Private Detective

Millard Lannon sues Mona Lannon for custody of their son in a tense, high-stakes move. The filing centers on Millard's attempt to control access to the child's trust fund and Mona's role in their fragile family dynamic. The custody fight sets the legal stakes for the looming conflict between the ex-spouses.

The owner of the Nation-Wide Detective Agency pressures Myrna Winslow to testify against Mona. The tactic is meant to undermine Mona's defense and tilt the case in Millard's favor. Myrna weighs the order against her sense of justice and personal loyalties.

Myrna declines to testify, quitting the agency. She soon marries her police lieutenant boyfriend, Jim Rickey, signaling a personal turning point amid the family dispute. The move aligns her with law enforcement in the unfolding saga.

Myrna overhears a call in which Millard demands police protection because Mona has threatened his life. The exchange hints at a calculated plot led by Nat Flavin to remove Millard as an obstacle. This overheard moment foreshadows the murder that follows.

Millard Lannon is shot dead in his own home. A neighbor reports Mona leaving the house just as the gunfire is heard, making Mona a person of interest. The murder kicks off a new phase of the investigation.

Myrna accompanies Jim and Brody to investigate the crime. They locate Mona hiding in a hotel, and Myrna informs her that the police suspect her fiancé Donald Norton. Mona lies about the killing, and Myrna chooses to help Mona escape instead of turning her in.

Nat Flavin tries to persuade Donald Norton to turn Mona in, while offering to defend Mona as her lawyer. The maneuver reveals Nat's growing influence over the defense strategy. The tension between the conspirators deepens.

Jim and Brody go to Donald's home and confront him, but Donald escapes the confrontation. The escape raises the stakes as the investigation widens. The case grows messier as more players become involved.

Myrna decides to help Mona and Donald and intensifies her own inquiry. She questions Nat the next morning and learns that Nat has appointed himself guardian of Mona's son. This revelation exposes Nat's motive to control the child's inheritance.

Jim expresses clear displeasure with Myrna's interference in the case. He warns that her involvement could jeopardize the defense. Myrna remains determined to uncover the truth regardless of his objections.

Myrna finds evidence supporting Nat Flavin's guilt in his office. She writes a report stating that Nat killed Millard and framed Mona to gain access to the boy's trust fund. The document becomes a pivotal weapon in building the case against Nat.

Nat arrives at the office, knocks Myrna unconscious, and takes her to his beach house. Mona and Donald arrive to pay Nat a retainer to defend them, unaware of the danger inside. Jim and Brody burst in, rescue Myrna, and capture Nat and Chick Jerome.