{"id":96,"date":"2018-12-18T05:39:18","date_gmt":"2018-12-18T05:39:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/?p=96"},"modified":"2020-11-11T18:53:52","modified_gmt":"2020-11-11T18:53:52","slug":"december-18th-pixieland-part-1-by-dawnwind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/?p=96","title":{"rendered":"December 18th- Pixieland Part 1 by Dawnwind"},"content":{"rendered":"

This story is in the same universe as The Future Ain\u2019t What it Used to Be<\/span><\/a> but isn\u2019t a sequel.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

He always kept the bedroom door ajar, as his mother had taught him, to allow the spirits access. Most folk only felt the spirits in their dreams, or on those days fraught with grief or pain, when the veil between worlds was thinnest.<\/p>\n

David Starsky was not most folk\u2014a rare male born mage. The spirits spoke to him through the silver pentagram tattooed on the palm of his left hand. They poked him, pointing him to where he needed to go by channeling the conduit of his Gift.<\/p>\n

He woke that morning knowing they were calling, urging him out into the world to solve some unspeakable crime. He wasn\u2019t ready to move yet, still warm, curled against the long body of his partner, Ken Hutchinson.<\/p>\n

His palm tingled, silver light flaring from the pentagram, a bat signal just for him. He sighed, having hoped for a more restful morning, and turned, seeking the strength Hutch provided.<\/p>\n

With the flat of his hand, Starsky fit his palm over the pentagram inked on Hutch\u2019s upper hip. It was an ordinary tattoo, not specially formed to focus magic. Hutch had had it done where it could be covered by clothing, even a speedo, so only one other person would ever see it.<\/p>\n

\u201cHot,\u201d Hutch muttered, barely awake.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou discussin\u2019 the weather this early in the a.m. or is that a comment on my lusty bod?\u201d Starsky teased. \u201cCause while it\u2019s not bad for December, I ain\u2019t going to the beach.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYour hand.\u201d Hutch\u00a0 scrubbed his face with one hand, pushing his longish bangs out of his eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s almost burning me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDamn.\u201d Starsky peered at the pentagram. It was still visible, which was unusual. Generally, the tattoo barely showed. Today, it was as bright as a star.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrouble?\u201d Hutch asked, standing in all his naked glory.<\/p>\n

Extremely distracting<\/em>. Starsky\u2019s mouth watered at the sight, but there were obviously more urgent matters to attend to. \u201cSeparate showers or it\u2019ll take too long to get ready,\u201d he said quickly. \u201cSomething\u2019s going down in the spirit world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing your lead, Sir Merlin.\u201d Hutch smiled wolfishly. \u201cGet the coffee started and I\u2019ll make toast when you shower.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starsky flexed his fingers over his burning palm and pulled on Hutch\u2019s ratty old orange robe. Felt like a thousand tiny needles stabbing into his skin. A lot like when he\u2019d first received the tattoo as a boy.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

She was long limbed and unnaturally thin, skin pulled tight over knobby bones. In the corona of Hutch\u2019s flashlight, she appeared bluish. Of course, the color of her hair might be affecting his vision. Starsky couldn\u2019t tell at a glance how she\u2019d died. A question for the coroner.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho has blue hair?\u201d Hutch asked rhetorically, then answered his own question. \u201cPunk rockers?\u201d He glanced over his shoulder at the crowd behind them.<\/p>\n

The area had been cordoned off with yellow tape by the officers who\u2019d responded to the original distress call.\u00a0 A dozen or so eclectically coiffed and dressed people gathered just outside the tape, talking nervously to one another.<\/p>\n

\u201cOr faeries,\u201d Starsky said sotto-voce, hunkering down on his heels to examine the body. She looked human enough but there was something slightly off. Ears were decidedly pointed, but not like the TV character Spock. She was probably a halfling\u2014one of her parents from the Seelie Court. \u00a0A more common phenomenon than most Californians realized.<\/p>\n

The silver ink on his palm that had pulsed steadily since he woke had dimmed to its ordinary flesh tone by the time they arrived at the converted warehouse. Dubbed Pixieland by the locals, it was a haven of punk rockers, artists, and other marginalized people. Most sported piercings through the nostrils and ears, odd hairstyles that seemed to defy the law of gravity, and tattoos.<\/p>\n

Hutch\u2019s eyebrow raised in surprise and he tapped his mouth with one finger which helped disguise his lips when he spoke. \u201cYou can sense that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMore or less.\u201d Starsky stood, brushing off the knees of his jeans. Who knows what was on the cement floor around here. Didn\u2019t smell great, although the residents had made an effort to create a homelike atmosphere. There were piles of pillows in one corner around a relic of a TV with a metal hanger for an aerial, and mattresses with handmade quilts in another area. Here and there were small holiday decorations: a sprig of holly, a wreath of bay leaves, and the occasional red candle flickering in the dim light.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a\u2026\u201d He truly couldn\u2019t describe why <\/em>beyond her physical appearance, but he could feel a fizziness inside as if his own fae abilities were reaching out to the poor girl\u2019s. \u201cHey!\u201d He waved to the approaching lab crew. \u201cHere\u2019s Ginny and her fan club.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey view me more as a slave master,\u201d Ginny Simpson said, dropping her equipment just beyond the crime scene. She glanced around at the lookie-loos. \u201cWho found her?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI did.\u201d A small woman with a jewel in her left nostril and tightly braided cornrows raised her hand uncertainly. An older woman wearing five strands of multi-colored beads gave her a slight shove to move her to the front of the group.<\/p>\n

Starsky and Hutch stood to flank Ginny and hear what she learned. The fresh-faced uniformed cop who had arrived on the scene first hadn\u2019t said there was a potential witness. A big mistake on his part.<\/p>\n

\u201cWas she in that position when you found her?\u201d Ginny asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t touch a dead body!\u201d the woman replied, horror stricken. \u201cWe were all asleep and I got up to\u2026\u201d She gestured awkwardly at a curtained off section on the far side of the building.<\/p>\n

\u201cBathroom?\u201d Hutch asked gently.<\/p>\n

She nodded vigorously, stopping suddenly when a child of about five crept over to grasp her hand. \u201cMy kid,\u201d she said unnecessarily, holding the girl\u2019s hand. There was a strong family resemblance although the little girl had distinctively pointed ears and tilted green eyes. \u201cLily and I were sleeping. When I got up to go, I saw Renalen lying on her back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s her name?\u201d Ginny asked, snapping on rubber gloves and paper shoe covers.<\/p>\n

\u201cRenalen Bosh,\u201d the bead wearing lady affirmed. \u201cDolia screamed when she found her and woke the rest of us. Renalen was just lying there\u2026dead.\u201d Her eyes glistened with tears and she crossed herself. \u201cIt happened\u2026\u201c She abruptly stopped whatever she was going to say, eyes sliding left toward Dolia for an instant. \u201cI called the cops.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hutch glanced at Starsky with a significant, let\u2019s get the crowd away while Ginny works <\/em>vibe and took two steps to the right, signaling the nearby officers. \u201cYou were first on the scene?\u201d he asked, eyeing a young cop.<\/p>\n

Starsky would have grinned under any other circumstance. Hutch\u2019s take-charge persona was in high gear. Hutch particularly got that way when they both suspected supernatural involvement because Starsky had to stay focused to deal with the magical details.<\/p>\n

\u201cMannheim, sir,\u201d the rookie responded promptly.<\/p>\n

\u201cGet the names of everyone here when Renalen Bosh died, and who might be missing or left before you arrived,\u201d Hutch explained. \u201cAsk if they saw anyone who doesn\u2019t belong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRight away, sir!\u201d Mannheim nearly saluted, whipping out his pencil and pad.<\/p>\n

Good thing he hadn\u2019t asked Hutch for writing utensils, Starsky thought, taking in the surroundings. Didn\u2019t look like it would have been too difficult for the residents to move around while others were sleeping. There were numerous sleeping alcoves scattered around the large place, and probably more on the second floor. Wouldn\u2019t someone have heard a scuffle, fight, or argument? He watched Ginny begin her assessment before joining his partner.<\/p>\n

Hutch had culled their two most valuable witnesses out of the group and followed the ladies to the kitchen. It had probably been the cafeteria for a large factory at one time. A huge stove and refrigerator dominated the room. Foodstuffs were stacked on shelves. Several women shepherded a gaggle of school-aged children eating fruit for their breakfast.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody loved Renalen,\u201d Dolia was saying. \u201cShe had this\u2026 what would you call it, Carmen?\u201d Lily was clinging to her tie-dyed tunic and crying, her hitching sobs painful to hear.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlow about her,\u201d the older woman, Carmen, explained. \u201cShe could sense when you were upset or sad, always had a kind word for the children. She taught the littler ones not yet enrolled in school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anyone you could think of who\u2019d want to kill her?\u201d Hutch asked gently, empathy coming off him in waves.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot one! Not like\u2026\u201d Dolia said overly loudly, startling the children eating. Several gasped or began to cry. \u00a0She lowered her voice, wiping away her own tears. \u201cRenalen was my best friend–\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cActually,\u201d Carmen cut in. \u201cI can think of a man who didn\u2019t like her.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starsky got the distinct impression Dolia would have said more if Carmen hadn\u2019t interrupted. \u00a0She looked shocked that the other woman would reveal that much.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour full name?\u201d Hutch prompted.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarmen Santamaria,\u201d she said tipping her head proudly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think\u2026\u201d Dolia began, pale. She snatched a napkin off the large pine table to wipe Lily\u2019s nose and then gave her an apple to silence her.<\/p>\n

Carmen folded her arms firmly over her generous bosom, scowling. \u201cWe have to tell someone, Dolia.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat?\u201d Hutch leaned forward slightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s difficult to explain,\u201d Carmen back-pedaled, chewing on her lower lip. She crossed herself again which seemed to provide strength. \u201cI still consider myself Christian, even after I met\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFaeries?\u201d Starsky said quietly, watching the other children file out of the kitchen under the watchful eye of two grannies. At his count, there were three others, besides pretty little Lily, who had fae features. Not counting Lily, Renalen and those kids, there must be multiple adults from the enchanted realm living in the building. No wonder the warehouse had been dubbed Pixieland. And not all the children appeared to be of faery origin. Two small boys sported outsized ears, bulbous noses and protruding foreheads, clearly trolls or possibly brownies.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes.\u201d Carmen nodded. \u201cSo when Reverend Allbright began visiting, I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to bring many of these marginalized families into the Christian fold. Baptize them, start Bible studies\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is the name of Reverend Allbright\u2019s church?\u201d Hutch asked, patting his pockets for a pencil.<\/p>\n

Starsky automatically placed the one he kept in his jacket for expressly this purpose in his partner\u2019s palm. At least Hutch had a small pad of paper.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew World Worship,\u201d Dolia said with a scowl, smoothing her daughter\u2019s hair.<\/p>\n

Lily had stopped crying, munching on her apple. She waved good-bye to the last child filing out of the kitchen. \u201cHe teached us about demons,\u201d she said with a slight lisp.<\/p>\n

\u201cDemons?\u201d Starsky echoed with a growing sense of dread. That he could understand. Although magic and enchanted beings were far more accepted now than when he was coming up, believers were still in the minority. He\u2019d been ridiculed and bullied much of his life, not only by mainstream, disdainful humans, but even more from fundamental female mages who looked down on male practitioners.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was very fire and brimstone,\u201d Carmen took up the narrative again. \u201cInsisting that everyone here was going to hell unless we confessed the sin of demon worship, and only then we\u2019d be saved. That was ludicrous. Most turned their backs on him, including me, very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hutch shook his head sadly, rubbing his face. \u201cIt\u2019s people like him\u2026\u201d he started with a sigh, \u201cYou think he could actually have wanted to murder Renalen?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRen told him to get the hell out of her home. But kill?\u201d Dolia shuddered, her eyes bright with tears. She gathered Lily onto her hip. \u201cMay I\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d Starsky nodded. \u201cWe\u2019ll get back to you if we need more information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere is his church?\u201d Hutch asked Carmen after the other two had left.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout a mile from here.\u201d Carmen pointed to the right. \u201cCan\u2019t miss it, there\u2019s a golden cross on the front door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On the way out of the warehouse, Starsky saw Ginny overseeing the loading of the body into the morgue wagon.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnything you can tell us, Gin?\u201d Starsky asked, sending a silent blessing for the dead girl. Didn\u2019t matter if she was Christian, Jewish, Zoroastrian, or atheist\u2014no one deserved to be murdered.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike how she died?\u201d Hutch tacked on, with a tilt to his mouth signaling how unlikely that might be.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a matter of fact, sort of.\u201d Ginny waggled her hand. \u201cStrangled\u2014I think.\u201d She made a circle with her fingers and pressed inward with her thumbs. \u201cFairly certain her hyoid bone is broken. Difficult to see in that dark warehouse, but petechiae in her eyes\u2014\u201c She winked at Starsky, \u201cthat would be\u2014\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cSpots of blood in the eyes to those of you without a medical degree,\u201d Hutch mimicked her usual comment. He helped the morgue guy shut the back doors of the vehicle.<\/p>\n

She smirked but there was a grim undercurrent. \u201cBut oddly, no bruising in the neck or jawline. No marks at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWas she sexually assaulted?\u201d Starsky sighed. Sometimes he hated this job so much, particularly at the holidays when people should be preparing for celebrations.<\/p>\n

\u201cNope. It\u2019s weird, as if no hands touched her body.\u201d She waved as the van drove off. \u201cThing is, I\u2019m seeing a pattern. I think there were two others\u2014when you and Hutch were back east\u2014\u201c Ginny said, frowning.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor my mother\u2019s birthday,\u201d Starsky clarified, with a glance at Hutch. He could read his partner\u2019s eyes clearly. Why hadn\u2019t they heard about this before? <\/em>He and Hutch had gone to New York for two weeks, but had been back for three days. Surely Dobey would have mentioned two murders in their patch of Bay City. \u201cThese other murders were like Renalen\u2019s\u2014no marks?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd you think the deaths are connected?\u201d Hutch asked, hand to his neck as if choked up about the deaths before hearing all the details.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are too many similarities to discount the possibility.\u201d Ginny pointed to the left. \u201cOne was outside, in what used to be the parking lot for this warehouse, over there on the western edge. The other was less than a mile away, in a vacant lot\u2014both women, and\u2026\u201d She paused, inhaling.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou had a gut feeling?\u201d Starsky put in.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething like that.\u201d She bit her lip, brushing fingers through her bristly short hair. \u201cOne woman had safety pins for earrings. Both had a peak on the helix of the ear and brightly colored hair.\u201d She touched the top of her own ear sporting two gold hoops, and traced a little point. \u201cLook like they\u2019re fans of the Sex Pistols. The first one was even wearing a God Save the Queen shirt. Only\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know they\u2019re not punk rockers,\u201d Hutch finished for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do autopsies all day long.\u201d Ginny sighed. \u201cHalflings are very, very similar to full humans. Probably someday, when we learn more about DNA and chromosomes, it will be easier to prove, but there are these tiny signs I see. I\u2019ve seen.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, you know me,\u201d Starsky said flatly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know you.\u201d Ginny touched two cool fingertips to his left palm. \u201cNo disputing that there is magic with the likes of you and Hutch in town.\u201d She tipped an imaginary cap. \u201cI\u2019ll give you more info when I get Renalen on the table. Meanwhile, find the bastard who did this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWill do.\u201d Hutch saluted her in return. He gazed out past the nearly deserted half acre of cracked and broken macadam to the west. \u201cThat the church, you think?\u201d<\/p>\n

Starsky followed his pointing hand. A white spire was just visible about a mile away. In between were mostly deserted, boarded-up buildings. This part of town had once been a thriving industrial area with factories that produced vacuum cleaner parts, plumbing pipes, nails, and shoelaces. Unsexy objects necessary for daily life. Items now made more cheaply in China, leaving the former workers without employment. Poverty, homelessness, and sadness\u2014so typical, yet so forgotten. The church looked like a relic from another era, not a beacon of salvation and love.<\/p>\n

It was December, when TVs aired a Christmas special every night, department stores were crammed with holiday shoppers spending all their cash, and every school kid learns that Santa is coming and Rudolph is lighting his way. But what about those who could barely afford to feed themselves, much less buy gifts and a great big tree?<\/p>\n

What about those who didn\u2019t believe baby Jesus was born on December twenty-fifth?<\/p>\n

Raised Jewish, Starsky had embraced every winter holiday with the passion of a true merrymaker. Light the menorah and play dreidel for Chanukkah with his mother\u2019s family? A blazing fire and warm cider on the Winter Solstice with his father\u2019s? Exchange gifts on Christmas with Hutch? All, and more, were how Starsky spent the holidays.<\/p>\n

Damning gentle folk just trying to survive in the world with a modicum of love in their lives? No, that was anathema to everything he believed in.<\/p>\n

\u201cReverend Allbright, here we come,\u201d Starsky said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t get to jog this morning.\u201d Hutch unzipped his black leather jacket. \u201cFeel like some exercise?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd leave her here?\u201d Starsky glanced at his bright red Torino parked near the entrance they\u2019d used for the warehouse. A couple boys, possibly ten or twelve-years-old, were huddled near the hood, admiring the sleek muscle car.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll protect her from danger.\u201d Hutch rolled his eyes, bouncing on the balls of his suede sneakers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as they don\u2019t drive her off,\u201d Starsky groused, then broke into a run when he realized Hutch had dashed ahead.<\/p>\n

To be continued….<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story is in the same universe as The Future Ain\u2019t What it Used to Be but isn\u2019t a sequel. He always kept the bedroom door ajar, as his mother had taught him, to allow the spirits access. Most folk … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,17,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-96","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fic","category-sfw","category-slash"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=96"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":664,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96\/revisions\/664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=96"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=96"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/advent.starskyhutchcalendar.net\/2018\/calendar\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=96"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}