Writer: John Broome

Penciller: Mike Sekowsky

Inker: Bernard Sachs

Synopsis: Ilda storms out of Star Hawkins's office, fed up with taking care of seven small but wild acrobats who were entrusted to her by Star and his theatrical-agent friend, Sam Sjabi. She thinks about how disruptive they were to her work, and how for her own sanity, she locked them in a safe place and walked out. Meanwhile, at the office, Star is visited by Spacer Thompson, a pickpocket who Star had once put away. Thompson brandishes a freeze-gun at Star, intending to take revenge for his incarceration and five miserable years of forced goodness through scientific rehabilitation, which had just worn off. Star thinks quickly and knocks off Thompson's aim, but as he's attacking Thompson, Ilda returns and opens the door, which accidentally knocks Star out. Thompson freezes Ilda, but she bargains with him to leave her and Star alone in exchange for the combination to Star's safe, which she tells him contains a surprise. Thompson, who has no intention of honoring the bargain, opens the safe, releasing the pent-up acrobats, who proceed to trounce him, as Ilda had planned. Star then recovers and threatens Thomspon with his own gun, forcing him to surrender. Ilda spends the next several days under a heat lamp, too brittle to move until it has warmed her further.

Detective rating: There wasn't really any call for detective skills in this story at all. For quick thinking, though, both Star and Ilda get a 10 on the 1 to 10 scale.

All characters and images are copyright DC Comics.

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