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LOCATION: London, England (Title reads: "Archway Hotel - London")
DURATION:
3 days
SUMMARY:
Charlie
Chan is visited at his hotel by a gentleman introducing himself as the Earl of Latham.
Chan, noting his cufflinks are marked "PR," states that his real name is Philip Royce, an actor who Chan recalled seeing
on stage a few years before. Mr. Royce has come to Chan seeking his help to protect
his daughter, Barbara, from whom he has been distant for years, from a swindler named Johnny Douglas who preys on young, wealthy
women. He states that he learned of It turns
out that Johnny is actually a partner in crime with Claire. It is she who sets
up women for Johnny to then take advantage of with the pair splitting the take in each swindle. In this case, however, Johnny has actually fallen for his intended victim and wants to end his relationship
with Claire. Miss Harris states in no uncertain terms that if she can't have
Johnny, no one will. Arriving at Claire's apartment, Chan with son, Barry, questions
Claire about Johnny. After admitting to Chan that she and Johnny had had a shady
dealing with another young woman, Chan, satisfied with the information gained, departs. Royce pays
a visit to his daughter, Barbara, apologizing for not having been a good parent. Trying
to warn her about Johnny, Barbara is angered, asking her father to leave. At
his hotel, Chan receives a telephone call from Royce who tells him that he has arranged to have Johnny meet him that night
at his apartment. As Chan warns him against this idea, there is a knock at Royce's
door. Setting down the telephone receiver, he sees who it is. On his end of the line, Chan hears Royce speaking with Back at
their hotel room, Barry comes to the realization that it was actually Claire who shot Mr. Royce, then hoping to frame Johnny
for the crime. She must have used a tape recorder, he feels, to produce Johnny's
voice during the murder. Barry then hatches a plan to seek evidence at Claire's
apartment, involving the use of two bottles of champagne to gain entrance to her apartment.
Chan warns his eager son that "bubbly champagne very, very sneaky." Later,
at Claire's apartment, a dead drunk Barry passes out, having fallen far short of his goal. CONCLUSION: The next
day, Chan and a hung over Barry await the arrival of Inspector Duff at Royce's apartment.
Duff arrives and states that witnesses did, indeed, hear a splash of water following the sound of the gunshot, thus
proving Chan’s theory that the killer could have escaped through the window and into the small water tank below. Questioning Barbara Royce, Chan reveals that her father had actually shot himself
in such a way as to make it look as if Johnny had killed him, hoping in this way to protect her from
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