CHAPTER16
 

He grabbed hold of the railing with his right hand as the platform tipped suddenly.  A second cable broke free with the strain of the extra weight and the entire structure began to dangle from the remaining two. Starsky felt his own body weight pull heavily as his feet no longer held him and had to reach up with his left hand to keep from falling.  His gun fell with a loud thump onto the floor as Randy let out and agonizing cry.  He was hanging on with only one hand refusing to release his grip on the gun in his other one. Prudholm and the other young man stepped out from hiding to see what was going on and Hutch burst through the small door in the back when he heard the commotion.

“Hold it!” Hutch yelled as he brought his gun down in front of him.  He had a clear view of the two men on the bottom level as they turned and opened fire on him.  He returned two rounds quickly as he ducked behind the large boxes for cover. Prudholm managed to scramble behind a large piece of machinery but a bullet from Hutch’s gun had hit it’s target and the younger man collapsed onto the concrete floor holding his leg and crying out in pain.   Randy was barely hanging on and the platform was still swinging back and forth from the weight of both men.

“Starsk…are you alright?” Hutch called to him as he watched his dangling body overhead.

“I can’t hold on much longer.” He replied as he kicked his feet and fought to keep his grip.

Randy finally dropped his gun in an effort to keep from falling but by this time he couldn’t find the strength to reach high enough to grab the railing with his now free hand. He cried out in agony as he lost his only grip and fell with a loud thud to the hard surface below him.

Starsky watched him hit the floor and knew that there was no way that he would be able to recover from the fall.  His body lay motionless in an awkward position as the dark haired detective glanced down at it.  He could tell just by the look of him that the poor guy had more than a few broken bones.

Although his hands were hurting badly, Starsky forced himself to keep them moving…but his grip was getting weaker with each passing moment.  Drops of blood from the cuts he had received from the rusty railing dripped down his arms slowly.  It was a wire mesh that intertwined onto itself…great for decoration but not much for comfort.  He glanced back down at Randy’s lifeless body and cringed at the thought of facing the same fate.

“SHIT!!…” The younger man yelled out as he felt the sharp pain begin to shoot up his leg. “HE SHOT ME!”

“PRUDHOLM!..” Hutch yelled as he tried desperately to draw him out. He knew that time was running out for his tired partner. “IT”S OVER…GIVE IT UP!”

******************

Cassie heard the shots ring out from inside the warehouse and decided it was time to get on the radio.  She had heard her father and Hutch as they spoke
to the dispatcher but she still didn’t have a clue what to say once she turned it on.  She turned the key in the ignition to the accessory position and the radio came alive with chatter.  She picked up the mic from its holder and took a quick breath before pushing in the button.

“Hello…this is an emergency!” She said into the mic and let go of the button as she waited for a response.

“Who is asking for assistance on this channel?” The dispatcher called back. The other police officers on the same frequency suddenly became silent as they listened to the conversation.

“My name is Cassie Bryant…we need help at the corner of Twelfth and Hudson…Officer David Starsky and Officer Ken Hutchinson are inside…I heard gunshots and I think they’re in trouble.”

“All units in the vicinity of Twelfth and Hudson…Shots have been fired…Officers need assistance… Please respond.” The dispatcher called over the speaker. Cassie listened as two patrol cars answered the call and gave an ETA of about 15 minutes each.  She knew that a lot could happen in fifteen minutes and she felt so helpless just waiting.  There was no way she was just gonna sit there while they were getting shot at.

Then glancing around at the equipment in Hutch’s car…she suddenly came up with a plan….she only hoped it would buy them the time that they needed.

**************

Prudholm was about to answer Hutch’s request when the loud sound of a siren echoed through the warehouse from outside.  He looked towards the back of the building and saw the flash of red lights as they spun around and around through the windows above.

Hutch was surprised at the light show and wailing siren since the fifteen minutes he had told Cassie to wait hadn’t passed yet…and even if she called them the moment his back was turned…the response time couldn’t have been that fast.

Starsky felt a little relief at the sound but his mind was on more pressing problem at the moment…like how to keep from loosing his grip as he still hung in mid air.

“THIS IS THE POLICE…PUT DOWN YOUR WEAPONS AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP!”

The considerably deep and barely recognizable voice of Cassie echoed through the warehouse.  Over the PA system it was muffled and distorted but Hutch knew it was her. He only hoped Prudholm would buy it.

Atta’ girl Cas…Hutch thought to himself as he played along with her. “YOU HEAR THAT PRUDHOLM…COME ON OUT…YOU GOT NOWHERE TO GO!”

***********************

Cassie jumped out of Hutch’s car and climbed into Starsky’s.  After turning the key in the ignition enough to put power to the equipment she turned his siren on and placed the red light on top of his car as well.

Then she grabbed the mic on his radio and switched it to PA as she thought of something else to say.  She cleared her throat once more and pushed the button…as she spoke in the deepest voice she could muster.

“I REPEAT…THIS IS THE POLICE…DROP YOUR WEAPONS AND COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS
UP…WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED!”

************

“HUTCH!” Starsky yelled, as his hands began to slip from the sweat and the blood that had been building up on them. Along with the fact that he was loosing most of the feeling in his fingers and couldn’t tell just how secure his grip really was anymore. “HELP ME!”

“PRUDHOLM…” Hutch yelled as a thought occurred to him. “IF YOU LET HIM FALL…YOU”LL BE UP FOR MURDER ONE…NO MORE COUNTY HOSPITALS…THIS TIME IT”LL BE PRISON!”

“ALRIGHT…” Prudholm yelled back as he threw his gun into the middle of the room and stepped out carefully with his hands behind his head. .…and his fingers intertwined The sound of the sirens had finally convinced him that he might as well surrender.

Hutch ran over quickly and pushed him down to the concrete as he slapped the handcuffs on his wrists tightly. Then he looked up at his partner who appeared to be on the verge of passing out.

“HUTCH…!” Starsky screamed as he felt himself unwillingly letting go.  His fingers slid off the railing slowly and he felt his body begin to fall…faster and faster…as he let out one last cry.

“AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!”

---------------------------------------------- Chapter 17
Back to Pebbles Page
Back to Gallery