Stalk Raving Mad - Chapter 12.

© by Elsa

“He murdered Nancy’s neighbour Mr Stowe. We’ve identified a body that was found three months ago in the river, whom no one had reported missing. The coroner said he’d drowned and there was alcohol in his blood, so no one even suspected foul play. An old man, alone, not missed by anyone – Vaughn used his house to spy on Miss Kowalski. The moment she left, he went inside. He made hundreds of photos from her and he could, simply because he was in her house.” Dobey said. “He had a hi-tech miniscule camera and used that to follow her around in her house.”

“Some character,” Huggy said, wrinkling his nose in dismay and scratched under his hat. “How did you find that sanctuary, Hutch?”

“Coincidence. I heard something, I saw those holes… I pushed, the board came lose – well you know the rest.”

Hutch sat, perched on Starsky’s bed, with his arm in a sling. The ordeal was over, his blood amount restored to normal with the aid of a blood transfusion and 24 hours rest.

“Coincidence my ass.” Huggy rolled his eyes. “Matter of sharp thinking, Mr Modesty.”

“It was good police work.” Dobey nodded contently. “The guy is stark raving mad.”

“STALK raving mad, you mean,” Huggy said with conviction.

“Anyway – well done, Hutch. And that without Starsky by your side.”

But he was there. I wasn’t on this by myself and he did help me, Hutch thought. He remembered vividly how he had sensed Starsky helping him, warning him, guiding him through the search and the fight. As close and alert as if he was right beside him, in the flesh.

He smiled warmly to his partner, who grinned back.

Starsky, in bed, was still lying, too dizzy to sit upright, but with a spark in his eyes that proved his was on his way back. It was obvious he wasn’t much good yet, but he showed a lot more liveliness than a couple of days back.

“Where’s Nancy?”

“At home, still recovering from laryngitis. But she’s fine. Relieved it’s over. Her house is safe - lab guys have been going over the place. They’ve collected everything connected to Vaughn as evidence. Plus he’s charged with murder one. He’ll be put away for a long time.”

“I’m going home,” Dobey announced, and turned to Huggy. “Need a ride, Huggy?”

“No thank you, captain. I’ve got a date who awaits me in her carriage.” Huggy’s expression made the people in the room laugh. “As a matter of fact – she’d be outside by now. I’m off as well.”

The two stood up, wished Starsky a speedy recovery and nodded to Hutch, who had already been released and was a visitor, just like them.

“Some couple we are,” Hutch said. “Look at us. If we’re not in the station, we’re either fighting or recovering.”

Starsky just smiled wanly.

“You know,” he said after a while, “when I woke up the first time, I couldn’t remember anything.”

“Yeah. I noticed.”

“It was....” Starsky swallowed. “It was frightening. I couldn’t remember anything. Anything. You were here, weren’t you? I don’t recall it all that well, that first day.”

“I was, yeah.”

“I think I saw you. I knew I knew you. But by God I didn’t know who you were.”

“Starsk…”

“The doctor told me it would come back. I tried to remember who you were,  In my waking moments, I racked my brains about you.”

Hutch patted Starsky’s leg. “Don’t exert yourself, buddy. Give that head of yours a little rest.”

“I dreamt about you. You were in serious danger. I think I warned you. A nurse woke me up, said I was having a nightmare.”

Hutch’s eyes went from Starsky’s face to his own hands, to the wall, the post cards, the flowers on the bedside table and back to his friend’s eyes. Again he heard Starsky’s words in his head and thought of his presence in the room when he was about to find Vaughn.

“You think I’m nuts, ‘ey Hutch?”

Oh buddy, if only you knew. “No. Not at all. Go on.”

Tiredly Starsky rubbed his eyes. “You want more? You were never out my mind. When I woke up, I remembered you. I was… worried… illogical, irrational… but I was. I mentioned your name to a nurse. She told me you were in hospital, said something about an injury at work.”

“And here comes the part where you tell me you were being obstinate until you’d seen me?”

“No.” Starsky took a deep breath. “She said she didn’t know how you were.”

“And?”

“And I knew you were Hutch and told her you were going to be fine. I knew it.”

Neither man spoke. There were no more words that needed to be said. Starsky was tired, apparently still easily worn out by too much hassle and people in his room. Hutch didn’t know about Starsky, but he himself found pleasure in just sitting there, in quiet harmony, in the presence of his friend.

Slowly, Starsky’s eyelids closed. He fell asleep, calmly and peacefully this time.

Hutch sat for a long time at Starsky’s side. There was no reason to stay but then again, there was no reason to leave either.

They’d been apart, but fact was, they had never really been apart.

Hutch smiled. One more case solved. By both of them.

The End

Elsa, August 2004