Death on the Downbeat

At the office of a plastic surgeon a man has finished his plastic surgery, and as he and his friend discuss how to pay, the man who had the surgery suddenly kills the plastic surgeon. When the other man, a doctor, panics, the man who underwent plastic surgery tells him to get to work and that he will be waiting in the alley by the stage door.

Several weeks later, a musician called the Crooner is accused of robbing his fans during a performance, a story that reaches the newspapers. When reading the story over Fred Davis and William Nasland note that the Crooner had a solid alibi: He was on stage performing when the robberies took place. However, both men decide to check out the performance scheduled for that night.

Meanwhile, at police headquarters the Crooner is with the police along with his doctor (the man who was at the plastic surgeon) and is getting upset by the accusations that his physician has to calm him down with smelling salts. The doctor then explains that his clients music causes emotional women to hallucinate his image, and when they were being robbed they likely hallucinated the Crooner's face over the real robber. With no evidence to keep the Crooner, the chief of police is forced to let him go and urges him to keep out of trouble.

Later, as William and Fred approach the theatre for the performance, they witness the Crooner attacking some of his fans with a knife as his doctor tries to calm him down. Changing into Captain America and Bucky, the two heroes easily subdue the Crooner, who explains that his fans were attacking him and that he only sought to protect himself. However, the remaining fans tell Cap and Bucky that they were only seeking autographs when he suddenly attacked and disburse. The Crooner insists that he was stressed out over the accusations of robbery, and Cap lets him go back into the theatre to do his performance.

Backstage the Crooners supporting band informs the doctor what happened outside and laugh about how the doctor always carries a bass fiddle case around everywhere. When the Crooner comes in, he tells the doctor that he panicked. When the doctor suggests they quit, the Crooner insists on doing one more job before they flee the country. As the show begins and the Crooner takes the stage, Captain America and Bucky watch the performance from the balcony. Across the way they see another man about to attack a couple in the opposite balcony and rush to their aid. As Captain America dives across the music hall, the attacker shoots on the patrons and flees before he can be captured. Captain America notices that he looks exactly like the Crooner, and when the Crooner is pulled off stage he denies any involvement as he was performing as the crime happened and is allowed to continue his show. Still suspicious, Captain America and Bucky decide to trail the Crooner and his band when they leave town.

Later that night as the Crooner's band enters the train, Cap and Bucky notice how there are two bull fiddle cases being loaded aboard the train and wonder why that is. Sneaking aboard the train they burst in on the Crooner and his doctor and demand to know why they carry that second bull fiddle case. Suddenly the doctor pulls a gun on the two heroes, and then opens the case revealing the man who underwent plastic surgery to look like the Crooner. Holding the real Crooner, Captain America, and Bucky at gun point they explain that they hatched this scheme in order rob the fans of the Crooner and have the perfect alibi.

While the crooks are explaining their plan, Cap manages to reach for the lever that activates the emergency roof hatch, causing it to fall on the doctor. As Bucky struggles with the doctor, Cap chases after the fake Crooner, who kills his assistant with a knife in the back. The fake Crooner then escapes through the roof hatch and after a brief battle with Cap is easily defeated and turned over to the authorities.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky

The Monkeys' Curse

Bill Summers is walking down the street at night when he witnesses Captain America and Bucky chasing after a gang of crooks. As they are chasing the crooks, one of them drops something but they are easily subdued. Before Bucky can go back and see what the crook had dropped, Cap orders him to continue on after some of the goons who escaped. Bill happens by the knocked out mobsters and finds the dropped item: A statue of three monkeys that reads "See Evil, Hear Evil, Say Evil. Three evil monkeys speak to you. Do three evil deeds to remove the monkey's curse". Bill returns to his home, and while a regular law abiding citizen, cannot get the idea of the curse out of his head and believes that it is real and decides to go out and commit three crimes in order to break it.

Meanwhile, Cap and Bucky have finished rounding up the crooks and decide to go back and see what they dropped, but find no trace of it and presume that a passer-by picked it up. The next day, William and Fred are at an art exhibition when there is a sudden robbery, committed by Bill Summers who tries to escape with a stolen painting. Changing into Captain America and Bucky the two chase after Summers and easily subdue him. However, Summers squirms loose and tosses a blanket over the heroes and flees the scene. Cap and Bucky free themselves and follow Summers back to his apartment. There they overhear him talk about committing two more crimes and decides he needs a weapon and witness as he begins carving a fake gun out of wood. Although Bucky wants to go into action right away, Cap tells him to wait and see what happens.

When Bill leaves his apartment, Cap and Bucky enter the apartment and find the statue. Reading the inscription they realize that Bill appears to believe the curse to be real. They catch Bill just as he is about to rob a pair of rich women and easily subdue him again. This time, Cap shows Bill the statue and that the bottom bares a mark from the Ajax Novelty Company. Realizing that the curse is not real, Bill agrees not to believe in signs again.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky

The House that Haunts

The Human Torch and Toro are visited by Amos Grayson the owner of a boarding house that is apparently haunted. He explains that over the past few days objects in the house from pictures, to carpeting have strangely begun changing colours. The Torch and Toro agree to investigate and upon arriving at the apartment house they are shocked when the porch light suddenly changes green. Inside they are confronted by one of the female boarders who threatens to sue Grayson because one of her portraits suddenly changed colour. The Torch decides to search every apartment.

Going to Apartment 1A, owned by Dr. Marshall, when they suddenly hear a crash from behind the door. When Marshall answers he tells them at a statue in his reception room suddenly started walking and fell on the floor. This is merely a ruse to allow a pair of thugs to clear out the back window. However, the Human Torch spots the two men and he and Toro goes after him. The thugs pull out guns and begin opening fire on a young woman who is on the road. The Torch and Toro use their flame powers to shield the woman by melting the bullets, but the crooks get away.

The girl introduces herself as Amy Lynn, who is the fiancée of Bob Duncan a reporter and photographer who also lives in the building. When they go inside to check on him, they find that Bob has been killed, his face and hands badly burned and that his photographic plates have also been burned up as well. When they ask Lynn what he was working on she tells them that he never confided in her of his work until after it was published. The Torch then goes to pay a visit to the newspaper office and talk to the editor. The editor tells the Torch that that Bob was investigating and photographed evidence on a blackmail ring.

The Torch and Toro return to the apartment and search for clues and they find a wire that leads into the apartment below, the one owned by Dr. Marshall. As they head down they are told by Grayson that Marshall apparently run out with the other tenants because of the murder. Going into Marshall's room he finds a secret x-ray device that was the cause of Bob's death. Before they can act on it, Dr. Marshall returns and knocks out the heroes from behind. Coating the heroes in a chemical that prevents them to flame on, Marshall seals them in a metal tube and sets a time bomb to go off. When the two heroes revive, they hear the police arrive on the scene and cause the metal cylinder to topple. When the cops enter Marshall's room they disarm the bomb and free the Torch and Toro.

With no other clues to go on, the Torch learns from Grayson that Amy Lynn has returned to her home. The Torch and Toro pay her a visit and find her with Marshall and her gang and easily round them up. As it turns out, Amy Lynn was in league with the blackmail ring and was romancing Bob Duncan in order to learn what evidence he had against it and orchestrate his murder.

Recurring Characters

Human Torch, Toro

Passport to Murder

A nightclub owner and ex-con named Lacey has been murdered and the police suspect two of his old rivals as the likely killers. Several days later, the first, Earl Sachette reports to the police and tells them that he was in Cuba during the time of the murder.

The police calls Mike Trapp on the case, and he interview the other "Eyes" Skyler who tells them that he was out fishing during the time of the murder. He interviews Sachette again who shows Mike Trapp his passport with stamps showing that he was in Cuba during the time of the murder. However Trapp arrests him for the murder of Lacey, pointing out that US residents do not need to have their passports stamped when visiting Cuba and that the stamps are forgeries.

Recurring Characters

Mike Trapp

Beware the Medicine Man

Travelling medicine man Doc Spiel puts on a show for a crowd, shocking them when his ventriloquist puppet is really his son Tommy before starting to hawk his tonic that will "cure" any illness. He sells a bunch of his stock but suddenly pulls up shop and leaves before the sheriff can arrest him.

Elsewhere in another town, Captain America and Bucky close in on Jug Baker just as he is getting the Bytown Newspaper. Jug and his men escape, but Cap and Bucky check the paper and see a strange classified ad about "good business prospects" in the town of Baker.

As coincidence would have it Doc Spiel and his son have come to Baker to sell his wares but he and his son are nabbed by the police. As Captain America and Bucky go to find the local paper, the courts make Spiel's son a ward of the state until Doc Spiel can prove that he is a fit father by getting a legitimate job. The court is visited by Mr. Lamont who offers to take Doc's son into his custody and offer the Doc a job as a security guard aluminium plant and give both lodging.

Meanwhile, Jug and his men plot to rob the aluminium plant and learning about Doc Spiel's plight to their advantage. Jug and his men visit Doc on the job and tell him that they have kidnapped his son Tommy and they will kill the boy if Doc does not help in their robbery. Shortly afterword, Spiel offers Doc to help out at a charity show as an auctioneer. Captain America and Bucky are putting on an acrobatic performance for the show and Doc signals Cap of the trouble with a cleverly coded message and flag signs. Cap picks up on it and he assists Doc in foiling Jug Baker's robbery plans and save Tommy. In thanks for his help, Mr. Lamont gives Doc a job as a travelling salesman for his company, becoming one of his most successful salesman to date.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Bucky

Continuity Notes

• Per What If? #4, the appearances of Captain America and Bucky in this story are attributed to William Nasland and Fred Davis.