The Spirit #4

Commissioner Dolan picks up what he thinks is a bargain at an auction—a cheap pen and mystery package for just two dollars—but his prize draws unexpected and dangerous attention when a stranger offers increasingly large sums to buy it back. When the package is finally opened, it contains a scarab holding U174, a radioactive element stolen from a scientist's laboratory, and the Spirit must track down a murder and stop criminals from delivering the dangerous material to enemy agents. Dolan's stubborn refusal to profit from a bad deal turns out to have saved the day.

When ticket scalpers posing as helpful volunteers infiltrate a Children's Welfare Ball fundraiser, the Spirit must expose the scheme before Handsome Wilbur and his crew make off with the money meant for underprivileged kids. Ellen and her fellow organizers discover they've been duped, and when they chase the thieves to their hideout, they find themselves in far more danger than anyone bargained for.

The Spirit takes a trip to the amusement park with a young companion, but their ferris wheel ride becomes anything but relaxing when a time-bomb mysteriously appears in their car. With the mechanism ticking toward detonation and the wheel's mechanics working against him, The Spirit must find a way to defuse the threat before it's too late.

When dissatisfied customers start complaining about lost money at the local roller coaster, a pair of operators realize they've stumbled onto a highly profitable scheme—collecting loose change from the tracks. When Flatfoot Burns shows up to investigate, the crooks set a series of rigged tracks and traps to keep the detective occupied, leading to a chaotic battle of wits aboard the very ride they're using to pull off their scam.

The Spirit infiltrates a nightmarish amusement house attraction to escort Mrs. Olcott to safety, but discovers her murdered in the darkness—shot with impossible precision by someone who couldn't possibly see their target. As the Spirit unravels the crime alongside Commissioner Dolan, he must navigate the House of Darkness's disorienting passages while contending with Trigger Thomson, a fugitive hiding within its walls, to expose the true killer before they can escape.