Mystic Hour

Wealthy Robert Randall interrupts a burglary one night and is shot in the process. One of the disguised burglars, The Fox, escapes, but the other, Red, is chased and caught by Bob at the home of Mary Marshall. Impressed by Bob's heroics, Mary introduces him to her guardian, Roger Thurston, and Roger's brother Bradley, and makes a lunch date with him for the next day. At The Fox's hideout, meanwhile, The Fox shrugs off Bob's actions and orders one of his men to deliver a note to wealthy Mrs. Van Buren, in which he warns her that her recently acquired jewels will soon be stolen. The Fox then removes his disguise and reveals himself to be Captain James, the head of the James Detective Agency. While at the agency, The Fox receives a telephone call from a distraught Mrs. Van Buren, who innocently tells him about The Fox's note and asks for his advice. After The Fox reassures her that her jewels will be safe under his care, Bob, who is Mrs. Van Buren's nephew, also tells her not to worry. Bob then waits for the burglar at his aunt's and once again foils The Fox, but once again he is unable to capture him. Later, Bob proposes to Mary during a polo match, and she happily accepts. News of Mary's engagement causes Roger great concern because he has embezzled $100,000 of Mary's inheritance, which she will be entitled to collect upon her marriage. Determined to cover himself, Roger conspires with Bradley, whom he had intended for Mary to wed, to use Bob's involvement with The Fox to delay the wedding. Soon after, Bob receives a note signed by The Fox warning him that he will be kidnapped. Bob cavalierly shows the note to cub reporter Scoop, and by the next day, the story is in the newspapers. When The Fox reads the report, he is upset and orders Blinkey, one of his men, to infiltrate the Thurstons' home. Roger, meanwhile, hires two crooks to snatch Bob when the lights go out during a party at his house and hold him captive until a ransom is collected. Concerned for Bob's safety, Mary asks the police for protection, but the policeman on guard is knocked out by Blinkey, who then steals his clothes and enters the party in perfect disguise. Before either Blinkey or Roger's crooks can nab Bob, however, Bob sneaks away. Vowing to "get to the bottom" of the matter, Bob hires a detective to investigate both the Thurstons and the James Detective Agency. The Fox also checks up on the Thurstons and, after learning of Roger's embezzlement, goes to the Thurston home and, as James, offers to find Bob for Mary in exchange for her announced reward money. Soon after, Bob shows up at the Thurstons and reveals himself to Mary, but then must flee when Myra, Mary's spinster relative, mistakes him for a burglar and screams. Later, however, Bob returns to see Mary and, while still hiding himself, listens in on a telephone conversation between The Fox and Roger, in which the Fox, posing as James, demands to discuss Bob's kidnapping. After he tells Mary not to give anyone the reward money, Bob sneaks into the room where Roger, Bradley and The Fox are talking and surprises them. Aware that James is really The Fox, Bob holds him at gunpoint and telephones the police, but is soon overpowered by the thief. As the police approach, The Fox tries to cut a deal with Roger and Bradley and then threatens to kill Bob. Bradley, however, prevents the killing, but in the ensuing struggle, Roger is shot. Bob chases The Fox on foot and follows him over a seaside cliff. After a watery struggle, Bob eventually overwhelms and captures The Fox, and is rewarded with a kiss by Mary.