CHAPTER 7

Starsky and Hutch arrived back at the station around 12:00 and headed straight for Dobey’s office.  They knew that they would have the tape ready by now and they wanted to listen to it.  If it was somebody they knew…they would probably be able to identify the voice.  If they could figure out who was behind all this…maybe they could find a way to stop him.  Once a criminal forms a certain pattern…his next move can usually be predicted.

When they finally arrived Dobey was waiting for them.  He had the tape recorder on his desk and had already listened to it about a half dozen times.  The lab had done the best that they could to filter out the background noise…including Cassie’s mournful sobbing.  But the voice was of a man yelling and at that vocal level…it would be hard to identify.

“So what happened?” Dobey asked his two Detectives as they each took a seat in front of him.

“We were gonna be made…I had to back off Cap’n” Hutch told him as he leaned forward in his chair and rested his forearms on his knees.

“It’s five minutes after twelve.” Dobey noted. “They’re supposed to call in the location of the first bomb in twenty five minutes.”

“If they stick to the plan.” Starsky added.

“In the meantime…listen to this…and tell me if you can recognize him.” Dobey said as he hit the play button on the recorder.

The tape had been made from the initial recording and was only a few seconds long…just his voice after he struck her.  They couldn’t totally eliminate the sound of the blow to her face because it happened so close to the receiver.  Starsky cringed as he listened to it and then to the man’s voice as Dobey played it over and over for them until Starsky finally raised his hand to let him know that he had heard enough.  The voice sounded familiar. That he was sure of…but he just couldn’t place it.

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The two men returned to find Cassie and the younger man in a struggle on the bed.  He was apparently attempting to rape her but she was putting up a good enough fight to keep him from getting very far.  Frustrated with her and with the fact that the other two men had walked in on them…he struck her across the face and moved away from the bed.

“Stuck up little Bitch.” He said as he wiped the blood away from his cheek were she had obviously scratched him pretty badly.

“What the hell do you think your doing Randy?” The other young man said as he glared at him. “You don’t do anything unless you’re told to….do you understand?”

“What’s the harm in having a little fun?” He asked. “I was bored.”

“I’ll tell you what to do and I’ll tell you when.” The old man said as he pushed her assailant up against a nearby wall and held him there with an elbow at his throat.

“Ok old man…take it easy.” He cried out with a frightened look in his eyes.

“So what do we do with her now?” The other one asked.

“Well…they tried to follow us in his partner’s car.” The old man said as he released his hold on the man he had pinned against the wall. “Let’s give them a little penalty.”

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As Starsky and Hutch paced the floor they tried as hard as they could to think of whose voice they had heard on the tape.  Hutch didn’t have as strong a feeling as Starsky did that he knew who it was.

“He had her ask for you.” Hutch told his partner as he looked over at him and then at Dobey. “The guy obviously didn’t want to deal with anyone else.”

“Maybe because she would be more comfortable talking to you.” Dobey remarked.

“But why did he pick Cassie in the first place?” Starsky told him. “He obviously has something against me.”

“You heard his reaction when she spoke to you.” Hutch said as he thought out loud. “She was only allowed to read from what he gave her.”

“He’s playing some kind of sick game,” Dobey concluded.

A short black haired woman entered the room from the half open door.  She held a report in her hand and spoke with some urgency.

“Forgive me for bothering you but I was told you might want to see this.” She said as she stepped in a little further and held the report out in front of her.

“It’s alright Minnie…C’mon in.” Dobey said with a smile as he held out his hand to receive the file.

“What is it?” Hutch asked as he stepped closer to his Captain.

“They said downstairs that there was a name on the list that might interest you.” She told them as she let go of the report and quickly walked out the door.

“Thank you.” Dobey called to her as he read from it carefully.

“What name?” Starsky asked insistently as he moved behind Dobey to read over his shoulder.

“Where did this list come from?” Hutch said with a puzzled look as he was now trying to read over Dobey’s other shoulder.

“It’s from the nearby Institutions.” Dobey told them. “Recently released patients who have been found mentally sane and fit to function in society.”

With that Starsky grabbed the list out of Dobey’s hand and walked away from them as he read down the list frantically…through the B’s…..through the F’ s….through the J’s…..the M’s…..Prudom, George!  There it was in black and white.  His worst nightmare!

Starsky stood there staring at it as his blood ran cold. It was him…the voice he suddenly recognized…the fact that he had taken her. It all fit. First the two cops he didn’t even know…then Terri….and now he was back.  To torture him once more…and this time he had Cassie.  His body grew weak as the blood rushed to his brain and he leaned on Dobey’s desk for support.

Hutch watched as Starsky seemed frozen in place with his back to them.  He knew that there was something in that report that had just dealt his partner a heavy blow…and he had to know what it was.

“Well what is it?” Hutch asked insistently as he walked over to him and spun him around by the arm.

Starsky almost fell onto his partner as he struggled to regain his balance and the file fell to the floor. He glanced down at it and then back up at Hutch with a hollow expression.

“We’ve all been had.” He told them with a tone of assurance in his voice.

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  Chapter 8
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