The Impossible Hit



The Impossible Hit is a Golgo 13 story by Takao Saito, published in the USA in 1989 by LEED Publishing & Vic Tokai. It follows Golgo 13's efforts to evade the police after a successful hit.

Synopsis
Golgo 13 is at it again, this time in New York. Charles C. Whitney, a member of the SEC, has hired him to take out Robert Horton, a powerful Wall Street investor. Though informed of the difficulty in taking out Horton, Golgo 13 is undeterred. Setting up shop in the East MacGregor Apartments, he succeeds again. However, a mysterious noise causes him to jerk around suddenly. Because of this, the spent shell from the rifle he was using bounces off the balcony and onto the street below.

The shell is discovered by Charlie, a local junkie. When the police stop to talk with him, they too discover it, prompting an investigation. Leading the investigation is Detective Sam Shire of the NYPD, aided by his partner, Eddie Morgan. He interrogates Peggy Holiday, Horton’s secretary. Meanwhile, Morgan makes a connection between the hole in the window and one in the wall, suggesting that they could measure the angle between them to determine where the bullet was fired from. Shire is surprised when he sees an unlikely vantage point. He dismisses two other potential vantage points due to the lack of windows. Then, another officer comes to him with the spent shell, prompting Shire to go over to the East MacGregor Apartments to investigate. He also orders an officer to check the weather conditions at the time of the shooting.

On their way to the apartment, Shire & Morgan muse about the circumstances of the shooting. When they arrive, they ask the manager to look at the guestbook. Then, they start asking about a guy named “Togo”. Having gotten what they came for, Shire & Morgan start questioning Golgo 13. They also make a request to search the room. Golgo 13 makes no reply, so Shire makes a few calls.

Having gotten the go-ahead, Shire & Morgan begin their search, much to Golgo 13’s displeasure. During the search, Shire gets the idea to look down a garbage chute, which leads to a promising discovery: the rifle used to kill Horton. Armed with this new evidence, Shire confronts Golgo 13 and attempts to prove his guilt. However, having seen the narrow alley that the shot would have to pass through, and having received the weather report, Shire is hit with a realization: The shot would be pretty much impossible to make under those circumstances. Thus, he realizes that it would be impossible to convince a jury of Golgo 13’s guilt. As for Golgo 13, he gets away, ready to fight another day.

Trivia

 * The plot of this comic would be used as the basis of the Golgo 13 episode Room No. 909.
 * The last few pages of the comic contain tips for Golgo 13: Top Secret Episode.