Bayard Thatcher is blackmailing the family into which he has married: He demands $25,000 by the next night or else he will tell about shady deals and family skeletons. That is the price the bully Bayard demands for leaving the family alone. At midnight, he is shot and Dr. Carick is called. He has Nurse Sally Keating take care of Bayard's superficial wound and watch over him. Later that night while he is out arguing with someone, a mysterious person steals the gun under his pillow. He is still alive in the morning and demands the money before nightfall, but he does not live long enough to claim it. Who did him in? Nurse Keating has some clues and a lot of questions.—Tony Fontana <[email protected]>