"Is this him?" one of the S.P. men asked the other. The other nodded.
The first man who had spoken turned back to Brace. "We're not looking into your take-off, Captain. We're investigating a killing."
"What do you want me to do? Solve it for you?"
The S.P. man took the insult but stiffened a little. "No, sir. We'd like to examine your ship. There's a girl missing."
"Oh!" Brace shouted sarcastically. "Then she MUST be on my ship! It's just swarming with kidnapped women! It COULDN'T be any other!!" He waved his ape-like arm toward the collection of hulls.
The S.P. man's lips tightened into a thin line.
Brace ran his thick fingers through his hair, studying them for a moment, then asked, "Do you have a search permit?"
"No sir," the S.P. man replied, "but we thought, under the circumstances, your courtesy might—"
Brace snorted. "You could get one in half an hour—but—it would interrupt my breakfast." He scowled. "All right—come on!"
The two S.P. men stepped into the port and Brace jabbed the closing button viciously. "Now have a good look, because it's going to be your last look at anybody's ship!"