Family Shadows
By TLR
Plot: Starsky tries to help a young lady leave her father.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::
6:00 pm.
After Starsky dropped Hutch off at his place, he headed toward home, then remembered he needed to pick up Hutch's birthday present, a handmade guitar strap embroidered with flowers and leaves from a guy named Louie, and headed out to the artisan's house to pick it up, a bit past the suburbs, where the streets became a two-lane road and the drive was more Hutch's naturist style rather than his own urban one. As he drove, he listened to the radio, and about halfway to his destination, spotted a young woman looking at the motor of her car under a raised hood on the side of the road.
"Need a hand?" he called out, pulling up beside her car. She looked up, and he noticed her youthful features wore worry lines that he estimated had little to do with car trouble.
She was striking, with long, dark hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a simple wine-colored dress, with a wine-colored silk scarf around her neck.
"Yes, thank you," she replied, her voice soft but weary. "My car died, and now it won't start. I know nothing about cars, but it's been acting this way for a while now."
As Starsky examined the motor to determine the source of the trouble, he said, "Name's Dave."
"Hi," she said with a brief smile. "I'm Maria."
He tried starting the car, but it sputtered and died. A second time, and it wouldn't do anything at all. He tried pumping the pedal and starting it a third time, but no luck.
"I think it's the fuel pump," he said getting out of the car. "Has it been sputtering and dying a lot?"
She nodded. "Yes, Doctor, it has."
A few cars passed by as the two stood looking at her motor.
"Well," he said closing the hood. "I know a good mechanic."
"Me too, but mine had to go back east for a funeral."
He looked around. "I could give you a lift home. I'll give you Merl's number."
"Oh," she said with uncertainty. "I don't know. How do I know you won't turn into an ogre on the way?"
He smiled and took out his badge to show her. "I took my anti-ogre vitamin this morning. And, for the sake of equality, how do I know you won't ravish my body on the way?"
Her smile grew lighter, more playful. "You don't."
::
As he drove toward the address she gave him, he said, "You know what I do for a living. What about you?"
"Mm," she said without much of a smile as she looked out the passenger window. "I'm a princess."
"A prin..."
She looked at him. "I don't have to do anything. My father is well off, very powerful, so I don't have to do a damn thing. I come and go when and where I please, buy anything I want, eat anywhere I want, have my pick of...guys...if I want...I'm watched like a hawk, have to report to my father every move I make..."
"Well," he said with a hint of a smile, but seriousness too, "you don't sound like a very happy princess."
"I'm twenty-five, and about ready to run away from home like a frustrated teenager."
Starsky let the car be silent, giving her room to speak if she wanted.
"I don't hate my father, Dave. I love him. He's the only family I have since my mother died when I was five. But I'm the proverbial bird in a gilded cage. I want..."
"Freedom," he smiled.
"Yes! Freedom!"
Laughing, she rolled her window down and let the wind blow into her face and hair.
"Freedom! My own place! My own money! My own life!"
When she settled back into her seat again and rolled the window up, he said, "So what's stopping you?"
Her mood became sullen now. Looking down into the hands that wrested each other in her lap, much like trapped birds, she murmured in a low voice, "My father. If I tell you who he is, you'll never want to speak to me again, and, I was just beginning to like you."
He looked at her bowed head for a long time, then said, "Try me."
She finally raised her head and looked at him with sad eyes again. "Mick Donato."
Mick Donato was an elusive mobster who had quickly ascended to the throne of the Bay City underworld, and would most likely stay there for a while unless his underboss Stevie toppled him. Starsky and his partner had not had any personal dealings with the man, yet, but they had arrested a few of his underlings that were not so wise.
"So, Mick Donato lets his daughter drive a car that sputters?"
It wasn't the reaction she usually received, so it put another smile on her face.
"I have a stubborn streak. I told him I was determined to get it fixed myself. He actually told me this would happen. He offered to buy me a new car. It was the last straw. I said no. I just want out, Dave. I just want out. I know it sounds terrible, for me to want to be away from my family, but it's true."
His heart clenched at her dilemma. She appeared to be a good soul tangled in a wicked world.
"I can help you get a new start," Starsky found himself saying. She looked at him with a mixture of gratitude and caution.
"What?"
As they neared the address to her father's mini mansion, he slowed down and pulled off to the side of the road.
"I have to know," he said in a near whisper, "if you really mean it."
She looked into his eyes and felt a trust she wanted to believe but didn't quite understand.
"I do," she said in the same near-whisper. "I'm twenty-five. If I don't get out now..."
He performed a casual U-turn and headed back toward the city.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"To your new life," he said with a wink.
She looked on edge at first, then, the more she thought about it, the more relaxed she became in her seat.
"Yes," she said quietly, and with soft confidence. "My new life."
"And, part of MY life means I need to go pick up my partner's birthday present. Are you in?"
She nodded with a little laugh. "I'm in."
::
"Dinner is on me," Starsky said as he parked the Torino in front of his house. "Since you've eaten in every restaurant in the state of California, I'm going to treat you to a Starsky special."
"And," she said as she took his hand, allowing him to help her from the passenger seat, "what is that, may I ask?"
"My famous homemade pizza," he said. "You're gonna love it."
It was then that Hutch pulled his car up behind them and got out, a red sweater in his hand, which he tossed to Starsky.
"Here, dirtball. You left this at my place."
Then his look landed on Maria with a flicker of recognition; with an uncertain smile.
"Um, Hutch," Starsky said gesturing between Maria and his partner. "This is Maria Donato. Maria, my partner Ken Hutchinson."
Hutch took her hand politely, but gave Starsky a quick look that spoke volumes, which Starsky chose to ignore for the moment.
"Hey!" Starsky said clapping his hands together once. "Hutch, wanna stay and eat my famous pizza?"
"No, thank you," Hutch said cordially, then gave Maria a loaded look too. "See you in the morning, Starsk."
Starsky opened the passenger door of the Torino and took out a gift-wrapped box. "Here you go, Bronco," he said tossing Hutch the present. "Happy birthday."
Hutch opened the gift right then and there, eyes beaming with appreciation and admiration as he held up the handcrafted guitar strap and looked it over. "Hey, this is beautiful," he said reaching toward Starsky and giving him a quick hug. "Thank you."
"See you in the morning," Starsky said, and watched Hutch get into his car and leave.
When he was gone, Starsky put an arm around Maria.
"Ready for the grand tour of my humble domain?" he asked.
"Of course. I love being inside a man's home. I mean...sorry, I didn't mean...I mean, to see how you decorate, how you live. My dream is to be an interior decorator."
::
"You're right," Maria said as she observed him making the pizza. "Watching you is much better than a restaurant."
"Mmm," he said leaning across the breakfast counter to kiss her. "Just a taste of your new life."
::
Next morning.
Maria woke up nestled in one of his arms, but he was already awake, gazing at the ceiling, his free arm folded behind his head.
"No coffee?" she asked.
"Didn't want to wake you," he said kissing her. "You looked so peaceful sleeping."
"I did sleep well. And I decided I want to make my move today."
"Moving out?"
"Yes. From the family house. It'll be fun apartment hunting. I have some money in the bank. Of course."
Starsky chuckled. "Of course. Why wouldn't Mick Donato's daughter have some money in the bank?"
When she didn't laugh, but instead slipped out of his bed and went into the bath, he rolled out of bed and followed her.
"Hey, sorry. Bad joke."
"I'm a part-time illustrator," she said as she wet a washcloth and wiped her face. "I sell pictures to publishers. So, I have my own money. It's interior decorating I want for a career."
He gently took her shoulders and turned her around. "Now I really am sorry. You said you wanted your own money, so I just assumed..."
She smiled and kissed him. "It's okay. Easy assumption to make. Now what are we going to do for breakfast? Me, I'm just going to have some coffee before I apartment hunt."
"Coffee for me too, and, I've been thinking. You could stay here while you hunt."
"Really? That's so nice of you. I'll go get some things from my house and...funny, I guess I should call it my father's house now."
"Yeah," he said kissing her passionately. "You should."
::
"Want me to wait for you?" Starsky said as he dropped Maria off at the gate that led entrance to the Donato estate. "Or go in with you?"
"No, I don't want you to be late for work. I'll see you later this evening. Thanks for the extra key."
He watched her walk through the gate before driving off, unaware of the eyes watching him from an upper window in the distance. Mick, a broad-shouldered man hardened for the realities of the mobster world, watched the departing car.
::
"Who was that?" Mick Donato asked when Maria walked into his office.
"A friend."
"I know that car. Belongs to a cop, doesn't it?"
"Dad, it doesn't matter. It's my life. You-"
He slapped her, making her rock sideways, almost off of her feet. But she righted herself and held her cheek as she looked back at him, chest heaving.
"IT'S MY LIFE TOO, MARIA! I HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THE LAW, MY UNDERBOSS STEVIE WANTING TO OUST ME, AND NOW YOU?"
Before, she would have cried. But not today. Today she had resolve, and Dave.
He took a step closer to her, but she didn't flinch.
"What have I told you, Maria, about seeing men I don't know or approve of?"
She turned with a neutral expression on her face. "I came here for my things, Dad. I'm leaving. And I won't be back. Unless..."
His eyes screwed down into a shrewd glare. "Unless?"
"Unless you give up the life."
His shrewd glare turned to laughter.
"You sound like your mother. But did I listen to her?"
"Obviously, no."
He stepped up to her and took her face between the strong fingers of his broad hand, squeezing cruelly hard into her cheeks. "If I can't have you, no one can."
But she didn't flinch, she didn't cry, and she didn't cover up. She simply turned from his grasp and walked out.
::
Same morning.
Hutch was standing on his sidewalk waiting for Starsky when he pulled up in the Torino.
"Running a little late, aren't you?" the blond asked as he slid into the passenger seat.
"Yeah, sorry. I dropped Maria off at her pop's. Gonna get Merl to tow her car in today and work on it. She'll be stayin' with me until she can get her own place."
Hutch took a deep breath, and let it out as he looked at Starsky with all sincerity. "Seeing Maria, Starsk. Isn't a good idea."
"I know, Hutch, but I'm helping her break away from this. She doesn't want to be part of her father's life anymore. A part of...that life...anymore."
"And you think Mick Donato is simply going to let his little girl waltz into the arms of a cop? Have you thought this through?"
"I'll talk to him."
Hutch offered a small laugh of derision, and he wasn't smiling. "Good luck with that."
"Hey!" Starsky snapped as he glared at him. "I didn't say anything when you were trying to help Jeanie get away from Ben Forest."
Hutch looked at him, face paling. After recovering he said, "Maybe you should have."
When Hutch looked out the passenger window again, Starsky nudged him with his elbow. "Sorry."
Without looking at him, Hutch's soft whisper came back, "Just be careful, huh?"
::
After their shift that day, Maria was waiting for Starsky in the police parking garage. When he and Hutch walked toward her, Starsky looked around. "Merl says your car's almost ready. How'd you get here?"
"Took a cab," she said giving him a quick kiss. "Like a regular person." She looked at Hutch, as if sensing his discomfort and disapproval. "Hi," she said meekly.
"Hi," he said back, almost as meekly.
Starsky touched one of her cheeks gently with his thumb, smudging away makeup to reveal her bruising. "What happened?"
"Dear old dad," she said with an uncomfortable shrug. "He loses his temper sometimes. Especially over guys I'm seeing, not seeing, was seeing, or thinking about seeing."
Starsky looked at Hutch. "Let's go to my place. You and Maria take the Torino to Merl's so she can pick up her car. I'll take the motorcycle."
"To where?" she asked.
"Dear old dad's."
"No," she said taking his arm. "I can't let you do that."
He took her hand from his arm and kissed it tenderly. "It has to be done, if you're ever going to make a clean break."
"Starsk," Hutch said with a hand on his shoulder. "Just cool down. Give it an hour or so, and I'll go with you to talk to Donato. We'll take an arrest warrant for assault and battery.
"I can't," Starsky said as he unlocked the driver's side door of the Torino. "I have to talk to him now. Just take Maria to pick up her car."
::
Starsky opened his garage door and stepped inside, put his helmet on, and rolled his motorcycle onto the sidewalk. Revving it, he looked at Hutch, who opened the driver's side door of the Torino.
Maria ran toward Starsky with a hug.
"I'll be back," Starsky said as he hugged her and kicked the bike into life. "With your freedom."
She watched him ride away, then went to the passenger side of the Torino and got in next to Hutch.
::
As Hutch drove Maria toward Merl the mechanic's garage in the Torino, he said, "I'm going to back him up and send reinforcements. Whatever happens, you're free now, so don't look back."
Close to tears and unable to speak, she nodded.
But as he turned into Merl's and shifted into Park, a car sped past them, bullets chattering and biting into the Torino.
Merl came running toward the car.
"Starkinson!"
He threw the driver's side door open, finding an unconscious Hutch bleeding from a head wound; a dead Maria slumped against him.
00
Starsky was just slowing his motorcycle down at Donato's front gate when Huggy pulled up next to him.
"Starsk," Huggy called through the open passenger window. "Hutch and Maria got shot up at Merl's. Donato for sure. Bets are he thought it was you."
Without a word, Starsky roared away from the gate and headed toward the city.
::
Captain Dobey grabbed Starsky as he ran into the hospital lobby.
"Starsky, slow down! Listen to me. Maria didn't make it."
Starsky turned frantic, wounded eyes to him, clutching at the captain's lapels, but it looked like only half of him was present. The other half...
"He's in ICU, Starsky. Head wound. I posted uniforms, got a citywide search for Donato and his men. We'll get him."
Huggy ran in, wrapping an arm around Starsky and moving him toward the elevator.
"Let's go, Starsk. Let's go see him."
::
They stood at the ICU window looking at Hutch through the glass, at this point the blond looking more mannequin than human, his head swathed in a bandage, pallor waxy pale and eternally still it seemed.
"My fault," Starsky whispered tearfully.
"Can't," Huggy said in a quiet, hoarse voice. "Can't blame yourself. Bad stuff goes down."
Two uniformed officers stood by, on alert, both nodding fellow feeling in their direction.
Dr. Price came walking down the hall to talk to them.
"Dave," the doctor said gripping his shoulder and looking at Hutch through the ICU window, "he's holding his own. If he survives the next twenty-four, I think he'll make it."
::
Later that night, the two uniformed officers having been replaced by two fresh ones, Starsky was completely alone in Hutch's hospital room. His partner still had not roused from his coma, and Mick Donato had not been apprehended. He had sent Huggy and the captain home. His thoughts were consumed with Hutch. But now, in his twilight state of exhaustion and emotional pain, thoughts of Maria flickered in: What he lost. What they could have had. What had been stolen from him. For the first time today, he allowed himself to shed tears for her.
It was sometime during the night, while he slept on folded arms on the edge of Hutch's bed, that he felt a hand in his hair. Waking up and looking around groggily, he saw Hutch looking at him with medicated but sad eyes at the memory of lost Maria.
"Hey," Starsky whispered with a half-smile as he brushed Hutch's forehead with the back of his fingers. "How you doing?"
Hutch of course didn't answer, but his eyes stayed on his partner.
"I'll buzz the nurse," Starsky said reaching for the call button. "You just...keep gettin' better."
::
Based on an anonymous tip, presumably from Donato's underboss Stevie, Bay City officers were able to locate and apprehend the mob boss in a luxury hotel under an assumed name.
::
Next day.
"Murder in the first," Starsky said as he walked around the table Mick Donato sat at with his attorney in the interrogation room at BCPD. "And attempted murder of Detective Ken Hutchinson."
On his lawyer's advice, Donato didn't answer, so Starsky continued: "I'll see that you get the max. While you're serving, your underboss Stevie will move in and take over, taking your boys with him. You'll lose everything you ever crooked for. Stevie will have you burned in jail to send a message to everyone and gain instant respect. No lawyer good enough to stop that from happening. Micky."
The smug look usually found in Donato's eyes turned to a glint of realization, which he quickly covered with a small chuckle and a shift in posture. He glanced over his shoulder and around the room, as if searching for his yes-men underlings and wondering why they weren't coming to his defense.
::
When Hutch was discharged from the hospital and on his journey of healing, Starsky invited him over to his house for a home cooked dinner. While they waited on the oven-roasted beef, potatoes, and carrots to finish, Hutch picked up Starsky's guitar and began to strum, while Starsky slipped into the bedroom.
After a few minutes, Hutch set the guitar aside and went to see what was keeping his partner.
Starsky was standing next to the bed, Maria's burgundy silk scarf in his hand, gazing at it fondly, lost in the memory of their brief but meaningful time together.
"I wish," Hutch said in a low, quiet voice, "I could have done more to protect her. I..."
Still looking down, Starsky moved his head no. "He was out to take her life, Hutch. But he couldn't take her freedom."
The bedroom was silent for a few long seconds.
"Here," Hutch said softly as he took the scarf, draped it around Starsky's neck, and tied it loosely at the ends. "Looks good on you."
Starsky's head was still down. Hutch pulled him into his arms and gave him a good hug.
"It'll get better, Starsk. I promise."
The End