Detective Comics #630

Issue Details

Synopsis

AND THE EXECUTIONER WORE STILETTO HEELS Saul "Stiletto" Calvino, a contract killer who has the power of extreme persuasiveness, has escaped from Death Row in Florida and is heading into Gotham, where he has his hidden money. To complicate matters, Stiletto is also sleeked out by the hitman Two Tone, a pair of conjoined twins who are effectively a single mobster with two heads. Two Tone was hired by organized crime rackets to kill Stiletto in revenge for Stiletto's killing of their members.  Batman heads to the house of paraplegic Bud "The Seventh Seal" Brown, Stiletto's former sidekick, hoping to get information about where Stiletto is going for his money. Two Tone, however, beats Batman to Bud's house, covers the uncooperative Bud in glue, sticks him to the ceiling upside-down and sticks a ticking time bomb to his chest as a trap for Batman. Batman tries in vain to remove the bomb, but it explodes, killing Bud.   Recuperating from his injuries back in the Batcave, Batman realizes that Bud's vocalizations of "boo... boo..." referred not to the bomb, but to the book which was also glued to Bud's chest. Batman heads to a bookstore and buy a copy of the book, "Stiletto: A Social History of the High Heeled Shoe". He learns that three other persons have purchased the book recently: Stiletto, and Two Tone accompanied by Hughes, an F.B.I. agent who was sent to Gotham to work on the case.   Batman confronts Hughes at the police station and learns that it was him who directed Two Tone to Bud, hoping to gain favor with the gangs for purposes of a drug baron investigation. Intimidated by Batman, Hughes gives him a set of numbers, which - complete with the book - can be used to read a secret message, as follows: "Lacquer Fifty-five Greyhound". This refers to locker 55 at the Greyhound bus station (where Bud hid Stiletto's money earlier and sent the numbers to Stiletto in jail). Batman heads there and Stiletto arrives shortly after him. Just then, Two Tone bursts into the station in a bus. Stiletto escapes in another, a bus chase ensues, and eventually Stiletto and Batman end up falling into the river. Batman saves Stiletto from drowning and later gives him over to the Florida police. Back in the Batcave, he learns that Stiletto used his persuasion powers to escape from the death row once more.   Two Tone is killed by gangsters three months later for his failure.