“CAT AND MOUSE”
BY P&C PRODUCTIONS

CHAPTER 8

“What are you talking about?” Hutch asked as he leaned forward and picked up the file.  It seemed like an unusually long list for only the last couple of months. He noticed as he skimmed down it quickly.

“Take a look.” Starsky said as he watched his partner study it.

All these people were apparently deemed criminally insane by trained psychologists. Hutch thought to himself as he continued to read in silence. Just who the hell decided all of a sudden that they’d been hit with some miracle cure?

“Check the P’s.” Starsky said as he turned his back and took a few steps from him…and waited for his reaction.

Hutch proceeded to skip down the list to the letter P and there he saw it.

“Holy Mary Mother of God.” He said as he read the name with disbelief.

“Not even close…try again.” Starsky said as he turned around to face him. “I’ll bet ya next weeks salary the bombs are just a figment of his warped fucking imagination.”

“Damn…” Hutch said as he raised a concerned hand to his partners shoulder. “He just got away with close to a half million dollars.”

“And we just sat there on our asses and watched.” Starsky added and then paused before his next thought escaped him. “I wonder what he’s gonna do to Cassie?”

“Now wait just a minute..” Dobey jumped in. “We don’t know anything for sure yet.”

“She said they’d call back at 12:30. What time is it now?” Hutch asked.

“We’ve got 5 minutes.” Starsky told them. “He’ll call.”

“How can you be so sure?” Hutch posed the question.

“Because he’ll want to rub it in my face.” Starsky said as he walked towards the open door to the squad room.  “Let’s get ready for it.”

Hutch had requested a make on the license plate number that he had remembered from his short time behind the van…but of course it came up stolen. Just another dead end.   They got the news just before the 12:30 call came through.

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Prudholm pulled the notebook over to him as he sat at the table and began to scribble down some last minute instructions.  He kept his eye on the clock as he wrote.  The scene that he had walked in on when they got back from the holdup had given him an idea.  Now that he had the money and Cassie.  The fun could begin.  He was going to enjoy himself. It would be his final revenge.

 He pulled Cassie over to the table as the time drew near.  He wanted her to read what he had written on the page.

“I want you to say this.” He told her. “Exactly the way it’s written.”

She skimmed through it quickly and then looked at him with a horrified expression. “I can’t say this…It’s a lie!”

“Ok…so it’s a lie…” He told her with an angry glare. “We can make it the truth …if it’ll make it easier for you.”

“But I just can’t tell him that.” She said as she began to cry. “It’s  cruel.”

“If you don’t cooperate little girl….you’ll get that and worse.” He assured her.

“But why?” She asked through her tears. “What good will it do you?”

“I want to see him suffer. This is just the beginning.” He said with a smile.

“I HATE YOU!” She screamed at him as the tears began to flow down her face. She knew what it would do to him.

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The phone call came in right on time and Starsky waited for the third ring before lifting the receiver to his ear.

“Starsky…” He said as he waited for her to speak.

She was crying uncontrollably as he put the phone in her hand and put his ear next to hers as before….so he could listen.

“You shouldn’t have followed us.” She said through her tears. “We warned you…”

“Cassie why are you crying?”” He asked in a soft voice.

“It’s your fault that they had to do it.” She said as she tried to find the strength to read the next sentence.  “They raped me.”

Starsky swallowed hard as he let the words sink into his brain.  His breathing suddenly grew short and quick as his temper flared out of control. He stood up and brought his fist down hard onto the surface of the table. “PRUDHOLM!!!” He yelled into the phone in a fit of rage.  He knew the bastard was listening.

Hutch grabbed Starsky by the shoulders to try and calm his anger but he shrugged him off.  He was mad as hell and wanted to drive him out of hiding.

“I thought you’d like that.” Prudholm said as he took the phone away from her. “Aren’t you going to ask me were the bombs are?

“I know where they are.” Starsky said smugly. “Where pigs fly!”

“Already figured it out Dick Tracy.” He replied. “How does it feel?”

“What’s the matter you sick bastard?” He said as he let his words flow out of his mouth with no regard to the running tape or the more than a half dozen other men in the room. “You can’t find anything better to do with your life than fuck with me?”

“You didn’t answer my question Cop?” He said in a sinister voice. “How does it feel?”

“Fuck you!” Starsky replied with all the finesse of a street punk.

“Starsky!” Hutch yelled at his partner to make him look his way.  Then he made a motion with his finger skimming across his throat under his chin…a sign for his partner to cool it.

“You killed my boy.” Prudholm told him as he attempted to explain his actions. “How does it feel cop? She like your own daughter?” He asked.

“Go to hell Prudholm…You want me…just name the time and the place.” Starsky said as he threw out the challenge.

“I’m gonna give you the same pain that you gave me.” Prudholm stated. “I’ve been waiting a long time for this…Listen cop…Listen carefully.”

“Leave her alone Prudholm.” Starsky told him.

“I want you to hear it.” He said with an evil coldness in his eyes as he reached behind his back and pulled out a small caliber handgun. “One….Two…” He counted as he raised the gun to shoot. “Three…”

Two loud shots echoed over the phone line as Starsky cried out.  “NOOOO….!!!!”

“She’s dead cop…live with it.” He said as he hung up the phone.

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- Chapter 9
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