George Martin - Starport

OFFICER PARK. IT’S

NOT JUST THE

MONEY.

ALL MY CREDIT

CARDS WERE IN

THERE. AND THE PICTURES

OF MY GRANDKIDS...

AND MY DRIVER’S

LICENSE.

WE’LL DO

OUR BEST TO GET

THEM BACK FOR YOU,

MRS. MANISCALCO.

CAN YOU DESCRIBE

THE PURSE?

YOU WERE

THERE, OFFICER

MORELLO.

BROWN.

IT WAS

BROWN.

OR DID

I TAKE THE

BLACK ONE

TODAY?

YOU AND PARK

HAD HIM, AND YOU

LET HIM GET

AWAY!

GIMME A BREAK,

SARGE. THE GUY TOOK

OFF! WHAT THE HELL

WERE WE SUPPOSED

TO DO?

RUN HIM

DOWN–THE WAY

WE DID WHEN I

WAS ON THE

STREETS!

IT WAS A SIMPLE

PURSE-SNATCHING,

MORELLO. MAYBE IF

YOU SPENT MORE TIME

IN THE GYM AND LESS

IN THE DONUT SHOP,

RUNNING DOWN A

SUSPECT WOULDN’T

BE SO...

NO OFFENSE,

SERGEANT

MONDRAGON, BUT

WHEN YOU WERE ON

THE STREETS, THE

PURSE-SNATCHERS

DIDN’T HAVE

WINGS!

EXCUSE ME?

YEAH. HE

WASN’T RUNNING

AWAY. THE LITTLE

PISSANT COULD

FLY.

...AS I

SAID.

BUT WE’VE

ALREADY ASSIGNED

HALF A DOZEN MEN

TO THE HOTEL. AND I

CAN’T GIVE EVERY

VISITING DIGNITARY A

FULL DETAIL...

...I

UNDERSTAND,

BUT THAT WAS

THE POPE!

THEN TELL

TOPMAN TO CALL

THE MAYOR AND GET

US APPROVED FOR

MORE OVERTIME!

NO, I DON’T

NEED TO TALK TO

TOPMAN MYSELF.

NO REALLY,

THERE’S...

STAMM!

NO, I WASN’T

TALKING TO YOU,

AND I DON’T KNOW

WHAT THAT MEANS IN

YOUR LANGUAGE.

CAN YOU GIVE ME

A MOMENT,

PLEASE?

EMILE, IF

YOU LIGHT THAT THING,

I SWEAR I’M GOING TO

SHOVE IT RIGHT UP

YOUR–

NO, I’M STILL

HERE. I WAS

SPEAKING TO SOME-

ONE ELSE...YES, AND

TO YOU CHAY’ASH

LENAERHI. A PLEASURE.

THIS IS LIEUTENANT

KELLEHER.

YES, PROFIT

TO YOUR HOUSE,

TOO. YES, OF COURSE

WE UNDERSTAND THE

IMPORTANCE OF

THESE TALKS...

TOPMAN,

WE’LL DO EVERYTHING

IN OUR POWER TO

PROTECT THE TRADE

ENVOY, BUT YOU MUST

UNDERSTAND...

FINE. YOU SPEAK TO THE MAYOR! AND TO THE GOVERNOR.

HELL, YOU

MIGHT AS WELL

SPEAK TO THE

PRESIDENT. MAYBE

SHE’LL BE ABLE

TO HELP

YOU!

STAMM, I

WARNED YOU

ABOUT THAT

CIGAR.

SORRY,

LIEUTENANT.

I MUST NOT HAVE

HEARD...

I DIDN’T

WANT TO

EAVESDROP.

WORD IS

YOU’RE GOING TO

STICK ME WITH A

NEW PARTNER.

DETECTIVE

CHARLES K. BAKER, A

TRANSFER FROM THE

22ND. SEVEN YEARS ON

THE FORCE, JUST GOT

HIS GOLD SHIELD.

C’MON, L.T.,

GIMME A BREAK.

YOU KNOW I DON’T

DO VIRGINS.

STAMM, WHAT

I KNOW IS YOU GO

THROUGH PARTNERS LIKE

A HYPOCHONDRIAC GOES

THROUGH KLEENEX. BAKER

IS SUPPOSED TO BE A

GOOD COP.

YEAH, SO

WHERE THE

HELL IS THIS

PARAGON?

GOOD

POINT. HE’S

LATE.

JUST WHAT

WE NEED–A

DETECTIVE WHO

CAN’T EVEN FIND

HIS OWN DESK.

HEY, MAN,

WHY DON’T YOU

LOCK UP THE FREAKIN’

ALIENS INSTEAD?

YOU OUGHT

TO ARREST THEM

FOR SELLING

THAT CRAP!

EARTH

FIRST, EH?

YOU BOYS

LOOK GOOD

BEHIND

BARS.

EXCUSE ME,

OFFICER, BUT

THERE’S BEEN A

MISTAKE. I’M

A COP.

HELL,

YEAH. ME,

TOO!

YEAH, MAN!

AND I LOST MY

GUN AS WELL. CAN

I HAVE THAT

BACK NOW?

HEHEH...

SCREW

YOU. I’M WITH THE FBI!

MMM-

HMMM.

ALL RIGHT,

GENTLEMEN, SETTLE

DOWN. WE’RE GOING

TO TAKE YOU UP ONE

AT A TIME AND BOOK

YOU. YOU GET ONE

PHONE CALL

APIECE.

LISTEN,

IF I COULD JUST

SEE CAPTAIN SWOBODA

FOR A MINUTE...

YOU FIRST,

PRETTY BOY,

SINCE YOU’RE

SO EAGER.

SO

YOU’RE

A COP,

HUH?

THIS IS NOT

HAPPENING...

HERE HE IS,

LIEUTENANT. HE TRIED

TO USE MANNING’S

HEAD FOR BATTING

PRACTICE.

WHAT’S

ERNIE KVETCHING

ABOUT?

I WHIFFED,

DIDN’T I? TELL

HIM “ALMOST” ONLY

COUNTS IN HORSE-

SHOES AND HAND

GRENADES.

YOU SURE

I CAN’T GIVE HIM

A FEW DINGS, FOR

AUTHENTICITY?

THANK

YOU, SERGEANT

MONDRAGON.

THAT’LL BE

ALL.

AARON, THIS

IS SAM WINEGLASS

FROM THE STATES

ATTORNEY’S OFFICE.

SAM, THIS IS

DETECTIVE AARON

STEIN.

DETECTIVE?

THAT ISN’T A

REAL TATTOO...

IS IT?

ONLY MY

HAIRDRESSER WILL

EVER KNOW FOR

CERTAIN.

WHAT THE

HELL WERE YOU

DOING AT THE EL THIS

MORNING, ESPECIALLY

AT A STOP THAT’S

THREE BLOCKS

AWAY? ARE YOU

NUTS?

WHAT DO

YOU THINK I WAS

DOING? I WAS

GETTING MYSELF

ARRESTED!

THEY LIVE LIKE

A PACK OF WILD DOGS,

AND HOLLANDER’S GOT

SOMEONE ON ME 24/7,

SINCE I’M THE NEW

GUY AND SO

CHARMING

AND ALL.

THIS WAS

THE ONLY WAY TO

REPORT IN, MAKE SURE

I DIDN’T GET STUCK

EXPLAINING MYSELF

AT THE WRONG

DISTRICT.

WE GOT

A FEW OF THEM

OFF THE STREETS,

ANYWAY.

WELL, GO

PUT THEM BACK.

THEY’LL WALK ANYWAY.

ENTRAPMENT. THIS

MORNING’S LITTLE

PRANK WAS

MY IDEA.

LITTLE PRANK?

TRY FELONY ASSAULT,

BATTERY, MALICIOUS

DESTRUCTION OF

PROPERTY...

...AND A

PARTRIDGE

IN A PEAR

TREEEEE.

DIME-STORE

CRAP, COUNSELOR.

THE BIS PRIZE IS

STILL BEHIND

DOOR NUMBER

THREE.

EARTHBLOOD’S

GOING TO TRY AND

WHACK THE SKRIT

TRADE ENVOY.

DAMN IT!

ARE YOU

SURE?

I CAN’T TELL

YOU WHEN OR

WHERE–YET. BUT

BELIEVE ME,

LIEUTENANT, IT IS

GOING DOWN.

CAN

WE BRING

’EM IN?

CONSPIRACY

CHARGES ARE

NOTORIOUSLY HARD

TO PROVE.

THEN HOW

ABOUT ARMS

SMUGGLING?

HOLLANDER’S

UGLY, BUT HE’S NOT

STUPID. AND HE’S NOT

GOING TO TRY AND

SNUFF ONE OF OUR

FRIENDS FROM THE

STARS WITH A

SATURDAY-NIGHT

SPECIAL.

WORD IS,

HE’S FIXED TO

GET HIS HANDS ON

SOME HEAVY-DUTY

FIREPOWER.

ARE WE

TALKING UZIS,

HERE? HAND

GRENADES,

BAZOOKAS?

WHAT?

NAH, EVEN

BETTER. SOMETHING

STRAIGHT OUTTA

STARPORT...

RAYGUNS!

CHAPTER TWO

WHAT DID

HE EXPECT ME

TO DO, FLAP MY

ARMS AND

THINK ABOUT

CHRISTMAS?

YOU ASK

ME, MONDRAGON’S

HAD A BUG UP HIS

BUTT EVER SINCE HE

MADE SERGEANT. HE’S

LIKE ME. A MAN OF

ACTION CAN’T BE

HAPPY BEHIND

A DESK.

A MAN OF

ACTION?

DON’T GIVE

ME THAT LOOK,

PARK. YEAH, OKAY, I’M

NOT INTO YOUR

KUNG-FU...

...BUT I’M

STILL WHO

I AM, YA

KNOW?

HAPKIDO.

A MAN OF

ACTION.

DAMN

STRAIGHT!

HEY,

MORELLO.

THERE HE IS!

HELP!

THIEF!

LEGGO!

HEY,

HOLD IT!

GET

DOWN

HERE! I’M

WARNING YOU,

I SWEAR…

HAHA