The Shadow Strikes 1937

The Shadow foils a robbery at the attorney's office

Lamont Granston, as The Shadow, interrupts an attempted robbery at an attorney's office. After the thieves flee, the police begin a scene-wide search, forcing him to assume the attorney’s identity to slip away. He adopts Chester Randall’s persona to leave undetected.

Summoned to draft a will at Delthiern’s home

Granston arrives in the Randall role when Caleb Delthiern summons him to draw up a new will. The wealthy client wants a document that reshapes his fortune. The scene sets the stage for the murder that follows.

Delthiern is shot and reveals inheritance clause

During the meeting, Delthiern is suddenly shot. Before dying, he states that his niece Marcia is to be disinherited if she marries Warran. The confession frames the motive for the forthcoming intrigue.

Winstead Comstock arrested for inheritance motive

Winstead Comstock, the oldest nephew, is arrested as a prime suspect because he stands to inherit a large share of the estate. His alibi later appears solid when investigators confirm he was at a theater and a café during the murder. The arrest deepens the mystery and shifts focus to other relatives.

Marcia discovers the pistol and files a lead

Marcia finds a pistol on Jasper’s night stand and she and Humphrey call Randall for help. Granston learns the pistol’s caliber does not match the murder weapon. Marcia hides the gun by placing it in the library desk drawer.

Breen exposes impostor, uses a phone trick

Captain Breen suspects that Randall is an impostor after the secretary is misled about his vacation. Granston has Hendricks disconnect the phone cord and later talks to the secretary as if she were still on the line. Breen is convinced and withdraws, at least for the moment.

A confrontation over debt ends in Winstead's murder

Jasper owes money to Brossett and pressures Winstead for an eleven-thousand loan to cover gambling debts. During the confrontation, a shot is fired and Winstead is killed. The event intensifies the family’s motive and escalates the search for the killer.

Paraffin test and safeguarding the will

Granston asks Captain Breen to perform a paraffin test to check if the pistol found in the house had been fired recently. He also gives Marcia her uncle’s will to keep in a safe place, preserving it from anyone who would use it for leverage. The test and the will’s custody become key tactics in the investigation.

Warran grows suspicious and warns Randall's secret identity

Warran suspects that Randall is not the real investigator and visits Randall’s secretary after the telephone line is repaired. He informs Captain Breen of his suspicions. Marcia then goes to Granston’s home to warn him about the danger.

Listening device reveals Brossett’s plan to retrieve the will

Granston visits Brossett and, with Hendricks setting up a listening device in Brossett's window, overhears the casino owner plotting to obtain the Delthiern will to get Jasper to pay him back. The conspiracy tightens as the motive centers on controlling the will. The listening device confirms that Brossett is deeply involved.

Brossett’s men attempt to seize the will at the house

Brossett’s men go to the Delthiern house to pressure Marcia into handing over the will. The Shadow suddenly intervenes, forcing them to return the will and thwart the attempt. The tension between the conspirators escalates as they realize Granston is in control.

Wellington confronts Granston and plots murder

Wellington, the Delthiern butler, discovers Granston’s address in Marcia’s purse and travels to Granston’s residence with intent to kill him. The encounter foreshadows a deadly confrontation as the case grows more dangerous. Granston remains under threat as the night unfolds.