The Private Eyes

In the opening scene, two American detectives, Winship and Tart, arrive at Morley Mansion to investigate the apparent murder of Lord and Lady Morley in their car by a figure in a black cape. They carry a letter from the late Lord Morley requesting their help in solving his own murder.

They meet the heiress Phyllis Morley and are introduced to the mansion's peculiar staff, including a samurai, a hunchback, a busty maid, a gypsy, and an insane butler. Tensions mount as each member seems to hide a dangerous secret.

As the investigation progresses, the staff members appear to be killed one by one, yet their bodies vanish before the detectives can present them to Phyllis. The disappearances keep the heiress and investigators in doubt about who is truly in danger.

The detectives attempt to contact Scotland Yard via homing pigeons, but the messages are repeatedly thwarted by the deaths around the manor. Each failed message heightens the sense that someone inside the house is manipulating events.

Hidden passages are discovered within the manor, revealing a labyrinth designed to hide the truth and mislead anyone trying to uncover it.

The chase leads to a torture chamber, where Winship triggers a deadly trap and is left in mortal danger. Tart frantically searches for a way to help.

The cape-wearing figure known as The Shadow leaps out to rescue Winship from the trap, obscuring his own identity. The rescue hints that the mystery is broader than a simple murder plot.

A boa constrictor is used to frighten the detectives into a trash compactor, but they manage to survive being compressed into a bale of garbage. The claustrophobic ordeal raises the stakes and keeps the motive murky.

Out of the garbage, they confront Phyllis as she attempts to flee with the Morley fortune. She admits a gambling habit and motive to kill the Morleys.

Phyllis falls backward into a flower bed, where the Shadow has been hiding in the dirt. He removes his cape, revealing himself to be Lord Morley, who had faked his own death.

Morley explains that he escaped death and orchestrated the plan. The staff reveal themselves as co-conspirators who faked their deaths to trap Phyllis and coerce confession.

The heiress is arrested and the detectives are thanked for solving the case. They are presented with a rare sarcophagus, which is placed in their car as a gift.

As they drive away, they debate the existence of wookalars. A wookalar bursts from the sarcophagus, sending their car careening and provoking screams.