New Adventure Comics #29 (1938)

With their ex-kidnappers handcuffed in the back seat, Commander Kerry and Red Murphy drive to the South American police station. When they arrive, the police chief tells them that the men's fate will most likely be an execution. Kerry asks if he can question them first about El Diablo. Mr. Marshall, from the American Embassy, interrupts him. El Diablo is just a myth, he tells them, made up by criminal minds to frighten law officials. Even so, Kerry still wishes to question the prisoners. So Marshall offers to go in first and question the men about their attempted murder of Don and Red. While he is gone, the police chief voices his suspicions about the man: He is a well known gambler, which has cost him a fortune, yet he always seems to have more money on hand. Commander Kerry assures the chief that he has been friends with Marshall for years, and that there is no cause for concern. Mr. Marshall returns, and tells the men that he asked the prisoners about El Diablo and they claimed never to have heard of anyone by that name. And with that, he takes his leave and goes on back to the Embassy. Moments later, a breathless officer rushes into the chief's office, announcing that the prisoners are dead! Don Kerry and Red Murphy race to the prison area where they find the men's bodies on the ground. With a quick examination, Kerry concludes that the men were poisoned. A piece of paper found in each man's mouth, with a message from El Diablo: ::Talk and you die! El Diablo will not fail you. There is nothing to fear. Chew this letter and swallow it. From the looks of it, Red believes the letter contained a poison, and the kidnappers died following El Diablo's instructions. The chief reminds them that the only one that had been in to see the prisoners was Marshall, but Kerry is still insistent that he is innocent, saying that no amount of money would tempt Marshall to turn traitor. The chief agrees, but informs them that he has been seen dating a woman, Rose Del Muerte, who was suspected of being a spy. Kerry replies that he'll ask Marshall about the woman, and that the death of the prisoners should be kept secret for now. That night, Commander Kerry and Red Murphy disguise themselves as seamen looking for work. They enter a seedy bar filled with tough-looking sailors, and one group of men is overheard talking about a Captain Zocoro, who they say is involved in criminal activities. Kerry is then seen listening in, and the gruff sailors turn on him. They didn't like the look of him, he reminded them of a lawman. Kerry tried to calm them, saying that he hated the police as much as they did, but the men weren't buying it. One of them swings hard, with Kerry ducking just in time, and counterpunching to the jaw. He pulls out his gun and fires two warning shots above their heads, which clears out the whole bar. Red follows after the sailors that were talking earlier, while Kerry escapes out the window. Commander Kerry decides to seek out Captain Zocoro and see if he has any connection to El Diablo. He comes across a tired, drunk sailor, whom he questions about Zoroco. It appears that Zocoro answers directly to El Diablo, and that his ship is just off the coast, reachable by a rowboat moored to the dock. He finds the rowboat right where the sailor said it was. Kerry unties the binding and is about to step inside the boat, when a shadowy figure steps up behind him.