The Perfect Clue

Jerome Stewart hosts an elegant dinner party to announce his engagement to Ursula Chesebrough. Mona reacts badly, feeling blindsided by the news and the idea of losing her father’s blessing. The event sets the marriage stakes for the family and Mona's subsequent choices.

Ronnie Van Zandt convinces Mona to run away with him, even though she does not love him. They quickly make arrangements and board a train bound for Buffalo. The plan introduces the possibility of a secret marriage and drives Mona's arc forward.

Mona changes her mind at a whistle stop and seeks a car to take her onward. She ends up hiring an unfamiliar driver, David Mannering, who appears as he’s coming out of a café. This chance encounter sets the plot in motion and foreshadows trouble.

David drives Mona to a remote area and robs her, leaving her stranded. He shows no compunction, and Mona is left to fend for herself in an unfamiliar place. The act makes David a suspect and complicates her trust in him.

David comes back and agrees to drive Mona to Albany, but she pretends a sprained ankle to gain sympathy and coerce him. Their tense ride hints at a fragile dynamic and Mona’s struggle to judge David's character.

The car becomes mired in mud, trapping them together for a night. They have time to talk, and Mona starts to learn more about David's past while they wait for help. The night strengthens their uneasy bond.

David confesses that he was released from prison a month earlier after being accused of a bank robbery he says he didn’t commit. He describes his previous life as a teller and laments the injustice he faced. Mona becomes curious and conflicted about his honesty.

Stewart and Ronnie track Mona to the whistle stop, learning that Johnny Rourke wasn’t hired by Mona. Instead, they hire Rourke to drive them to Albany, shifting the power dynamics as David is now entangled in a cover story. The pursuit adds pressure to the trio.

On the road to Albany, Mona is frightened by a territorial bull, revealing that her earlier bravado was a ruse. David sees through the deception, which deepens their uneasy partnership. The moment also shows how danger tests their bond.

The pair reach Albany, where David intends to seek work by approaching a man named Delany at a bowling alley/pool hall. This marks a turning point, bringing them closer to a potential legitimate future and to Delany’s world.

Shortly before David sees Delany, Mona claims to a policeman that she and David are newlyweds arguing over the honeymoon. The display reveals her attempts to shield herself and David from suspicion, but it also heightens the tension around their relationship.

Delaney is stabbed by Barkley and Carter after refusing their demand for money. The killers hide a crucial note in a bowling pin, a detail that will later become the key clue to the crime. The heavy crime raises the stakes for everyone involved.

With Delaney dead and David having been the only witness, the police close in on him and Mona, causing them to flee the scene to avoid a wrongful implication. Their flight marks the onset of dramatic interrogations and a looming confrontation with the law.

Mona defends David to her father, insisting he is innocent and urging that they both be released. Jerome visits Mona in jail while Ronnie also visits, revealing competing loyalties and setting up further conflict over trust and forgiveness.

Mona and David search Delaney's office for clues about 'the pin'; Barkley and Carter follow, pursuing the letter they hid in a bowling pin. Mona uncovers the letter, the criminals confess, and David is declared innocent. The couple finally reunite.