CHAPTER 26

Starsky shifted position and tried to get comfortable. The only difference between sitting in his cell on death row and being in solitary confinement was the fact that there was nothing to do in solitary except to sit and stare at the wall. He had nothing to read, received no mail, and was only allowed one shower a week. He didn't get his hour in the exercise yard at all. Spend too much time in solitaire and you could lose your mind. With nothing to occupy his mind, a minute seemed like an hour, an hour seemed like a week, and a day lasted an eternity. Starsky had already been in this dark, silent cell for almost a week and it would be another three days before he would be returned to his usual cell.

To ease the unrelenting boredom, he slept more than usual. But, he never fell into a deep, restful sleep. He dozed, jerking awake with a start at the slightest sound, both real and imagined. His dreams were filled with images of Hutch and he often awoke with his partner's name echoing on his lips. He knew that it was not safe for Hutch in New York and he wished with all his heart that he could be there with him so he could watch the big blond's back.

He tried not to think much about his limited future but it was hard not to. Each day that passed brought him closer to the gas chamber. He wasn't afraid to die. He had faced death far too many times both in Viet Nam and on the streets of Bay City to fear it. But, he didn't want to die like this. Not as a condemned man, executed for a crime that he didn't commit.

A thin smile tugged at his lips as he thought about the old black and white movies that he liked to watch on television late at night. Hollywood's version of life in prison and on death row was radically different from the reality. Starsky had experienced the harsh reality of life in prison and he knew that he would bear the scars of that experience for the rest of his life, no matter how short that life was.

Restless and agitated, he shoved himself to his feet and began to pace the confines of his cell like a trapped animal. That was how he felt most of the time in this place. With no outlet for his naturally hyperactive nature, he had to figure out his own ways to stay in shape and work off his excess energy.

He was startled when he heard a key turning in the lock and the door to his cell swung open. One of the guards stood in the doorway, eyeing him warily. One hand rested on his billy club as he motioned with his free hand for Starsky to step forward. Starsky hid a smile. His sudden transformation from a submissive and passive prisoner to a man who would fight back had made the guards cautious and leery of him. It gave Starsky a grim sense of satisfaction that he was no longer willing to accept the abuse from the guards or the other prisoners. He may have lost himself for awhile and let his spirit be broken but in the end, his survival instincts had refused to allow him to give up completely.

"The warden decided to let you out of solitaire early. You're going back to your cell." The guard told him. He took Starsky's right arm and escorted him out of the cell. They began walking down the long corridor back towards the main section of the prison. Neither of them spoke, the echo of their footsteps noticeably loud in the silence. As they approached the cellblock the young guard tightened his grip on Starsky's arm. The familiar taunts, hissing sounds, and obscenities from the other prisoners followed Starsky to his cell but he ignored them, keeping his head up and his eyes looking straight ahead. He knew that his victory over his tormentors in the shower room had won him the grudging respect of at least some of the hardened cons while there were still others who would stick a shiv in his back at the first opportunity they had.

The guard let Starsky into his cell and locked the door behind him. Starsky sighed heavily as he sat down on his bunk and picked up the accumulation of mail that was lying there. After eight days in solitary, there was quite a bit. There were six letters from his mother, four from Huggy, one from Captain Dobey, two from Minnie, and one from Rosie Dobey. He frowned when he realized that the usual letters from Hutch were noticeably absent. Leaving his mother's letters for last, he read his other mail first.

Minnie and Rosie Dobey's letters made him smile. They were chatty and full of little stories about their everyday lives. Rosie had drawn him a picture of his car and sent it to him. His eyes burned with unshed tears as he looked at the childish drawing of his pride and joy. Just one more thing he missed terribly about his old life.

The letters from Captain Dobey held news about what was going on at the Station in his absence. There was a brief mention about Hutch taking a trip to New York and the possibility of new evidence being found concerning his case.

The letters from Huggy were more personal. Huggy told him about Hutch's trip to New York and told him about a phone call he had received from Hutch and how Hutch had told him about finding out about the Salvado family. The call from Hutch had been over five days ago and he had mentioned a planned visit to Joe Durniak's son to ask for help. The news did not set well with Starsky. Hutch didn't know what he was getting himself into and this bit of news only increased Starsky's concern for his partner.

Finally, he read the letters from his mother. She told him about Hutch's unexpected arrival and admitted telling him the history between Starsky and the Salvado family. She had also told him about the black rose she had received shortly before Starsky's trouble with Prudolm began and the warning behind it. The most recent letter from his mother was the one that worried him the most. In it she told him that Hutch had gotten into an argument with Nicky and that neither one of them had been there when she got home from her weekly visit with her sister. At the time she wrote the letter, which was dated three days ago, she had not seen either one of them for two days and was starting to get worried about both of them.

"God damn it, Hutch," Starsky muttered under his breath as he finished reading the letter. "Where the hell are you?"

He closed his eyes and took several deep breathes to try and calm himself as his anxiety level soared. Every instinct he had was screaming that Hutch was in terrible danger and needed him. He had to talk to his mother. He was allowed one collect call a week, a privilege that he had ignored until now. Bouncing to his feet, he walked over to the bars of his cell and began banging on them with his fist and yelling for the guard.

One of the older guards huffed up to the cell and glared at him through the bars. "What the hell is all the racket about?" he growled.

"I want to make a phone call." Starsky said in a calm, level voice.

"You do, huh?" The guard said with sneer. "You'll have to wait until later. I ain't got time to take you to the phone right now."

"I have to call now. I want to call my mother and she lives in New York. If I wait until later, it will be too late to call her because of the time difference." Starsky said in a reasonable voice. He knew that he had to remain calm; arguing with the guard would be the quickest way to have his request denied.

"All right…" the guard said in an annoyed voice "But just this once. Don't think you can make this a habit." He grumbled to himself as he unlocked the cell door. Starsky waited until the guard signaled for him to step forward. He let the guard take his arm as they walked down the corridor towards the visiting area where the payphones were located.

The guard stood just inside the door allowing Starsky a minimum of privacy to make his call. He picked up the receiver and waited for the operator to come on the line. He gave his mother's number in New York and waited impatiently for the connection to be made. Finally, he heard his mother's voice on the other end of the line.

"Davey!" she said overjoyed to hear his voice. "It's so good to hear from you! How are you?"

"I'm okay, Ma." He said softly, keeping his voice low so the guard wouldn't overhear his conversation. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm just worried. I haven't heard from your brother or Ken for days. Nobody seems to know where they went."

"Damn…" Starsky whispered. He had been hoping that his mother would tell him that Nicky and Hutch were both back safe and sound. "When was the last time you saw them?"

"It was almost a week ago. Ken and Nicky got into an argument and Nicky stormed out of the house but he came back after I went to bed because he was here when I got up the next morning. But they were both gone when I came home and I haven't seen or heard from either one of them since then. Nicky I could understand. This wouldn't be the first time he took off for a few days without telling me but that doesn't sound like something Ken would do."

"He wouldn't." Starsky told her, struggling to keep his rising fear out of his voice. "Ma, I want you to the call the police. Tell them that Hutch has been missing for over a week and make sure you tell them that he's a cop."

"You think that something happened to him, don't you?" Rachel said quietly.

"Ma, you know as well as I do that if the Salvados had anything to do with what happened to me, then if Hutch started asking too many questions, they wouldn't have any problem going after him."

"I could call Robbie and have him see what he could find out." Rachel suggested.

"No." Starsky said. His family's connection to Joe Durniak had always made him uncomfortable. He didn't want to owe Robert Durniak any favors. He sighed softly and leaned his forehead against the wall, hunching over the phone, as he continued his conversation. "Call Pete at Pop's old precinct and talk to him."

"What about Nicky?" His mother asked in a concerned voice.

"Do whatever you think is best about Nicky." Starsky said, slightly irritated that his mother's primary concern was still for her youngest son. He knew that the decision to send him to live in Bay City had been as traumatic for his mother as it had been for him and as a result she had showered all of her love and devotion on Nicky, often leaving her eldest son feeling estranged and neglected. It was a family dynamic that Starsky had grown accustomed to over the years but it still hurt when his mother appeared to care more about Nicky than she did him.

The truth was Starsky had his own suspicions about Nicky disappearing at the same time that Hutch did. But, he knew that he could not voice his suspicions to his mother. She still refused to see Nicky for what he really was. A two bit little hood who made his living resorting to petty theft, running numbers and a few other illegal activities. Over the years, Starsky had come to realize that his brother was a selfish, self-centered punk who only cared about himself and his own comforts.

Nicky was lucky that Starsky was locked up. If he wasn't, he would have been on the first plane to New York to find Hutch and if he found out that Nicky had anything to do with his partner's disappearance; he wouldn't be able to find a hole big enough to hide in from his older brother's wrath.

The operator's voice came on the line warning him that he only had a few more minutes left to talk before he would be disconnected. Inmate calls were monitored and automatically cut off after fifteen minutes.

"Ma, I have to go." Starsky said "Call Pete and call Captain Dobey. Tell them both what's going on. I'll try to call back in a couple of days to see if you've heard anything from Nicky or Hutch."

"All right," Rachel said. "I love you, David."

"I love you too, Ma." He said past the lump in his throat. "I'll call you back soon." He hung up the phone before Rachel could answer and turned to face the guard, waiting to be escorted back to his cell.