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With its two juicy beef patties and three slices of melted cheese topped with tangy Big Arch sauce. The Big Arch is what happens when you start making a McDonald's burger and never stop. The big arch. The most McDonald's McDonald's burger yet for a limited time. The Avenger. The road to crime ends in a trap that justice sets. Crime does not pay. Sam. Ram, The Avenger, sworn enemy of evil, is actually Jim Brandon, a famous biochemist. Through his numerous scientific experiments, Brandon has perfected two inventions to aid him in his crusade against crime as the the telepathic indicator by which he is able to pick up thought flashes and the secret diffusion gap which cloaks him in the black light of invisibility. Brandon's assistant, the beautiful Fern Collier, is the only one who shares his secrets and knows that he is the man the underworld fears as the Avenger. And now, the Avenger and the fiery deaths. Frank. Good morning. How's business? Not bad, Mr. Meadows. People can't get along without newspapers. You want the usual? Yes, please. All right. There you are. Well, it looks like you're going to have me for a customer for a long time, Frank. Yes. Had my doctor give me a complete checkup yesterday. He said I was a perfect specimen. That's the kind of news I like to hear from a doctor. Yes, good health is great wealth, I will say. Well, see you Tomorrow, Frank. Right, Mr. Meadows. Hey, mister. Mister. Wait a minute. You calling me? Yeah. You dropped your fountain pen here. Oh, I thank you. That's all right. Say, this isn't my pen. Hey, you made a mistake, mister. This pen isn't mine. Boy, he didn't hear me. Well, he must have picked it up in front of the paper store. In the morning, I'll ask Frank if he knows whose it is. And in the meantime, it'll be safe enough in my pocket. What's the matter with me? I feel like I'm burning up. I can't breathe. Help. Help. Hello? That's you, Benny? Yes. Is everything under control? Trailer? Yeah, everything went fine. Is he dead? I don't know yet. I ducked into the store to wait. There's a big crowd around him. Joe get away all right? Sure. He drove away before Meadows even knew what hit him. Good. What's happening there now? The cops are pushing the crowds back. Here comes the ambulance. Know in a minute, Benny. The doctor's getting out now. Hold on. Okay. Meadows is a goner, all right. They're putting the stretcher back in the ambulance. We've done it again, Benny. Meadows is on his way to the. Well. Inspector, judging from these medical reports, these men died from a strange kind of fever that the doctors haven't been able to identify. That's right, Jim. We called in four specialists on this last case and they all agreed that Meadows died from what appeared to be a raging fever. But if he died from natural causes. Why are you interested, Inspector? Because we've had five cases like this. Once burned. The first two didn't cause much concern, but now the newspapers have gotten hold of it, and in a day or two the public will be getting jittery. Oh, you mean they'll think it's the beginning of an epidemic, huh? That's right, Jim. And panic is a concern of the police department. I've got to avoid that if possible. Well, frankly, Inspector, I think all these deaths should be investigated thoroughly. All five of them have one thing in common that strikes me as extremely peculiar. What's that, Jim? All these men died on the street. That seems to be stretching coincidence a little. Yeah. Inspector, I'd like to take a look at the effects found on these people when they died. Have you got them here? Yes. I knew you'd want to see them right off, so I had them brought to headquarters. They're over here on this table. That pile of stuff belongs to Meadows. Oh, he carried two fountain pens. So did two of the others, apparently. Well, that doesn't mean anything. I always carry two pens. But each of these men carried one pen that was in the little oversized. You're right, Jim. Inspector, I'd like to examine one of these large pens. Go ahead, Jim. No ink in it, for one thing. Let's have a look inside. Now, don't ruin any of those pens, Jim. They've got to be handed over to the relatives of these people. Nobody will want this pen, Inspector. It has no inside parts. What? Here, help me examine these other large ones. This is beginning to look interesting. I don't get it. Why should a man carry a dummy pen around? This one is empty inside too, Jim. Well, so is this. And you can check off these last two. They're empty. What do you make of it, Jim? Just a minute. Let's take a look at these ordinary sized pens. This one looks all right, Jim. No, these aren't dummies like the others. Wait a minute. Well, Inspector, smell this. Smells slightly burnt to me. This one does too, Jim. I can smell the rubber. This third one too. Uh huh. Well, Jim, for heaven's sake, what does this add up to? Inspector, write me out a permit to take these things to My laboratory, will you? All right. But I've got to know what you're up to. Jim. The newspapers will want a statement. And you can give them one, Inspector. Tell them this is no fever epidemic, but an epidemic of murder. Finding a hoodie that lasts through the season can be tough. The American Giant Classic fool zip hoodie is made to last a lifetime. So you can count on it year after year. Every American Giant piece is made in America and designed to last. No exceptions. The result is durable clothing that become part of your life. Snag the hoodie that will bring you comfort for life. The American giant classic full zip save 20% off your first order@american-giant.com. when you use code staple20 at checkout. Early birds always rise to the occasion for summer vacation planning. Because early gets you closer to the action. So don't be late. Book your next vacation early on verbo and save over $120. Rise and shine. Average savings, $141. Select homes only. I'll take that blind photo up. You know, Doyle. There. Now, look here, Trotter. I thought you said you were bringing me up here to have a talk with your boss. That's right, Doyle. Well, I don't see him. Where is he? I'm here, behind this screen. Doyle, I can see you, but you can't see me. Well, why the dramatics? I came here to talk business. Nobody's allowed to see the boss. Nobody but me. I'm the only one who knows who he is. Quiet, brother. Sure. Mr. Doyle realizes the value of caution. Otherwise he wouldn't be here. That's right. I don't care who you are. I'm here to hire you to do a job. Brother tells me you have a partner you wish to have put out of the way quietly. Yes, and the job must be done tomorrow. What's your price? $20,000. That's pretty high. I only came prepared to pay 15. I think you'll pay my price, Doyle. What do you mean? I look into the business of my clients before I do a job for them. I know that you've helped yourself to $50,000 of your firm's money. Your partner doesn't know it yet. And if you can get rid of him before he finds it out, no one will be the wise. All right, I'll pay. If you'll have to wait a few days for the other 5,000. I'm willing to do that, Doyle. Because I have another weapon to use against you in feature. Don't come through. No. What's that? Your Partner Albert Chrome has no living relatives, right? Yes. Six months ago, at your suggestion, you and Chrome took out an insurance policy making the firm the beneficiary. Now, after Chrome's death, you wouldn't want to run into any trouble collecting that insurance, would you? A few well placed word would cause an investigation. All right, you win. You'll get your money. Good. Trotter will take the 15,000 you have with you. You to bring the remaining five to the Midtown Restaurant a week from today at 6:00'. Clock. TR will meet you. Is everything set then? Yes, except for one thing. And what's that? Tomorrow, just before your partner leaves the L, give him that box on the table. What's in this? A fountain pen. Give it to him and he'll be dead within the hour. Now our interview is over. Brother. Blindfold Mr. Doyle again and get him out of here. Hold the torch a little lower, Fern. Right. Jim will be finished in a minute. Is the experiment working out, Jim? Looks hopeful, Fern. All right, you can put the torch out now. Thank heaven. I've just about reached the melting point myself. What does this experiment prove, Jim? Several things, Vernon. These dummy fountain pens were completely insulated and they had several extra air holes. They must have contained some powerful chemical or an element that could be diffused without burning the person directly. What kind of substance could that have been, Jim? It would have to be something even more powerful than radium. And so far as I know, there's only one element that meets that requirement. It's actinium A. Actinium A? What's that? It's a powerful radioactive element. A branch product of uranium found in pitchblende that can be refined into a grayish powder. It disintegrates much faster than radium. And because of its extremely short lived properties, it's been practically overlooked until just recently. But how could actinium A be used to kill? That's what I'm working on. Science hasn't completely solved the riddle of this element yet. But I do know that after its disintegration, the powder could be carried around in a man's pocket for weeks without any harmful effects. That doesn't get us anywhere then. Yes, it does, Fern. Because if a method could be devised whereby that actinium A could be recharged and released suddenly, it could penetrate the pores and nose and throat to such an extent that a man would instantly suffocate and die. And the death would seem to be from natural causes. Yes, but the mystery is what chemical agent is capable of charging that actinium. It Isn't heat. I Tested it at 500 degrees, dear. Why don't you try the telepathic indicator? There's just a chance that you might pick up something. That's a good idea. I'll turn it on. In the meantime, I'll see you back for lunch. I'm hungry. What in the world happened? The whole indicator blew out. Oh, definitely. We needed it most. Picked up a very powerful current of some kind. Friend, I think I found it. The mysterious charging agent. Let's see now. It's exactly one o'. Clock. If it develops that another of these fiery deaths occurred at that time, I've solved the riddle of how these murders are committed. As Jim Albert Throne fell over dead in front of his office at exactly 1:00'. Clock. Everything checks then, Inspector. We're on the trail at last. Well, I'll have to take your word for that, Jim. So far these debts are just one big question mark to me. Inspector. Tell me everything you know about Albert Frome. Take notes on it, will you, Fern? Yes, Jim, I'm ready. Frome had a simple enough history, Jim. He was 40, single, in good health, didn't have any relatives and seemed to be doing well in business. Was he in business for himself? No. He had a partner by the name of Raymond Doyle. But there's nothing suspicious there. Doyle's a respectable family man with three children. Did from carry any insurance, Inspector? Yes. About six months ago he and Doyle each took out an insurance policy making the firm beneficiary. A purely friendly precaution. Doyle was very frank about the whole thing. Good enough. Now listen here, Jim. We've got to get to the bottom of this case. I've lined up every known crook in the city and haven't found the thing. We've got to get some evidence so that we can bring charges against somebody. Inspector, these dummy pens are evidence from had one too. But Jim, you can't prove anything by these empty pens. I think I can, Inspector. How? I'm willing to listen. I'll explain the whole thing later. Right now Fern and I have some routine detective work to do. All routine stuff. We haven't time for that, Jim. It's the only way, Inspector. You give me a week and I'll deliver your criminals and all the evidence you want. What are you going to do? I'm going to work backwards from the death of Frome. We're dealing with an organized murder ring, Inspector. A murder ring? But why waste time on Frome then? He's dead. Yes, but in the death of Albert Frome A small mistake was made. And by using that mistake as a springboard, I think we can crack these fiery depths wide open. It. And now, back to the avenger and the fiery deaths. Okay, Fern, I'll take over now. Haven't got much to report. Jim. Doyle hasn't left his office all day. He had his lunch sent in. I'll keep him covered for the rest of the evening, Fernando. Now you go get some sleep. Well, Jim, trailing Doyle has its advantages. I'm glad he likes baseball. So am I, Fern. But I can't keep my mind on the game today. With only two days left and Doyle hasn't given us a single lead yet. Maybe you'd be better off to pull him in, Jim, and try to make him tall. That'll be our last. Or there's always a chance that he won't talk. Maybe he's innocent. No, he's in this up to his neck. He's bound to make a false move sometime. And when he does, I intend to be on hand. Well, where do you suppose DO is headed for now? J He's not driving home, that's certain, Fern. He's headed back to our town. He didn't place a single bet at the races, Jim. No, that $5,000 he withdrew from the bank this morning is payoff money. I'm sure of it. We'll just stick to him like leeches and see where he delivers. Later. Learn. While we're eating, you keep your eye on Doyle, but listen carefully to what I'm saying to you. I'm certain Doyle has an appointment here. He keeps watching the door nervously. And this isn't the sort of restaurant a successful businessman comes to just for pleasure. It certainly isn't. I'm starved, but I can't eat this food. Jim, a man just joined Doyle. Yes, that looks like our man. All right, Fern, I'm going to follow that man when he leaves here. Oh, Jim, it's the only way to get to the bottom of this murder ring. Now, I'll pretend I'm a customer, a very tough one, and that I want a job done immediately. Jim, what if he tumbles to you? A man like that would just assume Kitty was. Look at you. I've seen enough criminals to be able to give you a good imitation of one, Fern. Now, in a minute, I'll leave and wait for our friend outside. What about me? What can I do? You stay here and pretend to eat your dinner. But when our man leaves the restaurant, follow him out. Get in my car and be ready to follow Us when we drive away. That fellow is certain to have a car here. Have you got that for him? Yes. Be sure to keep well behind us. When we reach our destination, call Inspector White and give him the address. Then you drive directly to headquarters and wait for me there. All right. Jim, look. Doyle is handing that man a small package. It's the payoff, all right. Oh, gosh, Jim, I'm scared. Don't be burned. When the time comes, the avenger will step in. I'm going now. Good luck, Jim. Yes, sir. That'll be $3. Here you are. The extra check is for the young lady over there. Oh, yes, sir. And here's an extra 10 for you if you know the name of that man facing us at the corner table. Yes, sir. That's a fellow by the name of Trotter. He comes in here a lot. Oh, yes. I thought that's who it was. I just wanted to make sure. Here's your tent. Thanks, mister. Come in again. Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, but I don't really need it. Infliction is killing me, but who cares? Big retailers are making record profits. That's why we support the Durbin Marshall credit card bill. See, banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources they need while increasing megastore profits. They deserve it, don't they? Tell Congress, stop the Durbin Marshall money grab for corporate megastores paid for by the Electronic Payments Coalition. Access to affordable credit helps me pay my employees, but I don't really need it. Inflation is killing me, but who cares? Big retailers are making record profits. That's why we support the Durban Marshall credit card bill. See, banks and credit unions help small businesses make payroll. This bill would cut the vital resources they need while increasing megastore profits. They deserve it, don't they? Tell Congress, stop the Durbin Marshall money grab for corporate megastores paid for by the Electronic Payments Coalition. Hey, just a minute, brother. I want to talk to you. What do you want? I don't know you. I know you, though, and I got business with you. Is this your car in the alley? Yeah, sure. Get in. We'll talk there. Hey, who do you think. Get in, I said. All right. Now what's your idea, bud? Who are you? A customer for you, Trotter. A customer. You must be crazy. Get out of here or I'll. If you know it's healthy for you, you'll listen. You can stop stalling. I know all about your racket. Says you. Hey, what do you take Me for? You don't need to tip your mitt. I'll tell you, I know that package you got contains five grand. A payoff dough you just collected from a guy by the name of Doyle for bumping off his partner, Albert Frone. How do you know so much? Well, you got quite a reputation among us monsters, Trotter. You and your boss run a smart racket. That's why I hooked you up. I want a rush job done. Nothing doing. We take two weeks on all our jobs. You'd have to be cased first. Now, look, I can't wait for that. I gotta get rid of a guy that's gonna start singing to the cops any minute. My Rob's willing to pay you 50 grand to shut him up. 50 grand? Yep, if you'll do the job tomorrow morning. Well, I don't know. You'd have to talk it over with the boss. Let's get going then. Not so fast, wise guy. I'll have to put a blindfold on you. It's a rule. Okay. You don't take any chances, do you? Can't afford to. Here. This bandage fits right over the forehead and the eyes. Say, a perfect fit, huh? Now, pull your hat down. Whatever you say. Hey, what are you up to? Why did you jump into the back seat? Now, listen, Trotter, I'm not taking any chances on you dumping me out someplace. I'll just sit here right behind you with my hands on your shoulders. And you better call out every move you make. Because if you make a false win, it's your last. I got a gun. Pretty smart, ain't you? Don't try anything. That's all. I'll keep this blindfold on you. You can watch me in the mirror. Now start Dr. I'm pulling up. I gotta wait here for a signal before I drive into the alley. What's the matter? The boss afraid you might be followed? That ain't impossible. Okay, we got the go ahead. Here we are. All right, hop off. Hey, can't you take this blindfold off me now, Trotter? Not till we get upstairs. Well, I'll follow you then. Up these stairs. All right. Wait a minute. I gotta unlock the door. All right, inside, buddy. Okay. Now you can take off the blinders. Yeah, my pleasure. I'll take your gun too. No rods allowed when you talk to the boss. Red tape, huh? Okay. Here, you wait here. I'll go in and see if the boss will talk to you. Hey, what's your name? Just call me Jones. Okay, if that's the Way you want it. I'll be back in a minute. Trotter, you're in for a surprise. It's time for your customer to disappear and for the Avenger to take over. Okay, bud, I. Hey. Hey. He's gone. But how did he get out of a locked room? Hey, Benny. Benny. Yeah, what's up, brother? The guy's gone. I don't know how he got out, but he did. You and your 50 grand. Nobody was a cop. No, no, he was a mug. I couldn't make a mistake like that. You're a stupid fool. Go pack our stuff. We gotta be out of here in five minutes. I'll take care of things in here. Yeah, yeah. We better blow. All right. If I ever lay eyes on that guy, I'll tear the sea. Stupid, incompetent punk. I have his life for this. The state will save you the trouble, Benny. It wants you both for murder. Who's that? Who's in here? It's the Avenger, Benny the Avenger. So that's who it is. Yes. I'm here to put an end to your wholesale murders, Benny. That's what you think. You've met your match this time, Avenger. Invisible or not, I have a weapon that can kill you. You're trapped. We shall see. This is going to give me more pleasure than any other crime I've committed. This. To kill the Avenger is the dream of every criminal. But the honor will be mine. May I inquire how I am to die? Sure. All I gotta do is pull this switch and this whole room will be charged with electricity. I guess that. But what of you? What happens to you, Benny? Me? My clothes and shoes are completely insulated. Pull the switch then, Benny, and let's see what happens. I will. I'm still here, Benny. Electricity. It's not working. No. I pulled the wires when I first came in. You're clever. But if I can't destroy you, I can destroy the evidence that you use against me. You will never know the secret of my power ray machine. I'll smash it into a thousand pieces. Stay away from that machine, Benny. No, no, I won't smash it. Stay away, I said. Take this, then. Oh, a little man with a dangerous weapon. The history of crime keeps repeating itself. Now, just a minute, Jim. You say these murders were committed by planning these dummy fountain pens which contained actimium A on each of the victims? That's right, inspector. The actinium served as a receiver for a special power ray generated by this cathode ray machine. What kind of Array was it, Jim? The Omega ray. This was emitted along with the regular alpha, beta and gamma rays from the machine. It was able to recharge the actinium A, which disintegrated again in 2000th of a second. During this lightning process, all the oxygen within the body of the victim was completely ionized. He died from a combination of heat and suffocation. But wouldn't the people around the victim feel the ray, Jim? No, Fern. The ray was harmless without the actinium. And the actinium was harmless until the ray was focused on it. But how could this ray be focused on people in the street? This machine is portable. It was operated from a cruising car. Well, that's some scheme, Jim. I guess you have to be a scientist to be a policeman these days. Well, it often helps, Inspector. Jim, there's one other thing. Yes, ma'? Am. I know you picked up this ray on a telecomic indicator just at the time Throne was killed. That's right. It blew the indicator out. What was that mistake you spoke of that made you suspicious enough of Doyle to concentrate on him? Yes, Jim, you never explained that to me either. Doyle had a wife and three children. He would hardly make his business firm the beneficiary of his insurance unless he expected to outlive his partner. That put me on the trail of Doyle and finally led us to Benny. Okay, Jim. Send in a complete report on it. Right. What's your hurry, Inspector? I've started going to night school, Jim. I'm taking General sc. All characters, names, places and plots used in the Avenger program are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This is a thought. A thought. A thought. Remember? Listen for another adventure of the Avenger. I'm caught up in the game. My attention is on every play and every whistle. But what I'm missing is a signal coming from my kidneys. That signal isn't like a ref's whistle. It's more of a silent SOS which could be warning me of an increased risk for events like heart attack or stroke. And a way I can catch that signal. A simple urine test called UACR. If you have type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure, talk to your doctor about the UACR test. Detect the SOS. Visit detectthesos.com to learn more. In a world of endless notifications, there could be an important one you're missing. Your kidneys may be signaling an SOS with high blood pressure or type 2 diabetes. Your kidneys could be warning you of early signs of damage which may put you at higher risk for events like heart attack or stroke. But there's a simple test that can help spot a hidden signal. Ask your doctor about a urine test called UACR to help detect kidney disease and heart risk early. To learn more, visit detectthesos.com today.