Robert Barratt keeps all his relatives in town by threat of disinheriting them if they leave. The only one who had ever defied the edict was Virginia Grey, who married Paul Fix. He turned out to be a bad man. She came back to town, content, even though she had been cut out of the will, to be a servant in her grandfather's house. Now Barratt is dying. He finds out that some of the relatives are going to leave once they get his money, so he calls in lawyer Donald Douglas to change his will. Simultaneously two men get off the train. One is Miss Grey's husband. The other is Paul Kelly, an investigator chasing Fix. Fix breaks into the house, and insists on seeing Barratt. By the time Miss Grey gets up there, Fix is dead of gunshot, and Barratt is dead of natural causes. Douglas follows. He tells her it will look like she shot Fix, so they put him into Barratt's coffin, which has been waiting, and then Barratt on top.
When the will is read, it leaves everything to Miss Grey. All the relatives are disappointed. Kelly wants to know where Fix went; there's no exit from the house save through the front gate, which has to be opened. And an anonymous letter comes to the sheriff claiming Barratt was poisoned.
It's a fair mystery with good players, although the pacing seems a little forced to make it fit into its 72 minutes. There are the usual good Republic Picture special effects used to build the town, particularly the matte paintings by Gordon Schaefer. With Elisabeth Risdon, Clem Bevans, Adele Mara, Byron Foulger, and Grady Sutton among the disappointed heirs.
When the will is read, it leaves everything to Miss Grey. All the relatives are disappointed. Kelly wants to know where Fix went; there's no exit from the house save through the front gate, which has to be opened. And an anonymous letter comes to the sheriff claiming Barratt was poisoned.
It's a fair mystery with good players, although the pacing seems a little forced to make it fit into its 72 minutes. There are the usual good Republic Picture special effects used to build the town, particularly the matte paintings by Gordon Schaefer. With Elisabeth Risdon, Clem Bevans, Adele Mara, Byron Foulger, and Grady Sutton among the disappointed heirs.