MIND CONTROL
CHAPTER EIGHT
The synagogue was filled with police officers, family and friends who had come to pay their last respects to David Michael Starsky. Because of the condition of the body, the casket was closed and covered with a flag. An enlarged picture of Starsky, taken shortly before the shooting, was mounted on an easel beside the casket.
Hutch sat in the front row, huddled beside Rachel Starsky. Her youngest son, Nicky, sat on the other side of his grieving mother. Other members of Starsky's large extended family were in attendance; his Uncle Al and Aunt Rosie, numerous cousins and other aunts and uncles who still lived in New York. Huggy Bear was there along with two of his waitresses, Anita and Diana. Sweet Alice was there, dressed demurely, and wiping her puffy eyes with a lacy hanky. People from all walks of life whose lives Starsky had touched throughout the years. People who had sincerely cared about the man, not just the cop.
Hutch was beyond consoling. He had retreated into a world of his own, wrapped up in his own grief and pain. Even though the dental records had positively identified the body in the car as being Starsky, the big blond still refused to believe the unofficial findings that suggested that the brunet had committed suicide due to severe depression. Hutch vowed that he would do whatever it took, even if it took the rest of his life, to find out what had really happened to his partner and friend. It was the only reason he had to go on living with Starsky gone.
In the three days that had passed since the Torino had been found at the bottom of the Canyon, the Dobey family had insisted that Hutch stay with them, afraid to let the grieving blond out of their sight. The only one Hutch seemed to be able to share the depth of his grief with had been Rachel Starsky. When she had arrived from New York, along with Nick and the other Starsky relatives from back east, she had immediately insisted on seeing Hutch.
As soon as he saw his partner's mother, Hutch had broken down in heart rendering sobs when the petite woman took him into her arms and embraced him. Rachel had held him, rocking him gently back and forth as if he were a child, until his sobs finally stopped. The heartbreaking scene had left a deep impression on everyone who witnessed it.
Rachel had calmly discussed the plans for the traditional Jewish ceremony which would be extended to include the official police department ceremony. Against Nicky's strenuous objections, Rachel had insisted that Hutch would be included in the traditional Jewish customs as part of the family even though the big blond was not Jewish. Despite his own overwhelming grief, Hutch was grateful for her thoughtfulness. She knew how close her son had been to his partner and how much the two men had meant to each other. They were brothers of the heart, even if they were not brothers by blood.
Her decision did not set well with her youngest son but Nick Starsky knew better than to go against his mother's wishes. Nicky and Starsky had grown apart due to their forced separation during the years and Nicky had always been jealous of the relationship Starsky and Hutch had shared. He felt that Hutch had taken his rightful place in his brother's life.
That was why Hutch was now sitting in the front row with Rachel and Nicky. A few minutes before the service began, Hutch had joined Rachel and the rest of the Starsky family mourners, to observe the first formal act of mourning, kriah, or the tearing of a black ribbon pinned to their sleeves. In the Jewish religion, the torn sleeve symbolized the tear that was in their hearts. Most of the Jewish mourners had the tear on the right side but Rachel, Nicky and Hutch wore the tear on the left to acknowledge the difference in their relationship to Starsky.
The Rabbi stepped to the front of the room and the service began. Thankfully, the Jewish portion of the ceremony was brief. Selections were read from Psalms and Hutch delivered a short eulogy. When the big blond broke down, unable to finish, Nick had finished it. Despite the differences between Hutch and the youngest Starsky son, they had agreed to put those differences aside for Rachel's sake. Afterwards, the other mourners were allowed to say a few words of their on if they chose to. Huggy Bear, Captain Dobey and even little Rosie all said a few words about the loss of their friend and colleague.
Hutch, Nick, Huggy, Captain Dobey, Al Starsky, and another Starsky uncle, acted as the pall bearers, carrying the simple pine casket out to the waiting hearse after the ceremony. At the gravesite, the Rabbi said a few words and then the police department gave the traditional twenty-one gun salute to their fallen comrade. The police honor guard carefully folded the flag covering the casket and solemnly presented it to Rachel Starsky. She smiled sadly as she accepted the gesture of respect, then she surprised everyone by turning and presenting the flag to Hutch. The blond broke down in tears as he accepted the precious gift, clutching it close to his heart.
After the casket was lowered into the ground, each of the mourners, starting with Hutch, Rachel and Nicky, shoveled some earth into the grave. This followed another old Jewish tradition which was meant to show a continuing concern for the deceased as family members made sure the final journey is completed.
Once the service was over, the Starsky family formed two lines through which the other mourners walked on their way back to their cars, offering words of comfort to the family mourners as they did. Afterwards, the family members returned to Rosie and Al Starsky's home where they would sit Shivah for the next seven days. Once again, Rachel had insisted that Hutch be included in the age old tradition.
There were several customs involving Shivah that Rachel had carefully explained to Hutch, including covering all the mirrors in the home, not wearing shoes and sitting on low stools instead of the sofa or chairs. For close family members such as Rachel and Nicky, the traditional mourning period was a year. During that time, kaddish, would be recited for eleven months and one day, either in the morning or in the evening. Although Hutch was under no obligation to follow that particular tradition, it was one he intended to follow. Starsky had taught him the words to the centuries old prayer years ago when they both realized the depth of their friendship and commitment to one another.
Hutch had barely made it through the day, the depth of his grief so overwhelming that he was almost catatonic. He followed the directions he was given either by Captain Dobey or Rachel Starsky, behaving like an obedient child who needed someone to hold his hand. When they arrived at Al's home, Rachel had immediately insisted that Hutch lay down as soon as they finished eating the traditional mourning dinner prepared by family and friends. She had been keeping a close eye on the big blond all day, saddened by the depth of his grief for her eldest son. Nicky was following the customs and traditions but it was obvious that his grief for his brother didn't run nearly as deep as Hutch's did. Rachel was glad that she had decided to include Hutch in the old traditions. He had as much right to be there as Nicky did, maybe even more. She knew that if it hadn't been for Hutch, she would have lost her eldest son long ago to the violence of his chosen career.
Although she knew the circumstances surrounding her son's death, like Hutch, Rachel Starsky refused to believe that her David had taken his own life. He loved life too much to go against one of the oldest teachings of their faith, that suicide was a criminal act and that when a person commits suicide, the soul has nowhere to go. She was grateful that the official reports released by the department listed his death as accidental. Her son had earned the right to be remembered with honor and not shame.
Rachel had never gotten over the loss of her husband when she was in her early thirties. Now, losing her David, had left her feeling like a very old woman with little reason left to go on living. Nicky had always been a disappointment. It was David who had been the strong one, her rock, her pride and joy. She had never entirely forgiven herself for sending him to California to live with Al and Rosie when he was so young but in her heart, she knew she had done the right thing for her eldest son. If he had stayed in New York, he would have turned out just like his brother and that would have broken her heart beyond repair. Now all she had left was her memories of the child he had been and the man he had become.