Trustworthy

Having been played by their own people, Starsky and Hutch contemplate who they can trust.

Missing scene from Death Ride.

After leaving Dobey’s office, the partners, in unspoken communication, immediately headed for the first available observation room.

Starsky paced back and forth rapidly, anger and frustration pouring off his body, his speed and feelings threatening to ignite the stagnant air in the room. Hutch wisely stood out his way, and rubbed the sides of his forehead with his thumb and middle finger.

It was several minutes before Hutch sighed loudly and said, “I still can’t believe this. The DA didn’t trust us. Us! Hell, we won’t even take a free cup of coffee on the streets.”

Starsky, continuing his pacing but at a slightly slower rate, said, “I can’t believe Dobey didn’t trust us. “Whadda we do if our own cap’n doesn’t trust us, hunh?” He smacked the palm of his hand on a wall before making a turn. “Don’t he know we’re trustworthy?”

Hutch snagged Starsky’s forearm as he passed. “I think he does, but this time, he was caught between a rock and a hard place.”

“More like a hard ass of a DA. But what about us, Hutch? Two patsies who coulda died, thinkin’ that we’d failed?”

Hutch tilted his head, lifted his eyebrows. “At least we would’ve died protecting a fellow cop.”

Starsky deflated somewhat. “Yeah. That makes all this a little easier to take.” He chuffed. “But Dobey. That’s hard to take.”

Hutch nodded. “It is. But we should cut him some slack on this. He cuts us more slack than we deserve at times.”

A deep breath calmed Starsky down. “Okay, okay. So whadda we do now?”

Hutch smiled affectionately. “What we do every day, partner. Trust each other. Me and thee.” He moved his hand from Starsky’s arm to his chest, bringing it to rest over his heart.

Starsky grinned as he touched his forehead to Hutch’s and placed his hand on the back of Hutch’s neck. “Always.”

the end
July 2019