Marvel Mystery Comics #65
Worthless Beads
A young boy named is returning home from playing in Central Park with his dog when he comes across a necklace on the side walk that appears to be made of worthless glass beads. However, the boy is surrounded by a woman and two men who demand the boy give back the necklace. The boy refuses, wanting to give it to his mother as a present. When trying to buy the necklace from the boy fails they try to take it by force. However, the Human Torch and Toro, flying by the scene, break it up. Although the people hassling the child are suspicious to the Torch, he lets them go and escorts the boy home. Along the way they take the necklace to a local jewellery store to be appraised, confirming its seeming worthlessness.
Meanwhile, the three people who accosted the boy return to the house where the necklace was found. Inside their boss has just killed an old man they have prisoner and is about to begin working on torturing his daughter. When they report that the Human Torch and Toro stopped them from reclaiming the necklace, their boss tells them to go back out and get the necklace from the boy and that he will deal with the Human Torch and Toro should they interfere again.
When the Torch and Toro arrive at the house, they are greeted by the gangs leader and walk onto a trap floor and are beaten into submission. Placed in an asbestos lined sarcophagus, the gang leader orders his men to dump the two heroes into the nearby river. Using their flames, the Torch and Toro generate enough heat to cause the outside of the sarcophagus to melt, allowing them to escape.
They round up the gang as they are threatening to hurt the boy's mother and turn them over to the police. When the girl in the mansion is freed, she breaks open the glass necklace revealing that it was hiding the famous Nile Sapphire. The girl gives the boy a thousand dollars in reward money for keeping the necklace safe.
Recurring Characters
Human Torch, Toro
The Boy Who Knew Too Much
The Sub-Mariner is swimming up Wekawee Point where he decides to pay a visit to his friend Houseboat Molly and her son Jimmy who live on a house boat. When he arrives he finds that their houseboat has been cast adrift and helps push it to shore. Houseboat Molly and Jack Williams, the proprietor of the local general store tell him about some strange happenings, namely strange noises and lights that are seen in the area. Finding this interesting, and wanting to know who has been casting Houseboat Molly and her son adrift, Namor decides to investigate.
That night while staking the place out, Namor and Jimmy are attacked by some men when Billy sees something in the sounds and lights with his binoculars. Namor is knocked out, and Jimmy and his mother are chloroformed and Jimmy is taken prisoner. When Namor revives he learns what happened just as Jack Williams pulls up his car and says he's leaving town because of the strange happenings. Going into the woods, Namor follows the mysterious sounds to a cave where he finds a gang with a record player playing the noises. The gang knock him out and try to flee, but Namor follows after them to a nearby island where they are trying to eliminate Jimmy. Saving the boy, Namor finds a dead body in a pit. During the fracas Jimmy is shot and Namor knocked out once more.
Coming around Namor rushes Jimmy to the hospital where he is expected to recover. Namor learns that the dead man was Cyrus Logan a mining engineer. Learning from Jimmy that the ring leader behind the gang is a man named Dwarfy, Namor rushes to his house to find that Dwarfy has been killed. When the chief of police and Williams arrive on the scene, Namor accuses Williams of killing Dwarfy, to silence him in his knowledge of wealthy minerals hidden on government property. Jack gasses them and attempts to flee in his boat, but Namor revitalizes himself with water and swims after their boat smashing it.
Recurring Characters
Sub-Mariner
Clue of Witch's Rock
Madeline Joyce is driving to the country to spend the weekend with friends. As she heads toward her destination she hears a cry for help and spots a witch attacking a woman on Witch's Rock. She scares off the witch who disappears by jumping off the cliff. Madeline then changes into Miss America and flies to a nearby inn when the girl she rescued is missing. There she finds the girl arrived at the inn telling the guests about the witch she encountered.
Deciding to spy on the inn owner, Miss America overhears the woman talking about the girl, her niece, with her nephew and his wife. When the younger pair go upstairs, Miss America stops them from attacking their cousin and drags them to the basement where she stops the old woman from burning the witch costume. When Miss America accuses them of attempting murder, the inn keeper tells her that they had no intention and that they were using the local lore about Witch's Rock to attract tourists. Believing the old woman, but suspecting the nephew and his wife of shady dealings, Miss America decides to plan a trap for them.
Returning to the inn as Madeline Joyce, she tells how she saved the woman from the witch. Certain that people are listening, she uses the phone on the front desk to call the police and ask them to meet her at Witch's Rock in 20 minutes. There she is attacked by the witch and is knocked over the cliff. Changing into Miss America and saving herself with her flying powers, Miss America follows the witch through a tunnel back to the hotel. There she finds the couple trying to burn the costume, hoping to have framed their aunt for the seeming murder so that they can possess her inn and fortune. Caught by Miss America, they are turned over to the authorities.
Recurring Characters
Miss America
Whispering Death
With the collapse of a public utility corporation thanks to fraud by stock manipulations, many lose money thanks to the ill advice of stock broker Thomas Jenkins. Jeff Mace gets the scoop, leading to the case being broken and he is commended by his editor. However, soon after reports come in that Thomas Jenkins was murdered and the editor sends Jeff to get the story.
Going to the Jenkins property, Jeff learns that Jenkins became a recluse following his bad stock advice, fearing for his life and that he was murdered by a bladed instrument. He also learns that the police have the three likely suspects: his colleague Whitman, his daughter Kathy, and Whitman's gym instructor Bull Malone. Searching around the estate, Jeff finds that one of the fencing swords on display is missing and tells the chief of police. With nobody confessing to the crime, the chief of police allows those gathered to leave.
Later that night, Jeff decides to investigate as the Patriot, and arrives at the Jenkins property just as a masked man is attempting to plant the stolen sword in Whitman's room. Fighting off their assailant, the Patriot calls the police to come and notices that Whitman, an avid archer and arrow collector, has an arrowhead missing from his collection. Deducing how the murder was carried out the Patriot calls in archery champion Bill Troy and gathers all the suspects.
Taking them out to the garden where Jenkins would spend time daily to get fresh air, Jeff shows that he killer really shot an arrow into Jenkins and used the sword to widen the wound to throw off the investigation. The Patriot then accuses Bull Malone as the killer, as he is an archery expert as well. Bull admits to the murder, telling them that Jenkin's advice lost him his fortune. When Bull tries to put up a fight the Patriot easily subdues him and turns him over to the authorities. Resuming his civilian identity, Jeff pretends to know nothing about the Patriot busting the case wide open when questioning the chief of police.
Recurring Characters
Patriot
The Tangled Web of Death
A woman named Chiquita Tarantula forces a meeting with the Angel. She tells him that her boyfriend is mobster "Big Time" Bartell, who is serving time for robbery. She explains to the hero that her boyfriend is attempting to break out of prison so that he can reclaim some hidden loot. When the Angel asks why she is telling him all this, she explains that she fears that Bartell would get hurt trying to break out of prison and had been attempting to dissuade him to no success and asks the Angel to try and talk him out of it.
Deciding to take the case, the Angel gets permission to see Bartell. Posing as a reporter, the Angel tries to talk Bartell out of breaking out of jail. When he leaves Bartell's cell, the Angel witnesses a daring daylight break out, but the prisoners who attempt it are gunned down. When the Angel notes that Bartell isn't among the escapees, he convinces the guard to let him go back to Bartell's cell to get a "lost pen" and finds that Bartell is dead in his cell.
Going back to Chiquita's apartment, the Angel tells her that Bartell is dead and that the warden and his men are out looking for him. As Chiquita feigns sadness, the Angel "writes a note" to the warden and notes what was captured on the blotter. Staking out Chiquita's apartment, the Angel witnesses as she meets with some men and gets from them the location of her late boyfriends hidden loot. She then pulls a gun on them, but before she can shoot them the Angel crashes through the window. As the goons try to shoot the Angel, Chiquita tosses poisonous spiders on them, killing them.
The Angel chases after Chiquita and captures her. Turning her over to the authorities, he accuses her of murdering Bartell by coating her coded message to him in poison knowing he would swallow the letter after reading it. When Chiquita confesses she tries to swallow a poisonous pill, but the Angel knocks it out of her hand and she is taken into police custody.
Recurring Characters
Angel
