Justified

Suspected kidnappers killed by a cop. There had to have been consequences. Tag to The Psychic.

Written for the LJ me_and_thee1000 challenge 21: missing scene.

Captain Harold Dobey stood ramrod straight, the very picture of quiet, confident authority. He’d been on the firing line for nearly an hour, but the strain didn’t show. If he was nervous or intimidated by his surroundings, you’d never have guessed it. He was calm, almost preternaturally so, as he faced the panel members.

The five men at the table were all quite grave and solemn, as though any sign of levity on their part might somehow disqualify them from carrying out their appointed duty—that of sitting in judgment on one of Bay City’s finest. The public deserved an accounting, if not a pound of flesh, and come hell or high water, they were going to have it.

Over Dobey’s dead body, that is.

“Was it really necessary for Detective Starsky to resort to deadly force, Captain?” one asked. Again. As if he thought adding the “really” was going to get him a different response. “Discharging a powerful firearm on a busy city thoroughfare, causing a vehicle explosion, endangering countless innocent bystanders—”

“Detective Starsky was trying to prevent the suspects from fleeing the scene,” Dobey replied. Again. “They were the only ones who knew where the kidnap victim was.”

“Still, he had just seen his partner gunned down by these same individuals,” another retorted. “Surely this had some influence on his rash actions.”

“Detective Hutchinson had a bulletproof vest on. Detective Starsky knew this. Anyway, a car does not usually explode when it’s struck by a bullet. In this case, it was an unlucky outcome, not an intended one.”

“Still, it does not look good, not good at all. Our citizens expect our law enforcement officers to obey the law as well as uphold it. They can’t be seen as vengeful renegades.” The chairman removed his glasses and polished them. “It is very fortunate that Miss Haymes was found alive despite the, ah, unlucky outcome.”

“Found by those very same detectives,” Dobey pointed out, pride clearly evident in his voice. He hoped the smugness wasn’t.

“Yes, that’s true.” The chairman nodded reluctantly, almost disappointed. “Please wait in the hallway, Captain.”

Dobey sat down on a wood bench outside of the conference room, sighing with relief. His feet were giving him grief and his back was acting up. He thought about visiting the restroom, but decided not to.

As he expected, the respite was brief. In just a few minutes, he was called back in.

“It is the decision of this panel that, under the specific and unique circumstances surrounding this particular case, Detective Sergeant David Starsky was justified in his use of deadly force. Therefore, an official hearing by the full Review Board will not be necessary. However,” the chair continued sternly, “put Detective Starsky on notice that we do not condone his reckless behavior. He’s a loose cannon, and we don’t need those in the department.” He and the other panel members stood, and Dobey took this as a dismissal. He nodded curtly and left.

As he headed back to Metro, he allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. The Commissioner had had to go through the motions, of course, but Joe Haymes was an influential man. The panel’s decision came as no surprise to Dobey. Starsky, as one of Joanna’s rescuers, was never under any real threat of disciplinary action, so long as there was nothing on the record that might have indicated malice aforethought on his part. Dobey had ensured that there wasn’t.

In truth, Dobey wasn’t altogether sure if Starsky had meant to kill the kidnappers or not. He deliberately had not asked. For Starsky to have seen Hutch shot like that, vest or no vest… no, Dobey wasn’t sure at all. However, he did know what it was like to lose a partner. God willing, that was something he hoped his boys would never have to know.

Chapter End Notes:

The “star chamber”-esque review procedure described in this story is completely fictitious.