The Enigma of the Death Doll

Jeff Mace and Betsy Ross are visiting Horatio's Doll Shop where the owner shows off his seemingly life like dolls to them. Horatio is soon visited by his landlord who demands he pay his debts or be evicted from his shop. The experiences leaves Jeff and Betsy to believe that Horatio believes his dolls have actual personalities and they discuss the issue as they leave. Jeff dismisses the idea as merely the eccentricities of an old man. While back in the shop, Horatio addresses his dolls telling them that they must get money or be turned out of their shop, and fears the landlord will try to take some of the dolls to sell himself in order to recoup his losses.

However, he plans to make sure nothing ever happens and asks that his dolls help him. Surprisingly, when he raises his hand to one of the dolls it reaches out and takes in its own hand. That night, the dolls seemingly come to life and leave the doll shop and enter a nearby bank where the kill the night watchman. Hearing this from the street are Jeff and Betsy who change into Captain America and Golden Girl to investigate. Rushing into the bank, the two heroes are attacked by the dolls. When they realize who is attacking them they chase them back to Horatio's shop and finds them all back on display. Captain America and Golden Girl examine the dolls but find that they are inanimate and unmoving as real dolls should. Suddenly, Horatio enters his shop and demands to know what Cap and Golden Girl are doing in his shop and the two heroes depart, deciding to investigate things further.

The next day in their civilian guises of Jeff Mace and Betsy Ross, Cap and Golden Girl return to Horatio's shop pretending to be interested in buying some dolls. Horatio is eager to service them until Betsy expresses an interest in the dolls that were involved in the robbery of the previous night. Horatio refuses to sell the dolls, calling them his masterpieces, and is unable to part with them -- likening it to departing with great friends. Suddenly the landlord bursts in and demands that Horatio pay his outstanding rent. Surprisingly, Horatio is able to provide the money on the spot and the landlord quickly leaves. Eyeing a new doll modelled after the Axe Slayer of Nanking, Horatio points out that it is one of his most recent addition. Jeff comments how it is a shame that they are not in a rich setting such as the ruby doll house owned by Mrs. Waggoner. Horatio agrees that the dollhouse would be ideal for his dolls.

That night, Jeff and Betsy return as Captain America and Golden girl hoping to catch Hoatio and his dolls in the act of stealing the ruby doll house. Staking out the doll shop they witness Horatio lead his dolls out of the shop and to Mrs. Waggoner's mansion and follow. They break in and easily steal the dollhouse from Waggoner, but are kept from fleeing by the arrival of Captain America and Golden Girl. The dolls are actually midgets in disguise, and as they try to flee, one of them comments on how it seems their boss, Horatio, has become unhinged and believes that they are actually dolls. As Cap and Golden Girl tie up the midgets, Horatio flees the scene and retreats to his doll shop.

Captain America and Golden Girl rush back to Horatio's doll shop. Inside, Horatio begs his dolls for forgiveness in a secret room where the midgets and real dolls switched places. The Axe Slayer of Nanking suddenly comes to life and tells Horatio that he had betrayed him and kills him. Hearing Horatio's dying screams, Cap and Golden Girl rush inside and find him dead, the murder weapon the bloody axe in the dolls hand, leaving them to wonder if the dolls had a personality after all.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Golden Girls

Captain America

Young Johnny retires for the night and is suddenly awoken when Captain America suddenly enters his room. Convincing the boy that he is not dreaming, Captain America takes the young lad out on patrol with him. He tells the boy that he is going to take Johnny on the most important mission of his life.

Cap takes Johnny to the home of his teacher Miss Sims. Looking in the window Johnny is shocked to find his teacher up at this late hour scrubbing the floors of her house, never realizing that she is as human as everyone else. Cap next takes the boy to Mr. Simpson's candy shop, there he witnesses Mr. Simpson lamenting over how he can pay his rent after he spent the money fixing a broken shop window smashed by some kids. Johnny didn't realize that Mr. Simpson would have financial problems even though he owned a popular candy shop.

With his patrol over, Captain America returns Johnny to his bedroom telling the boy how other children can be cruel and that he should think about others. The following morning Johnny goes to school and gives Miss Sims an apple, which cheers her day. Later, after classes Johnny and his friends manage to collect the $25 dollars that Mr. Simpson needs to fix his window so he can pay his rent, much to his surprise. When his friends ask him how he knew, Johnny tells them about the dream he had about Captain America.

However, watching from the rooftops is Captain America himself who, unheard by Johnny himself, asks the boy if it was really a dream, tossing the reader a wink in the process.

Recurring Characters

Captain America

My Son Is a Thief

Frank Carver is a mail man who works along Houseboat Row, and is regarded as the happiest man in the neighbourhood. He first delivers the mail to Mrs. Welton who thanks him for helping her husband find a job. When she offers to repay him, he kindly refuses glad to be a help. He then visits an elderly couple who still hope that their son might mail them some day. They are surprised when a post card has come in from their boy, unaware that Frank had secretly tracked Eddie down and informed him that he should contact his parents and let them know how he is doing.

At the end of his route, Frank spots his son Harry leaving a bar with a bunch of waterfront toughs. When he warns his son against hanging out with them, Harry simply shoves his father out of the way and tells him to mind his own business. Frank comes to believe that his son has become a hoodlum and is instantly upset. Later that day, the Sub-Mariner and Namora swim up to Houseboat Row where they spot Frank Carver and notice that he is upset. They approach him and ask what's wrong and he tells them what happened. The Sub-Mariner decides to help Frank out after all the times he selflessly helped others.

At that very moment the gang Harry is hanging out with has decided to make a big heist by attempting to steal a government mail boat that is going to leave that evening. Elsewhere the Sub-Mariner and Namora are looking around for Harry but have found no trace of him and decide to patrol the waters around the area. The Waterfront Gang then attacks the mail boat and boards it. During the struggle, Frank unmasks his own son and his shocked to see him involved in the mail theft. However before one of the gang members can shoot his father, Harry tires to beat him up but is knocked out himself by one of his fellow gangsters.

Suddenly, Namor and Namora arrive and the two Atlanteans make short work of the Waterfront Gang. With the battle over, Frank asks his son how he could work with such a gang. Harry then reveals the truth: showing them a detective badge, he tells his father he was working undercover to bust the Waterfront Gang once and for all, much to everyone's delight. The following day, Frank resumes his mail carrying route once more the happiest man in the area.

Recurring Characters

Sub-Mariner, Namora

From the Personal Files of Captain America

Captain America goes through his personal files and tells the story of Joey Arnold, a young man who gave up a co-owned business in Ohio to take up a life of crime due to his resemblance to Al Capone, his rain of terror and his eventual capture by the police which landed him in the electric chair.

Recurring Characters

Captain America

Recurring Characters

• Per What If? #4, all appearances of Captain America in this story are attributed to Jeff Mace.