Detective Emmet Blake, his father, Inspector Blake, and his female companion, Sally, are on vacation. They decide to stop at a seaside hotel located in a sleepy town called Cliffside. They are greeted by Tom Bridges, the hotel manager. Bridges recognizes Emmet. After bidding good night to Emmet, Sally settles into her room, but is frightened by a black bird which attempts to bite her. Her screams draw Emmet and his father to the room. While Inspector Blake searches out the window for the bird, Emmet discovers bloody bird tracks on the bed sheets. In the hallway, a distraught Leona, the hotel maid, tells the guests that a Mr. Throckmorton had just fallen to his death. They step onto the veranda to encounter Mrs. Agnes Throckmorton, looking over the cliff where her husband fell. Emmet’s flashlight finds the dead body. Investigating the scene more closely with his father, they come across very little blood. Emmet surmises that the corpse was killed elsewhere, before being thrown over the cliff. Speaking with Mrs. Throckmorton and Leona, Inspector Blake says they suspect murder. Bridges enters the conversation, saying he was with Leona when they heard Mrs. Throckmorton’s scream, which Leona confirms. Giles, the hotel janitor, appears at the police chief’s request to ask the inspector if he would like to start questioning the suspects. Emmet first interviews Mrs. Throckmorton about the age difference between herself and her husband, and his habit of walking along the cliff after working in his aviary. Mrs. Throckmorton says her husband had just received seven new rare Bolivian ravens. They visit the aviary, discovering all seven ravens accounted for, and none with bloody talons. Inspector Blake receives a painful bite from a raven. Bridges describes the ravens as a testy breed, admitting to sometimes assisting Throckmorton in the aviary. Tom lights a cigarette. Emmet asks for a light, and in doing so detects a strange smell on Bridge’s fingers. Emmet seizes Bridges, saying he has enough evidence to prove Tom is the murderer. A policeman shows up, and Emmet explains the evidence against Bridges. Bridges was in love with Mrs. Throckmorton. While Bridges committed the murder, the bird cages were disrupted, releasing the ravens. Bridges recovered all the birds but one. When he finds the last one, he washed its talons with a “strong, yellow laundry soap”, leaving behind a strong odor. Also, Bridges handled the birds with skill, even the bird that bit Inspector Blake. Bridges and Mrs. Throckmorton are arrested.
Description Detective Emmet Blake, his father, Inspector Blake, and his female companion, Sally, are on vacation. They decide to stop at a seaside hotel located in a sleepy town called Cliffside. They are greeted by Tom Bridges, the hotel manager. Bridges recognizes Emmet. After bidding good night to Emmet, Sally settles into her room, but is frightened by a black bird which attempts to bite her. Her screams draw Emmet and his father to the room. While Inspector Blake searches out the window for the bird, Emmet discovers bloody bird tracks on the bed sheets. In the hallway, a distraught Leona, the hotel maid, tells the guests that a Mr. Throckmorton had just fallen to his death. They step onto the veranda to encounter Mrs. Agnes Throckmorton, looking over the cliff where her husband fell. Emmet’s flashlight finds the dead body. Investigating the scene more closely with his father, they come across very little blood. Emmet surmises that the corpse was killed elsewhere, before being thrown over the cliff. Speaking with Mrs. Throckmorton and Leona, Inspector Blake says they suspect murder. Bridges enters the conversation, saying he was with Leona when they heard Mrs. Throckmorton’s scream, which Leona confirms. Giles, the hotel janitor, appears at the police chief’s request to ask the inspector if he would like to start questioning the suspects. Emmet first interviews Mrs. Throckmorton about the age difference between herself and her husband, and his habit of walking along the cliff after working in his aviary. Mrs. Throckmorton says her husband had just received seven new rare Bolivian ravens. They visit the aviary, discovering all seven ravens accounted for, and none with bloody talons. Inspector Blake receives a painful bite from a raven. Bridges describes the ravens as a testy breed, admitting to sometimes assisting Throckmorton in the aviary. Tom lights a cigarette. Emmet asks for a light, and in doing so detects a strange smell on Bridge’s fingers. Emmet seizes Bridges, saying he has enough evidence to prove Tom is the murderer. A policeman shows up, and Emmet explains the evidence against Bridges. Bridges was in love with Mrs. Throckmorton. While Bridges committed the murder, the bird cages were disrupted, releasing the ravens. Bridges recovered all the birds but one. When he finds the last one, he washed its talons with a “strong, yellow laundry soap”, leaving behind a strong odor. Also, Bridges handled the birds with skill, even the bird that bit Inspector Blake. Bridges and Mrs. Throckmorton are arrested.
