The Shadow of the Cat

It's late 1904 at a vast British country manor. The manor's wealthy owner, Ella Venable, has gone missing. Her favorite niece, Beth Venable, has been dispatched to the manor during this trying time, including to look after her uncle, Ella's husband Walter Venable, who has become largely bedridden in the emotional distress just having suffered a heart attack. Walter, Andrew the butler, and Clara the housekeeper seem further distressed by Ella's cat, Tabitha, who they believe is terrorizing them. As such, Walter also dispatches his brother, Edgar Venable, and Edgar's son and daughter-in-law, Jacob and Louise Venable, to the manor to help him and the two servants find and kill Tabitha. Beth cannot understand their fixation with Tabitha who is sweet on her whenever she sees her. In reality, Walter forced Ella to update her will leaving everything to him, nullifying her original will which left everything to Beth, after which Walter, Andrew and Clara killed Ella and buried her body deep in the woods on the manor's grounds, the two servants to share in the inheritance. The only witness to the murder was Tabitha. For their assistance, Walter, forced to tell them what he did, is also cutting Edgar, Jacob and Louise in on the inheritance. They are also tasked with finding and destroying the only copy of Ella's original will supposedly hidden somewhere in Ella's sanctuary of the attic. One wrinkle which may raise suspicions for Inspector Rowles who is leading the investigation into Ella's disappearance is that Jacob is an ex-con only recently released from prison. As the six become increasingly paranoid in their inability to kill Tabitha, with Tabitha only raising fear in them, Beth is not aware that her own life may be in danger from the six who will stop at nothing to ensure they get all of Ella's money. Michael Latimer, Beth's childhood friend and a newspaper man, as a proverbial outsider may be able to see things a little clearer in his suspicions that Walter, Andrew and Clara fear the cat in Tabitha knowing what they did to Ella, especially in Michael having no doubt about the validity of the rumors that Walter only married Ella for her money.