CHAPTER 8
Dobey had informed them that the door to her apartment could be opened with something as simple as a credit card…that’s why there seemed to be no sign of a break in. It wouldn’t leave much evidence. The babysitter had stated that she had the feeling that she was being watched from the front window once or twice while she was there that night. But she had just chalked it up to nerves and the fact that she had been watching a scary movie at the time.
Starsky and Hutch took turns on watch after the feline incident and between the two of them…managed to get in about four hours each of sleep. They had both been threatened before but by men who weren’t so far over the edge. This guy sounded like he would probably end up spending some time in one of the local mental hospitals once he was captured. In his case…a plea of insanity actually seemed just.
The next morning…Dobey had left the bathroom door open as he ran a quick razor over his face. Max had been watching as he stood in the hallway and Dobey gave him a pat on top of the head as he stepped out…wiping his chin with a hand towel. After a moment and a few steps down the hallway…Dobey turned back around to look for him. When he didn’t see him he rushed back to the open door to find Max holding his razor an inch from his face.
“Whoa there…” Dobey called out as he grabbed his small hand. “Let me help you with that.”
Max’s first reaction was fear… but the tone of Dobey’s voice wasn’t at all threatening. He watched with curiosity as the older man removed the sharp blade from the razor and grabbed the can of shaving cream to squirt a small amount onto his hand. Then he rubbed it on his tiny face carefully and handed Max the blade-less razor.
“Now then…” Dobey said with a smile as he looked at the boy through the mirror. “If your gonna have yourself a shave…you might as well do it right.”
Max smiled as he pulled the razor down his face and removed some of the foam. Then he proceeded to bang it on the sink just like he had seen Dobey do a few moments before…causing the hard-nosed Captain to let go a small chuckle.
Max began to warm up to Edith a little during breakfast…but he still kept asking when his mommy would be picking him up and where Dave was. Just as he had promised…Starsky arrived at the front door at about noon that day since both he and Hutch were off…and decided to take Max to the local carnival to give him a little attention. He was Miranda’s whole world. Now the boy had lost both of his parents…and though he didn’t openly admit it…Starsky felt that he was partly to blame. That’s why he all but snapped at Hutch for his comment the afternoon before.
Max was smiling when they entered through the front gate. You would think he didn’t have a care in the world as he pulled Starsky by the hand to lead him to the different rides he spotted. Hutch was there to keep an eye on them both and to make sure that no one was following them. He knew that this guy had stalked Miranda and he figured that he wouldn’t change his pattern.
Starsky lifted Max onto a carousel horse and gave its rear end a playful smack.
“Ride em’ cowboy.” He said with a grin just before he stepped down.
They watched as the horses began to move slowly up and down and Max gripped the pole in front of him a little tighter as he began to laugh. It went around a few times as they watched and waved at him with each pass. While Max was having fun they carried on a small conversation when Hutch brought up the subject of the first time he had ever climbed onto a horse.
“The plastic ones don’t try to ram you into the nearest tree.” Hutch said with a chuckle as he finished his story.
Starsky turned his attention back to the carousel and watched for a few moments as the horses sped past him.
(Did I miss him?)
(Maybe he’s just moving too fast.)
Panic gripped Starsky’s mind as he suddenly realized that the horse
Max had been riding…the one with the brown spot on his rear end…was empty!