In the second of the PRC "Michael Shayne" series,civic crusader Burton Stallings hires private detective Michael Shayne to locate the former's missing step-daughter Helen. Shayne discovers that Stallings himself has had Helen confined in an asylum in order to obtain her money.—Les Adams <[email protected]>
The private-eye Michael Shayne agrees to track down the stepdaughter of the local bigwig Burton Stallings, Helen Stallings. But when his client's corpse turns up at his doorstep, Shayne finds himself reluctantly involved in yet another murder mystery. Along the way, Shayne must fend off femme-fatale Phyllis Hamilton who may or may not be intimately involved in the killing.—Robert
Michael Shayne (Hugh Beaumont) is getting ready to take a vacation with his lovely secretary Phyllis (Cheryl Walker). However, before they can leave, a wealthy fellow named Burton Stallings (actor Gordon Richards) shows up, and asks to hire Shayne to find his missing step-daughter Helen. Now Phyllis is all ready to go on vacation but Shayne seems to be drawn in to the enticement of a new case. Shayne might be ready to decline the case and mail back the check, but then suddenly a drunken woman stumbles in and mumbles something about Starling. It's the step-daughter Helen, so Shayne figures he can wrap up this case quickly and takes Phyllis to the train, with the promise that he will join her in 48 hours.
He returns he discovers that Helen has been strangled and is dead. So Sgt. Pete Rafferty (Ralph Dunn) who has it in for Shayne, gets a report of a scream at Shayne's office and goes to investigate. Chief Gentry (Charles C. Wilson) goes along as well.Shayne makes some excuses and gets rid of him, and a little later Tim Rourke (actor Paul Bryar), his reporter friend, tells him that Helen had sued Stalling for part of his estate, but later dropped the suit.
Stallings shows up and Shayne questions him about the lawsuit and also finds out Helen was dating nightclub owner Arch Dubler (Charles Quigley). Shayne sends Tim out to get a vehicle to move the body, but when he gets back, the body is gone. Tim leaves to get some sleep, and Shayne goes through her things and finds a matchbook for Club Magnolia. Shayne tries to get past a doorman but is promptly slugged and left in an alley.
Whit Marlowe (Lee Bennett) is also looking for Helen as well because she's his girl, but Arch Dubler has him knocked out as well and dumped in the same alley. Shayne wakes and goes through the guys stuff and figures out he's the trumpet player interested in Helen and also learns that they were secretly married.
Shayne brings the kid to Tim's place to have him ask him questions when he wakes. Shayne goes back to his office and finds Phyllis had returned and, it would seem, Helen's body has returned! Around here Rafferty shows up, demanding to come in. They apparently got a tip that he had a body there and they go investigating. They go to the couch and find Phyllis, pretending to be sick. So Rafferty apologies and they leave.
Tim and Mike bring the body to the Stallings and leave it there. A little morbid, but ok. The next day, Shayne heads to Stallings and at the door gets friendly with Lucille, the maid (actress Julia McMillan). He gives her a ride home and she tells him that Helen's alcoholic mother was in a sanitarium and might knows some of the family secrets. She seems really interested in him, but as he needs information he setups a date for later.
Shayne heads to the morgue with Starlings to identify a body, that of Helen, and they are able to confirm it's her... or someone who looks just like her. Shayne goes out for his date with Lucille and at her room finds her unconscious and calls for a doctor. While the doctor is there, Mike gets himself committed to Doc Patterson's sanitarium, where Mrs. Stallings had been a patient. He has Phyllis play his long-suffering wife, and Tim as his backup man. This way he can get in in a way to avoid suspicion.
Once inside he is able to locate the real Helen and bring the case to a close.
