Starsky and Hutch: Too Close To Home

Not The First Time

David looked at his mother-in-law wondering what she needed to tell him. I could see the pain and sadness in her eyes. "Mom, what is it?" I asked as I grabbed her hand with both of my hands and held it tightly as I could while I waited for her to tell me. I starting to get even more worried not knowing what she needs to tell me. What had Angel been through that was bringing so much pain to her mother at this moment? Jennifer took a deep breath before she started, "David, this is not the first time that Angel has been kidnapped." I took a sharp breath in as I just looked at my mother. "Wh......what?" was all I could say.

Jennifer took a deep breath before she told him, "When Angel was 16 she was taken from us. She was at the wrong place at the same time. They held her for a week and she went through so much." Jennifer started as she took another breath. "You see, she wasn't the only one they had taken. They had another little girl with them. Angel watched them rape her, beat her up and so much more. She tried to escape to get help but she didn't make it. What they did to her for even trying was horrible. Angel did tell us that she to watch them kill the young girl right in front of her. But other than that we don't know all of what they did because she would never talk about it." Jennifer stopped for a moment to get a breath and calm her racing heart. Seeing the pain in David's face was killing her on the inside and she is sorry she has to be the one to tell him. She had tears rolling down her cheeks as she remembered what happened and knowing that the feeling is the very same way right now. She then continued, "They did ask for money we wanted to see her again and even then we didn't know if they would give her back alive. One day the police saw the car that was driven by some hold up men that held up a bank and they chased it. They were shooting at them trying to get them over but they didn't know that Angel was in the trunk of the car at the time. They had a big shootout and they shot one of the officers. Then they left them both in a warehouse to die but Angel woke up to find the officer lying next to her. It broke her and it traumatized her so much. " Jennifer stopped because she couldn't keep going. She knew that there was more to the story but she couldn't keep talking at this point. She just looked at David with tears in both of their eyes.

I just sat there almost not able to even breath as my mother tells me what happened to my wife at such an early age. I looked down as I had so many feelings and emotions going through me at one time. It is all making sense to me now, the reason she reacted the way she did when the woman yelled, to the way she would get quiet every time that I told her I knew it was hard to see what she saw in this case and that I knew that she had never seen that before. I then looked at mom, "Is that why Charlie wanted her to go undercover because she had dealt with this before?" I asked, scared to hear the answer. Jennifer just nodded her head yes. I looked down again as I held mothers hands very tightly and for dear life itself. "Mom, how did she get out?" I asked in a very low voice. I heard Jennifer take a very sharp breath before she spoke, "She freed herself, then she looked around to see what she could do to get help but instead she found a bomb." I looked up real fast as I was trying to wrap my mind around the fact that she said bomb. "A bo........bomb?" I said as I stuttered over my words. "Yes sweetie, a bomb. Now Frank, her cousin, has taught her everything she knows about bombs and she disarmed it with 30 seconds left on the clock. She then found a way out, she got out and ran for help. An officer found her and that is how we got her back." Jennifer told me the rest of the story.

I just sat there stunned at all of what mom has just told me. So much is coming clear but at the same time it was all painful. I ran a hand through my hair as I let the tears just come out. Jennifer pulled me in for a tight hug as I just cried in her arms. I can't think, I can't move and I don't even think I'm breathing. Why did she have to go though that? Now I know why she was so upset when she told me that she was going undercover. Now I know why she has been trying to avoid so much these past few weeks. "Mom...........I want Angel back." I spoke in a shaky voice. "I know you do, sweetheart. You will get her back very soon." Jennifer said as she held me closer and kept rubbing my back. After a few moments I said, "Mom, I have to do something. I can't just sit around and do anything. I have to find her, I have to make sure....." I started trailing off as I sat up to run my hands in my hair.