Excellent mystery, I can picture Raymond Burr and William Hopper as some of the main characters. There is so much detail to these stories.

This is a good classic mystery with a very complicated plot with lots details with twists and turns. Helen Kendal gets a call from her Uncle Franklin, who disappeared 10 years previously. He tells her to hire Perry Mason, go with him to the Castle Gate Hotel and ask for Henry Leech who would lead them to him. Helen is living with her aunt Matilda who was married to Franklin and told her that he ran off to Florida with another woman and she hates him. His will has left money to Helen and Franklin's brother Gerald, but until he is known to be dead, they can't get it. Helen tell Gerald about the call, and he wants to be included in the search for Franklin. Meanwhile, Helen's kitten is sick; she take her to the vet who tells Helen the kitten has been poisoned. Helen takes the kitten to the gardener, Lunk to take care of him while she goes out.

When Perry Mason, his secretary Della Street, Gerald and Helen get to the hotel, Leech isn't there. There is a typed message of where to meet him which is way out of town. When they reach the site there is a car with a man who has been shot. Mason calls Lieutenant Tragg, who immediately suspects them of the shooting. Lunk claims he has given Franklin a room in his house, but when the police arrive, no one is there. The police arrest Della Street for removing Franklin, a suspect and Mason must defend her at a trial with a lot of circumstantial evidence, but Mason uses the instance of the kitten finding a bed to sleep in in his final argument.

The big questions are who killed Leech; whether Franklin is alive or dead; and if he's dead who killed him? The last chapter is Mason telling Della Street everything that happened and who is guilty of what. However, Tragg is going to have to figure it out by himself!