Inspector Blake is the father of Emmet Blake. He accompanies Emmet and Sally on a vacation road-trip. Growing tired, they stop in the sleepy hamlet of Cliffside to spend the night at the hotel there. The owner, Tom Bridges, recognizes Emmet as a famous detective, and Inspector Blake likewise carries some prominence. When the trio of travelers encounter Leona, the hotel maid, it is clear she is distraught. They follow her to the terrace as she tells them that Mr. Throckmorton just fell off the cliff and died. On the terrace, they see Agnes Throckmorton, the wife of the recently deceased.