Perry Mason finds himself trying to solve a murder involving the dysfunctional Shore family. Matilda Shore's husband, Franklin, disappeared some 10 years ago and his legacy has been held in limbo ever since. Franklin's brother, Gerald, and niece, Helen Kendall, both stand to inherit sizable amounts from the estate as does Matilda. However, Matilda refuses to let Gerald, a lawyer, probate Richard's will. When Helen receives a phone call from someone claiming to be Franklin and asking to meet her, she confides in her uncle who in turn consults Perry. They set off to meet the man only to find a stranger dead in a car with many of Franklin's possessions. Helen is convinced the man on the phone is Franklin as he knew personal details from her childhood that only he would know. Matilda soon finds herself in the hospital having been poisoned. She recovers but Perry is far more interested in the fact that Helen's Siamese cat had also recently been poisoned.
—garykmcd