Seven Keys to Baldpate

Mary Jordan steals Kenneth's typed pages because she is working as part of a criminal gang trying to prevent anyone from staying at Baldpate Inn. Her goal is to disrupt Kenneth's presence so the gang can execute their insurance fraud scheme without interference. By taking his story pages, she hopes to discourage him from proceeding to the inn.

Mary warns Kenneth at the station to try to prevent him from reaching the inn, hoping he would turn back. However, when the weather turns foul, she is forced to stay because the storm prevents anyone from leaving. Her role shifts from trying to get him to leave to acting as his self-described secretary to monitor him and ensure he doesn't win the bet.

The seven keys represent the multiple access points to Baldpate Inn, each held by different members of the criminal gang. When Kenneth arrives believing he has the only key, six more keys surface as the various gang members let themselves in. This literally and figuratively unlocks the mystery, and Kenneth ultimately titles his finished story "Seven Keys to Baldpate."

The inn owner gives Kenneth what seems to be the only key, but six additional keys surface as more guests arrive.

The gang plans to stage a false crime at Baldpate Inn to file a fraudulent insurance claim. They intend to make it appear as though a robbery occurred, allowing them to collect insurance money. The isolated inn, closed for winter, provides the perfect setting for their scheme away from prying eyes.

Cargan cuts the telephone wire to prevent Mary from calling for help. When Mary attempts to summon the police, Cargan slips outside and cuts the line, isolating Kenneth and Mary from any outside rescue. This action traps them in the inn with the armed criminals and escalates the danger.

The hermit is a local old man who enters through a window out of curiosity when he sees lamplight in the closed inn. Unlike the other guests, he is not part of the criminal gang. When the situation turns violent, he is the one who summons the police, helping bring the criminals to justice and saving Kenneth and Mary.

Kenneth cleverly uses the situation to stall for time by guiding the arriving police to the dead body of the gang member. While Max holds Mary at gunpoint, Kenneth creates enough confusion and delay for the authorities to piece together what happened. His quick thinking leads directly to the crooks' arrest.

Kenneth returns to his room to finish his story because he is determined to win the original $5,000 bet. Despite the terrifying night he has endured, his commitment to completing the story remains strong. He writes a new ending and titles it "Seven Keys to Baldpate," completing both the wager and the romantic subplot with Mary.

Kenneth initially assumes the suspicious guests are part of an elaborate scheme to distract him from his bet. However, when he and Mary discover the dead body of a gang member, this gruesome discovery shatters his assumption that everything is merely a diversion. The reality of murder forces him to recognize the genuine criminal threat.

Kenneth overhears a phone call that makes him think the others are merely part of a grand distraction.

Mary poses as the inn owner's secretary to monitor Kenneth and ensure he does not win the bet. This cover story allows her to stay close to him while the gang carries out their insurance fraud scheme. Her role is to distract Kenneth and keep him from discovering the criminal activity happening around him.