Starsky & Hutch

Justice

(Fourth season story – Hutch)

He noticed the lines around his eyes, lines that hadn't been there before. He couldn't believe how old he looked. The mirror always told the truth, though, always showed him more than he wanted to see. Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the tiredest cop of all? He laughed bitterly 

at his own joke. Sleeping Beauty, you're not. 

He believed in his life and his job as a cop. He had spent so many years searching for a career that was meaningful. Life wasn't just about taking, it was about giving, too. He knew he was just one of many, but what he was doing mattered. Every time someone was kidnapped, or raped, or murdered, he was needed. The innocent needed him, and the guilty feared him. He caught them, the courts prosecuted him, and hopefully, the judge sentenced them. It was all in the name of duty. 

With each horrifying case, he kept getting older. He only had to look in the mirror to see that. He seemed to have aged 10 years in the last couple of weeks. How many cases had he worked this month? The crime rate kept going up, but the number of available detectives stayed the same. There was never enough hours in the day any more. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a weekend off. He sighed. He knew he wasn't the only tired cop. It was the same everywhere. 

So he did what he always did; he went to work. By the end of his shift, another criminal was behind bars, and the streets were safe again. One more case was solved, but there were many yet to go. He could see many long days ahead, but it was OK. As long as he still believed that 

justice would always be served, he would be all right. 

~~~~~   

THE END  

~~~~~

Written by Sonja H. van Schalm & Pat L.

January 2002 

Netherlands & USA