Lady at Midnight

One midnight, Pete and Ellen Wiggins are awakened by the sound of someone walking through their house. Ellen gets up to check on their seven-year-old daughter Tina, who tells her that a "pretty lady" has been in her room. The next day, at the Los Angeles radio station where he works as a news-reader, Pete learns that the night before, Amanda Forsythe, an heiress, was shot and killed on their street. That same morning, Tina tells her mother that the mysterious lady told her that she, Tina, was adopted by Pete and Ellen when she was a baby, something Tina already knew. Later, John Featherstone of the Child Adoption Institute, informs Pete that he thinks someone is attempting to take Tina away from them, although she was legally adopted when she was four weeks old. The charge is that Ellen was not of legal age when the adoption took place. Pete goes to see their attorney, Ross Atherton, to get a copy of Ellen's christening certificate, as the original of Ellen's birth certificate was lost in a records hall fire. However, there is no certificate in the file. That evening, police chief Mulhare and officer Murphy come to the Wiggins home to ask if they can help with the investigation of the Forsythe murder. Tina notices that Mulhare is carrying a hat identical to the one the mysterious visitor wore and it appears that Amanda Forsythe was the woman who came to Tina's room. Later, Tina becomes very upset at the thought of being taken away from Pete and Ellen. Al Garrity, a private investigator whom Pete has hired to look for Tina's real mother, show girl Carolyn Sugar, claims to know her and they pay a call on her. However, Carolyn's husband informs them that, after receiving a lot of money, she left suddenly for New York. Pete has a feeling that Freddy Forsythe, Amanda's brother, may be involved in the adoption suit but cannot prove it. Ellen finally finds her christening certificate, which proves that she was of legal age when they adopted Tina. Al then discovers that Carolyn could not have been Tina's mother and was probably paid by someone to pose as the mother. Atherton, who is also the Forsythe family's lawyer, tells Freddy and his aunt Lydia that Amanda's entire estate is to be divided between them. After Pete delivers Ellen's certificate to Atherton, he and Lydia leave together. As they drive, Pete quizzes her about Amanda, and Lydia tells him that she was married to a pilot who was killed during the war. Pete tells Lydia that he suspects that Amanda may have had a baby which she put up for adoption. Later, Pete and Ellen receive court papers indicating that the plaintiff in their adoption challenge was Amanda. When Pete goes to keep an appointment with Atherton, he finds him apparently mugged and Ellen's certificate gone. Atherton informs Pete that Freddy has become the plaintiff in the case. Meanwhile, Al is in the East trying to find Carolyn and obtain new documentation on Ellen's birth date. Lydia then admits to Pete that Tina was Amanda's child and that a few days before her death, Amanda made a new will leaving the bulk of her fortune to Tina. Pete realizes that Freddy is trying to adopt Tina in order to get at the money. Al phones to say that Carolyn is on her way back from New York, and as Pete feels that she can verify things, he goes to meet her plane. However, their taxi is followed by another car, and someone shoots at them, killing Carolyn. Pete tells the taxi driver to take the body to the morgue and to tell the police to meet him at Freddy's hotel. In a showdown, Freddy reveals that Atherton is actually behind the scheme. Atherton then shows up, shoots Freddy and threatens Pete, but Pete jumps him and a fistfight ensues. The police arrive in time to save Pete. Amanda's last will is found, ensuring that Tina will inherit the money and remain with Pete and Ellen forever.