scarfed down the burrito.
“Do you have any idea what that stuff does to your body”, Hutch asked.
“High blood pressure, high cholesterol, arterial sclerosis…”, Sam stopped when he saw the strange look in Hutch’s face.
“I guess I’ve heard you say it enough”, Sam said with a weak smile.
“Uh oh”, Al said. “I gotta go, Sam. Starsky’s going nuts in the chamber.
Sam sighed as he watched Al disappear.
Al walked into the room and he saw Starsky literally climbing the walls. He had a frightened look on his face.
“Don’t come near me”, Starsky yelled.
“I know this is strange”, Al told him.
“It’s a dream. I was sitting at my desk talking to Hutch and then I’m here. Hutch”, Starsky yelled. “Hutch!”
“He can’t hear you”, Al told him.
“Where am I?”
“Well, that’s hard to explain”, Al told him.
“It’s you”, Starsky whispered. “I remember! I was in that warehouse and Jacobs was gonna ice me. You told me Hutch and Sam were coming.”
“Yeah, it was me”, Al admitted. “Starsky if you’ll just sit down I can explain to you what’s happening.”
Starsky looked at him and he slowly walked over to a chair.
“You’re in a quantum leap accelorater”, Al explained.
“A what?”
“Well, Dr. Sam Beckett designed it and built it. He got in it and he jumps from person to person making wrongs into right.”
“Uh uh”, Starsky said with a smirk.
“Well, Sam is now in your body”, Al told him.
Suddenly Starsky began laughing wildly.
“I thought I was losing it”, he laughed. “You expect me to believe that hogwash. I think I’ll just kick back and wait for Hutch. He’ll come.”
“Let me show you something”, Al told him.
Al walked over to a stand an inside it was a monitor gazing at Hutch through Sam’s eyes. Starsky slowly walked over and looked down. His eyes widened at watching Hutch talking.
“Ziggy, give me a wider view”, Al said.
The picture changed and Starsky found himself looking at his body sitting with Hutch. Starsky turned around and grabbed Al by the shirt.
“Put me back”, he told Al.
“I can’t.”
“Put me back and do it now”, Starsky yelled.
“It doesn’t work like that. Sam has to do what he was sent there to do first. Once he does that you’ll be back in your own body, but you won’t remember any of this.”
“Who the hell are you guys? Can’t you control this thing?”
“Sure, we can”, Al told him. “But we can’t control where Sam jumps to. The big guy does that.”
“The big guy”, Starsky asked. “Take him to me right now!”
“The big guy as in”, Al said pointing his finger skywards. “The big guy.”
“You’re tellin’ me that God sent me here and put Sam in my body”, Starsky said with a laugh.
“Something like that”, Al told him. “I gotta go, Starsky. Hutch and Sam got a call on the radio.”
Before Starsky had a chance to respond, Al disappeared.
By the time Al got there, Hutch was in the front of the store which had two robbers inside. Sam was in the back alley standing next to a closed door. Al walked through it.
“You’re clear, Sam. Be very quiet. These guys are very nervous.”
Sam nodded and slowly opened the door. Al walked ahead of him. Sam quietly stepped into the back room and looked around holding his gun.
“One guy is at the counter with a gun on the clerk. The other one is near the ice cream in the back.”
“Is that it”, Sam whispered.
“Yep. Luckily there are no customers. Sam, you won’t like this”, Al said looking at his computer. “Those guys are ex-cons and junkies. They’re desperate.”
Sam nodded and began creeping forward. He could see the one at the counter holding a gun on the clerk. The clerk was pulling money from the register. Sam couldn’t see the other gunman anywhere.
Al reappeared next to Sam.
“Hutch is outside and he can see the other guy in the back through the window.”
Sam slowly stood and aimed his gun at the gunman at the counter.
“Police! Freeze!”
The robber turned suddenly and the clerk ducked. The robber held up his gun and Sam fired. At that very second, Hutch fired his gun at the second robber and with window shattered. Sam breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his gun as uniformed officers flooded the store.
Hutch walked over to him with a smile on his face.
“You okay”, Hutch asked.
“Fine. I feel a little sick”, Sam told him.
“You and your damn burritos, Starsk”, Hutch told him with a scowl on his face.
Hutch took him by the arm and led him out of the store.
Al walked back into the chamber and he could see the stress on Starsky’s face.
“I’ve got to get back there”, Starsky yelled. “You’re buddy is gonna get my partner killed!”
“Starsky, Sam’s been a cop more times than I can count, plus I’ve been there with him every step of the way. He’ll take care of Hutch.”
“This is different! He’s not me and he don’t know how to take care of Hutch!”
“Okay, there is only one way I can see to ease your fears a bit. You won’t remember once this jump is over anyways, so I don’t see the harm in it. Remember when Redding Jacobs took you and Hutch was set up for your murder?”
“Yeah, I remember”, Starsky said impatiently.
“Do you remember the lawyer Hutch had?”
“He’s okay for a lawyer.”
“He saved your life, Starsky, and he helped save Hutch.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I’m telling you ‘cause Sam Beckett jumped into Sam Alexander.”
“You’re serious!”
“Hell, yeah, I’m serious. This is the second jump we’ve had involving you guys and it sure hasn’t been dull.”
“This is insane”, Starsky said as he shook his head.
“I’ve gotta go. Sit tight.”
Starsky watched him walk out of the chamber and shook his head.
Hutch was looking over at Starsky like he had grown a horn between his eyes. Starsky had quickly typed his report up and cleared his desk of all overdue paperwork.
“Starsk”, Hutch said.
“Yeah.”
“Are you feeling okay?”
“I’m fine. Why?”
“Because you normally sit there and sulk about getting your paperwork done.”
“I guess I’m just in a hurry”, he told him.
Sam wished Al would get back so he could find out why he was here and in Starsky’s body of all places.
“In my office. Now!”
Sam looked over and saw Dobey storming back into his office. He looked back at Hutch as he stood up.
“What have you done now”, Hutch asked him.
Sam was silent as he followed Hutch into the office.
“There’s a new supplier on the streets dealing rotten juice”, Dobey told Starsky and Hutch.
“Do you know who it is”, Sam asked.
“If I knew who it was, I’d arrest the bastard myself. That’s your job.”
“What have you got”, Hutch asked giving Starsky a look.
“We’ve got two dead bodies at the morgue”, Dobey told them.
Hutch got up and hit Starsky on the shoulder. They walked out of the office and Sam looked over to see Al taking in the view of a pretty uniformed officer’s backside. He gave Al a look.
“I need to hit the john”, he told Hutch.
“Fine”, Hutch sighed. “I’ll meet you at the car.”
Sam walked into the bathroom and Al quickly appeared.
“Where have you been”, Sam whispered furiously.
“I’ve been babysitting, Sam. Starsky is driving me nuts!”
“Al, just tell me why I’m here, again”, Sam asked with frustration in his voice.
“Sam, last time we did this you were here to save Starsky.”
“And?”
Al sighed and gave Sam a serious look.
“This time you’re here to save Hutch. He dies of a drug overdose in three days.”
Sam froze at the words and sat back on the sink.
Starsky had watched the entire scene and he clenched his fists. He stepped back and began screaming Al’s name at the top of his lungs. He hit the walls and kicked anything that might even budge. The door opened and Al walked through.
“What does that mean”, Starsky yelled. “Hutch dies!”
Starsky walked over and grabbed Al by the shirt.
“Find a way to get me back”, Starsky said with venom in his voice.
“Starsky, we can’t. If we could, we would. Sam is there to prevent it from happening.”
Starsky released Al and swung around.
“Starsky, if there is anything that you can think of that will help us, tell me.”
“I wish I could”, Starsky told him.
“What?”
“I don’t know anything”, Starsky told him. “Just help Hutch.”
Al gave Starsky a weird look and left the chamber.
Sam looked over the dead body in front of him as the coroner spoke.
“Twenty-three year old male with a long history of heroin abuse. He’s been dead approximately six hours. We’ve found high concentrations of heroin in his system with just enough rat poison to finish him off.”
“How much rat poison”, Sam asked.
“He’s dead, Detective. Isn’t that enough?”
“You said high concentrations of heroin.”
“Yes”, the coroner said holding the file in his hand.
Sam reached over and took the file from him and looked at it.
“Was the other body the same as this report”, Sam asked.
“Well, she was a 22 year old female, but otherwise yes.”
“Doctor, and I use the term very loosely, do you realize that there was enough heroin in his system that would have killed him anyways without the rat poison.”
“You’re no doctor”, the coroner told him with an offended look.
“Maybe not, but you should have a quality assurance committee look over your work from here on out.”
Sam threw the file at him and stormed out of the room. He was barely aware of Hutch following him until he was jerked around.
“Starsky, what the hell was that all about?”
“They didn’t die from an overdose, Hutch. They were murdered.”
“And how did you figure that one out so quick?”
“Look at it like this, Hutch. Two people buy heroin from the same dealer. They shoot up and it kills them from the rat poison. Why the high concentrations of heroin? This wasn’t some rotten drugs they got. Some one singled them out and killed them to make it look like some random OD so we’d close the file on them and move on.”
“They got some bad horse and OD’d. That’s what it looks like, Starsky.”
“That doctor in there is an idiot. The concentrations were too high”, he told Hutch. “They would have died without the rat poison either way.”
“Starsky, what the hell is going on with you? You’ve been acting strange all day.”
“I guess, I’m tired.”
“You’re picking me up in the morning and you had better not oversleep”, Hutch told him before walking off.
Sam walked into Starsky’s place only to find a beautiful woman with dark hair carrying cleaning supplies. She saw him and walked over with a sexy smile. She pulled him close and gave him a slow kiss on the lips.
“All done”, she said with a smile.
“Okay.”
“Huggy’s tonight?”
“What?”
“We’re supposed to meet at Huggy’s. Eight o’clock.”
“Oh, sure. Wouldn’t miss it”, he told her with a weak smile.
After she walked out the door, Al appeared.
“I need a housekeeper so bad”, Al said with a little smile. “She could clean my…”
“Al, get your hormones under control”, Sam told him.
“I meant my kitchen. Somebody’s got to have hormones on this team”, Al told Sam.
“Did you get anything new”, Sam asked as he took his jacket off.
“Hutch’s record is clean. He’s got a pretty comparable record to Starsky’s. These guys have really put away some bad guys.”
“Those two people down at the morgue didn’t OD, Al. They were murdered. Is there any connection between them and Hutch?”
“No, Sam. Mike Stibel and Amy Miles were junkies. No connection at all. Ziggy says that Starsky and Hutch never even arrested ‘em.”
“How is Starsky?”
“He’s climbing the walls. Doreen from the lab is bringing him dinner.”
“He should like that”, Sam said as he headed to the fridge. “I think Hutch thinks I’m crazy or something.”
“Sam, Starsky isn’t the bright boy. Hutch does have a college education and you can’t throw around your million point IQ without raising some suspicion.”
Sam pulled out some leftover lasagna and grabbed a fork. He took a huge bite and looked over at Al who had a disgusted look on his face.
“Are you going to at least heat it up?”
“I’m hungry, Al. You know, I think I got more of Starsky in me than what I get normally.”
“What are you talking about, Sam?”
“I blew up at the coroner today. Well, not blew up, but I put him in his place, I think. He’s an idiot. At least he doesn’t have live patients to kill.”
“Starsky is still Starsky, Sam. He’s flirting with every girl that walks in there and he’s hungry.”
Sam looked up and he saw a look in Al’s eyes.
“What?”
“I don’t know, Sam. I think Starsky knows something. I could be reading him all wrong.”
“Al, if there’s something, we need to check it out. If Hutch is supposed to die in three days and Starsky knows something you’ll have to push him till he talks.”
“I’ll have Ziggy do some digging.”
Sam watched Al disappear in the chamber.
It was late when Sam got back from his date. The girl, Alexis, was a handful tonight he thought as he got ready for bed. He could barely keep her hands off of him and it took a lot of explaining as to why he was dropping her off at home and not bringing her to his place.
Sam pulled the covers back and fell onto the bed. He was almost asleep when the phone rang. He let it ring three times before he finally reached over and answered it.
“Hello.”
“You awake?”
“Hutch? I’m awake. What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothin’ new. Just having my run of the mill nightmares.”
“I’m on my way”, Sam told him.
“No. I just wanna talk.”
“Okay. What was the nightmare about?”
“Same one it is every time. I hadn’t had one in quite a while. Maybe seeing those two bodies stretched out got to me.”
Sam felt frustrated at not knowing what the nightmare was about.
“Could be. Was there anything different about this one?”
“Not really. It’s been what, a year since I had one?”
“I think so.”
“I’m really tired”, Hutch told him.
“Eat some warm soup or drink warm milk. Get one of the most boring books you have and I guarantee you’ll be asleep in no time.”
“Maybe you should’ve been a doctor”, Hutch said with a chuckle. “God knows you’ve pulled through enough.”
Sam wanted to laugh and he wished he knew what Hutch was talking about.
“It’s being around sick people I don’t like”, Sam told him.
“How was your date”, Hutch asked.
“It was okay.”
“Okay? Isn’t she there with you?”
“I took her home. I was tired.”
“Too tired”, Hutch said with a smile. “Better not let that one get out.”
Sam did laugh. He promised Hutch he wouldn’t be late to pick him up. They finished up their conversation and Sam lay back on the bed.
“Hutch, what’s wrong with you”, Sam whispered.
Sam was driving the Torino to Hutch’s and he almost had a heart attack when Al appeared.
“Al, I hate it when you do that. I really hate it.”
“Is this some car or what? I remember I wanted a car like this. Listen to that baby purr, Sam. I love the red with the white racing stripe.”
“It’s okay if you like a big tomato on wheels.”
“Sam just rev it up. One time.”
“Al, have you found anything out.”
“I was hoping you’d forget. I wish I did.”
“What?”
“Well, almost two years ago, Hutch was hidin’ some girl from this big gangster by the name of Ben Forest. He suddenly disappears for four or five days. We’re not real clear about it. He’s found by a cop. He goes ands arrests the guy the same day he comes back. Then he takes emergency leave for almost a month.”
“He was abducted?”
“That’s what Ziggy thinks.”
“What did they do to him for him to have to take off for almost a month”, Sam asked.
“We don’t know. There are no hospitalization records at all. We’ve tried checking with local doctors that practiced during that time. You know how big of a needle in a haystack that is. So far nothing.”
“Al, his abduction had to have been turned in to Internal Affairs.”
“We checked and nothing.”
“What about Starsky? Did you ask him?”
“His lips are sealed. If he knows anything, he’s not talking.”
“Talk to Starsky again, Al. Hutch called me last night about some nightmare. I guess he used to get them a lot. Check into old grudges these guys might have, Al. Especially those in dealing drugs. Where is Ben Forest by the way?”
“He’s doing some heavy time, Sam. He’ll die in that place fifteen years from now.”
“If he was that huge he might have someone working for him.”
“Already working on it, Sam.”
Sam sighed as Al disappeared.
When Sam walked into Hutch’s place, he didn’t see Hutch. He heard the bathroom door open and Hutch was walking out with a towel around his waist. Hutch looked over at Sam. Sam could see that Hutch hadn’t slept much by the circles under his eyes.
“Hutch, are you okay?”
“Fine. I’ll be dressed here in a sec”, he told him as he dried his hair.
Hutch walked back into the bedroom. Sam looked around the place he had felt like he had just left. He knew Hutch was normally a pretty decent housekeeper, but his place was a bit of a mess. There were dirty dishes in the sink and the living room had clothes laying around.
Hutch walked back into the living room as he buttoned his shirt. Sam watched him as he picked his holster and gun up.
“You don’t look like you got much sleep last night after we talked.”
“I tossed and turned a bit”, Hutch told him. “You know how that stuff usually affects me.”
Sam grit his teeth in frustration at the lack of knowledge.
“Starsk, don’t worry about it. I’m fine. Let’s go see if you’re theory about these kids hold up. We’ll swing by the precinct and talk to Dobey.”
Sam was silent as he followed Hutch out the door.
Al walked into the chamber and saw Starsky sitting back looking at him.
“What are you doing”, Starsky asked.
“What?”
“You’re digging up old bones and you’re not doing a damn thing to help my partner.”
“Starsky, we’re doing everything we can.”
“No you’re not”, he said as he sat up. “Have Sam take Hutch out of the city for the next few days. When it passes, I’ll go back and Hutch will be alive.”
“How do you expect Sam to do that? Do you honestly expect Hutch to just go with no questions asked? Besides, Hutch could still die if we do that. We have to find out what happened first in order to prevent it from happening at all.”
Starsky sat back and crossed his arms. He hated this and he had realized that he would have to sit on the sidelines and watch.
“Starsky, Hutch had a nightmare last night. He called Sam.”
“What did Sam say”, Starsky asked.
“He wants to know about these nightmares.”
“What’s to know”, Starsky told him. “We’re cops and we see the sewers.”
“I know a little about that. I had ‘em for years after ‘Nam.”
“You were in Vietnam”, Starsky asked.
“Yeah. I know you were, too. You did a tour there and you’ve never talked to anyone about it. Not even your best friend.”
“If you know so much, you should know about those nightmares.”
“I was guessing and I hit the nail on the head about that one”, Al told him. “Hutch is supposed to die of a drug overdose in two days, Starsky.”
“He’s not going to OD”, Starsky yelled. “Not Hutch!”
Al was taken aback by the vehemence of Starsky’s assertion and he knew there was something more than what he was saying.
“Let me leave you with a thought”, Al told him. “Hutch is your best friend and you would do anything to protect him. If making sure he had all the facts is the difference between life and death, you’d do it. That’s where I’m at, Starsky. If Sam doesn’t have all the facts it could cost him his life or your partner’s.”
Al walked out of the chamber and Starsky rubbed his eyes.
Sam and Hutch sat in Dobey’s office watching as he pulled a report out of a file.
“The city is in the process of looking for a new coroner. Seems if the good doctor was taking kickbacks and he’s been arrested. They’ve reviewed some of his cases and his most recent ones are being reclassified. That means you’re OD’s are now murder investigations.”
Hutch looked over at Sam who was looking over the file that Dobey had handed him.
“Probably same guy wasted ‘em both, Cap’n”, Hutch told him.
“Get the hell out there and see what you can find out”, Dobey told them.
Sam and Hutch headed to the Torino and Hutch looked at him.
“I guess you called it right”, Hutch told him.
“You must be rubbing off on me”, Sam told him with a smile. He was about ready to get in the car when Al appeared.
“Sam, we gotta talk.”
Sam could see by the look in Al’s eyes it was serious.
“I left something at my desk, Hutch. I’ll be right back.”
“Starsky”, Hutch called out.
Sam ignored him and walked out of the garage. As soon as he was out of sight, he looked over at Al.
“What is it?”
“Starsky knows something, Sam. I don’t know what it is, but it’s serious.”
“About Hutch?”
“Yeah. The guy went nuts when he found out about what’s in the cards for Hutch.”
“What about enemies, Al?”
“Well, these two have plenty of ‘em. I think Ziggy’s still putting a list together.”
“Ben Forest, Al. Is there anything on him?”
“His organization is bust, Sam. When the girlfriend testified, it pretty much fell apart.”
“Al, the coroner here has just been arrested. His cases are under review including the two bodies we looked at yesterday.”
“Okay, Sam. I got ya’”, Al said as he looked at his computer. “Well, he doesn’t OD, he’s murdered by the same way those two kids bought it.”
“So there’s a connection between what happened to Hutch and these two people that were murdered. Check ‘em out, Al. Maybe something will come up.”
“Don’t worry, Sam.”
“Al, I guess it’s just that since I got to know Hutch during the last jump, I feel like I know him so well. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to him.”
“Sam, we’ve always came out of these jumps just fine. This one will, too.”
“I just feel like there’s something different this time, Al. I don’t know what it is, but I can feel it.”
Sam turned and walked away as Al opened up the chamber.
Sam followed Hutch inside ‘The Pits’ and Huggy was sitting at a table talking to a girl. When he saw them walking inside, he sent her on her way. Both men sat down across from him.
“So you’ve got a couple of stiffs with some dirty juice”, Huggy asked them.
“Yeah”, Hutch told him. “Any word on the dealer.”
“Nada”, Huggy answered. “Junkies are stickin’ with their stores and the dealers are hangin’ back. It’s made the street highly nervous.”
“No new sellers”, Sam asked.
“A new ice cream man came in a couple months back from the east, but he’ll be scoutin’ a new location before long. His new customers are walkin’.”
Hutch looked over at Starsky and he could see the wheels turning in his head. Hutch felt a bit uneasy looking at him and he didn’t know why. Huggy left them and Hutch tapped Starsky on the shoulder.
“What”, Sam said.
“What’s the matter with you”, Hutch asked him. “You haven’t been yourself since yesterday.”
“I guess I’m just wound up about this case”, Sam tried to explain. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you okay? You seem a bit distracted.”
“I’m fine”, Hutch said with a sigh. “Let’s go see if Minnie’s got the make on these kids.”
Hutch got up and Starsky followed him out of the bar.
Starsky was pacing back and forth in the chamber. He hated this more than anything in his life. Hutch was in trouble and he didn’t even know it. He felt this was so wrong and he was so helpless. He turned when Al walked into the room.
“You’ve got to find a way to get me back”, Starsky told him.
“I’ve already explained to you how it works, Starsky.”
Starsky clenched his fists and walked over to sit down. Al took a few steps closer.
“What happened to Hutch”, Al asked.
“What do you mean?”
“A few years ago, Hutch was abducted by Ben Forest as best we can figure. Something happened to him.”
“He was taken, I got him back and we nailed Forest”, Starsky told him.
“What are you leaving out?”
“I’m not leaving anything out”, Starsky told him angrily. “What the hell are you doing here? You should be out there with Hutch and Sam!”
“Hutch took a month of emergency leave right after the Forest arrest”, Al told him. “Why?”
“He needed some time off”, Starsky told him impatiently.
“Whatever you tell me won’t hurt him in 1975, Starsky. Something happened to him you are the only one with the answers.”
“This has nothing to do with what’s supposed to be in the cards for Hutch”, Starsky said as he stood up. “You told me that Sam was going to protect Hutch. This won’t make a difference one way or the other!”
“You had better hope you’re right”, Al told him.
Starsky watched him leave and he turned around and kicked at the chair and sent it flying across the room. He had promised Hutch. It wouldn’t matter if Hutch never knew or not. He was not about to break his word.
Sam sat at Starsky’s desk and sighed. There was something wrong with Hutch. He could see it in his eyes. He had noticed when Hutch had picked up his phone his hand was a bit shaky. He could almost hear Hutch tell him, he was fine, but Sam knew better.
He looked over as Hutch walked in with the files. He sat down across from him.
“Mike Stibel was a habitual user”, Hutch told him. “He’s got a record of petty theft, larceny, fencing and a few others. Mostly just to support his habit.”
“What about Amy Miles”, Sam asked.
“She’s clean”, Hutch said with a sigh. “She was a student at the university. She came out from Arizona two years ago.”
Hutch handed him the file and Sam grabbed it. He opened it up and read it.
“She was pre-med”, Sam said.
“So?’
“These grades aren’t what you would normally see from junkie. She’s a straight A student, Hutch. This doesn’t add up.”
“Why would a top student who was studying medicine take horse?”
Hutch looked over at Starsky and he saw something in his eyes.
“Starsk, what is it”, Hutch asked.
Before Sam could answer him, Al appeared.
“Sam, got a minute”, Al asked.
“I’ve got to hit the john”, Sam told Hutch as he stood.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough bathroom breaks”, Hutch called out to Starsky as he rushed off.
Sam walked into the men’s room and after it was clear, he turned to see Al walking through the door.
“Mike Stibel was your run of the mill junkie”, Al told him. “He’s been a user since he was 16.”
“I know. We’ve got the reports. Amy Miles was a student at the university here, Al. Can you access her transcript?”
“Already have it”, Al said as he pushed some buttons.
“Do you remember the LSD experiments the government did a while back?”
“Sure. In 1953 the CIA started with experimenting with prisoners. They thought they could use it for mind control. It ended in the late 60’s, but I think it lasted much longer than the government admitted.”
“You may be right”, Sam told him.
“What?”
“Some universities in the US also did a variety of experiments. Al, who were Amy Miles’ professors in college? Specifically for this last semester she was taking.”
“Well, she had Dr. Mortenson for Anatomy and Physiology, and she had Professor Atkins for Calculus. She was taking molecular biology under Dr. Carlisle.”
“Carlisle. That name sounds familiar.”
Al punched up a few buttons and he gave Sam a tilt of his head.
“Dr. Braden Carlisle. He ran the 13th largest pharmaceutical company in the world up until 1998.”
“What happened?”
“He was caught falsifying lab reports and the stock went into the toilet. He blew his head off in his Porsche six months later.”
“How is Starsky”, Sam asked Al.
“He’s still not talking”, Al told him. “I think he’s trying to protect Hutch, but I don’t get why. He knows we’re trying to save him.”
“Keep on him, Al. We need to find a connection between Amy Miles and Mike Stibel also.”
“Ziggy’s tried, Sam. So far nothing.”
“There has to be something”, Sam told him.
Sam walked out of the bathroom and when he went into the squad room, Hutch was no where to be found. He knocked on Dobey’s office door and he opened it when he heard the mumbled come in from the other side.
“Cap”, Sam said. “Have you seen Hutch?”
“Since when do I keep track of your partner? I’ll leave it to you.”
Sam was about ready to leave when he stopped and turned around.
“If Hutch needed a few days off would you give it to him”, Sam asked.
“What kind of question is that? Do you know something I don’t”, Dobey asked.
“I thought that when we get this case wrapped up, he could use some time off.”
“Get it wrapped up first and we’ll talk.”
“Cap”, Sam told him. “Thanks. For everything.”
Dobey gave him an odd look as he walked out of the office. Sam walked around the precinct looking for Hutch and he stepped out back and when he looked down the alley, Hutch was leaning against the brick wall. He walked over to him.
“Hutch”, Sam asked.
“I’m okay”, Hutch told him. “I just needed some air.”
Sam could see it was more than that. Hutch was perspiring and his hands were shaking just a bit.
“Let’s get you home”, Sam told him.
“No. I really don’t want to go home. I’d rather keep working. I need to keep busy.”
“Hutch, you’re not well. You need to take a break.”
“Starsk, you know me. I’ve got to work and it’ll be fine. I’ll get through this just like I have before.”
Sam sighed. He wished he knew what it was and he knew if he pressed Hutch it could backfire on him.
“I want to head over to the university and ask a few questions.”
“I was going to tell you we needed to head over there”, Hutch told him as he wiped the perspiration from his brow.
Sam nodded and they slowly walked back inside the building.
Sam watched Amy’s room mate putting some things of her deceased friend into a box. It was obvious she was still upset over the death of her friend.
“Amy always wanted to be a doctor”, she told both men. “She was told since she was a woman she would have a harder time of it, but she never let it stop her.”
“Did she have any friends”, Hutch asked. “Specifically new ones.”
“Not really. She spent most of her time on her studies.”
“What about a boyfriend”, Sam asked her.
“She had mentioned someone she was seeing. She never brought him around here.”
“Did she give a name”, Hutch asked.
“Mike something. I can’t remember.”
“Mike Stibel”, Sam asked.
“Yeah, that’s his name”, she told him.
Sam looked over at Hutch.
“You said Amy spent most of her time on her studies”, Sam asked.
“She was always something of a workhorse when it came to her classes, but she began spending more time away during the last few weeks. She just said it was something to do with school.”
“It could have been her boyfriend”, Hutch told her.
“No”, she said with a shake of her head. “Amy’s never been one to lie. If it was school related, you can bet it was.”
“Did she discuss what she was doing at all”, Hutch asked her.
“She said she was doing some work with one of her professors”, she answered. “I have no idea what it was or with which one.”
“Thank you”, Sam told her.
“I hope I’ve been able to help”, she told him.
Sam and Hutch left the dorm and headed to speak with Amy Miles’ professors.
After two hours they were walking across campus and Hutch looked over at Sam.
“They knew each other”, Hutch said.
“How did someone like Amy Miles hookup with a guy like Mike Stibel”, Sam asked.
“She’s an A student with high hopes of becoming a doctor and he’s a junkie from the streets, Starsk. I don’t get how they could have gotten together.”
“Who’s next on the list”, Sam asked Hutch.
“Dr. Braden Carlisle”, Hutch said as he looked at his notepad. “His lab is in this building.”
Sam followed Hutch inside and in a matter of minutes, they both walked into the lab. A man in his 30’s with thinning hair was jotting some notes down as he took some measurements. He looked up at the two men who walked over to him.
“Dr. Carlisle”, Sam said.
“Yes.”
“I’m Detective Starsky and this is my partner Detective Hutchinson.”
Both men showed the doctor their badges and the doctor looked at them.
“Something I can do for you”, Carlisle asked them.
“You had an Amy Miles in your class”, Hutch asked as he wiped the perspiration from his forehead. The doctor looked at him for a moment and then over at Starsky.
“Yes. I heard what happened to her. I never imagined that someone like her would allow herself to be caught up in something like drugs.”
“She was one of your students”, Sam asked.
“A very good student”, the doctor told him. “She was bright and intelligent. She would have made an excellent physician.”
“What about Mike Stibel”, Hutch asked. “Did you know him?”
“No. I’ve never heard the name.”
“Was she doing any special projects for you”, Sam asked as he looked at the beakers filled with a variety of colors.
“Projects”, the doctor asked.
“Well, I would imagine that she would have done extra work to keep her grades up in class.”
“Ms. Miles’ grades were well above par”, Carlisle answered.
“Answer the question”, Hutch answered impatiently.
Dr. Carlisle studied Hutch again for a moment and he took note of the blonde detective’s hands as he wrote something down in his small notebook.
“On occasion she has assisted with some studies I have conducted.”
“We would like access to your notes on those studies”, Sam told him.
“Don’t you need a warrant”, the doctor asked.
“We could get one”, Hutch told him. Hutch looked at his watch and then at his partner. “Starsk, I would say in a couple of hours at the most.”
“I’d give it an hour”, Sam told him.
“Fine”, the doctor told them. “Right this way.”
Sam smiled at Hutch as they followed the doctor to his office. After a few moments of searching, the doctor handed Sam the notes on the studies. Sam sat down at a desk and began leafing through the pages.
Hutch watched him with a curious look on his face. Since when did Starsky ever know anything about molecular biology he asked himself? He looked over at the doctor as he walked over to him.
“How are you feeling, Detective”, the doctor asked Hutch.
“I’m fine”, Hutch answered as he stuck his shaking hands in his pockets.
“I’m heading up a research project we started a few months ago”, the doctor told him low enough so Starsky wouldn’t hear.
“Really”, Hutch asked as he looked at his partner studying the notes he had been given.
“We’ve recently discovered habitual drug users have a chemical imbalance in the brain which feeds the cravings and continues the addiction process. We have developed some medication which counters this. It’s shown great promise. If you’re interested, contact me.”
Hutch looked over at him and he could see the doctor was aware of what he was feeling. He turned around and walked out of the office and Sam looked up at the sound of the slamming of the door.
“I guess your partner needed some fresh air”, Carlisle explained.
“I’m finished”, Sam said as he stood up.
“If I can be further assistance, detective, please let me know.”
Sam nodded and quickly left. He found Hutch outside under a tree.
“Hutch”, Sam asked. “What’s wrong?”
“Fine”, Hutch said with a sigh. “I guess I need to get some rest. It’s been a long day.”
“I’ll take you home.”
Hutch didn’t argue when he felt Starsky’s hand on his shoulder. He followed him to the car and the doctor’s words stayed with him during the trip home.
Sam sat back on the couch with a beer in hand. He took a long drink from the bottle and leaned his head back. He had tried to get Hutch to come and stay with him. He had wanted to stay on his couch, but Hutch had practically kicked him out of the apartment.
His talk with Al had gone no better. Starsky still wasn’t talking and it seemed that he was no further than he had been at the beginning of this jump. During most of his jumps he had manage to make progress on most every front but he was finding himself at a loss. He looked over at the phone and thought about calling Hutch again. He had already called him twice and Hutch was starting to get a bit angry at him for checking up on him.
Sam looked at his watch and finished off the beer. He hadn’t even eaten dinner and he didn’t feel hungry which was odd for him. Well, for Starsky anyways, he thought. Sam set the beer in the trash and headed to the bedroom.
He had only slept for a few hours, when Sam suddenly sat up. It was something, he thought. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something wrong. He could feel it and he couldn’t explain how he knew. If Al was here right now, he’d say he was crazy.
Sam reached for the phone and quickly dialed Hutch’s number. After letting it ring several times, Sam slammed the receiver down. He shot up out of the bed and quickly dressed. He got to Hutch’s in record time.
Sam got to the door and when he turned the knob it was locked. He reached over the door and he found the key. He unlocked the door and stepped inside.
“Hutch”, he called out.
Sam was walking towards Hutch’s bedroom when he saw him on the bathroom floor. Hutch was in shorts and he was huddled on the floor. Sam ran over to him.
“Hutch, talk to me.”
“Hurts”, Hutch ground out.
“Where”, Sam asked.
“Everywhere”, Hutch said in a shaky voice.
Sam watched his painfully shaking body and the sweat was pouring off of him. He checked him over, but could find nothing physically wrong with him.
“Let’s get you in bed”, Sam told him.
Hutch was weak as Sam pulled him to his feet. Sam had to practically carry him to the bed. He put him down and Hutch kept shaking. Sam pulled the covers over him and walked into the bathroom.
“Al, I need you”, Sam muttered as he searched through the medicine cabinet in hopes of figuring out what was wrong with Hutch. Sam walked back into the bedroom with a towel and wiped the sweat from Hutch. He looked up as the door opened and Al walked in.
“What’s wrong with him”, Al asked Sam.
“I don’t know. I got here and I found him like this.”
“Sam, how did you know?”
“Al, I want Starsky here.”
“What? You know how hard it is to do that, Sam. Ziggy will be having fits.”
“I don’t care”, Sam told him angrily. “I want him to see his best friend and I want him to start talking. Get him here, Al.”
Al quickly left and Sam went back to the bed. Hutch’s shakes were getting worse and when Sam checked his heart rate, he was considering calling an ambulance. He knew Starsky knew something and Hutch had been off since this case started.
After a few minutes the door opened and Al walked through with Starsky right behind him. As soon as Starsky saw Hutch he ran over to him, but when he touched him, his hand passed right through. Starsky jumped back.
“You can’t touch him”, Al told him. “He won’t be able to hear you or see you.”
“You can see me, Starsky”, Sam said.
Starsky looked over at Sam and his eyes were big at the sight. Sam walked over to Starsky and looked at him evenly.
“What’s wrong with him”, Starsky asked.
“You need to tell me”, Sam told him. “It looks like the beginning stages of withdrawal.”
“No way”, Starsky denied. “Hutch is not…”
“His heart rate has increased rapidly just in the last few minutes since I’ve been here. His breathing is labored and he’s starting to experience a great deal of pain. This started not long after we started this investigation, Starsky. If you want me to help him, I’ve got to know what is wrong with him. Why would he experience withdrawal symptoms this strong?”
Starsky could see the seriousness in his eyes and he looked over at Hutch who was clenching the blanket tightly to his chest. It was if he had stepped back into that hell he had pulled Hutch out of, but this time he was powerless to do anything.
“Hutch was snatched by Ben Forest and his goons”, Starsky told him.
“We know that”, Al replied.
“What happened to him”, Sam asked.
“When Hutch wouldn’t talk, they did the one thing they knew would make him talk.”
Sam and Al looked at each other and then at Starsky.
“They juiced him”, Starsky said with defeat in his eyes.
“Heroin”, Sam asked.
“Yeah, he went through a lot of hell to kick it. I don’t understand why this would happen again like this.”
“Sometimes”, Sam told him. “Drug users, especially heroin addicts, have a chemical imbalance in the brain. Sometimes it will get set off by something someone says, or an image. There are times that all it takes is a taste of something or even a smell.”
“Are you saying that Hutch has to go through withdrawal all over again”, Starsky asked. “It nearly killed him the last time he went through it.”
“I know ways to that can help him”, Sam told him.
“He can’t go to a hospital”, Starsky said. “If anyone finds out about this, it’s his career and Hutch couldn’t stand it if they thought he was a junkie.”
Sam walked back to the bathroom and found a bottle of aspirin. He got a glass of water and took it back in the bedroom. He pulled Hutch up and forced him to take the aspirin and a drink of water. He laid Hutch back down on the bed and wiped the sweat from him.
“What was that”, Starsky asked.
“Aspirin”, Sam told him. “It’s a blood thinner. If I give it to him every four hours, it’ll help regulate his heart rate and his blood pressure. It also helps the withdrawal. I need to get some more things for him. He’ll need to stay hydrated as much as possible.”
“Huggy”, Starsky told him.
“What”, Sam asked.
“Huggy helped Hutch. He kept everything going while I stayed with him.”
Sam eased Hutch down on the bed and picked up the phone. He dialed Huggy’s number.
“Huggy, it’s Starsky. I need you to get some things for me…I know what time it is…it’s for Hutch…Okay, I need seven-up, crackers, apple juice and any other clear liquids. Popsicles would be good. Also pick up some hard candy and some broth…oh…well, I’ll fix something here…don’t worry about it…just get it over here as soon as you can…you’ll see.”
Sam hung up the phone and turned back to Hutch.
“He looks as bad as he did that day”, Starsky told him. “If I could just talk to him. Let him know I’m here.”
“Starsky”, Sam said. “Since this jump there have been some things. It’s like I know what Hutch is thinking. I woke up tonight and I knew something was wrong. I don’t know how or why, but I knew.”
“It’s just like that with us”, Starsky told him. “Has been for a long time.”
“I need to talk to Al for a sec”, Sam told him. “Talk to him. It might help.”
Sam stood up and walked into the living room where Al was pacing with a cigar in hand. He looked over at Sam.
“How is he?”
“It’s going to be a long night”, Sam told him. “I just wish I knew what set this thing off.”
“It’s got to be this case”, Al told him. “Two dead junkies would be enough for anybody.”
“I don’t know, Al. These guys deal with this stuff all the time. And Hutch even said that he gets those dreams sometimes. He gets the cravings and he works through them. Something set this off.”
Sam looked at the bedroom and he watched Starsky kneeling down next to the bed talking quietly with Hutch.
“They’ve been through hell and back together”, Sam stated.
“Sam one of these days, you’ve got sit down and sort through their case files. They could make a TV show from these guys.”
Sam didn’t say anything and he heard the knock at the door. He opened it and Huggy walked in with a sack of groceries. He was walking past the bedroom and he stopped when he saw Hutch.
“Oh no”, Huggy whispered.
“Huggy, it’s not what you think”, Sam told him.
“He didn’t…”
“No. I’ll explain later. Let’s get these groceries taken care of. We’ll need them tonight.”
Huggy was relieved but still shaken by the site of Hutch on the bed. It brought back too many bad memories.
“What are you going to tell Dobey”, Huggy asked.
“Nothing”, Sam answered shortly. “I mean no reason to. It’s hard to say how long this will last.”
Huggy started on the coffee and Sam walked into the bedroom where Starsky stood. He had a glass of juice and he helped Hutch drink it down.
The night passed slowly for everyone involved. Starsky remained adamant about staying even though Hutch had no idea he was even there. Sam wasn’t about to tell him he had to go back. He knew how they felt about each other. He felt the same way about Al and it was always comforting when he was around.
By ten the next morning Hutch was sitting at the table drinking broth with a shaky hand. When Starsky had seen that Hutch had greatly improved during the night, he had finally allowed Al to take him back to the waiting room.
Sam took a drink of his coffee and looked over at Hutch.
“I never thought I’d have to go through that again”, Hutch told him. “It was just like…”
“You made it”, Sam told him. “Just like before.”
“I wouldn’t have if it hadn’t been for you”, Hutch told him with a small smile. “I heard your voice the entire night and it helped.”
Sam smiled. He had said very little to Hutch during the night. It was all Starsky who had talked him through. Sam walked over to the phone and tore a paper out of a notebook. He handed it to Hutch and sat back down at the table.
“What’s this”, Hutch asked.
“For a long time you’ve been fighting the cravings since this happened. I didn’t think you should go through it alone.”
“I’ve got you, Starsky.”
“Yeah, you do, but these people can do more for you than I can, I think.”
“You know no one can know about this”, Hutch told him.
“That’s why it’s called Narcotics Anonymous. Hutch, I can’t even pretend to know or understand your fight with this. You’ve been fighting it since day one and I think the people to help you fight it should be the ones that have gone through it already.”
“I suppose a call wouldn’t hurt”, Hutch told him.
Sam smiled and took a drink of his coffee. He then thought of something and he looked at Hutch.
“Hutch, what set this off? It had to be something.”
“Seeing those kids stretched out on the slab is what started it”, he said with a sigh. “We started the investigation and it was never far from my mind I guess.”
“Something set off what happened here last night”, Sam told him.
“Carlisle”, Hutch whispered.
“What did he do?”
“It’s what he said while you were looking at his notes. He was telling me about this study he was doing to help drug addicts.”
“Drug addicts”, Sam asked. “I think this thing is starting to make sense. Amy Miles and Mike Stibel must have been in this study. Mike is an addict and Carlisle recruits him for this study. He meets Amy Miles.”
“They have a thing for each other and she hates what’s happening with her boyfriend. She tries to stop it and gets killed over it.”
“The first part yes”, Sam said. “But the second part, I don’t know. The medical examiner’s report that she had several needle marks on her forearms.”
“Do you suppose Carlisle was allowed to do this study”, Hutch asked.
“He’d have to get approval from the FDA and the university to conduct trials.”
“Starsk, what if Carlisle was keeping these addictions going to find out if this drug or whatever it is helps beat it?”
“It would be a violation of ethics. He would be kicked out of the college and brought up before a medical review board. He could even have criminal charges filed against him.”
“I won’t ask how you knew that. Amy Miles found out what he was doing to Mike Stibel and she confronted her professor with it.”
“He takes her and gets her hooked”, Sam finished. “He makes her a part of the same experiments that Mike Stibel is.”
“Mike finds out and Carlisle wastes him and the girl. What kind of man is this”, Hutch whispered.
“These studies weren’t in any of the notes that Carlisle gave me”, Sam told him.
“We need more to go on”, Hutch told him. “We need proof.”
“Any physician worth his salt would take notes and study the progression of their patients. It would defeat the purpose of the study.”
“Let’s hit the lab”, Hutch said. “They might be there.”
“Hutch, are you up for this?”
“I am”, Hutch told him. “I want to nail this animal.”
Sam could see the determination in his eyes.
“You look like hell”, Sam told him. “I’ll call Dobey for the search warrant and you take a shower.”
Hutch smiled and walked into the bathroom. Sam was picking up the phone when Al walked through the door.
“How’s Starsky doing?”
“He’s better.”
“Al, that pharmaceutical company that Carlisle had? What did it make?”
Al read off several medications and Sam stopped him.
“Those are drugs for mentally ill people”, Sam told him.
“I had Ziggy run some checks on those false lab reports”, Al told him. “It looks like he was using the stuff on the criminally insane. This guy is a real piece of work.”
“Can you get a fix on Carlisle right now?”
“I don’t know, Sam. There’s a storm front moving in and it’s throwing everything off. I had a hell of a time just getting here.”
“What are Hutch’s odds?”
Al checked and his face was solemn as he looked at Sam.
“It’s a 97% chance that Hutch dies before the day is out.”
“Find Carlisle, Al. I want to know every move he’s making.”
Al nodded and quickly left.
Sam and Hutch stepped out of the car and the wind hit them full force. The thunder echoed through the sky and lightening flashed all around them. Hutch looked over at Sam.
“We can’t take Carlisle in unless we find those notes”, Hutch yelled over the storm.
“I had Dobey give us access to the entire building”, Sam told him. “It’s a good bet he doesn’t keep them in his office.”
“I’ll take the building and you’ve got the office. I have a feeling you’ll know what to look for”, Hutch told him.
“Wait a sec”, Sam said as he walked over to him. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to split up.”
“Why not”, Hutch asked him. “We’ve done it before.”
Sam had no reason to offer him. The prediction weighed heavily on Sam’s mind and he looked over at the building. It was beginning to rain and he looked up at the darkening sky.
“Just watch yourself”, Sam told him. “I think he’s dangerous.”
“Yes, mom”, Hutch answered with a look.
Both men pulled their guns and headed inside the building.
Starsky looked over at Al with worry in his eyes.
“I thought you said you look out for Sam”, Starsky asked.
“The storm”, Al told him. “It’s wreaking havoc all over the place. Ziggy can’t get a lock on Sam. We have to wait.”
“Al”, Starsky asked. “You know how it is with me and Hutch. When you go in to locate Carlisle, take me with you.”
“We don’t work that way”, Al told him.
“You’ve got to make an exception”, Starsky begged. “Hutch is the best friend I’ve got in the world and I’ve got to be there whether he can see me or not.”
“I’ll talk to Ziggy and see if we can work something out. I can’t make any guarantees”, Al told him. “That storm may prevent either of us from doing anything.”
“Please, Al.”
Al gave Starsky a nod and headed out of the waiting room.
Sam looked through the file cabinets and he looked up when he heard the booming thunder from the storm. He pulled out several files and started looking through them. Please Al, Sam thought to himself. He was feeling nervous with Al not here and Hutch in the building.
Hutch headed down the stairs carefully with his gun drawn. The storm was causing the lights to flicker on and off. He could feel the hair on his arms standing up from the static electricity. He was about to step through a door when something caught his eye further down the stairs leading into the basement. Hutch could feel his adrenalin pumping nervously through his body as he started taking steps down in the depths of the darkened building.
Sam slammed the drawer shut in frustration. It wasn’t here. He knew the notes could very well be anywhere. Carlisle was an easy read in most respects, Sam thought. He would keep those notes close by and he pulled the gun from its holster and headed out the door.
Al looked over at Starsky as he looked at the odd contraption in his hand.
“All you’ve got to do is follow the instructions that Ziggy shows on the screen. The records we’ve got shows Carlisle used this building for all of the studies he conducted so it’s an even bet Sam and Hutch are inside. We can get to the building, but we’ll have to search for them. Ziggy still can’t get a lock on Sam or Hutch.”
“We’ll split up”, Starsky said. “One of us should find one of them.”
“Hutch won’t be able to see you or hear you”, Al explained. “If you find Sam, all you’ve got to do is yell for Ziggy and he’ll be able to put me where you are.”
“I’ll do it no matter who I find first”, Starsky mumbled as he studied the device.
“We still might have problems with that damn storm”, Al told him.
“I’m ready”, Starsky told him. “Let’s go get ‘em.”
Al nodded and both men headed towards the doorway to Sam and Hutch.
Hutch stopped when the lights continued flickering off and on. He peered down the darkened hallway and when the lights came back on, he took a deep breath and continued on. He checked the first room only to find empty boxes and trash lying on the floor. He back up and before he could turn around, he felt a sharp sting on the back of his neck.
The effect was instant and Hutch fell to the hard cement unconscious. Dr. Braden Carlisle looked down at him with a needle in his hand. It wouldn’t take long and he knew he the other cop would be close by. He pulled the gun from Hutch’s hand and stuck it in his lab coat. He walked around and grabbed Hutch’s legs. He pulled him across the hall and into another room. He locked the door behind him.
When Al appeared he was just outside the front door of the building. He bit back a curse and walked through the doors. He headed towards the office and lab where Carlisle worked.
Starsky found himself on top of the building. It was odd he thought to himself. Here he was on top of a building and all around him a violent storm was brewing. He couldn’t even feel it. Starsky found the door and his hand went right through the knob. He looked at it for a moment and he realized he would have to walk through it. This is crazy, Starsky thought.
He took a deep breath and stood as straight as possible. Starsky focused on finding Hutch and he closed his eyes. He took two large steps and walked through the door.
Sam was on the first floor of the building when he saw a flashlight in a room just down the hallway. He kept the gun close as he slowly walked down the hallway. He reached the door and he opened it. Sam jumped out with the gun pointed and he saw the flashlight dangling from a light. He sighed and as he turned around he only caught a glimpse of Carlisle before feeling a hard hit on his forehead. Sam fell back and hit the floor.
Carlisle looked down at the unconscious officer and picked his gun up as well. He left him laying as he walked out the door and closed it behind him.
Al didn’t see Sam anywhere in the lab or the office. From the scattered papers, he could see he had been here. He headed out of the office knowing that Ziggy was still having problems and couldn’t get him to Sam. He was almost to the door when his holographic image started flickering on and off.
“Ziggy, you’re losing me”, Al yelled. “Don’t let me…”
The image of Al disappeared.
Starsky was feeling more comfortable with his state of being. He was able to walk into the rooms and walk right back out. He had managed to search most of the building in a timely manner and Starsky had made it to the first floor when he heard a loud banging. He ran down the hallway and saw the glass shatter, but the chicken wire across the frame still kept the legs of the chair from making a hole.
Starsky walked inside the room and he found Sam tossing down the chair.
“Starsky”, Sam said. “What are you doing here? Where’s Al?”
“He’s looking. We knew we’d make better time if the two of us looked for you and Hutch. Where’s Hutch?”
“He’s in the building somewhere”, Sam said as he tested the strength of the chicken wire. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
“I’ll find Hutch”, Starsky told him. “Uh, Ziggy, it’s Starsky. I’ve got Sam.”
Starsky looked down at the device he had been giving and a message popped on the screen.”
“Damn”, Starsky mumbled.
“What is it?”
“I guess this storm kicked Al off line or something like that. Ziggy’s tryin’ to get him back here.”
“Get out of here and find Hutch”, Sam told him. “I’ll get out of here somehow.”
Starsky left and Sam began kicking at the door in hopes of knocking it open.
Starsky headed for the basement and he began looking through the rooms. He stopped in the hallway at the sight of the dirt on the floor. It looked like someone was dragged. Starsky’s eyes followed the trail into a door with no window. He walked through the door and he saw Hutch laying on an exam table with his eyes closed.
“Hutch”, Starsky said as he walked over to him. Starsky’s frustration was apparent over the fact that his partner and best friend couldn’t hear him or see him. “You’ve got to wake up, partner.”
Almost as if obeying a command, Hutch’s eyes slowly opened and he looked around the room he was in. He tried to move his hands but they were tied to the bed at his side. Hutch yanked on his bonds but there was no give.
“Come on, Hutch”, Starsky told him. “You can do better than that.”
“Starsk”, Hutch said quietly.
“I’m here, buddy.”
Hutch didn’t hear his voice, but he could feel him close. He looked around the room and kept pulling on the ropes as hard as he could. Hutch yelled at the top of his lungs for Starsky. He looked over at the sound of the door opening and Carlisle walked into the room.
“Detective, I’m sure you’re ready to get rid of those cravings of yours”, Carlisle told him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about”, Hutch told him.
“Of course you do”, the doctor answered as he turned towards the cabinet. He began pulling syringes down and bottles. “You had the obvious symptoms of heroin withdrawal. I’ve seen it many times and it’s hard to miss.”
“You killed Amy Miles and Mike Stibel”, Hutch told him.
“I have a study to protect”, the doctor said simply. “Mr. Stibel was more than willing to go a long with what I paid him and the supply of heroin I provided.”
“Amy Miles found you out”, Hutch said as he pulled on the ropes.
Starsky looked over at the doctor and he walked over to see what he was doing. His eyes grew big when he saw him filling up the syringe.
“She thought she was in love with the addict”, the doctor said with a sigh. “She discovered what I had been doing and I had no choice in the matter. She was a suitable candidate and when Mr. Stibel found her, I had no choice but to take care of them both. It had to look like just another overdose. You are an ideal candidate, Detective.”
“No”, Starsky screamed at him. “I won’t let you!”
Starsky tried swinging at him as Carlisle turned around. His hands only seemed to hit empty air as they passed through Carlisle’s body. Hutch looked over at the doctor and his heart almost stopped when he saw the syringe in his hand.
Starsky ran from the room in hopes of finding Sam.
Sam leaned back against the desk in frustration and he almost fell when it rolled away from him. He looked at the desk and at the locked door.
Starsky was running down the hallway when he saw the desk come crashing through the door. He slowed down as Sam walked through the door.
“He’s got Hutch”, Starsky told him. “I think he’s gonna juice him.”
“Get back to him”, Sam said as he ran down the hallway. Sam rounded a corner and hit the door down towards the basement. He looked around and saw that Starsky would easily beat him to the room where Hutch was being held.
“Al, you’ve got to get here”, Sam said out loud in hopes of him hearing him.
Starsky ran through the door over to Hutch and the doctor was tying the tourniquet around his arm.
“Sam’s coming, Hutch. You’ve got to hold on. Come on, Hutch. Get those damn ropes off!”
Hutch yanked on the ropes as hard as he could at the thought of that needle even touching his skin. He looked over at the doctor who was getting the alcohol down.
“What kind of doctor are you”, Hutch asked. “How can you justify what you are doing?”
“It’s for the greater good”, Carlisle answered. “Drug addicts will beat their addictions once and for all.”
Hutch could see no emotion in his eyes as the man rubbed the alcohol over the vein which stood at attention. He yelled for Starsky at the top of his lungs and the doctor reached for the hypodermic.
Sam heard Hutch’s voice and he reached the door. He checked the door knob and hit the door and the lock preventing him from getting in. He looked down at the movement of the doorknob and Starsky stepped through the door.
“He’s setting you up”, Starsky yelled. “Get down!”
Sam went to the side of the door and several shots were fired through the door. He checked the door knob and saw that the doctor had unlocked it. Sam opened it and swung it open without revealing his position.
“He’s stepping back”, Starsky told him. “If you even show your face, he’ll kill you.”
“Damn”, Sam whispered.
Hutch lifted his head up and watched as the doctor took a step back. As soon as he was close enough, Hutch lifted his leg and kicked him in the back as hard as he could. The doctor went flying forward and he crashed into the cabinets against the wall.
At the sound, Sam ran inside and tackled the doctor down to the floor. He saw him with the gun in his hand and they struggled with it. Carlisle pushed Sam away and when he fell back, he had Hutch’s gun in his hand. The doctor had Starsky’s own gun leveled at him and Sam fired three shots in his chest. The doctor’s head slumped back and his lifeless eyes were proof that he was dead.
Sam was breathing hard and he looked over at Hutch who had laid his head back in relief. He looked over at Starsky who was smiling at him. Sam walked over to Hutch and took the ropes off of his hands. Sam helped him to a sitting position.
“Do you think you could improve your timing just a bit better”, Hutch asked him.
Sam smiled and put his arm around Hutch’s shoulder. He looked over at Starsky who was shaking his head and Al suddenly appeared next to Starsky. He was looking at the device in his hand with a curious look and he scratched his head. Al took a puff from his cigar.
“That storm just disappeared”, Al stated. “It was like it was meant to be here and now it’s gone.”
“Do I get to go back now”, Starsky asked.
“Ziggy says any minute now”, Al told him.
“You were right”, Starsky told him. “I don’t know if I could’ve done it.”
Starsky looked over at Sam.
“Thanks, Sam. We owe you.”
“Bye”, Al said.
A blue shining light appeared around both Starsky and Sam.
Sam was suddenly thrown against a dark blue car. He felt the wind leave his body as his arms were yanked back and handcuffs put around his wrists. He was pulled back and when he turned around, his eyes were huge. Starsky and Hutch were looking down at him.
“Oh boy”, he breathed. “Not again.”
TO BE CONTINUED