As pre-arranged, the team gathered after the championship game at the Cortiz’s house for pizza and ice cream, even though they lost the championship.  The party was held outside in the small backyard, but people were in and out of the house making calls to parents and guardians and to use the bathroom facility.

At one point during the party, Starsky went inside to use the restroom; everyone else was outside on the small patio in the back.  After cleaning himself up and stepping from the restroom into the hallway, he noted a brief movement from the bedroom across the hallway.

Being a cop automatically made one curious – especially when everyone was supposedly outside – so standing at the side of the doorway, Starsky peeked into the room.  At first all the detective could see was a queen-sized bed with built in shelves that took up most of the room.  Maybe it was my imagination, he thought, but then a slight rustle, like beads knocking together, assured him that someone was definitely in the room.  He didn’t want to pull his weapon, just in case it was Mrs. Cortiz, but he still had the element of surprise on his side.

Stepping full into the doorway, Starsky saw the source of the noise – Miguel was going through items on the top of the long dresser against the near wall.  “What are you doing?”  He barked at the teen.

Miguel jumped up and back from the dresser.  “Um, just getting a watch for Mrs. Cortiz.”

“I don’t think so.”  Starsky stood there, his compact muscular body exuding menace.

“Go out and ask her.”  The teen smirked, more relaxed now.  His posture and expression were so confident that Starsky began to believe that maybe Mrs. Cortiz did ask the young man to retrieve her watch.

“Maybe, but that isn’t what you were just doing now.”

“Prove it,” challenged Miguel.

“I don’t have to prove it – I know it.  I suggest you get your little punk ass outside with Mrs. Cortiz’s watch right now.  I’ll be keeping my eye on you, so don’t even try to pull anymore shit.”

*********

The past week was slow for Metro’s top two detectives.  Starsky and Hutch had resorted to playing basketball with the crumbled papers that held messed-up reports.  Seeing the garbage can by the squad room doors more than half-full, Captain Dobey wondered if perhaps the two weren’t messing the reports on purpose.

“If you two have nothing better to do, I suggest Starsky go down to records and get these files pulled so I can close them.”  The large man dropped a stack of manila folders onto the curly haired detective’s desk, and walked back into his office.

“I’ll be back in a few Blintz, so you’d better be ready for me.  I’m up 20 points to 16, so you can use this extra time to practice.”  Starsky teased his friend.

Just after he left, Starsky’s phone rang.  Hutch leaned over to pick it up.  “Det. Starsky’s desk, Hutchinson speaking.”

A nasally female voice spoke from the other end.  “Is Officer Starsky there?”

“It’s detective, and no he just stepped out.  I’m his partner, can I help you?”

“No.  My name is Patricia Altamont and I’m calling from DHS to speak with David Starsky.  Can I ask that you take a message?”

Hutch looked around the messy desk for a scrap of paper.  “Uh, hold on.  Okay, go ahead.”

“Have him call me at 555-4743.  That’s Patricia Altamont – A-L-T, as in Thomas – Mary –O-Nancy-Thomas.”

“Can I ask what this is about.”

“I’m sorry, but I need to speak with Det. Starsky privately.”

“Okay, I’ll give him the message.”  Hutch hung up the phone and didn’t think further of the call.

When his partner came back, Hutch briefly mentioned that he had a phone call and that the message was somewhere on his desk.  Starsky didn’t worry too much about it, he couldn’t think of any cases that would have anything to do with the Department of Human Services.

Since there wasn’t much else to do Starsky figured ‘what the hell, might as well spend a few minutes doing something’, and returned the phone call to Mrs. Altamont.  It took less than two minutes and by the time Starsky’d hung up the phone, his partner figured out from the one-sided conversation that he had made an appointment for the next morning to see the woman.

“So I guess I’ll be driving by myself tomorrow?”  He asked without looking over the next report form on his desk.

“Yeah.  I can’t figure out what this about though, and she wouldn’t tell me over the phone.”

A little after 10:30 the next morning, Starsky walked in the squad room, his demeanor dazed and confused.

Hutch, glancing up from his desk, did a double take as he saw his partner stagger in.  He went over to help his partner to his desk.  “Starsky?  Buddy what’s wrong?  What happened?”

“Hutch you’re not gonna believe this….”  The shorter man paused looking around dazedly.  “I gotta go talk to Dobey.”  He turned, almost mechanically, to his Captain’s office and knocked politely on the door.  So politely that Dobey was surprised as to who the knocker was (Starsky not being known for his courteous manner) when he granted entrance.

“Starsky?  What can I do for you?”

“Uh, Captain, I, uh, I got somethin’ I gotta let you know ‘bout.”  Starsky stood by the closed door, not finishing his thoughts.

After the beats of a few more silent seconds, Dobey blurted.  “Well, spit it out.  Don’t just stand there holding up my door.”  Seeing the face of his detective go paler, he gentled his voice.  “Take a seat Dave and tell me what’s going on.”

Back in the squad room, Hutch looked at the closed door to their Captain’s office in bewilderment.  They two partners never kept anything from each other – this was very much out of character for the darker detective; and it worried the blonde that changes in their partnership were in the wind.

Not wanting to be left out, especially if he could help his partner, Hutch opened the door to Dobey’s office without knocking first.

“….and don’t worry son, we’ll find out what happened.  Let me…” The large man trailed off, seeing the other half of the team half in the room without permission.  “Hutchinson!  What the hell are you doing?  Didn’t you see my door closed?  We’re having a private conversation here.”

“I thought maybe I might be needed.”

“If I, we, needed you, I’d have called you in.”  He pointed his thick brown finger toward the door.  “Now get out of here and let us be.”

The standing man looked at his seated partner for confirmation, but Starsky wouldn’t look up at him – he continued to stare at the white and gold-flecked floor.  Feeling like he’d been punched in the gut, Hutch slowly closed the door and slunk back into the squad room.  He decided he was going to wait until his partner left Dobey’s office and then force the darker man to tell him what was going on.

The long legs paced back and forth in front of the Captain’s door and the file cabinets; each pass only taking a couple of steps before the body turned and began again.

A few minutes later the door opened and both men stepped out – one large dark hand placed gently on the smaller man’s back.  “Take care Dave, and remember, we’re here to help.”

As Starsky walked by his now still partner, he mumbled, “Um Hutch, I, uh, have to go.  I’ll, uh, meet up with you later, okay?”

A large hand snaked out and grabbed Starsky’s leather clad left arm.  “Starsky?  What’s going on?  Is it your mother?  Your brother?”  Deep blue eyes rose to meet Hutch’s face and for the first time he saw fear in those eyes.  “Buddy?  Tell me, please.”

“Later.”  Starsky choked out.

“Hutchinson, I need to talk to you – my office.”  Dobey indicated with a sweep of his arm.

As soon as the tall blonde stepped into the office, he noticed Starsky’s gun, holster, and badge lying on top of their Captain’s desk.  Whipping around and almost bouncing off his captain’s chest, Hutch demanded to know what the hell was going on.

Ignoring the shouted demand, Dobey closed his door and stepped behind his large desk.  “Hutch I don’t know how to tell you this without telling you the whole story…but…well, your partner’s been accused of a felony.  I’ve had to suspend him – with pay – until the investigation is completed.”

“Suspended?  Accused of what?!  What’s he supposed to have done?  Why isn’t I.A. involved?  Or is the suspension your doing?  The tall man leaned over Dobey’s desk, putting both hands palms down, to get into his superior’s face.

Dobey didn’t flinch at the aggressive move, just folded his hands on his desk and waited for his blonde detective to let off steam and settle down.  “I’m sorry Hutch, I can’t divulge the accusation, you’ll just have to be patient and know that the department stands behind your partner and will do everything we can to help clear the matter up and get him back on the job as soon as possible.”

The long, lanky body straightened to hover over both Dobey and the desk.  “That’s party line bullshit and you know it.”  He pointed his large forefinger at the man, not caring about the blatant display of insubordination.  He stormed out of his captain’s office as quickly as his long legs would take him, hoping to catch up to his partner.

There was no sign of the bold muscle car in the police lot, or in front of Parker Center.  It was going to take some tracking to locate his upset partner.  Huggy’s wasn’t open yet, so the first place Hutch stopped was at Starsky’s apartment.

Two hours later there was still no sign of the missing detective.  Hutch placed a call to Dobey from his car, explaining that he checked the park, the beach, his apartment, and he was now heading over to Huggy’s, but the Captain should be ready to put out an APB on the missing cop.

Dobey protested that it had only been a few hours.

“Cap’n, you saw him when he left here.  He was upset and in pain.  Looked right through me like a zombie.  Who knows where he is by now.”

“You don’t think he’d….”  The Captain’s voice was hesitant.

Hutch caught the unspoken words and immediately denied them.  “No.  He was hurting, but he said he’d talk to me later.  I’m just worried that he could get caught off-guard by some unscrupulous characters while in that frame of mind.”

“Call me from Huggy’s”  The Captain ordered his blonde detective.

The lunch crowd was just getting in full swing when Hutch arrived at Huggy Bear’s.  Even with the busy crowd though, Huggy assured his blonde friend that he would’ve noticed had Starsky walked in.  “He always waltzes in here like he owns the joint.”  Was Huggy’s common grumble.

Hutch told his friend that he’d be at his cottage if Starsky contacted the informant or came in.  Reaching his car, Hutch radioed Captain Dobey the same information.

The first thing Hutch noticed when he got home was a wilted Starsky sitting on his couch.

“Hey Buddy; have you been here the whole time?  I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”  Hutch shrugged out of his tan jacket and sat gently down next to his partner, so as no to make him uneasy.  Starsky’s body was tense, as if he might bolt off the couch at any moment.

“Talk to me buddy, please.  You’re hurting and I just want’a help.”

Starsky took a deep sigh, “I had a couple of your beers.”

A large hand settled on Starsky’s shoulders.  “It’s okay.  You obviously needed them.”  Hutch didn’t want to push his partner, so he settled back waiting for Starsky to make the next step.

Turning to look at the blonde man sitting next to him, Starsky asked, “Hutch do you remember where I had to go this morning?”

The blonde mumbles affirmatively.

“Well, it appears that Miguel Ruiz has accused me of somethin’.  That’s why they wanted me to go down there to talk to them.”

“What kind of an accusation?  Like you threatened him…or hit him?”

“No.  No that kind.”  Starsky choked out.  He looked up at his partner and friend, dark blue eyes deep with fear and sorrow.  By the change in Hutch’s expression, Starsky could tell when understanding dawned on the other man.  He turned his face away so as not to face the condemnation or disgust he was sure would be reflected back.

After a beat of two, Hutch exploded off the couch.  “That little…..”  Anger was evident in his long, harsh strides as he paced.  “What exactly did he say you supposedly did?”

“He said I pushed down his pants and swatted him a couple times on the rear and then…then reached under…and…”  Starsky gulped, having a hard time saying the words “…grabbed him…and…and…strrrok…”  He jumped off the couch, barely making it to the toilet before a stream of foul liquid spewed from his mouth.

Not surprised by his partner’s actions, Hutch went to the linen closet and pulled out a fresh washcloth and hand towel.  Wetting the cloth, he handed it to his bent partner, followed by the towel.  “I’m sorry Starsk.  I didn’t mean to make you relate all that.”  He set his hand on Starsky’s back, tentatively rubbing.  “When does the little bastard say this incident happen?  Or is he saying it was an ongoing thing?”

The smaller man sat down on his haunches and leaned his back against the tub.  “At the pizza party after the Championship Game.  And yes, that’s the only time as far as I know.”  Starsky looked up at his friend.  “You don’t believe it do you?”  The question came out in a tight whisper.

“Aw Starsk.  How could you even think that?”

The curly head dropped.  “I figured you wouldn’t, but I needed to make sure.  It’s true that Miguel isn’t on my list of favorite people, but I would never do that to another person, much less a kid.”

Hutch kneeled down next to him and rubbed his back harder.  “I know Gordo, I know.  We’ll get through this.  We’ll figure out what and why, and get everything all cleared up.”

The following morning Captain Dobey had a visit from IA.  They had gotten a copy of the complaint report and were following through to make sure proper procedure was being followed.  I.E.  that the accused was suspended during the investigation; that the people involved with the accused were interviewed; and that they talked to DHS to make sure all information was passed between the two.

Being called into Dobey’s office was the first time Hutch was aware that IA was involved, though he realized that eventually they would have to be.  They wanted to talk to him about all contact Starsky had had with Miguel.  They also wanted to get some information on Starsky’s interaction with teens and kids in general.

Hutch assured them that never was Starsky improper with any child.  “Even when not around me; I’d stake my life on it.”

Dryden sat on the edge of Dobey’s desk, while Dobey glared at the back of the figure taking perch on his desk.  “We figured you’d say that Hutchinson.”

“Look, I won’t deny that there were some problems with Miguel during practices and games, and sometimes Starsky had to discipline him.  But nothing that went beyond the boundaries of propriety.  The kid’s on the brink of becoming a full-fledged delinquent and created some tension with his disregard of authority and his mouth.  This has got to be some sort of revenge against Starsky for keeping him in line.”

Byrnes wrote something down and looked sympathetically down at the blonde detective while Dryden continued to stare at him.  “Okay, we’ll talk to Detective Starsky and we’re checking to see if this kid has any kind of record at Juvie.  If everything checks out for Detective Starsky, we’ll recommend his restatement until the County’s investigation is complete and request that the Union step in for any legal help he might need.”

The two IA investigators left Captain Dobey and his subordinate to begin their investigation.

Once the room had been vacated, Hutch turned to Dobey.  “I think it stinks that he has to be off at all, but I guess having any kind of support from IA is better than the opposite.”

“It’s really for Starsky’s protection Hutch.”

“Bull.  It’s to protect the department in the event he comes into contact with any other teen while this investigation is ongoing.  If they were to find out about the accusation they could sue the city for leaving a cop in a position where he could come in contact with minors.”

“Exactly, left on the streets, he’s more susceptible to other accusations.  This move also protects him.”

“Well I still don’t like it.”

“Understood.  I don’t like it either.  And for the record, I don’t believe what that kid says happened.”  Dobey removed the pencil from behind his ear and pointed at the blonde.  “I told those IA turkeys the same thing.”

Later that day the Byrnes and Dryden stopped over to Starsky’s apartment to talk to him.  He wanted to meet some place neutral, but they told him due to the nature of the situation that it was best to meet in private.  From the beginning they assured him that they only wanted the truth, even if that truth meant he was guilty.  They also told him that if IA felt the charges were unwarranted he would be reinstated and the Union would stand behind him all the way to fight any charges the County decided to bring.

Then Starsky had to go back over to DHS to give another statement.  He was too distressed to give one the day before.  He was ordered to have no contact with anyone from the baseball league and to not try to contact Miguel Ruiz or his mother.  When Hutch went to see him that evening, Starsky was still down, but now also angry.  Hutch assured him that he would get to the bottom of this and that he would try to talk to them through Kiko.

He called Mrs. Ramos and asked if he could stop by tomorrow.  She had already heard from some of the other parents about Starsky’s alleged offense and told Hutch she would be glad to see both of them to try to help.  Hutch told her Starsky was ordered to stay away from the players and their families in the meantime.

Starsky told Hutch he’d meet up with him at The Pits around 8.  The curly-headed detective needed a drink big time.  His nerves were beginning to fray and he didn’t sleep the previous night.  Hopefully the alcohol would relax him enough to get a good night’s sleep.

Mrs. Ramos was upset by the calls she had received.  A few were positive, but some parents were worried, and some outright blamed her since it was through her and her son that Starsky & Hutch got involved with PAL.

“How did the others find out?”  Hutch asked her.

“Someone told me Miguel’s madre told her.”

“Damn.  Next thing, someone’ll go to the media.”

“We could have a meeting.  Let Dave talk to all the parents.”  Mrs. Ramos suggested.

“I don’t know that that would be allowed.  How is Kiko handling all this?”

She shrugged her shoulders.  “Ah well, you know young boys.  They never tell.  He is upset for Dave though.”

“What about you?  Do you believe these accusations?”

“Ken, no one could ever make me believe anything bad about you or Dave.”

Hutch thanked her and left to meet Starsky at The Pits.

By the time he got there, Starsky had already downed several beers.  Huggy was keeping an eye on him, knowing what was going down thanks to a phone call by Dobey.  However, to make his brunette cop friend feel comfortable, he didn’t say anything.  Huggy knew if Starsky wanted to tell him he would.  In the meantime, he would be available as a shoulder, albeit a thin one, to lean on.

“How did it go over at the Ramos’?”  Starsky asked.

“Well, it turns all most of the Red Bolt parents know.

Starsky closed his eyes tightly.  “And?”

Hutch paused, not wanting to cause his best friend any more pain.  “And most of them don’t believe the accusation, but some are worried of course.”  He didn’t want to go into any of the ‘flack’ that Mrs. Ramos had taken, the guilt would eat Starsky up.  He fiddled with the label on his beer bottle.  “So did the social worker tell you what happens next?”

“Yeah, they’re gonna interview all the other kids, and you probably too ‘cause you’re my partner and the head coach.  They’re also gonna talk to Mr. and Mrs. Cortiz to see if they can remember what happened that day.”  He looked up at Hutch with wide, not-so-innocent eyes.  “But the thing is Hutch, we were alone together in the house for, I don’t know, maybe five minutes.”

“So it basically becomes his word against yours.”

“Yeah.”  The curly head dropped again toward the table.

Hutch reached over and lifted his friend’s chin.  “Hey babe.  Listen, if that’s what it comes down to, then you should be cleared with no problem.  This kid caused nothing but problems during practices and at games.  He’s probably got some kind of delinquency record.  You’ve got your good name and record.  There’s no comparison.”  He smiled gently at his best friend, hoping to cheer him.

“Well it’s gonna be a long couple of weeks.”

“Is that how long they told you it would take.”

Starsky’s shoulders shrugged.  “More or less.”

The next day Hutch got a call from Pat Altamont, the social worker involved with Starsky’s case.  She wanted to make an appointment with him to get his statement on Starsky’s relationship with Miguel, and the other player’s relationship with both of them.

Pat asked Hutch mostly the same questions she asked Starsky to see if their stories harmonized.  She would ask the other coach, Mr. Cortiz, Huggy, Kiko, Mrs. Ramos, and other team members & their parents basically the same questions.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I need to tape the questions and your answers.  This is to make sure nothing gets misinterpreted or left out.”

“No problem.  I’m used it.”

“This isn’t a deposition, per se.  But it is similar.  It can’t be used in court, but it can be used to call a grand jury, in the event the department and the D.A. feel the need to call one.”

She brings out a piece of paper to jot notes, while taping their question & answer session and presses the play button on the tape recorder.  “Case File D-56712, Pat Altamont, case worker. 

“What is your relationship with the accused.”

Hutch puts his hand over the tape recorder immediately, his face hard.  “Excuse me.  He is not ‘The Accused’, his name is Detective Sergeant David Starsky.”

{P}“I’m sorry.  If you’ll just answer the question.”

{H}“David Starsky is my best friend.  He is also my partner in the Metro Department of Bay City’s Homicide Division.  He is the best friend and partner a guy could ever ask for.”

{P}“Please refrain from adding commentary.  Just answer the question.”

{P}“How long have you worked together?”

{H}“Four years we’ve known each other, we’ve worked together one year as Detectives.”

{P}“How did Det. Starsky get involved with the baseball league?

{H}“I’m a big brother to Kiko Ramos.  I signed up to be his baseball coach, and asked Starsky to help me.”

{P}“How often were practices and games?”

{H}“Practice was twice a week, games once a week, Thursday night.

{P}“Didn’t your job make it difficult to fulfill this obligation?”

{H}“Not really.  Captain Dobey makes it easier for his subordinates to take time out for family events.  Of course, there were cases that made it tough to be there on time, but we always had back-up supervision available.”

{P}“Was there anytime that you weren’t present?”

{H}“Uh, yeah, the second to last game.  I got a slight concussion during a rundown and the hospital kept me overnight.  So I gave Starsky the lineup card and notes for that game.  We were playing the first place team, I figured he needed all the help he could get.”  Hutch grinned in spite of the situation.

{P}“Were there any other coaches around at that time?”

{H}“Uh, yeah, Mr. Cortiz.  He’s the other assistant coach.  He’s Nogel’s father.”

{P}“What was Det. Starsky’s relationship with Miguel Ruiz?”

{H}“That’s a hard one.  Miguel seemed to want to push and buck against any authority.  He didn’t like Starsky, no denying that.  And the feeling seemed to be mutual.”

{P}“What was his relationship with the other boys on the team?”

{H}“Starsky’s, or Miguel’s?”

{P}“Both.”

{H}“Starsky got along well with the other boys.  He made quite a connection with Chen Ju.  Miguel on the other hand was a loner.  He didn’t seem to have any friends on the team.”

{P}“Did Starsky treat Miguel different from the other boys?”

{H}“Yes, we all did.  Starsky shadowed Miguel to keep him under control.  If he didn’t Miguel would fly off the hook at any imagined transgression.  He started several arguments on the team, and a couple of fights with other teams.”

{P}“Did any of the other parents attend these games and practices who could verify Miguel’s actions?”

{H}“Yes.  A lot of the parents, even though they work odd jobs and shifts, made as much an effort as they could to attend their kids’ games and practices.  You can ask any of them how Miguel behaved.”

{P}“You can trust that we will.”  She then leaned in and bore her hazel eyes into the handsome face across from her.  “Was Detective Starsky ever left alone with Miguel Ruiz or any of the other boys?”

{H}“I don’t know.  I never really thought about it.  Starsky said he caught him alone once in Mrs. Cortiz bedroom, going through her dresser.”

{P}“Did he say anything to you or anyone else at the time?”

{H}“No.”

{P}“How do you think Starsky feels about children; teens in particular?”

{H}“Well, Starsky’s never been close to kids.  He seems to get flustered around them.  But he doesn’t dislike them.  I think being a baseball coach would give some indication of that.”

{P}“Do you think that being a cop could color your perception of teens?”

{H}“No.  I’ve been a big brother for several years now.  I love kids.  In fact, Starsky says sometimes I’m too soft with our young suspects.”

{P}“Why do you think Miguel laid these accusations?”

{H}“To get back at Starsky I guess, because he was mad at him for being strict.  I can’t think of any other reason.”

{P}“Do you think they could be true?”

{H}“Absolutely NOT!”  Hutch says with authority.  Though in actuality Pat wasn’t expecting any other answer.

It took more than a week to finish the interviews with the rest of the parents and boys on the baseball team, as well as the advisor for the Police Athletic League.  Kiko and Mrs. Ramos also served as character witnesses for Starsky.  Another week would pass while Ms. Altamont and DHS pulled their ‘evidence’ together and determined whether the charges warranted a full police investigation or not.

In the meantime Hutch also began to get phone calls from the parents of the players on the Red Bolts.  One of them even threatened to go to the local television reporters.  Hutch had to beg that father not follow through on his threat “at least until Social Services finishes their investigation.”

Three weeks later Starsky was still on pins and needles, with few people able to bear with him for long, other than Hutch, Huggy, and Minnie – who stopped by several times to make sure he was taking care of himself.  With no work to distract him, he drove the Torino around town pretending everything was normal and he was perusing the streets making his presence known to the criminal element.  Without Hutch at his side, though the image was hard to keep up.  Sometimes he would drive at high rates of speed, weaving in and out of traffic.  Eventually he would calm down and drive over to the park where he would play a little one on basketball with some of the young men and college students who weren’t in school.  Most nights however, Starsky would head on over to Huggy’s for a few beers; sometimes alone, sometimes with friends.  Huggy usually wouldn’t let him down more than two beers, which was why Starsky started going to other bars.

After one particularly heavy drinking session, Starsky woke up on his couch to a heavy pounding on his front door.  Squinting his eyes at the pulsing in his head, he looked over at the clock on the kitchen bar.  It read 10:34 a.m.  He wondered if the pounding he heard was in his head or from outside his body.  Hearing it again, coming from outside, he realized it was his door.

Staggering to it, the couch throw dropping to twist between his feet, Starsky opened the door to find Captain Dobey standing there.  He brushed his hands through the chaotic curls to give them some semblance of order.  “What’s up Cap’n?  You don’t usually make house calls.”

“I had to tell you in person.  I didn’t want to tell you this over the phone.”

Starsky’s heart dropped.  All sorts of scenarios ran though his mind:  He was being fired, he was being prosecuted, his pay was being stopped, he was being sued.

The large man interrupted his reverie.  “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“Oh, uh, sure Cap’n.  I guess.”  He left the door open for his superior and friend to follow through, and went to grasp onto the back of the couch, still standing.  “So?”

“You’re back on the duty roster tomorrow, 8 a.m.”  Dobey said without preamble.

Starsky’s knees began to buckle.  “I’m back?”  He managed to squeak out.

“Yes.  I.A. told me first thing this morning and I knew I had to come over and give you the good news personally.”

“What about Hutch?  Does he know?”

“Nope, I thought I’d leave that to you.”

“The charges were dropped?”

“Apparently.  All I.A. would tell me is that DHS dropped the investigation and you were cleared.  Therefore, there’s no reason you can’t come back.”

“And what about…Miguel?”  Starsky could barely say the teen’s name.  “Is he being charged for false accusation?”

“I don’t know.”

The news finally sunk in and Starsky grinned widely.  “If you’ll excuse me Captain, I gotta call Hutch!”

Hutch was glad to have his partner back and assured the antsy curly-haired detective that he never doubted he would be cleared.  Ruffling his thick dark hair, Hutch’s smile was almost as wide as Starsky the following morning when they appeared together back at work.

Starsky never received any notification from the Department of Human Services or Child & Welfare that he had been cleared.  When he finally called the social worker, she reassured him that the news was true and but they didn’t have the personnel resources to write a letter to the accused.  Notices would be sent to the other boys’ parents notifying them that the claims by Miguel were false, not just unproven.  Hutch was angry and felt that his partner deserved an apology in writing and he went to Pat Altamont’s office in person to make his point.  Starsky calmed his furious partner down with a touch on the arm and an assurance that he didn’t care.  As long as the others realized he wasn’t capable of doing such a horrible thing.

While they were there, Starsky asked again what happened to Miguel.

“He was charged with filing a false report, but because he’s a minor, the most that can happen is a note goes on his Juvenile Record.  We considered charging the mother with perpetuating a false report, but she’s so brow beaten by her son, she actually believed for a while that he was telling the truth.  Eventually she came to us with her doubts and her son’s problems with authority, which in turn led us to review all the interviews and confront the boy with the lie.”  Pat paused.  “Of course, if you wish to file charges, as well, you can.”

“I don’t want to hurt his mother anymore.  Hopefully she’ll get him the help he needs.”

“I apologize Detective for any harm or hurtful things that may have happened during the course of the investigation, but unfortunately too many of these charges turn out to be true and it’s better to be sure than take our children’s safety loosely.”

“I appreciate that you kept the media out of it; but you have no idea what my partner’s life has been like and how these charges could ruined him both personally and professionally.”  Hutch was still angry; at Miguel, at the social worker, at all the parents that believed first without hearing the evidence, at the whole system.

“Come on Hutch, let’s go…”

The two walked out of the oblong, four floored building and looked up at the bright sunshine.  “A fresh day for a new beginning, huh Blondie?”  Starsky elbowed his partner in the side.

Hutch couldn’t keep in the grin and it burst forth to vie with the sun as to which was the brightest.

This story is based on a real-life happening to someone in my family, though the circumstances surrounding the accusation have been changed.  I wrote this as a sort of catharsis.

Please remember that such accusations and their respective rumors can ruin a person’s life.  The media tends to broadcast accusations before any charges are officially made and rarely do they acknowledge when someone is cleared.  Yes, our children’s safety is important, but so is the life and lives of an innocent person accused and their family, including their children.  Remember – innocent until proven guilty.